Black Eyed Susan's Kitchen

MARY'S PINKS

   

              Pink Saturdays are usually a very light and whimsical theme for me. I enjoy the pretty in pink concept and the opportunity to lighten up the week. It can be a time to get my girly on, but I am just not feeling it right now. My decision was to go with what I am feeling, so I went back to the pictures that I had taken at Mary Cooper's house and looked through some of her art work again. It occurred to me how very lucky I am to have not only the memory of her original art, but some pictures of it as well. I would like to share a little of Mary's pink with you today. (please remember to click on the pictures to enlarge them) First, there is this ballet collage with the little pink birds. Mary's art always makes me think, sometimes makes me smile and is always memorable. Then there was this pillow covered in shades of pink with the fabulous velour texture. The third picture that I found was of this handmade quilt with the lovely pastels. Last, I would like to share a small picture from Mary's vase collection because it was all pastel and included this pink McCoy piece. The first time I layed eyes on this collection of vases, I remember grinning from ear to ear. The colors, sizes and styles were displayed exactly as I would have done it.  There are many more wonderful pictures that I will post from time to time, but right now I will leave you with this last collage piece that I was so very taken with in Mary's studio...she was a visionary.
            Please take a moment to visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound. She is the lovely hostess of Pink Saturday's and you can find her post and a list of links to lots more pink.
♥, Susan       

LEFT BRAIN, RIGHT BRAIN....MALE, FEMALE

            

When my son and his friends were little boys, they would hop into my car and start pushing the buttons and twirling the knobs. In an instant, the radio station was changed and the heat/air were not on their original settings. The windows would go up and down a half dozen times before I finally told them to stop. Now these kids are driving their own cars, but it didn't take me very long to realize that the majority of males were the button pushers and the females were for all intensive purposes less interested. My birthday gift this year is a new camera.... a very cool Nikon that does many things that my old camera did not do. First, let me say that there was nothing wrong with my old camera. It was a little slow and would not take a quick succession of pictures. It was a little larger, heavier to carry in by bag and could not fit in my pocket. This new camera will do everything that the old camera did not. Pretty exciting....yes? Yes and no....I am going to love this camera, eventually, but I find learning how to use it a little daunting. There is a lot of information and technical stuff involved here, which is why this smaller, fit in your pocket version came in such a large package. This brings me to the left brain, right brain or male, female observation. After opening my gift, I left it to sit for a day. My husband could not wait, probably because he knew that I would put off the inevitable. He opened it for me, charged the battery for me, read the manual for me, and explained most of the important settings to me this morning. I would have gotten there eventually, but he knows me all too well...and this was a big part of the gift...he took away the mystique of having to figure it out on my own. I am grateful. When my son's friends found out what my birthday present was, they started telling me all of the fantastic technical stuff that it will do and of course there was the why one camera is better than the other and of course there was the button/knob fascination. To them, the more technical, the better. To my right sided brain, I am just excited to be able to take better perhaps more artistic pictures to add to this blog. I hope that you will enjoy them.
♥, Susan   

7TH DAY, 7TH MONTH, 7 THINGS MEME

                It's all about the sevens today, which is interesting because it also happens to be my birthday. Lucky numbers indeed, I have always coveted the fact that my birthday fell on double 7's. My good friend Jenny at Supplies Overflowing blog, tagged me this morning for a seven not-so-obvious favorite things meme. Being that it is all about me (lol) today, I thought this would be fun.
  1. I love it when I find the just perfect gift for someone and their reaction becomes emotional.
  2. I love it when my thoughts are in sync with others and there is a psychic connection.
  3. I love feeling a cool breeze waft over my skin when it is humid outside.
  4. I can be tickled pink when I finally "get" something that was not clicking in my brain before.
  5. I love it when my check book balances perfectly.
  6. I love an icy cold martini and a night out (okay, maybe not so unknown)
  7. I love my friends and family fiercely and loyally although I don't often tell them.
        I would love it if you jumped in and did this meme too, but I will leave that up to you.
        A little garden this and that, the globe zucchini are up and delicious, and we tried nasturtiums from the garden in our salad. They are surprisingly tasty.
    I will leave you with a photo of a visitor on our windowsill the other day.This praying mantis was as friendly as could be, stopping to sit on my daughters hand and then hopping back onto the windowsill. Isn't he beautiful?
♥, Susan      

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

                          The fourth of July, has always been the big outdoor party of the year for us. It is the week of my birthday, and I have to say that I don't mind sharing the celebration with our country...not one little bit. Getting to see fireworks has always been a part of the happy celebration and this little area of the Jersey Shore is no slouch when it comes to the big extravaganza in the sky. One of the  things our area is known for is the fireworks display over the Navesink River. Originally just a Red Bank thing, now we are torn between stepping to the left to see the fireworks in Red Bank, or stepping to the right and seeing them in Rumson. Kind of crazy...one river and two sets of fireworks. Plus, on the following night, we get to see the fireworks at the beach. This would be my favorite...comfy beach chair in the sand, kids running around and then it gets dark and you get this magnificent display. Total small town happiness.
                   It also happens that Pink Saturday falls on Independence day. Last week, daughter in the middle and I went to the new shopping outlet in Tinton Falls to pick up a few things. I was specific. Over to the  Gap to get new yoga pants that were on sale for 11.99, and t shirts on sale for 4.99 each. I found exactly what I wanted, my daughter found a few new pairs of pants and things were good. We looked in a few other stores, and then stopped in the Ugg store. Anyone who has ever owned a pair of Uggs knows that they are like walking on a cloud...seriously...so comfy. Let me just say that I had no intention of buying new boots in the summer. Not even on sale, but this is what came into my view.. irresistable! It was the lining of the boot that clinched the sale though, pink sherpa. I'm still not sure that I will keep them, but as far as Ugg boots go, these are a work of art. So, pink Ugg boots for Pink Saturday. Please stop by Beverly's blog, How Sweet the Sound for more wonderful Pink Saturday posts.
♥, Susan    

CALLED TO HEAVEN

           An email today from Constance at Rochambeau blog told me that our friend Mary has passed away. Perhaps you remember this post from December last year when I took you on a tour of Mary's studio and house. I will miss her so much. A kindred spirit, lover of cats, artist, brave and loving soul. Although we lived in the same town, it was through my blog that we met. I am grateful for the short time we had to get to know each other. Rest in peace my friend.
♥, Susan 

GARDEN QUICKIES

            Finally, a little sunshine and an opportunity to appreciate... how much our little community garden plot has grown. The zucchini flowers mean that there will be zucchini on the menu very soon. Our little potager in our backyard is starting to look exciting too, with the exception of the pepper plants which could not deal with the cool temperatures and excessive rain. The nasturtium flowers have decided to make an appearance, much to my delight, and the hydrangea in the front and back gardens are just painting the landscape with the most lovely blue, purple and lavender colors. To add to the calidescope, the lillies are screaming for attention too. The potted plants are expecting their 15 minutes of fame as well, showing up in their begonia pink finery and the cool white of a vintage pot. It is all just tooo lovely. I hope that you are enjoying the summer gardens as much as I am.
♥, Susan                   

JOY

                 Time passes, days begin, days end, and what comes out of this is what we make of it? Sort of. The other day, I was talking with my father on the phone, actually whining about the weather. Typical of my dad, he pointed out how green the lawns and trees were and obviously this was due to the inordinate amount of rainfall we have been experiencing. Nuff said...no rain, no rainbows. This is probably why I am ridiculously optimistic....all the time...about everything.
                 Last week, my sister had a party at her house to celebrate the high school graduation of her youngest son, Max. Here is a picture of the party girls celebrating...I am on the right in white, next to me is my sister and then my sister in law who came up from Florida for the event, my mother and my sister in law who came up from Pennsylvania. Let me first say, that my sister and I are so very lucky to have the best sisters in law...ever! Our brothers chose well. Just look at the smile on Grandma's face...nothing makes her happier than to be with her family (Grandpa too...I just didn't get a picture of him) The graduate, Max.... went to the same school since he was two years old. With much tenacity, his parents and his older brother made sure that he had what he needed to get through all of those years of school work. We all know that to graduate high school is no simple task these days, and to graduate while dealing with disabilities makes this milestone all the more appreciable. We are all so proud of Max. College awaits.
        My sister and brother in law threw one heck of a party. The food was amazing, and of course there were baked goods that would rival the best Viennese tables. My younger brother represents many food suppliers, and he always makes sure that our collective gourmet sweet teeth are happy.  My sister has a somewhat dramatic, yet homey aesthetic when it comes to decorating. I love being at her house..there is always something interesting to look at. So, other than wanting one last time to wish Max the best and tell him again how very proud we are, I would also like to say a little about family. I know that I can speak for everyone on both sides of my family when I say that although it is not that easy for all of us to get together, it always brings us great joy when we do. For every milestone that we get to celebrate,  and for whatever reason we can find to have a party, we will make every effort to spend our time together. There is no more joyful occasion than that which is spent with a loving family.
♥, Susan    

