Time fly by when you're busy…
This week I was busy designing my business card for the millionth time. I'm never happy with my designs when it comes to my personal things… I'm such a pain in you know what…!

I finally came up with this one; it's the front and the back. I went ahead and ordered them before I change my mind again.

Yesterday a daughter of an old friend of mine celebrated her 15th birthday so I made her this necklace and earrings to match.

I have a lot of things to get done this week so the post is short I'll write again soon until than bye.

My Unattended Yard

Since the beginning of this Summer I have been complaining and disappointed in myself for not attending my garden as I do each year for lack of time in the Spring and being gone. It's quite depressing this year sitting on my deck without any flowers planted in my pots…I have only the ones that are loyal and keep coming back each year no matter what the winter is like.

This week while I was watching my two cats on the deck, I start thinking why can I see the natural beauty in my yard even when it's in its wild and natural state? When I travel I admire and marvel nature just as G-d intended for it to be, way can't I do the same in my yard, He's attending my yard when I'm not… doesn't He?

With that in mind I decided to set myself a little challenge for the day and find at list seven things that possess beauty in there own natural way in my yard.

These days I find that looking through my camera's lens I can see better the details of life and appreciate them better. The next photos are the few that I took for the challenge. The above photo is Mikaela's childhood broken bench that I have a hard time tossing away.

The playhouse faded door and writhe

The unattended water fountain in the secret garden

The lonely cherub in the succulent flower pot

The beautiful color of the succulent's flowers

A messy corner on my deck

Wild violets

The rock garden

Sustaining life

A beautiful Coral bell bloom

A dry leaf in the bird's bath

One of the few that keep coming back

As you can see I found a lot more beauty in my back yard then I thought I would.

"See the beauty in everything as you awaken to your divine nature, you'll begin to appreciate beauty in everything you see, touch, and experience."
Dr. Wayne W. Dryer

Before I say my good-bye I would like to let you know that this week I entered a national art show for the first time. I submitted the above three photos which took a lot of guts from my behalf. As you know photography is more my hobby than a profession. Next month I will find out if I got in…I promise to keep you posted. I'll be honored if only one of them will be accepted. Please keep your fingers cross for me.


Thanks again for stopping by and reading my rambling thoughts. Hope you'll be back soon.

Family Creativity

Remember my photos from my last post?

Thanks to my dear readers I was encourage to make cards from my recent trip to the Poudre River. So here they are! They are a mini gift card that measure 2" x 2" and come with clear envelop. I sell them for only ONE dollar each…What a deal!!! They'll be available shortly on my website.

Now I would like to brag about my talented teen writer; Maytal (Mikaela is using her middle name as her pen name). A mother should have the right to brag about her kid from time to time hahaha…..

This week Mikaela submitted her very dramatic fiction short story ' I couldn't run fast enough' to Teenink website. Her goal is that it will be published on there home page, but that only can happened if she gets enough votes. Here is where you come in, I would like to ask everyone if you would please read and vote on her story. It will mean so much for her and of course to me. Here is the link to it:

http://www.teenink.com/raw/Fiction/article/123438/I-Couldnt-Run-Fast-Enough/

My daughter is not only a talented writer but she is also a wonderful photographer. The above photo she created for the title/cover of her story. The male model in the photo is one of Mikaela best friend since childhood, Conner. He was such a good sport doing it. I'm so proud of Mikaela for pursuing her dreams all on her own. She is turning into such a unique and beautiful young woman, it makes me so honored to be her mom.

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I would like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for supporting, inspiring me and letting me share my family with you each time we come in contact.
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With Love,

A Day By the River

Last weekend my family and I took a leisurely drive to the Poudre River for a little family time and timeout from our last month of traveling madness.

My soul was aching for tranquil time and I did find it, if only for a short time, at the river.

I would like to share my photos, which are the reflection of the thoughts going through my mind.
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The path of my journey…

Reflecting on my life journey…

Looking for clarity in my vision

Will I have the strength that's needed for what lies ahead of me?

I should look forward to the growth, which I will gain from all of it…

What action should I take?

Find the balance in my life!


"Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb."

Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)

Sweet 16

Today is my beautiful and loving daughter, Mikaela's 16th birthday. I would like to honor her and this special day by sharing with you the poem that I wrote for her Bat-Mitzvah four years ago.

