Frank Lloyd Wright

Leonard Bernstein

"To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan,and not quite enough time."
Leonard Bernstein


About Bernstein:
Few composers capture their time and become the iconic voice of their age. Leonard Bernstein found his "voice" in the early 1940s and projected the sound of urban and urbane America from the period of World War II to the anti-war movements of the 1970s and the restoration of freedom in Europe, with the fall of the Berlin Wall and Soviet communism.

Writing for small ensembles, symphony orchestras, Broadway, film and opera houses, Leonard Bernstein projected a simple message of understanding and hope employing both complex and simple forms and styles - yet always sounding like "Bernstein," a voice best known in his score to West Side Story.

Exploring his output, one finds the famous and obscure — works that both are reflective of their times and somehow also preserve and encapsulate them. Everywhere one hears his internal struggle to sound inevitable as the tumultuous era of the second half of the 20th century unfolded itself. He is as once linked with the music of Benjamin Britten and Dimitri Shostakovich, as well as George Gershwin and Aaron Copland.

While his music finds its spiritual home in his world view, his music speaks with a New York accent, even though he was born in Massachusetts. His love affair with Europe and his sensitivity to his Russian and Jewish roots are never far from his lyrical expressivity, with its fragile sense of optimism, its loneliness, its humor and its demand for acceptance. All of this is wrapped in the rhythmic propulsion of a great American urban landscape. He has left us an aural image of his time and place and, at the same time, an eternal voice of humanity.

Learn more about this amazing man here!

Oriental Trading Co....Craft on

If you are hosting a party or are a crafter or have kids or are a teacher, Oriental Trading Co is like a gold mine. They have really cute and really affordable supplies for just about everything. From candy to beach balls to napkins & plates, balloons, small toys and crafting sets. I can't tell you the amount of money I have saved on parties because of this place. The best part is the reviews. Customers will rate the products on a 5 star scale and they tell the truth about the quality. Make sure you read those before you purchase something, its worth it. Im sure most of this stuff comes from China and well sometimes the quality control just isn't there. Another thing to keep in mind is the shipping requirements. If your order isn't over a certain amount (maybe $25.00) they charge a small fee. I never have this problem because I shop till I drop but keep that in mind if you are just getting one or two things! Here is a coupon to start your shopping...have fun!!

SAVE $5.00 plus get free shipping on orders of $59.00 or more. Enter code WCX9047

The Bewitchin' Kitchen

I was introduced to this great blog called The Bewitchin' Kitchen. She has a TON of great recipes I want to try. Especially this one...Thai Chicken Fettuccine!






Oh and this for dessert...Blueberry Butter Bars!



Let me know if you try it and what you think!

She also has some amazing giveaways...check her out here!

Asolo

I had the opportunity to surprise my husband with a overnight trip to Asolo this past weekend for our 5th anniversary. I didn't know much about the town except that it had good reviews from friends. Now this little town has now stolen my heart and I cant wait to go back and explore some more.

Asolo is a town and commune in the Veneto Region of Northern Italy. It is known as "The Pearl of province of Treviso", and also as "The City of a Hundred Horizons" for its mountain settings. There is a late 12th century castle that we werent able to visit but it gives us a reason to go back again. From our hotel we had a view fit for a queen. On one side the snow covered Alps and the other rolling hills sprinkled with amazing examples of Italian Architecture. When in town frescos greet you at almost every corner. There are beautiful boutiques on every street to help you spend your money and bakeries and restaurants galore. This small town was always buzzing even on Sunday morning which is unheard of here in Vicenza. We had an amazing dinner and stuffed ourselves with traditional Italian cuisine such as risotto, gnocchetti, filets, cafes and small cookies. In the morning we even had a beautiful breakfast tray brought to our room free of charge. What a place! It is these small towns that overseas travelers are unable to visit as they understandingly push Florence, Rome and the Vatican into 5 day visits. However, since my time here I find that it is these small towns where you will find the true glory of Italy.

Swan Shmwan.....

Yes, your oragami swan is impressive...but check THIS out!

