Plant these flowers!

Hello!  In CA (at the very least) there is a declining bee population.  A friend of mine shared this fun list of flowers we can all plant to help the bees!

(Specific Herbs, Perennials, and Annuals that can help save bees)

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Thanksgivukkah?

Okay, so apparently today was/is a once in a lifetime event -- both Thanksgiving and Hanukkah fall on the same day!  So a very Happy Day to all!  : )  The shirt image is one of three images I liked that I found online...

Seeing as my family only celebrates Thanksgiving, most of my photos/images today (and tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day Part II -- sorry, late and I am thankful but tired!) will reflect that...

Was up early enough to catch the last of the sunrise, just as the clouds were losing the pink tint (apologies in advance, cell phone had poor quality in my opinion).
 

SO many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day, but my life family friends - God has given so much and I do not always take the time to say thank you.  Blogger is acting up for me, so I shall just leave you with one more actual photo.  Had my sister and her son (my nephew) with us the last two days which was lovely!

My nephew - 2013 his first Thanksgiving

Promise of more photos -- decorations and food mostly! -- to come ::HUGS::

Hello March!

Another month... Loved the photos I put in yesterdays blog, that particular plum tree has been in my backyard for years! This looks to be a busy month, starting with a baby shower today. Hope the first two months of the year went well -- and if they did not that this month turns things around!

You are my sunshine

PRAYERS NEEDED PLEASE (THANK YOU)


"You are my sunshine,

my only sunshine,

you make me happy,

when skies are grey."

Rain and Hail

We have had rain and hail the past night/day/night -- then today it is all sunshine (and wind). On one hand I enjoy the variety in the weather but on the other it would be nice to go more than a day and a half without changing wardrobe again *amused* How lovely that is really the current "worst" thing to be worried about at the moment!  Tried to take a photo of the sudden (and short) downpour of hail last night.  This shot (back balcony) was the best I could do.  Happy Wednesday everyone!

Pretty Bird!

Photo of a bird about to land

(found during random G.oo.gle searching)

Pretty Bird!

EDIT: God works in ways we cannot understand... so happy for a blogger I have been following for a while, she got the most unexpected news this week and stories like this post: THE LAST FRONTIER help me remember that I need to relax, keep breathing, take one step at a time.

Turtle

What caption do you think should go with this photo?

Westminster Dog Show

Westminster Best Of Show 2013

Breed: Affenpinscher

(Cute and tiny!)

Butterflies Of The World

Poster of various Butterflies of the World - pretty!

Mountains change color

Mountains changing color just as the sun starts to set...

Just thinking

Just thinking today - also drinking lots of water

Fits into the empty space

"Sometimes someone says something really small but it fits right into this empty space in your heart"



I love this leaf that is changing color, and the heart shape that was likely cut out of it (into it?)...also the saying that helps remind me that even though I sometimes feel like I have empty space(s) inside of me, there are so many words and actions from family, friends, strangers that help fill me with positive feelings during days that are difficult for me.  Thank you to everyone who helps, even if you are not aware of helping!

Snow in Paris!

(Man using skies passing the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France on January 20, 2013 -- image taken from online search of the first heavy snowfall of the new year!)


Love this photo -- makes me miss my France family!


Love to all :)

3 tired kittens

3 tired kittens -- they look so cute!

Hope everyone rests this weekend!

Frost Flowers

This photo was taken by an old friend of mine of our college campus.  We received our bachelor's degrees about half a decade ago, I moved back to southern CA and she eventually found a great guy and is working on the campus. I LOVE how she was able to capture the frost, and at the same time I wonder how I can be so cold during this cold snap when I have visited places that are much cooler!  It was a lovely day today though, warmer (although with a chilly breeze) and I was able to visit our weekly farmers market (mostly browsing). Hope everyone is doing well and hopefully I will be in a much better mood starting today!  (The past week -- well, I will just say I have been in a negative place in general, although I have had good moments)

Polar Bear in flowers

Flower Centerpiece

 I love centerpieces, and this one came from an early holiday gathering -- since it was able to be brought home (every now and then centerpieces are given to certain people, this particular event anyone could grab one)... I took two different angles to try and give a good look at the "basket" which has great holiday colors!

Aside from fresh flowers, this particular dinner centerpiece included fresh pears and large pomegranates, along with pine branches cut and placed around the very bottom, sticking out like a skirt.  There are also some bunches of fresh berries that helped make it more festive!


Hoping everyone is doing alright and sending out prayers

Funeral flowers

I have had a lot of thinking going on inside my head but for some reason I can not seem to get the words to come out of my mouth - or through my fingers onto the screen - in one coherent sentence.  Suppose that my thoughts have been more scattered than usual the past couple of months.  I have found that I cannot always recall a memory (even ones that used to be very strong, or have large emotional ties).  Rambling is not enough. Words are not enough (since I cannot force them into something that makes sense).

When I was in elementary school, I was an alter server.  I attended more funerals than any of my classmates. I also attended more weddings - as an alter server. Somewhere along the line I moved on to being a Eucharistic Minister as well as a Lector (Catholic Girl Here).

I wonder if those occasions, the ones growing up that I was not attached to the funeral/wedding... I wonder if that is where I learned to love flower arrangements.  This particular photo was from a family friends funeral recently (and though it may seem a bit too callous, I would not be able to say her passing was unexpected because she had been on a very rough road for...well, most of my life).

When I really think about it, flowers tend to fall into very specific categories for me.  Nature (mostly mountains)... Yards/Gardens/Gardening (selected by people particularly to suit their wants/needs)... Decorative centerpieces (ceremonial occasions such as a holiday, bringing life into a room in a house, galas/fundraising events, that sort of thing)... Of course the Rose Parade in Pasadena CA every New Years Day (or Jan. 2nd if it fell on a Sunday that year, as it occasionally does)... I suppose courting/birthday/just because flowers have a category... Then I am left with funerals and weddings.

No idea why this particular rant felt the need to be typed out but since it is one of the few items I have been able to write (well, ramble on) about I am going to make it a post.  Flowers, wherever they are found, are beautiful.  They might not necessarily match (if they are arranged/in an arrangement) -- but they remind me of fingerprints -- all unique. Some chosen in sorrow, some chosen in joy... some with care and some without.  But nature is always around us and flowers are often a beautiful way to express whatever emotion/occasion exists at that moment in time.

(Today I am happy, sad, worried, lucky, blessed, thankful)

Beautiful clouds

Sunsets recently have been gorgeous in Southern California -- I managed to capture some of the blue sky with pink clouds that filled most of the sky plus the start of the gold/orange mixture closer to the sun itself as it started to sink lower in the sky... This photo reminds me of an art class I took back during my college years -- It would be great to be able to draw this however my skill level was not quite that high (particularly in my opinion!) yet I think if I played around with watercolors I could possibly try... Have not practiced various things in quite a while and I think that brushes/paint probably need to be restocked before trying! Oh, also I finished that book I started last week.

Every new day

"Every new day is another chance to change your life."