Looking Forward

As I look toward a new year, I am always filled with hope.

Hope for a yet better year, for more joy, more happy moments, more moments savored to the fullest, for more connections with friends and family, more creative projects, more marveling at the beauty of life, more dog noses kissed and cat ears scratched, more time spent in nature, more peace, more good news shared, more gifts given, and the constant awareness of infinite possibility!

More postcards soon to find a new home!

I wish all of that for you! And with gratitude for a year spent together here in the blog world, I wish us all a most amazing 2013!

❧ Silke

Grateful!

I was simply overjoyed by your comments on my last blog post and all the good wishes for the new year. After such a long-ish break, I wasn't sure I was still on anyone's radar... I am grateful to all of you!

 

I've started making some fast and small art, a tag and a postcard in this case. Some people like to paint in their art journals, I like to make my art in a format that can leave home and live elsewhere.

Send me an e-mail (link is on my sidebar)  with your address if you'd like to get one of these small creations in the mail (snail mail that is) at some point. I will be making many more throughout the coming months. They'll all be different, so let yourself be surprised by the one you receive...

It's just a small token of my appreciation for your friendship!

It is a cold morning here (cold for Savannah, that is) and I know that many of you are dealing with winter weather and huge amounts of snow. Stay warm and cozy and safe! 

❧ Silke

Reflections

Dear friends, it is odd to have been disconnected from my blog and the blog community for so long. First we were traveling, mainly without any internet connection and then our modem at home broke and - because of the holidays - couldn't be replaced until a couple of days ago.

The only connection we had was over our phones and both of us are not savvy enough to do much with that...  But now I am back and ready to show you some pictures of our recent travel when my dad came to visit and we first spent some time in Florida and then in the Caribbean. It was wonderful, interesting and oh, so relaxing!

In Florida, we stayed at our friend, Vicki's gorgeous condo in Satellite Beach. Vicki has a beautiful blog (click here) and actually a wonderful blog "party" coming up if you are interested in growing your blog. The picture below - that was the view from the condo - it's a wonder we left to explore anything else at all. At night we could hear the ocean from our window - it was wonderful!

During this time away from my blog, I've been thinking about it and how I wanted to take it a little bit deeper in the new year. With my art and also what I share with you all. 

I am constantly thinking about "things" and I rarely share what those thoughts are. I've been on an active spiritual journey for the last 25 years and rarely share anything about that. This journey has led me deeply into science and I rarely talk about that.

Yet all of that is connected to who I am, to my art, to how I live my life and everything I do or think or say. I think it's time for more of that part of me to come out to play.

I had thought that this year I wouldn't plan anything for the new year - you know like choose a word that I hope will be my theme for the year. However, I love new beginnings and of course they make me think of what I am wishing for the next year. I should know better by now... 

At first I thought I want my theme to be "fearless," as fear is THE big bug-a-boo in my life. Fear and all of it's close relations ~ anxiety, worry, regret, and so on.

This has dominated my life as long as I can remember. I have memories of not wanting to go into my room in Kindergarten when I was a little late for worry of what the other kids might think. I was three or four at the time! You get the idea.

Frankly, I'm tired of it. But the theme "fearless" would still keep my focus on fear and I want to give it no more attention. 

So, instead I want next year to be an inspired year for me. I want to live more from my heart.

I want to laugh more, read more, paint more, share more, enjoy more and take you all - whoever is interested - along with me on the ride. 

I also want to be more generous - with my time and my creations, which means I will have lots more to give away on this blog. 

I am so grateful for all of you who are still reading this. Life's journey is so much more fun when it is shared by others, don't you think?

Daniel took all of these beautiful photos in Florida (except the one of him - I took that on an early morning beach walk).

I hope you are all having a wonderful Holiday Season and are enjoying some fun days with family and friends!

❧ Silke

Merry Christmas!

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I'll be back soon and am looking forward to connecting with you again!!

Flowers for you!

With my dad's visit imminent and us then going on our cruise, there is much to be done to get the house ready for our house sitter and to get packed!

That means that my blog posts will be sporadic at best and more postcard style.

I'm thinking of all of you and hope that you are all doing well!

From Angst to Art

All that anxiety last week resulted in two paintings (aside from all the baked goods I showed you in my last post). The one I showed you in this post, all colorful and wild.

And then this one, done entirely with Titanium White, Graphite Gray, Napthol Red and a touch of Cerulean Blue.

There's lots of texture through an initial layer of molding paste, plus from using a dry bristle brush, a palette knife and my etching needle for doing lots of scraping and scratching, both while the paint was still wet and after it had dried.

It was cathartic and I really love it! Not just a little bit. A lot!

And underneath it all is a self portrait of me ~ not visible, but I know it's there. I thought that was very fitting with how I felt last week. Underneath everything, I will always be me. :-)

Beneath the Surface
acrylic painting
12 x 12 inch canvas

Available here in my Etsy Shop.

Today, I am back to myself and feeling a bit more centered again. Thank goodness!! The weather is beautiful, we had scones for breakfast (I did have to get a little baking in today) and it's a good day!

I hope your Sunday is wonderful!!

❧ Silke

Baking ... a lot!

Lately, I have felt unsettled. Really unsettled. I think it started with the storm and all that wind we had, the tree falling and needing to be cut down. Then I think I tuned into all the anxiety around the election, then there was the day the dog found us and we didn't know what was going to happen to him. Add to that a few other things that are going on, and I was all nerves and anxiety. 

