A Sunday Drive . . .

Well, hello Mama!

Her pretty baby that looks like she was born in the spring. 

"Can you move it along??  We're trying to eat here!!"  : )

Urban decay.

We have a sweet little nature center where kids can go to visit and learn all about, well, nature.  : )  This is the first time I noticed this sign.  I'll have to come back earlier in the summer next year.  It looked like most of the flowers had already come and gone for the season.

 

I had no idea that there were so many wild raspberries growing in our little town.  They were everywhere on this road.  They always remind me of childhood summers when we had several bushes in the backyard of the house I grew up in.

It was a gorgeous day with low humidity and temps in the high 70's.  Rare for this time of year in New York.  The temps are slowly creeping back up again but the humidity is still pretty low and that makes a world of difference.  For me, it's the difference between enjoying being outdoors and wanting to crawl out of my skin when I'm outdoors.  Lol!!  TRUTH!!

I visited Michael's Craft Store the other day and it was filled with fall items and they're even starting to sneak in Christmas stuff.  Like retail, crafters always have to be one or two seasons ahead so I understand the rush.  On the other hand, fall I can handle.  I can always handle fall.  Definitely not yet ready for the hustle and bustle of Christmas.  However, I'm now off to work in my Etsy shops and guess what I'm going to be working on today . . . 

Christmas Creativity Kits!!!  Yes, indeed!!!  : )


Happy Tuesday!!  ~ Wendy  xo

These Outdoor Moments . . .

It's been such a beautiful week here.  The rain has moved in today though.  I think at least half of the weekend is supposed to be nice so I'll take it.  Anyone with school age children will tell you just how busy the month of June is.  There are concerts, awards ceremonies, moving up ceremonies. sports dinners, recitals, and on and on.  I've decided to take it one day at a time and not stress over the little things.  They always seem to work themselves out anyway, don't they?  : )

Have a wonderful weekend ~ Wendy

This Moment . . .

These two guys were outside my window.  You can see their antlers are just starting to come in.  I was so sad to leave the wildlife that I had been feeding for fifteen years in our old neighborhood but I have been gifted with cardinals outside my studio window at the bird feeder every day, many more squirrels to feed and a gang of seven or eight deer that visit our neighborhood quite frequently. 

I'm not sure I'll be as happy about these guys once the flowers start to bloom and they start to chomp on them but, for now, they make me smile.  : )


Many blessings for a wonderful weekend and for a very happy Mothers' Day to everyone that celebrates on Sunday!!  xoxo

~ Wendy

Winter Days . . .

Megan had a two hour delay at school yesterday due to a little clipper storm coming thru in the early morning hours.  I dropped her off and made a bee line to the nearest Dunkin' Donuts for a much needed extra large coffee.  Our coffee pot has been leaking all over the counter when we try to use it.  We've tried everything to fix it but we can't figure out what the problem is.  : (

I got my coffee, got back into my car, cranked up the classical music and took a drive to our beautiful local state park in hopes of taking some photos.  I've really been lacking in the photo-taking department and I start to get cranky when I don't use the creative part of my brain.  I'm not kidding.  : )

Within the park is a pretty little cemetery that I visit often.  It's perfect for walking in and, if I'm lucky, I catch a glimpse of this adorable little group of deer that hang out there waiting for the next batch of funeral flowers to munch on. Yesterday, they were there.

As soon as they saw my car, they walked over to me.  I know they were looking for food and I felt horrible that I only had coffee to offer them.  : )  They look chubby and healthy in their winter coats, thankfully.

Mama and her yearling.

Is that not the cutest face EVER?!!!!!?

So now the creative part of my brain is happy again .  I think I'm going to put the above photo in my Etsy shop.  Simply irresistible!!!!  : )


Happy Saturday to you all!!  ~ Wendy

My Word . . .

