Fleur de Aleta

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Blessing

A Blessing for My Son May your steps be steady, though the corridors twist and turn. Every hallway you enter is a threshold, a place where courage meets becoming. May your voice rise like sunlight, clear and unafraid, joining choirs of laughter and song, reminding you that even the smallest note has the power to echo. May your hands keep finding music, your mind keep chasing wonder, and your heart remain wide open— for these are gifts no grade can measure. When shadows lean close, may you remember: strength is not the absence of fear but the quiet choice to go on, to walk forward with grace. Above all, may you know you are cherished beyond measure, capable beyond doubt, and already becoming the kind of light the world is in need of.

Letter to my son

Dear Son, Last year was a milestone—your leap from elementary into a school that houses both middle and high school. It felt enormous at first. Before 6th grade began, you volunteered to help teachers set up their classrooms, a gift of service that also helped you learn the campus. I still remember “picnic day,” the day we walked your schedule together, searching for classes in a maze of oddly numbered rooms. We were both nervous, trying to imagine how it would all unfold. This year, at the 7th grade picnic day, I saw the change. You walked the halls with ease, guiding me instead of the other way around. You greeted classmates with a smile, carried yourself with confidence, and showed me where everything was—even though your classes were new. That shift, from nerves to quiet pride, is something I will never forget. 6th grade was no small adjustment. At Haynes Advanced Academy, there’s no easing in—homework is heavy, expectations are high, and playtime is gone. But you had already learn...

Recipe - Lauren's Chicken Pasta Salad

Lauren ’s Chicken Pasta salad (Kuddos to my friend, Lauren, for sharing her family recipe) Ingredients: Cooked chicken (we used a rotisserie chicken, but you can pan sear, grill or bake 2-3 chicken tenderloins) Bow tie pasta (16 ounce bag) Red onion (yes, they actually look purple) Celery (3-4 stalks) Black olives (not for me!) Cherry tomatoes Cucumber Italian shredded cheese pack that includes (Romano/Asiago/Parm cheese) Basil (dried or fresh leaf) Lettuce Croutons Lite Mayo Caeser Dressing. (This can be substituted with Ranch dressing instead of Caeser) Olive Garden Italian Dressing Garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper Get the water boiling for the bow tie pasta - cook it all the way - took about 12 minutes after we added it to boiling water. Chop up the red onion - not finely chop (I only used half of a onion) Chop the celery - not fine (Lauren showed me how to devein the celery, but that’s an art I haven’t perfected at all) Chop the cucumbers - bite s...

Recipe - Lauren's Potato Salad

Lauren ’s Potato Salad - to serve 10-15 people (Giving kuddos to my friend, Lauren, who shared this recipe - it’s a family recipe handed down generation to generation) Ingredients 5 pounds of russet potatoes (I went over 5 pounds, which ended up being a good thing) 9 hard boiled eggs 1/2 green bell pepper (put this as a side to add, because a lot of people won’t eat it with the bell pepper- finely chopped) 1 small white onion - finely chopped 2 tbsp parsley flakes 1/8 tsp minced garlic or a few cloves finely chopped 6/8 ounces of dill relish 6 ounces of olive salad (okay, I didn’t add any olives and was good without this) 6-7 stalks of celery - not finely chopped Lite sour cream Lite mayo 1 tbsp of mustard Garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and paprika Directions: Get two pots of water going to boil (And a third smaller pot of water boiling for eggs) Peel the potatoes (this will take a while with 5 pounds, but it’s good to go ...

Warning - Give Me Space

I was exercising financial prudence by using our left over Christmas wrapping paper. You know those “it has just enough to wrap one more gift” rolls. All was going well, having completed using 3 past Christmas supplies, until I got to the last gift. It was a big box for my husband. There was no way around it; I needed fresh non-opened decorative paper. Would it have to wait until the next day (given it was 1am in the morning by this time), to make a store run? (Are any stores open 24 hours again; those were the days!)... But no! I found it in the back of the closet- a never before opened blue wrapping paper with snowflakes on it. Score! The pattern was so lovely! I did, for a second, wonder why we never used it, but shrugged and figured we didn’t see it in the back. As the clear cover came off, the sparkles should have been my red flag warning. It took half of the roll to cover the heavy box. I ca...

Warning - Content not for young eyes

There’s this story of an artist who used mixed media in her art, only to later (after the top coat was sealed) find the f-bomb in the background from a page she used in a book . I remember laughing and th inking I learned from her lesson. After finishing the painting of the Native American Indian woman , something told me not to put the sealing varnish on it. I was excited to hang up the two panel painting. I kept hearing music while painting it and imagined her dancing as God draped the landscape into t he beautiful spectrum of warmth . Then one evening, after the painting was up for about a week, my husband walk ed into my art studio and exclaim ed , “YOU HAVE PORN IN YOUR PAINTING!” I looked at him and calmly said, “No . I do not.” He quoted, “He had intercourse with her. It’s in the painting!” And I thought, “Oh, that’s right. I looked for...

Before we left Ireland, I knew I wanted to create a painting for our trip, but the painting didn’t speak to me right away. It was always there, though, a whisper not to be forgotten. A couple of weeks ago, I was thinking about the lovely Irish music that welcomed us to the Cliffs of Mohor. A lady was singing in that beautiful lilt at the start of our walk to the cliffs. She had red hair and wore a white and green dress. We listened for a while, enchanted. Wanting to place something in the hat on the ground, but having no change, I gave what I had in my purse. I knew we wouldn’t be buying much, as our days in this second home was coming to an end, so why not share the euros. It was a 10 dollar bill. I handed it to the singer, so it wouldn’t blow away in the wind. She broke out into a smile and as her song ended, she thanked me much. My husband, on the other hand, was livid for the amount that I gave her. But ...

Our trip to Venice - Part 3 When I read about Venice, I learned that there are separate islands that consist of the Venestian Lagoon. Venice is the largest and the next largest after that is Murano. There used to be many handmade glass makers. The glass work throughout Venice is incredible. Our hotel recommended a tour/store to visit and even booked a private boat to bring us there. When we arrived, we were given a brief lesson about glass and the trade, then allowed to visit their store. Oh my gosh - the works of art there AMAZING. It was so beautiful and my fingers itched to take a picture, but there were signs everywhere not to AND they had employees in every room watching you! (Though my husband did manage to get a quick video at one point, the rebel!) My husband found the winged lion he really liked that has flecks of gold in it. We decided to buy it... the owner of the store put the lion on a pedestal......

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