Japanese Prints

There's an unexplainable beauty about Japanese art. I've never been quite able to reproduce that same ethereal effect. I came as close as I could however, using pen and ink, watercolors and vellum. The ink shows up well on the smooth surface of the vellum but you have to be careful not to smudge it. Then if you're really patient you can reapply coat after coat of watercolor. This will make the colors pop (if you do want to add color). Maybe I can work up the courage to post a picture of my last piece....we will see.

Busy, Busy

Don't you love the kind of days where the work keeps getting piled higher and higher on your desk, so high that you can't see over it anymore? And the project is due tomorrow so you'll be trying to push it out of the door at the last minute? And your Dr. Pepper is running low as is the chocolate candies in your bowl? Me either. :)

Home Sweet Home

Awwww, *wipes tears from eyes, I miss it so. There's nothing better than waking up to sunshine pouring through your bedroom window on a Saturday morning. Or putting on some comfy clothes to pick raspberries from the garden. Walking out onto the porch and breathing in the smell of blooming lilacs. Having tea in the garden, feeding the chickens, taking a walk up the hill or capturing all of this beauty through the lens of my camera. Nothing is quite like home~

Frog Prince

Isn't he sweet? I definitely could kiss this little guy even though I believe he would always remain...a frog. It would be great to purchase him, but I can't afford something that won't be kissing me back. :)

Skydiving or bungee jumping?

Either one would be terrifying to me, personally. A good friend wants to skydive after she's graduated and invited me to come along. I am no daredevil! I don't have those urges to jump off of tall buildings, climb Mount Everest or run the Sahara like some people. Does that classify me as being weak or a sissy? I'd like to think that if someone were in trouble then I would lend a helping hand, even if it were dangerous.

You know, that's not to say that I've never done anything extreme...I'm sure that I have (maybe qualifying because of my own stupidity). I just always figured that life is unpredictable as it is. Take it like it comes. There are sure to be exciting things coming your way.

Cat Lovin'

Brandon gettin frisky with the kitty......the kitty resists. No purring here. Poor kitty....

New Toy

Yesterday, Michael and I went to "check out" digital cameras. Notice the quotations here. I was fairly confident that we were just browsing but I guess the camera was too great to pass up. That's not to say that I didn't have buyers remorse, because I did (and still do). But we've been talking about getting one for while now. You know what they say...talk is cheap. Buying a digital camera, apparently, is not. What with the bag, memory card and batteries. Yikes! I still like it, despite its price, and I hope that we'll get a lot of use out of it. Let's just hope that I don't lose or break it! :)

The Chillins'

My nieces and nephews. I wish this picture wasn't blurry so you could see their adorable little faces better! Oh well, you gotta deal with what you're dealt. :)

Chronicles of Narnia

I've been reading this series for a long time now (countless times) and what gets me is that I still find it just as fascinating as I did the day I first picked the books up. The problem is this...I like to read on my breaks but I'm tempted to pick it up just any ol' time. So I've placed it in my drawer, away from my eyes.

Oh rats, I feel like Superman because I can see the book through the desk....

Stills...

This is a great website that hosts some beautiful photography. Take a peek!

Thank Goodness It's Friday

Break out the party hats and confetti, it's Friday! Time to put that week of stress, worry and headache behind you. I always feel like skipping out the door when 5:00 comes....reminiscent of grade school days, I know. Even though these days will have chores intermingled with play, enjoy them to their fullest! Have a wonderful, wonderful weekend~

Life Set to Music

Anyone that knows me, knows that I am in love with music. So much so that it is part of my identity. I learned to play the piano when I was 3 by watching my mom and dad play. Don't get excited, I was no Mozart, but I had already begun to appreciate what music really was.

Music is an outlet for joy, grief, surprise and anger. It's a love story, a comedy, a drama or farce. It can be anything that you want or feel it to be. I think that's why my favorite kind of music comes from film. And I'm talking about the motion picture pieces that were written especially for a movie. Lyricless and expressive.

