Sunday Morning Ritual

I LOVE,LOVE, LOVE Sunday mornings. Getting up early, coffee and newspaper and laptop in hand. Sitting quietly by the pool and making my ritual TO DO LIST for the week. I have a notebook and divide a page into 3 columns, Monday, Tues, Wed, etc is the first column, followed by the largest column which holds all that I have to do that week, then the little itty bitty third column of meals for the weeks (that one sometimes stays blank.
I fill in my columns, sometimes transferring things on the "To Do" list from last week to this week ( I never seem to get caught up!) and followed by reading the paper.
This is my ritual and I love it. These week is filled with job searching (still), painting the new house (we went with a beachy theme and soft colors) and creating art.
I'm taking a class from Artella and if you have never visited their website, DO IT NOW! Marney is amazing and I have watched her grow her business for years and it is so inspiring. Just google Artella and it will come up.
This week I am concentrating on new samples for Art Is ....2009, a class that I'm teaching on Friday called"Landscape Painting and 3D embellishments. My mind has been swirling for days on new ideas and I'm up to my elbows in paint and fabric and loving every minute.
So, it's time to go, I'm teaching a class today at Studio 34 in Rochester and it's called Memories under Glass, mini colleges sandwiched between thin glass and soldered. It's one of my favorites to teach.
So have a wonderful week and create some art!
Di

Blank Canvas's are so Intimidating

I've got a blank canvas sitting in front of me and it's so intimidating because I want to do it right the first time. I'm referring to a new home that we will be moving to as soon as our house sells. It's a beautiful home that we are renting with hardwood floors, gumwood trim and so much character that I just can't stand it.

Part of me wants the house to be a beachy retreat. I love the ocean and the colors of blues, greens, softness and beauty. My son loves the idea too. It will be easy to paint soft colors, get slipcovers for our furniture and accent the place with things that are light and airy.

The the other part of me wants warm tones, reds, off whites, bright accents and a warm wonderful feel.

So I stand divided and I'd better make up my mind soon because time is not going to stand still.

It's like when I order in a restaurant. I always have to go last because I can never make up my mind until I'm forced to. So I'll keep you posted as to what we decide. I have a feeling it will either be Brian's choice or a coin flip!

Tribute to my Dad

Last Monday June 1, 2009 my father passed away, leaving a world full of pain, cancer and broken hearts. He is pictured above with his pride and joy, my son Brian taken last June at Bri's graduation party.
My father left a legacy in his children and grandchildren and took much pride in his family. He taught me so much and although the pain is so fresh and the wound so open I feel compelled to tell you about him. I had forgotten how painful it is to lose a parent, as my mom died 20 years ago. I am so grateful for both of my parents and their guidance and love.
I'm so relieved that his pain and suffering is over and that he is "Safely Home in Heaven at Last", with my mom and other loved ones but it leaves such a hole in my heart and my life. Let me tell you a little about him.....

His name is Bob Russell and his life revolved around his family. He fell in love with and married my mom Ursula in the mid 1950's and about a year later my older brother Mark came along, quickly followed by yours truly 14 months later. My younger brother Bobby was born 4 years after me and my parents always said if Bobby had been the first, he would have been the last (he was a wee bit mischievous as a child).

My brothers and I grew up with our parents involved in all that we did. We lived in a little Italian community in Rochester NY and went to a 4 room/8 grade schoolhouse, complete with our catholic Italian church, Most Precious Blood. Dad was a huge part of our parish and worked on everything from Bingo calling to help building our new church, rectory and convent. We were blessed to have our second family in our MPB parish and still have remained close with many that we were lucky enough to grow up with. Because as in all families, blood and love is thicker than water.

He was a plumber by trade and very smart. We had a family affair in his company, Russell Plumbing and Heating with all of us kids worked with dad at one time or another and my mom running the office. We have many wonderful memories of growing up at the "shop".

Now this may sound like a fairy tale childhood and in many ways it was, but my father was also a perfectionist and strove to instill in his children a set of values, morals and a love for working hard at all you do. Of course it took years for us to realize that he spent our whole lives
teaching us in a way that we were not even aware of and for that we are eternally grateful.

