Some Spring Color on a Gray Day

With the chilly weather we’ve had lately it’s been difficult finding the motivation to break out some Spring color in my home.  Just last week, we had a winter storm, freezing rain followed by several inches of snow.  The one good thing about a Spring snowstorm in April is the nastiness is usually short-lived and within a couple of days, temperatures rise and the snow melts away.  I’m anxious for the “spring green” to return though.  Everything is still so brown and the trees still bare.  It will come, but it sure seems to be slow in getting here. 

I thought yesterday maybe a bit of inspir-shopping might get me motivated to start thinking Spring.  While browsing around one of my favorite home-decor stores, I saw this wicker basket hanging on a doorknob and picked it up.  My original idea was to fill it with spring flowers and hang it on my front door.  But, there isn’t enough space between the steel front door and the glass storm door for it to hang, so that was a no-go.  I had already brought some bright orange into my dining room, so I decided to fill it and try it in there.

I stuffed it with these bright orange tulips.  I love this color with green.

 

Not a bad find at $19.95 and I already had the tulips, so for very little, I added a little Spring indoors even though it’s not very spring-like outdoors.  I hope we see no more snow but only April showers so things will green up very soon.  Hope it’s warm and sunny where you are! 

Five Minute Friday - Again

I'm taking five minutes this morning to join Lisa-Jo for Five Minute Friday at The Gypsy Mama to share a few thoughts on the word for today - Again.

Again? Do I have to? Again can be heavy, burdensome, especially when you're dreading starting something, or worse, starting something over. Again can feel like an anchor around your neck, an anchor that you drag along, reluctant and unwilling, convinced before you start that the effort probably won't be worth it anyway. I've been there, have you?  The burden of again can mean yet another attempt at success after failure. Mustering up the will power again, or finding the inner strength to try again isn't easy, since again infers you've been here before and were not successful, or happy, or content. I can't believe I fell for that - again. I can't believe I gave up - again. I can't believe I gained the weight back - again. I can't believe I stopped writing - again.

But again is also opportunity. An opportunity for redemption, another chance at success, a chance for happiness, for contentment. If you dig deep enough, again becomes not an anchor but a lifeline, one that you, and only you, make the choice to reach for and hold onto for dear life. Again says never say never. The sun will rise again tomorrow and every day after, coming to us fresh and new and full of opportunity - if we'll just try - again.

Keep the faith.

Linking to:

The Gypsy Mama

The Power of the Written Word

I enjoy blogging but I enjoy writing more.  While I love looking at beautiful photos, I’m much more interested in what the blogger has to say than the pictures that they share.  We communicate through pictures, yes, the explosion of Pinterest is a perfect example of that, but with pictures, the viewer gets to interpret the subject any way they choose.  When the writer writes, they’re sharing their true feelings, exposing their talents or their frailties, and we don’t usually have to guess what they’re trying to convey.

Welcome to my reading and writing corner.

Over the last year or so, I’ve participated in a weekly writing exercise called Five Minute Friday at The Gypsy Mama, where Lisa-Jo extends a standing invitation every Friday to write with “no extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation. Unscripted. Unedited. Real.”

You’re given a one word-prompt and then you write for five minutes, your first impressions on the word, what the word means to you or what the word makes you think of or feel in the moment.  You write quickly, without thinking too long or too hard.  You can then share your blog post with other participants if you wish.  It’s amazing how different the interpretation of the same word can be between writers and how touching and inspiring it is to read other members submissions. 

After so many weeks, I had compiled quite a collection of writings, so rather than store them all on my computer, I made them into a book that I called simply “Five Minutes”, Volume 1.  As I look back on it now, some of the writings were most definitely a reflection of what I was going through at the time.  They make me remember and think.  They make me smile and they make me cry. 

I dedicated the book to both my children as the inspiration for all that I do and all that I write.  I had a book made for each of them as well.

