Roanoke

~Photo by Audrey

Throwback Thursday

Mom and I in my Grandfather's yard in Canton, Ohio.  Not sure of the year.  I love this photo.  Life was good being the daughter of this wonderful loving Mother.

Madonna Gifts

My friend, Ibby, has been very kind to me.  Yesterday she gave me the beautiful Madonna above.  It is stained glass, made in the USA.  I have it in the kitchen window where the light coming through it makes it glow.  SO beautiful.  Today, she gave me another Madonna.  It is on wood, made in Germany.  It, too, is very beautiful.  These Madonnas belonged to Ibby's Mom which makes them even more special.  These are wonderful additions to my Madonna collection.

Thank you, sweet friend.

♥

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Jonathan !!

Remembering that tiny little baby who came into this world 10 years ago today.  You are growing up SO fast!  You are a handsome young boy, smart, an animal lover just like your Mom, and the best big brother Samuel could ever have.

I wish you a fun, adventure filled, BIG cake day!!!!

♥

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Constanza !!

My beautiful Constanza, how does our soul know when someone fits perfectly into our soul tribe?  A number of years back, you unexpectedly came into my life through the world of blogging ~ I am grateful that you did.  It has been a joy getting to know you and watching your stitching and drawing develop into the beauty it is.

I wish you love, peace, and joy.  Have a wonderful day!!

♥  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mita !!

Sending wishes across the sea to my beautiful friend.  The miles between Indonesia and the USA are too many to imagine.  But, the love I send to you today travels in such a way that you will feel it when the hugs reach you.

I have told you many times that I will never forget you. My gift today is confirmation of that. 

On this special day, may beauty touch you in some way.

♥ 

Outside My Window Tonight

A Few Special Birthday Gifts

 I was truly blessed with love and gifts this Birthday.  Here are photos of some of them. 

This beautiful, fun, and colorful floral bouquet of roses, carnations, and lilies, arrived from Casey and Amanda.

Along with the delicious cakes, my sister and brother-in-law bestowed too many gifts on me.  I am in awe of this rosary from them.  It is 66" long.  I have never seen a rosary so large or made of this material.  I will hang it near my religious icon wall.  It is a beauty!

  Another Madonna for my collection.  SO pretty.

 Annalee Artist Doll, brush in hand, ready to paint her cake!!  Adorable.

 Little Audrey comic books.  FUN!  Love them!!

 A book filled with photos of Meyers Lake and the story behind the Amusement Park.  I love this.  I have many wonderful memories of Meyers Lake and I'm still sad that it's gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This very special gift below is from my old friend, Susie, who lives in Ohio.  Susie asked her husband to make this for me, and because he is an outstanding husband and a creative man, I now own this wonderful little box.

 He also made the white box that the gift was in.

 AND, he made the pin that is inside the box!!  It is painted metal with a clasp on the back so that I can wear it.  

 THIS is where Susie got the idea.  Last March, I posted this photo of my Book of Days journal spread for the week ~ Soul Tribe.  It is one of my favorite journal entries and I now have a pin to wear and a box to keep it in!!  It is a reminder of all the special people in my life.  It goes without saying that Susie is part of that tribe! 

This book is also from Susie.  

IMAGES - Pictures From Our Past - Stark County, Ohio

I will enjoy reading this and looking at all the photos as it is my ROOTS, where I was born and lived until 2006.  It will always be my HOME

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've only posted some of the more special gifts.  There were more.  How lucky am I that I am loved this much?  It was a wonderful Birthday!

Throwback Thursday

June, 1951 ~ Little Cowgirl Audrey taking aim.

Do boys and girls even play Cowboys and Indians these days?

Birthday

YUM!  Yesterday was my Birthday.  My sister and brother-in-law arrived from Ohio on Saturday and they went "over the top" making my birthday special.  The cake (which consisted of three separate cakes) was outstanding and their gifts were truly unique and wonderful. I will do a special post to show a few of them.  My dear childhood friend, Susie, also sent me a very special gift that I want to showcase on my Blog.  Photos to come soon.  

