Happy "91st" Mom...!

Simple things...

a homemade luncheon...

carrot cake...a candle...some apple fritters...

a 73 degree sunny, bright December Arizona day...

quality time spent together

laughing...talking...remembering...sharing...

 the love of family...

What lovely birthday presents, indeed...;)

xoxoxo

"Your birthday

is a special time to celebrate the gift of 'you' to the world."

~Author Unknown

A Mirror Image...

...and some floral play...designed with a reverse batik effect to
celebrate the 11th birthday of
my lovely twin nieces

Joya and Jillian.

What joyful delight you bring to our lives...
you make our hearts sing and and our spirits dance!
My love to each of you...xoxo

"Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time."
~Jean Paul Richter

Happy 90th Birthday...

...dearest Harriet, Heddy, "Sam", Mom, Nana...

We Love You...lots!

JW...

Peg and Scott...

Jack, Sharon, Vanessa, Steve, Myles, and Lauren...

Mark, Katie, Chris, Courtney, and Corey...

Susan, Dave, Joya, and Jillian.

xoxoxo

Pssst...Special birthday hugs also today for my dear friend Jan...:)

"Because time itself is like a spiral,

something special happens on your birthday each year:

The same energy

that God invested in you at birth

is present once again."

~Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Part Two...A Couple of Days Late...:)

 First, I taught a zentangle inspired art class...

with my loyal "art partner in crime" Carolle...as my assistant.

The class even came complete with some "goodies"

for class members to take home...:)

 We

looked at endless examples and patterns and designs

and then

 inked, and tangled, and laughed.

Some members displayed their finished art...

and

I was even able to catch most of the class members before it was

to say farewell.

After gathering up supplies

and returning the studio to pristine condition (lol)

I

headed out for a special birthday salad luncheon...

...and wine party with my sketchbook art friends...

in celebration of my big day...

and Paulette's too!

 We had delicious food...

and it was all accompanied by champagne...

iced drinks,

and many, many, many bottles of wine.

A gigantic thanks to Barb...who thought up the whole idea

and

who hosted all of us in her beautiful home...:)

The company was delightful...as were the views from the patio

overlooking the golf course...

...making it the picture perfect place to enjoy dessert:
including

 Barbara's famous
 Kahlua vodka chocolate bundt birthday cake,

(Thanks, Charlie for making it...)

and

Char's chocolate raspberry brownies

"ala Giada"... 

and...yes, there was even more wine...

accompanied

by some really hilarious stories...

and

the enjoyable

seasonal beauty of a lovely, late October

Arizona day.

Ah!

Yes, indeedy...I feel blessed.

It is so rewarding in life to find friends who truly

understand both me and my Muse.

Thanks everyone for the wonderful memories.

“The most potent muse of all is our own inner child.”

~Stephen Nachmanovitch

My Birthday...Part One...:)

A little girl...who loved to color and draw...

eventually, after many, many years,

realized a lifelong dream

and moved out west

to Arizona.
Well...
that little girl celebrated a very significant birthday last week.
She started the day at Nick's Cafe...
a local diner hangout here in the West Valley.

Then she had a fun day shopping for

sacred hearts from San Miguel Allende, Mexico.

After that,
 a spur of the moment road trip

to Black Canyon City...just north of Phoenix

and the Rock Springs Cafe

for a slice of delicious homemade birthday pie...

(ala mode, of course)

sweetened the day even more.

The weather was spectacular...the beginning of tourist season

here in Arizona...

and the inevitable approach of cold, gray days

 up north.

There was even time for a bit of horseback riding...

before heading back down to the valley...

escorted by a gorgeous sunset.

The actual end of the day came accompanied by

a leisurely swim in the pool
and
a starlit soak in the hot tub.

(Sorry folks...no photos of that!)

Ahhh!

I love the simple, everyday pleasures and comforts of home

out here in the great west!...:)

More of my birthday adventures continue tomorrow...
(the artistic side...:)

"A birthday
is just the first day
of another 365-day journey around the sun.
 Enjoy the trip."
~Author Unknown

Happy 90th Birthday, Dad!

90 years!

What a treat and a privilege for me...

to have you hold my hand as I walked by your side

down life's pathways...

for most of them!

Happy, Happy Day, Dad...with love to you from me. :)

"If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking.

Angels whisper to a man

when he

goes for a walk."

~Raymond Inmon

"To Our One and Only..."

Happiest of birthdays to you...

"Johnny", "Dad", "Grandpa", "Papa", "Great Grandpa"

"JW" and "Big Brown Bear"!

We wish

you a wonderful year of clear skies...smooth flying...

and soft landings.

Sent with oodles of love...from

your loving co-pilot

Mom,

and your ever grateful ground crew:

Susan, David, Joya & Jillian...

Jack, Sharon, Vanessa, Lauren, Steve & Myles...

Mark, Katie, Christopher, Courtney & Corey...

and...Peg and Scott! :)

Thanks for showing us how to navigate life

with a happy heart

and a twinkle in our eye.

Soar high above the clouds as you celebrate

the first day of your 90th

flight around the sun!

You are now cleared for "take off"...:)

"It is not the cry,

but the flight of the wild duck

that leads the flock to fly and follow.”
~Chinese Proverb

"The very existence of aviation is proof that man,

given the will,

has the capacity to accomplish deeds

that seem impossible."

~Eddie Rickenbacker

Happy Birthday Mom! :)

We each wish you a day packed to the brim

with joy filled smiles...warm hugs...

lots of smooches...

and the happiest of memories. :)

Fly high and enjoy!

♥

Much love from

Dad,

Peg and Scott,

Jack, Sharon, Vanessa, Lauren, Steve, and Myles

Mark and Katie,

Susan, David, Joya, and Jillian!
♥

"Our birthdays

are feathers in the broad wing of time."

