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Wednesday, January 5, 2011

And So We Begin a New Year

Happy New Year. I hope this new year finds you in wonderful spirits and in good health.


And I hope your Christmas was wonderful. Mine was probably the best in a few years. Family and friends...work and play. Much work since Phipps was open in the evening, but I like the people with whom I work and we make it fun. Mippy and Bean came in to see the exhibit, as did Sprout. Mippy embarrassed Bean by shoving aside small children so she (Mippy) could plant her basil or whatever.


At this time of the year I think of indoor projects that need completed. I don't know why, I guess to keep me somewhat sane. The first project was enlarging and framing a print that I had from our annual trip to New York. I went to the local shop that I use to enlarge photos. We discussed size and I thought 11x14 framed would be large enough. NOT. So, today I went back and got it enlarged to 18x22 for a frame of 22x26. A wonderful, helpful man helped me choose the color of the mats and I am now waiting for the mat board to come in so I can cut it. The picture on this blog is of the smaller one, but just wait till you see the finished product on the wall. It should be perfect. I have a number of my photographs hanging in my home and each one seems better than the last. Photography gives me a great deal of pleasure. And playing with the prints is part of that pleasure.


The other picture that I posted is one that Bean made for me. I love it. I don't know how she did it and if she reads this, perhaps she can explain it. She has made seveal pictures for me over the years, and I treasure each of them and have them displayed.

Monkeyboy got a cell phone for Christmas. He has learned the art of texting. Oh, my. Gadgets. How kids love them. I guess we all do.

Speaking of ballet (well, I was when I was talking about Bean's picture), I went to see The Black Swan over the holidays. It was very intense and others have described it as "dark". Darren Aronofsky is the director who also directed The Wrestler. Natalie Portman, the Swan, began training for the production about a year prior to the movie. I am not a ballet dancer, but I think she did an excellent job for one who was not a professional dancer. It is about a dancer who becomes obsessed with being perfect, not only as the white swan, but as the black swan. She has a mother who was a typical stage mother, pushing her to the limits, which literally drove Portman crazy. Barbara Hershey played the mother and it was a perfect role for her.



Do you make New Year's resolutions? I think about changes I would like to make, but I try not to make "resolutions" since, in the past, I have made them and they have fallen by the wayside by January 2. The one that I did keep was to stop smoking, which I was finally able to accomplish. Took many tries, but it has been many years since I have had a cigarette. Sometimes, though, the desire still hits.

17 comments:

Tigger said...

Glad to see you back, Mia and that your holidays were good. We had a bit of snow here....ok, more than a bit. Manhatten was cleared right away, but it took us several days. I remember last year when you had the snow. I think ours was like that.
Resolutions. I have none.
I saw Black Swan. Excellent, but yes, very dark.

Cathy said...

Happy New Year! I always resolve to get rid of the pounds I gained over the holidays by exercising more for a month. That usually gets me back to where I was pre-holiday. I haven't seen Black Swan and probably won't. The only movies that we go to see are kids movies, and then it is very seldom. They always want a snack, and those run more than the movies. The picture of the bridge is beautiful. And I love Bean's too. Isn't that done with a pen on a surface, then filled in with ink and stamped on paper? I seem to remember doing that once. What a nice gesture.

Jen said...

We haven't been to a movie in forever. We just rent from Netflix. That way we can see a movie, send it back and not pay a fortune. We all get to choose one and we take turns so that we can all see something we want. It works for us, and we actually cannot afford to go to the movie with the kids! It is way too expensive. That picture of the bridge is beautiful, Mia. And I like Bean's too. The idea of the ballerina. Our kids have cell phones, but are not allowed to text. I don't know how long we will be able to keep them from that, but for now, the phones are just for emergencies.

Shelly said...

Why do picture sizes always seem to sound so large, then look lost on the wall? We ended updoing a collage on our wall because the two pictures we bought looked so lost. Our Christmas was wonderful as well. It was a white one for us, which was fun. Everyone was in good spirits and good health, so what more could one ask for.

