My office

My work space, currently too messy to photograph. But I keep my art supplies neat and organized.
Did I mention I adore aqua? I think it helps my creativity.

Natirar Park

Natirar Park near Peapack Gladstone is probably the neatest park we've visited this summer. I really enjoyed our afternoon picnic there. The meadow is breathtaking, perfect for flying kites, I shell remember to bring one next time. I need to go back and take a class at  the  Ninenty Acres Culinary Center the building looks so inviting, it made me feel like I was transported to the English countryside.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers, Mother Earth included. It's such a privilege and honor to be a mother, and I happen to realize this truth pretty late in my life. For the longest time I was resisting the idea, worried that I won't be good enough, that it is not my calling. To my surprise, I turned out to be a natural. Motherhood is by far the most rewarding and challenging thing I've done in my life and I am so glad I had a chance to experience it.
I came across this lovely quote on one of my favorite blogs written by  Jodi.

"The most difficult part of birth is the first year afterwards. It is the year of travail - when the soul of a woman must birth the mother inside her. The emotional labor pains of becoming a mother are far greater than the physical pangs of birth; these are the growing surges of your heart as it pushes out selfishness and fear and makes room for sacrifice and love. It is a private and silent birth of the soul, but it is no less holy than the event of childbirth, perhaps it is even more sacred." - Joy Kusek

                         Waiting for the breakfast that daddy is preparing. I wish it was Mother's Day every day! 

Flor tiles

We have this long and wide hallway with ugly while ceramic tile (the worst possible kind), that is constantly cold.
And we happen to love walking barefoot. So we had to do something about it and fast. I wanted something sturdy and easy to clean and most of all something that our baby girl will not trip over. I looked at a million runners and carpet tiles and finally decided to try Flor. Is there anyone who did not hear of them? I've been getting their lovely catalogs for years, and never really had a need to use them. But this amazing mosaic that I was able to come up with together with one of their in store designers totally blew me away. It happens to be two tile wide and colorful tiles were cut on the diagonal, so we could create this fun pattern. I absolutely love it.

Long Winter

This winter was ridiculously long and I'm so glad it's over. I just found those cute pics of my daughter, all bundled up. We so deserve a long and sunny spring this year! 

Monika

I've been busy during the Holidays, but I found some time to draw a portrait of my childhood friend, Monika, who is, among other things,  a fashion blogger (check her out  here ). I used this luxurious Aqvarelle Arches paper and my new set of Dr. Ph. Martin's from Blick- I can't tell you how much I like these little guys.  Monika is going to use this image to decorate homemade wine bottles. I hope she saved me one!

Holiday baking

It's been a busy few weeks. We sold our condo in Hoboken  and found a temporary house in the burbs. Now that Christmas is fast approaching, I find myself scrambling for much needed time- unpacking after the move is not among my favorite things... But it's good to start fresh. I will miss Hoboken greatly, it has been a wonderful 6 years. I will certainly miss Manhattan skyline views! But hey, we are only 45 minutes away by car. Speaking of which, I need to start looking for one ASAP! It will be good to have my own after such a long time of not needing one.
My daughter had been sleeping so much better here. She now has her own room, than we are slowly furnishing- in Hoboken, we turned our open office into her little bedroom corner, but it was connected to our master bedroom- not a helpful layout when you try  sleep training. Plus, Hoboken rail station was so close and those 5 am trains would wake her up every time. Now, she sleeps from 7 pm to 7 am and is rested and happy trough the day.
Today we got busy creating our Christmas tree gingerbread cookies. I used this recipe  for old- school Polish gingerbread  cookies, but I subsidized real milk with almond milk, since I do not use cows milk and used Organic Earth's Best instead of lard. I adore recreating old recipes in a new, healthier way.  I made this ahead of time, and the dough was sitting on my Hoboken balcony for three weeks in winter temperatures, until all the flavors blended beautifully.
So today we cut them. So much fun. Lili was really helpful and had a great time helping me every step of the way. She ate few raw ones in the process, I remember doing the same as a child.