Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Monday, December 29, 2008

D is for...


DIRT




We've spent the morning cleaning up the house. I've taken a break for a few minutes to check email and add to the blog. When I finish this, it's back to mopping the floors and airing out the place. What a way to spend an anniversary!
picture credit:
Andrew Wodzianski
2-D Visual
Washington, DC, USA
Home page:
http://www.wodzianski.com


Saturday, December 27, 2008

Bold and Beautiful

I searched around to find a Christmas photo from the soap opera, The Bold and The Beautiful, but there was nothing great out there. I remember watching that soap and the others on CBS as a kid. Don't you just love Sally?

Instead, I found the beautiful and colorful photo on another blog: www.ashleylaurencheney.blogspot.com . Enjoy! photo credit: tripowski

Best of...John Tyson's first Christmas

Dear John Tyson,
This is the story of your first Christmas...
On the 23rd of December you and your parents spent the morning packing up and getting ready to go. Strangely, the luggage, gifts, and baby things did NOT take up the entire car. In fact, there was a whole entire car seat for your traveling companion, Matthew. We headed off to Raleigh at about 10am. Our first stop was the Dickens' house. Arriving 30 minutes later than planned, we exchanged gifts with Miss Carolyn and Mr. Kent and hugged Little Kent's neck (we were surprised to see him there because he is spending a school year in Europe studying earth quake engineering, but he was in town for the holidays). Miss Carolyn showed us her NC State Fair Blue ribbon winning photograph of the fair piglets and you played with the cat toys as if they were your own. After about an hour, we headed to Granny and B.Bob's house (Jeanie and Bob). On our way, we called your Uncle Jackson who somehow had locked himself onto the back porch of his apartment and couldn't get off, in or out. So, we headed over to his place and let him in before actually leaving for Granny and B.Bob's. Arriving 30 minutes later than planned, we visited, ate dinner, and met the new doberman pincher, Mia. After our visit, we headed to Papa Jerry and Ginnie Marcy's house (my dad and Martha) to go to bed.

Ginnie and Papa were unusually happy and pleasant. We woke up the next day intending to rest and relax. Papa and Ginnie started to get nervous that we were bored, so they worked out a plan to keep us occupied. Papa and Dad went to play tennis and you, mom, and Ginnie took a "necessary" trip to Target. (We didn't need anything and I hate shopping at places like that, but we just had to because we needed milk. Never mind that Target is 40 minutes away and there's a Foodlion 10 minutes away) That night, we ate a nice dinner and the adults exchanged gifts. Christmas morning, we woke up, ate french toast for breakfast, and opened your presents. Uncle Jackson's gift was the best of all. He built you a toy wagon and some wooden blocks.

Next, we drove to Zebulon again. After arriving 30 minutes later that planned, we opened gifts and quickly rushed back into the cars so that we could get to Brighton Gardens to see Nana. After arriving 30 minutes later than planned, we visited with Nana and Betsy and her family. Nana opened her gifts while you played with the humongous cat and daddy sneezed the whole time. Nana loved looking at you and told everyone she loved you and thought you were cute. We sang carols and said goodbye to Nana after 45 minutes.

Then, we drove to Betsy's house. We ate a small lunch, visted, and exchanged gifts. You really liked your wooden bath boat your received from John, Valarie, and Compton. Compton kept on talking about you. He was happy to see another kid at the family gathering. The clock quickly ticked on to 4pm and we had to say goodbye.

Then, we drove to Grammy and Pops' house. Arriving 30 minutes later than planned, Auntie M, Grammy, and Pops were happy to greet us at the door. Your dad went straight to the bathroom where he proceeded to throw up and have the squirts every five minutes for 5 hours straight. While daddy was suffering, the rest of us ate soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, exchanged gifts, and visited. You really liked your wooden blocks that Auntie M gave you. Momma really liked her shoes and smelly stuff and Grammy and Pops really liked the pictures they received of you.

After a while, Grammy and Momma started to get worried about your dad so Grammy called the healthcare hotline: Aunt Sally. After talking to Aunt Sally, we all decided that daddy needed to go to the Emergency room. So, Momma and Daddy left you at Grammy and Pops' house and headed to the Wake Med facility in Apex. Daddy was dehydrated, so they hooked daddy up to an IV and gave him nausea and pain medication. The doctor said there was no way to tell if it was food poisoning or a virus, so the only thing to do was to treat the symptoms and suffer through it. After the first hour of being in the Emergency room, Momma started to throw up and after about 2 hours, Daddy started to feel better, so we went home.

On the way home (at 2am in Apex), two cops decided to pull Momma and Daddy over. The car's headlight was out. After running the tag numbers and making sure there were not warrants out on Momma, the cop let us go on home. That night, both Momma and Daddy suffered terribly.

