It's Not Too Late!

2008 is quickly drawing to a close and it's not too late to get in those year-end charitable gifts! I have blogged about this before, but it is becoming more and more apparent that these are tough times for non-profit organizations and I just feel the need to promote year-end giving and supporting your community.

My organization, for example, is currently sitting at less than 50% of its year-end campaign goal. This is very sad news indeed. Year-end dollars are unrestricted funds that we are able to use for general operating monies throughout the year, and are incredibly important in keeping our doors open and programs running. Non-profits need year-end and other general operating donations in order to continue serving the community. There will be no bail-outs for the non-profit sector.

The bottom line is that we all have something to give, and there are plenty to give to. There are educational organizations like Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities, who give under-served children the opportunity to experience the arts and learn and grow. There are animal shelters who are aiding sick animals and placing unwanted ones in new homes. There are hungry children, people who have been abused, children without toys this Christmas. There are parks and safehavens being destroyed by pollution. People are dying of cancer and diabetes and malaria and AIDS. There is so much heartache in our world.

Won't you give back? What can you do to help? Can you give $25, $50, or $100? Please, make a difference in your community. It's the best Christmas gift you can give.

My Favorite Things

Here are some of my favorite moments of the holiday season thus far. I am so thankful to have such beautiful friends and family.

The grown-ups at the Hill-Roehm Family Christmas
(l-r Anthony, Heather, Joanne, Travis)

Alison and I toasting "cranberry goodness" at our Holiday Party 2008

Family shot for Christmas cards - that we didn't end up using. I was so ticked off that I couldn't get a good one of us with Bella looking at the camera. Looking back, it's pretty cute. I should have used in anywway!

A snowy romp in the park after we got blasted with 12 inches of snow!

"Admission" to our holiday party was a toy to be donated to "Toys for Tots"

Travis and Jim at the holiday party... classic!

Our little "niece" Lily all dressed up for the holidays. The look on her face says it all!

Kick Back and Enjoy!

I was beginning to feel like the holiday season was running away with me. I was stressed, busy, and felt behind on work, housework, shopping, baking, visiting, wrapping, gifting, and so on. And then came our Winter storm. Here in Grand Rapids we got 10+ inches of snow on Friday, grounding most things to a halt.

Travis and I are lucky to have flexible enough work schedules that allowed us to work from home that day, and not have to travel. I had a really productive day of work finishing up in the early afternoon and allowing myself some much-needed catch up around the house. I cleaned, did some laundry, wrapped some gifts, and BAKED. Now you must understand that I generally don't like to cook - and do very little of it year-round (Trav is 100% the better cook AND baker in this family). I don't think I have the patience for it most of the time, and I certainly don't like doing clean up afterward! But I DO really like to make cookies at Christmas time. Fun!

So, while the snowy weekend (we're supposed to get more tonight and Monday!) has been inconvenient for some, it's truly been a blessing for me. It's allowed me to unwind, and take some valuable time to remember why I love this time of year so much!

I thought I'd share some of my baking results, and their recipes. Just click on each picture to link to their recipes online! I hope you'll share them with your family this holiday season, or in years to come!

Lemon Star Cookies
(I can't find this recipe online any more, so drop me a line if you'd like the recipe)

Vanilla Bean Snowmen
(A new recipe this year - I substituted the vanilla bean pod for a little extra vanilla extract - who has a vanilla bean handy?! - and they turned out great all the same.)

Five-Minute Fudge
(Seriously... the easiest and quickest thing in the world to make!)

Rum Balls

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
(Another new recipe this year - they taste just like the Girl Scout chocolate thin mints!)

White Chocolate Peppermint Bark
(I got this recipe from the Hornsby family years ago, and it's so simple to make. You essentially just melt the chocolate and add the peppermint pieces, pour into a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and freeze. Then break it up into pieces! The key is finding the ingredients. I've always got my chocolate and peppermint from "The Candy Lady" in Kalamazoo, MI. It's a small, mom and pop shop, with the nicest staff.)

I love to package cookies in these cute origami boxes that are easy to fold, and relatively quick to make. I use 12x12 scrapbook paper and line the boxes with tissue paper, then tie with ribbon and a gift tag. I found the instructions for making these boxes at a kids site while working in child care at the YMCA. You can get the same how-to be clicking on the photo below and, once on the site, clicking "Origami Box Instructions."

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

A Great Artist Has Been Lost...

