Another "If"

IF YOU WERE TO HAVE THREE NEW BABY DAUGHTERS, WHAT WOULD YOU NAME THEM?

Great-Nieces and Nephews

I am a Great-Aunt to four precious children ~ two in Ohio (Samuel and Jonathan) and two in Texas (Savannah and Sierra). Living a long distance away from them in opposite directions doesn't allow me to watch them grow up. Pictures, emails, and phone calls keep me in the know as to what is happening in their lives. They are so cute!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Jonathan !!

2010 Full Moons

I love the moon and I enjoy any information I come upon that pertains to it. I find the moon to be fascinating, hypnotic, magical and romantic. I hope you are enjoying the moon information I have been posting.

FULL MOONS FOR 2010 AND THEIR NAMES:
______________________

January 29th ~ Wolf Moon

February 28th ~ Snow Moon (also Storm and Quickening Moon)

March 29th ~ Worm or Sap Moon

April 28th ~ Pink Moon (also Seed, Sprouting and Wind Moon)

May 27th ~ Flower or Hare Moon

June 26th ~ Strawberry Moon (also Rose or Sun Moon)

July 25th ~ Buck, Mead or Thunder Moon

August 24th ~ Sturgeon or Corn Moon

September 23rd ~ Harvest or Barley Moon

October 22nd ~ Hunter's or Blood Moon (appears red/gold in the autumn sky)

November 21st ~ Beaver Moon

December 21st ~ Cold, Oak or Long Night's Moon

The Full Moon and New Moon phases can affect people in varying degrees - from feeling happy and full of energy to being exhausted, depressed and nervous. Many people sleep quite badly during, or coming up to, either of these Moon phases.

This information and the photo - compliments of the internet.

Interesting Things About the Moon

~~When Neil Armstrong took that historical step of "one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind" it would not have occurred to anyone that the step he took in the dust of the moon was there to stay. It will be there for at least 10 million years.

~~The moon is the only extraterrestrial body that has ever been visited by humans. It is also the only body that has had samples taken from it.

~~On the moon, there is no wind or water.

~~Only 59% of the moon's surface is visible from earth.

~~From earth, we always see the same side of the moon; the other side is always hidden.

~~The moon is about 1/4 the size of the Earth.

~~The dark spots we see on the moon that create the image of the man in the moon are actually craters filled with basalt, which is a very dense material.

~~The surface area of the moon is 14,658,000 square miles or 9.4 billion acres.

~~The moon rotates at 10 miles per hour compared to the Earth's rotation of 1000 miles per hour.

~~We all know there was a man on the moon, but did you know that there is one who stayed there? Dr. Eugene Shoemaker, a Geological Surveyor, who educated the Apollo mission astronauts about craters, never made it into space himself, but it had always been one of his dreams. He was rejected as an astronaut because of medical reasons. After he died, his ashes were placed on board the Lunar Prospector spacecraft on January 6, 1999, which was crashed into a crater on the moon on July 31, 1999. The mission was to discover if there was water on the moon at the time, but it also served to fulfill Dr. Shoemaker's last wish.

I took this photo of the moon in October, 2009.

Half Moon

HALF MOON

A half moon looks like half a circle. It is sometimes called a quarter moon.

I took this photo on January 8th ~ This moon has completed one quarter of an orbit around the Earth from the full position and one quarter of the moon's surface is visible from Earth.

TWO HORSES

~Author Unknown

TWO HORSES

Just up the road from my house is a field with two horses in it.
From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse.
But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing.
Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind.
His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.
This alone is amazing.
If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell.
Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.
Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell.
It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.
As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting that he will not be led astray.
When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, he stops occasionally and looks back, making sure that the blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.
Like the owner of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges.
He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.
Sometimes we are the blind horse, being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives.
Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way.
Good friends are like that.
You may not always see them, but you know they are always there.
Please listen for my bell and I will listen for yours.

If

I picked up this book the other day If2 (Questions for the Game of Life). Glancing through it, I saw nothing but "If " questions (500 to be exact). I thought it might be fun to post one of the questions now and then on those days I don't have anything specific to blog about (like today). You don't have to answer (comment). It will just give you something to think about. Of course, if you want to comment, please do. It will be interesting to read what you have to say.

IF YOU COULD HAVE TAKEN BETTER CARE OF ONE THING IN YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT HAVE BEEN?

