Pine Cone Buds

This year I have noticed a lot of pine cone buds – actually everywhere I turn I see one that is  a little different than the rest. It astounds me that I never really took much notice before of how beautiful they are.

More pine cone buds with a red outer shell

As I was taking my daily walk, I noticed these beautiful red pine cones. Yet as I looked closer I noticed that some of the red outer skin was pulling away to the inner pine cone. So the red is just temporary, but oh so beautiful.

More pine cone buds

Distinctively different from the others, yet just as magnificent.

Bark from an old tree

The colors are so vibrant this time of year….it made me take more notice of the detail of this bark of an old tree which I pass by almost daily on my walk. Isn’t it lovely?

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In case you missed yesterday’s post, below is May’s Giveaway. Sorry that it took me a week to post.

Giveaway for May

What will you do on this new day? It’s a rainy day here in Rockport, perfect as I just planted and transplanted yesterday. A nice light drizzle is just what they need today. And it wasn’t even planned…..I had no idea of the weather forecast.

Enjoy your Tuesday, XO Lisa

Giveaway for May

“Who will believe me?” is what I say since my last post I said I would announce May’s Giveaway “tomorrow”….well that was days ago. But in argument, as Lydia would say, “tomorrow could be any tomorrow.” She is really into semantics….and she could be a great lawyer one day as she aspires to be an environmental lawyer. GO Lydia!

Anyway, I hope the wait was worth it for the announcement of May’s Giveaway – a JUMBO indigo mug. This is a lightweight stoneware mug made by moi. It holds a WHOPPING 24 ounces! So if you like a lot of tea or coffee in the a.m. or any time of day, this will make a great mug for you. So good luck to all!

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Forsythia in Bloom....almost past since it was so early.

17 years ago today was a very special day for me and Eoin….we were married with forsythia in bloom. Whenever I see those beautiful yellow blossoms it reminds me of that special day that will remain with me all my days.

Happy Anniversary Eoin, I love you so….and I thank my lucky stars we met all because of forgotten french fries. ….XO Lisa

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Wood Fired Bowl by SimplyDaisy

 Congratulations to “corgimas” who is the winner of the April Giveaway – a wood fired bowl made by me out of stoneware clay and glazed a gorgeous white – yes “gorgeous white”! Enjoy!

I will announce May’s Giveaway tomorrow….until then, enjoy this rainy day here in Rockport, and enjoy your day wherever you may be.

XO Lisa

One of my absolute favorite singer songwriter of all times, Joni Mitchell….she captures the circle of life so well in this song “Circle Game”…..I seem to be dragging my feet a lot lately.

Another favorite of mine “Circle of Love” – LOVE, Love , love the guitar solo in this Steve Miller!

Enjoy the circle of life. XO Lisa

Sunday I had the wonderful experience of taking the “How to Plan, Write and Develop a Book”  Workshop by Mary Carroll Moore – all at  Grub Street in Boston.

I have been working on my first novel for about a couple of years now, and have 6 chapters completed. Now after taking this workshop, I am able to visualize my novel more clearly.

Mary Carroll Moore was terrific in explaining techniques used in “storyboarding” one’s novel. It was extremely eye-opening, and I learned so many helpful tools.

Your Book Starts Here by Mary Carroll Moore

Moore has also expanded on her workshop with a book “Your Book Starts Here” which is chock-full of awesome pointers and exercises to bring your novel to life. You can purchase it through Amazon or directly from her blog.

I am eager to get back to my novel so that one day I can announce on my blog here that you can buy my book!

If you are a writer, or aspire to write a novel, I would highly recommend both Grub Street and any workshop with Mary Carroll Moore. You can visit her blog here.

Here’s to more writing and lots of reading! XO Lisa

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

I finished The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown a day ago, and am finding myself missing the characters – the three sisters who referred to themselves as the “weird sisters”.

The book is simply a snippet on life in a small college town in Ohio where three sisters grow up with fairly eccentric parents. They are all grown now, and find themselves back in their small town of Barnwell for various reasons, and stick around when they find that their mother has cancer.

What is fascinating (and takes a bit getting used to) is the way  in which it is written, in third person plural – from the “we” point of view – as the sisters’ collective voice. At first it was a little hard for me to follow, but after a while I found it   made perfect sense.

I would highly recommend reading this touching novel about family and where we all fit in, and how we all find our own paths.

You can order it through Toad Hall (where I bought it), as well as Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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On  another note, I just went to a Writer’s Workshop yesterday at Grub Street, a writer’s community in Boston, and LOVED it. I will fill you in more tomorow.

Loving the rain! XO Lisa

]]> http://simplydaisy.com/the-weird-sisters-a-book-review/feed/ 2 http://simplydaisy.com/weekend-in-portsmouth/ http://simplydaisy.com/weekend-in-portsmouth/#comments Sat, 21 Apr 2012 17:05:18 +0000 Lisa http://simplydaisy.com/?p=1846

Ale House Inn - Portsmouth, NH

Recently my sweetheart and I had a weekend getaway to Portsmouth, NH. Eoin was responsible for the planning, and he did a wonderful job.

