Thursday, September 30, 2010

"Pumpkin Patch Truffles"

Oh my..they're Godiva, alright!
.....enough said....
No no....I have to say just a
bit more.
The Godiva folks can boast
about these delicious truffles
that are seasonal,
irresistable,
and
delightful.
They are filled with creamy pumpkin-spice
ganache and....
enrobed in chocolate.
-
There's not a woman alive
that won't gravatate to these little concoctions,
and maybe skip a little after making the purchase.
-
 I'm thinking of
claiming them  as
part of my autumn traditions.(A tasty idea)
-
Is it just me, or is everthing flavored with pumpkin-spice
this time of year?
-
More autumn blessings ....Dee Dee

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The Neck Scarf



I went on line the other day, shopping for
scarves.  If there is one thing  I would
consider a staple in my wardrobe,
it would be scarves. What they can do to
a white cotton button down shirt is amazing.
This pretty red and white scarf shown above....caught my attention
right away. Did I mention it cost
 $108.00???
Well, it is on my "wish list" now
.......wishing it didn't cost so much, that is.
You know how it works....
I won't be happy with anything but this one,
or one like it.
It's time to head to the mall, now that
I'm a woman on a mission.
Oh....the painting....just in case I can't find the scarf,
I have a sweet memory  painting of it.
-
Blessings....Dee Dee

....walkin' after midnight...out in the moonlight

Well, look who's out walkin'
after midnight...
-
Oh I'm in the painting mood
alright and I suppose
seasonal painting.
This little terrier just
popped onto my paper
and I  knew
he would like
pokin'
around a pumpkin patch.
Were it not for that big
ole moon, he would be
bumping into things.
-
Your right about the music....
That's Patsy Cline
singing
"Walking After Midnight"
...came to mind before I
finished the painting.
-
Are you thinking autumn now?...
and have you had that spiced
pumpkin latte yet?
-
Blessings....Dee Dee

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

.....the fields are full of pumpkins



When I sit down to draw and paint this style of  painting,
I feel a little like Grandma Moses is looking over
my shoulder......saying things to me like
"just paint what you feel and remember, Dee Dee......
and do it in a way that
makes your heart happiest."
So, that's what I've been doing this morning.
I remember farmland laden with pumpkins,
dried corn stalks, and feeling free as a bird
while running from pumpkin to pumpkin.
Do you have those same memories?
-
I count my blessings one by one
Whate'er the time of year,
And yet it seems I count them more
When Autumn days are here.
~Kay Hoffman
-
Blessings for the day.....Dee Dee

Monday, September 27, 2010

Stages of the Canna




I suppose digital photography has
opened my eyes to the beauty of
plant life in all different stages.
Now, with the macro setting of my camera
I can take a much closer look
at what is going on with nature.
My photos show a new bloom,
the "ragged" final stages of
the bloom life of the Canna
and the final stage.
Click on photos for closer look
and be amazed at nature.....
nature being another word for God, of course.
-
Are you getting excited about autumn yet?
I am.
-
Blessings....Dee Dee 

Sunday, September 26, 2010

You see them everywhere......

You see them just about everywhere.....
I came across this little painting from last year
and thought them worthy of "autumn thoughts."
I hope your having a blessed
Lord's Day......Dee Dee

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Found Treasure Box

Sometimes I find myself in the right place
at just the right time.
You'll  know what I'm talking about,
when I explain the photos.
I've mentioned before, a favorite  antique store located
in the village.  A total of 56 vendors keep
things interesting by continually bringing in new items.
I find it entertaining just poking around looking
for things that I might use in the cottage.
My efforts yesterday, were not in vain.
I was loving this new vendor...she had
 a collection of tiny vintage porcelain dolls,
that came with darling handmade clothes. 
Can you say "trinkets and bobs"....you know, just
plain pretty things to look at?
I almost missed the small plastic box.  When I opened it and
looked inside it, I realized I had  found treaure.
A trinket box (inside a tiny porcelain bear),
vintage lace, silk ribbons, a bow maker,
tiny vintage flowers.
What will I do with it? Her name is Lily and she
is seven years old.
-
Blessings....Dee Dee

Our Next Great Dreamers.....

