 |
| Kristina, Venice, Italy ~ July 2009 |
I'm so proud of her - for putting her beliefs into words and then sending them out into the world.
Congratulations, honey. This is wonderful !!!
Love,
~~ Mom
Thursday, January 27, 2011
WANTING MORE THAN AVERAGE
Our daughter Kristina, a student at Grossmont Community College, recently wrote an essay titled "Wanting More Than Average", which she submitted to THIS I BELIEVE: A Public Dialogue about Belief, One Essay at a Time.
I'm so proud of her - for putting her beliefs into words and then sending them out into the world.
Congratulations, honey. This is wonderful !!!
Love,
~~ Mom
I'm so proud of her - for putting her beliefs into words and then sending them out into the world.
Congratulations, honey. This is wonderful !!!
Love,
~~ Mom
Friday, January 21, 2011
I Love Books, too !!!
My friend Karen Caterson ("Square-Peg People") has a lovely new post up on her blog:
I LOVE BOOKS!
In these busy days (and who doesn't 'suffer' from those?) it's often easy for me to skip reading my friends' blogs - there are so many that I often get overwhelmed and just don't visit ANY of them for weeks on end. This morning, in looking down my list of "Blogs to Read Every Day" (I had good intentions, I really did), in my "favorites", there was SQUARE PEG PEOPLE and I just knew I had to stop in.
Am I glad I did. Karen and I are so often "on the same page" (get it? the same page!) that it's way cool. She's always spot on, and I can count on Karen to comment on my blog posts, too. :-) We're just like that.
I LOVE BOOKS, too. Ask anyone - my family, my friends, my neighbors, my husband, my enemies even know it, I'm sure. I LOVE BOOKS. And yet, I rarely take the time to review them any more. Or to post about them. I've even stopped FaceBook'ing about what I'm reading.
Right now, I'm 3/4 of the way through PRAYERS FOR SALE by Sandra Dallas. A new author to me, I'm loving her style and I'm loving this book. I don't want it to end. And then I'm going to find some of her other books.
Thank you, Karen, for reminding me to share. I want to share with others.
You're the best, KC.
xo,
Davielle
(who calls this blog DH2travelers, and coming soon, the list of where we're headed this year)
I LOVE BOOKS!
In these busy days (and who doesn't 'suffer' from those?) it's often easy for me to skip reading my friends' blogs - there are so many that I often get overwhelmed and just don't visit ANY of them for weeks on end. This morning, in looking down my list of "Blogs to Read Every Day" (I had good intentions, I really did), in my "favorites", there was SQUARE PEG PEOPLE and I just knew I had to stop in.
Am I glad I did. Karen and I are so often "on the same page" (get it? the same page!) that it's way cool. She's always spot on, and I can count on Karen to comment on my blog posts, too. :-) We're just like that.
I LOVE BOOKS, too. Ask anyone - my family, my friends, my neighbors, my husband, my enemies even know it, I'm sure. I LOVE BOOKS. And yet, I rarely take the time to review them any more. Or to post about them. I've even stopped FaceBook'ing about what I'm reading.
Right now, I'm 3/4 of the way through PRAYERS FOR SALE by Sandra Dallas. A new author to me, I'm loving her style and I'm loving this book. I don't want it to end. And then I'm going to find some of her other books.
Thank you, Karen, for reminding me to share. I want to share with others.
You're the best, KC.
xo,
Davielle
(who calls this blog DH2travelers, and coming soon, the list of where we're headed this year)
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Cupcake or Pie ??
This story from NPR:
"Cupcakes Are Dead: Long Live The Pie!"
http://www.npr.org/2011/01/02/132477830/cupcakes-are-dead-long-live-the-pie&sc=nl&cc=es-20110109
Oh my !!!
So what is the history of the cupcake, anyway? To answer that question, I turned to Wikipedia:
A cupcake (British English: fairy cake; Australian English: patty cake or cup cake) is a small cake designed to serve one person, frequently baked in a small, thin paper or aluminum cup. As with larger cakes, frosting and other cake decorations, such as sprinkles, are common on cupcakes.
The first mention of the cupcake can be traced as far back as 1796, when a recipe notation of “a cake to be baked in small cups” was written in “American Cookery” by Amelia Simms. The earliest documentation of the term “cupcake” was in “Seventy-five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats” in 1828 in Eliza Leslie's Receipts cookbook.
