Meet BECKY...
Freelance artist for Recycled Paper Greetings/American Greetings and owner of
Rebecca & Co. designs

I knew Becky back in the 60's when we were both in high school. She is a California girl, born and raised and I was a transplant that returned to my Utah roots.  Forty-five years later... thanks to FACEBOOK... I began typing in names of old friends. To my surprise most of them were there. Becky was one of them... how fun to get reacquainted after all these years.

Becky's life had a traditional beginning with a hubby and children but somewhere in mid-life her dormant artistic talent brought her to an exciting new career.

Here she is with her college sweetheart, the love of her life and her best friend.  Married for 42 years they were blessed with a son and a daughter and it is very apparent that family comes first with Rebecca!                                 

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL BRIDE!

I didn't know back then that Becky loved to draw, but she did. Both her father and grandfather were artists. She felt eclipsed by friends that she thought had more ability so it wasn't until later in life that her talents emerged. 

About eight years ago a friend of her daughters was working as a wedding planner and asked Becky to design a wedding invitation. She loved it and once she started creating... well, things just began to flow.  In Becky's own words...

"I started scribbling out these stick girls. I have no idea where they came from"

The next thing she knew she had several designs. She submitted them to Recycled Paper Greetings and they immediately took four. A short time later they offered her a royalty contract.




Her designs are a celebration of her love of art and words.  They range from whimsical to sophisticated and can be found not only in the U.S. but around the world. On a trip to Boston, she and her husband were in the Harvard bookstore and there were her cards... what a thrill!

Becky also designs subway style topography art and has an ETSY store for custom work and digital downloads. Even from a distance I can tell that she is having a wonderful time.

 Here is a link to her Etsy site... PAPER BLEU DIGITAL

"An Artist, An Author, A Dreamer"

Becky is an inspiration to us all to follow our dreams and find our passion in life.

Her artistic flair and attention to detail manifests itself in many ways. Thursday I will show you pictures of her daughters wedding. It was so beautifully done that even "THE KNOT" came calling.

THE PERFECT LITTLE BLACK DRESS

 An Oscar de la Renta creation

Please join us on Monday and meet BECKY our next "Woman of a Certain Age" 

Until then, look what I spotted... 

I'm pretty sure those ruffles are horsehair... GORGEOUS!

Have a nice weekend!

MARY BRECKINRIDGE... a remarkable woman!

Mary Breckinridge was born in Kentucky in 1881 to a southern aristocratic family. The granddaughter of the Vice-President of the United States under President Buchanan and the daughter of a United States Ambassador to Russia, she spent her childhood traveling, being educated by private tutors and playing with the children of Czar Nicholas  (that means she played with Anastasia) 

At the age of 23, she married her soul mate but their happiness was short lived when he suddenly died from a ruptured appendix.

She married a second time. It proved to be a loveless marriage but gave her two children. A son they named Clifford Breckinridge Thompson... "Breckie" for short and a daughter she bore prematurely... little Polly only lived six hours. .

Breckie was bright and good natured with no end to his curiosity. Mary called him her "fair haired wonder. Being raised in a prominent family she watched first hand how those she admired made an impact on the world. She sincerely believed her son, true to his heritage, was destined to do great things.  She was absolutely certain that Breckie would CHANGE THE WORLD and she spent her days preening him for that future.

Then tragedy struck again.  Four year old Breckie suffered a burst appendix and died. Mary was shattered.

BRECKIE, THE FIRST FOUR YEARS
(Follow this link to read the book Mary wrote about her son)

Two years later, she did the unthinkable. She filed for divorce and asked the court to restore her maiden name. Having lost all that she loved and determined to never love again, Mary turned to nursing for comfort and strength.

Though raised in luxury, she was keenly aware of the want and neglect of the mountain people who lived in her beloved Kentucky. Babies were born with the help of "granny women" who were largely illiterate and had no nursing skills. This area had the highest birthrate as well as the highest infant mortality rate in the country. The pain she felt from the loss of her two children propelled her forward. She would do something to help.

At the age of 43, she left her home and sailed for Europe to study midwifery at the British Hospital for Mothers and Babies. Upon her return she rode into the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky with the purpose of saving lives.

Going into that rugged area on horseback was not easy.  There were no roads, directions were given by landmarks..."through the holler, past the big rock and beyond the ridge." Besides the rugged terrain, the woods were filled with mountain lions, rattlesnakes and bear. Mary would not be deterred. Time after time she made the trip, gaining the friendship and finally the trust of the mountain people.

Eventually she recruited other women who were willing to serve. They became known as the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) Traveling on horseback they pushed beyond the danger and brought medical care to the people of remote Appalachia.

During the forty years of Mary's tenure the FNS registered over 64,000 patients, gave over a quarter million inoculations and delivered 17,053 babies. In all that time there were only 11 maternal deaths.

On her deathbed she said... 

 "The glorious thing about it is... that it has worked!"

Looking back... life is seldom what we expect, there are always surprises. A young Mary was certain her purpose was to raise a son that would make a difference.   But...

   "Breckie" didn't change the world ... MARY did!

MARY ON HORSEBACK 

Three Mountain Stories 

by Rosemary Wells 

THE "RED - EYE" TO NEW YORK CITY

One last story about Aundrea...



What do you do on a Friday night when you don't have any plans?  Well... if "the dad" is a commercial pilot, you grab an empty suitcase and catch the RED-EYE to New York City. More than once Aundrea and her girls did just that. Sleeping on the plane, they arrived early the next morning and, with their budget in mind, set out shopping for knock-off handbags, watches and jewelry. Of course they found something fun to eat... frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity.  By 8:00 pm they were on a plane home.  What a whirlwind... its always a party with Aundrea!

Derby Pie...

A favorite recipe at Aundrea's house. 

Three things are synonymous with the Kentucky Derby...  big hats, mint juleps and a delicious slice of "Derby Pie"  This scrumptious pastry was developed in 1950 by George Kern and his parents as the specialty dessert of the Melrosee Inn, in Prospect, Kentucky. The original recipe used walnuts with chocolate and bourbon but other variations substitute pecans. No one knows the exact recipe, it is highly guarded to this day.

Ingredients...

• 1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated piecrusts
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
• 1 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup bourbon or water 
• 4 large eggs 
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted 
• 2 teaspoons cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 
  
• Preparation
• Fit piecrust into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate according to package directions; fold edges under, and crimp.
• Sprinkle pecans and chocolate evenly onto bottom of piecrust; set aside.
• Combine corn syrup and next 3 ingredients in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Whisk together eggs and next 4 ingredients. Gradually whisk about one-fourth hot mixture into egg mixture; add to remaining hot mixture, whisking constantly. Pour filling into prepared piecrust.
• Bake at 325° for 55 minutes or until set; cool on wire rack.