MISSING....

pic taken 1.5.12

... MY GIRLS!!!

I LOVE TEXTING... BUT I

NEED TO HEAR YOUR VOICE!

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 1.15.12

"STACKED UP ACROSS"

{placemats}

It's that time... SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY...


This week I took 4 of the 5 pictures, while JPE was making breakfast (just 35 minutes ago).


While "walking the loop"... I considered my options & decided to snap as many pictures as possible in 15 minutes. This week's hunt included: Stacked Up, Winter Wonderland, Sweet, Hole, & Frozen.

"STACKED UP"

JPE makes the "best pancakes" ~ ask any member of the family! I won't divulge his recipe {gotta keep some things a secret}... they were topped with a pat of butter & apricot or strawberry jam. I feel very pampered. Ummm... I split this STACK of pancakes with him.

"WINTER WONDERLAND"

WINTER WONDERLAND on the Central Coast of California resembles this scene... we need to do some serious pruning, as well as replace some of our bare root rose bushes. The ground critters (gophers) had a field-day & decimated some of our roses ~ even though they were protected with wire baskets. Today, the skies are covered with high clouds & the sun peeks through occasionally... our temperature is currently 61 degrees {F}.

"SWEET"

My sister is a cross-stitcher! Check out the adorable magnet! SWEET face, eh?!! this Santa didn't get PACKED AWAY with the rest of the Santas. I need to keep his cheery, red cheeked face on the fridge for a while... 

"HOLE"

My fifteen minutes was coming to an end {remember, I wanted to keep my photography time to 15 minutes}... I still needed a picture of something with a HOLE. So, I grabbed the red, felt placemat from the dining table & held it in the air. Got it! a snowflake HOLE. 

"FROZEN"

This was the ONLY photo taken outside my "self imposed" 15 minute, morning,  photography session. My rear windshield was pretty frosty (eh, covered with FROZEN water) on Friday. Snapped this picture before unlocking my car door.

Limiting my picture taking to 15 minutes of shooting time was pretty ingenious - otherwise, I could have spent hours trying to get the perfect shot!

There are some great shots over at Ashley's blog, RAMBLINGS & PHOTOS. Be sure to check them out!!

You are OFFICIALLY invited to participate. The rules are few! check them out on ASHLEY'S BLOG. 

The words to photograph this week include: Sunset, Black & White, A Day in My Life, Four {a set of four related photos}, & Colorful. 

DOOMED TO DULLNESS?

purchased at The FOLK TREE ~ 12.30.11

"With color, for the price of a pot of paint, people can express

their own style and individuality. But, as with style,

a gift for color has to be developed by experiment.

If you don't dare, you are doomed to dullness."

~ Shirley Conran, British novelist & journalist

I tend to wear solid colors - usually darks! I actually think I look good in black, but really, who doesn't? But, when it comes to decorating, I'm really attracted to  bold  &  bright  colors!

When WE visited The FOLK TREE, in Pasadena, I bought a couple of adorable little "remembrances" from this spot.

check out his sombrero

The wooden cross was actually very primitive - barely sanded on the edges! Just imagine the time it took to cut the tiny straw to create the images.

detail of the church

The design on this cross is made up of tiny little pieces of colored straw. The pieces vary in size from 1/16 to 1/2 of an inch. YEP! incredible detail work.

"TE AMO" = I LOVE YOU {Spanish}

I collect HEARTS... so I couldn't pass up purchasing a couple of these HEARTS (one for ME! & one for MOM!)

side view of the artwork

Cute huh? bet you would have bought one too! ...wish I had gotten more...

a tiny HEART...

Wanted you to appreciate the adorable handwork & intricate detail of this folk art {from Peru}... compare the size of the HEART to a spool of thread...

JUST ONE MORE REASON TO TRAVEL TO PERU THIS SUMMER!

~ adorable, intricately designed folk art ~

FAR AWAY....

SUSAN ~ I LOVE

my adorable paperweight!

What does FAR AWAY mean to YOU?

:: a distance ::

200 miles from home?

a hop, skip & a jump?

the next state?

a bicycle ride to the store?

another country?

a 3 mile walk?

:: a period of time ::

when I'm -- years old?

when I graduate from college?

on my next vacation?

when I retire?

when the kids are grown?

after {insert your sport} basketball... season?

:: a situational condition ::

when I get in physical shape?

after I save enough money?

when I have a traveling partner?

when I get over my fear of flying?

I'm sure you understand what I'm talking about...

:: LIFE is SHORT ::

A dear, dear friend passed away last weekend!

I can see her desk from my desk!

I can still hear her voice - helping anyone who asked!

but, better yet, asking, "what can I help you with?"

I can see her beautiful smile & sparkling eyes!

and remember her excitement in recounting tales

of her four-legged encounters!

{dogs were her favorite, followed by cats}

A quiet person, a talented pianist,

& a fabulous hugger!!!

This week has been incredibly difficult for everyone at work!

Waves of emotion hit each of us at different times...

Sometimes FAR AWAY

gets in the way of living LIFE!

She was full of LIFE!

but, her FAR AWAY came too early!

{52 is way too early}

I miss you! dear Ruthie!

NO WOLF...

Wolf Moon ~ 1.12.12 ~ 6:50am

Didn't capture the Wolf Moon last night! 


A long & difficult day at work. No - this doesn't have to do with the next round of budget cuts to education... but the loss of a dear, dear friend. 


Life is precious - don't forget to share your hugs, words of friendship & love, and model kindness for all...

WOLF MOON...

Tonight's the FULL MOON...

I have a meeting until 7pm, but will be checking out the moon, as soon as I leave the meeting.

Did you know the FULL MOON in the month of January

is called a WOLF MOON?

It was believed that medieval Europeans & Native

 Americans named the January moon for the howling

 from hungry wolves. As you can imagine, there

 are fewer food sources mid-winter and animals have

 difficulty finding something to eat.

Other names for this month's FULL MOON include

OLD MOON & ICE MOON. 

info: National Geographic

http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system/full-moon-article/

TONIGHT I'm going to

"FOCUS"


{OLW for 2012}

on the beauty of the FULL MOON...

& Look

for the 

EXTRAORDINARY...