EMERSON SAID: "Hitch, your wagon to a star."
One can see in those six little words
 the summary of human achievement,
an everlasting inspiration to the future races of men.
From Soctrates to Edison,
every forward step taken by mankind through revolving
centuries, every advance by humanity towards the ultimate goal, has
been led by some valiant dreamer whose eyes were fixed upon the dawn. 
-
 Moses, with dying eyes, saw a star that blazed in the
Promised Land;
the radiance of an eternal star led
Three Wise Men to the manger in Bethlehem;
Columbus
pinned his faith in the dawn of a new day;
Kepler, announcing the laws of the unchanging spheres;
Newton, watching the apple fall,
 each looked beyond, and  into the future.
 ~J.E. Dinger
Src....Leaves of Gold
-
Looking for our next great dreamers.....
and wondering at their accomplishments.....Dee Dee

Friday, September 24, 2010

Edward Cucuel

"Woman by the Lake"
appropriately titled by the artist.
-
Edward Cucuel's work is completely new
to me, and I love it.  If I'm not mistaken,
his paintings are entirely of women.
Do a Google search and be pleasantly
surprised....you'll see all masterpieces.
-
I've been trying to place myself in this
setting, by the lake,
succeeding in my mind's eyes.
-
Promising myself a similiar setting,
it will be over looking Tampa Bay...
in a lovely place called Phillipe Park.
High up on a hill, overlooking the waters,
it is there I will imitate Cucuel's art.
-
This will take place,
when the calendar and
the weather both cooperate... 
and all
 necessary factors are
indicative of a cool fall day.
-
Well now,
it is Friday.....and
I hope some time during the upcoming weekend,
you will have leisure time to do whatever
it is you might like.
Blessings.....Dee Dee

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Think On This....

Life is opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.
~Mother Teresa
-
A lot to think about...
Blessings....Dee Dee

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

SARABETH'S BAKERY

Sarabeth Levine's New Cookbook
will  be released in October.....just in time for Christmas.
See it on Amazon.
-
Well, ladies....this is something I'm very excited about.
I haven't met "Ms Sarabeth" yet,
but one day I will.  Sarabeth's Bakery, located
in the Highline District, New York City,
 opened
 nearly 30 years ago.
It's "Master Pastry Chef"
 has earned a reputation for
greatness by serving delicious deserts.
Sarabeth Levine's  new cookbook will give step by step
instructions for preparing her
scones, muffins, croissants and other
classic deserts.
I first became acquainted with
Sarabeth's products,  when I found
her amazing fruit preserves. Look for them
in Williams Sonoma and similiar shops.
I cannot begin
to tell you how scrumptious they are.
Now, this lovely pastry chef will divulge
to us all, her techniques in food preparation,
plus recipes for
her legendary fruit preserves.
-
If your in the area, stop by and
try her pumpkin muffins, being offered this
time of year.
Tell her Dee Dee, from
A Whitewashed Cottage sent you.
-
Blessings.....Dee Dee

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

A Carefree Day!

Are there just too many things being processed in your brain??
I need a rest from it all!
This morning I'm going to try something
completely new.
I'm gonna have
A Carefree Day!
No morning national/local television news!
No morning newspaper!
No Internet Drudge Report!
No political conversation!
-
Whew! 
I'm feeling better just planning
a stress free day.
Now, I believe in staying informed,
but why do we think it necessary
to stash negative thoughts into our minds every day.
Can you imagine what all we can accomplish
if both eyes and ears are free for happier
sights and sounds?
-
So here's my plan.
First....
Put on some
soft classical music...
Have a
nice cup of hot tea
with
fresh baked scones and  preserves.....
So far so good, right?
-
Look through Victoria magazine
find new and  fancy desert recipe.
Write letters and cards....
Read!
Prepare a very nice dinner....
-
Why not
put the tea kettle on and join me! Wink!
-
tea leaves
tea loves
loves tea
lives tea
leaves tea?
never.
~Uniek Swain
-
Enjoy the day!   ......Dee Dee

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Will There Be Another Dickens?

If I chose to do so, I could put on my resume the word
"Actress"....well, not really.
 I suppose I was
just a cast member in the musical  play Oliver,
dancing and singing my heart out hoping to please
the audience.   Actress hardly applies in my case.
-
I've thought of that time now and then, and 
I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. 
During the long hours of rehearsals,
there is one thing that's probably stayed
with me all these years, more than anything else.
Meeting  Charles Dickens, through his words and
the characters in Oliver, told me a lot about the
man and his heart.
The characters in
  his books reveal a lot about him, and were real,
taken from his life
 experiences in London, England.
Dickens knew what it was like to be poor.
He had been poor and he had seen poverty.
-