Although I came into the organization too late to get to know Hispanic artist Jose Narezo personally, he has been of great influence to the neighborhood in which I work, most recently creating artwork that was translated into our donor recognition wall at our new library facility: The Cook Library Center. The fact that he and his wife had asked memorial contributions to be made in his name to GAAH because he thought highly of what we do is quite humbling. I've included photos of our donor wall - a beautiful, colorful, piece - at the bottom of these articles...

Celebrated local artist Jose Narezo dies at age 63

by Sue Merrell | The Grand Rapids Press

Thursday December 18, 2008, 12:01 PM

Local artist Jose Narezo in his studio at 1140 Monroe Ave. NW in 2005. Nazero died Wednesday at age 63, after a battle with brain cancer.

GRAND RAPIDS -- From a colorful mural in the halls of Grand Rapids Central High School to the richly textured columns of San Chez A Tapas Bistro, the art of Jose Narezo continues to warm West Michigan.

Mr. Narezo died Wednesday at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital after a battle with brain cancer. He was 63.

"It's a very great loss to the artistic community," said Celeste Adams, executive director of the Grand Rapids Art Museum where Mr. Narezo was scheduled to give a solo exhibition of new work April 24-May 24. "We knew he had a serious diagnosis, but we had hoped he would be better by spring."

"I always thought he'd be able to return to the classroom," added Arthur Garner, principal at Central. Mr. Narezo taught art in Grand Rapids Public Schools for 30 years, Garner said, but had not been teaching this year because of his illness.

"He could take some of the roughest kids and have them doing things they didn't know they could do," Garner said. "And if a kid wasn't into art, he'd find something else for them to do. He gave them confidence to be the best they could be."

The youngest of 12 children, Mr. Narezo was born in Mexico. His family came to the U.S. as migrant workers, a past he reflected in an exhibit he created as part of the "Newcomers" exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

Mr. Narezo earned a master's of fine arts degree at Michigan State University. Essentially a painter, he dabbled in other media, including mosaics. His most recent exhibit at GRAM was "Cuba Journal" in 2000, a collection of photographs and paintings from a visit to Cuba. Adams described his style as impressionist and colorist.

"He had a great feeling for color, "she said. "He was always a supporter of other Latin artists and an advocate for Latino culture."

In the early 1990s, he brought back a collection of tiles from Mexico and designed his first major mosaic wrapping around three and a half columns in the San Chez restaurant.

"He created an atmosphere," said owner Dan Gendler. "He loved sharing his art, getting people involved in it. He was never an uppity artist. He was such a real person."

In 2006, Mr. Narezo helped the Holland Area Arts Council create a mosaic to celebrate Tulipanes, an annual Latino art and film festival. Pieces of ceramic were donated by people in the community to create a mosaic based on a painting donated by the artist.

"His creative spirit and generosity were unparalleled," said Lorma Williams Freestone, executive director of the arts council. "He was always ready to come to our aid. He was a wonderful human being."

"He was a mentor and angel to me," said Grand Rapids Assistant City Manager Jose Reyna, who was only 13 when he met Mr. Narezo and worked with him on an outdoor mural project on Grandville Avenue in 1973-74. The two became life-long friends.

"He's very effective with at-risk youth," Reyna said, adding he recruited Mr. Narezo for several art projects with young people in Holland and Grand Rapids. "He always promoted art."

The mural near the art room at Central High School grows each year, Garner said, with additions by students who often visit years later to point out their work.

"He was a mentor to staff and students," Garner said. "He influenced Central as a whole. Through the mural, he'll always be a part of this building."

Funeral arrangements were pending.

Artist who spread color and caring dies at 63

Friday, December 19, 2008

By Sue Merrell

The Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS -- The art of Jose Narezo continues to warm West Michigan, from a colorful mural in the halls of Grand Rapids Central High School to the richly textured columns of San Chez A Tapas Bistro.

Mr. Narezo died Wednesday at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital after a battle with brain cancer. He was 63.

"It's a very great loss to the artistic community," said Celeste Adams, executive director of the Grand Rapids Art Museum, where Mr. Narezo was to give a solo exhibition of new work April 24 to May 24. "We knew he had a serious diagnosis, but we had hoped he would be better by spring."

"I always thought he'd be able to return to the classroom," added Arthur Garner, principal at Central. Mr. Narezo taught art in Grand Rapids Public Schools for 30 years, Garner said, but had not been teaching this year because of his illness.