  

While I don’t participate as much at Five Minute Friday as I used to, I do credit the exercise for getting me writing again.  I’m writing and submitting short stories for publication and working on my second book of Five Minute Writings as we speak.  If you have some time, I highly recommend joining Lisa-Jo one of these weeks and taking a whack at Five Minute Friday.  You just might surprise yourself at what comes out.  I know sometimes I was.

Write it down, I tell you.  Even if it’s only for you, take time to collect your thoughts once in a while and put them down on paper.  Feel it, share it, preserve it.  It’s worth every (five) minutes.

Have a great week, everyone!

Linking to:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

It’s Photography 101 for Me

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, that you spent the time with family and friends, ate lots of yummy food and enjoyed gifts both given and received.  Our kids and 2-month old granddaughter Isla were home for six days over Christmas and we did just that, hung out here at home, played games, watched movies and just relaxed.  Our little Isla is such a joy, she’s just now cooing and smiling.  There’s something very special about holding a sleeping baby in your arms while watching your family opening gifts and sharing stories.  It was wonderful. 

Aside from our new baby granddaughter, my favorite gift this year was the Nikon camera my hubby and kids bought for me.  I truly wasn’t expecting to find one under the tree this Christmas Eve, since my husband and I had looked at cameras while out Christmas shopping and of the three stores we went to, none had the Nikon 3200 in stock.  I was expecting we would go shopping after Christmas when stores replenished their inventory. They still won’t tell me how or where, but they found this camera in time for me to find it under the tree.  Pretty sneaky.  

While my old Canon point and shoot has served me well, I’ve been thinking of getting a new camera for some time.  I thought making this type of an investment required some research, so I’ve been reading up on several SLR cameras and settled on the Nikon 3200 as a good first choice at a higher-end camera.  Asking someone which camera to buy is almost like asking which doctor I should go to. Everyone says their doctor is the best, the smartest, the most compassionate to his or her patients. Ask someone who owns a Canon and they’ll highly recommend Canon. Ask a Nikon user and they’ll swear by the Nikon.  I hope I’ll be happy with my choice.

I have a lot to learn before I’m taking the quality photos that many of you share on your blogs, but I’m willing to learn.  Last summer, I took lots of outdoor photos around the lake near our home and in our many beautiful parks.  Some of them turned out quite well, more by luck than by my talent.  I hope by this summer, I will have learned to take full advantage of my new Nikon.  I intend to use it a lot.

 

According to Nikon’s website the 3200 is an:

* Affordable camera with 24MP resolution
* A “Guide” system that will help beginners
* Numerous scene modes and digital filter effects
* Easy handling, light body, high resolution LCD screen
* Full HD video with 24, 25 and 30 frames per second
* Manual sound level control when recording video

I can’t wait to learn how to use it properly, so the photos I take when I’m on my walks along the lake turn out even better than before.  I love being able to capture a moment in time in a photograph, a moment that will never occur the exact same way again.  Whether it’s photos from Nature or the many pictures I hope to take of our new granddaughter, I intend to put this gift to good use. 

There are so many sites out there offering photo-taking tips and tricks, Photography 101 so to speak, for a newbie like me. If you know of any that have been particularly helpful to you, please leave a comment and let me know. 

Have a great day, everyone!

Praying for Peace this Holiday Season

At this time of year, I enjoy turning down the lamps, plugging in all the Christmas lights and just relaxing to a few of my favorite holiday CD’s.  Music can be so powerful.  It can make our hearts sing and our spirits soar.  It can help to soothe a lost or hurting soul.  Music brings people together in a common bond.  Right now, at this moment in our country, we need our spirits lifted, our hurting souls soothed, especially in the wake of the horrific events in Newtown, CT this week.

This song, one of my favorites off an Amy Grant Christmas CD, played tonight as I was listening to music while browsing online.  Though I’ve heard it many, many times before, it took on a whole new meaning for me in light of the multiple tragedies that have taken place in communities across America in recent months, where so many innocent lives have been senselessly lost. 

