November

"November is a russet apple with a glint of gold in

it's rough brown skin,

 one dry leaf clinging to its blackened stem, 

 a brisk spicy flavor at its core. 

It is cider working in dark barrels,

 reddish brown sawdust blanketing the sills,

 amber-eyed cows chewing all day in the stanchions.

 It is stately fowl on yard parade in brown and gray feathers 

and red combs, and many brown eggs in the barn cellar nests at night. 

It is grey crocks filled with barberry sauce

 and great cubes of translucent pumpkin, 

scarlet cranberries drying in the open chamber

. A lamp or lantern held high in the dark dairy

 reveals a mosaic of jellies, preserves, shrubs, 

wines, bottled herbs and yellow cream rising in shallow pans."

Gladys Hasty Carroll

September

"September is a banner of soft purple 

and metallic gold proudly 

suspended across the sky...

The sand y roads are bordered deep 

in goldenrod and wild asters.

Sweet apples and Porters are yellow

 in the orchards and blue

pearmains are ripening.

 Maple trees are touched with yellow

 from the first frost.

Pumpkins are drawn by the cartload 

from the fields and stacked beside the barn."

Gladys Hasty Carroll

June

"All the smells of winter are washed away 

by the flood tide of the perfumes of June--

an incomparable blend of a thousand flowers

 caressed by the sun, 

of fruit springing from bud in the orchard,

 of roots thickening in loose, rich soil, 

of sea turn, swamp mist, running brooks,

 birch and pine. 

The outdoors comes in and there is no indoors...

Small children, barefoot, roam at will,

 wading brooks, peering into muskrat holes,

feeding small birds in the hollows of trees, 

following woods trails, digging sand banks. 

Women's fingers are pink-stained at night

from the picking and hulling

 which bring strawberry short-cake to the table."

Gladys Hasty Carroll

March

"March is the daybreak hour of the year. 

The face of the earth is still dark but the shadow is lifting....

In the air itself we feel, smell, taste, see a change

 as delicate and tentative as it is undeniable and certain.

 Though hurled against us by the wind,

 its touch is as soft as the wing tips of angels. 

It's ethereal warmth, too slight for registry 

on the thermometer, seeps through our heavy clothing. 

Its fragrance has no name,

 being not from anything that is,

 but from all that is to come...

March brings a silent ecstasy, a still excitement

matched only by that of a woman 

suddenly pausing, hushed, incredulous,

yet sure she feels the first faint, 

fluttering motion of a longed-for child."

Gladys Hasty Carroll

February

"February is the uncertain month,

 neither black or white 

but all shades between by turns.

 Nothing is sure...

Each year is new and strange in February.

 It's promises, if any, are like

 shadow pictures on the wall;

one cannot grasp and hold to them;

 blow out the light and 

they are no longer there."

Gladys Hasty Carroll

Sweetest Smiles

My littlest grandson is 

6 months old already!

He is so happy to see me

and gets so excited when he gets

to be with me. 

He is the cutest, snuggliest

happiest 6 month old boy

and it was so fun to do his pics.

I did them in the garage again which worked

well especially as I purchased a space

heater so he stayed warm!

 It was so cute when we put a mirror

by him and he could see himself!

Catch Lights in Her Eyes

I used a great idea that I found on Pinterest,

in which, as an indoor studio you 

use your garage with the door open.

This is where I did my 5 year old 

grand daughters' photo shoot.

I was able to catch the light in her eyes

as the lighting was great. 

We just had to go in and warm up every few minutes

as it was in the low 20s that day.

She was a delight to work with 

and came up with creative ideas for

ways to pose;)

The back drop is a sheet that I covered in ruffles

and the floor in the top photo is strips of

pine paneling I painted to look weathered.

3 Month Photo Shoot

Funny how even babies know

that the minute the camera comes out

they should quit being happy and start crying!

I did my grandsons 3 month photos

and he just did not enjoy it very much...

especially one area of the yard,

every time we put him out there

he melted into tears but he liked

the porch, go figure, so we did them all there.

Unfortunately the light wasn't the best there.

But he is so cute it really doesn't matter and I got

some that show his personality.

2 Year Old Photo Shoot

Pierce is going to be 2

next week and I got to be

 photographer for his pictures.

 2 year olds move very fast

 from one activity to the next 

and I was kept hopping!

He is such a happy boy and so excited about

everything that it was a lot of fun to do.

Fairy Tent in the Garden

A Fairy tent appeared in my garden

this week specifically built

for a special little fairy

that Grandma loves very much!

I used 2 ladders,

fabric, sheets and various props

from my garage.

Springs' Perfidy

"New children play upon the green,

New weary sleep below;

And still the pensive spring returns,

And still the punctual snow!"

Emily Dickinson

Splashing Around in Color

Wild flowers!

Garden Flowers!

Flowers on Dresses!

The world is alive in Color!

Spring is Bustin' Out all Over!

Thank You, Lord!

For color,

for light,

for beauty,

for life.

Love Your Passion

COLOR

PATTERN

ART

CREATIVITY

What more can I say?!

This is the fourth and final week
Of "All Four Love"
@ Domestic Blunders
Thanks, Jeanne and Courtney
for this fun month of Photography!

Love Yourself

For the 3rd week of the "All Four Love"

photo challenge @Musings of a Creative Life

the theme was "Love Yourself"

I chose my hands, for several reasons...

I don't have attractive hands,

but they "are" my Mother's hands,

so they are easier to love the older I get!

They are hands that have cuddled, loved

and raised 5 children to adulthood,

held the hands of the dying,

nursed the sick,

folded in prayer,

hugged the hurting,

scrubbed and painted,

sewed and cooked...

they are worth learning to love.

"Love Unexpected"

This weeks photo challenge at Musings of a Creative Life

is titled "Love Unexpected".

I find it hard to explain the deep and intense

love I have for the Bible, but the one

thing I know is that it was completely unexpected 

to have it become a consuming passion.

Of course the Author is the One

who is called "The Word became flesh",

so it is really Him who I love,

and that too was unexpected!

"Loved Deeply"

Over @ Musings of a Creative Life

 there is a photo challenge on

 for every Friday in February

called "All Four Love".

This Friday the theme is

"Loved Deeply"

I love the back of Brielle's neck, 

because it is one of the most kissable,

 tender parts on her sweet little body,

and with her soft curls

and pink bow she is irresistible!

Rain, Rain, Rain!!!

Since it is going to keep on raining for months:(  

 I decided it was time to have a little fun

and see what kinds of rain I could find!

I think if we look around us 

we may be pleasantly surprised by

how many interesting views there are

to discover in the most mundane of days.

Silver Challenge #2

My silver challenge was an experiment

with arranging some ephemera

around my blog pic and scanning it.

I'd like to work with this idea in

the new year so my blog looks

a little more like a scrapbook.

I think buying a program to do it with might

be a better idea, but not sure which one.

The Lord is My Rock

"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer...

For who is God, except the Lord?

and who is a rock, except my God...

The Lord lives!

Blessed be my rock!"

Psalm 18