Wordless Wednesday

JOY

"Surely joy is the condition of life."

~Henry David Thoreau

"Life is to be enjoyed, not simply endured. Pleasure and goodness and joy support the pursuit of survival."

~Willard Gaylin

"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."

~Psalms 30:5

"Learning to live in the present moment is part of the path of joy."

~Sarah Ban Breathnach

"Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of men, but from doing something worthwhile."

~Sir Wilfred Grenfell

"This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy."

~George Bernard Shaw

"The hands of those I meet are dumbly eloquent to me. I have met people so empty of joy that when I clasped their frosty fingertips it seemed as if I were shaking hands with a northeast storm. Others there are whose hands have sunbeams in them, so that their grasp warms my heart. It may be only the clinging touch of a child's hand, but there is as much potential sunshine in it for me as there is in a loving glance for others."

~Helen Keller

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Donald !!

Spring Swap

Janie, of Mother Moon's Message recently hosted a Spring Swap. She organized it, made up the list, and partnered those who signed up. All we had to do was either make or purchase something that related to Spring and send it off to our swap partner.
http://mothermoonsmessage.blogspot.com
Thank you, Janie! It was fun.


These beautiful earrings are what I received from my Spring Swap partner, Dawn, of Red Woman. Dawn made these earrings as her interpretation of Spring. Thank you, Dawn. The color combination of pink and green has long been a favorite of mine. They are so very pretty and well made.
http://redwoman45.blogspot.com/

My swap partner was Mimi, of The Goat Borrower. I sent Mimi this art card I made of a Spring tree with flowers blooming. The leaves are paper I painted and tore into tiny pieces and then collaged onto the tree. The flowers are tiny orange seed beads that I sewed onto the card. I sent it along with some flower seeds, flower stickers, and a little glass lady bug that should bring Mimi good luck.
http://thegoatborrower.blogspot.com

A close up of the art card.

The Spring Swap was a lot of fun and it was exciting waiting to see what I would receive. If you have a chance to participate in a swap, give it a try. You'll enjoy it.

Wordless Wednesday

Spring Has Arrived

SPRING HAS ARRIVED AND I AM LOVING ALL THIS BEAUTY

Super Moon

Tonight, we have a PERIGEE of the Moon! I took these two photos at 9:32. It is hard to see that the moon looks larger than normal in the photos. I wanted to take photos earlier when there was more light to try to photograph the moon lower in the sky with something in the background to try to show its largeness. But, we had a very cloudy evening sky and I couldn't see the moon. I was happy that the clouods cleared off enough to see as much of the moon as I did.

Below, I've posted some information that I found on the internet. Before today, I had never heard of the Apogee and Perigee of the Moon. With all the hype about this "super moon" that we were going to see tonight, I wanted to understand WHY it was going to look larger than normal.

It has been 18 years since the last Perigee of the Moon.
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APOGEE and PERIGEE of The Moon

Apogee and Perigee refer to the distance from the Earth to the moon. APOGEE is the furthest point from the earth. PERIGEE is the closest point to the earth and it is in this stage that the moon appears larger. Looking at the moon in the sky without anything to compare it to, you wouldn't notice any size difference. But the difference in size can in fact be quite significant.

If you were to photograph a full moon at APOGEE and PERIGEE (using the same lens), here's how the two sizes would compare:

Astronomers have formulas for computing the exact distance at any point in time, but the average distance from Earth is 237,700 miles.

Effects of Apogee and Perigee

The APOGEE and PERIGEE of the moon have an affect on the tides here on Earth. When the moon is at APOGEE, the furthest distance from the Earth, it has less gravitational pull which, along with other factors that influence the tides, can contribute to lower tides or lower variation in the high/low tide level. When the moon is at PERIGEE, closer to the Earth, there is much more gravitational pull which contributes to the opposite effect: higher tides or greater variation in the high and low tide.

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's prayer for the faithful captures the wonderful spirit that made him Ireland's patron saint and one of the church's most beloved missionaries.

May the Strength of God pilot us. May the Power of God preserve us.
May the Wisdom of God instruct us.
May the Hand of God protect us.
May the Way of God direct us.
May the Shield of God defend us.
May the Host of God guard us.
Against the snares of the evil ones.
Against temptations of the world.

May Christ be with us!
May Christ be before us!
May Christ be in us,
Christ be over all !
May Thy Salvation, Lord,
Always be ours,
This day, O Lord, and evermore.
Amen.

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MAY YOUR BLESSINGS BE MANY ON THIS ST. PATRICK'S DAY!
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Thinking of you with love, dear Patrick, on this your namesake day. Missing you so much ~ I dedicate this post to you.
♥ Audrey

Wordless Wednesday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Susann !!

Exciting Mail Delivery

Anne, of El Milagro Studio, recently had a Giveaway. Lucky for me! My prize arrived in the mail today ~ Michael deMeng's book, Secrets of Rusty Things. I have his other book, Dusty Diablos, so I am thrilled to have this one, too. I think it is safe to say that Anne and I have both become avid followers of Michael's work.
Anne also included a bookmark that she made. It has photos of her artwork on one side, her information (Blog address, etc.) on the other side, and two little cross bead/charms hanging from thread. I love it.
THANK YOU, ANNE!!!
If you've never been to Anne's blog, please do make a visit. Her blog is outstanding!!!
http://elmilagrostudio.blogspot.com

Can You Imagine?

