Oscar Faves



I love watching award shows, remembering them in subsequent years like little time capsules of social history.  I don't necessarily watch every movie that is nominated, or even those that win, but I enjoy being made aware of what is going on in the film industry.  And of course, I don't mind at all, the frills and fashiony moments.  Reese Witherspoon was definitely my favorite of the evening and I knew it the second I saw her...I crave simple and stunning dresses.  While details (the flounce, filigree, and frou-frou) are admirable in terms of handy-work, I have a knee jerk reaction to bolder choices.  It's no wonder I love Lilly Pulitzer! :)  However, Mila Kunis pulled off delicate so, so well.  The color choice was amazing for her skin tone and hair...what a little glamour-puss!  Anne's harvest of diamonds about her neck and ears made me all swoony...nothing too over the top, just diamonds...diamonds...DIAMONDS!  Haha...

The Ordinary Arts

"The ordinary arts we practice every day

at home are of more importance to the

soul than their simplicity might suggest."

~Thomas More

Winter White Before Me

~*~*~*~*~

For the listener, who listens in the snow,

And, nothing himself, beholds

Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.

~ From The Snow Man by Wallace Stevens

~*~*~*~*~

I couldn't have dreamt of a prettier last snowfall of winter. 

The air is calm and still, as it can only be in the quietude after snowfall. 

The World Exploded into Love...



The world exploded into love all around me

And everytime I take a look around me

I have to smile

President's Day Tea

Getting the urge for tea is nothing new for me, but actually baking something to go along with it is rare activity in my little world.  Making a blueberry compote for the baked good?  Completely new experience and a surprisingly successful one, while being without recipe, save for a vague familiarity with what blueberry compote tastes like.  Being 1/2 Scottish, scones are nearly the only baked good I manage to create...excepting things that come from a box.  It all made for a sweetly seasoned afternoon.  Oh yeah...and I knit about a foot of scarf, so I'm fully embracing my inner Miss Marple. 

For the Beauty of the Earth

For the Beauty of the Earth

For the beauty of the earth,

For the glory of the skies,

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the wonder of each hour

Of the day and of the night,

Hill and vale and tree and flower,

Sun and moon, and stars of light;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love,

Brother, sister, parent, child;

Friends on earth and friends above;

For all gentle thoughts and mild;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

For Thy Church that evermore

Lifteth holy hands above,

Offering up on every shore

Her pure sacrifice of love;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

For Thyself, best gift divine,

To our race so freely given,

For that great, great love of Thine,

Peace on earth, and joy in heaven:

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

A Time for Heros

I heard a touching story on the radio today, told by a woman with the sweetest voice.  She thoughtfully plucked each word for her sentences with purpose, the purpose of a woman telling a story that touches hearts...the story of Hero the horse and what it really means to be a hero.  I found myself, desperately longing...not to be a hero(ine) myself, but to hug everyone who has been a hero to me in my life and put themselves before me.  For people like that are few and far between.  And the greatest of those is Christ.

Appreciating the Grey Moments

When the light does not shine directly on us, we must draw from his light within us and shine outwardly like a beacon, for He is always inside of us.  Now, only to work on trying to remember that...to recall that he does not recoil from us, but nudges ever closer, despite our desperate, bumbling, humanity.

~*~*~*~*~

Jeremiah 31:3

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness".

~*~*~*~*~

Where I lack in consistency, in sticking with new habits, manners of speaking, oaths to be better...his love abounds even in my less proud moments.  When sins tumble out of my head, slide sickly over my heart, and vex my tongue to speak them, he embraces my shame and renews my desire for goodness.  I am meant for more, not because of who I am, but because of who he is.

My grey moments unfold to be scrubbed and whispered dry against the pressing of his love against my spirit, until I am white with his light and clean by his grace.

Prayerful

Help me, Oh Lord, to be a peace-keeper and a counselor, instead of one who points fingers and blame those who would block my path.

~*~*~*~*~

Proverbs 12:6

"The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them."

The Tiniest of Adventures

Sometimes when I decide to leave the house, I try to make a little adventure out of it.  Today, I ventured out to Starbucks (I know what you're thinking...wow, that's an adventure?) and took Darling Dog with me so he could growl at people running along the lake and give the barista kisses as she passed me my Cinnamon Dolce Latte and donut.  We sat in the car down at the park and he people-watched while I listened to The Help on my iPhone.  It was a perfect little break....

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's weekend!

A Very Duggar Giveaway

Check out the exciting giveaway at the Duggar Family Blog!  How exciting would it be to win this DVD?  I was already planning on buying it from Vision Forum.

Savings

Trying to pinch pennies...and still look fabulous.  That's the way of being a woman, I suppose. 

Welcome to wedding planning!

All I can think about is wanting to serve sweet tea and wear pink satin shoes like a secret beneath all that white, white fabric.

A White Window and a Lazy Cat

I picked up some inexpensive little Valentine's Day doilies to pretty up the windows and bring a bit of festivity to the place.

 

White heart doilies...

White potted plant...

White Peach Bellini candle...

Now where's the snow to tie it all together?

Crazy Cat dozed off whilst batting at the ball on her gymnasium/bed.  She sure is lazy when the sun comes out, shoot Lawd how this cat can nap!  She didn't even awaken from her sun-drenched slumber when I took her photo...or when Darling Dog yodeled his playful growl at her.  Not even a blink.  I think she was hoping for invisibility.  If I can't see them, they can't see me!

Decision to Reduce

For the last year, I paid a total of $24.99 for a Flickr account I used to host a bunch of my personal photographs.  During that time, one of my photos was selected for inclusion in a travel guide for Seattle, which was suprising and very flattering.  Despite that little sparkle of awesomeness, I didn't experience anything that showed the site to be worthy of any payment on my part, so I will be cancelling my membership and maybe posting more pictures on this blog to make up for it.  All that aside, Flickr is one of my favorite websites to spend time browsing. 

Here are a few of my favorite photostreams / contributors:

*Wikstenmade

*Simply Vintagegirl

*Color Me Katie

*Chickadee Nest

*Krista Palmu

*ElseaChelsea

*Lilja Photography

*Honey & Jam

*Ellybeth

*Foto Edge

*borealnz

Okay, so maybe I have more than "a few" favorites.  I love photography!!!

Enjoy!