Miracle

You walked the heavens beside God and looked down on earth
You chose us as your parents
You came to our life full of wonder as we gazed upon you
What a miracle - so tiny but so blessed

You are the match that lights our souls with joy when you smile
You move us with your cry
You teach us patience and love
What a miracle - so small but so powerful

You act and dance and make us look at ourselves
You ask questions for which we haven’t sought answers
You wonder what is to come next

What a miracle - so naive but wise

You open your arms to our smiles
You run to our aid when we fall
You pray for peace when things are troubled

What a miracle - so young but compassionate

You are the small rosebud that sprouted a few springs ago
You are the rose that started blooming this summer
You are the sweet fragrance that will linger for years to come

What a miracle - so fragile but beautiful and delicate

You are the one who shows us we can be better than we are
You are the one who reminds us that miracles do happen each and every dayYou are the one who taught us that there isn’t a greater miracle in life then having a loving child

My dearest Mikaela, May life grant you all of your dreams and wishes and G-d will be by your side to guide you and watch over you always. You are the blessing in our life and thanks to you we know true love. Happy Birthday sweetheart.

With all my love Mommy

Shalom friends,

Today I would like to dedicate the post to the old architecture of Tel-Aviv Jaffe.
Tel-Aviv is celebrating this year her 100th birthday. Tel-Aviv (Spring Hill) is the first modern Jewish city. I always loved the architectural beauty of this city and as a kid I always wished and dreamed of buying one of these beautiful buildings, renovate it and make it my home and studio. Life ended up leading me in a total different direction and today you have to have several millions of dollars to be able to buy just one little apartment…where do the Israelis find the money to buy them?... I have no idea!

To give you an example of how beautiful they renovate some of the old buildings in Tel-Aviv, here is a picture of before (took in 2006) and after of a building in Nachalat Binyamin street.

Before

After

And here is the whole building. I just love it! I tried to find some history about this building but I came empty handed.

This is another beautiful door from the same street that has not yet renovated.

This is a mural on the old building of "Hadassah" Hospital at Nachalat Binyamin St.

This is another beautiful building in Nachalat Binyamin.

Every Tuesdays and Fridays Nachalat Binyamin Street turns to a festival of arts, crafts, pottery, and street performances. Artists display their merchandise on little tables along the paved street. You can shop for jewelry, painted ceramics, special toys, lampshades, Judaica and many more objects; there is quite a selection. Nachalat Binyamin is also known to be the street to buy fabrics. It's lined with store after store of fabrics. I used to shop there for fabrics with my mom when I was younger.

This is a beautiful gate in Jaffa

Some of the few beautiful buildings in Jaffa

A little history about Jaffa (Yafo) some believes that the name derives from the Hebrew word "Yofi" –beauty on the other hand according to Christian legend, Jaffa was named afther Noah's son, Japhet(Yeffet), who built it after the flood. Jaffa existed as a port city some 4,000 years ago, serving Egyptian and Phoenician sailors in their sea voyages. Jaffa is mentioned several times in the old and new testimony.

Old Jaffa has since become one of Israel's tourist attractions. It's filled with artists' quarters, studios and art galleries (I would love to have one there). Shops for Judaica, archaeology, jewelry, art, line its narrow alleys which are named after the signs of the Zodiac.

For more reading about Tel- Aviv architectural I found this lovely blog that you can visit, http://www.blogcatalog.com/blog/tel-aviv-jewish-princess .

For now I hope you enjoyed the small glimpse of Tel–Aviv, Jaffa's architectural. Maybe now you'll understand how much my art influence by it and how much I love and feel so lucky to be born and raised in this city.

We extended our visit for one more week since my father needs to be admitted tomorrow to the hospital for treatments. With G-d willing everything will be OK!

Shalom for now,

Secound Week in Israel

Hi everyone,

This post is a summery of last week. On Wednesday we went to a concert of Sarit Hadad (Israeli singer) at the old coliseum in ceseriea and it was awesome! The previews and next pictures are from the show.

This is how they open the show with flying angels.

Some of the excavations of Cesariea on display in the entry to the coliseum

My dad with Lee and the kite he made him. My dad has a tradition to make the first kite for each kid in our family.

In Israel we have an old custom to buy flowers on Friday for Shabbat. I bought these beautiful flowers for my mom last week. I can't get over how beautiful the flowers are here and how inexpensive they are.

Yesterday the whole family traveled to the Sea of Galilee and we had such a wonderful time. We all got a wonderful suntan, not that I needed one but we could not resist the water it was so warm and wonderful that we all didn't want to come out.

Another view of the Sea of Galilee we call it The Kineret.

Mikaela with handsome British/Israeli, Yeffet her new friend, at the Kineret...He is such a sweetheart!

We have one more week in Israel before we come home. Time goes so fast when you have fun… Thanks for checking in and I'll write again soon.
Love,