Meet the newest addition to our family...the lovely & snugly Emma! She arrived in our world in her own time, slow pokey style. I have a feeling she's going to be a go at your own pace kind of girl, which I think is a great quality. She was born on her other Grandma's birthday which is very special. We're gonna keep :)

Spring has sprung! It's a delight to see all the flowering trees and plants in all their glory... Lilac's will be blooming pretty soon, until then here's a couple of photos taken on Mackinac Island a couple of springs ago.

The Lilac bushes there are so old, some of the oldest in the nation and not really bushes at all but full blown trees. It's worth a look see, if you've never been go towards the end of May to mid June when the Lilac's are stunning. You step off the Ferry and onto the Main Street and the fragrance of Lilac's run out to meet you!

Just got done exercising. Had to gear myself up mentally to push through to even doing it. Part of pushing through is remembering how great I'll feel after I'm done. Yes, I'm weaving exercise into my life, making it an integral part of who I am.

Weaving it into my life...how's that for a segway into photos of baskets :)

The first two photos are of a basket that belonged to my Grandma Smith...another important component to weave into your life, people! I admit sometimes I have to push myself to be with people, just like I have to with exercise. Which is very interesting because my main love language is quality time. Spending saturated time with those I love leaves me feeling very satisfied and happy! I thrive on independent solitude and quality time...what a weave!


Weaving God into the fabric of my life was and still is the most important decision I've ever made. I shutter to think where or what I'd be if He wasn't in my life...I can guarantee it wouldn't be pretty. My life isn't perfect now, but perfection isn't the goal...His love woven into my life and loving the people He's put in my life and on in my pathway is an important part of my life's weave...

My your day be tightly and beautifully woven with God's love, friends, family and EXERCISE!!!

I mentioned in my last entry that I got to spend some Lizzie and Grandma time last week. I took a ton of photos...here's one of my favorites.

This is my absolute favorite one...I love this girl, she's such a character, funny, fun and super cute!

Last Wednesday I went to my grand daughters pre-school for Grand Parents Day. You can see photos of our day by clicking on my flickr link. We had a great day enjoying the festivities at the pre-school, then brunch at the Rainbow Grill, and then the most fun of all, the park! These are photos of two trees from the park. If you've read my earlier blog you know that I love trees...if you haven't read my earlier blogs, I love trees :)

One of my favorite movies "Lord of the Rings" has walking, talking trees, they're friendly trees that help the main characters and keep them safe and lifted up far above evil. I love those walking talking trees!

Here's one of my favorite "tree" memories: One Fall I went on personal retreat in Wisconsin. While there I went on a walk and came upon a grove of tall, mature Oak Trees, I spent a long time there just listening to their brown leaves rustling in the dry fall wind. Under my feet were crisp beautiful fallen leaves and acorns. Squirrels had the freedom in this place to come and claim ownership of the acorns in security, even though I was there they knew it was their domain and scampered about. It's such a vivid memory of mine walking slowly through this grove, sometime spent sitting just taking it in, the sights, the sounds, the dry earthy smell.

With trees to take them in you have to look up...they're a reminder of God and how "BIG" He is and the reminder to look up, look for Him always.

On this eve of Easter, the celebration of Christ's Resurrection from the dead let's call to remembrance that He hung on a tree and died so that we could live and be with Him! In essence Jesus is like the walking talking trees from "Lord of the Rings" lifting me up above the evil and keeping me safe, talking to me, walking with me.

I love trees, and I love Jesus who hung on a cross/tree for me!

I like doors...

I have hauled five of them with me in my last three moves...

currently they create a wall in my apartment.

They are a reminder that God is with me.

What is it about doors that remind me of God is that God is big enough

to open them and big enough to close them...I trust Him to do that in my life.

I trust Him to know what doors to open specifically for me...

and I trust Him to close the doors that He chooses...which isn't always fun...but I trust Him.

He's with me and I trust Him...He's at work, inspite of it not looking like it! He's looking at me and His hand is open

and He's opening doors for me that I don't expect.

Red, red, red, red...I like it a lot!

Red...it's vibrant, it's exciting, bull's like it, it's the color of passion and love!

It's emotionally intense and literally makes hearts beat faster, and raises blood pressure.

In interior decorating it's usually used as an accent color because it draws attention

and is why stop signs and traffic lights are red. It's the color of fire, blood and danger.

Yes, I really, truly like red! You could even say I love it!!

But, my favorite color combination is red and pink...

Pink is the color of romance, innocence and tranquility :)

It makes me feel happy and I like it!

So sweet, so cute...

So drooly!

I took a bunch of photos of Ruby, they're all cute.

But this one, this one right here,

this is my FAVORITE!

A Ruby update...Here's proof she just keeps getting cuter!

She's discovered her feet and Grandma Julie with a camera

She's a punk-in! I love her...

Stuff, I've got a lot of stuff,

but not nearly as much stuff as I used to have.