I cannot even begin to imagine the horror that surrounds the people of Japan. I cannot get the images out of my mind. I cannot forget the pain and suffering these people are enduring now and for a long time into the future. So many of these people are injured - they have no food - no water - no clothing - no heat - they have lost contact with loved ones - many don't know if their relatives are dead or alive - the fear of a nuclear meltdown and the consequences of such.

The news coverage showing the earthquake, the tsunami, and the devastation after, seems so unreal to us sitting in our cozy homes with food and heat. God bless our country and all the other countries that are sending help in all forms. God bless the government officials, the firemen, the police, the medical personnel, the volunteers, and all branches of servicemen who are there in Japan doing all they can to rescue and tend to the needs of these helpless people.

Let's remember to thank God for our good fortune and to ask Him to help those in need.

Color Wash Winner!

Congratulations, Anne!!!!

The Group Poll closed today and Anne's Color Wash, CORRUPT CORROSION was voted Number 1 !!!

Michael DeMeng will be sending Anne one of his original assemblage pieces. She is doing a happy dance today!!

The class was great. We all soaked in every word and hint that Michael gave us. His videos were outstanding - very informative and topped off with his own unique sense of humor. I'm pretty certain we've all vowed to take the next class he offers.

Editorial on America

My cousin sent me this editorial that was recently in a Michigan newspaper. I am posting it because I agree with so much that this man says. I fear for our country and where we are headed. There are days when I think there is a chance we can get things back on track, and then there are those days when I think God must be totally disgusted with us. I don't think many of our children and grandchildren have the pride and respect for our country that we did when we were young. We need to rise up, read up, vote, pray, and do what we can to make our country great again.

You will have to click on the photo to enlarge the editorial. It might be hard to read as is.

A Good Day

In spite of the foggy, misting weather, the day is starting out well. I won a precious painting from Betty "Pink", of PINKGLITTERFAE ART. What a beautiful face and how true are the words: there is only love.
http://pinkglitterfae.blogspot.com
If you are not familiar with Pink's paintings, make a visit to her blog to see her pretty fae paintings. Right now she is working on some smaller art - ACEOs. Go take a look.
Thank you, Pink, for this beautiful little painting.

Casey arrived last evening and we went out for a late dinner together. He is here on a quick business trip and will be leaving in the morning. Short visit, but I'll take every minute I can get with him. He caught me with camera in hand as he was leaving for his meeting this morning.

These beautiful hyacinths in Mom's garden are telling us that Spring is just about here.

I have many projects in the works but couldn't help myself. I have been wanting to give wool felting a try so as I passed the local Prim Shop, I was pulled inside by some unknown force and I purchased a few items. Crazy, right? I may not get to it right away, but just seeing this on the table in my studio puts a smile on my face. I know I can pick it up anytime I find some extra time. Is there such a thing as extra time? (:

Yep, it's going to be a "good day"!!

Ash Wednesday

"Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return."

Color Wash Competition Finalists

CRYPT CORROSION
FOOLS GOLD

PRIMORDIAL SOUP

The votes are in and these are the 3 finalists in the Michael DeMeng On-line Class Color Wash Competition. Beautiful colors! Great texture! The voting for the final winner is in process right now. I will post the winning color once Michael DeMeng announces the winner.

Our friend, Anne, of El Milagro Studio, is one of the finalists. Her color wash is Crypt Corrosion. Join me in wishing her luck! I know how bad she wants that Michael DeMeng original piece of art!

Good Luck, Anne!!!!

When life gives you 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile.

Queen of Heaven

"I am not only the Queen of Heaven, but also the

Mother of Mercy."

Rise Up Roanoke

The Roanoke Star is the world's largest freestanding illuminated man-made star, constructed in 1949 at the top of Mill Mountain in Roanoke, Virginia. It was the largest star ever assembled until the El Paso Star was completed in El Paso, Texas. However, the Roanoke Star still holds the claim to the world's largest illuminated man-made free-standing star, as the El Paso Star lies flat on the ground. After construction of the star, Roanoke was nicknamed "Star City of the South".

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I wanted to give you some background information on the Roanoke Star before telling you about our trip to the Taubman Museum of Art. Yesterday, I took my mom and sister there to see the installation that is currently being built in the lobby. The installation is titled: CHARLIE BROUWER: RISE UP ROANOKE. It is a collaborative, site-specific installation built from ladders lent by the Roanoke community, creating a metaphor of all of their individual dreams and aspirations leaning on and supporting each other, rising up together in the museum atrium to form Roanoke's Star. Any company or individual could lend a ladder to be part of the installation. From the photos I took, you can see some painted ladders and some decorated ladders. There is a variety of shapes and sizes to the ladders. It was interesting and fascinating to watch. Once the installation is complete, I will take a photo of the completed star of ladders. The man in the photo several photos down is Charlie Brouwer.

Charlie Brouwer