The Sunflower's Point of View

Change your point of view Sunflower image ©CindyRippe2013 - quote by George Alexiou

Have you ever just felt like you were struggling to achieve a goal?  Trying hard to just get all the things done (that you think are important) by the end of the day?  This sunflower at Lake Katherine today reminded me of the change in my point of view.

The other day I had a bit of a meltdown and felt like a failure at the end of a VERY busy week.  The plan to finish some of the projects around our house by the end of the long Labor Day weekend just wasn't going to happen!  After I calmed down I was reminded that there really were many of the jobs  finished.  Lee and I had worked hard physically and in the long run, were proud of what we accomplished.  My list was just interrupted with jobs that needed to be done "in the moment" and I was probably too ambitious. There were only a few things left to do.

Thanks for the change in the way I thought about the situation and thanks for working so hard to help Lee!

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning. Ecclesiastes 9:10

Hollyhocks, Happiness and Ambition

Happy Summer Hollyhocks ©CindyRippe2013

The Hollyhocks were beautiful this summer.  I guess the weather must have been just right for them.  These are from Cheri Rol's Garden just outside the studio window and were blooming while I was there for a week of Design and Inspiration with Mary Jo Leisure.  That week made me happy and filled with ambitious plans for my artwork.  Just like the Hollyhocks.  The Victorian language of flowers says that the meaning of hollyhocks is Ambition. Perfect timing I'd say!

I don't think about what I have done. I only think of the things I want to do, and I haven't done. Martha Graham

Summer Picnic Memories at Ravinia

It was the afternoon of our trip to Ravinia to see the Moody Blues. Even though we were looking forward to the picnic and concert, our lives had been so crazy busy that we didn't actually plan ahead.  I knew we had Jason and Sarah's small picnic table, four lawn chairs and a cooler. We thought about buying food and wine but not much more. Well, I think Sarah and I both got inspired at the same time and when I called we collaborated on a really quick and delicious picnic. We loved the finished tablescape!

We started with a Roll Up picnic table.  So cute!  It's 30" X 30" and 15.25" high. We brought our aluminum lawn chairs (a little vintage but really light weight, easy to carry and comfy).  We also had a good quality set of acrylic glasses and plates with matching flatware.  The Bamboo plates, which we used as chargers, were a perfect way to tie everything together.

Sarah found this cute cloth napkin, matching paper napkins and the votive cups in the clearance bin for .99 cents each.  I gathered my small cylinder vases, cut a bunch of Hosta leaves from my garden and grabbed the "moss" balls from my stash. (artificial but they look so real) I used bottled water from the cooler for the vases which gave them an unexpected but nice frosty look.  I didn't see the colors of the napkin until we met and packed the car but the colors look great together don't they?

I brought cheese and crackers for appetizers.  The basket is lined with a king sized cupcake liner, the cheese ball with almonds is on a vintage milk glass plant tray and the herb and garlic cheese spread came straight from the grocery store. A glass of wine (beer for the guys) and we were good to go!

View from the top. The early evening light, right before sunset, really highlighted the texture of the leaves.

I picked up Destroyer Subs from the Sandwich Shop at D'Masti Catering. This is a long time favorite of the guys, well actually lots of people in Blue Island, since they've been selling it for as long as I can remember.

Sarah made the Waldorf Chicken Salad recipe from Southern Living Magazine. We would use less dressing next time but it's really good!  You should try it. 

   

Fresh, crisp grapes and Butter Cookies in my little antique wooden bowl lined with a king sized cupcake paper.

Lovely candlelight on the table and Citronella candles on the ground, that outlined our picnic area, helped to set the mood and protected us from those pesky mosquitoes.  Time spent together with family, a lovely picnic, absolutely perfect weather and familiar songs at a live performance of The Moody Blues.  What a wonderful night and very special memories.  I hope we can do this again soon!

The summer night is like a perfection of thought.  Wallace Stevens

Remembering a Favorite Picnic

I think the weather has finally figured out that it's June.  We had a beautiful day today and my thoughts turned to picnics.  One of my favorites was at Ravinia which is an outdoor concert venue near Chicago.

Our kids bought us tickets to the Moody Blues concert for our 35th wedding anniversary.  The weather was perfect and we really enjoyed the time spent with them.  Of course we enjoyed listening to the concert too!

 

Moody Blues at Ravinia

We've been fans of the Moody Blues since the early 70's and have attended over 20 of their concerts so you can imagine how nice this was for us!

          

We had Lawn Seats which is a part of the "experience" at Ravinia.  People pack picnic meals and bring all the portable comforts of home for an evening under the stars.  Although it's crowded, you feel like you are in your own little world.  After setting up our space  Lee and I took a walk around the park.

It's a beautiful venue with gardens, places to eat, shop and a wonderful Pavilion with traditional concert seating.

 

Many of the picnic spaces had the same small table that we have and simple centerpieces with tablecloths that helped to make the evening special.  The little plastic jug with flowers and a red tablecloth added a bright pop of color to this picnic.  Inexpensive, easy to transport, and the snacks looked yummy!  Candles of all types (including Citronella) are encouraged and added a cozy touch to the evening.

                         

Sarah told me that during some of the concerts (orchestras, etc) the picnics take on a more "upscale" look and silver candelabras like this are the norm.  I loved the combination of paper plates, bags of chips and the fancy silver together.  This group was really having a good time.

We were so busy that we actually pulled our own menu and tablescape together the afternoon of the concert.  Sarah and I did our usual phone "planning" session and prepared a delightful picnic that made for a very special evening. I'll share our table in the next post. Here's a list of the "Top Ten things to bring to Ravinia" that I found on their website. It gave me a better idea of what to expect when I got there.  If you ever have the chance I hope you make the time to spend a beautiful summer evening like this and create your own special memories.

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. - Berthold Auerbach