~Jean Paul Richter

" 'Tis Day One..."

...for me

of yet another sensationally fabulous

"trip around the sun."

YAY! ♥ :)

"Because time itself is like a spiral,

something special happens

on your birthday each year:

The same energy

that God invested in you at birth

is present once again."

~Menachem Mendel Schneerson

"Celebration...X's Three...!"

Special birthday wishes are sent with love today

to three lovely summer blossoms:

Our twin nieces...Joya and Jillian...age 8...

and Scott's granddaughter...

Lexi...age 7.

What a sweet little trio...Hugs and kisses girls!

XOXOXO

♥

"Midwest Blooming..."

There is something to be said about

experiencing

the change of seasons in the Midwest...

especially

when coming from a hot, dry,

summer-browned desert.

The vegetation we saw in Illinois these past weeks

was so dense and lush and vibrant

it actually hurt my eyes!

(Go figure...I think I must be color deprived!)

The corn...which traditionally they say is to be

"knee high by the 4th of July"...

rose in thick, proud, untassled rows

and

stood shoulder to head high

turning

gravel country roads into canyons rimmed

with nature's emerald bounty.

Actually, the fields

were so incredibly deep, deep green

my brother-in-law claimed they were almost blue!!!

No kidding...!

Wildflowers were blooming almost everywhere

they could take root.

Queen Anne's Lace held royal court

over clusters of sky blue chickory and thistles....

painting weedy roadside ditches

in colorful soft washes of floral beauty.

Mmmm...really nice.

Soooo...

inspired by all this bountiful blossoming

I have started

a series of summery floral heart ATCs.

My first one here is

inspired by the sturdy and joyful coneflower.

I post it today

in celebration of two birthdays

in my family...

my brother Mark in Illinois...

and my sister Susan here in Arizona...

both were born this very day

exactly

two years apart!

(They still claim to this day that they are twins.)

HAPPIEST of BIRTHDAYS

TO YOU BOTH!!!

May your day bloom with love and joy

and your hearts be

filled with sweet and special

memories.

♥

"Lots of Loving Wishes..."

...from the bottom of my heart

all wrapped up in

lots of summertime joy and

crowned with a couple of cactus flower blooms

to wish my dad

a super Happy Birthday #88!

"To laugh often and much,

to win the respect of intelligent people

and

the affection of children...

To earn the appreciation of honest critics

and

endure the betrayal of false friends...

To appreciate beauty...

To find the best in others...

To leave the world a bit better-

whether by a healthy child,

a garden patch,

or a redeemed social condition...

To know even one life has breathed easier

because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded!"

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanks dad, for showing me the way... ♥

"Another Season Begins..."

“In June

as many as a dozen species

may burst their buds on a single day.

No man can heed all of these anniversaries;

no man can ignore all of them.”
~Aldo Leopold

Happy Birthday Scott!

"Sending Zen-Filled..."

...Calla lillies, Butterflies, Cacti, and Sparkles

in the form of a

Happy Birthday Zendala

to my younger brother Jack...

as he celebrates his "something-something" birthday

this first Cactus Monday

in May!

(Me, Mom, Jack...on his 1st Birthday)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK!!!

We LOVE You!

XO♥:)

“And in the end,

it's not the years in your life that count.

It's the life in your years.”
~Abraham Lincoln

"A Tribal Heart..."

...with a soulful South African heartbeat

peers out across the seas to a blog network friend

in the U.K. who is celebrating a

"Happy Birthday" today!

(Yes, Joss! It's YOU! ...AND...this heart is winging it's way to you as I write!)

“Call it a clan,

call it a network, call it a tribe,

call it a family:

Whatever you call it, whoever you are,

you need one.”
~Jane Howard

"What Good is a Birthday?..."

...especially without some yummilicious (eye)candy...

and a few mental musings

just sprinkled in here and there for a bit of spunk.:)

"A birthday is just the first day

of another 365-day journey around the sun.

Enjoy the trip."

~Author Unknown

"I have a promiscuous muse.

My muse wants to own every color,

work in many media,

and in numerous genre."

~Mary Klotz

"Rekindle your creative fire by making time to play."
~Mari Messer

...and play I did...

with a total and complete adornment of my ATCs
in luscious layers of sparkly bling!!!

This birthday week

I treated my artistic Muse

to an all out, energized "free for all"...

celebrated lavishly with brush, pen, and palette.

The two of us had a ball!

So...in answer to my question:

"What good is a Birthday?..."

Here goes:

"Because time itself is like a spiral,

something special happens on your birthday each year:

The same energy that God invested in you at birth

is present once again."

~Menachem Mendel Schneerson

"Itsy Bitsy Blossoms..."

...in a beautifully "Blooming Tuesday" birthday bouquet...
Happy 7th birthday to two of my favorite little twin nieces...

...Joya and Jillian!

"It's double the giggles and double the grins,

and double the trouble if you're blessed with twins."

~Author Unknown

"My Birthday Thoughts..."

"Begin doing what you want to do now.

We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment,

sparkling like a star in our hand...

and

melting like a snowflake..."

~Unknown

Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving."

~Kahil Gibran
I held a moment in my hand, brilliant as a star,
fragile as a flower,
a tiny sliver of one hour.
I dropped it carelessly, Ah! I didn't know,
I held opportunity."
~Hazel Lee

"Where the spirit does not work with the hand...there is no art."
~Leonardo DaVinci

"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today,
and
creates a vision for tomorrow."
~Unknown

In gratitude and love, in joyful spirit and hope, I celebrate this day!
"WooHoo!"

~Me