"He could take some of the roughest kids and have them doing things they didn't know they could do," Garner said. "And if a kid wasn't into art, he'd find something else for them to do. He gave them confidence to be the best they could be."

Mr. Narezo was born in Mexico. His family -- he was the youngest of 12 children -- came to the U.S. as migrant workers, a past he reflected in an exhibit he created as part of the "Newcomers" exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

Mr. Narezo earned a master's of fine arts degree at Michigan State University. Essentially a painter, he dabbled in other media, including mosaics. His most recent exhibit at GRAM was "Cuba Journal" in 2000, a collection of photographs and paintings from a visit to Cuba. Adams described his style as impressionist and colorist.

"He had a great feeling for color, "she said. "He was always a supporter of other Latin artists and an advocate for Latino culture."

In the early 1990s, he brought back a collection of tiles from Mexico and designed his first major mosaic wrapping around three and a half columns in the San Chez restaurant.

"He created an atmosphere," said owner Dan Gendler. "He loved sharing his art, getting people involved in it. He was never an uppity artist. He was such a real person."

In 2006, Mr. Narezo helped the Holland Area Arts Council create a mosaic to celebrate Tulipanes, an annual Latino art and film festival. Pieces of ceramic were donated by people in the community to create a mosaic based on a painting donated by the artist.

"His creative spirit and generosity were unparalleled," said Lorma Williams Freestone, executive director of the arts council. "He was always ready to come to our aid. He was a wonderful human being."

"He was a mentor and angel to me," said Grand Rapids Assistant City Manager Jose Reyna, who was 13 when he met Mr. Narezo and worked with him on an outdoor mural project on Grandville Avenue from 1973 to 1974. The two became lifelong friends.

The mural near the art room at Central High School grows each year, Garner said, with additions by students who often visit years later to point out their work.

"He was a mentor to staff and students," Garner said. "He influenced Central as a whole. Through the mural, he'll always be a part of this building."

A funeral Mass is set for 11 a.m. Monday at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, 333 Rumsey St. SW. Visitation is 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Metcalf & Jonkhoff Funeral Service, 4291 Cascade Road SE.

The City That Never Sleeps

Well we're back from our whirlwind tour of NYC! Travis and I, and his parents, left Friday morning from Detroit and flew out to New York City. Travis' brother Tyler got a job with BASF and lives in Hoboken, and so we flew out for his birthday weekend and to get a little mini-vacation time in. We stayed through Monday, and flew out around 1:00pm. By the time we got back to Detroit, picked up Bella from my parents' house in Tecumseh, and drove back to Grand Rapids - it was early evening. The good news is that the cats had left our Christmas tree was still 100% in tact (thanks for stopping in to check on the cats, Heather!)

Here are a few shots from our trip...

Once we got into the city on Friday, we went out to Roxy's Deli in Times Square for a "little" lunch. In true New York deli style, the portions were not so "little" at all!

That evening, we went to dinner at a steakhouse called Arthur's in Hoboken. Afterwards, we headed back into the city to see the off-Broadway production of "Rock of Ages." The show was incredibly high energy, and a lot of fun! You can find out more about the show here.

On Saturday we spent most of the day in Seaport, shopping and visiting a brewery. In the evening we went to dinner at a pizza joint and then saw "In The Heights" on Broadway. It was AMAZING! This was my pick to see and it didn't disappoint. The choreography was absolutely phenomenal. For more info on the show click here.

Sunday was spent shopping in Times Square, followed by a trip to Radio City Music Hall to see the Rockettes in the annual "Christmas Spectacular." We then took a walk down to Rockafeller Center, and then had drinks and birthday gifts for Tyler at the hotel bar. Travis and I finished the night with some delivery pizza (good thing we only ordered a slice each - look at the size of those things!) before calling it a night.
To see the rest of the pictures from our trip, visit my picasa web album by clicking here.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

At least it is in the Roehm household! Travis and I got our tree over the weekend and set aside the time this evening to decorate. I'm also pretty much done with the exterior and interior decorating of the house in general - so we're all ready for the holidays! I wanted to get everything done before we leave for NYC to visit Travis' brother Tyler this weekend. When we get back on Monday its already the week before Christmas - and I have so much more present wrapping and cookie baking to do yet! We're so thankful to have our own, beautiful home this Christmas. Hope you enjoy the photos!