Monday, February 28, 2011

Oh, Sedona.

It's not always hot and sunny in the desert.
* * *

This past weekend Doug and I had plans to visit our northern property but the weather threatened to be nasty so our trip was canceled.
Problem was that I really wanted to get outta' town. So, Sunday morning I sent Carrie a text message that read, "I need to be in Sedona. Wanna' go?"
I knew she couldn't resist. We love this place!

Sedona, Arizona is a two and a half hour drive from where we live. And if you are ever in the Phoenix area I highly recommend that you drive yourself on up to this spectacular town in red rock country.

The drive up was absolutely stunning. There was fresh snowfall and puffy white clouds against that amazing Arizona sky...
One of our favorite spots on the planet is Crescent Moon Park. It's a state park with some easy walking trails with Cathedral Rock as its backdrop. You have to pay {$9} to get in, but Carrie and I both agreed that it was worth every penny.

Carrie has been fighting a cold and the beautiful day was a nice distraction. Poor baby, by the end of the day she was not feeling well at all...but here, she was happy:
And me? With my "woe is me" attitude lately, I was happy too...

Most of these photos were taken with my point-and-shoot camera. The trees were loaded with snow that kept falling on us, and I was worried about my big-girl camera getting wet.

The light and darkness of these photos is due to cloud coverage ~ and Sedona is so beautiful this way. The red rocks look different throughout the day depending on the brightness and the angle of the sun.
Seriously? ~sigh~
Yeah...amazing...
Sedona is the perfect place to renew your spirit.
The path at Crescent Moon Park.
We happened upon an older couple and asked if they'd take our picture. As the lady pointed our camera the gentleman said, "I was going to tell you to smile but it looks like you girls already have that part down." :o) Yeah, we were happy...

After our walk through Crescent Moon Park,
we drove into town for some shopping and lunch.
Mmmmm...lunch at "The Hideaway"...
And the view from "The Hideaway"?
Here's what we looked at as we ate our lunch:
We took a quick stroll through the shopping district.
There are statues and art pieces here and there,
and Carrie obliged in taking my photo with one.
I should have bought this sign as a reminder
not to take myself so seriously sometimes...
Thanks,
Carrie, for accommodating my spontaneous idea
to head to Sedona for the day. It was just what I needed!

Friday, February 25, 2011

Just a quote for Friday

Young, Arizona ~ Going this weekend for some down-time...

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky is by no means a waste of time."
~ John Lubbock
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Monday, February 21, 2011

When the going gets tough...

This is what our Arizona sky looked like last Saturday morning:
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Seriously? I was like, "Hey! Where's my sunshine!"
But the clouds were so pretty and I did take some time
to admire and photograph them. And I literally kept
going outside looking for a rainbow. I just knew there
would be one...eventually...but nonetheless, no.
{LOL. I was pretty pitiful.}
I decided to make some pumpkin/butterscotch chip
cookies for Doug to take to his dad. Ended up eating
a lot of them myself.

I had lunch with my three SIL's, then
we took a walk in the rain, and I took
this fun picture of Doug's sister, Meta
and me in the rain.
{Thanks for cheering me up, SIL's! I♥U!}

I played with dough at an Italian restaurant...
because this little monkey didn't want to...{And by the way, in case you don't know,
photographing a 2-year old is busy work!
You have to think fast to get the shot.}
I did a little sewing this weekend which also
allowed me to reflect on things at hand...

And allowed myself to admit that I was too overloaded
to take on another project, even though the fabric is bought,
and washed, and cut, and partially sewn. My shoulder's having
none of it, and I'm stressing about commitments and time
limitations, so I'm switching gears...
I also cut myself some slack with this week's
assignment in the photography course I'm taking.
Apparently one needs to be in a clear-minded state
to fully grasp the concept of the dreaded shutter speed.
{putting it aside...not giving up...}
My cats have been hanging close by me the
past few days. Whiskers is becoming more affectionate
now that he's getting older (he'll be 5 this year). He's firm
and soft and comforting to snuggle with. Love him!!!
And this weekend I thought a lot about my mom's illness and what this all means. I felt like the world around me was going extremely fast paced, or at least I was moving in slow motion. I searched for a pair of earrings for 5 minutes before I realized I was already wearing them!
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My mom (and Carrie and I) really appreciated all of your comments expressing love and support regarding our family's upsetting news. We'll get back on track and face this with strength and dignity ~ it's what we do. And you would too. ♥
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Thanks, everyone!
XOXOXOXOXO!!!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Skip, skip, skip to my...OUCH!