The next day, everyone cancelled their plans to visit with Grandaddies Jarrell and Harris. You played all day with Grammy, Pops, and Auntie M while Momma and Daddy laid on the couches and slept all day. That night, Daddy cancelled the reservation at the bed and breakfast that he had made for Momma and Daddy's anniversary.

And today, the 27th, Grammy, Pops, and Auntie M are in Reidsville visiting with the family while Momma and Daddy are resting at 2308 Bull Run Drive and you are galavanting around town with Grannie and B.Bob. Tomorrow, you'll go to Aversboro Road Baptist church with your Aunt and Granparents while your parents play hookie and then we'll all go home, most likely 30 minutes later than planned, and unpack, clean up, and get ready for the week ahead.

And that's the story of your first Christmas ever.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Green living


Recyled Wrapping paper makes great cards! Get instructions here.

Actually Simple


LIving Christmas Tree....no decorations required.

Imago Dei


Sunday, December 21, 2008

C is for Clouds

Here is one of many beautiful pictures of clouds found on the Berkeley website.

Bold and Beautiful



There's nothing more bold and beautiful than tacky Christmas lights!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Best of...magazines



One of my favorite magazines right now is Mary Jane's Farm magazine. This one's got all sorts of helpful tips on crafting, living simply, living green, and more. If you think you are a "farm girl" at heart, this is one worth picking up. http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/



Also, I really enjoy reading the Communities magazine. This one's really helpful for me as I try my best to live in intentional community with others. There are interesting articles about group conflict, consensus, decision making, living green, etc. You can get your own copy at http://www.ic.org/


Thursday, December 18, 2008

Dreams party

Many moons ago, with hope as bright as a shining star, dreamers wished of a place and a people called "Hyaets". Three years ago, that twinkling star of hope was planted and left to grow. Seasons have passed. Nights and days have gone by. The dream, having taken root in a place and a people in West Charlotte, has produced magnificent fruit. The soil and plants are resting for winter, but the spring is coming. Now is the time to prepare for the seasons to comel On January 31st, let us gather and nourish the soil and the gardeners with hope and dreams once more. Join Hyaets for a Dreams Party, a time of sharing experiences and hopeful dreaming for the future. We hope to see you there.

Please RSVP to Helms

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Green day


Solar panel art

Imago Dei

Spencer Reynolds www.artandstuff.com

Monday, December 15, 2008

B is for Bread



Down Home Baking Company, located in Charlotte, NC, specializes in baked goods made from scratch with no added preservatives, such as handmade artisan breads, cakes, pies and tarts. DHBC uses only high quality ingredients.
The success of DHBC comes from building a clientele that appreciates a good quality product. Down Home Baking Company thrives on the feedback that customers provide and place great emphasis on keeping product healthy with lots of flavor.

Additional shout out to "bread" aka West Kellett!

The bold and beautiful



I love bold colors! This is called "Synergy" by Pinwheel

Friday, December 12, 2008

Best of...blogs

I've got several blogs that I try to look at regularly. Many of them are craftsy art blogs. Others are journal blogs of friends. Almost daily, I check out Tracy and Adam's blog. They are on a year long adventure in South and Latin America. I love reading about the farming and their travels. You too can read about Adam and Tracy Jarrell by clicking on http://www.turnerjarrell.blogspot.com/ Even if you don't know A & T, it is still interesting to read and learn from their journey.
This picture of penguins was taken by A & T in Chile.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Thursday is Green day


What's more Green than the Tree of Life?
Name: The Tree of Life, Stoclet Frieze, c.1909 Print by Gustav Klimt


Wednesday- Actually simple


I got the hankerin' for Russian Tea the other day. Here's the recipe.
Instant Russian Tea
Submitted by: SissyRated: 5 out of 5 by 20 members
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Ready In: 10 MinutesYields: 100 servings
"A citrus and spiced dry tea mix that can be given as gifts."
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups orange-flavored drink mix (e.g.
Tang)
2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup instant tea powder
3/4 cup lemon-flavored instant tea powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
DIRECTIONS:
1.
In a large bowl, combine orange drink mix, sugar, tea powder, cinnamon and cloves. Mix well
and store in an airtight container.
2.To serve, put 3 teaspoons of mix in a mug. Stir in 1 cup boiling water. Adjust to taste.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2008 Allrecipes.com
Printed from Allrecipes.com 12/11/2008


Tuesday- Imago Dei


Several years ago, there was some sort of art collectin/competition for which artists created images of Christ. There were several that were inspiring and interesting, but this is one of my favorites.
When you think of Christ, what image comes to mind?

Monday, December 8, 2008

A is for Advent

Waiting for the Christ Child to come with anticipation and hope.



