Those Were the Days, My Friend

Posted on March 27, 2015 by AM Roselli

you and I once sang
all the time
your knees were knobby, mine round
we sang out
those were the days, my friend
we loved that song
remember
singing for nana and papa
our little voices were bigger back then
before time pushed notes down our throats
and set us to rhythms
for a while
we fought the changes
when our little voices were bold
and we sang
those were the days, my friend
I think about you often
hoping you remember
those unabashed girls
sisters
friends
whose little voices
rang out
those were the days, my friend

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3KEhWTnWvE
May you dream of your sisters and hold them tight…
Photo of me and my sis way back when we never changed our shirts or cared 🙂 and below, my tea for 2 lady created with Prisma a few months back.
And a big thank you to my friend, Deb Levy who provided me with – Deb for Dummies – step-by-step instructions on how to embed a video – this is my very first and I couldn’t wait ’til Monday!

Tea Cap

Peace to the families and friends of the Germanwings jet tragedy

Smile Everlasting

Posted on March 26, 2015 by AM Roselli

illuminating the atmosphere
she leaves a room
her brightness remains
how blessed are those
sharing the light of her company
I’d love to believe
moments live on forever
I’d like to be remembered
for my mother’s breathtaking smile
May you dream of all selfless mothers everlasting…

Photos taken from two entertainment shows my mom’s community center put on. In both pics she (I think) lip syncing Peggy Lee. In real life my mom has lovely brown hair and doesn’t wear plastered makeup, but she gets a kick out of these pics. I hope you do too. In the top photo (most recent) she is 79 years old, photo below she is 78.
Below is one of my kooky graphics from a few months back. Done in Prisma pencil.

Aged Smile

Zealous Zombies

Posted on January 28, 2015 by AM Roselli

My Friends,
I hope the morning conversation I had with the big son gives you a smile, before darkest night settles into your bedrooms.

Setting: This morning. I’m in my studio working. The big son is in the family room connected with teen buddies via his mystical Xbox.
Action: Studio phone rings. I answer. Nana (my mom) is on the line with a tech question. The big son handles all grandparent technical issues.

Me, “MAX-”
Big son, “WHAT?”
“MAX, I need your help-”
“Ugh!” Speaking into his headset, “Guys, if I die just leave me there.”
Big son enters studio. “What, mom?”
“Nana’s on phone with a tech question.”
Big son takes receiver, assists Nana then ends phone call. “Mom, I was killing zombies!”
“Aren’t zombies dead already?”
“Yeah, but they can still run really fast-”

Ah, to be dead and still run really fast 🙂
Thank you. May you dream of outrunning zombies…
Pencil sketch raised from earth yesterday.

Let’s Live with Open Eyes and Open Land

Posted on January 12, 2015 by AM Roselli

My Friends,
“…No human being can live without healthy land, clean water, and the diversity of life that thrives on this planet. Taking care of what takes care of us makes practical sense, and maybe more than that for me, morally and spiritually, it’s just the right thing to do.” – Virginia Kennedy

I greatly admire ‘open land’ champion and advocate, Virginia Kennedy. In NY, as Otsego Land Trust’s Executive Director, Ms. Kennedy has dedicated herself to saving our rapidly disappearing green vistas. “Otsego Land Trust has been named to the Land Trust Alliance National Land Trust Excellence Program, one of 70 land trusts from over 1900 organizations nationwide to be selected…Executive Director, Virginia Kennedy, has also been invited to join the Leadership Program...”

Besides serving as a passionate environmental steward, Ms. Kennedy and her husband Kevin have raised three children who’ve blossomed into magnificent adults. Daniel, Joseph and Marygrace are my wonderful nephews and niece. And yes, Ms. Kennedy is my brilliant sister. Though Virginia is only one year older, she’s about one hundred years wiser. She’s a role model to emulate in every way (except maybe her singing voice 😉 ).

The environment weighs on the scales of humanity. It’s up to us to keep it balanced.

Daniel detail

Joey detail

Marygrace detail

Thank you. May you dream all the world is healthy as are its children.

Planet Balance created yesterday. Platinum children: Dan, Joey, Marygrace painted several years ago upon my mother’s request (I’ll never forget painting 10 sets of teeth for Nana).

Little Shoes to Fill

Posted on January 9, 2015 by AM Roselli

My Friends,
Long ago I promised myself I wouldn’t morph into a stereotypical mother. That mom wants to shove her big son’s, size 14 feet into toddler shoes again. That mom wants to place a puppy-patterned hat on her sixteen-year-old daughter’s head.