In these troubled times, it seems so many of us are searching for something, longing for something, whatever it is that might give our hearts some peace or at least a feeling as close to it as the pain of life’s sometimes crushing blows will allow.  If you’ve never heard it, here are the lyrics with a link below to a performance of this song by Michael W. Smith.

“Welcome to our World”

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking

How we need to hear from God

You've been promised, we've been waiting

Welcome holy child

Welcome holy child.

 

Hope that you don't mind our manger

How I wish we would have known

Long awaited holy stranger

Make yourself at home

Please make yourself at home.

 

Bring your peace into our violence

Bid our hungry souls be filled

Word now breaking heaven's silence

Welcome to our world

Welcome to our world.

 

Fragile fingers sent to heal us

Tender brow prepared for thorn

Tiny heart whose blood will save us

Unto us is born

Unto us is born.

 

So wrap our injured flesh around you

Breathe our air and walk our sod

Rob our sin and make us holy

Perfect son of god

Welcome to our world.

Welcome to Our World - as performed by Michael W. Smith

 

This song spoke to my heart tonight. Maybe it will speak to yours too.

Christmas Cheer – Holiday Pillows

I’ve been looking forward to these arriving so I could finish my holiday decorating and they came today!  I stumbled on a wonderful Etsy shop a couple of weeks ago and couldn’t resist ordering these Christmas pillows to add a touch of cheery red to my dining room.  They’re hand-made out of burlap and hand-stamped by Ramona at RamonaOwenDesigns.com.  She had several holiday-themed pillows available, but I chose these to add some “merry” to our “Christmas”. 

Ramona describes this 2-pillow set like this:

Sometimes it takes two pillows to share the joy of a MERRY CHRISTMAS.
For your consideration I offer a "MERRY" burlap pillow and a "CHRISTMAS" burlap pillow.
In red burlap and white burlap hand stamped and stuffed with fill and best wishes.
"MERRY" 7" x 7"
&
"CHRISTMAS" 10" x 10"
Sold as a happy little holiday set ~ "MERRY CHRISTMAS"

Since I almost always put out my Pottery Barn bronze reindeer when I decorate at holiday-time, I couldn’t resist this cute pillow, described by Ramona as:

Reindeer gotta eat too!
And not just any reindeer feed will do...oh my, only Magical Supper for Flying Caribou...yes MAGICAL!
Make your holidays jolly ~ er and your reindeer merry ~ er with this goof~ball accent pillow.
A folly~li~ous pillow that measures 9" x 14" of hand stamped and painted grain sack silliness. Red burlap and drop cloth topped with a jute tab.
Stuffed with fill and merriment.

The Reindeer Feed pillow reads Magical Supper for Flying Caribou with 25 lbs. stamped up the side.  It’s so cute and the lettering is meticulously applied. 

If you have a few minutes, make a quick visit to RamonaOwensDesigns.com to see what Ramona has to offer.  I’m very pleased with my purchases and the personal touches she included with the packaging.  Many of you know by now that I’m not the crafty type, so I really appreciate others who do have the talent to create wonderful things.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

In Support and Remembrance

To all those affected by the senseless shootings today in Connecticut, our thoughts and prayers are with you as every family, and the entire community, struggle with the aftermath of this terrible tragedy. The innocent lives lost today in such an unfathomable act of evil will never be forgotten, not by those who loved them so dearly nor by those of us who in our hearts know this kind of senseless tragedy could strike anywhere, in any community, striking any family, at any time. 

In this Season of Hope, we pray you find the strength to survive the unimaginable pain of this horrific event. Our whole country is grieving with you.

May God bless and keep you.

A Little Bit of Christmas 2012

‘Tis the season once again, time to decorate our homes in the spirit of the holidays.  I’m attempting to keep things simple this year.  I’m using natural elements, more in keeping with the warm colors in my home, and adding a few bright spots of color here and there.

