Art Opening at Elevate

I forgot to tell you all that I have an exhibit on display in Lawrence, Kansas! 

And since Philip makes it a habit to be amazingly supportive, he stayed with Evie so I could go up over-night for the opening!

Autumn, the owner of Elevate, and her partners had expected about 150 people to attend, but the biggest conflict I can imagine in a college town happened; the K.U. Jayhawks had a championship game at the exact time the opening was scheduled. 

Needless to say, it was a modest turn out, but still a nice night! 

If you happen to be in the area or want an excuse to go up, you still can. 

There will be another event next month on April 29th (Final Friday), from 6-9pm at 

1403 Massachusetts.

The most exciting part of this is the location, Elevate. 

My cousin Autumn (who is the closest thing I've known to a sister), started this non-profit massage business, and 10% of their proceeds go to fund educational programs in Kenya.

I'm really proud of what she's doing!

Elevate also carries Bead for Life, handmade bead jewelry made from recycled paper, 

they work to eradicate extreme poverty in Uganda. 

It's an awesome place.

I couldn't resist this wall on the side of the building, the colors and textures!

This is the 14th Street entrance complete with sign made by Autumn's business partner Andy, and logo design by Elisabeth Owens. This entire endeavor is filled with gifted and talented people!

Here are some of my pieces from Haiti, 

next month there will be more hanging below this bamboo shelf!

$10 foot detox sessions in the far corner

Chair massages!

If you cannot tell already, Autumn has a complete knack for decorating! 

Everyone wants to move into this space.

I hated to use the flash in these rooms, the muted light was a big part of the ambiance, but I want you to see the Bead for Life and other fair trade merchandise.

This photo without the flash gives more the feel of the place.

These are some of my prints from Thailand.

Yummy food and another Emily.

Autumn and I.

And to end on the cutest of pics, here's Autumn with her daughter Gaia, and little Clover (who liked sitting by herself like a big girl, thank you!). 

Beauties!

Thank you Autumn for the opportunity to be a part of what you are doing! 

You are Wonder Woman.

Tulip Tree Stalking

We I am dying to go to Botanica. 

Soon, we will go again AND have a renewed membership as well, 

but in the meantime I am pining for some flowers. 

So I dress my child in them and stalk the tulip tree (magnolia) near the park to see if it's blooming yet. Every Spring I wait for it to explode so I can take a billion pictures of it. There are other tulip trees around, but I'm loyal to this one. 

I used to live down the street from it, and it's close enough to the street that I don't feel like I'm trespassing to photograph it from the sidewalk. 

It has begun to open... but the residents of the home were out working in the yard, and I was not feeling bold enough to profess my love for their tree. 

So, I'll be lurking around again... probably tomorrow. 
I'll share some pretty pictures with you then! 

But for now, I've got pictures of a pretty girl in flowers.

Handsome Liam

What a treat to see this little guy growing up. Oh my, he's charming!

Apple Brownies (More like Blondies)

Yesterday I mentioned making these, they are a real treat! 

I pulled the recipe from our church cookbook, which has been the source of some of my favorites lately.

You will need:

3/4 cup soft margarine                                  2 cups flour

1 3/4 cups brown sugar                                 1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs                                                         1 cup chopped apples (I doubled this)

1 tsp vanilla                                                 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I doubled this too)

2 tsp baking soda

Cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs and beat. Add vanilla, mix.

Sift dry ingredients and add.

 Add apples and nuts. 

Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch cake pan. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

These are delicious by themselves. They are gooey and chewy, fruity and nutty.

But they are even better warm, with a little ice cream.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Today is a bright and cheery day for several reasons... 

would you like to know those reasons? 

(This might require a bullet list, there are quite a few! I'm a wordy girl, I know.)

• First of all, it is gorgeous outside. 

•  Even though the wind is blowing 30mph, Philip rode his bike to work today. I'm happy he got to ride!

• This Spring, Spring, Spring weather is perfect for the park! And we didn't only get to go to a very cool park, but we met up with some of our favorite people! 

• Then we had lunch at Freddy's, oh my! It was there that I realized our group was slightly extraordinary (because several people were noticing us and tallying momma's and kiddos...), 4 mommas and 7 babes under the age of four.

• I must hurry away from the computer to make Apple Brownies to bring for a corned beef dinner at my folk's house tonight. (Which is why I'm only posting this one photo, more to come later.) Maybe I will take pictures of the brownie making and share the recipe later as well. They are unreal! So, add Apple Brownies to the list and a special dinner with my parents!

• Then from dinner we all are going to see my cousin Molly dance, she's an Irish Dancer! Evie is so into Angelina Ballerina and dancing, so I cannot wait for her to see another type of dance. And I cannot wait to see Molly either, I know she's good.

 

There is one more reason that I'm excited for today. 

In a nutshell, it's sort of a personal anniversary... twelve years ago on St. Patrick's Day I was going through one of the most difficult experiences of my life. I left Denver and moved back home. But that breaking point, as traumatic and anguishing as it was, was what it took for me to look back to God and truly see His faithfulness to me. He took me from devastation, freed me from hopelessness, made me new and gave me pure joy. Those phrases seem trite, but I write them with earnestness. I'm sorry if that is vague to share such a big part of my life in a few, short sentences. Most of the people close to me know my story, but if you want to know more I'd be happy to share. Just send me an email, or leave a comment if you'd like to hear more.