When I was a little girl I loved to skip. I wasn't good at running, but I was an excellent skipper. There's just something about skipping that is such a happy thing to do. Something about the rhythm of skipping and that little pause ~ almost a stutter ~ between strides. And sometimes, in a moment of life's cruelty, a pebble or a crack in the sidewalk could cause me to stumble. In an instant I'd go from happy flight to painful plight. Thank goodness for my mom who could make the biggest of boo-boo's feel better right away.


And so it is with life. I've been skipping along through this life, enjoying happy flight when life presented a fairly large crack in the sidewalk. This time it's up to me to help my mom, and it's a big boo-boo that can't be easily kissed away. We learned this past week that my mom {Marti} has cancer and she could really use your prayers.

This is a request for you, my dear readers, to keep my mom in your thoughts and/or prayers. In the meantime, I'll look forward to skipping again when she's all better. I know you'll forgive me if I'm not very present for a while...

Friday, February 18, 2011

Just a quote for Friday

Project 365/48
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"Wherever you go, no matter
what the weather, always
bring your own sunshine."
~ Anthony D'Angelo

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Deb & Carrie in the City. A mini-book.

Remember those photos I posted after
our day in downtown Phoenix?
They were begging to be put into a mini-book, so I did just that.

Simple, easy design. Photos and cardstock
glued to 4x6" chipboard with Yes!Paste.
Letters and the little birds were cut using my Cricut.
{Yes, Sian, you need one!}

Bound together with a Bind-it-All.
And love.

For my girl C for Valentine's Day.
The photos in the book were taken by our dear friend, Janae.

A great little keepsake to remember a very fun day.



:o)
Thanks for looking.
xo

Monday, February 14, 2011

♥'s around my house, and heartfelt thanks.

Since it's Valentine's Day I thought I would create a post that not only shows some of the hearts around my house, but also to give thanks where thanks is {long over-}due.

Here we go:
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If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that Doug finds heart shaped rocks for me and I have a very nice collection. Thank you, Douglas!!! xoxoxo

This pretty red ceramic heart was a surprise gift from my friend, Rhona. Love it!!! Thanks, Rhona! xo

And this sweet little heart, carved smoothly out of wood? I owe thanks to Ruth for this one. I'm SO fond of it! xo


And see that little heart under the flowers at the base of our wedding photo? Rhona again! SO sweet!!!
Here's a shot of my kitchen window sill where I have a little wooden bowl overflowing with heart rocks from Doug.

And this heart from my dear friend, Mel, that she found on the beach in Wales and thought enough to pick it up and send it my way. It sits on my craft table and reminds me of the amazing connection I have with creative women all over the world. Thanks again, Mel! xo


I recently had the good fortune to win a blog giveaway from Beverly, and I was oh so pleased with my lovely prize package ~ a nicely covered notebook and a sweet Valentine card. Thanks so much, Beverly! I it!
And this next little piece of love isn't heart-shaped but it's the next best thing as far as I'm concerned. You know I love me some turtles, and Lizzie surprised me with a turtle stamp she designed and carved herself, just for me. He came all the way from the UK, along with some teeny-weeny little notebooks that Lizzie made as well. Thanks so much, Lizzie!!! xo
Just this past week I received a prize package from a contest I won over at The Scrappy Tree. It was a furry friends challenge and a donation was sent to the SPCA {animal shelter organization} in my name. As if that wasn't enough, I also received these lovely goodies. And what a sweet surprise that the package included cat treats! Whiskers Jay, Fancy Jane, and I all thank you!!!
And one more thank you to Melissa who sent me a fabulous package of scrap goodies a while back and I was remiss in photographing them before they were disbursed amongst my own supplies. Thanks so much, Melissa! Your generosity amazed me.
So, thanks to everyone who has gone out of their way to make me feel so special and very much loved. I appreciate it so much...from the bottom of my heart!
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Happy Valentine's Day!
xo
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