Oliver Twist, in the poor house.
"Please sir, I want some more."
-
Born in 1812, Charles Dickens was a small frail boy who liked lantern shows,
 singing with his sister Fanny, and reading and re-reading books.
His favorites were Don Quixote, Arabian Nights and
Robinson Crusoe.  One day his father went to debtors prison
and Charles's idyllic life came to a halt.  His young childhood
was spent working ten hours a day in  a factory. This experience
was agonizing for Dickens and would become the motivation
for his fiction.  Charles Dickens knew all too well,
 the sufferings of the lower class.
He would tell their stories and do much more than that.
As a man, Dickens wrote ninety pages a month.  While finishing
one novel, he was beginning another. He edited journals,
acted in plays, did charity work, raised 10 children, and gave
readings to Queen Victoria.
How do you suppose this man's storytelling dominated
the English society of his time?
A man who's beginnings were in poverty, 
 accomplished greatness in his writings with no team of
writers producing his books.
Still today, we are  reading Dickens,
and wondering of his genius.
 Will there ever be another Dickens?
-
Have a great week!.... Dee Dee

Sunday....

This is the day the Lord hath made.....
-
.....the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
generosity, faithfulness.
~Galatians 5:22
-
Count Your Blessings.....Dee Dee

Saturday, September 18, 2010

A Chinaberry Tree and Miss Jane Pittman


We were here today, to celebrate our grandson's
first birthday.  "Just can't believe how beautiful that
old tree is," I thought to myself as we pulled into the driveway.
 It  just keeps growing and growing.
 I like our daughter's little cottage...but what I like more,
is that big ole Chinaberry tree in the front yard.
Oh, it's a messy thing, but I think worth all the bother.
Even now the tree is beginning to drop tiny golden leaves.
Come winter, the ground will be covered with yellow berries.
In the spring, from March till May, flowers will appear......
with pinkish lavender petals.
Then, all summer long it's one
of the most beautiful sights you'll ever see.
-
This love relationship with the Chinaberry tree for me, goes
way back to my childhood. Growing up in the south, they
were all over the place.
 The Chinaberry tree originated in China and India. 
It was naturalized in the southern  United States, for shade trees.
I'm not the only one to appreciate the Chinaberry tree, however.
 Miss Jane Pitttman's words...
(The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman)
-
There was a Chinaberry tree in the front yard of that house in those days,
and in early spring the branches outside that window always used to become
pale green again. Then before long there would be Chinaberry blossoms.
Then it would be maytime and junebugtime and no school bell mornings
until next September, and when you came out onto the front porch and it
was fair..... there were Chinaberry shadows on the swing and the rocking
chair, and Chinaberry shade  all the way from the steps to the gate.
When you climbed up to the best place in the Chinaberry tree and
looked out across........
-
I hope you can appreciate the size and beauty of the tree from
the photos I've taken today.  Hmmm....does it kinda remind
you of an old grandfather tree...or is it just me?
Click on the photos to enlarge.....if you like.
-
Weekend Blessings... Dee Dee

Friday, September 17, 2010

Wishing we were there.......hmmm



A little melancholy today.....missing
early autumn in upstate New York.
This year we'll miss our fall trip to
Cooperstown New York.
We've heard that the apples
are sweeter than ever.....
at the Fly Creek Cider Mill....
the warmer temps during
the summer contributing to a
most delicious taste.
-
News  from family is the
first bit of cool has happened,
right on schedule.....
The leaves are beginning to turn
on the trees
and hot apple cider is the
drink of choice.
-
Hmm....I'm so wishing we were there......
-
Blessings.....Dee Dee

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Chrysanthemums



Today I was happily out and about
visiting  flower shops. 
 I was on a mission, the same one
that takes place each year at this time.
Never breaking with tradition,
I was after
sweet Chrysanthemums
for our garden bistro table.
Early autumn, pink and mauve Mums,
are my preference,
complimenting the last of the
pink Hibiscus and pink Crape Myrtle blooms.
-
 But when the autumn day have come
then bloom our sweet Chrysanthemum.
~Hattie Knapp
-
Blessings.....Dee Dee