WEST NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY

                    The beauty of staycations is that you can visit areas of your state that you have never seen before, or you can revisit your history. Today, we went for a revisit. Almost 32 years ago, I moved into a little studio apartment in this building. It is on Boulevard East in West New York, which is on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. Unbeknownst to me, a handsome young man moved into the apartment on the other side of mine about a month earlier. This is where I met my husband. We each had a studio on the third floor of this building. A year later, after many dates and being "glued" together, we moved into a one bedroom apartment on the eighth floor. We were married not too long after that. If we stepped out the front door of the apartment building, this was the view across the street. These pictures were taken today, and even though it is very cloudy out, the view is still stunning. This is the view looking up the Hudson River. On a clear day it is absolutely amazing. After our trip down memory lane, we took a trip to the Japanese market in Edgewater New Jersey, which is just below West New York and also on the river. We spied a little zen sitting area before walking into the market. We had lunch, as they have a marvelous food court with every kind of Japanese noodle and bento box. My daughter and I had the shrimp tempura udon soup, that was delicious, and my husband had a fried seafood dish with all kinds of accoutraments and of course a bowl of rice. Then we went shopping. If you know someone who is into Hello Kitty, Anime, or any other Japanese pop culture icons, this is your place. There were warriors and ninja's and some very fun and colorful other things. There was dishware and chopsticks, bento boxes and rice bowls and just all sorts of lovely and exotic stuff. We really had to practice some self control here. It was a lovely and fun adventure and our daughter got to see where we first met. I will leave you with one  last look at Manhattan from the Jersey side... long sigh... I love this view.
♥, Susan
                    

PETITE PINK FOR SATURDAY

              

Just about everything pink is pretty. Beverly, of How Sweet the Sound, has put together a list of perfect Pink Saturday posts that are guaranteed to make you smile. Today, I have a little sweet pinkness. Pretty pink buttons, and a pretty pink wreath, and pretty pink roses painted above the valance in the kitchen. A plethora of pretty pink for today. Please click on How Sweet the Sound to find Beverly's blog and all of the other pink posts.
♥, Susan       

DISTRACTED

                  I am an organized person. A list maker extraordinaire. On any given day, I will have an orderly plan of attack, so why am I so distracted this week? The people who live in the house with me....my family, are very busy, and because the "children" are no longer children, they make their own plans. June is that month when birthdays and graduations and vacations collide, and my simple organized universe is turned upside down. I am forgetting important days (sorry Elizabeth...I missed your birthday...Happy belated), and trying to reconcile schedules and I am thinking, that maybe the best thing that I can do is just let it go. Breathe in, breathe out and realize that I have lost control. School will end next week for my youngest (he will be a senior next year), Daughter in the middle is home from college for the summer and working already, and well, beautiful oldest is on her own. Next week my husband is on vacation, and we will be having a staycation. We will be addressing some decor issues that I am having with our house and we will be running around the Jersey Shore in search of fun and sunshine. Hopefully there will be some antiquing involved and I am sure there will be some good meals too. I hope to have one of these on the weekend, with a nice fish dinner. ( A restaurant in Castleton Vermont, called the Trak Inn, has an appetizer on the menu. Mary and the boys...a bloody Mary with shrimp cocktail style shrimp. Not only delicious, but a destresser when you are feeling distracted). Then we will be making plans to go here for another vacation week this summer. Just looking at these pictures and making vacation plans is making me feel a little more centered and a little less distracted. I am breathing again. Now for the honeydo list.
♥, Susan