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JULY FLEW BY

If I turn around, the summer will be over, so I want to be sure to enjoy each wonderful moment! The best high after the 4th of July celebration was seeing Mamma Mia. We were in the absolute first row which was great as we saw everyone close up including the musicians....

I LOVE THE 4TH OF JULY…

It's grilled cheese sandwiches, games and unmitigated joy! Preparations start a week before the 4th. Tomatoes give the cheese sandwiches that special something but they have to be sliced thin and well drained. Party favors. The caricature is from the year before, when...

JUNE FLEW BY…

...with memorable moments such as delightful Peggy treating us to an evening of MUSE/IQUE at the Huntington. My birthday celebrations continued with lovely Marine and her delightful sister Eliza treating me at The Capital Grille. Another great movie night with Curtis...

MAY REMINICENSE

April was so very difficult that I'm going to skip right past it to delightful May. Perhaps it's because May is my birthday month but I really think there's so much more to look forward to in the month. Veronica pulled several landscapes for collector Pam to select...

CONTINUING MARCH

A highlight of March has to be being serenaded by Universal Renaissance man, my friend Stanley Penner, playing a bit of Mozart, Brahms and more... ...on his Bösendorfer. I was told to "Look up!" So many treasurers... A lovely "Gratitude Luncheon" at the Athenaeum....

MARCHING THROUGH MARCH

The Children's Festival was a wonderful way to begin the month. Three days of getting up at five, wearing a white apron and helping all the kids find their way to seats at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for an exciting dance performance by the Hubbard Street Dance...

SHORT BUT WONDERFUL

February, being the shortest month, has to cram a lot of joyful happenings..I can't think of a better way to begin the month than by celebrating Susie Kat's birthday at the Jonathan Beach Club! Yours truly, Maggie, Susie's cousin, Carol Soucek King, our amazing...

JANUARY, AND THE NEW YEAR BEGINS…

I'm not too sure what to make of January. Perhaps it's because December is such an amazing high with Christmas and New Years that it's hard to re-focus on business as usual. Well, maybe not as usual but certainly not at the extreme! It took Veronica and me two days to...

THE MOST WONDERFUL NEW YEAR’S …

began with guests getting their bling on. Here Alexis decides on hers. Also, signing the guest book and indicating what yummy treat they brought. Here's Jan making her entry. And with her bling on. Then it was time for amazing Magician Tom to mesmerize all of us,...

CHRISTMAS AND SO MUCH MORE!

Valerie Foster Hoffman is truly the Hostess With the Mostest, a real-life Auntie Mame! And to be at her Christmas party is to partake of an unforgettable experience. Cookies anyone? With Sherry in the garden. With Santa and our Lovely Hostess! Photographer Karl....
WHY DIDN’T SOMEONE TELL ME….

WHY DIDN’T SOMEONE TELL ME….

...that I move my hands about so much. What music am I conducting?Delightful, talented Jana Tether did the video work and set up to put me on 'YOU TUBE'. It was great fun...at least for me... as Jana did all the work. The first video is an introduction to the studio...

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CHARLES, I KNOW IT'S THE NFL PLAYOFFS BUT...... we have to hear Reverend George Regas at Carol and Richard King's monthly SALON on the SPIRITUALLY CREATIVE LIFE! And off we went ... on time too but there was nary a seat in the packed to overflowing house. How grateful...

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I DON'T KNOW WHY......but a sudden urge to straighten out a shelf in the garage swept over me. It started off with dusting various bottles of 'emergency' beverages and moved to the center of the shelf where there was a big box marked ... XMAS!Now I must have seen that...

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IT ALL STARTED OUT QUITE INNOCENTLY ENOUGH…

IT ALL STARTED OUT QUITE INNOCENTLY ENOUGH…

...when we were at the home of Rose and Ken Nielsen (President of Woodbury Univ.) for a Christmas brunch for Woodbury supporters.To digress, amazing Rose is senior director of development for the School of Architecture and she has been the driving force behind its new...

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SEVEN SWANS A-SWIMMING…

SEVEN SWANS A-SWIMMING…

...will cost you $1,400 more this year but please don't let that stop you from sending out your tokens of love. I was thinking about that this morning ... not about the swans, but about all of us, each in our own way, bustling about buying gifts. It seemed to me that...

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IT’S A LONG STORY, BUT………

IT’S A LONG STORY, BUT………

The short of it is that yesterday I had a studio visit from a fellow artist who went to the SAME GRAMMAR SCHOOL! How amazing is that!!!Victor Fisher is a sculptor of renown and his wife Phyllis creates some amazing silver jewelry. While they live in the Newport area,...

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IT TOOK ALL DAY BUT….

IT TOOK ALL DAY BUT….

as they say, "at the end of the day" ...Stacey had accomplished the impossible ... assembling and decorating the Christmas tree in the downstairs entry. Now before you say, 'bah humbug' permit me to give you a little background on this task. Just getting the tree and...

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CHARLES, DO YOU SMELL SMOKE?

CHARLES, DO YOU SMELL SMOKE?

It was most strange, something like burning paper, just in the living room. Did I burn some pre-Thanksgiving dish? We searched and searched ... nothing but this strong smell of burning paper. O.K., call the fire department!The sirens were coming closer, would the...

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OH HOW WE LOVE CHRISTMAS…

OH HOW WE LOVE CHRISTMAS…

I know, I know, we grumble about seeing Christmas decorations going up BEFORE Thanksgiving but honestly, I HAD TO DO IT!Thanks to Stacey Rosenbaum (who got her tree trimming advice from hubby Joe) the tree was up in the studio with all the toys scattered about in time...

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PLEIN AIR IN SAN GABRIEL

PLEIN AIR IN SAN GABRIEL

Besides being a joyously loving, caring person, Carol O'Toole is a gifted fine artist so when the invitation to see her work at the SGFAA Gallery opening reception arrived we marked the date in red! The members of the San Gabriel Fine Arts Association were exhibiting...

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WELCOME…

to my personal blog where I’ll be sharing adventures and how I determine each day to live joyfully as an Artist, Teacher, and Author. My latest book “What If… We Have the Power to Change Our Lives” an inspirational book that hopefully will empower you to live your best life! You can find me and my work at nanraestudio.com My hope is that this blog will inspire you to find joy everywhere and in everything and that is what I wish for you!

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