You meet the nicest People at Art and Soul

How cute are these little cupcake salt and pepper shakers?
Yesterday I was relaxing after my Silver Art Clay class when my husband brought in the mail and in it was this surprise gift from one of my very creative friends. I first met Ellen last year in Portland Oregon at Art And Soul, she was signed up for the same class that my sister and I were taking. We got to talking and I gave her my business card. It turns out Ellen has a home in Mesquite and spends some of the Winter months there and now comes to visit me when she is in Nevada. This year Ellen and I took the same class at the Art And Soul here in Las Vegas at The Green Valley Ranch.
You really must go to Art And Soul...you meet the nicest people there. I have already signed up for Portland in September and can hardly wait. What a small world the creative community is, yesterday in class I was talking about how excited I am and can't wait to take this class from this amazing artist I found on line and it turns out that one of my ladies in class is very good friends with her...who knew?

Thanks again Ellen for being so sweet and thinking of me, I love these little cupcakes!!

An Evening in Paris

Thursday night I took my dear friend Ardith to the Paris Hotel for dinner and the Magic of Paris show staring Stephane Vanel for her birthday celebration. I met Ardith years ago when
I was teaching and managing the Bead Buffet bead store in Henderson (it has since closed). We became friends then and have always kept in touch by going to breakfast every couple of months to catch up on all the goings on in our lives. Some of you may know her and those of you don't are missing out on a very special person. Happy Birthday Ardith, here is to many many more years of friendship.

10 years ago today

Ten years ago today I lost my mother to cancer, it's hard to believe that it has been 10 years already maybe because I still think about her so much and feel her around me so much to this day. My mother was a smoker for my entire life and died of lung cancer...so to my daughter and all of my friends who smoke...please stop! My mother was a talented published poet and artist, she was a perfectionist to say the least. I asked her once to write me a poem, and for my 25th birthday she presented me with the following gift of this poem.

You,
burrowed in my heart and nested there like some small snuggled swallow
My little one
I watched you spread your winds and soar...
you made me proud.
I gave you all I had to give;
A love of books, and beauty from my mother,
The spirit of adventure from your dad,
the luxury of solitude to be yourself,
the gift of tears, a curiosity for the truth,
the talent to forgive ...and to forget.
And I look at you and see the girl I never was,
the woman I had hoped to be
the mother that I should have been
Could this dead tree have brought forth such a lovely bloom?
I thank you for your gifts to me.
You are the keeper of the flame.
and like the swallow, you come back
to warm the branches of my heart.


Joan Pratt Finneran
December 26, 1925 - June 17 2001

Black Rose

                                        

Black Rose 

Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkop'

Last week while on vacation I stayed a few days at my daughters house in Costa Mesa, when we drove up to her place she had the most beautiful plants all around her place. I asked her fiance' what they were and he didn't know but said someone had given him 1 small plant a few years ago and from that one plant it just went crazy and now they have about 8 of these. I loved them so much that by the next morning when I woke up Johnathan had made me a small little plant to bring home. That morning I had my daughter take me to the nursery to ask about it and they told me it was call "The Black Rose". It is a succulent and takes full sun and gets about 4-5 feet tall. Thanks Johnathan this will be great for our desert weather, I can't wait for it to get big.

Grandma Rizzo

Okay Okay ....I am a Grandmother you know. Kaitlyn calls me Grandma Rizzo. In this photo

Kaleb and I are just chillin out.

This photo is my beautiful Daughter -in Law Karie with Kaitlyn - I had Tanya make matching aprons for Karie and Kaitlyn.

More photos in the older post below of my trip

Just got home from a great visit with my kids, my grand kids my sister and 3 of my long time girlfriends.
I flew into Orange County and my daughter picked me up at the John Wayne Airport- can't believe that airport pretty much looks the same as it did all those years ago

when I lived there. First things first...we went to Target to pick up a Wii game for Kaleb and (2) 1-2-3 cookers, one for my daughter Kori and one for my son Tyler. Then we were off to pick up my 9 year old grandson from school, he had an early day and got out of school at 1:00. Had a wonderful time with Kaleb and my daughter Kori, of course Kaleb and I played the Wii for hours.
Later that evening we met up with my sister Sheila for a yummy Mexican dinner at El Ranchero in Costa Mesa.
The next morning we got up and went to the Butterfly House and Environmental Center in Newport Beach, a really nice place to take kids to explore and learn about our environment. Next it was off to lunch and miniature golf ...of course Kaleb beat us both.

That night I went to South Coast Plaza to meet up with some friends at the Claim Jumper and got all caught up on jobs, husbands and boyfriends - I have known these girls for 30 years ....man I'm old!!

Thanks Denise for getting everyone together it was like old times.

The next morning Kori and I spent the morning together doing the pedicure thing and then off to Starbucks for coffee and to wait for my daughter in law and my Grand Daughter, Kaitlyn to pick me up and take me to their house in Chino Hills. We had to make a quick stop at the grocery store to buy all the makings for cupcakes...what else? Kaitlyn and I spent the afternoon making cupcakes..she is at the perfect age for baking, we had tons of fun and laughs as we baked.

The next day we went to Medieval Times in Buena Park and were placed on the green team. I really thought this would be a little scary for Kaitlyn but she clapped and yelled for the green team for the next 2 hours.Our green Knight rode up on his white horse and threw a flower in the crown to her and she was thrilled and felt like a princess. She loved the show and said she wanted to go back for her birthday. She is such a good girl and did I mention how cute she is? We watched tv, talked, walked the dogs, talked, went to lunch, talked, went to the movies, talked oh and then we talked some more. Okay okay so she takes after me



Here is Kaitlyn with her new cupcake apron that Tanya made.