{this moment}

Following SouleMama's inspiration :
"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."

TEN THINGS

What are ten things bringing you joy right in this moment? ~ SouleMama

Bringing me JOY :


1. the children wearing silk capes and playing explorers

2. a few baby chicks starting to leap to the side of the box and jumping back down

3. the flowers in a myriad of colors blooming outside in the garden

4. the special relationship between daughter #3 and son #2 who went off together today

5. the increasing confidence my 12 yr old has to go with a friend and her family for a fun day today

6. the kindness and thoughtfulness of son #1 who bought a plane ticket for his brother ( son #2) to fly out cross country to have some summer bonding time together

7. that I can work part-time at home with children and love what I do

8. the thoughts of my open air summer creative space and the projects I will start

9. the anticipation of going through my fabric scraps to get back to quilting

10. the fact that daughter #4 is trusting me with the re-do of her room as a surprise

What brings YOU joy right now?

A CREATIVE NOOK

 I can picture it, so vividly, in my mind, the meandering path through dappled shade and shade gardens en route to my creative abode in the woodlands. The woodstove will be lit when temperatures dip, music will be playing to suit my mood, and everywhere I look will be color and inspiration to create, as well as objects and photos that I treasure.

 You see, I do have the right space but it is more the time, money and a bit of know how that I need, and oh, one more thing, conquering that fear of power tools. But building is sort of quilting with wood, right?, so I know I can do it, it is just having the confidence that yes I can.


 I could order a shed type structure and have a large truck back it into the woodlands as far as it could go, but I have always liked making my own things. Sometimes that can be a fault though, as I will wait years to get what I want or to make it myself when I probably *could* be content settling for something else at the present time.  


 But would I really be content? Would I really be happy settling for something else? I don't know. It depends. I find such satisfaction in creating something myself, no matter what it is.  It becomes a deep connection to my heart and my soul. 


 It is a dream, yet one easily attainable in the very near future to have a  creative space nestled in the woodlands amongst the Beeches, Pines, Oaks and Sassafras .


Now, and through the summer months, I will be using a new and different kind of creative space. It will be a small creative nook in the open air.  It will be a step toward my dream as it will be at the edge of the woodlands, yet undercover. 


 It will be in an environment that will allow inspiration. The various greens of the earth will be in full view as will some wildlife, from rabbits to chipmunks to deer. Birdsong will fill the air, as well as the soft nickers of my Haflingers and perhaps the sound of them munching their hay. Soft music could be playing if I so desire.

 You see, my open air creative nook for the summer months is at the very end of our horse barn, looking out to the woodlands. And it will be used for certain creative endeavors, like writing, drawing, watercolors, small mixed media pieces, and designing and planning.

 It will also give me time to just *be* with my horses, to just be in their company. They hang out alot IN the barn during the summer days anyway, to avoid the sun and the flies, and always if I am in there . 


Come along and I will give you a tour. . . on Friday that is,  in preparation for the PARTY.


PARTY???


 Karen Valentine's 2nd annual PARTY: Where Bloggers Create on her blog at My Desert Cottage . You can see who will be partying now, the "Party Guests" on the right hand column on her blog, and will be able to view all the creative spaces starting Saturday June 19th.
It will be inspiring to check out where bloggers create !

 Everybody needs their own spot. Do YOU have an area to call your own, where you can be inspired and let your creativity flow ? It can be a anything and anywhere, that allows YOU to create. Big or small, simple or elaborate, from a part of your kitchen table to a whole room and anything in between.


I would love to hear where YOU create.

ONE WORD WEDNESDAY

~ smile ~

(Please feel free to join in One Word Wednesday. Just leave a link in the comments where your photo can be viewed .)

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - June 2010

The mid June GARDEN is becoming awash in color. Flowers are blooming each day. 

Come walk with me on Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and I will show you the flowers.

The reds :

                                                          Roses

Gallardia

Daylily

The pinks:

                                                            Rose

just starting to bloom Coneflower

 Foxglove

                                                    

The yellows:

                                                            Yarrow

                            

                                                               Daylily

                                        False sunflower

The purples :

                                                                                  chive

                                                                   Lavender       

                                                           

                                                                  Foxglove

                                                      

The Oranges:

                                                                              Lily

                                                         

The whites:

Daisies

Foxglove

 Every flower is a soul blossoming in Nature. 

