Difficult Paths

Scottsdale, AZ - July, 2017

Scottsdale, AZ – July, 2017

Difficult Paths.

Difficult paths
often lead to
beautiful destinations.

 

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

On a recent trip to Arizona, I loved snapping shots of the beautiful desert scenery.  Little did I know how sharp and painful beautiful cactus plants are when you rub up against them too close………. In Steve Erkel voice….. “Did I do that????”  Yep!  Yep I did!

One New Beautiful Thing

One New Beautiful Thing - Along My Daily Walk

One New Beautiful Thing – Along My Daily Walk

One New Beautiful Thing.

As you walk along life’s pathway –
which often seems to go the same ole’ way,

Challenge yourself to find
just one new beautiful thing each day.

Open your eyes and open your heart –
it is right there in front of you if only you look.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

The Happy Flower

sunny-sunflower-watercolor-11x14-artistico-ex-wh-300lb-soft

sunny-sunflower-watercolor-11×14-artistico-ex-wh-300lb-soft

As an artist, I’d choose the thing that’s beautiful more than the one that’s true.”

Laurie Anderson, Composer, Singer, and Performance Artist

Sunflowers are happy flowers – aren’t they?
They are sunny and bright and cheerful.

I painted this version of a sunflower – that may not really look like a sunflower to you – but I fell in love with.  And I rarely say that about my own art, so it is super exciting for me.

It is 11×14 and painted on the most glorious Fabriano Artistico 300lb “Soft” paper that is so cottony soft and buttery, I love to just feel it!

When I came upon this quote by Laurie Anderson, it so resonated with my feelings about art.  I would choose beautiful over true too.

I choose to paint what I love and feel is beautiful over an exact likeness.  I can take a photo if I want an exact likeness. (And I do so admire artists who can create exact likeness with paint and brushes – don’t get me wrong – it’s just not where I find my joy – at least right now.)  But to create a feeling of beauty, that is what I choose to love about painting.

Happy Day!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Fresh Peach and Blueberry Greek Yogurt Cake

Peach Blueberry Greek Yogurt Cake 1

Sunday was a rather rainy, oppressively humid, relaxing, fabulous, lazy, stay-in-the-house kinda day.  What better kind of day to bake a beautiful treat like this Greek yogurt cake with fresh, juicy, ripe peaches…

Peach Blueberry Greek Yogurt Cake fresh peaches

and tart, tangy, locally-grown blueberries…

Peach Blueberry Greek Yogurt Cake fresh blueberries

for a lovely dessert!

Peach Blueberry Greek Yogurt Cake slice

OH How Yummy…

Peach Blueberry Greek Yogurt Cake

and OH How Beautiful!

Peach Blueberry Greek Yogurt Cake 2

Moist and sweet – but not too sweet, bursting with fresh summer fruit flavor, delicious warm or cold, amazing alone – and possibly even more amazing with a dollop of whipped cream or melting vanilla ice cream.

Hope you’ll give this a try.

Here is the recipe slightly adapted from JuliasAlbum.

Fresh Peach and Blueberry Greek Yogurt Cake

Ingredients:Peach Blueberry Greek Yogurt Cake 1

  • 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup Greek vanilla yogurt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 fresh, ripe peaches, sliced into wedges
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 Tbsp raw or granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the side and bottom of a 9″ springform pan with Pam cooking spray.  Line bottom with parchment paper, and spray it too.

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs until light and fluffy for approx. 2-3 minutes on high speed of an electric mixer.  Add vanilla and Greek yogurt, and continue beating for another minute.

With the mixer on low, add baking powder, baking soda, and then flour, and mix just until combined.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Top with two of the peaches, sliced, and two-thirds of the blueberries in any design you like.  Sprinkle the fruit with sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Pull cake out and add the third peach, sliced, and the remaining blueberries.  Return to oven, and continue baking for 15-20 more minutes until cake is golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pan for about 40 minutes, and then release cake from the springform pan.   Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve warm or cold.  Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

A Beautiful Question or A Beautiful Answer?

queen anne's lace

Queen Anne’s Lace – August, 2016 – Mars, PA

I wandered
and I wondered

surrounded by the intricate
delicate
complex
beauty of nature.

Did “the queen”
strive to achieve her beauty…
or did she just
allow it to happen?

Did she recognize her beauty
in the complexity…
Or did it
even matter?

Was she
a weed…
Or was she
a beautiful flower?

Is it a
beautiful question…
Or is it
a beautiful answer?

 

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi