speaking of giveaways.....

it's my 100th post....yea! in honor of this occasion i've made a little diddy from the "fly" collage i used on my christmas cards. it's a small plaque approximately 6 1/2" by 9 1/2".

i've placed it on one of the book covers i found on a junkin trip.

these angels are actually my aunts....both of whom have their heavenly wings now. i've always been told i'm just like the blond one.....some think that's good.....others.....not so much. i think it's a good thing! anywho.........if you'd like to throw your hat in for a chance at the giveaway just leave me a comment on this post. if you put a link to this post on your blog i'll give you two chances. for those of you who may not have a blog an email address or some form of contact will do....and of course if you do have a blog make sure i have a way of contacting you if you win. i'll draw the winner january 4th. good luck!

yesterday when i came home i caught a glimpse of color in my otherwise bland garden beside the porch. on closer inspection i found that one of my vinca plants has decided to share a little of her spirit with me.....thanks little friend! what a bit of cheer on a gloomy...rainy....winters' day.

i just finished a lunch of jamie olivers' crispy and sticky chicken thighs with squashed new potatoes and tomatoes from his jamie at home cookbook. i added a little onion and a few cloves of garlic before baking. as the folks in my family say.....it was so good it would make you slap yo momma (something NONE of us have ever done or would consider doing!) it WAS good. i'm gonna try his italian ham and spinach tart next.

well....'nuff ramblin.......off to the kitchen for a cup of joe.......................

there's a giveaway

jo james of cart before the horse is giving away one of her magical creations in honor of her 100th post. check out her site here and sign up for your chance to win.

merry christmas

i hope each and every one of you have a merry christmas and santa is very good to you (he ALWAYS brings me bills!). here is an excerpt expressing my wishes for you this christmas eve from a christmas poem written by fra giovanni. it is from one of tasha tudors books :



take joy



I salute you! There is nothing I can give you which you have not;
but there is much, that while I cannot give, you can take.
No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today.
Take Heaven.
No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present instant.
Take Peace.
The gloom of the world is but a shadow,
behind it, yet, within our reach, is joy.
Take Joy.
And so, at this Christmas time, I greet you,
with the prayer that for you,
now and forever, the day breaks
and the shadows flee away.

i'm dreaming of a pink christmas.....

i really was hoping to make this tree mine by adding collaged fairies and tags but between cooking for two days for our family gathering, having everyone in yesterday, TWO trips to the emergency room with a sick child, and trying to straighten up the mess today......well...it just isn't gonna happen! it's still pretty. i LOVE the pink tree (color! color! color!) and the vintage bulbs look great and bring back lots of memories. hope everyone has finished their christmas shopping!

at least i've got that much done!

carol of the chins

i had fun with this.......but then.....i'm easily amused!

a christmas card for you

i finally got my christmas cards made, printed, and mailed. this one is for you..................

jody

score!

i was junkin today at one of my fav stores when ....what did i spy......noooooooo....not eight tiny reindeer but SIX boxes of vintage christmas bulbs...... marked $1.00 a box! well....i snatched them babies right up and marched straight up front to pay and guess what.......they were HALF PRICE! six boxes of vintage christmas bulbs for $3.00!!! happy dance....happy dance....twirl....twirl....happy dance.....happy dance.....bend over.... shake the bootie......happy dance......happy dance......well.....you get the picture.

i'd already decided that i had a bad case of the "bah humbugs" and wasn't going to put up a tree this year. wwweeeeeellllllllll......that ain't gonna happen now! i didn't want to do a big tree so i checked out another of my fav stores and found the perfect tree for vintage bulbs......oh.... you just wait til you see......

coffee fairy bookmark

how can i not make a bookmark fairy from one of my favoridest things?

mocha coffee from caffino's........i think i've 'bout put their youngest two children thru college by now!

philosophers stone

i finally finished my mural. it's my tribute to van morrison.his music always plays in my studio and moves me on so many levels.

philosophers stone

out on the highways and the by-ways, all alone

i'm still searching for, searching for my home

up in the morning, up in the morning out on the road

and my head is aching and my hands are cold

and i'm looking for the silver lining, silver lining in the clouds

and i'm searching for, and i'm searching for the philosophers stone.

and it's a hard road, it's a hard road daddy-o

when my job is turning lead into gold

he was born in the back street, born in the back street jelly roll

i'm on the road again and i'm searching for the philosophers stone

can you hear that engine, woe, can you hear that engine drone

well i'm on the road again and i'm searching for, searching for the

philosophers stone

up in the morning, up in the morning

when the streets are white with snow

it's a hard road, it's a hard road daddy-o

up in the morning, up in the morning, out on the job

well you've got me searching for

searching for the philosophers stone

even my best friends, even my best friends they don't know

that my job is turning lead into gold

when you hear that engine, when you hear that engine drone

i'm on the road again and i'm searching for the philosophers stone

it's a hard road even my best friends they don't know

and i'm searching for, searching for the philosophers stone.