I always thought that I would be a film composer some day. I'm not, of course, but I would still love to be. Writing out emotion in a language that not everyone can speak, but anyone can understand. My music may not mean anything to someone else, but it means something to me. It defines who I was, am and could be.

You should try living your life and dreaming your dreams to music. Then take the next step to create it.

Michael and I

Finally got a picture of myself and my hubby up. :) This photo was taken by a friend for our engagement. I can't believe this was nearly 5 years ago! My hair is now past my shoulders and sometimes I miss my pixie cut. She also made me stand on a giant rock because Mike is over a foot taller than me, lol. He looks a little nervous to be engaged, doesn't he?

Well, there it is. The first and maybe the last photo-share! And notice, that I have distanced my self from the supermodels by several posts.....

Kittens

Aren't they adorable? Back home my mom and dad have "barn" cats, not quite tame and a little skittish. But generation after generation they are fed and loved by my parents. I'm trying to remain a one-cat girl myself so that I do not become the infamous cat lady. Because frankly, our neighborhood already has one of those and she frightens me (just a little). My mom took these pictures and I just love them! Especially the one where my dads arms are full of kittens...too sweet.

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I think that this is my favorite poem. I love reading it out loud and pondering on its meaning. What is your favorite poem or verse?

Frustration

Yesterday I was so mad at someone (not Michael :) that I couldn't sleep. I lay there for hours tossing and turning. But sleep didn't come and now I've been rubbing my eyes all morning trying to focus on work. What's really terrible is that I'm still angry. No ideas have formed, no lightbulb has appeared...I'm at a loss on how to calm myself.

But wait, I'm saved! Now that I've been venting a little bit, I feel tons better. I'm able to think more clearly, breath more evenly and the little red patches on my cheeks have all but disappeared. And now maybe, just maybe, I can work a little today. I guess it never hurts to vent just a tiny bit.

Drumroll Please.....

I think I have found the perfect outfit to go with my uber expensive boots. It had to be a dress or skirt...that much I knew. I thought I would add a necklace too, just to give it some color. Would have posted a hat as well, but I couldn't find the right one. (PS, I always get the unimportant pics the biggest and I'm sorry that I don't know how to fix it, lol.)

To Take the Time

It's been years now but I used to love cloud watching. To lay on the earth, look up in the sky and dream. To see the clouds take shape to become ordinary or extraordinary things. Maybe it's time we took a break and watched the world revolve around us rather than doing the reverse. So turn off your cell-phones, your tv, and just relax.

High Fashion

I am a slave to fashion. It is unfortunate but true. High fashion really does interest me, not the waif-like figures that are surreally skinny, but the art that goes into designing these purely whimsical outfits. Outfits that no one in their right mind would wear on the street. Not I, anyways. I did, however, find these beautiful gowns and had to share them. I just love the one that looks like what a victorian lady would have worn in mourning. Or this blue gown that looks rather prim but has a to-die-for plunging backline. Maybe this flowy white dress that could be worn for a wedding. Love it, love it, love it.

Part II

Hope you're not bored of me yet as I finish my "where-to-visit" list.

France - We have friends that are from France and they are who first got me interested in visiting. I'd been when I was a small child and honestly don't remember a thing. Time to make some new memories.....(doesn't it have a lovely countryside?)

Germany - I lived here, again, when I was very small. I do remember several things like visiting castles and traveling up the Rhine River. Germany is especially pretty to me during the Christmas season. And this is actually where the tradition of the Christmas tree was started. Guten Weihnachten!

England - Can't help myself, I really would like to visit London. One of the only cities that I'm interested in going to. Double decker buses, red telephone booths, Big Ben.....I could go on and on.

Ireland - Top of the marnin to ya. The green landscape takes my breath away, can't help but wish myself on a hillside with a picnic basket!

