inspired - a night at the ballet

I adore ballet, and last night my husband and I had the pleasure of seeing the Milwaukee Ballet's Spring Series. The dancers were stunning, the choreography was gorgeous, and the music was fresh and original. I don't have any photos from the evening, but these beautiful black and whites remind me of some of the dances from last night. I found all of these photographs on Pinterest. 

flowerful friday

I hope you have a great weekend in store, with lots of laughter and smiles and plenty of relaxation. 

my birthday bouquet from my parents :-)

Happy Friday!

a beautiful sunset

I was traveling for work this week, and the sunset from my hotel room last night was gorgeous. From purplish-blue to golden orange all in one fell swoop.  

words to live by...

Remember that everyone

you meet is afraid of something,

loves something,

and has lost something.

-- J Jackson Brown

I can't think of a better quote to inspire us to live with kindness, compassion and empathy towards everyone we know and everyone we meet. 

words to live by...

Once in awhile I stumble across a quote that really resonates with me. This quote is one of those...

music for a monday: andrew bird's danse caribe

I was very lucky to cap off my birthday on Saturday with an incredible Andrew Bird concert in Milwaukee. Bird's innovative music is a delight for the ears and his live performance incorporates simple yet powerful visuals, so it's a delight for the eyes too. 

Click onto this link for a glimpse into what the world of Andrew Bird is all about... http://bit.ly/yMUVNJ. 

By the way, if there's a commercial before the Andrew Bird video, please ignore it - the Bird video is worth the wait and any annoyance.  ;-)

taste: spicy thai chicken and noodles

With the warm weather, we've been able to take advantage some early season grilling. We made spicy Thai chicken with sweet and spicy rice noodles and grilled pineapple. For the chicken, just throw together red curry paste, minced garlic, chopped cilantro, Sriracha sauce, a little brown sugar, soy sauce and a little Thai fish sauce. Then after a few hours of marinating the chicken, grill the chicken. With a side of sweet and spicy rice noodles and grilled pineapple, it makes for a delicious dinner.  

so long 33, hello 34!

Another year has flown by and today is my birthday! Birthdays are always fun, but I think the excitement of a birthday when you're a kid just can't be matched by birthdays in adulthood. My mom did such a great job of keeping my "baby book" full of photos and details. Just look at the page from my 3rd and 4th birthdays. Didn't she do an amazing job? 

30 years ago.
I still love puffy sleeves  :-)

A big thanks to my mom and dad - respectively our family's record-keeper and photographer.

flowerful friday: special edition - magnolias in bloom

As promised from yesterday's post, here are some of my photos from the amazingly stunning magnolia grove located not but a mile from my house. This grove is nestled in the University of Wisconsin Arborteum, and is breathtaking in its beauty. I think these photos do a good job of conveying the gorgeous scene, but honestly, to see these blooming beauties in person is a whole other experience. 

I hope you enjoy!

light pink saucer magnolia

looking up from below - heavenly!

I could lay under this tree for hours!

a pink star magnolia

some were still in bud form - so cute!

next to my hand, to show the large size of these
gorgeous blooms

one part of the magnolia grove

sublime!

this cream colored star magnolia had the
most lovely fragrance!

one pink, one cream colored -
side by side

Happy Friday!

dusk skies in spring

We've had some incredibly beautiful skies this spring, and dusk never disappoints. Last night I was able to capture the gorgeous sunset from within the UW-Arboretum. The sky was breath-taking and the setting couldn't have been more beautiful. Stay tuned for tomorrow's Flowerful Friday post to see  amazing magnolias in bloom.

springtime, officially

Yesterday was the Spring Equinox - the 1st official day of spring - and though it feels like it could be summertime, there's something nice about spring officially starting. 

I love the signs of spring - the greening of the grass, robins with their orangish-red vests hopping around with their skinny little legs, bulbs eagerly poking up from the ground growing everyday taller and taller, and early bloomers like forsythia is unabashed, full-on color. 

I came across this quote that I think sums up springtime perfectly:

Spring has returned.

The Earth is like a child that know poems.

-Rainer Maria Rilke 

a robin with his orange vest

hyacinths popping up from the ground

forsythia, in full bloom

I hope that wherever you are, you are enjoying the new season.

black & white photography: dance

I like how photography captures movement despite it being a still shot of a moment in time. I think these 3 black and white photos are perfect examples of photography's ability to reflect movement and dance. I wish I could say I took these, but I didn't. I found them all on Pinterest.

I love the movement of her dress

how does he make this look so effortless?

I love these photos!
Dancing kittens = adorable!!

music for a monday...apartment story

This Monday, I'm opting for a little more subtle song, but it's one I absolutely adore. The National is one of my favorite bands, and they do an amazing live show. I think by the end of this tune, you'll be tapping your foot too. Hope you enjoy!

The National's "Apartment Story"

early spring

Spring has come to Madison incredibly early this year, and the record setting temperatures are on everyone's minds. The unseasonably warm weather reminded me of a Chinese scroll painting called "Early Spring" by Guo Xi. This was painted during the Song Dynasty, and completed in 1072. This piece is a prime example of the technique,"the angle of totality," because it produces multiple perspectives.

Early Spring, 1072
click onto the picture
for a bigger image

inspired

Various shades of green foliage seem like a good way to pay homage to the Emerald Isle.  Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone! 

flowerful friday

The first signs of spring can be seen throughout the lovely neighborhood I call home. Bulbs are popping up left and right and the early bloomers are adding much needed punches of color in the garden. After planting bulbs, there's no immediate effect, but their beauty is always worth the wait. Here are some of my crocuses...

And, once there's flowers, I always tend to want to bring a few indoors to enjoy. Here's the 1st  arrangement of the season I put together with just a few crocus blooms, snowdrop blossoms, and a little ivy.

inside a snowdrop blossom is so detailed

Happy Friday!

bright lights

Here's another quick little drawing I drew on my iPad. What do you see? Perhaps jewels or candy? To me, it's like hundreds of bright, cheery lights clustered together. I hope these happy colors brighten up your day.

a glimpse of what's in store

Straight from the garden, a gorgeous lavender colored crocus bloom signals that spring has arrived here in Madison. Delightful! There's nothing like spotting the first bulbs popping up.

the angel's garden

I took this photo last summer. In my mom's beautiful garden, there's a little space we like to call the "angel's garden". 

the angel's garden

I'm thinking of my mom today. She's amazing, and I love her so very much.

music for a monday...1234

Back by popular request,  let's start this Monday off with another song. You've probably heard this tune - 1234 - it's been used for Apple commercials, but the video that accompanies this Feist song is so happy that I thought, what better way to kick off our Monday. Hope you enjoy.

Feist, 1234

a picture speaks a thousand words

I came across this black and white photo of a pair of gorillas, that I'm guessing are mama and baby, on the Tumblr site http://dontcallmebetty.tumblr.com/. Photography is amazing at capturing emotion. Just look at the mama's expression!

inspired

Though it's still early March, spring-like weather has arrived here in Madison. It does seem quite early, but the warmer weather is wonderful and hopefully is here to stay. I thought we could celebrate these springtime temperatures by enjoying the gorgeously lush and detailed painting, "Primavera" or "The Allegory of Spring" by Bottecelli. This was one of the pieces I remember studying in depth in my first Art History course back in college. Bottecelli is telling the story spring's fertility in this masterpiece, and though it's so hard to see in this image, the artist included hundreds of different plant and floral species.  

Primavera, circa 1482
you can click onto the image for a bigger view

a closer look...

Gorgeous, isn't it?