Today, I’m joining in the Holiday House Walk over at JenniferRizzo.com and The Christmas House Link Party at The Inspired Room.  Much appreciation to all the gals hosting holiday home parties this season, thank you for the opportunity to share in the holiday fun. The talent, time spent and attention to detail of each participant is evident at every stop.  Each and every one is very unique, special and inspiring, and my hat’s off to so many of you who create magic in your homes, not just for the holidays and not just for sharing here, but who create warmth, comfort and security all year around for those you care so much about. Every home is beautiful - - as long as that kind of love is evident.

Welcome to my home for the holidays.  Please take a moment to let me know if you enjoy your visit.

Mercury glass vases hold my mini evergreen trees.  A package wrapped in craft paper and tied with a brown satin ribbon adds to this sofa-table vignette.  The framed First Noel and Silent Night I downloaded last year from Jennifer at Dear Lillie.  As always, Jennifer’s home is impeccably decorated for the holidays again this season.  You can visit Jennifer’s lovely holiday home here.

The opposite living room side table.

I’m displaying my Pottery Barn bronze NOEL sign on the mantle again this season.  It’s very rustic and it just makes such a statement.  I’m so pleased that many of you have “pinned” photos of my mantle and this sign onto Pinterest.  It’s a unique and timeless piece.

I ordered new stockings from Pottery Barn this year, green velvet with brown monograms.  We welcomed our first grandbaby in October and I wanted her to have a brand new stocking of her very own.  She’s such a precious little thing and we can’t wait to celebrate Christmas this year with her in our arms.

My dining room gets a splash of holiday red.  I have so many beautiful holiday books, I decided to include some in my decorating.  It’s so relaxing, taking them off the shelf at this time of year, and enjoying the gorgeous photos of holiday decor and all the yummy treats of the season.

I love my one little white snowman and I find a place for him every year.  I’ve paired him with my white candle trees from Pottery Barn and this seasonal print that I ordered from Sasha at Lemonade Makin' Mama.  If you haven’t visited her blog, I highly recommend it.  Not only is she very talented and offers some wonderful items in her Etsy store, she always writes from the heart and her posts are so honest and often easy to relate to.

For my dining room table, I filled this black wooden box with greenery, mercury glass ornaments from PB and two small burlap pillows I ordered recently from a wonderful little shop on Etsy, Ramona Owen Designs.  If you like these, you’ll find more holiday pillows and other seasonal and everyday pillows at RamonaOwenDesigns.com.  They’re very well made and came packaged so cute.  A very simple arrangement and I love the red.

I laid some garland and a Pottery Barn mercury ball on my entry table just inside the kitchen door.

 

In this corner of our den, I simply filled a basket with lighted greens and pinecones.  A birch candle adds a touch of the season.

Traditionally, we put our Christmas tree in the living room near the fireplace, but this year, since we spend so much time in our den, I set it up in there near a front window.  Now, we can see the white lights twinkling from the outside of the house.  I chose warm copper ornaments, shiny and matte copper glass balls, copper acorns and pinecones and some crystal icicles for sparkle.  I tucked a few miniature gift boxes tied with sheer copper ribbon here and there.  I think I like the tree in this new spot.

And the true reason of the season.  My Willow Tree Nativity always has a special place on the entry table in the living room, so that each time we pass by we’re reminded what Christmas is all about.

 (Instagram pic of our first measureable snowfall)

The outside lights are up on the house, we just need more white stuff on the ground to make it seem like Christmas really is just around the corner!  

Oh, before I go, you must visit the holiday home of Laura at Finding Home. She has a special knack for decorating, not just during the holidays but in any season and her home reflects her wonderful taste and unique talent. She is always so gracious and I know you’ll enjoy your visit.  Tell her “Just B” sent you!  :)

Happy Holidays, everyone!  Stop by and visit me here anytime.

P.S.  Here’s our little peanut - - she’s so special and we adore her already.  She and my family are the only Christmas gifts I need. 

Linking to:

Savvy Southern Style

The Lettered Cottage

Jennifer Rizzo Holiday House Walk

Southern Hospitality

Christmas House Tours at The Inspired Room

Holiday Home Tour at Cottage Magpie