My Get Well Surprise ~ Amaryllis

I am still coughing, but I am finally feeling well enough to get back into the routine of living. WOW! This really had a strong hold on me. I am not out of the woods yet, but I am on strong medication and on the way to getting well. Thank you so much for your good wishes!! I have missed visiting you and as time allows, I will be stopping by each of your blogs to catch up.

A Beautiful Surprise

In the summer of 2008 while living in South Carolina, I went to a moving sale. The sale was in a very large Southern home on stilts with many rooms and outstanding views of the marshes. In the back, there was a beautiful large porch with plants everywhere. Much to my delight, the plants were being sold. I purchased many that day. Several of them I purchased only because I wanted the beautiful pots.
This one pot only had some straggly green leaves, but I decided to leave it as I bought it and I put it on my front porch. The leaves grew taller and taller and that was it.
We moved back here to VA in Spring of 2009 and I put the same pot with the same straggly leaves on my porch here with identical results. When Winter came, I cut the green down and put the pot in the basement. Earlier this year, I noticed green popping through the soil, so I started to water this plant each week. The green leaves started to grow taller and taller. Spring came and I put the plant on the porch with my others. A few weeks ago, I noticed a long stem that was going to bloom. Surprise!! Imagine my delight at seeing these two beautiful Amaryllis blooms open last week. I now know what the plant is and I am so glad I didn't dig that green out of the pot and plant something else in there. I don't know much about Amaryllis, but I always thought it was a Christmas plant. I can hardly believe it took 2 years for this plant to decide to let me know what it is!! My very own get well plant!!

I Needed Strong Medication

I went to the Dr. yesterday. Bronchitis AND tonsillitis!! This is NOT fun! I have medication now and hope to be feeling human again in a couple of days. I'll be blogging again soon.
♥ audrey

A Visit from the Bad Bugs

Hi Friends.

Sorry you aren't hearing much from me. Whatever bug is roaming the streets decided to stop at my house and invade my body. I've made it through the chills and pains in the head, but I'm coughing, I can't breath and my throat feels like it's on fire ~ I can hardly utter a sentence and when it does come out, it's not MY voice.

I hope this passes quickly. I am not happy that my brother is here all the way from Texas and I am feeling like a total slug that someone stepped on. Grrrr. I just wanted to let you know I'll be back as soon as I'm feeling better.

♥ audrey

Earth Day ~ 2010

Earth Day ~ April 22, 2010

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As we celebrate Earth Day, 2010, remember that we all need to participate in saving our planet EARTH against further devastation. It is not too late for us to act now to save our planet. We need to conserve water, energy, and take good care of our environment for the benefit of all human beings not only in our generation but also for succeeding generations.

A Great Find

A couple of weeks ago, I was in a consignment shop and came across two boards propped in a corner of one of the vendor spaces. They were somewhat hidden with some books and things stacked in front of them.

I was quite excited when I saw what they were. I am thinking they are page mock-ups for a book of some type.

One of the pen and ink drawings was a large tree (as seen in the photos). Loving trees, I grabbed it up ~ had to have it! It is done on a piece of 15" x 20" Bainbridge Board. The text is glued on. It is signed A. Lohman, '49. There is a little water damage at the bottom, but I don't mind. I am going to frame it as is and hang it in my studio. I love it.

I have no clue who this A. Lohman is or if this was ever used in a book. I just think it is a great piece of art and I am thrilled to have it.

If you double click on the photo, you will be able to read the text as well as see some of the detail.

Happy Days

I have much to be thankful for today.

My son, Casey, will be arriving this afternoon and will be staying for two days. It always brings joy to my heart to spend time with Casey. Tomorrow, my brother, Patrick, will be arriving from Texas. He has healed well from the heart surgery he had in December and is looking forward to visiting us. I am so eager to see him, I am very thankful to God that he is still with us, and knowing that I will see him tomorrow makes me very happy. It is a long drive from Texas and I will worry till he gets here. Tomorrow, I will spend time with two of my favorite guys!!

Another good thing! I received two awards over the weekend. Jan, of Laughing Dog Arts http://laughingdogarts.blogspot.com gave me THE DEBORAH AWARD and Anne, of El Milagro Studio http://elmilagrostudio.com gave me THE SUGAR DOLL AWARD. Thank you, my dear sisterfriends, for these awards. I will do my best to live up to them. I will pass these awards along to a few other bloggers in the coming week. Today I will prepare for visitors.

I wish all of you a PLEASANT AND HAPPY SUNDAY!!

Is This the Face of Stress or Excitement? Or Am I Just Numb?

This is sort of how I feel right now.

Five months ago I filled out an application to rent a vendor space at a wonderful and busy consignment shop. Today, I signed a contract and the 7' x 10' space is all mine come May 1st.

I already have a very long "to do" list, I complain about having little time to paint, and now I've added this major undertaking. I checked the space out today and it needs a major overhaul. So...... I need to build walls, paint them, decorate the space, and fill it with items that must sell so I will have enough money to pay the rent next month + extra. Then, I have to continue finding spectacular items to sell in order to keep the space fresh and inviting. What WAS I thinking???

