goodies in the mail

i am such a bad girl!

back in late january, i participated in the OWOH blog event and won!  not one but two gifts....

i received my prizes very quickly in february and here it is almost april before i am giving a proper thank you!

i am not totally rude cause i did thank the givers at the time but i do think it's important to recognize them here.... after all, it was a blog event.

i got these super cool fingerless mittens from amy of knitter of hats speaks.

 

my favorite colors are blue and green and these are just perfect! 

thank you amy!

so on another day, i was delighted to receive this friendly card in the mail with an atc card tucked inside from jennifer of just jingle.

from reading her blog, she is a talented crafter with such a bubbly spirit.

thank you jennifer!

last year, i participated in a pay it forward event and was informed by kathy of

tapestry 316 that i would receive a gift of art sometime during the year.  a surprise!

she is a watercolor artist with amazing skill at bringing nature to life in her art.

it was an absolute delight to receive these....

this is my spanky

 and lucy!

these are the photos i had posted on my blog at earlier times...

like i said....AMAZING!

thank you so much kathy!  what a beautiful gift from the heart!

a couple months ago, i participated in a photo swap started up by a sweetie
carrie from cherry blossom tattoo

this was chatted about here.

so i've received my second swap from jessica.
her etsy photography shop jessamae22 is full of beautiful work and she sent me these....

thanks jessica!  i love them!

to wrap it up... i am one lucky girl full of gratitude for these delightful gifts!
i hope you'll take a moment to visit them all!
happy sunday!

project 365

i'm feeling really good about keeping up with taking a photo each day although i'm not doing so well with posting each day. oh well....

i'm trying to stay focused on my commitment to take a photo a day. it's a little difficult cause it's dark when i leave for work in the morning and almost dark when i return home.  that will soon change and i can't wait...

this weekend we plan to clean out all the birdhouses to prepare for the new spring families.

i took this about 30 minutes ago with a florabella vintage action.

gotta run... my hubby and i are heading out to dinner to my favorite thai restaurant.  yummy! 

thanks for stopping by and i hope you all have a good evening!

it's clear to me now that i'm ok

i often say to myself that i am looking for "balance" in my life...

i decided to look up the definition to see if that's the correct word  for what i'm experiencing.

these terms popped right off the page...."a state of equilibrium", "equal distribution" and "mental steadiness or emotional stability".  then because i like to know the dictionary definitions of things, i looked up "equilibrium".
it says "an equal action of opposing forces", and "an equal balance of powers and influences".

now i feel better because i don't know anyone who has found balance.... so i think i'll stop searching!

the next word that i'll look up is "scattered".  but i'll leave that for another day....

i started the 365 project today to help my focus and to keep me in the moment....

this was taken this morning while playing with my rocky.  he is always on the prowl...

it seems some people doing the 365 pick a theme like clouds or flowers or frogs and they take a photo each day, or they chronicle their photography progress, or use it like an art journal or daily diary.  for me, i think i'm going to use it to help my focus. no specific plans... just take and post a photo each and every day!

i'm exhausted thinking more about all the things yet to be done and i need to appreciate more what i am doing...

think it'll work???

global connection

an etsy community hug to our friends in japan

my tiny way of saying my thoughts and prayers are with the people affected by this tragedy.

i feel shame for complaining all winter long about the ice and snow.... i have a home, i know where my loved ones are and we're all safe!

food for thought!

hope

 

this winter has been a tough one.... too much ice and snow and frigid temps.  she gives me hope for what is to come!

a peaceful day

 

in 10 days

today was cloudy and damp and i was feeling a little moushod...

so i brought a little cheer to my day experimenting with my 50mm 0.45m lens.  i mostly shoot with a zoom so it takes a little getting used to...

one of my favorite subjects is flowers and i had a few on hand...

 

a great way to pass the time!

i've totally loved tracking my hyacinth growth.  in 10 days, it's now standing a couple inches above the rim of the vase and just about ready to pop into bloom.  i'm so excited!

it was a non eventful saturday but just what i needed.  no housework done here!

i'd love to hear what you did with your day...

a treasury making mood

a treasury for the imteam challenge....


i just love blue!!!



and another for the home beautiful team....



gotta grab the moment while i can....