30 April 2012

Audrey Gets Into Things: The Movie


This is easier to see on YouTube. If you click on the title in the upper left corner it will take you to the YouTube version.
Isn't she the picture of sweetness and innocence? See why we love her so much? :D
Shalom for now!

23 April 2012

Night Owls...

I had to work early this morning. I stepped out of my back door and onto the porch at about 5:30 a.m. The stillness of the morning surrounded me. The sky to the east was just turning blue and pink; the sun not yet up. Then I heard it. Hoo...hoo-hoo... The coolest sound ever! I'm rarely outside this time of morning or during the night, so I've only heard this sound a few times. I listened and was treated to a second hoo...hoo-hoo. I guess it's the time for owls to look for mates? Here are a few owl pictures. Perhaps this is what my owly friend looks like...
Ooo...kinda scary!

Kinda artsy-craftsy...
Very pretty!
Child-like painting...I like it!
Ah, I bet this is what he looked like! Looks like somebody caught him in the act of hooting! :)

I didn't remember that I was such an owl fan, but I think I am!

And now, a summer fashion show starring...Audrey, of course!
The one-piece...
A side view...

I will add photos of her two-piece...after I remember to load them on the computer!

Have a great evening!

Shalom!

21 April 2012

Audrey Discovers Stuff...

Hey, what's that?
It seems to be a hole in the floor and hot air is coming out!
I wonder what it tastes like...
Did you know about this?
All this exploring is HARD WORK! Ahhhh....
And happy birthday, yesterday, Glenn! I hope you bought yourself a nice bauble! That's what's happenin' here! Shalom!

18 April 2012

Quiet Time...

Driving my car home from work tonight, I realized how much I enjoy this quiet time. It was about 8:30 p.m. All I could see was the white lines on the road and the tail lights of the car ahead of me. The dark trees rose up on both sides of the highway. I caught an occasional glimpse of the fading blue of the evening sky reflected on a lake, while everything else was a black silhouette. It was a very peaceful feeling.

I often pop a music CD into the player and fill that silence with music. Sometimes that feels right, but tonight it seemed right to use this time to brainstorm, think about art, talk to God, plan something I want to write about. Silence is at such a premium in my life. Living with four adults and a baby, there is very little opportunity to just think my own thoughts.

I have to remember not to fill the silence with noise. Quiet time is a special treat.

Shalom.

16 April 2012

Snow on our budding trees!


Just as we're beginning to see a tinge of green in the trees...snow! But it's dripping and melting as I type, so maybe winter isn't back after all!
And now, a little music...

Have a great day!

14 April 2012

Audrey's new bell bottoms!


"Odj" in her new bell bottoms...

...and having a talk with Grandpa.

Shalom for now!

10 April 2012

Just Write Tuesday...

Why does it always seem to happen? There's an art or writing challenge due today. Here I am with a headache. All I can think of is that ache behind my eyes. I spend hours looking at others' beautiful artwork and watching videos of how to sew together a small art journal. All inspiring stuff, but writing something just doesn't feel exciting. In fact, any time I have an interesting idea for something to write I'm at work or driving or somewhere that I can't even write the idea down. By the time I get to my computer my intereset in the idea has waned or I've forgotten it. Sigh. Inspsiration is a slippery thing. The IDEA of creating something is more exciting than actually doing it, I think. I see so many art journals crammed full of drawings and watercolors and quotes and feelings, but what purpose do they really serve? I feel guilty spending so much time on art for art's sake. I feel the need to justify the time I'm spending on this. What would God have me use it for? That's the answer I'm seearching for. It's much too easy to waste the time we're given, whether it's TV, computer, art. We can't just drift and never question...

This sounds so negative, but it's what plays through my mind a lot. God needs to be the center. Is He?

P.S.-I'm adding this later because I don't want to make others feel defensive about doing art. This was intended as a stream-of-consciousness type of writing; just putting my feelings on paper. So this is what I feel about myself doing art and what it's purpose should be in my life. I'm not judging anyone else because I, unlike God, don't know other people's hearts. I tend to have an addictive nature when it comes to art and it takes over to the point that I neglect other things. On the other hand, I'm also a bit of a martyr and have told myself I couldn't do anything with art for many years because I couldn't do it in a disciplined manner. So, I'm just talking to myself and I hope my readers will keep that in mind. Thanks for dropping by! :)

06 April 2012

A freaking out...then a "Thank you, Lord"!

College. It seems to be a series of ups and downs; a rollercoaster experience.
So, I've registered for my classes for next fall. All is well...I think. I determined that I would only have to drive to the school two days a week. Oh...change of plans. They've now decided that the Medical Microbiology lecture class should be split into two sessions so we would retain the information better. In other words, one more day of driving to the school. (It's almost a 100 mile round trip each day.) So now we're up to 3 days of driving each week. Oh...another change. One of my nursing classes has been changed from Monday to Friday. Friday wasn't a day I had planned to go to school. I had planned to work every other Friday and every other weekend. So now I will be driving FOUR days a week and won't be able to work on Fridays. AAARGG! Okay...take a deep breath. Check out the possibility of taking classes in Detroit Lakes instead of Wadena (aka Tornado Alley). Okay...nope. They don't even offer the two nursing classes I need. Well, that takes that decision out of my hands.

Okay, okay. I'll go back and look at my schedule again. Hey...the other nursing class has also been rescheduled for Fridays. Hmmm... Both nursing classes are on Friday and the lab for one of them is on Thursday. So...if I sign up for Medical Microbiology in the online version...HEY, I'm back to driving just TWO days a week! Thank you, Lord!! :D (He knew this all along, I suppose.)

The assignment...make an Easter basket to exchange...

Our deli gals are exchanging Easter baskets this morning. I wasn't too enthused at first, but I kind of enjoyed it once I got started.


Happy Resurrection Day, everyone!

03 April 2012

Just Write Tuesday...

"Whatever happens around you, don't take it personally...
Nothing other people do is because of you.
It is because of themselves." ~ Don Miguel Ruiz

I just copied this from my step-daughter's Facebook status. This is a rather pessimistic view of mankind; unfortunately it's all too true. How often, when we're visiting with a friend or loved one, do we wait for them to stop talking just so we can fit in our two cents worth? Were we really listening to them and caring about what they have to say, or are we thinking about ourselves?

Just something most of us, myself included, need to work on. We're a self-centered generation (with a few exceptions) and that's just the opposite of what Jesus asks us to be.