I recently purchased this painting from Ilene Satala, the artist. Soon it will be framed and hanging in my home, but recently it adorned the Day of the Dead altar in honor of Ilene…

Susan Lily Lash created this collage for the altar with the following writing: Cannot Stay  Ilene rises into the mysterious, mystical world we call the ‘other side’. Her toe touches the last time this earth.…

Diane Schafer-King added this book to the altar with the following writing: Frida Kahlo: Diario Autorretrato Intimo (Diary of the Intimate Self) Ilene, several others from the Conrado group, and I had just finished touring…

The papercutting art piece is a bit intricate thus below you will find some close-up photos to help you see things more clearly. The back panel rises four and a half feet from the…

Written January 28, 2013 Maya Angelou’s poem, Phenomenal Woman, has always been powerful for me. I first heard it at a retreat 20 years ago when a friend read it aloud. I went to the bookstore…

Written January 6, 2014 Here’s what going on with the Sauer clan at the moment. Alex got her Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate last year, sold or gave away most of…

Written January 22, 2014 The fall of 2013 presented an interesting shift for our family. We now preside over an empty nest. We were prepared for this transition particularly since Drew has been counting…

Written January 3, 2014 Dear Mom, I created this piece for your 91st birthday. I call it Mother Teresa Retablo since it is meant to capture the sacredness of Mother Teresa’s life’s work in much the same…

In Mesoamerican culture, jaguars were considered spiritual warriors, protecting the health and well-being of the tribe while providing its stability and identity. Because they could see in the dark, both literally and figuratively, they…

My friend, Cheryl, is one of those people that can add several different descriptors after her name and shift between and among them all with ease – Life Coach, University Professor, Business Owner, Lifelong…