A Tribute

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth's sweet flowing breast,

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray,

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair,

Upon whose bosom snow has lain,

Who intimately lives with the rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

Joyce Kilmer

Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them,

whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth.

They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach undeterred

by particulars, the ancient law of life.

Herman Hesse

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider,

every green tree is far more glorious

than if it were made of gold or silver.

Martin Luther

We had to cut down a huge oak tree in the front yard today. It had been struck by lightning and was weeping from a disease so it had to go before it fell on somebody. The old tree was home to birds and squirrels and shaded the front yard from afternoon sun. It will be sadly missed.

New Kid On The Block

There's a new blog out there that's well worth reading. Now, just because it's my brother, don't think I'm biased (even though I am). He's drawing on a deep well of knowledge and experience as the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Brunswick, Georgia. So far he's written on keeping The Lord's day, singing the Psalms, pride, educating your children, and the sanctity of life. So please go visit his blog and give him an "atta boy" for stepping out and spreading the good word.

Forcing The Issue

Ready to bring a little green and sunshine into your winter? Just use some garden objects and bring the outdoors in. With a couple of terracotta pots and some greenery cut from shrubs or store-bought ferns, a dreary winter landscape can turn as warm as a summer day. Gardening books with pictures of lush flower beds can remind us of what to look forward to.

Use the garden statuary that's taken on an aged patina to add interest to a vignette.

Try some clipped boxwood or ivy in a small vase under a bell jar. Voila! Dreary just became delightful.

Homeschooling

For all you homeschooling families out there and those of us who love'em , here's a little inspiration.

Thanks to the hilarious Tim Hawkins.

Careful! Your Age Is Showing

It's funny the things that reveal someone's age. Favorite doll growing up: Chatty Cathy - you're 50's, Cabbage Patch - you're 30's, Strawberry Shortcake - I don't want to talk about it.
Television shows are the same way. Try to talk to someone in their 20's about Captain Kangaroo, Jackie Gleason, or Johnny Carson and you may notice they are texting the nursing home on their cell phone. Looney Tunes might be your favorite cartoon if you remember having only three channels and channel 17 on UHF. But if you grew up with 300 channels then you probably favor Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Tiny Toons. Do you remember being so excited about watching The Wizard Of Oz once a year (in pajamas, on the floor) or every day for a month courtesy of a VCR?
How about favorite shoes from school days. PF Flyers and Buster Brown? Or are you from the Keds and Nike generation? If it's Reefs....once again, I don't want to talk about it.
It is fun to look through catalogs with toys from way back when kids didn't wear seatbelts or bike helmets. But when they start filling up with toys from our children's childhood that's when nostalgia becomes irritation. Is anyone really pining for the good ol' days of the '80s? Not me............I got rid of those jackets with the big shoulder pads a long time ago. And today is just fine with me no matter what my birth certificate says.

Taking Off The Gloves

Around the beginning of December there were lots of parties and get togethers on the horizon so I decided to get some pretty pink and white fingernails put on to go with the pretty outfits I'd be wearing. The only time I've ever had naturally pretty nails was during pregnancy and since that's not happening again, fake nails is the answer for hands that don't look like they belong to a potato farmer.
There's much sacrifice in having pretty fingernails, though. Number one sacrifice: no scratching. These thick, dull nails just don't do the job on those little itches. They also make taking contacts out of your eyes tricky. There's no fine touch on these babies. Fake nails are the major cause of soft contact lens fatalities. And you can forget about pulling those little stickers off of fruit. Just go ahead and get out the tweezers if you don't want paper with your pear. The list of drawbacks goes on and on. Typing, buttoning, gluing, and closing the shower door all require a bit of finesse.
So, decision time is here. Do I keep the nails and develop a first-name basis relationship with the nail lady? or.............. Do I loose the nails and regain all the function of my fingers?
The answer is right there in front of me; I'm just sorry to see the only little bit of glamour about me go.