Winter

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.

~Edith Sitwell

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Linda !!

A Basket Filled with Spring

I thank each of you so much for the Birthday Wishes yesterday ~ wishes that truly helped make the day special for me.

This large basket that was delivered to me is filled with gorgeous Spring flowers ~ a beautiful surprise sent from a very dear friend in Ohio.

I thought a little peek at Spring might lift the spirits of those who woke to several inches of snow this morning.

I was touched with the many cards, gifts, and phone calls I received from friends and loved ones. I enjoy birthday celebrations ~ yesterday, I felt your love.

Thank you.

♥ audrey

Blue Streaks in a Grey Day

We had a lot of rain yesterday during the night and it was gloomy, foggy, and wet most of the day. Passing the windows, I noticed blue streaks. On closer inspection, I found many bluejays flying from tree to tree as well as pulling worms from the earth.

I saw one bluejay once in a while this past summer, so I was surprised and happy to see so many yesterday. I had a hard time getting a good photo of one as they would only stay still for a few seconds.

It's great to see the birds again ~ a sign of better days to come.

r.

the world of blogging has many sides
knowledge is gained
humor brings a smile to the face
pain is eased with words in comments
freedom to post anything we choose to share

there is a down side
friends disappear
leaving a black hole
an empty space
nothing
questions
and sadness

happenstance
there on a blog
his name above a comment

the friend is back
there is no question ~ the words are his
reinvented?
cleansed?
refreshed?

no matter
only joy at his return

FABULOUS Give-Away with the Artist in Mind

Tristan is celebrating! He now has over 300 followers and he has posted 200 posts to his Blog!
I would LOVE to win this one! Tristan is being VERY generous and he put this prize together with the artist in mind.
Wouldn't you love to win this? 30 water soluble crayons, 24 Prismacolor Premier colored pencils, a set of 24 stamp pads, a set of 10 fabric paints, and a complete distressing kit. Tristan is also including some papers, glitter and sparkly things of his choosing!
Go to Tristan's Blog, Enchanted Revelry, to enter: http://tristanrobin.blogspot.com
You will love his Blog. It's filled with beauty, interest and fun!!!!

A Taste of Spring

Warmer temperatures and sunny skies have brought all the little birds out of hiding this morning. We are having a small taste of Spring here in the Roanoke Valley and I am loving it.

I just took these photos minutes ago. These little guys are so sweet. It won't be long ~ Spring will be here!

♥

Click on the photos to get a close up look at these cute birds.

Cure for Cancer Prayer

Dear God,

I pray for a cure for cancer.

Amen

Beauty in the Park

Yesterday brought great

temperatures ~ in the 60s ~ so I stopped at our small downtown lake. I spent a while watching the ducks, etc., that live there. If you really look at them closely ~ zone in on one at a time ~ the coloration is beautiful. Just thought I would share a few of the many photos I took while enjoying my time there.

Prayers for Haiti

Remember to send prayers to the people of Haiti and those who are helping to restore the area.

Dedication to Kindness

This morning, I read an article in a magazine about A MAN, A DOG AND HIS MESSAGE OF KINDNESS. It caught my eye because he is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, which is very close to the city I lived in when in Ohio. I thought it was worth posting because there are simple things we all can do in the name of kindness.

Bob Votruba, 54, is crossing the country in a bus with his dog, Bogart. Last August, he began a 10-year mission to encourage and remind peoople to be kind every day, performing simple acts from smiling to picking up trash. He started visiting college campuses to reach students, who he says are the most receptive to his ideas.

Bob didn't go to college ~ now he is going to ALL of them. He plans to visit about 100 campuses each year. Bob was inspired by the September 11 attacks and the Virginia Tech shootings. He sold his home, handed off a custom cabinetry business, bought a bus, and started to distribute stickers that read "One Million Acts of Kindness" to students and others. Bob hopes to inspire older Americans, too, believing they can be role models in embracing community service.

This is real dedication. Obviously, we can't all take this approach. I imagine he will meet a lot of interesting people on his journey and it's a good way to see the country. I wish him well.

I found the article to be a nice reminder ~ I think I will join Bob on his quest without actually getting on the bus!!

♥ audrey

I have rewritten parts of the article, adding some of my own thoughts. The original article, however, was written by: Vickie Elmer

Trunks and Roots

Being the tree lover that I am, I even love the big old massive half-dead trees. They have an interest beyond the beauty of a new, perfectly shaped, straight tree with a perfect trunk and no roots in sight.