So, what do I do to get my groove back? I bake. And this time I baked a lot - for us now and for the freezer for later. First some of my favorite christmas cookies. I blogged about them here (with a link to the recipe and changes we make to it). They are delicious!! 

Then I got the recent issue of the german Landlust Magazine and had to try one of their cookie recipes. I'll make it again, somewhat modified, and if they are really good, I'll share the recipe with you all.

Then I made my favorite fast bread recipe,

made from spelt flour and lots of seeds.

It is quick to make, a super grainy German bread, and freezes exceptionally well. I blogged about it here (with the link to the recipe in German and English).

And, since that didn't quite seem enough (just kidding!), I also made my favorite slow bread recipe. The kind that rises and rises again and takes a lot of time to make, and is all yeasty goodness when it's baked.

Here's the link to the recipe. It is a fluffier bread than the one above (which is more like a brick, but a delicious brick) and makes the perfect toast or sandwich bread. It also freezes great.

And finally there was the pumpkin pie from last week. There were a couple of requests for the recipe, so I have some links for you. The pie crust I used, I shared with you in this post.  It's super easy, but you can always use a store-bought crust for this if you are not into making your own. And the pie filling recipe I found here. Super duper easy and very good!

Yesterday I baked all day and today I pretty much sat on the couch crocheting on the afghan I am making. Both the baking and crocheting are restoring my center once again. I am hoping for a much calmer week next week!

And I wish that for you as well!

P.S. Thank you all for your sweet comments on my last post! I am so happy the dog is back with his owners and it all had a good ending. Your comments and concern really helped keep me calm! I can't tell you how much I appreciated that!

❧ Silke

What a morning!

This morning at 6:30, Winslow started barking his "there's a dog in the yard" bark. Daniel went outside and there was a beautiful and sweet and huge Great Dane sitting by our front steps. He was super skinny and quite feeble. He was a total sweetheart and loved to be petted. 

We got him settled in our garage under a couple of blankets because he was cold and shivering. He ate a little bit, drank lots of water and then slept, all tucked in, while I telephoned our vet, animal control and the southern Great Dane rescue.

Finally, a gentle giant from animal control picked him up. Literally. He picked him up and gently put him in the truck. This guy was wonderful (I was worried about this part). They'll have a vet check him out and I'm glad that he at least has shelter now as it is quite cold in Savannah at the moment and will stay so (at least at night) for a few days.

The amazing people from the rescue (for whom I took this photo) already got the ball rolling to get in touch with animal control and see if they can help this sweet dog. I wish we could have kept him. And I wish we could have done more for him.

Now that he is gone, I am feeling quite discombobulated. I'm going to make some tea, finally have some breakfast and settle in for a little bit of nerve-soothing knitting.

I hope your morning was calmer and less eventful than ours has been!

P.S. All of this really made me think of our very first dog, Moe, a big Great Dane/Dalmation mix, who was just the most wonderful dog. I'll have to go through our photos and scan some in to show you!

HAPPY UPDATE: We just talked with the owners of the great dane who live somewhere in the vicinity. "Charles," as the dog is called decided to take a walk on his own early this morning and apparently got lost and found us. They were looking for him and calling around and finally found him again at Animal Control. He is quite old and getting feeble, but his owners love him and are happy he was taken care of and is safely back home (he even had a bath at animal control). And I'm happy there was a good ending to all of this!!

❧ Silke

Playing with Color

What is the antidote to a gloomy and rainy day? Lots of color!!

And a canvas, brushes, rags and a palette knife.

This became a painting that surprised me in its energy and color choices. And as I sit in front of it, I find myself not merely looking at it, but deeply into it. It makes me think and somehow prompts me to daydream.

Hopeful

12 x 24 inch (30 x 60 cm)

acrylic on canvas

Listed in my Etsy Shop. 

Today is a momentous day in the United States. We are all ever hopeful!

❧ Silke

Moments in Time

Do you ever have days when you feel just incredibly content? When your little world is just as it should be and you wouldn't change a thing? I had a day like that yesterday and I took some pictures along the way to share with you. 

Ramses making a nest in the pine needles Daniel was about to clean up.  

Pine cones from the garden. They all came down during the recent windy days and now look pretty in the house. 

A picture of peace: all three animals in one spot. Can you spy them all? Just click on the picture to make it bigger. That huge begonia we grew from one leaf that we picked somewhere in town last year.

Louie being very intense.  In reality, he was just stretching toward me to be petted. He loves to cuddle.

The last hydrangeas on the window sill in the kitchen (I love that picture of Daniel in Ireland).

The last of the purple basil picked and ready to be used in our favorite Thai chicken dish next week.

Surprise yarn I got in the mail. I had ordered a super cheap packet of five skeins of this cotton yarn, but the color was going to be a surprise. It couldn't have been more perfect for me! And each skein is over 300 yards long, so there's enough for a nice project or two!

Now to the food! The chicken broth I made on Friday was transformed into a delicious chicken noodle veggie soup yesterday ~ to eat next week and for the freezer for later.

Fresh out-of-the-oven pumpkin pie I made on Friday.

Delicious!!

Last night I made a green salad with pears, blue cheese and walnuts...

and risotto with crispy sage leaves and pears.

Nothing grand, but somehow everything felt special. A day to be savored. And that I did.

Wishing you a beautiful Sunday!!

❧ Silke