weekend with judy wise

Judy Wise has come and gone and i couldn't have imagined our weekend together being any more special.
we started our long weekend with a walk on the north end of wrightsville beach.  she loved the landscape and all the different shells we have on the east coast.  (mostly the little shark eyed moon snails).
after a lovely walk we headed home to start our weekend of art making and journaling.  the next couple of days were spent making art, learning and discovering and building friendships.  
the group of women that came together for this retreat were from all over the country.....from seattle to nantucket and all in between.  i love the  connections we all made and the excitement at having THE judy wise here to share her knowledge and talent with us.
this morning it all started again, the daily grind, school and kids, dogs and cats....errands to run and menus to plan...  but not without a bundle of new memories to hold in my special heart space.  the friendships and bonds we all  formed are priceless. 
i look forward to our next adventure 
xo

For the Artist at the start of Day

May morning be astir with the harvest of night;

Your mind quickening to the eros of a new question,

Your eyes seduced by some unintended glimpse

That cut right through the surface to a source.

May this be a morning of innocent beginning,

When the gift within you slips clear 

Of the sticky web of the personal

With its hurt and its hauntings,

And fixed fortress corners,

A morning when you become a pure vessel

For what wants to ascend from silence,

May your imagination know

The grace of perfect danger,

To reach beyond imitation,

And the wheel of repetition,

Deep into the call of all

The unfinished and unsolved

Until the veil of the unknow yields

And something original begins

To stir toward your senses

And grow stronger in your heart.

 ---John O'Donohue

judy enjoying a boat ride up the intracoastal waterway

judy and shelley on the south end of wrightsville beach at low tide.

bee, judy and shelley....so many shells to choose from!

art on the porch hanging out to dry

all of the lovely women that came together to make it all happen~

thank you all for being here and for bringing your love and art with you to my little heART space.

until next time !! 

xo

more to come....

anticipation

anticipation......

judy wise is on her way.  due to arrive around 9

tonight.  it all started with a birthday wish in my 

art journal.  i figured what did i have to lose....

so, i asked and she said yes!!  

huge gratitude to you judy, for making the trek across 

country to teach a retreat in my art space.  it's so

special to me for you to be here, and i am filled up with joy.

here's to a wonderful weekend 

xo

eggplant parmesan~

*this is not a cooking blog~ 

HOWEVER....after browsing Pinterest for recipes all the time and then

being led to awesome blogs that i bookmark for the yummy recipes, i decided that

just this once i would share a recipe i came up with.  i do love to cook and am constantly throwing together recipes with what i have on hand so i figured i would share this one :) i'm not nearly organized enough to do this kind of thing often but here goes!......

it all started when i didn't have bread crumbs to bread the eggplant, so i found the only thing in my pantry that resembled crumbs....yes, ground flaxseed~

slice up one eggplant (i like mine kinda thin)

beat 2 eggs and add a splash of milk (maybe a cup).....

soak the eggplant in the egg /milk mixture 

put some flaxseed on a plate and add salt and pepper, a few dashes of oregano,

and garlic powder (to taste)

now you're ready to dredge the soaked eggplant to coat both sides with the "breadcrumbs"......

i wanted to go the healthy route so i sprayed a baking sheet with cooking spray and turned the oven to *475 and baked the eggplant for about 10 minutes per side.

it came out of the oven looking pretty tasty and of course i had to test it to make sure it was yummy enough to proceed ....

get out your favorite casserole dish and assemble the eggplant with a little red sauce and some freshly grated parmesan.  i had enough for 3 layers....
 bake at *350 until bubbly~(i cooked mine about 25 minutes)

let it cool and it's ready to eat when you are!!

this is a very healthy version of the typical eggplant parmesan and was pretty yummy too~~~
of course you can add more cheese...(mozzarella or whatever you have)
everyone enjoyed it and my man went for seconds......
enjoy :)

another thing that inspired me on Pinterest was the candlestick DIY project from this blog.

while i should be doing other things and getting ready for the art retreat next weekend with judy wise, (HERE at my house~~~~~YIPPPPPPEEEEEE!!!!!!!!) instead, i am going all over town to all the thrift shops finding all kinds of goodies and trinkets to make my own version of the candlesticks.....and what fun it was.  i ended of with a set that i love and have them on my mantle in the kitchen.  they are too cool and now i'm obsessed with the thrill of the hunt and will make more when i can~

(after next weekend....and after i get my chores done :)

still enjoying the remnants of summer.........

and loving the signs of fall~

and laughing pretty much everyday at my sweet little boy, (rio) 

and missing my mom....as always~

"always there,

when the cicadas are singing,

i think of you

when the stars come out at night

i think of you

when the air is cool in the early morning,

i think of you

when the luna moth rests on the screen door,

i think of you,

when the girls laugh that really loud, from the belly laugh,

i think of you

when the moonflowers come out at night,

i think of you

when the morning glory's open in the early morning,

i think of you.

always, i think of you.

and i remember that you said you would always be with us.

i believe you are~

my sweet mom"

xo

ocean love

look to the sea~

 a glimpse of the ocean and i'm recharged.  to sit on the beach, walk in the sand,

feel the sun on my face and spend time there with my loves.....this fills me up.

and reminds me to breathe.  and to be thankful.

and to appreciate all that we are blessed with.

the sound of memories surround my soul ...

constantly reminding me of a love bigger than the sea.