Wales - This is where my descendants are from. I'm curious to see how they lived and maybe be able to breath the same air. Wouldn't that be something?

Personally, there are many other places I would like to visit as well. But another day and time for that! Happy daydreams to you, I hope you get to visit someplace wonderful that you have been thinking of.

Places I would Love to See

I saw this on someone elses blog and I thought that it would be nice to do the same here. She had a list of places that she would like to visit someday. I'm going to break it up a little bit because if I wrote them all down it would be the largest post in history. I'm gonna start with Central and South America;

Argentina - my husband Michael lived here for a couple of years and loved it. I've always been curious to see Las Pampas and maybe some real gouchos!

Mexico City - They have the largest anthropological museum in the world here!

Machu Picchu, Peru - I just have to go here someday, make my hike up the mountain and relax in the shade of this ancient fortress. I've heard that there are hot springs up there too, so guess where I'll be stopping next? :)

Must Haves...

These are the must haves of my dream home. Decorative mirrors (opens the space), a sofa to take afternoon naps on, an entryway bench for shoes and scarves, a bed that you don't ever want to get out of and a dining table for the family to gather around. *sigh

Vices

I have so many vices when it comes to food. Just thought that I would share a few (of the many) with you. Ooooo, I'm getting hungry just writing about it.

Hamburgers.....and it doesn't matter from where, I love em.
Dr Pepper.....breakfast, lunch, dinner...goes with everything.
Saur Kraut...yup, I said it...don't judge me.
Mashed potatoes....and real ones, not this boxed crap.

Wouldn't that be a meal to remember?

Fave Tunes

As of right now I am listening to a lot of Coldplay. They are one of the few bands right now that are original and talented. Whatever happened to good music, I ask you? Has the world come to standstill on innovative music? I only hope that we can bounce back....and preferably before I wear out my cd.

Chichen Itza

This was a great memory for me. My father and I took a trip down to the Yucatan when I was about 16. He always encouraged me to go after my dreams. And one of them was to visit Mayan /Aztec ruins. Aren't these structures wonderful? It totally beats me how an ancient civilization could put whole cities together, build roads, commence irrigation, create a calender that we still use today, read the stars. Mind boggling.

Every Child Wants a Pony

Child or not, I want my pony! When I was younger I had a good friend that owned several horses. She was horse crazy and had everything to do with them (bedspread, plates, pictures). She invited me over to ride one day and I remember being a tad tentative because I had never been around them. I most certainly had never ridden one. Sure it sounded fun, but they were huge and spirited and I was small and scared. That all kind of faded away as I walked toward Sam to get to know him better. He was an older, gentler horse and Andrea couldn't have chosen one more suited for me. He even had kind eyes and I knew that he would be good to me. We rode all day, I even got up the courage to gallop. It was fantastic and I've wanted one for my very own ever since. Not as a pet, but as a friend. I think that someday it might be meant to be.....at least I hope it will.

Memories....

Just thought I would post some pics of my character and friends on WoW. I've given up taking real pictures and decided to take Screen Shots instead. I've lost touch with reality and I am enjoying it immensly. Happy hunting.

Creepy Manor

In its glory days it was a hotel and spa for the rich and famous. Now it stands empty and derelict. When you drive past it at any time of the day (but most scary at night) a sinister mist rises from its hot lakes. Hence the name, Hot Lakes Hotel. Prankster teenagers, vandals and vagrants have left their mark or taken one from this sad old building. When times were tough the hotel became a sanitorium. The newest and most controversial procedures of that era took place there (think lobotomies). A glass window and bench seats were made for students of medicine to observe the surgeries. One of the first X-ray machines ever made was housed here as well. As with all creepy old places, there are hundreds of ghost stories behind it. Thank goodness I have the pictures to prove that this place actually exists, or no one would believe me. I lived in this town for a couple of years and no one had good things to say about Hot Lakes. I'll keep my distance, thank you very much.