- van morrison

van.....van.....van.....how could you possibly know when you wrote this song that you were singing my life...............

dear santa......define naughty!

well..... i figured since everyone is coming to my house soon for our christmas do i really needed to start decorating. i love these wood cutouts i made last year in my "define naughty" mode.

here is my last years christmas card. the inside read: "i hope you have a merry christmas and a naughty new year".

i'm currently working on this years card so i'll post it later. if you're wondering what the crap the big orange square is over the mantle it's prep work for a mural i'm doing from one of my collage pieces. i hope to have it up before christmas.... although.... it doesn't have anything to do with christmas. i seriously need to get busy!

christmas jukebox

my office is in a building that blocks radio reception and the powers that be also block us from listening to the radio over the internet. now i'm a person who ALWAYS has music playing in some form or another......it's actually how i managed not to cry at my mom's funeral......i was sitting there singing van morrison tunes in my head! anywho.....i digress! when i got this link yesterday i was doing the happy dance! now i can listen to christmas (NOT HOLIDAY!) music at work. enjoy!

http://www.x-entertainment.com/christmasjukebox.html

andre jordan

i love this! may i join you, andre?

check out andre's blog here.

awesome cookbook

i ventured out today to finish up my christmas shopping for my grans and picked up jamie oliver's new cookbook for myself (yeah, i'm like that!). what an awesome cookbook. not only do the recipes look wonderful but if you are a gardener you'll love the sections where he shares his own vegetable gardening experience along with some advice. the whole book is on the premise of cooking with what grows in your garden.......sectioned into each season.

after reading thru and looking at the pictures of his garden i bundled up and went out to put my own garden to bed for the winter.......something that should have already been done! i cut back my bob plant (he was a pass along and i can't remember his name so i just call him bob), trimmed back the butterfly bush that had eaten the bird feeder (my feathered friends were not happy about that!), collected some seeds before pulling up the dryed flowers, and collected and stored the tomato cages. like i said......things that should have already been done but have been put on the back burner. it felt wonderful to be outside after a week indoors.....to smell fresh dirt. i even worked on my plans for next years garden after coming inside to a cup of joe. no better teacher than a garden to learn that life goes on.

a motherless child

my mother died yesterday.......a very peaceful....quiet....passing. as much as we'll miss her we're all so thankful for this blessing because with lung cancer she was headed down a long path of suffering. we're gathering these next few days to celebrate her life. my mom.....who was a YA YA before ya yas were cool! sometimes i feel like a motherless child
sometimes i feel like a motherless child
and sometimes i feel like a motherless child
a long...long way...from home
and sometimes i feel like i'm almost gone
sometimes i feel like i'm almost gone
sometimes i feel like i'm all alone
a long...a long way... from home

who’s got a shoulder when i need to cry
i feel restless and i don't know why
cry for help, but still feel alone
like a motherless child a long way from home
lord i'm lost i can't find my way
i'm dealing with the struggles in my day to day
my soul is weak and i wanna be strong
i try to run away but i've been running too long
i've been running to long... i've been running to long
like a motherless child so lost and so long
like a motherless child

sing it.....john legend..........

for lola

i still amazes me that with the internet we can now reach across the world and touch people we would have never met. what a wonderful way to meet new friends and connect with kindred souls. lola recently left a comment on my blog about her own loss of a loved one. when i read this today, lola, i thought of you:



this being human is a guest house.

every morning a new arrival.

a joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes as an

unexpected visitor.

welcome and entertain them all!

even if they're a crowd of sorrows, who sweep

your house empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honorably.

he may be clearing you out for some new delight.



rumi

happy thanksgiving

i have many things to be thankful for this thanksgiving...........i'm thankful i have a warm house to live in........i'm thankful i have a job.........i'm thankful for my health..........i'm thankful for the food that graces my table........i'm thankful for good friends and family...........i never thought i'd be thankful for alzheimers but i'm thankful my mother has alzheimers so she isn't aware that she's dying of lung cancer.........thank you lord.....for all my many blessings.



i hope you and yours have a safe and happy thanksgiving.

bent objects

i love terry border's sense of humor!