Saturday, December 6, 2008

Life's Embrace


I was looking around for something bold and beautiful and this photo of a painting jumped out at me... not necessarily for the paiting but for the photo of the painting. I like the rich browns, the title "Life's embrace", the tree, and the colors. What do you think?

Friday...we interrupt this program to bring you

BEFORE...AFTER.....









Joy Katherine (or is it, Kathryn? I'll have to ask) Williams, born on Dec 4th at 8:30pm. 7lbs, 7oz, 20.5 inches long. Jason and Joanie are doing well. They are calling her "Joy Kate"








Thursday, December 4, 2008

Thursday is Green day












keeping up the the joneses

All of the other bloggers that I read focus on special things each day of the week. So that I might be a member of the bandwagon, I'm giving it a try. Here's my goal
Monday: A-Z day
Tuesday: Imago Dei day: images of God, Jesus, Spirit, Icons, etc.
Wednesday: Actually Simple: simple things done simply well
Thursday: Green day
Friday: Best of day. Best of blogs, sites, images, and words
Saturday: The Bold and Beautiful
Sunday: Rest day, no blogging

Enjoy!

Monday, November 24, 2008

on my christmas list


So many bloggers, So little time

I recently found a whole slew of self employed art/craft/diy bloggers. Man! Such good ideas and such beautiful things.
I don' t have time for this. There are two things I don't have time for: 1) reading everyone else's blog, 2) writing enough information to keep up with everyone else. Oh, yeah, and there's another thing I don't have time for: 3) I want to make all of this great stuff, but I don't have time for that either.

When I don't have something posted, there are other wonderful blogs out there. Just start looking and you too will realize the amount of time you don't have:

www.whipup.net
www.mylittlemochi.typepad.com
www.mermag.blogspot.com
www.decor8blog.com
www.designspongeonline.com
www.selfsufficientish.com

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Things I like lately

Fun things for baby...







Color...



Umbrellas...


Trees...
To see more of what I like, go to my favorites on etsy! :)

Saturday, November 8, 2008

I know I've mentioned etsy.com a bizillion times on this blog, but I just can't help but mention it again. It is a great website.

One of the best things about etsy is the "My Favorites" feature. Just like wedding and baby shower gift registering, I can look at all the beautiful things and click a button to add them to my list of favorites. It is like shopping without spending money!

Then, when I'm in the mood to see some of my favorite things, they are right there waiting for me on the favorites list. (Maybe some of those loved ones who don't know what to buy for me when it comes gift giving time will have a better idea after seeing the favorites list.)

Just look at this painting posted on etsy by studio AK. Isn't it georgious? I just love it!

Friday, November 7, 2008

Fall leaves

This year's fall leaves are beautiful. So bright and so vivid. I have loved the last two days of blue skies and orange, yellow, red, purple, and brown leaves. This photo is posted by Kathelesage on etsy.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

These birdies are a scream!


My son, John Tyson, has a homemade little birdie costume for Halloween. I will be dressing up in brown and green and will wrap vines around my torso and I've made a nest headband to top it all of so that I can be the tree that the little birdie perches in. It is so fun to dress up and get creative with costumes.


I found this print by falldowntree on etsy today and couldn't resist sharing it. I thing it is so cute and funny.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

I went to Cheap Joe's Art Stuff store last week. I was looking for frames to send to my friend, Beth, who had ordered a couple of prints off of my etsy site. I didn't find the kind of frames I was looking for, but I did find some very small canvases. I bought a few and have spent a little bit of time playing around with them and my paints. I hope to use some time in the next few evenings to paint a few small pieces.

I've talked to Lynn at the tailgate about having a craft vendors' day. She says we might be able to do so in November or December. It would be fun to have some fellow crafters there.

I don't have a lot of time to make new things to sell at the tailgate. I just like to people watch and spend time with newly made friends. But, maybe if there's a craft day, people will stop and look at my stuff too. We'll see.

Weekend at Camp Grier

My favorite time of day is at dusk. The sunlight leans down on the trees making them orange instead of green. The night begins to creep in on the grass leaving shadows of blue and grey. The sky, preparing for transition, clears the way for the night stars.

This weekend, we went to Old Fort and stayed at Camp Grier. My usual practice is to grab my camera and snap every shot possible: leaves, trees, water, turtle, bridge, canoes, cabin, rocking chair, rocks, fire tower, night sky, campfire....

But this weekend, instead of capturing the beauty on film, I chose to live in the beauty while it was taking place and nothing else.

No photos to show from our trip, just a memory and reminder once more of God's creation and the beauty there within.

Mounturtle



posted on etsy by whatcitystudio

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Dragon


By Julie Blackmon

Friday, October 17, 2008

Rest for the weary



I took this one at the hammock store on the outer banks.