This week, while driving down the lane that brings you to our cul-de-sac, I decided to take photos of these big tree trunks. If you don't take the time to really look at them, you don't see the interest and the beauty they provide. There must be little creatures that live or visit under these trunks and around the roots ~ squirrels... chipmunks... birds... definitely insects... In the Spring, small green shoots of foliage will appear around these roots.

I think these big tree trunks with their mangled roots are beautiful. I drive past them everytime I leave my house. They are on an embankment all along the lane at the base of the woods, and being at eye-level you can't miss them. To appreciate their beauty, you have to look beyond the brown and grey drabness of their winter coats.

Enjoy!

♥ audrey

The Meaning of Words

SORROW

Jon McNaughton

"HAPPY IS THE NATION WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD"

~Psalm 33:12





One Nation Under God
Painting by: Jon McNaughton

Click on the painting to see the detail. There is a video on YouTube right now showing this painting with Jon McNaughton telling why he painted it.

My EOS REBEL T1i

As far back as I can remember, I have always been crazy about taking pictures. Over the years I have owned a brownie, a polaroid or two, a 110, several 35mm cameras, and a couple of digitals.

As of a few months ago, I became the proud owner of this Canon EOS REBEL T1i. One evening after dinner, Terry took me out and said he had a surprise for me. I had no clue he was taking me to purchase an EOS. I think he was tired of the complaints about my digital camera batteries always needing charged... the focus being blurry... the zoom not working... etc., etc.

Anyway, he bought me a GEM! At first I was afraid of it. SO many buttons and numbers and settings... It sat in the box on my desk for about a week before I got enough nerve to touch it. Little by little, I began to experiment with some of those buttons (after reading the book, of course). LOL! (I HATE reading "how to use" manuals ~ but this one I NEED). I have a lot to learn yet, but for the past couple of months I have been SO happy with the results I am getting with this camera. I can't throw it in my purse like I did my little digital (the ONLY drawback that I certainly CAN live with). I have gotten used to the weight of it and I'm now carrying a separate bag with my camera and attachments everywhere I go.

My Christmas gift from Terry?? A zoom lens with image stabilizer! I LOVE it!! The only problem? I just can't seem to take enough pictures!! It is part of my daily ritual ~ my camera goes everywhere I go!!

I am one lucky lady!! I think he loves me.

♥

The Meaning of Words

LOVE

Early Morning Beauty

I was fortunate to capture this beauty early yesterday morning. I just happened to be passing the window and when I saw this sky I RAN for my camera! Almost missed it ~ it didn't last long.

JASMERE

Meet John Reburn, a local artist and friend of mine. John is the owner of Roanoke Valley Printworks. His passion is letterpress and he is very good at it. If you love hand-pressed stationery, go to www.jasmere.com TODAY. John is the featured retailer for the day and the deal is a very, very good one.

You will receive 36 units of hand-pressed monogrammed stationery. Choose a single letter, and Roanoke Valley Printworks will hand-emboss it to 36 note cards and matching envelopes, using the thickest, most elegant ecru paper you've ever seen. The price is outstanding, and can get even lower as the day goes on.

Jasmere seeks out lesser known specialty retailers that deserve national attention. Their team of New York, Los Angeles and Washington, DC based shopaholics personally test every product they feature, using jasmere's negotiating power to offer you an exclusive discount. But don't let the low prices fool you. Every merchant they feature on jasmere meets their highest standards of quality. You may not have heard of these websites, but you can be sure their products and services are the best around. They guarantee it.

You can read more information about jasmere on their site, www.jasmere.com

At the price these are being offered for TODAY, you can afford to purchase gifts for those special people in your life. Knowing that you had them special made will make them all the more meaningful. I just placed my order. Once you go to the jasmere site, you can sign up to have a daily email sent to you letting you know what the special of the day is.

John does exceptional work ~ I can guarantee that!

♥

WINTER SKIES

WINTER SKIES

I took these photos today. Even though the sky had an ominous look about it, there was a certain beauty in the cloud formations and I always love to see the sun rays peeking out of the clouds shining down on us. There is such joy in being able to capture these moments and be able to look at them again and again.

There is snow in the forecast. Nothing could make me happier.

♥