Staying warm on Sunday

It has been a cold week here, not the coldest yet but we are staying warm whenever we get the chance to be home.  The best way to add more warmth and color to my non-colored rooms is to add more afghans.  This one is also serving another purpose as it is wrapped around the bottom of the Christmas tree.  Emily couldn't wait until this tree finally was put up...took me 2 days!  She likes to put her paws underneath this afghan, not sure if she is just warming her paws or searching for gifts?

Pouring God's Fingerprints on Friday

The morning sky has been filled with amazing, beautiful, stunning...colors.  Usually, I wake up with the cold air hitting me in the face as I race to beat the clock and scrape my windows in the morning but when I saw that firey sky the other morning, I ran back inside to grab my camera (had to race a little faster then!)  Admiring those colors and thanking God for another inspiring day, just put a smile on me that lasted all day.  Also, I have been busy pouring candles and enjoying the new fragrances of the upcoming holidays...ever wondered what a bucket of Elf Sweat smells like?  Well, since I didn't have a bucket...Elf Sweat is really sweet like candy, candy corn, candy cane, maple syrup, and Buddy the Elf, himself.

God has poured out his love into our hearts.  ~ Romans 5:5

Saturday Sleet and other Fun stuff

It's Saturday and sleeting here in November, great Christmas shopping weather but I still can't get my mind around it being Halloween this past week already.  Didn't it just turn to fall weather and revisiting my sweaters?  I baked some yummy cupcakes for coach's birthday and the girls had a party with him.  I also remembered to get a card for all the girls to sign for him...yay mom!  Then it was time for Halloween suddenly, but Mary had it covered as usual...she just read the book "The Night Circus" so she decided to dress in black and white.  I just thought she matched Emily.

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

From The Night Circus

Wordless Wednesday: Fall Fun

Homecoming Week Finally Over on Sunday

Our family had a double funeral this weekend so when I saw this double rainbow, it made me stop to thank God and say a prayer for these sisters.  I also prayed not to get drenched at the football game, grabbing a towel, blanket and umbrella as I knew it was going to be a cold rain (happened before, you know.)  Luckily, the homecoming parade happened on a cool night but at least it wasn't raining so I was thankful for that too.  The rain happened in intervals during the homecoming football game so the band did not get drenched this time, but I heard a few of the kids (inlcuding mine) say that it was so cool to watch the raindrops coming down on them as they were lying on the ground (this was right before it really rained after half-time.)  Our team still managed to win!  Then all the teenagers were focused on the homecoming dance and they couldn't have asked for a better night, cool and clear, the stars were beautiful.  All the kids were just beautiful, and had a fun week of homecoming, even a certain cat tried to get in her few minutes of picture taking.

Wordless Wednesday: Soft Colors

Taking it Easy on Sunday

Football games and geese coming to dinner, sounds like fall is already here but it's still pretty warm.  My heart has been running the extra mile all month, so I'm finally getting to take it easy today.  The pair of geese in the photo live at the pond down the road and when they had their little family, they would take walks down our road with the little ones.  I think listening to old Rusty the rooster sort of scared them, and they would walk faster past their yard.  Before we had our big rains, one of them being at the football game last weekend (we got drenched!) no one was mowing, everything was so dry and all that was getting bigger was certain weeds that geese apparently like to munch on for dinner.  So Emily and I had some entertaining evenings watching these geese come to dinner at our home, a simple joy at the end of the day.  Some days you have to remember to just breathe...and smile.

A Few Words for Wednesday

Emily has informed me in her not so subtle way, that our summer time fun in the sun as we know it, is officially over and that it's time for me to get serious again.  As long as I can still enjoy a few roses along the way...touching my heart and are inspiring too.

As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life.  ~ John Lubbock

More Blue Skies on Sunday

We have had some really beautiful blue skies lately, although everyone is still happy when we see a few clouds...hoping for a good rain shower, but as you can see in these photos, it's still extremely dry here.  At least the 100 degree weather seems to have gone...something to be thankful for!  I haven't seen too many butterflies around this summer so it was lucky to see this one fluttering around the flowers at the museum.  I have seen lots of starry nights since it has been so clear but it's also fun to see the stars at the planetarium.  They are still showing the summer skies but I am almost ready to see the fall skies...a simple joy of watching the stars, one of my favorite things to do.

Thoughts come clearly when one walks.  ~  Thomas Mann

Saturday in the Garden

Tomatoes right from a garden is one of the best simple joys of the summer for us.  We couldn't seem to get enough, even though there will be more than enough still growing for all of us to keep picking.  I would have thought by looking at these little cherry tomatoes, that they still had some ripening up to do but no, these are actually orange when they are ripe and also low acid, which is nice for me.  They taste just like the red ones...amazing!  I will make tons of this pasta salad and use these wonderful little tomatoes, a little chicken and light dressing...Mary's favorite to give her the energy to make it through band camp with her purple flag this week.

A Fair Friday

The word of the day is "extreme."  It has been extremely HOT and everyone is extremely tired.  They just seem to go together.   So I thought I would post some photos from earlier this week when it wasn't so extreme.  Mary and I explored the museum in town and that was interesting to find out things that we never knew and loved the fact that in most of all the old photos we saw, everyone had their pet in their family or business photos.  Mostly they had dogs or cats, but some had horses or rabbits in their photos.  People should do that more often I think.  We also went to the county fair this week and when we came to the bunny barn, I had to take a few photos.  They had bunnies of all sizes and colors.  The black and white ones made me think of a certain cat I know and love.

Some Colors for Saturday

White flowers are usually difficult for me to capture in such bright light but these made me smile as I walked by, so I had to try.  I love the shape and is usually what I think of while drawing flower shapes, my "go-to" flower shapes? I'm feeling inspired and excited to try out more new summer scents for my soy candles soon.  Another proud mom moment...I've also been wanting to get a photo of Mary with her flag all month, but I usually just see her walking down the road with it rolled up on her shoulder, going to a rehearsal.  So this was just a pose for me, notice the ballet stance.  Grace and confidence do go together and I see it in her smile.

Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Summer Scents on Saturday

 



I'm a huge fan of aromatherapy...if you don't already know that, you must be new here and I welcome you too.  It's just as soothing to me as listening to the church bells ringing at the end of another day (not really the end, just when I switch gears to relax.)  Aromatherapy from my soy candles, tarts and soaps really makes my day.  These are some tarts I made recently with some pretty summer scents...Breezes and Sunshine, Japanese Cherry Blossom and China Rain.

The summer night is like a perfection of thought. ~ Wallace Stevens

Memorial Day Parade

Some more of Mom's roses are blooming this weekend, others have been scorched by the sun already.  I feel so lucky when I can see them as buds before they bloom, rosebuds are special.  The church bells have been ringing all day and we had a parade go down our street, the only one that does all year.  The other parades are always on main street, but this is the Memorial Day parade so it goes to the cemetery for a ceremony to honor the veterans with the band and flags that ends with a 21 gun salute and a loud canon.  This time they had a big covered wagon for the veterans to ride in the parade, and they all seemed happy about that suggestion. 

All we have of freedom, all we use or know-
This our fathers bought for us long and long ago.
~ Rudyard Kipling  (1899)