Teamwork-Day 171

When life seems chilly, dreary and hard, look to those who stand by your side and encourage you to achieve your goals and dreams.  Who are those individuals in your life who mean so much to you?  Stop and think!  I know you can name those who truly want you to be happy and successful in life, and who are always on your side.  Reach out to them, join hands and form a team of those who work and play well together!  And then confidently charge towards those goals!  May God bless each and every step along the way!

Carefree-Day 170

What a refreshing morning spent in the park observing two 16 month olds, exploring the rough bark on tree trunks with smooth palms of tiny hands, pulling on blades of fresh green grass with chubby little fingers and scooping up handfuls of tiny rocks only to let them sift through dusty fingers and fall to the ground.  Adrian and Noah have recently discovered that they are making a trip to a park full of adventures if only they will sit still long enough for someone to wrestle a pair of socks and shoes on their precious feet!  Swinging with not a care in the world is my favorite part of watching the boys conclude their morning field trip!  Such happy little guys, and so peaceful! 

Exploring My Creativity-Day 169

This day has been on my calendar for weeks, and I eagerly anticipated taking a Water Color Media class with my friend, Melissa, and many other amazing art teachers!  I was originally worried about signing up for this class with so many artistically talented individuals, and was afraid I would embarrass myself with my total lack of knowledge and skills in art.  Thanks a million, Melissa, for encouraging and motivating me to step out of my comfort zone and join you for the day!  I loved my experiences surrounded by so many wonderful teachers, including the demonstration lessons, helpful tips and pointers from others, great food, and getting to know new people.  My first attempt this morning was fun, and didn't seem too intimidating.  My product is shown above.  My second piece(shown below) was much more challenging as I learned additional techniques to enhance my work.  I decided to embrace different colors the second time around, and then struggled with my decision all afternoon.  I am proud of my new learning and what I accomplished in a 6 hour class, and think that I might really enjoy playing with watercolors again really soon!  Compliments to Lisa Miller, our instructor of the day, for a terrific workshop, and much gratitude to the very kind art teachers from the Brazos Valley who encouraged me along the way!  What a rewarding experience!

Amazing Tree-Day 168

This tree caught my eye as David and I explored many little side streets during our daily walks in Key West.  This was located on the site of an old building that perhaps might have been an old school building.  I'm curious to know more about the history of this site, and the tree! 

Church-Day 167

One of my joys during my travels is to visit beautiful churches, so while in Key West, we spent some time in this one.  Much to my surprise, there were magnificent door panels that opened to the outdoors on each side of the church to welcome in cooler air.  Loved the wooden-beamed ceiling, stained glass windows, and the quiet reverence from the hustle and bustle on Duval Street!

Wondering Why?-Day 166

While strolling through the cemetery one drizzly June morning in Key West, a melancholy feeling overwhelmed me as I passed by this family grave site.  Located in the front were headstones commemorating the very brief lives of three precious babies in the 1800's, all under the age of 1 year.  So many questions were looming before me as I silently grieved for this mother!  What caused the deaths of each of her angels?  Were their deaths sudden because of illness?  What sweet memories did their parents have of their infant and young toddler days?  Why should one mother have to suffer  such a tremendous loss time and time again?  Before leaving the cemetery that day, I returned to the site to capture this photo as I was so moved by my thoughts and feelings for this family and so many others.

Sewing Not My Strength!-Day 165

After cruising on Pinterest last night for baby shower gift ideas, I found the "easiest" idea in the world, and planned throughout the wee morning hours about the fabrics I would buy to make these simple but cute burp cloths.  A morning trip to JoAnn's Fabrics was a success in that I discovered cute flannel and terry cloth for my project, and two colors of thread.  Lunch was a quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and then on to more exciting things.  I found my Singer Featherweight in the closet, pulled it out and set it up on my table.  After reviewing the blog I had pinned last night, I carefully cut the fabrics and was ready to SEW!  Unfortunately, I could not remember how to thread my machine after ten years of not tackling any sewing projects.  Can I just say I was so frustrated and then I could not find my manual either!  Fortunately, my mom only lives a few blocks away so I placed a quick call to her for HELP!!  Thankfully, Mom is very good with sewing so, within a few minutes, she appeared on my front porch with a decent pair of sewing scissors, some pins and her knowledge and expertise about sewing!  After much trial and error, she was able to thread the machine and complete one burp cloth.  So CUTE!  Because she knows me very well, and knows I'm a failure with sewing projects, she suggested that I go to the store to buy some for my shower gifts!  Well, she had a good point but you see, I was determined to complete this simple project I started this morning!  I'm so happy to report in my "show and tell" that I successfully completed a second burp cloth after she left me alone to sink or swim with my trusty Singer!  Now I'm wondering if I should add sewing classes to my summer to-do list!  Or should I accept the fact that this is just not something I'm EVER going to be able to do on my own?  I would really love to be able to sew as well as my mom!