I just have to post something . . . .

"Walking is man's best medicine."
~ Hippocrates

It has been a busy week with this being the first week of school.  I keep thinking I will post something, but just haven't gotten to it.  So today I just have to post something . . . mostly pictures from when I am walking, but I couldn't leave out this great new skeleton hand I found at Michael's. 

I had a fantastic week . . . it is great having all the kids back.   I love this time of year! 

I will truly appreciate my weekend though!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

good things this week . . .

"Finding joy is probably tantamount

to finding yourself and being

comfortable in your own skin."

~ Morgan Freeman

PEACE ~ LOVE ~ LILY

GOOD THINGS THIS WEEK . . . 

1. Coffee, tea, and cute cookies at work . . . 

2. Being disciplined and not eating the cookies

3. Quotes

4. Shopping with Lily . . . popcorn and root beer!

5. My brother sending me pictures of Mom and Oscar

6. Walking and taking pictures

7. Flowers

8. Getting plenty of sleep

9. Eating healthy . . . and feeling great

10. Getting reacquainted with my Shabby Charlotte dolls . . . 

Peace ~ Love ~ Joy

spring magic . . .

"People from a planet without flowers 

would think we must be mad with joy 

the whole time to have such things about us."  

~ Iris Murdoch, A Fairly Honourable Defeat

"It's spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.

And when you've got it, you want . . . 

oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want,

but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!"

~ Mark Twain

Do I ever have spring fever!  I try to get a few miles walking and running in during my lunch break . . . and today I just wanted to keep going.

  I probably posted the same thing last year

 . . . but Spring never fails to work it's magic.  

Oh, I do believe in magic . . . and I do believe there must be a fairy of some sort in this last picture - sitting in that tree soaking up the sunshine.  

At least I like to think there is . . . life is just way more fun when you believe in MAGIC!

photo challenge 1/8/16 . . . ordinary

Find JOY in the ordinary!

 ordinary white paper . . . 

 ordinary black Sharpie . . . 

 Finding joy in the ordinary . . . 

I am having fun with this January photo challenge and it is doing what I hoped it would do for me.  I am looking forward to an ordinary weekend . . . but who knows how extraordinary it may turn out to be!

cake & buttons

To go along with my photo challenge for today . . . 

pineapple upside down cake was a must tonight.  Simple recipe - here.

DELICIOUS!  

I was also in the mood to play with buttons.  

I sorted out pink ones, red ones, white ones . . . thinking Valentine's day of course.

Buttons are always fun and I like how the little heart turned out. 

I used 28 gauge wire.  After just stringing the buttons on the wire the heart was a little flimsy, so I cut another piece of wire and wrapped it around the wire holding the button . . . on the back side of the heart . . . wrapping the wire 2-3 time around the wire in between each button.  (if that even makes sense).  If I make another one I will take some pictures.  

photo challenge 1/6/16 . . . broken

"The world breaks everyone . . . and afterward 

some are strong at the broken places."

~ Ernest Hemingway

Most of the day I did not know what I was going to do for today's challenge . . . "broken".

The day started out cold . . . and ended up cold, wet, and blustery.  On days like this I love making "breakfast for dinner" . . . so there was my idea for broken.  I only wish Charlotte had been her today . . . she loves to break eggs.  

create and find joy . . .

Looking at these pictures got me thinking . . . that this is probably just a good idea for everyone . . . playing dress up and painting.  Why do we quit doing stuff like this when we grow up?  We can learn quite a bit by observing life through the eyes of little ones . . . they may get upset, they may cry when they don't get their way, but they find some joy in every day and just go with it! 

 One of my favorite "Charlotte expressions" is . . . "I'm so excited!"  

Tomorrow I am going to take time just to be "so excited" . . . 

maybe I will even play dress up and paint.

t-shirt yarn basket

 I decided to turn my t-shirt yarn into a basket instead of a rug.  I was going to dye it when I was finished, but I think I like it better just simple and white.

Now . . . what to put in it?  

March Photo Challenge 3/29 . . . hanging

A few weeks ago I pieced together some butcher paper, taped it together, and folded a rather large paper crane.  It was a little harder than I thought and I spent quite a lot of time crawling around on my living room floor while folding it.  I had to enforce it with some small dowels, and even then it would not stand up . . . so I finally got around to hanging it up so I could take a picture of it.  I think I will make another one eventually, but not quite so big.  I had thought about hanging it up higher in one of the trees in our back yard . . . Richard was even up on a 12 foot ladder stringing a line to get started, but I decided it would take be easier just to hang it off this trellis . . . the photo probably would have been better if it had been high up in the tree, but I now at least have a picture of it hanging up.

catch up . . .

I've gotten a little behind on my photo challenge . . . so time to play catch up.

 Photo Challenge for 3/20 . . . vintage

I went with some vintage photos . . . the first one is of me - I am guessing around the age of one and the second photo was taken in the early to mid 70's.  I marched in a drum corps for 5 years . . . one of the best experiences of my life.  I love photos from the 70's.

 Photo Challenge for 3/21 . . . flowers

One of my roses that Luke picked today . . . and some water color flowers I did while I was painting with Charlotte this afternoon.  I like how they look . . . I think I will detail them a little more and use them in my journal.

 It was a beautiful day today . . . a perfect day for tennis, flip flops, and green toe nails.  I think the color of the day had to be green.

Simple Saturday!  

Hope you are enjoying your weekend!