Ozzieland, here I come!!!

Remember the song from Peter, Paul and Mary. "I'm leavin' . on a jet plane.. don't know when I'll be back again ..."
Well, tomorrow is the BIG DAY. We're leaving on that plane and 14 hours/two days later we'll find ourselves in Sydney! Which reminds me of that other song by Men at Work: the land down under. Cool. Very cool.
Cold too! Just when we've hit our summer streak & the weather has warmed the lakes to bearable, we're going back to winter. Ok. I know I shouldn't and have no reason to complain.It's a Sydney winter! But I am a little bummed about the need for long pants. If you know me, you know that shorts and capri's are where I live.
But alas. I can get over this and have fun anyway.
First we gotta get there. Then I'll tell you more. And Photos! Photos say a thousand words, so I hope to post photos and stuff regularly.
OH. BUT wait... Unlike Peter, Paul and Mary (that Mary, not this Mary), I DO KNOW when I'll be back again. Soon enough!(which means 21 days). Oh my!

Hydrangea 2

Almost as big as my head!

One word: Hydrangea

Yup. That is my car in the background. Proof in the pudding, this plant has graced my garden!

100 Cups of Coffee #1

Blogs that log activities or have specific goals intrigue me. Examples are Year of Photos and Friday 5-senses blogs. They're so cool.  And I just watched the movie Julie & Julia again, which is sort of a blogger's dream. To set off on a goal, to work through something, to arrive at a different place (all while attracting readers and getting a book deal AND then a movie! harumpf!).
Made me think: what could I do? I'm not going to cook my way through any cookbook, not even  the "quick & easy" kind, of which I own quite a few. And to maintain focus for a daily goal, even weekly ... hmmm. it's just plain doubtful!
It's gotta be something I love and do frequently. Something I can rely on, something I pretty much know is going to happen. That's when it came to me: COFFEE! I love morning coffee. Serious, committed LOVE. Not a day goes by without it!  Now, I could  log a year's worth of coffee, but  ... naah. That'd get old quick. To fit my life, it needs to be a bit more random, with a little challenge (hey, my teen kidz are challenge enough!). Something I can come back to when  my modern day A.D.D. brain has led me elsewhere: 100 cups of coffee. Bigger than a breadbox, smaller than a couch. And they can be random. I have no idea why, where and when a particular cup will make the grade. It'll just happen!

This first cup was Memorial day. A day I decided to memorialize by taking a photo of everything I ate! (Whew ... talk about a good diet tool!)
P.s. The coffee here was good, the mauvey-pink counter-top of my 70's kitchen ... another story!

Oh! America Day!

Happy fourth of July!!!
May your stars spangle, banners wave, picnics be sunny and  your Fireworks Crackle & POP!!!

Enjoy !!!!

Oh Canada!

Today is O'Canada Day ... and because I live close the the border and have spent many happy, happy times in Canada (vacationing, skiing, enjoying the beautiful city of Vancouver), I feel it's only right to celebrate this holiday too! How? Well ... maybe bake something? Check out Stephanie Levy:  A Studio with a View Blog for a great Rhubarb Strawberry Muffin recipe. It sounds scrumptious and its got the right colors in it! Also check out her collages. I recently purchased one for a birthday present to myself and I'm way happy with it!
To enjoy a bit of Canada today, here are a few street scenes from the Olympics in Vancouver, B.C. this past winter:

Today's Mail

Today's mail brought me a brand new Moleskin Sketchbook! This wasn't just any ol' sketchbook. Oh no. It was a sketchbook that I purchased to be part of the "SKETCHBOOK PROJECT" ... which is a very cool thing going on! Check out the link! http://www.thesketchbookproject.com

Basically, this is a bar-coded sketch-book that will be 'on tour' traveling the country next year with a bunch of other sketchbooks as part of an Art House Co-op project.  All sketchbooks in the project have a theme. I chose the theme Things that changed other things. I believe it'll leave me wide open to tons of ideas and stuff to write/doodle/collage about (beginning with the wheel)!.
When I came across this project (just clicking around on blogs, etc), I was intrigued because the description from last year's project claimed that it wasn't just artists who'd participated. In fact, stay at home 'moms' were mentioned. I figured that included crafty little tap dancin' wanna be maker moms like me! I sent in my twenty bucks and Voila! I'm part of something that is bigger than myself ... kinda like a thing that changed other things ... because it'll change what I'm doing at some point in time in the next few months..

And there's more! This little book of mine will become a permanent sketchbook collection at The Brooklyn Art Library AND I even received a library card so that I can one day go visit it!
I'm jazzed!