HAPPY NEW YEAR

"This is a time for reflection as well as celebration.

As you look back on the past year and all that has taken place in your life,

Remember each experience for the good that has come of it

    and for the knowledge you have gained.

Remember the efforts you have made and the goals you have reached.

Remember the love you have shared and the happiness you have brought.

Remember the laughter, the joy, the hard work, and the tears.

And as you reflect on the past year, also be thinking of the new one to come.

Because most importantly, this is a time of new beginnings

    and the celebration of life. " 

~Taylor Addison

                HAPPY NEW YEAR !

MORNING LIGHT

 a quiet cloak 

 solid stillness 

 light plays

 awareness

thoughts mesh

senses magnify

emotion deep

appreciation 

love being

beauty surround

inner beauty 

peace          ~mjs

I am in rest mode right now, taking the days slow and being in the moment; caring for animals, enjoying time with my children and reading, reading reading. There is a room waiting to be painted purple. . . perhaps today or tomorrow.

may your day be happy!

BLIZZARD

I believe in free choice, but not today.

The snow is coming down heavy now and the wind has picked up speed. The forecast is blizzard conditions that will dump about 14-16 inches of snow in our area of southeastern Massachusetts. 

Noone will be staying out in the paddocks all night or roosting on the limb high in the pine tree. Everyone will be tucked in their own abode to stay safe and warm during the storm.

It took me almost an hour to coax the hens into their coop, Some were taking shelter under the pines or under our deck and didn't want to trek through the deep snow, so I shoveled a path for them. Others seemed to love the weather and wanted no part of going inside.

I sprinkled a trail of cracked corn all the way to the coop ( think Hansel and Gretel!) and little by little, bite by bite, they made their way inside.


The horses tend to stay in the farthest paddock when it snows, as if to say,"Don't even think about putting us in the barn!" 

But once the wind picked up speed they thought it best to stay closer to the barn and made their way on their own.

I was deciding just how long I would let them stay outside when a big gust of wind came, spooked the horses and each one ran into their stall.  

The stall doors were shut and snow brushed off backs. I left them munching their hay and knew I made the right decision for tonight.


happy day, happy snow!

PEACE AND JOY AND LOVE

Wishing you peace. . .

 a quiet moment

appreciation of all that is small 

                                                          
                                Wising you joy . . .
                               merriment and fun
                               with a bit of whimsy

                                
                                             

                                     Wishing you love . . . 

                         from those near and far

                        who touch your heart deeply

                                             

                                 Wishing you time . . .

                                  to "be"   

                                  in the moment

                                  with all your senses

                  

                                 happy day !  love marcia

{this moment}

"A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember." 
Inspiration from SouleMama:

                                        happy day!

NOTES IN A FRAME

My twelve year old made gifts for her siblings. Bulletin board frames!  They came out great.

-She bought frames, removed the glass and cardboard easel part, then sanded, painted and embellished them  in the colors of her choice. 


- She glued two layers of cork bulletin board material onto the cardboard easel part . It came in a roll at a craft store. She used wood glue to glue them on and put heavy books on top of them until dry. Once dry she reassembled the frames.

- She bought some buttons and chose others from our stash.

 She used wire cutters to snip off the back if needed. Then used E6000 glue to secure the buttons onto thumbtacks.

These frames are just waiting for some To Do lists, Inspirations and Photos !

She did a crackle technique on one frame but I didn't get a picture of that one.
This is fun to make and relatively easy too. It is a useful gift that takes up little space and can be easily moved to where you need it most.


Perhaps you know someone who would enjoy a gift like this!


  happy day!

THROUGH THE WINDOW

the covered garden gate

 pine boughs adorned

a garden asleep

a teepee standing tall . . . 

amidst the white

 in stillness

and in peace.

                     ~mjs

I'm playing Tuesday Through. . .The Winter Window hosted by Swedish House . 
This is the view out my kitchen windows during the morning snowfall.
 Just delightful!


happy day! 
Wishing you peace and joy!

LUNAR ECLIPSE

Did you see the lunar eclipse? Watch it here .

happy day!

SNOWFLAKES in 3D

There's a flurry of activity at our house this morning . While the snowflakes fall outside, more are being made inside.

She plans to fill all the windows with them!


If you want to make some too, you can find the directions here.


happy day, happy snowflakes!

A GIFT OF WHITE

It was a splendid surprise to look in the coop 

and see the very first egg laid by our Polish hens.

It truly IS a gift!

                      happy day!

WORDS

A poem for today

Through bare trees
I can see all the rickety lean-tos
and sheds, and the outhouse
with the half-moon on the door,
once modestly covered in
summer's greenery.

Through bare trees
I can watch the hawk
perched on a distant branch,
black silhouetted wings
shaking feathers and snow,
and so can its prey.

Through bare trees
I can be winter's innocence,
unashamed needfulness,
the thin and reaching limbs
of a beggar, longing to touch
but the hem of the sun.
-  Lisa Lindsey

{this moment}

"A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember." 
Inspiration from SouleMama:

                                        happy day!

ONE WORD WEDNESDAY

                                  ~ patience ~

(Please feel free to join in One Word Wednesday, just leave your link in the comments).

                                           happy day!

GOT TREE?

It was only the four of us decorating the tree this year. It was fun, but different.


 Two of my older children, who usually help, got their own trees this year. That's when you know they have truly grown up, when they start their own personal traditions. It's great, but different.


The youngest added the star, as usual.

And we played Scrabble, Blokus and ate eclairs. 
It was quiet, fun and relaxing, just what we all needed.


Life has been a bit crazy lately with a flurry of activity.  I am even behind on my blog posts. My earth school is winding down for a months vacation, my son's musical is over which means no more long daily rehearsals . Soon we will all be in holiday mode, determined to slow down, relax and enjoy the season with friends and family.


How are your days going?


    happy day!