He was a man who was not afraid of hard work and worked endless hours both in the field and the office. It was not unusual to hear our telephone ring in the middle of a cold winter's night and dad leaving to fix someone's furnace who was without heat.

He worked hard and played hard. He loved our cottage and boating (but hated to fish), we spent many a day on the water (hence, my love for bodies of water). He loved to travel with my mom and for 17 years, they would go every year to Las Vegas with a group of their friends from MPB. They later bought a time share in Paradise Island Bahamas which was truly their paradise and spent 2 glorious weeks every winter there.

His family and friends always came first and he taught me to think of others first and gave me my love for volunteering and helping others. He passed on his love of movies and music to my younger brother Bobby (who is the director of the historical Little Theatre in Rochester NY) and his love of The Lord, church and friendships to my older brother Mark in Highlands Ranch Co.

He was always a sharp dresser, spent hours on the golf course, loved to go out on Saturday date night with my mom, loved his sports (Mets & Giants fan forever and of course his favorite, hockey), devote father, grandfather and friend. He was a Little League coach, spent many a 6am morning at the hockey rink with my younger brother, drove the Aquinas band equipment truck on many a road trip with my older brother and fought like the dickens to keep my majorette group at Nazareth Academy from being disbanded by a nasty nun.

All in all, Dad taught us everything we know. He and Mom always taught us to reach for the stars, all the while knowing that they were there to catch us if we fell.

He leaves behind our children, his grandchildren who adored him and is the only grandfather who's name was Baba (a combo of Bob and Papa, compliments of his oldest grandchild, Jenny). He has wonderful in-law kids who he always thought of as his own and of course my brothers and I.
Dad, you served The Lord well and did everything He asked of you. He took you to heaven a week ago to enjoy eternal life. Give Mom a big hug and kiss everyday from her kids and grandkids. Until we meet again we will hold you in our hearts forever.
Love, Di, Danny, Bobby, Kathy, Mark, Cathy, Jenny, Chris, A, Brian and Madi

The Superman of all Roller Coasters

Life can be such a roller coaster, and one that sometimes,
I would personally like to get off of.
If only for a short while, enough time to take a deep breathe
and live in peace and harmony.
If only for a moment, an hour, a day.....

So where do I go when I need a break?
Either outside to sit by my pool and reflect (no pun intended)
or to Paradise, my studio.

At either place I am able to clear my head, close my eyes and picture
the things that make me happy.
Friends, Family, Art & the gentle sounds of water

So when life gets to be too much to handle,
Take a short vacation to your paradise

Trust me, it will renew you and give you the strength to keep going.

Art in the Heart

Do you have those days or weeks where you long to be in your studio creating
But life gets in the way and you cannot possibly fit in art?
Well that is my life right now
And I miss my art!
I'm still getting the house ready to sell
The To Do list is like a rabbit,
it just keeps multiplying.

But what can I do to sooth my creative soul?
Well, I keep a journal with colored pencils handy at
all times for those stolen moments

I think "Art" as I spackle, paint, and pack
I see a color or a shape in my house
And I grab my journal and record it
My mind is constantly going in different directions
So why not make one of those directions about creating

So while I get the house ready
I can at least, be creating art
In my mind.

My greatest accomplishment

Like most mothers, I'm a wee bit prejiduce when it comes to my son
He is my greatest joy, love and accomplishment
His name is Brian and he is a "first year" student in college
His hopes, dreams and aspirations
are amazing for someone so young
And he is by far the best thing that has ever happened to me.
Being an only child (and not by choice) it was
very hard to let him go when it was time for college.
Lucky for me he did not go far.
We searched up to seven hours from home
but in the end he fell in love with Hobart College
on Seneca Lake, about 45 minutes from home
He's far enough away that I don't drop in
But close enough if we have an emergency or
he decides to pop home for a short visit.
It's hard to believe that his school year is over in ten days
and he'll be home for the summer.
I'm sure there will be many days that we will both hate it, the "rules of the house",
rolling of the eyes, messy rooms and checking in at nighttime
But all in all I truly cannot wait for him to be home
So we will all enjoy these last few days apart,
then it's back to one happy family unit.
God help us!