Stamp Of Approval

Stamps have such amazing graphic punch. They are tailor-made for mixed media artwork. From stamp covered boxes to stamps in collages, their color and detail add interest to any project.These English stamps have an embosed look.
Color and architectural interest.......love the aquaducts.
This Phillipine fruit stamp has such great vintage graphics.
These have a fantastic printmaker quality.
These Nigerian stamps have a beautiful portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
Gorgeous color!

More Nigerian stamps with everything under the sun.....shells, people, flowers, musical intruments, insects, and more.

It's Citrus Time In The City

or Fruit, Glorious Fruit!
It's time for citrus fruit and we have a bumper crop this year. There are Meyer lemons, navel oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, and Valencia oranges growing in our yard and they're all loaded this year with beautiful fruit. Hubby loves to make juice with the oranges and grapefruit and you have never seen anything disappear so fast. It's just like the song says.....liquid sunshine. I can't get enough of the lemons. I put the juice on everything.......fish, chicken, salad, vegetables, cereal (Ha!what a knee-slapper!). My daughter makes the most delicious BBQ sauce with it.
Fruit even takes the place of flowers while the cutting garden is resting.

Inspiration Point

Need some fresh inspiration for your home decorating and gardening this year? How about for your artwork? There are some wonderful events coming up in the next few weeks that will inspire some nest fluffing . Here are the links to check them out. First, in Atlanta, it's the 21st Annual Southeastern Flower Show being held Wednesday, January 30-Sunday, February 3, 2008. You'll find it at the Georgia World Congress Center downtown. The theme is Imagine that! and will include landscaped gardens, floral designs, shopping, and demonstrations. The website has a video that shows just how wonderful it's going to be.

Next, you won't want to miss the Edward Hopper exhibit at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. The National Gallery is on the Mall next to the Natural History Museum. This exhibit focuses on Hopper's best works including the recognizable Nighthawks.

An event that's been around for a long time is the Natchez Pilgrimage Tour. Not only can you visit 25 fabulous Antebellum Mansions, but also see the historic Pageant with live singing and dancing. There's a blues festival, gospel performances, and comedy plays at the Little Theatre. The Pilgrimage takes place from March 8-April 12.

And in Napa Valley the Terra Valentine Winery lives up to it's name with a St. Valentines Day Party, Saturday, February 9. Last year they released two wines call Amore and Marriage at the event. Wouldn't it be fun to spend Valentines Day at a winery in Napa?
If something special is happening near you, please blow a kiss and let everyone know about it.

Bargains Galore!

The bargain bug finally bit. I've cruised the internet sites for Christmas clearance deals and actually put sparkly shiny things in the cart.....only to have the angel on my shoulder remind me that I don't really need that trinket.
The will power finally paid off when something came along that we really need.

Hubby has been asking for an area rug in the family room for about a year but the perfect storm of price and decorative excellence just hadn't come along.
Then, there it was, right there in the Pottery Barn Weekly...... the perfect combination of color, size, and price. An amazing turn was that in an effort to save the $25 shipping fee from the catalog, the rug was even more of a bargain bought straight from the store.

The last one in the store is now in my family room being all warm and cuddly around our toes.

Best part: Hubby's reaction......he loved it! He knows a good thing when he sees it. Wise, wise man.

Be Still

Be still and know that I am God. That's what I'm working on......calming down.
All the frantic activity of the holidays and cleaning up after the holidays has taken it's toll. I'm moving in fast forward. Everything has to be done NOW.
Well, I'm shifting gears and changing my tune......willfully.
The first step was listening to a message by David Platt that BooMama recommended. Thank you!
Now that my feet are back on the ground, it's time to focus on what really matters......my relationship with God. Bible study starts back up on January 10th and not a moment too soon. Even though I walk around talking to God constantly with the usual Concerned Mom talk like: Please keep Jack from breaking anything like glasses or legs while he's snowboarding today OR Please don't let an avalanche fall down the mountain on Wes, sometimes it needs to be talk about Him and me.
It's back to basics today..... just some quiet time and the Word.