An Abundant Life - Coming Home

I grew up in a farmhouse that was built in 1720, and though I've lived for much of my adult life in other places there's something about that house and the land around it that still feels like home. Recently I was back for a visit, and when I stopped into the local supermarket, a wonderful man working in the produce department said, "Welcome home!" and something about the way he said it and the way I was feeling, it touched something so deeply in me that I knew that I was home.

There are so many hopes and dreams that were born in that house. It is the first place where I ever came home to, and the place where I began writing about, the place where I wandered the fields and learned about bugs and bees and flowers and trees. In the area in the back, that I called the back, back yard where I used to wander, there were so many magical things. White violets, moss, tiny lace wings with their iridescent colors, and these wonderful juniper bushes that I discovered I could crawl into and hide in the center, making a kind of fairy home where I felt protected and surrounded by the beautiful scented evergreen boughs.

The person who I was lives on in the person I am now, and on this visit I could feel so much that the land and house and barn are just waiting for me to begin restoring it to what it had been when I was growing up and even longer before that. It has been in kind of sleep, the way an enchanted forest is, but underneath the overgrown areas and near the plantings that have not been nurtured for too long there is life that is waiting to be breathed into and taken up and in with the breath of all that is a part of the journey that is and was and is to come.

A Farmhouse Just Waiting

For Its New Chapter of Life

 

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Beauty Is

I've written about my adventures at Saks Fifth Avenue and the Chanel Beauty department in these pages before, and just this past week I had such another lovely wonderful time that I wanted to take a moment to give thanks to the beautiful Makeup Artist Brianna and the beautiful staff who made my afternoon so lovely.

It's been a very busy time for me for many,  many months now, and even when it's a holiday or my birthday or some other time when I would normally be able to just relax and enjoy myself my schedule has been so full with sometimes so many things that need my focus and attention that I can feel at times as if I really haven't had time to take the time I need to just be and breathe and enjoy the peace and beauty and joy of life. 

When I heard from a woman I know who works in the Chanel Beauty department at Saks that a very special Makeup Artist would be visiting for one day only, I was so happy to see that even though my week was a very full one, the day when she would be visiting I could make the time to be there. I set up the appointment, and when the day arrived I took the time to go and meet with her, deciding that because of the possibility of snow later in the evening that I would go straight home afterward rather than going to YES Gallery or doing other errands which is what I normally would have done. I also decided to give myself the time that I needed to just be there and not be thinking that I had to be somewhere else, and that in itself felt so relaxing. However short or long our appointment would be, I decided that I would let myself enjoy the experience fully without watching the time at all.

As I made my way there, I was running a little late, and because I don't like to keep people waiting I sent a message when I knew the time that I would most likely be arriving. For some reason that day, maybe because my week had already been so very full and very busy, I felt like I couldn't walk fast enough to get there when I wanted to. But when I arrived it was as if all my cares could just drop away because I was welcomed so kindly and made to feel so comfortable immediately with the true gift of hospitality and welcoming warmth that is created by the wonderful staff there.

Brianna began to do my makeup, adding wonderful skin products with such a beautiful gift of skill and touch that I felt like I was receiving the most luxurious facial. She followed that with beginning to add the makeup itself in the same beautifully relaxing and enjoyable way. As she added the different products and colors to the different parts of my face, she described everything carefully and showed me how she was doing each step. There was so much that was so wonderful to learn, and with each new layer and addition the makeup took on a new life that truly went with the way that I know my own face and the way that I would want to have myself look.

I've written in these pages before about my joy of having my makeup done by a professional Makeup Artist, because when they are truly Artists the experience always makes me feel so beautiful, cared for and special. When Brianna was finishing, I told her that what she was creating for me was the best that I could remember and I've had many beautiful experiences with Chanel Makeup Artists. At one point, the woman who had invited me to the event walked by and said, "Oh Wow! Those colors are so beautiful!" And she came back again later to repeat it again, adding about Brianna, "I told you she was really wonderful." It was such a beautiful afternoon, and I'm so grateful that in the busyness of life that I had this beautiful gift given to me of an afternoon of feeling like a princess.

A Visit To The Chanel Beaty Counter

With The Gorgeous Makeup Artist Brianna

At Saks Fifth Avenue

New York City

https://www.saksfifthavenue.com

Feeling Like A Princess

On A Winter Evening

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Saying YES To Love

I wrote a few months ago about a wonderful Christmas Tree that arrived at YES Gallery from a sale at a house in Hoboken. It had belonged to a couple who I had met a few times because I always admired their outdoor displays in their screened in porch, and whenever I saw them I always said hello and thanked them for making such a beautiful place for people who walked by to enjoy. The tree is made of recycled wood pieces, and there is a story behind where the wood came from although I don't remember it now. When I had admired it one day they'd told me about it, and I think it had been made by an Artist, though I'm not sure. Whoever had made it and wherever the wood came from, there's something about it that is so special. It reminds me of things that my Mother always liked and she had a smaller version of something similar on her tabletop in recent years.