Single digit temperatures have forced me and the giant husband indoors. During yesterday’s mall-walk while following orange footprints affixed to tile, a scant tear pooled in the corner of my eye. A beautiful little dress with flowers bursting like a spring garden along its hemline had caught my attention. I imagined the delicate daughter, my Caroline twirling in it. Her toddler cheeks rosy pink and her giggling as pure as the precious white dress.

Then wouldn’t you know my other eye formed a tiny tear as we passed by the toddler shoes. I remembered the big son – my Max – running down our old, wood-lined driveway. Back then, his hair stuck straight up as if in perpetual shock and he loved wearing work boots. The work boots gave him a ‘thumpy’ gait and made his diapered rear end bounce from side to side. This beloved memory is forever velcroed to my heart.

Caroline and Max are no longer small. I’ve had the joy of watching their shoe sizes change. They’ve grown into warm-hearted and gracious teens. Still I pray, when they walk into adulthood they never forget the simple goodness of wearing little shoes.

Okay, I’ll admit it. I’ve become a walking cliché. 🙂

Thank you. May you dream of following the footsteps of happiness.

Max and Caroline painted long ago with acrylic craft paint. I plan on redoing this painting someday. It needs more cool colors. I’m not too happy with it, but it worked for the post. Both photos taken yesterday morning at the Newburgh Mall. Sorry – I don’t know who designed the dress or the workboots.

Dream Well 2014

Posted on January 7, 2015 by AM Roselli

My Friends,
We begin each year with promise. We end each year with hope. And in between we live. For me 2014 consisted of 365 attempts – some successes, some failures – to find daily fulfillment. The last months were wrapped in family, friends and food. I’d like to share a quick reel of my recent holiday season with you. Feel free to hum, The Twelve Days of Christmas while viewing.

My holiday season began with Thanksgivingpalooza (5 days of family, food, fun and shopping, did I say food) –

Delicate daughter posed like a Christmas Tree, free of charge, for her mom’s art –
Dealt with holiday shopping exhaustion –
Shared big son’s wrestling moments –
Rocky the Shepherd and yours truly, tried shedding T’day pounds before Christmas –
Made holiday decorations using fruit mailer packaging –
Attempted snapping Xmas photo with all subjects cooperating –
‘Christmas Eve-ing’ at The Roselli’s – Manjia!
A few Roselli’s and attachments (more were hiding in other rooms) –
Dessert, dessert, did I say dessert… –
Elf on Shelf terrified Rocky the Fierce –
Waited for Santa or wanted to draw yellow snow angels (they’re creative) –
Big son went missing when Santa showed up (He still admits nothing) –
Tried lifting away Christmas pounds before New Year’s –
Laughed in the New Year with family & friends –
The giant husband can still hear my voice above the din of the crowd –
Right eyebrow arched high, fist supported chin, sleep was not far behind –
After the 2015 New Year’s ball lands, we begin the wait for mall Santa’s return –
Hopefully Mojo the Dachshund will divulge where he hid Elf on the Shelf before next Christmas –
We breathe a moment while peering out the window –
and look to the stars –
and take comfort in knowing they’ll shine no matter the time of year.
Dream well 2014.

Thank you. Here’s to dreaming your 2015 hopes into reality.
And don’t forget to start polishing up those Valentines 😉

Holiday Disorder

Lying for an Angel

Posted on January 2, 2015 by AM Roselli

My Friends,
Sadly this tale is not a yarn. It is a true story, one that I’m not proud of. I was nine when hallowed inspiration struck. This creative shining moment in 1972 continues to cause me pangs of guilt. Even now I await delivery of a Time Machine ordered on Amazon, so I might return to the scene of my crime – the moment I lied for an angel.

My Grandmother’s Closet
My grandmother had her own bedroom in our home. It was a magical place. There was candy and small treasures wrapped in gift paper in her dresser. In the walk-in closet, she kept packages of Wrigley’s. The gum often called to me. I occasionally answered by sneaking a stick or two hoping it would never be missed. It never was. I thought myself clever.

The Inspiration
It was nearing Christmas – that most magical time in ‘kiddom.’ I can’t recall why I needed gum this particular morning but I did. I tiptoed into Grandma’s room and into the big closet. While borrowing a stick of gum, I heard footsteps and was forced to wait. As I held my breath, I began perusing Grandma’s knitting supplies. This closet was loaded with rainbow balls of wool and oodles of parchment patterns. Some wool was in balls while other threads were wrapped around cardboard cones. With my laser vision, I saw naked cones – I saw angels.

