Needles and Pens

My youngest daughter, Emily, is turning fourteen next weekend, and it was decided that what she really wanted for her birthday was to have her room redecorated... again. This time she's promised me that she'll love it for at least the next four years -- when she can move out and redecorate her own house every month if she likes. LoL At any rate, here's the "before" picture, mid-furniture-shuffle, showing the blue and green with baby jungle animals from not so long ago (sigh): Emily is a musician through and through, a singer, guitarist and songwriter, so the new theme is MUSIC in black and white. With Thanksgiving coming up, we wanted to get the painting done early, so this weekend we painted the walls satin white. Quite a change from all the color in there before! And one thing she's always wanted in her room is a wall mural, so we took an idea from some prints in the school's music room and decided on a musician silhouette. Yesterday, while Emily was gon...

Yesterday my daughter's due date passed uneventfully, so today we decided to take a nice long walk on the boardwalk and see if that would help things along. I don't know if it worked, but she is acting kind of... funny tonight. Our fingers and toes are crossed. We're SO ready for this baby! I'm having a little trouble settling down tonight myself, so thought I'd share a few shots from our walk today. Here's the mommy-to-be, walking the dog (or maybe the dog is walking her ): Taking a little break on the beach: Little brother, watching the waves come in: Lake Superior scenery: A beautiful September day, for sure, but I'd much rather be taking pictures of my grandson! Maybe tomorrow... ;o)

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." Philippians 4:4-8 Word-Filled Wednesday couldn't come at a better time. I've noticed this repeatedly in the past few weeks. Mondays are a day to catch up after the busy weekend, Tuesdays, I'm ready to tackle those projects I've been dying to get to, but by Wednesday, things have slowed down somewhat, giving me pause to reflect on the goings-on in my life. Unfortunately, along with the reflection often co...

It's Show and Tell day over at Kelli's House ! I'm relatively new to Show and Tell, and I'm already having a hard time finding things worthy of showing! I think my post today is a bit unusual, but it does have a great story to go along with it. At least, I think so. ;o) I have a thing for birds' nests. I'm amazed at the intricate, detailed work that goes into them. I'm inspired by the care taken in the construction of these little works of art, designed for the specific purpose of comforting and protecting their young. Like this one, for example, a high-walled, cozy little cubbyhole, tightly woven with soft, grayed moss. My dad found this one abandoned in his garage, and gifted it to me. Besides this little beauty, I have a couple of nests that grace my Christmas tree each year (I've heard that this brings good luck for the coming year). However, there is one special nest that holds a place of honor in my china cabinet, year round. This is the one with t...

As I contemplated the whole “passion” prompt this weekend, my thoughts turned to the things I enjoy doing, the self-fulfilling activities that bring joy into my everyday life. I found it difficult to zero in on a theme, however, so I mentioned it to my 13-year-old daughter: “Oh, that’s easy,” she said. “Really. And what would you write about?” “Music.” Of course! For her, it is easy. She eats, sleeps, and breathes music. Oh, there are other things she enjoys; her friends, her family, her pets, the occasional video game, but for the most part, it’s all about music. She sings, she plays guitar, she writes lyrics, and if she’s not singing, playing, or writing music, she’s probably online, printing out more lyrics. At this stage in her life, music is her life. It was easy for me, too, at that age. I ate, slept, and breathed horses. I spent my earliest years desperately wishing for a horse of my own, saving my every dime in a little tin box for the day my dream would come true. When it f...

This week's Photo Hunt theme is narrow , and I had a really hard time finding a photo to fit the theme. Then I came across this picture of our cat, who is always peeking through narrow spaces, waiting for her chance to pounce: I know, it's a stretch, but there ya go... Happy hunting !

Our bunny, Texas, is on my mind today ( see yesterday's post ). I've never seen another rabbit lie back for a foot massage. We miss you, Texas!

Texas came into our home in June 2007, just a little ball of the softest fur you've ever felt. She spent the summer in her hutch in a shady corner of our backyard, enjoying the cool breezes and daily doses of love and sweet clover. I've never known a rabbit that so enjoyed being held and cuddled. When the cool fall weather turned to wintery cold, Texas became a house rabbit. She lived in Emily's bedroom closet and learned to use a litter box. Being so close at hand, we all grew more and more attached to her. Sadly, Texas passed away today. Why? We don't know. It seemed she was fine one moment, gone the next. As I told Emily, sometimes these things just happen. Small comfort to a devastated child. But we'll find comfort in knowing that Texas' short life was a good one. No rabbit was ever loved more. And she will be missed...

This New Year’s Eve, I went through my photo albums and reminisced about all the holidays, birthdays, weddings, and other events of 2007: - My husband and I reached 41 - Our children turned 20, 9, 18 and 13 – lots of milestones! - Three new babies joined our extended family. - Two new pets came into our home. - We celebrated the weddings of family and friends - We saw our two oldest children dressed to the nines for prom... If not for photos, I wouldn’t remember a thing! Fortunately, I do keep records of certain things, too. Heaven knows my memory needs a backup: - My weight fluctuated from 175 pounds, down to 134, then back up to 149 by years’ end. - I quit smoking – for one month. It was my longest smoke-free period in 26 years, and provided lots of insight for my eventual, final, once-and-for-all quit. (Which WILL happen!) - I completed 13 quilts, five were rescued from my UFO (unfinished objects) pile, another two, for charity – and I finally have a homemade quilt on my own bed! - ...

Why it was the perfect gift . Happy WW!

This week's Photo Hunt theme is "small," and Rainbow, the betta fish, is the small est member of our household. Don't mind the hungry look on the cat's face. She really just likes to drink fish-flavored water, when no one is looking. I usually shoo her away when she attempts this, but I couldn't resist taking this shot before sending her off to find her own water bowl.

Last night my daughter rescued a baby red squirrel from the jaws of our cat. The cat was caught in the act and fortunately dropped the goods before she ran off. Seeing that the baby was still alive, Emily scooped it up and brought it to me. My first thought was, he'll never make it. We bundled him up in a pet carrier with a heating pad under it to keep him warm, then went online for info on baby squirrel rehab. If there was ever any doubt, now I know it's true -- there is a website for EVERYTHING. There is actually a site called Squirrel Rehab.org . The most important thing we learned was that infection from cat bites is common, severe, and fatal to small animals, so if the little guy survived at all, he'd need antibiotics within 24 hours. I met Patty Farr about a year ago, through our local Freecycle group. I had offered a small animal cage to the group, and Patty contacted me and told me all about her wildlife rescue efforts. This totally piqued my interest, and of cours...