I have very little time to get this all put together. Thank the stars, several weeks ago I started listing the items I have to sell and boxing them. So, I have most of that ready. The big job is preparing the space and filling it. It will require some grunt work, but to be truthful, I am excited about it. Once things get going, I will have fun hunting for more items to sell. This will require going to tag sales, estate sales, garage sales, flea markets, etc. Such torture I have to look forward to. (:

The contract is on a month to month basis, so if it doesn't work out, I can always leave. But, I have high hopes and plans to make this a worthwhile adventure that will be fun and profitable.

I can't get in there to work until May 2nd, so I will take photos when the space is empty and then again when I fill it with my "stuff" (I mean "treasures"). Once I do all that, I will post the results. Wish me luck!!

Photo ~ compliments of the internet.

A Dream

Nothing is as real as a dream.

The world can change around you,

but your dream will not.

Responsibilities need not erase it.

Duties need not obscure it.

Because the dream is within you,

no one can take it away.

~unknown

Stars

I came across this quote over the weekend and wanted to make something with it, so I decided to paint a night sky filled with stars.

I like the quote and I am happy with the way this mixed media painting turned out. It is done on 12" x 12" canvas with acrylics and glazing medium.

Click on the picture to get an enlargement if you want to read the quote.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Maria !

A Few of My Daily Visitors

Monday Thought

Use what talents you possess:

The woods would be very silent

if no birds sang there

except those that sang best.

~Henry Van Dyke

A Matter of Fact

It's amazing how many people

will care about you

if only you would care

about them........And

It's even more remarkable

how many people

will care about you

anyway

~Merrit Malloy

As Luck Would Have It

I've been blessed with luck this year when it comes to Giveaways! I woke this morning to yet another win.

My friend, Jan, of Laughing Dog Arts just started her blog in December of 2009. She said she would have a Giveaway when she reached 30 followers. She is well past that now and, true to her word, she did have a Giveaway. This morning, I was the happy, lucky, winner!

Be sure to make a visit to Jan's blog, Laughing Dog Arts, at http://laughingdogarts.blogspot.com

Jan is a fiber artist and she makes the most beautiful art ~ quilts, wall hangings, beading, and more. I have been getting to know Jan for a while now. Not only is she a really good creative soul, she is also a fun, really nice person who has a great blog. (And we share a little bit of a "hippy" heart.)

♥ audrey

Solitude

Every so often a disappearance is in order. A vanishing. A checking out. An indeterminate period of unavailability. Each person, each sane person, maintains a refuge, or series of refuges, for this purpose. A place, or places, where they can, figuratively if not literally, suspend their membership in the human race.

~John A. Murray

SISTERFRIEND DAY ~ April 7, 2010

HAPPY

SISTERFRIENDS

DAY!!!

Ces has declared April 7th to be SISTERFRIENDS DAY! This is a day to celebrate the friendship shared with all of our friends. So, with that in mind, I want to share this with all of you. I received this in an email on several different occasions. I don't know who the author is, but I have changed a few things around and added a word or two here and there. It just seems to fit the occasion.

Time passes

Life happens

Distance separates

Children grow up

Jobs come and go

Love waxes and wanes

Men don't do what they're supposed to do

Hearts break

Parents die

Colleagues forget favors

Careers end

BUT.....

Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A

girlfriend is never farther away than needing her can reach...

When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf,

and waiting with open arms at the valley's end...

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you... or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughter-in-laws, sisters, sister-in-laws, mothers, grandmothers, aunts, nieces, cousins, extended family, old friends, new friends, and blog friends, all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other. Every day, we need each other still.

Sisterfriends, you are all very special to me.

♥ audrey

A Spring Quote

The Day the Lord

created Hope was

probably the same

day He created

Spring.

~Bern Williams

A Surprise Painting

Marlene

Back in November, I posted some photographs of autumn leaves that I took in my yard. My friend, Marlene, of Marlene's Musings emailed and asked if I would mind if she did a painting from these photos. Of course, I was more than happy to tell her to do a painting.

A few weeks ago, I received a package in the mail. What a pleasant surprise!! Marlene mailed me the painting she did from the photograph. It is now hanging on my gallery wall. Wasn't that just the nicest thing for her to do? I have posted the photograph that I put on my blog back in November and the painting that I received in the mail. I think Marlene did a great job of painting what she saw in the photograph. Beautiful. I love the painting and I am so proud to have it hanging in my home.

Marlene is a self-taught artist and makes watercolor paintings, ACEOs, sketches, colored pencil drawings and needle felting. She does very nice artwork. Go to her blog and take a look for yourself. Marlene is a sweet lady and I am so happy to be her friend.

http://marlenes-musings.blogspot.com/

Easter Sunday Morning

HE IS RISEN!

ALLELUIA!

Easter

With LOVE
and THANKS,
I wish each of you
EASTER BLESSINGS
and the feeling of RENEWAL that comes with SPRING!