Our First Snow

Today I woke up to a beautiful blanket of white snow. I've been really running around lately trying to get things done, so I hadn't watched the weather - so....the white blanket was a big, WONDERFUL surprise. It made everything look so clean and fresh. It made me think of the way we all need a fresh clean start and that God, in his grace and mercy, gives us that opportunity with each new day. And boy did I need a new start today. The last week has been really difficult - and last night in particular was. I couldn't sleep, so stayed up till 2 a.m., which I knew I would pay for this morning. I have been in the doldrums for several days, wondering if life is really worth much and is anything that I do worth much. And so - the early morning SNOW - gave me the assurance that we can start again with each new day. We don't have to wait until Jan. 1st or some other monumental occasion. Just start with today. I have sort of unwittingly been fasting today. And I feel refreshed and renewed. Thank You Lord for your gift of snow and grace and mercy!

21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:21-36

The entrance

The entrance, originally uploaded by bitprocessor.

I love this photo - the black and white and the shimmering light off the cobblestones. Plus - a DOOR! Of course I am enamored with doors and entrances of all types. Great job!

Memories for Those Born in 1955

I was born in 1955, so I thought I would add a few memories here - an idea I got from one of the Yahoo Groups I am a member of:

One of my favorite toys was the hul-a-hoop.

The first Barbies came out in 1958 or 9 and I got my first one in 1959.

I remember being in 1st grade when JFK was assassinated. Everything stopped to watch the news.

When I learned to drive gas was 19 cents a gallon.

I remember phone party-lines where you could listen in on your neighbor's conversations!

The Monkees and Herman's Hermits were popular musicians when I was in Jr. High.

There were many corner stores that sold penny candy- things like wax lips, necco wafers, candy dos and more

Milk came in glass jugs

Disposable diapers were just about unheard of

Other popular toys- Tiny Tears, Chatty Cathy, Raggedy Ann, Radio Flyer wagons, metal skates with keys, tea sets, Easy Bake Ovens

In grade school we all learned the drill procedure in the event of an atomic bomb attack – duck under your desk and cover your head

Many places did not have an area code, and telephone numbers were often associated with names and letters .Stanley eight and so on

All phones were rotary dials will bells for ringers

Most children’s records were done on heavy vinyl and played at 78 rpm

No video recordings- cartoons waited till Saturday morning

No air popped popcorn- it was in a pot with oil or the new invention of Jiffy Pop.

View Masters were new toys and cool

Silly Putty was new and cool

Etch a Scetch was cool

There were pinball games but no video games

Microwaves were incredibly expensive and very few owned them. Same was true for air conditioners


Car seats were unheard of and most of us rode around in the back of the station wagon, free as a bird

Everyone played in the neighborhood- softball, kick-the-can and hide and seek were spontaneous events

real paper dolls

milk being delivered to door

Captain Kangaroo

black and white tvs, we got 3 channels

portable record players

stingray bikes

clackers

Cocoa cola came in glass bottles

drive in movies

Drive ins - they put the food tray on your car window

Completed "Things I Love" Art Page

Here are the instructions from Wrapped Emotions: http://wrappedemotions.blogspot.com/

With Thanksgiving being next week everyone begins to ask the traditional question..."For what are you thankful?" This week let's put a little twist on that thought.

What do you love today?

For this week's prompt you will need to set aside a small block of uninterrupted time. *gasp* You can do it. You need to do it. Allow whatever amount of time you think it will take to complete the project. Get any art supplies ready ahead of time. Open your art journal to a clean page, date it and begin listing the things you love today...or whatever day you do the project.

No typing on the computer and printing words. It should be done in your handwriting. Make it neat, make it sloppy, make it uniquely yours. Doodle the words, fine line print, bold line print, scribble. Write horizontally, diagonally, backwards, upside down. Give the page some color and pop...paint the page first...collage the page first...color the page with marker. Do not be limited by these suggestions. But WRITE the lists...no typing and printing. What is important is that you know what you love today.

One more twist...in a creative way include a wrapper from one of the things you love today (or the day you do this). Remember, if a week's project is not completed on an actual journal page, take the time to lovingly place each one into your art journal.

So...What do you love today?

Since it is hard to read what I wrote in gel pen, you can read the list here:
Things I love today are:
my husband, my children, my Lord, memories of butterfly kisses from my children, seeing my children succeed and enjoy life, my close friends. And for the more trivial - not necessarily "love" but like or enjoy extremely : watching the Hornblower movies on the pull-out couch with my family, long walks in the woods, long bike rides, good music - my son's music, my daughters' creations, getting compliments, being told that I am loved, hearing from my son, our property up North on Long Lake, being called "skinny", talking for hours with my good friend, drinking great coffee, looking at books, creating art, listening to my daughter play the piano, dreaming about the future, sunsets on Long Lake, autumn leaves crunching under my feet as I walk, one perfect, tiny crimson leaf lying amid thousands of dried up brown leaves, white birch bark among multiple dark tree trunks, shopping for cute clothes for myself for the first time in years, reading good books, altered anything! still!, going to the art fair and meeting the artists, hand-made, hand-embellished wool felted hats.........

The wrapper I chose is the cup wrapper from a couple of coffees enjoyed with friends - one from Starbucks and the other from Barnes and Noble. Barnes and Noble is a place I love to spend time because I can combine my love of looking at good books, drinking great coffee and spending time with friends or family. I simply scanned them in, along with the cover of a soap container (Mary Engelbright) given to me by my best friend.

The scanned Clinique wrapper represents my new interest in wearing make-up and trying to look my best. And the bicycle - well that is probably obvious.

I have recently lost over 40 pounds and hope to lose 20 more. All of this is part of my trying to re-frame my life. I am trying to re-discover the creative part of me. So finding this creative outlet with Wrapped Emotions seems to really fit. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Things I Love Today

This is the first post since a year ago - what have I been doing? Mostly trying to stay alive and re-frame my life into a new one. I had an earth-shattering experience last March that I won't go into here, but suffice it to say that my old world completely crumbled and I have been trying to find myself in this new world I call "life". It has been a long, difficult struggle and will probably continue to be so for some time. But the fact that I can at least write again suggests that I am starting to live in this new world instead of stand by and look at it.

Things I love today are:
my husband, my children, my Lord, memories of butterfly kisses from my children, seeing my children succeed and enjoy life, my close friends. And for the more trivial - not necessarily "love" but like or enjoy extremely : watching the Hornblower movies on the pull-out couch with my family, long walks in the woods, long bike rides, good music - my son's music, my daughters' creations, getting compliments, being told that I am loved, hearing from my son, our property up North on Long Lake, being called "skinny", talking for hours with my good friend, drinking great coffee, looking at books, creating art, listening to my daughter play the piano, dreaming about the future, sunsets on Long Lake, autumn leaves crunching under my feet as I walk, one perfect, tiny crimson leaf lying amid thousands of dried up brown leaves, white birch bark among multiple dark tree trunks, shopping for cute clothes for myself for the first time in years, reading good books, altered anything! still!, going to the art fair and meeting the artists, hand-made, hand-embellished wool felted hats........

That's it for tonight. I'll try to do art tomorrow.