Jackie said...

And, those big pictures cost a fortune, so I say, go for the collage. Good idea Shelly. Mia, you have to take a picture of it hanging on the wall so we can see it. It is a beautiful picture. New Year's resolution. I already broke mine. Those brownies just looked too goo to pass up. Our winter project is painting the living room and dining room. I hate painting. I always get stuck with the trim. Yuk.

Angela said...

A new year. Where did 2010 go? It seems to have passed so quickly. I think that happens more when we are older. Not that I am old, you understand. Some days I just feel like it. Especially on that first day back to school for the kids!

Twigs said...

I don't know where it went, Angela, I am still looking for it. We had a lot of snow here,also,Tigger. Enough to shut everything down and make me want to never see a snow shovel again. It seems as though much of the country had awful weather. I have family in souther California who were hit with the rain and colder than normal temps. How nice of Bean to do a picture for you! It's pretty cool.

Ben said...

I quit smoking 15 years ago. Hardest thing I ever did. I got the flu of some kind and was flat on my back for a couple of days and didn't have a cigarette. I figured that was the time to quit. It was a struggle for awhile, but I made it. I still want one sometime too, Mia, but knowing how hard it was to quit, I won't have one.
Glad your holiday was great. Mine was quiet, but nice. Steelers are looking good, nice to see Troy back and playing.

Lori said...

I love the holiday season. And I do not make new year's resolutions. When I did it was too easy to break them, and I always felt guilty, so now I just don't make them! We had some snow here for the holidays, nothing like Twigs and Tigger had. That looked awful. And I can't wait to see the picture once you hang it either, Mia. Be sure to post it.

Jessica said...

Call me Scrooge, but I am glad the holidays are over. Too much to do, too many people to see. I don't know why we have to get together at a time when we don't see each other all year, running from house to house. If we don't then Great Aunt Susie has a fit. For once, I would just like to stay at home and spend it with MY family alone. Okay, I am done being cranky. Always look forward to seeing you blog, Mia and your lovely pictures. It was a nice gesture for Bean to make that picture for you. It looks beautiful. Happy New Year everyone.

Tim said...

I am ready to cheer for the Steelers, just tell me when they play. They are still playing, aren't they?

Bill said...

Tim, the game is at 4:00 PM on January 15th. I believe it will be broadcasted nationally. The Steelers were all over Cleveland, but by far, our toughest team will be the Patriots. Maybe we will get lucky and they will be beat in their playoff. I know, I am dreaming.

Elizabeth said...

Being around kids all day at work, I can tell you, they were super wound up prior to the holiday. They are now just beginning to settle down.
My resolution is to look into going back to school for my degree. Now, read that again..LOOK INTO. I figure that is a start. I can take course in the summer if I want to and see how that goes. I am excited. Wish me luck!

Mark said...

My New Year's resolution is to tackle all of the things that need minor repairs around the house. The squeaky cabinet doors, the rain gutter on the patio roof, and putting up some crown molding in the living room. Hopefully, some of it will get done. There is always something in a house, so I'm sure there is more to be found.

SocialWorker2 said...

It's kind of funny, when we first got the snow, everyone was excited. Kids playing, us shoveling the walk, the drive, yes, even the street. Tonight's snow, a path, a very thin path to walk to the mailbox. That's it. And it's only January.

ginger said...

Yes, it is snowing as I write. My blowup snowman in the front yard is listing because of too much snow on his body. I loved having a white Christmas though.

We took down the inside decorations tonight so tomorrow we start on the tree and stuff on the back lanai. Oh what fun!

Can't wait for the Steelers game, I hope they don't get too rested.

Bean said...

I created my picture in art class. We did an etching, which means that we scratched into plexiglass with a tool to get the right value and shades of the picture. Then, we wiped ink over the plexiglass and ran it through a machine that stamped it onto a page.