The Design Inspiration.com featured this amazing artist, Won Park – The Master of Origami Paper Folding

Origami is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding. The goal of this art is to create a representation of an object using geometric folds and crease patterns preferably without the use of gluing or cutting the paper, and using only one piece of paper.

Won Park is the master of Origami. He is also called the “money folder”, a practitioner of origami whose canvas is the United States One Dollar Bill. Bending, twisting, and folding, Won Park creates life-like shapes inspired by objects living and not– both in stunning detail.



Won Park Folds The Fins On His Dollar Koi - Click here for more amazing videos

The Sunshine Award

Thank you to the hilarious Cybil from A Big Pot of Crazy for this Sunshine Award!!







The rules for accepting the Sunshine Award are as follows…
1. Put the logo in my post or within my blog.
2. Pass the award onto 12 fellow bloggers.
3. Link the nominees within my post.
4. Let the nominees know they have received this award by leaving a comment on their blogs.
5. Share the love and link to the person who gave you the award!

Now, I get to pass this award on to 12 bloggers who bring a little sunshine to my day!

A Life's Design
The Doherty Clan
She's on the move
Sweet Cuddle Cakes
Moon Face
A Cup of Jo
English Muse
Focus Jennie
Hope Studios
Le Musings of Moi
Lifetime Achievement
MadebyGirl

Fred & Friends

This company has come up with a ton of hilarious products for entertaining. My favorite so far is the Gin and Titonic Ice Cube Tray. A Titanic replica and iceberg strike up quite the conversation at a party. They also have princess wand straws, jewels, skull and bones, shoes or even make your own ice shot glasses. The list goes on and on. Check out some of the products here at amazon.com

Aliens Took My Baby

Only a month ago my little toddler was running off and playing with other kids and all of her toys. But since the aliens have taken over her brain she is stuck to me like glue. She wont eat without sitting on me, won't play without me there and DEMANDS she holds my hand when I go to the bathroom. The aliens are sure to win this social experiment on my sanity if this keeps up. Do you have a clingy little one?

20% off at The Dapper Darling

I love presidents day! Enjoy 20% off of everything through Monday!

Tell me...who was/is your favorite president?

I have always admired Thomas Jefferson!

www.thedapperdarling.com

Fashion Icon Commits Suicide

Alexander McQueen commited suicide on the eve of his mothers funeral. What a loss, he was an amazing creative designer. I can only imagine the torment he was experiencing. Click here to link to daily mail online for more info about this man and his untimely death.

El Camino Del Ray

This walkway now serves as an aproach to Makinodromo, the famous climbing sector of El Chorro in Spain's Andalucia. The area of El Chorro situated in the south of Spain is renowned amongst travelers and mountain hikers for its stunning scenery and climbs, yet this is not the main attraction on offer, El Chorro is host to one of the most dangerous walkways in the world, built by workers to transport materials between the Chorro and Gaitanejo Falls

Project Purse

This is a cute and easy project perfect for a rainy day! I think any tween or teenager would have fun doing this with mom or dad! Spend some quality time with the kids this week, doing things THEY might like :)

Problems with the Tallest Building in the World

From BBC

Dubai closes viewing deck on world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa observation tower. The observation deck is on the 124th floor of the Khalifa Tower in Dubai and has been closed for repairs only a month after it opened.

Emaar Properties, the builder of the tower, said there had been an unexpectedly high number of visitors and problems with the power supply.


photo from Nydailynews.com
Visitors to the tower pay US $100 (UK £64) to visit the viewing deck or, if they pay in advance, about US $30.

It is not known when the viewing platform will reopen.


BURJ KHALIFA IN NUMBERS
95: distance in km at which its spire can be seen
504: rise in metres of its main service lift
57: number of lifts
49: number of office floors
1,044: number of residential apartments
900: length in feet of the fountain at the foot of the tower, the world's tallest performing fountain
28,261: number of glass cladding panels on the exterior of the tower
In pictures: Building the Burj Khalifa
Tower: facts and figures

Dubai opened the tower on 4 January in a blaze of fireworks. Click on link to see video


Click here to view whole article from BBC

Comments!

Thank you for your support and feedback! Have a great weekend! And try NOT to behave!