the warmth of stone.....

thoughts of sun warmed stones

on this cold winter night.....

the wee folk......

i'm still having fun with my new fairy brushes from

obsidian dawn. the "orb" overlay is from jerry

at shadowhouse creations... wonderful freebies

from two very talented people......

thanks guys!

a splurge here and there.......

artisan breads and cheeses....

what's not to love?

they are frequent splurges

on a small budget.

my all time favorite place to shop is

dean & deluca but it's an hour drive

from where i live. there's an earth fare

that's about 25 minutes away where i

end up most of the time. they also have

wonderful artisan breads..

i recently met cindy mccain hamrick

of new terra farms...a newly started organic farm

right here in my own little backwoods!

along with her free range eggs, organic veggies,

and yogurts....cindy's planning on venturing into

artisanal cheeses....

awesome!

fairies everywhere.....

"and as the seasons come and go…
here's something you might like to know.
there are fairies everywhere:
under bushes… in the air...
playing games just like you play…
singing through their busy day.
so listen… touch… and look around…
in the air and on the ground.
and if you watch all nature's things…
you might just see a fairy's wing. "

~ unk

she's not dora the explorer...

this is dora.....

want! want! want!

i love the dolls in sandy Mastroni's etsy shop!

they're definitely quirky.........
kinda like me!

check out her etsy shop and blog....

More Pencil Art

Pencil art by Dalton M. Ghetti..........amazing!

from my soul.....

my simple religion.....

"this is my simple religion.

there is no need for temples...

no need for complicated philosophy.

our own brain...

our own heart...

is our temple...

the philosophy is...

kindness."

~the dalai lama

home dwells within my heart...

" home isn't just a place or a location

it's a feeling...a memory...a sound...sometimes a smell

it can be someone you know

and the memory of their laugh

it can be that feeling rising in your throat

when you hug someone you haven't seen in a while

or that sense of belonging you get

when you make a new acquaintance you didn't know you missed"

~maryjanes farm magazine

home dwells within my heart....

decorations of red........

snow! snow! snow!

we usually get....MAYBE....2 inches of snow a year...

this is the second big snow for us here in the midlands

of south carolina....about six inches.

now i know lots of you are probably laughing about our "big snow"

but...really...we're just not equipped for it here.

it was nice having a couple of days off work....yeah...that happens here!
i spent most of my outside time feeding the birds....
and my cat....so he didn't try to eat the birds....
what i enjoyed most about this snow...
sitting in my studio and watching these beautiful
red cardinals....like decorations...in the
snow covered trees.....

what a cheeky girl

this lovely lady has decided she needs to become my muse......

i used to make wall hangings from carpet.

i've had her rolled up in a corner of my studio for

years and lately she's been whispering

in my ear that she deserves better

treatment from me.......

so......i finally got around to giving her

a place on the wall in my studio...

all six feet by four foot of her...

cheeky girl....

this is a picture of another piece that i sold.....

i actually placed in an art competition with this one....

i'm hoping that "cheeky girl" will inspire me to
get off my duff and spend more time
creating......

something greater than me......

"life is a journey...

each year a new milestone...

but where is there a signpost?

...a guide to the lost life wanderer?"

~theodor fontane

the 2010 milestone is behind me...

i begin 2011's journey with a glad step...

there are times that i feel lost...

but in my heart of hearts...

i don't worry about the course...

the hows....

or whys...

something greater than me

leads the way....

and helps me stay the path...

may each of you have a safe

and happy new year.....

namaste....

walking lightly upon this earth.....

this book.......

profound....

it helped me see how

far off my true path i've wandered...

i have to share this passage from the book....

"This is the same fire that burned with the blast from Hiroshima," Masanori Oe says to me,

pointing to a small brass lantern on a table in front of us with a tiny flame burning inside.

"This very flame?" I ask taken aback somewhat.

"Yes. It has been kept burning, passed on from person to person to help us each remember

what happened that day, and how it must not happen again."

He explains that in August 1945, a woman who lost her son in the bombing went to the city

while it was still burning and, believing that the spirit of her son was inside that flame,

captured a bit of fire and brought it to her home a hundred miles away. She kept it burning

for more than twenty years, and then passed it on to a Buddhist priest, who decided to make

it a symbol of peace, and took the flame on a walking pilgrimage across Japan, burning in

a lantern, and passed it on to others, lighting new lanterns for those who would take the flame."

this book is about "simple living and inner abundance"....

of being one with nature...

art....

music...

creativity....

sustainable living....

of walking lightly...

upon this earth...

an infrequent visitor

..... snow

an infrequent visitor

to my home

magical...

a christmas gift...

in a small

southern

town...

a gift of peace.....

may peace be your gift

at Christmas and your

blessing all the year

through....

my empty begging bowl...

"even in my empty

begging bowl

a piece of hail"

~ haiku by Santoka

.....a gift from nature in my sleeping garden

.....hello hyacinth!

did you ever want to just walk away....

"did you ever want to just walk away?" ~ margaret roach

........YES!

these old bones.......

we've had unusually cold weather for this time of the year.....already down into the teens at night....and the wind....it'll sure put some pep into your step. as i stepped out into the garden to check on my bird feeder i could hear my cat purring....it took me a minute to figure out where he was....hidden in the vinca.... in a patch of sunlight.
he didn't feel it was necessary to get up and greet me....as he usually does. i guess his old bones are feeling like mine in this frigid weather. we're both moving kinda slow.........

someone's confused......

i spent much of my afternoon belatedly tucking my garden 'chillrens' in for

the winter. even with the icy wind i enjoyed puttering around ....thinking

of plans for next spring.....and look what i found....

this is such a poor picture that i really hated to post it here.....but.........

my jackmanii clematis is BLOOMING....

.......on december 5th!

someone's confused......
and this time....
it's not me!

move over Bridges of Madison County

move over Bridges of Madison County.....

i think you've been dethroned....

i'm not much of a "touchy feely" kind of person....
but i finished this book with tears in my eyes......
this would make a wonderful movie!