Throwback Thursday

I have no date for this photo.  In guessing, I would say this is Cook Park in NE Canton.  I remember going there to the small zoo.  For some reason, I clearly remember the long drain that ran in front of all the cages ~ I remember the monkeys (loved seeing them) and some large birds, but that's about it. That zoo is long gone, but the park is still functioning.  Of course, big brother Patrick is right by my side.  And look, shoes AND socks!!

Quiet Angels

If you listen carefully during the long hours of a dark and lonely night, you may hear only silence.  Angels do their work quietly, and when they are finished, they hurry away on tiptoe.

Creative Life Lunch

Michele Neto Peppers, Tricia Scott, Emily Williamson, Audrey Fish Pfeifer, Ibby Taylor Greer, Katherine Devine, and Christopher Cobb left before the photo was taken.

~ ~ ~

Our Creative Life group met for lunch today at Norah's (Taubman Museum).  We shared some good laughs and our conversation centered around studios and upcoming art shows and workshops.

Book of Days - 2015 - Week 1

BOD Week 1 

INTENTION

Jake

What better thing to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon?  

Sunset

Tonight's glorious sunset.

Sunflower Feeder

The dear little birds are loving this feeder ~ one of my favorite Christmas gifts from my daughter-in-law, Amanda.  Remember to leave some seeds out for them in this extreme cold.  Looking out the window right now, I see that I am going to have to brave the cold wind to refill it.  They are hungry little birds.

Wreath

The torn paper wreath I purchased from Jane Barefoot Rochelle arrived this afternoon.  It is more beautiful than I expected and is now the center piece below the mantel where it can be seen and enjoyed by all.  Thank you, Jane, for the lovely card and sweet words.  I am blessed to have shared time with you while you were in Roanoke.  I will never forget your cozy welcoming Barefoot Gallery.

Throwback Thursday

December 1956 ~ Patrick 13, Audrey 8  

I thought this photo appropriate today.  There is no snow, but it sure is COLD out there! Patrick and I had a lot of fun together through the years.  We didn't let high school, college, the Air Force, marriage, or living 1,080 miles apart get in the way of our brother/sister friendship.  

If only he was still here, I would drop everything and go outside to build an igloo with him. ♥

God's Light

I took this photo late this afternoon.  I love it ~ God's Light.

Outside My Window

Outside my window right now at 5:15 on this very cold January day.

Epiphany

Painting by Edward Burne-Jones

Today we celebrate the Epiphany ~ the Three Wise Men visit the baby Jesus and give Him gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. 

January Winter Sky

It seems to me that the sky in Ohio was always either blue or grey.  Once in a while, there were a few interesting cloud formations.  Living in Virginia since 2006, all I have to do is step outside my door and look up.  Almost daily, the sky gives some kind of a show.  I have seen cloud formations and colors like never before.  I took these photos on Sunday.  Not a lot of color, but the formations were enough to keep me looking up for some time. 

The Wolf Moon

I took this photo of the full "Wolf Moon" last night.  In January snow gathers deep in the woods and the howling of wolves can be heard echoing in the cold still air.  There is something about the monthly full moon that piques our interest and affects each of us.  I loved looking at it last night as the dark clouds quickly passed over.   It was cool, dark, and still out ~ but I didn't hear any wolves howling.  Maybe because there wasn't any snow?  Or maybe I needed to walk into the woods?

Book of Days 2015

I recently purchased another 12 weeks of Book of Days.  It begins tomorrow and I'm excited to get started in my journal.  I painted a plain black journal to my liking for this session.  Photo above.  The second photo is the inside cover.  I've been involved in Book of Days since 2012, but missed a few sessions along the way.  I find it to be very rewarding.
Book of Days is an art journaling and memory keep class that includes start-to-finish video instruction every week for the duration of the 12 week class, full color printable PDF walkthroughs, journal prompts, support, feedback, and face time videos.
In this first volume of Book of Days this year, we will be exploring ordinary beauty ~ the beauty that exists around us and within us that we might not notice unless we pay attention.  This practice is meant to foster gratitude and a kind of artist's seeing that will keep us inspired all year.  This BOD session will include a lot of optional sketching.
I will share my journal spreads with you as I finish them each week.