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Conversation

When I finished this little painting, it became all to apparent
I should title it "Conversation."
It was then I began to think about in some depth,
what it is I enjoy about good conversation.
 I'm not referring to just idle chatter, but
good ole, everyone contributing somehow, "conversation."
Having the Internet at my fingertips, within a matter of minutes
I had finished some serious research on the subject. I found that
just about anyone can be a participant in this activity.....that is,
when two or more are gathered...and willing to participate.
So, without further ado, allow me to share with you
what I've found to be helpful to us all.
-
The main purpose of general conversation is to entertain.
-
The Ideal Conversationalist is:
Well-informed.
Sympathetic
Interested in life
Has a sense of dramatic
Moderate
Can draw out the other person
Attentive
Always in good humor
Has a sense of proportion
Doesn't preach
Doesn't take himself too seriously
Not argumentative
Original
Charitable
Unselfish
Considerate
Flexible
Enthusiastic
A trifle whimsical
-
How'd you do?
It has occurred to me that this very subject would
make great "conversation."
-
Blessings for the week....Dee Dee


Autumn?

The lone Banana Palm that grows in our tropical garden,
has one single palm frond that has turned a beautiful
fall like golden  color.
In front of the Banana Palm, is our gorgeous lavender
colored Crape Myrtle.  It still has a few blooms
but most of the branches are covered with berries.
  Notice in the background
the golden palm frond

And then....more colors of Autumn displayed by the giant
White Bird of Paradise.
Could these be signs of Autumn here in Florida?  I think so.
While taking these photos, a soft, and slightly gentle....cool breeze
was blowing. 
A good thing.....indeed!
-
Autumn Blessings.....Dee Dee
click on photos to enlarge

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Amateur Artist


Winston Churchill painting at his easel,
cigar clamped firmly in his mouth.

Churchill  painting....View of Marrakesh...given to
President Truman in 1948. At auction sold for  $1.03 million.
-
A few weeks back, I watched a PBS program
about Winston Churchill.  
It gave me insight into this amazing man behind the
political legend. Churchill was a great statesman,
superior strategist, inspiring war leader, classic orator,
superb writer and .....
an amateur artist.
In short, Winston Churchill was a master of
many talents.
I was pleased that much of the program  focus was placed
on his art. 
This beautiful man of history,
Prime Minister of Great Britain during
World War II,
painted, as a way of lifting his depressions.
-
His travels of the world, many eastern
exotic places....
were documented by his paintings.
While Churchill was an energetic and talented
amateur artist,
he was never a great painter.
Collectors of his art
are pleased to establish a link with this great
historical figure.
-
He once said.....
"We must not be too ambitious. We cannot aspire to
masterpieces......We may content ourselves with a
joy ride in a paint box. And, for this, Audacity is
the only ticket." ~ Winston Churchill
-
Remembering a kindred spirit....
-
Blessings.....Dee Dee

Monday, September 13, 2010

From My "Heart Mate"......


Tokens of caring and love,
given
when they're unexpected,
are so much nicer.
This is also true when
we are on the receiving
end of any kind of
gift, for any special event or celebration.
-
A spontaneous thought of kindness
in any form.....words or gifts
are even more special.
-
When I was younger, I had a girlfriend
that was  newly wedded to a fine young man.
In laying down rules,
for him to follow,
she made demands she expected
for her birthday, each year.
She wanted him to think of the occasion, long before it
occurred. Gifts to be given,  had to be something of importance,
 and well thought out by him.
In addition, he was to always send her birthday card in the mail. No last
minute trip to the card shop, was good enough for her.
-
I wondered then, she had not realized, any kind jesture from
him, should have been sufficient.  Afterall, this man
loved her unconditionally and promised to do so, all of his life.
Her demanding and receiving gifts she thought her due,
 put a cloud over what should have been a 
joyous occasion.
-
This little bouquet of pink flowers,
(sitting amidst the fabrics and notions on my sewing table),
a spontaneous act of love and caring......
from my "heart mate"
made my day. 
-
Blessings.....Dee Dee

Sunday, September 12, 2010

ART...."The Portrait Sitting"


I've seen this look on a child's face before,
at portrait sittings.  When you want children
 to smile for the camera,
they will.
Maybe once, and maybe twice.
Afterwards, you get this same look.
-
I've had fun this afternoon.
Just brought out the watercolor pencils,
this time......and
I love the results of my 
 trying new things.
Notice the  variety of colors used.
I've found that when I have new ideas,
not to fear the results....and to
"Just Do It!"
You know....that applies to so many
things in life.  From now on, 
a new adjective can refer to me.
"Courageous!"
Well, maybe just a little.
-
Blessings...Dee Dee

Reflection


The garden, filled with signs, symbols and messages,
 is as good a place as any, for quiet time
reflection.....
-
Blessings...Dee Dee