Peter Pan

"Second Star to the Right and Straight on Till Morning!"  And away we go, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of Peter Pan; my personal designer has been busy with rehearsals every day.  She is playing one of the main Lost Boys in the local production, and she has also enjoyed helping to make the set! 

So, all this Peter Pan inspired me to share some of my favorite Peter Pan artwork and quotes!  I think orchids must grow in Neverland, so I will intersperse some photos from the orchid show we saw at the New York Botanical Garden a few years ago.  

Arthur Rackham

Of course, I must share some of my favorite Arthur Rackham Peter Pan paintings!

His Fairies are so otherworldly and serene; they seem so full of movement, but not. 

"When the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh burst into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies!"

- Peter Pan 

I found this lovely illustration, but I could not find out who painted it.

F.D. Bedford

Here are some of the original illustrations by F. D. Bedford.

"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease 
for ever to be able to do it."

"All the world is made of faith and trust and pixie dust."

- Peter Pan 

Simple Elegance

We had a lovely birthday lunch on Sunday.  The snowy landscape that morning was so beautiful!

  Our family loves celebrating birthdays!  The snow was falling heavily outside all day, so it was nice to be warm in our kitchen preparing a special meal for people we love.  

My personal designer helped me to design a menu and decor. We used our best china and fancy tablecloth. For a center piece, we had homemade acorn cap candles set afloat in a china bowl atop a lovely piece of wood.  

It was really quite delightful!

We started with an appetizer of cross-cut baguette topped with mozzarella cheese and sun dried tomatoes, which were lightly baked and garnished with a fresh basil leaf. 

Then, to start the meal we had a light salad.

For the main course, we had salmon with lemon butter and tarragon on a bed of savory rice pilaf.  For our vegetable, we had asparagus and zucchini prepared with lemon, garlic and basil.   

The cake was a gluten-free cherry Bakewell cake, an almond cake with cherry preserves between the layers and as decoration on top, and buttercream icing. 

It's all I have to bring today--

This, and my heart beside--

This, and my heart, and all the fields--

And all the meadows wide--

Be sure you count--should I forget

Some one the sum could tell--

This, and my heart, and all the Bees

Which in the Clover dwell.

             -Emily Dickinson 

Hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day!!!!