wishingfish

it seems like everything we do anymore needs a password. i've got most of mine on a sheet of paper in my eyeglass case.......i simply can't remember which one is for what and need a little prompting! i know we shouldn't carry them around but i'm always needing them and i don't write down the ones that involve use of my megabucks (yeah, right!). i stumbled across this password organizer on wishingfish.com. what a great idea. they've got some fun gifts if you're looking for something a little quirky.

a sad anniversary

this was always my favorite picture. i can't believe you've been gone twenty three years now...... so many memories......i miss you my space cowboy.

jeanie tomanek

i find jeanie tomanek's work hauntingly beautiful. this one is called "weight of wings". when i look at this i see how always trying to do the right thing weighs the figure down.

nicoletta ceccoli

i enjoyed perusing the works of illustrator nicoletta ceccoli.

after uploading the pictures that caught my attention i realized they're about "the birds and the bees"...................hmmmmmmmmm...........where has my subconscious been?

the civilized butler

it's not likely i'll ever see the day that i have a butler.......not a real one anyway. so.....when i saw this in the new signals catalog i decided i HAD to have it. i'm a great fan of british comedy and love jeeves and wooster. i have to tell ya.....i'm actually looking forward to being awakened in the mornings! it starts out with gentle bird sounds then the butler coughs....discreetly....and proceeds to inform me of some important event that i need to attend to for the day. it's got six months worth of different messages before it begins again. he will also give me a relaxation countdown at bedtime. my own butler.......imagine that!

check out the signals online catalog for your own butler.

stress buster

love these!

'nother bucolic saturday

what a wonderful fall day! finally....there's a crispness in the air. the wind's been gusting all day..... showering leaves across the yard.....whispering.....whispering........"enjoy the remains of the season for bleakness.....and cold......and darkness soon follow"." he who must be obeyed" and myself took a stroll around the grounds checking out the sights.

the guys out in the pasture beat feet up to the fence in hopes of getting a few apples.

they're not the only ones with a taste for apples. i'm veeeery respectful of these visitors when sharing with the sheep.

we had an especially bountiful crop this year so there's enough for everyone.

what 's wrong with the clock on saturdays that she feels the need to make haste thru the hours....burning the day with abandon? slow down...speeding timepiece.....slow down....for i wish to savor this day..... and all her gifts.

ketzelphotography's crows

i love the crow photos at ketzelphotograpy's etsy shop!

vote!

happy halloween

have a safe and happy halloween!

trees

this tree is behind the log home that i slip off to when i need to unwind a little. it's magnificent. i love this shot of the tree because she actually frames herself.

i'm a touchy..... feely..... kind of person.........no..........not with other people.......like you would think.....but things. i HAVE to feel textures.....shapes. you know.... everywhere you go now you're being filmed by security cameras. i must give security either a cause to sit up and take notice or a good laugh because i can't go ANYWHERE without running my hands over things that catch my eye. i suppose it's the artist in me......but it's also more. when i touch this tree it's like i can feel it's life force. immediately my mind sees....creates.....little stories of things that have happened in it's presence. i know i'm not the only one.....walt whitman wrote: "why are there trees i never walk under but large and melodious thoughts descend upon me?" i'll bet walt would have liked this one.

dethroned

i don't know about you but i'm sure enjoying the last vestiges of summer. with everything rapidly turning to shades of brown these little pops of color lure me around the yard every time i arrive home.

i feel the need to burn these images into my mind....store them for the coming cold days......before they curl in on themselves and lay down for their winters' nap.

it appears i'm not the only one gathering the last of summer.

enjoy while you can....little friend........summer has relinquished her throne.

waiting

what a wonderful sentiment...........................................rob ryan blog and etsy shop.

the farm

today was such a nice day that i decided to go to the farm and share my lunch with walker. more important than feeding my body......i come here to feed my soul.

this is the view from the deck off the back of the house. i used to sit out here with a cup of joe watching the sun rise and late at night..... under the most amazing display of stars you ever saw.

this was the landing strip where we made the first pass in the plane to get the cows out of the way and then landed....up hill....coming to a stop just feet before the large tree you see at the end.

there's still plenty of wildlife around.....deer, turkeys, fox, rabbits....no more cows.....no more horses........

these leaves reminded me of my space cowboy and myself.......one dead and gone......the other in the fall of her life.

the creek that runs across the lower pasture is mostly rock at this point. it's called......yep......rocky creek. folks around here like to park below the pasture and play on the rock in the summer.

yes........you have to drive thru the creek to get up and down the road. it really freaks some folks out......i always loved it.

if you'll look closely at this picture you'll see a vine shaped like a heart at the base of this tree. very fitting........my heart lies here too.