                   ~Gerard De Nerval

**I made a mistake on my link for JULY 2010 Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.
I put the June post again instead  of July. Soo..if you are reading this, thinking this is the recent JULY post,  go here instead for the actual July posting. 
happy day!

IN THE CLOUDS

I know what you must be thinking. . . cool effects from photoshop or a similar program. 

Wrong!.  He said he had the urge to go up on the roof. . . literally. . . and he did.

His older sister took the pictures.

                                                
                                            texting on the roof

And this is the kid who doesn't like his picture taken. . . 

most of the time, that is.

 I am linking this to Life. On Mondays over at Ordinary Magic (Too).

"That one can step away from the same-old, same-old mindset at any time.

That regular life doesn’t have to be drudgery.

That the absurd and backwards should maybe be appreciated."

CATCH ME

"Catch me!" is what the Painted Lady said to the children. . .

                                      and with all their might, they tried

They came quite close but she flitted off again . . . 

and so did they!

It's often not about the prize, or the goal, at the end, but the whole journey. 
The boys were still filled to the brim with JOY.


Do you play the Outdoor Challenge too?

WORDS

my weekly posting of a poem, a quote and a passage from literature.

Sleeping in the Forest
I thought the earth remembered me, she 
took me back so tenderly, arranging 
her dark skirts, her pockets 
full of lichens and seeds. I slept 
as never before, a stone 
on the riverbed, nothing 
between me and the white fire of the stars 
but my thoughts, and they floated 
light as moths among the branches 
of the perfect trees. All night 
I heard the small kingdoms breathing 
around me, the insects, and the birds
who do their work in the darkness. All night 
I rose and fell, as if in water, grappling 
with a luminous doom. By morning 
I had vanished at least a dozen times 
into something better. 
~Mary Oliver




All that is gold does not glitter; not all those who wander are lost. The old that is strong does not wither; deep roots are not reached by frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken; a light from the shadows shall spring. Renewed shall be a blade that was broken; the crownless again shall be king" - JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

"In I got bodily into the apple barrel, and found there was scarce an

apple left; but sitting down there in the dark, what with the sound of
the waters and the rocking movement of the ship, I had either fallen
asleep or was on the point of doing so when a heavy man sat down with
rather a clash close by. The barrel shook as he leaned his shoulders
against it, and I was just about to jump up when the man began to speak.
It was Silver's voice, and before I had heard a dozen words, I would
not have shown myself for all the world, but lay there, trembling and
listening, in the extreme of fear and curiosity, for from these dozen
words I understood that the lives of all the honest men aboard depended
upon me alone."

           ~from Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

SUNDAY STROLL - Animals

 The day is cloudy, and the ground is damp with rain. My mood mimics the weather today, a bit somber and  in slow motion, as I still nurse my cold.  It is really a do nothing day, nothing really productive that is,  but obviously the kind of day I need. We all need to take advantage of those days now and then.


The only Stroll that was happening today for me was one to check on the animals. Of course, a brisk walk around the property would have probably been the most beneficial, but I was pulling out the lazy card today.

I think my partner was wondering what was taking me so long.

The horses greeted with their usual nickers and neighs and were probably wondering where I have been all day.

The ducks were pacing the fence, getting ready to fly over, but I was not in the mood to be bitten by male ducks, so I hurried on.

I need not fear though, as my *protector* was at the ready to herd those ducks away should the need arise.

The rabbits were vying for position as they heard my footsteps, always dreaming of the luscious dandelion greens I often pick for them. Today was no exception.

Some of the hens were resting under the pines . . . 

while others were looking for snacks in the grass.

I was finished outdoors and noticed some cool mushrooms on the way to the house.

Inside,the kittens were just waking from a nap.

The rabbit was fine and was just hanging out

 .

And most of the chicks were resting.

 REST? Sounds like a perfect idea :)

 happy day!

Check out who else is strolling today at Aisling's The Quiet Country House !