The last couple of years, I've picked a word to use as a focal point for the upcoming new year.  I happened to choose the same word  for the last two years.  That word was " Release."  It usually comes to me in an intuitive manner.  Many of my thoughts come to me this way, actually, if I'm able to clear my mind enough to receive the messages. That's not always easy with four kids, three cats and two dogs!!  : )

This year's word is  . . .    SOAR  ~   To rise or fly into the air.  To increase or improve suddenly above the normal or usual level.

On January 12th, I will be 48 years old.  To type that number is surreal to me.  I don't have a problem with this number.  In fact, it's just the opposite.  I feel so blessed that I am here to celebrate it.  So many people never get to see this number.  What has been going on in my mind is this whole aging process.  The idea of being in the middle years of my life.  Feeling like a kid still yet looking in the mirror and seeing the aging process happening right before my eyes.  I think this middle age thing is a part of our journey that teaches us the lesson of acceptance that there are things that we can change and there are things that we just have to accept.  I'm in a transitional period of doing both. 

In my 20's, 30's and early 40's I never really felt the sense of urgency that middle age is now giving me.  I think about things that I've always wanted to do but have never either taken the time to do or have never been afforded the opportunity to.

Last week, I sold my first photograph in my new Etsy shop. Someone liked my photo enough to pay for it.  I'm smiling as I type this.  Actually, the first time the word "soar" came into my mind was when I was celebrating this.

The photograph that I sold last week.  : )

I stopped making resolutions years ago because I've never been good at holding myself accountable to them.  It's not something that I'm happy with myself for but it's who I am and, for the most part, I truly love who I am.  So why set myself  up for failure??  LOL!!!  Instead, I'm focusing on making choices that give me "peace" of mind.

Yes, Wendy, it's time to SOAR!!!  : )


Happy Tuesday to you all!!!!

Oh Dear . . .

My mother lives in a little cottage in the woods.  She has seen snakes, coyotes, your regular run of the mill bunnies and chipmunks, among other things.  But, by far, her favorite visitors are the deer that she feeds every day.  There is a little farm up the street from her and she buys bags of apples that they have kept from the season before.  One deer, in particular, has really grown to trust my mother and walks right up to her porch.  In fact, she's actually tried to jump the small fence that blocks the dogs from getting off her porch.  LOL!! 

Mama deer.

Late in the spring, my mother was concerned because she hadn't seen her favorite deer for a while and thought something might have happened to her.  We both remembered it was the time of year that babies were being born and maybe, just maybe, that was what was keeping her away.

Well . . . . . . .

. . .  look who came to visit!!!  At first "Peaches", as my mother has named her (or him.  We're not quite sure yet), kept her distance and watched Mama Deer as she walked over to my mother.  Now, she comes right up to the porch and is a very brave baby.  She doesn't like apples yet but I'm sure that will change soon.  What an honor it is for this deer to trust my mother enough to introduce her to her baby!! 

"Peaches!!"

It is said that animals and children are the best judges of character.  I truly believe this.  : )

Many blessings for a beautiful Thursday ~ Wendy

A Walk in Gethsemane Cemetery . . .

Yesterday,  I took a walk in our local little cemetery that's located in Rockland Lake State Park.  It is so peaceful there and it was such a beautiful day.  It's just so nice to be outside with the sun shining down upon you after being in the house so much this winter.  I know that soon it will be very warm and I will be trying my best to avoid the sun but, for now, I'm enjoying it. 

The trees have really taken a beating these last few years.  Hurricane Sandy took so many of them down and then this winter did a number on them as well.

A lot of the wooded areas look like such jumbled messes.  These toppled trees are located just above where the cemetery is.  I like to drive up there to look for deer.  A mama and her yearling were there enjoying some grass.  Sometimes they'll be a whole group of them and if you have food for them they will come right over to the car.  My son had one eat a McDonald's french fry right out of his hand!!

Little brat stuck his tongue out at me!!!  : )

 I also saw a few wild turkeys running around one of the golf courses.  They've really made a come back over the years.  It was a rare occurrence to see them even as little as five years ago. 

We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful part of New York state.  It definitely makes for great photo taking!!!  : )


Many blessings for a wonderful day ~ Wendy