We stayed at the Ale House Inn which is right in the historic district of Portsmouth, walking distance to all shops and restaurants.

Typical Room at Ale House Inn

The room was appointed in very sleek yet comfortable decor. It had just enough fluff, and included my favorite Aveda products for bathing. Each room is equipped with an i-Pad fully loaded with the Inn’s recommendations for restaurants (including menus). This made it so easy for us to pick Four as our place to dine.

"Four" - a wonderful bistro style restaurant in Portsmouth, NH

We LOVED our meal at “Four”. Double cut pork chops were cooked to perfection, along with sweet potato hash and delicately cooked asparagus. The chopped salad that we started with boasted chops of bacon – actual thick chunks – my mouth is watering remembering that salad!

Home made bread is served with every meal......at Four

We spent a lot of time walking around the historic district and found Runner’s Alley where we each purchased a pair of New Balance’s Minimus – Eoin’s in bright orange (poor guy) and mine in black and blue. These were purchased with our training for the Warrior Dash in mind.  That should be fun. More on that another time.

Minimus by New Balance

For breakfast we chose “Popovers” …a very tempting place for breakfast where we had  yummy quiche and fresh fruit.

Popovers in downtown Portsmouth

I could also not resist picking up some decadent baked goods for the kids back home….

Pastries by Popovers of Portsmouth, NH

The weekend was a nice change of pace from Rockport, and we came home ready to clock 8 miles on our new Minimus New Balance sneakers……we were a little sore the next day.

Happy Saturday, and hope this info is helpful when wanting to explore Portsmouth. XO Lisa

March Mug Giveaway

Congratulations to Jan Micalizzi! She is the March Mug Giveaway Winner! Here’s hoping you enjoy your next cafe latte in your new mug!

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Unfortunately I have not been creating too many new pots lately due to an injury and other obligations. But I hope to be back at the wheel creating some new pieces for a wood firing taking place Memorial Day Weekend. Can’t wait! I’d love to hear what you think I should try and make. Your suggestions are most welcomed. Just comment or pop me an email. I’d love to hear from you!

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Wood Fired Bowl by SimplyDaisy

For the month of April I will be giving away this lovely wood-fired bowl that I made earlier this year. It was my first time experimenting with Cone 10 pots in a wood-fired kiln. The feel is unique and rustic. I love it! And I hope the lucky winner will too.

Happy Spring! Enjoy the daffodils! XO Lisa

Tears came to my eyes as I read today’s post from Charity Focus – Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote reads:

“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

The story about the 5 day old kitten being rescued and nurtured struck a chord in my heart. I truly believe that if we even make just one person’s life better, we have made a difference.

Read the full story here.

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I owe you all an apology for my “Grateful” post – my blog software was not working correctly, and it appears that an email was sent about 5 times yesterday. What a pain in the butt for you all, and I apologize.  Technology is not really my area of expertise. I am learning as I go along.

Happy Monday to all, XO Lisa

Hanna and Ethan off to the semi-formal dance

This morning I woke up early as usual but found that I was actually one hour later than the day before – daylight savings kicked in REALLY early this year. I was surprised and though Eoin was playing a trick on me.

I woke feeling so grateful to have such wonderful children. Hanna went to her first semi-formal dance with a guy – and not just any guy – Ethan is a as we like to say a “good egg” and treats her well. She is just glowing and happy when she is with him. It’s beautiful. This is all a mother can hope for.

Another chapter begins in my life as I witness my first born blossoming into a woman. Just as it is meant to be. And for this I am grateful. And proud. And happy. I am not saying it’s easy at times, but mostly I must remind myself that this is the natural course of life. And as I always like to quote James Taylor, “the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.”

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The Movie - Oranges and Sunshine

Yesterday I found myself at the movies alone for my very first time. And it actually felt liberating. I saw the film “Oranges and Sunshine” and it made me feel ever more grateful for the life that we have made for ourselves. We may not have everything, but we have a family unit that remains strong. And for this I am also grateful.

The film is about a massive deportation of children of the British Isles – sent off to Australia on the pretense for a “better life”, and often telling the children some as little as 5 or 6 that they were orphans when in fact they weren’t. It was all based around the “shame” of say an unwed mother or a family that lived in the slums. It was very heart wrenching, but worth every moment.

This also made me feel grateful  for our family and how we can communicate openly with one another. Trying our best to be open to our children, and not make any subject so taboo that they feel they cannot come to us.

Here’s the link to the trailer and other info on “Oranges and Sunshine.”  Go see it at the Cape Ann  Community Cinema…comfy couches, gourmet popcorn, and a root beer – what could be better for some down time!

Happy Spring Ahead Daylight Savings Time, XO Lisa

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