6 years ago I moved from northern Michigan

to the Grand Rapids area and I had to downsize.

I sold a home and moved into a town home, then came

phase two of the downsizing I moved from the town home

to an apartment in downtown Grand Rapids.

I let go of a lot of stuff and it felt good, so good!

I gave away and sold some of my favorite things.

Truthfully it was hard to let go of some of my stuff

but what I realized is that my stuff isn't me

and I'm not a better person because of

the stuff I have, I'm me with or without stuff.

It was actually freeing to let go and leave

stuff behind and not to drag it forward!

These are some random things I have in a jar; old marbles,

crystal chandelier pieces, jewelry and rocks.

I like it, I don't know why I just do. Stuff!

I don't remember where I got this

old suitcase but I love it.

Currently it's used as an end table in my living room.

What I really want to do is pack it up and take a trip!

Until that can happen I'll just take photos of it.

The plan for now is to use the photos to make cards.

Feeling fun & festive!

I spent the day watching my grand daughter Ruby...

It was a great time, I rocked her, fed her, rocked her some more,

rocked her, fed her, rocked her some more...it was lovely :)

It has nothing to do with the photos I'm posting

other than a reminder that I love snow...

and I love Ruby...

Did I say that I rocked her?

Even sang her some songs.

You know the ones, the ABC's, You are my Sunshine,

and I hummed a lot...she liked it, and I rocked her...

This was the view from my window as I rocked Ruby.

Looks like the photos do have something to do with my day

of watching Ruby and rocking, singing, humming and feeding her.

Did I say that I rocked her?

I love rocking her as much as I love the snow!

Happy New Year!

Don't hate me...

but I LOVE snow!

The more the better, in my opinion.

It could snow every day and I'd love it!

Now mind you, I admit I don't love driving long

distances in snowstorms, but I LOVE snow.

I do, I do, I really really do :)

I lived in Northern Michigan for 20 years.

I loved the winters there, it snowed every day, literally, every day.

What did get old was the length of winter, but the snow...I LOVED it!

So, I took three rolls of film (72 photos) with my camera,

the one that the auto focus doesn't work...

This photo is purposely out of focus,

which I love and is now my screen saver :)

This photo was out of focus,

but not on purpose.

We can blame my eye sight, but I still like it :)

This is Ruby, she's looking at the Christmas Tree lights.

She is mesmerized by the lights, she loves them.

She's also out of focus...but I love her and she's still cute.

Then there's the other 69 photos I took

which are mostly all out of focus and basically crap!

Moral of the story; add have eyes checked to my goal list for 2010,

just under get a new camera :)

Happy New Year!!!!!

Here's Erik, "Erik with a k,"

I've know him since he was just a little guy,

his mom and I are close friends.

We went out a couple times for his

senior photos. All in all we took about 600 photos.

Our first shoot started out a little rough , he wasn't at all sure he liked

having his photo taken. He did loosen up and we had fun.

By the time we were done he was a pro...

Afterwards he said "It was hard work and was tired!"

This location is in downtown Grand Rapids.

This guy was on the wall...I love him ;)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

well at least I'm thinking about Christmas.

Going to put up my tree today,there's snow outside

and I'm looking at recipes of Christmas Cookies (and drooling),

oh and hot coco sounds GRAND!!!

This photo is from my June 09 trip to Portland, Oregon.

One day when we were out walking around

the neighborhood checkin stuff out and

we came across a garage sale, nothing to exciting,

nothing I couldn't live without,

but I did like this box of Christmas stuff.

I didn't buy it , but thought it was fun, in June,

in Portland when Christmas seemed

so far away (winter too for that matter).

Merry Saturday everybody and Happy Hanukkah!

Dear Blog,

How I have missed you! I've been cameraless (without camera) and desperate to take photos.

In an effort to feed my photography soul I busted out my film camera and am waiting the arrival of my first roll of film that I've taken in a while. It will be interesting to see how the photos turn out given the fact that the auto focus is broken and how well I actually can manually focus with my sighted-ness, or lack there of.

As I sit here blogging along I can look out my window at the first winter blizzard of the season. It's beautiful. All the trees in the woods are snow covered and snow is falling through the branches and it's burrrrrrrisk! Snow how I love thee...

Farewell blog...for now. I will post new photos on you soon...I promise. Never fear photos will re-appear :)

For now an oldie but a goodie...from warmer times.

Looks can be deceiving

These photos are from a recent

senior photo shoot at the beach

Although it was beautifully sunny

it was not warm but burrrrrrrrrrrrrisk!

Sneak peek of

Don & Cindy

The Wedding

Mug full of love...

Getting to the bottom of it...

is delightful!

It's rainy and windy outside.

A great day to stay inside and watch

the fall leaves blowing and swirling

and put my feet up...

Meet Ruby...

She's my new grand baby!

She's a cutie :)

I love her

Looking

up...

Bee happy...literally :)