In the early 19th century, there were two different uses for the name "cup cake" or "cupcake". In previous centuries, before muffin tins were widely available, the cakes were often baked in individual pottery cups, ramekins, or molds and took their name from the cups they were baked in.
This is the use of the name that has persisted, and the name of "cupcake" is now given to any small cake that is about the size of a teacup. The name "fairy cake" is a fanciful description of its size, which would be appropriate for a party of diminutive fairies to share.
Personally, though, give me PIE over a CUPCAKE any day.
But there is a "however ..."
I must tell you - I had the most delicious Karma Cupcake on Wednesday, at the end of a committee meeting at CCI (www.cci.org) for an event I volunteer with, Balboa Barks ( http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=450430 ).
Said Karma Cupcake was a luscious lemon flavor, and it was terrific. And the best part is that the KARMA CUPCAKE sales benefit CCI, with the flavor changing each month.
You can get your own Karma Cupcake at my friend Becky's cupcake shop, LITTLE CAKES CUPCAKES at 30 Main Street, Suite 180, in Vista, California. Call ahead for hours and the specials-of-the-day: (760) 842-5138. You can visit them on-line right here at: http://littlecakeskitchen.com/ ...
Whatever YOUR pleasure is, make the most of it.
Happy New Year ~~
Davielle
P.S. if you click on the link to the NPR story, there's even an option to hear the story ... stream it !!!
P.S.S. If you were to ask me which I would choose - I'd have to go with PIE. As the article says, "PIE can be sweet or savory", and yes, some creative cupcake folk are baking "savory cupcakes", but to me, those are just muffins in disguise.
That's not to say that I might not give a French Toast cupcake a try, but still - that's sweet, isn't it? Just don't wrap my French Toast Cupcake with .... bacon.
Now a PIE, a pie ... give me fresh blueberry or spicy pumpkin pie, oooh, and fresh peach in the summer, with crystally sugar sprinkled on the top crust.
And on the savory side, oooh, I like quiche, and that's like pie, right? And then there's Shepherd's Pie, which isn't really a pie at all, but it sounds like one, and it's got all the food groups in it; well, except for sugar! If you are a savory pie person, and you need to fill your daily sugar requirement, treat yourself to a CUPCAKE. And make sure it's from Little Cakes Cupcakes :-) !!!
"Cupcakes Are Dead: Long Live The Pie!"
http://www.npr.org/2011/01/02/132477830/cupcakes-are-dead-long-live-the-pie&sc=nl&cc=es-20110109
Oh my !!!
So what is the history of the cupcake, anyway? To answer that question, I turned to Wikipedia:
A cupcake (British English: fairy cake; Australian English: patty cake or cup cake) is a small cake designed to serve one person, frequently baked in a small, thin paper or aluminum cup. As with larger cakes, frosting and other cake decorations, such as sprinkles, are common on cupcakes.
The first mention of the cupcake can be traced as far back as 1796, when a recipe notation of “a cake to be baked in small cups” was written in “American Cookery” by Amelia Simms. The earliest documentation of the term “cupcake” was in “Seventy-five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats” in 1828 in Eliza Leslie's Receipts cookbook.
In the early 19th century, there were two different uses for the name "cup cake" or "cupcake". In previous centuries, before muffin tins were widely available, the cakes were often baked in individual pottery cups, ramekins, or molds and took their name from the cups they were baked in.
Personally, though, give me PIE over a CUPCAKE any day.
But there is a "however ..."
I must tell you - I had the most delicious Karma Cupcake on Wednesday, at the end of a committee meeting at CCI (www.cci.org) for an event I volunteer with, Balboa Barks ( http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=450430 ).
Said Karma Cupcake was a luscious lemon flavor, and it was terrific. And the best part is that the KARMA CUPCAKE sales benefit CCI, with the flavor changing each month.
You can get your own Karma Cupcake at my friend Becky's cupcake shop, LITTLE CAKES CUPCAKES at 30 Main Street, Suite 180, in Vista, California. Call ahead for hours and the specials-of-the-day: (760) 842-5138. You can visit them on-line right here at: http://littlecakeskitchen.com/ ...
Whatever YOUR pleasure is, make the most of it.
Happy New Year ~~
Davielle
P.S. if you click on the link to the NPR story, there's even an option to hear the story ... stream it !!!