The Crime
In the blindness of inspired excitement, I threw caution to the wind. I took two large wool skeins and unravelled both until I held two precious cardboard cones in my thieving hands. I was going to make angels. There were swatches of fabric in our attic. One in particular, a beautiful light blue with silver and gold threads would be perfect for my angels’ gowns and the metallic pipe cleaners in my room could be fashioned into halos and wings.

The Lie
I cleverly concealed the heaping wool piles behind Grandma’s shoes. With the evidence camouflaged so was the crime. How did Grandma find the displaced wool so quickly? Hadn’t I been stealth? Hadn’t I swiped gum without a single repercussion ever? With five other siblings, there might be a chance to frame someone else, or I could outright lie when prosecuted. I remember Grandma calling me into her room and pointing to the woolen spaghetti. I remember her asking me if I unravelled the wool. I remember, with Christmas only weeks away, lying for an angel.

The Guilt
I don’t know what became of the first angel. The second, wearing a doily gown (there wasn’t enough blue fabric) remains with me. She hangs in my studio always nearby. I never admitted my crime to Grandma. And whenever I look at my cone angel she whispers, “Grandma knew all along. She kept the first angel, the one with the beautiful gown of blue, because she thought her precious.”
Thank you. Dream of being the most honest version of yourself you can be 🙂

HAPPINESS AND PEACE IN THIS NEW YEAR, MY FRIENDS

Of Giant Husbands and Little Trees

Posted on December 16, 2014 by AM Roselli

Dear Friends,
The giant husband is in the ‘green’ business. He knows quite a bit about plants, trees and Latin roots. Every year he works six days a week then for six glorious weeks, beginning Christmas Eve, the nursery closes. He gets a well-earned rest though Rocky the Shepherd, and Mojo the Dachshund usually fail to read the memo.

A few months ago I wrote a story about the giant husband. If you’d oblige, I’d like to share an edited version of it again. Because as the saying goes, “Behind every married woman who blogs, is a giant husband.” –

Back in 2000, after giving birth to the big son son I had some complications. For five days and nights after the big son came into the world, I was hooked up to tubes, monitors and I believe there were a few pots and pans (this is where I lost my dinner preparation zest). I liken the experience to an exotic vacation minus fresh air, warm sun, bright sea or anything else pleasant. Each night when the hospital room grew dark (despite bells, whistles, alarms and flashing lights) there was the giant husband, ‘sleeping’ at the foot of my hospital bed atop two small chairs smooshed together.

Though the giant husband makes things around him appear smaller, he makes anyone around him feel grand. My Christmas gift every year is having him home for the holidays.
Thank you. May you dream of someone who makes you feel grand…
Giant Husband, Delicate Daughter, Tiny Tree rendered today while listening to, It’s a Wonderful Life

A note: The other day I had the amazing fortune of talking to a selfless father and fellow blogger, Simon Tocclo of Liberian Me. The reason I bring this up here is when there are complications during birth, mothers (in the poorer areas of Africa) don’t survive. So when you dream, please dream of hope for those in need around the world…thank you.

The Big Heart of A Little Sister

Posted on December 2, 2014 by AM Roselli

Dear Friends,
I’m the proud owner of a little sister. Those of you that own little sisters know full well that as much as we age, our little sisters remain little in our hearts forever. They often keep us young. Mine keeps me laughing. She has a wry, wicked sense of humor. Whenever she tells a joke – which is often – her blue eyes sparkle and she wears the impish grin of her pig-tail days.

My little sister is an avid dog-lover. She keeps two dogs as friends. I used one of her pet portraits as inspiration for my artwork below. The eccentric pooch – Shamus – was adopted many years ago. Shamus has many issues and enjoys dressing in my sister’s lingerie. The other one, Jamie – adopted a year ago – is black as night and as crazy as a bat in daylight. Jamie is a ninety pound pooch who believes his work office is on the nearest person’s lap.

So, to you my dear, little sister Dolores – I wish you the happiest of Birthday’s today!
Love, AnnMarie xo

My Halloween Sweets

Posted on October 26, 2014 by AM Roselli

Dear Friends,
Sweet are the wide-eyed faces, painted white as skeleton bone.
Precious are the little forms, costumed bright in faux silk.
Humorous are the small heads, wearing pointed hats.
Innocent are the bowed lips, timidly yelling for treats.
Tender are the tiny hands, grasping, in the spirit of Halloween.

Thank you. Happy Halloween to those joining in the fun. May you dream of sweet treats and happy smiles.
Please keep West Africa in your thoughts.
Pumpkin Sweet penciled while on a subbing break.