The tree was such a wonderful Christmas Tree, and because I don't really have a place to store it and I don't really want to ever put it somewhere where it can't be seen, I decided to decorate it year round in some way. After Christmas and the New Year celebrations, I began to take down my ornaments that were on the tree and in the windows of YES Gallery, but I left a few things on the tree that could become decorations for Valentine's Day. The vintage chandelier crystals I'd hung on the tree stayed, and the little white fairy lights too. And then I began to make Valentine's Day hearts from a roll of red foil Christmas wrapping paper that someone in my neighborhood had put out brand new and still in its protective plastic for recycling one night. When I began making the hearts, I planned to put them in the windows on the tree branches that are there which I did, and after cutting them out I noticed that the red foil that was left from cutting the heart shapes was something that could hang beautifully on my recycled wood tree. The inner shape was a heart, and the red foil paper is silver on one side, so when the pieces are hung on the tree branches, they make the whole tree glow with beautiful dangling red designs that look like hearts inside an open space.

As I began to decorate for Valentine's Day and fill the windows and the tree branches with red foil hearts and paper and other glowing and lovely red decorations, I thought about how important it is to remember that Love really is the answer. So often we think of Valentine's Day as a time for romance and it is, but it is also a day when we can be reminded that love is a powerful force for good in the world. It doesn't always feel easy to love, as we get older and have experiences that make us feel like sometimes our love is not understood or is taken for granted, but love is never wasted, and opening our hearts to saying yes to love will not only bring more love into our lives but will also keep us feeling joyful and able to feel young at heart and at peace.

The Valentine's Day Tree

And Window Decorations

At YES Gallery

408 6th Street

Hoboken, New Jersey

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - A Beautifully Special Happy Birthday

I've written in these pages before about the Executive Chef Ashfer Biju and the wonderful experiences he has created at a variety of events and places, and when it was time for me to start planning for my birthday celebration I decided to visit with him for a birthday lunch at the Baccarat Hotels where he is currently creating the most wonderful and joyful food experiences imaginable.

Last summer and early fall I visited first for tea in the Grand Salon and then for a lunch in their outdoor garden terrace Le Jardin, and this time I was able to experience the Grand Salon for the winter season. As always everything was so wonderful and so special, from the moment I walked in the front door to the moment I found myself on my way home again, and my birthday was made all the more beautiful and memorable because of the afternoon I was blessed to enjoy.

Executive Chef Biju and the staff are all so excellent in everything that they do, that every moment is a jewel in a treasure box that just keeps getting more lustrous and glowing as the experience unfolds. I started with a glass of champagne and before my first course of Crab Avocado arrived, a surprise of a lovely Wild Mushroom Bisque with a beautiful pate arrived. Each of those courses was so wonderful, and then the steak arrived which was truly excellent and delightful with such a beautiful presentation and lovely combination of flavors and textures in the accompanying vegetables, bed of polenta and sauce. An order of Pomme Frites with Sumac Aioli and Sel Gris arrived with the steak that was prepared and presented so wonderfully that every taste was a lovely moment in itself. To finish I had chosen the Sticky Toffee Pudding because that is such a long time favorite since the first time I had it in a very special restaurant in London a friend had taken me to years ago, and this one was everything that I could have wished. Another surprise arrived with an array of the most beautiful assortment of Petit Fours and a pink candle, and the little girl heart in me glowed with its sweet loveliness.

Every moment of the afternoon, even the matching of the champagne glass to what I was wearing, made this visit one that I will always be so grateful for as every other time I have visited with the marvelous Executive Chef Ashfer Biju. With so much gratitude to this marvelous Chef and the marvelous Staff for your marvelous hospitality!

Birthday Lunch

At The Baccarat Hotels

With A Gorgeous Menu

By The Marvelous Executive Chef Ashfer Biju

 

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Perfectly Delightful

A few years ago when I was shopping at ShopRite in Hoboken, I met a very personable young man who was sharing samples of something called a Perfect Bar. Though I love to cook, I am always on the lookout for healthy snacks that I can carry with me, because sometimes I just don't have the time in my schedule to have full meals throughout the day. Being able to have healthy snacks that are nutritious and delicious is something that I share information about in health and wellness workshops, and whenever I can find an option that is not just something to tide me over but is something that I actually want to have and enjoy I am delighted.

The Perfect Bar samples that I tried that day and the story behind them made me a fan, and ever since whenever I see them in a store or know where to find them, those are the bars that I go to if I need a snack on my way. They're delicious and nutritious and they are made with excellent all natural ingredients. The balance and flavor of them make them a wonderful choice when I don't have time for a full meal.

A little over a week ago when I was at ShopRite, there was a very personable man giving samples of Ithaca Hummus. I know how to make a pretty good Hummus, but it's something I don't do often, and because it's something I like very much, it's something that I will buy premade. I'm always looking for an excellent brand, and so I try different ones, and when I began to try the different flavors of this brand I was impressed by the freshness and quality of the all natural ingredients as well as the variety of flavors. It's really delicious, and as I spoke with the man giving samples, I learned that he is one of the people who founded the brand and also that he is one of the people who founded the Perfect Bar.