P.S.S. If you were to ask me which I would choose - I'd have to go with PIE. As the article says, "PIE can be sweet or savory", and yes, some creative cupcake folk are baking "savory cupcakes", but to me, those are just muffins in disguise.
That's not to say that I might not give a French Toast cupcake a try, but still - that's sweet, isn't it? Just don't wrap my French Toast Cupcake with .... bacon.
And on the savory side, oooh, I like quiche, and that's like pie, right? And then there's Shepherd's Pie, which isn't really a pie at all, but it sounds like one, and it's got all the food groups in it; well, except for sugar! If you are a savory pie person, and you need to fill your daily sugar requirement, treat yourself to a CUPCAKE. And make sure it's from Little Cakes Cupcakes :-) !!!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Our 2010 in Pictures - my photography (and a note on Bigger Camera Envy)
I may not have blogged on here for almost 90 days now, but I was busy in 2010 with my camera - I still love my Canon G9, and although I am sometimes struck with BCE (bigger camera envy), I think I'll stick right here with this little gem. Truth is, I don't really want to learn more advanced photography techniques - I like to think I'd like to learn (and use) them, but honestly - I can only handle so much. My trusty and talented Canon G9 is my idea of a great camera, it's in my comfort zone, and we're sticking together.
For any of you that care to look it up, I googled the G9 this morning and on the Canon site, discovered that because they've come up with the G12 now, the G9 is "no longer available". However, over on Amazon, you can now apparently pay TWICE what I paid for my camera new - to get one. It has been a very very popular camera, and it doesn't surprise me ...
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-G9-Digital-Stabilized/dp/B000V1VG5G
BACK TO THE YEAR IN REVIEW ... here it is, a review, for any of you that are interested, of what 2010 looked like for me and my loved ones:
February, the month of love ...
MARCH 2010 ...
APRIL 2010: we reach the end of tax season and our year officially begins!
home, home on the range ... or on the "inland bluff overlay zone", as it were
MAY 2010 - Mark's Birthday Month !!!
{my Canon g9 captures florals - beautifully ~ you can almost smell them !}
AUGUST 2010 ... Montana Time!
NOVEMBER 2010: giving thanks for our many blessings ...
For any of you that care to look it up, I googled the G9 this morning and on the Canon site, discovered that because they've come up with the G12 now, the G9 is "no longer available". However, over on Amazon, you can now apparently pay TWICE what I paid for my camera new - to get one. It has been a very very popular camera, and it doesn't surprise me ...
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-G9-Digital-Stabilized/dp/B000V1VG5G
BACK TO THE YEAR IN REVIEW ... here it is, a review, for any of you that are interested, of what 2010 looked like for me and my loved ones:
 |
| January 2010: I began the year in what I call a "State of Tilted Grace" ... |
 |
| "You see a cow a day" - a saying in our family that was beautifully proven on Martin Luther King Jr Day 2010 as I drove home from Borrego, while Mark rode his bike home. |
 |
| Sunset at Torrey Pines Start Park, January 24, 2010 |
February, the month of love ...
 |
| Valentine's Day 2010: My Beautiful Family .. Trevor, Cara, Kaia, Kiara, Kristina, and Mark {Cottonwood Creek Park, Encinitas} |
 |
| February 2010: I LOVED taking another series of "Mixed Media with Paper & Cloth" art classes from the talented Jane LaFazio, through La Jolla Athanaeum {this is Jane} |
MARCH 2010 ...
 |
| "Dark Star" ceanothus (native California lilac) - in full bloom in our yard |
 |
| Mark, racing in San Dimas - late March 2010 (FYI, this is NOT a shot of him racing ... this was warmups out of the parking lot!) |
APRIL 2010: we reach the end of tax season and our year officially begins!
home, home on the range ... or on the "inland bluff overlay zone", as it were
 |
| Stormy Skies - Solvang: April 2010 |
 |
| Manhattan Beach Pier - late April 2010 |
MAY 2010 - Mark's Birthday Month !!!
{my Canon g9 captures florals - beautifully ~ you can almost smell them !}
 |
| Graham Thomas Roses - from our garden |
 |
| Mother's Day Bouquet ... |
 |
| my husband MARK - on his birthday {in Santa Barbara's ALICE KECK PARK GARDEN, where we were married in 1999} |
JUNE 2010 ... Summer's here !!!
 |
| Rocky at Home ... so dashing !! |
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| our grandson TREVOR with Mia ... June 2010 |
JULY 2010 ...
 |
| " Summertime ... and the livin' is easy ..." - Mark & Rocky, hammock'ing |
 |
| We go to visit Mark's parents at their half-year home, the cabin at Flathead Lake, near Bigfork, Montana {here, Marion, Gene, and Sierra} |
 |
| Marion's Echinacea in Bloom |
 |
| and then there's the crown jewel of the orchard: the CHERRIES, August 2010 |
SEPTEMBER 2010 {fall fruits & back to school time ...}
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| our friends the FULLERs took a cruise - and I got Russian Nesting Dolls !! |
 |
| CREATIVE IS A VERB by Patti Digh . my copy arrived in September from the publisher |
 |
| page 63, CREATIVE IS A VERB artwork {"Airstream in a Cornfield") by me |
OCTOBER 2010: Spooky Time
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| my G9 photographing Cara photographing tiny lizard with her phone ... |
 |
| detail of lizard (aka, "why I love my G9") |
 |
| "House Blessing" art that I created in a class by CHRIS COZEN, at Stamping Details (Halloween, 2010) |
NOVEMBER 2010: giving thanks for our many blessings ...
 |
| solo cerces leaf |
 |
| Family Is Everything: Thanksgiving 2010 |
 |
| a sunset as viewed from outside my home office window ... |
 |
| can you see the rainbow? as seen from our kitchen window DECEMBER 2010: celebrating Christmas, celebrating life and for the best display of our Christmas Day, see my next post - which includes a Smilebox slideshow! Happy New Year, my friends All my best, Davielle |
2011: Color of the Year
Thanks to my friend BETH NICHOLLS of England, who I was fortunate to meet at AN ARTFUL JOURNEY in February 2010 - I've discovered Pantone's Color of the Year, 2011: Honeysuckle.
At first read, you might envision a yellow color - after all, most honeysuckle blooms are yellow.
But this, THIS color - this engaging and vibrant PINK - is spot on. (or spotT on, with two t's - if your name is Lorrie, with two r's !)
And here in Southern California, I first met a to-die-for honeysuckle variety known as "Pink Lemonade" - isn't this luscious? I still "need" one in my own yard, because the colors & the scents are ... heavenly.
So I pose the question to you, as Beth did to readers of her blog, DO WHAT YOU LOVE ...
I am adopting Pantone's HONEYSUCKLE, paired (pun intended) with a PEAR GREEN of sorts.
Coincidentally, I came across my box of these notecards ON MY DESK as I was reading Beth's blog post about color: "Nantucket" thank you notes (by Peter Pauper Press, Inc.) available at Barnes & Noble -
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/product.aspx?r=1&isbn=9781593591892&cm_mmc=Google%20Product%20Search-_-Q000000630-_-Nantucket%20Thank%20You%20Note%20Cards%20Set%20of%2014-_-9781593591892
I encourage you to visit Beth at her DO WHAT YOU LOVE site/blog http://dowhatyouloveforlife.com/ - I think you'll be happy you did!
Happy New Year to you all,
Davielle, aka PRINCESS MAGPIE
At first read, you might envision a yellow color - after all, most honeysuckle blooms are yellow.
But this, THIS color - this engaging and vibrant PINK - is spot on. (or spotT on, with two t's - if your name is Lorrie, with two r's !)
And here in Southern California, I first met a to-die-for honeysuckle variety known as "Pink Lemonade" - isn't this luscious? I still "need" one in my own yard, because the colors & the scents are ... heavenly.
So I pose the question to you, as Beth did to readers of her blog, DO WHAT YOU LOVE ...
What is YOUR color for this new year, 2011?
Coincidentally, I came across my box of these notecards ON MY DESK as I was reading Beth's blog post about color: "Nantucket" thank you notes (by Peter Pauper Press, Inc.) available at Barnes & Noble -
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/product.aspx?r=1&isbn=9781593591892&cm_mmc=Google%20Product%20Search-_-Q000000630-_-Nantucket%20Thank%20You%20Note%20Cards%20Set%20of%2014-_-9781593591892
I encourage you to visit Beth at her DO WHAT YOU LOVE site/blog http://dowhatyouloveforlife.com/ - I think you'll be happy you did!
Happy New Year to you all,
Davielle, aka PRINCESS MAGPIE
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