As everyone who knows me knows, this blog is all about celebrating people, places and things that are excellent, and as I've been enjoying the Perfect Bar for a number of years and I now have discovered the wonderful Ithaca Hummus, I thought it was time to write about these products and celebrate the very nice people who are making them. Finding products like these is a perfectly delightful experience, and meeting the people who make them is too. When quality and healthfulness and wholesome goodness come together in nurturing food and snacks, life gets more delightful too.

Perfectly Delightful Creations

https://ithacahummus.com

Photograph Courtesy Of The Ithaca Hummus Website

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Rising Above

I have written about the gorgeous Mixologist Stephanie O'Neill in these pages before in posts about her gorgeous creations and also the gorgeous and wonderful places where I find a seat at the bar and have the blessing to enjoy a wonderful meal and the wonderful way she pairs her different creations with food. A few weeks ago I heard that she would be in training in a restaurant that I hadn't been to before, and as soon as I heard where it was I began making plans to be there as soon as she sent out the word that she was ready for visitors.

Bar 54 is on the 54th Floor of the Hyatt Centric in Times Square, and though I wasn't exactly sure which building it was, I knew it would be a delightful experience to go there and take in the view while trying some menu items along with Stephanie's gorgeous mixology. When I arrived at the building, there was such a pleasant welcome from the staff at the front desk that I felt immediately as if I was in a place I'd want to come back to. True hospitality can do that, it's an art that helps visitors feel like they're in a special place while also feeling right at home and welcomed. As I arrived on the 54th Floor, the decor was so lovely and again, the staff so welcoming and kind and helpful, that though it was a very cold night I was so glad I'd made my way to this very special rooftop jewel.

The regular menu has some wonderful creations on it, from light bites to mixology delights, and Stephanie as always was working on some new ideas that I was able to enjoy watching her create. I had a plan to try three different selections from the kitchen and enjoy Stephanie's wonderful ability to pair them with her own suggestions, but I was having such a wonderful time that all of a sudden I realized that it was late enough that I'd want to leave soon. That's not always the case in every place, that every moment is so enjoyable and time goes by so quickly, and it's a credit to everyone who I met that evening who is part of the team that I almost stayed much, much longer. As it was I'll be planning my next trip back as soon as I can, to go and enjoy this beautiful space, the beautiful views, the beautiful hospitality and the beautiful food and mixology.

A Visit To Bar 54

At The Hyatt Centric

With Mixology Creations

By The Gorgeous Stephanie O'Neill

135 West 45th Street

New York, New York

https://www.hyatt.com/hyatt-centric-times-square

https://www.hyatt.com/hyatt-centric-times-square/dining

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Life Stories

In 2005 I met a couple who owned a six foot Iguana. It was a time in my life of so many challenges, and they were such a lovely couple and their story was so enchanting and fun that I asked them if I could write a children's story about them. I had the feeling that if I could write the story in an engaging way that it could become a series, and I had in my mind the idea of a Curious George type of character, an animal, or in this case an Iguana, that is owned by humans and is always exploring and discovering and learning about life, sometimes getting into mischief, but always loveable and with a message in the stories that transcended the story itself to help people of all ages to think about their own lives and experiences in new ways.

The couple I met were named Jo and Joe, and when they said enthusiastically yes, that I could I write the story, I sat down and as happens often when I write creatively, it just flowed out of me. I always used to say that I'm not an Artist, but what I realized in recent years is that what I really mean is that I'm not a figurative Artist. I don't know how to draw figures or portraits, and so when I had my children's story written and I'd shared it with Jo and Joe, I started asking people I knew who were Artists and Illustrators and Animators if they or someone they knew would be interested in drawing the characters and illustrating the book. Over the years I've met many people who really liked the idea, and at the time I wrote it I was introduced to someone who worked with the Cartoon Network and I submitted it as a proposal for a show. They liked it too, but even when there were people who liked it, the story somehow just never sparked that certain thing that makes someone want to illustrate or animate or collaborate.

A few months ago, Serena Cacace who is an Artist I'd met in my neighborhood and who had visited YES Gallery a number of times, asked me if I had an ideas for a collaboration. She had moved out of the area and so we would have to work on something together that could be done online of by mail, and when I read her message, I thought about my children's story. I told her about it and sent it to her, and she responded with an enthusiastic yes, and within a very short time she started showing me sketches and ideas. We sent messages to each other and I shared some ideas and images I have from other children's stories with a variety of Artist illustrators and their styles, and what emerged from Serena was so completely her own creation and so wonderful that I began to see my story coming to new life.

The title of the story is Arugula The Iguana, which is the Iguana's real name. Jo and Joe named her that because she loves eating Arugula. As I reread the story and began to see the beautiful illustrations that Serena was creating and sending to me, I realized that in a way Arugula's story is partly reflected in my own life. At the time that I wrote it, my life was in such a difficult place, and the story and journey of Arugula is about finding love and hope and acceptance and a family in sometimes very unexpected and nontraditional ways.  I'll be sharing more about this story as the journey continues, but for now here are a few of the gorgeous illustrations created by Serena Cacace for you to enjoy.

Arugula The Iguana

Illustrations By Serena Cacace

For A Children's Story

Written By Jannie Wolff

Blessings,

Jannie Susan