Paint + Pray

First day of autumn-sunny + warm.

A day made for painting; a day made for praying.

'Powdered snow' on bare fir boards--protection for late autumn + winter storms.

Beauty and light for the coming darkness.

Prayers raising upwards to heaven; a weak child talking with her strong Father.

Asking; receiving.

Fear turned to peace.

A beautiful autumn day filled with heavenly light and heavenly gifts.

Be blessed,

Aimee

Photo: despite appearances, this is a gorgeous shade of white and I love, love, love it:)

For My Daughter Dear

Dear Daughter Dear,

Someday, if dreams really do come true.

I will live by the peaceful bay

and you by the sea so blue.

We will laugh together as we watch the birds of the air;

we will dance like children under the colorful kites so fair.

We will drink in all of God's gifts to us--

blessings of the land and of the sea.

We will enjoy each others company daily --

if this is the dream God meant to be.

But whatever shall come, always remember, my beautiful one--

that dad and I love you--

from setting sun to setting sun.

~

Be blessed my daughter,

Aimee

20 Days + Counting

Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30 KJV

20 days into my spiritual retreat and I am seeing that when I divert from my original plan--

• decreasing TV time


• increasing time spent reading (currently: Luke (NT) + other Christian books)


• listening to music (mostly from my favorite radio station or CDs)


• spending time in silence (just enjoying the sounds of God's creation)


• prayer


• Biblical meditation

that the results are not what I really, really want for the rest of my life's journey. Additionally, I am (still) researching into the practice of Lectio Divina -- although this method sounds similar to Biblical meditation, I recently read that some Christians have concerns over the contemplative prayer part of this practice so I just want to make sure that it in no way disagrees with what we find written in Scriptures before engaging in it. I am also rethinking (and praying) about some of the books I originally selected to read during my retreat for this same reason and finally I am still prayerfully considering an organized retreat during this time.

Well, now it is time to bake my DH some carrot cake cookies (sorry, from a mix), make a bouquet for me and clean, clean, clean!

Be blessed, Aimee
Photo: coast range waterfall--it, obviously, needs more of our 'refreshing' PNW rain:)

Yesterday

Yesterday was a gift-a gift from start to finish

(of course every day of life is).

It saw a friend and I sharing our love of quilts and good food,
peaceful lake views,

the beginnings of a changing color palette,

never ending coastal views of beauty,

~

some refreshing mist and rain,

and the joyful conquering of a long held fear.

It was a very, very good day:)

I hope yours was too.

Be blessed, Aimee

Photos: Vernonia, various coastal river valleys, the coast range and Oregon's northern coast

Of Quilts, Crafts, Food + Love

Ah! The joys of autumn...the calendar doesn't say it,

but we in the Pacific NW all know it because the signs are there:

leaves starting to put on their colorful fall finery, pears ripening on countertops,

apples nearing harvest time, rain, autumn flowers like these beautiful crocus...

and

a quilt + craft show in one of my favorite little towns--Vernonia, Oregon!

BTW, I also found out there is a lot of love there--

in this little church;

because I had the opportunity to see love in action while there...

Love was evident in all the quilts of every imaginable color, size and design,

created by hands that wanted to bless their church home

(and I think) bless those that would come through the doors of the show.

Love that put together an asssortment of birdhouses

(I was sorely tempted to buy the red one; I loved it!),

Love that put together other crafts and Christmas items,

love that did a lot of the things that go to making an event like this an enjoyable one--

things like the great lunch which we were soon to enjoy!

Quilts,

crafts,

plants

and lunch among the many, many, many quilts.

What could be better?

Yum!

Autumn--soup, craft shows,

a warm quilt or comforter at night,

rain,

autumn flowers

and love!

I think I like it:)

~

Blessings to my 2 'angels' of Vernonia

and blessings to all of you!

Aimee

~

Note: If you love quilts (and I do),

if you love crafts (ditto above comment),

if you are hungry for a good lunch

and you like small, mountain valley towns with great parks and more,

you might like to pay a visit to St Mary's Quilt + Craft Show!

You have three more days:)

~

Here is a link about the show:

http://www.vernoniachamber.org/community/events/7-st-marys-quilt-fair

Note 2: Should you want to see more of Vernonia---I have quite a few photos from there taken last year. Feel free to use the search feature located in the right sidebar. I will also soon be doing a post on the Blue House Cafe there---awesome Mediterranean food, friendly staff!

Flora + Fauna at the Zoo: Pt 1

Earlier this summer my very beautiful daughter and my very charming

(and very cute, very athletic)

grandsons paid us a visit for a whole week!

It was a week of good food, great fun and never ending surprises:)

It was also a week of travel--

trips to the coast, trips to an aquatic park, PIZZA (my daughter's favorite)

and

-of course-

a trip to the Oregon Zoo!!

Maybe you would like to accompany us?

It was a perfect day-

not too hot, not too cold

AND it wasn't raining

(just like today).

OK, go ahead and grab your best walking shoes,

because you are going to need them!

Let's go!

~

Another short trip---

(sort of)

and we are here.

After a nice, calf-building walk from the last parking place in the lots

and we are here...

at the wonderful Oregon Zoo!

Now, I have always loved the animals at the zoo--

well actually at any zoo, wildlife refuge or even our backyard.

But this time, I found myself falling in love with all the

flowers, bushes, trees and ground covers there too!

I LOVE white and cream colored plants. They stand out in the garden--even at night if there is any light. Unfortunately I don't know the name of this particular plant or I would be tempted to buy one and plant it.

But I do know the name of this particular animal; I'm sure you do too:)

By the way,

I LOVE this photo because it makes you take a second and maybe even a third look!
~

Another white plant that I LOVED but again that I didn't know the name of.

Help, if you can please!

Although not one of my best photos because of the reflection--

is that one of my grandkids?

And now another animal--I will let you know the name of this one. This,

ladies and gentlemen, is a caracal and I LOVE him (or is it a her)?
More---white flowers.

Again no name but I would love, love, love to plant some of these at my home.

And who do you suppose I caught eyeing me?

And I, of course, was eyeing him:) Just amazing, totally amazing!

And with this last flower photo I will bid you goodnight and peace.

I just heard something I couldn't believe; it was NOT a good thing:(

Blessings, Aimee

~

Photos: TY to the Oregon Zoo for permission to post these photos and for all the obvious concern they show for the animals entrusted to their care! I ask that you please respect my copyright on all of these photos and do not copy them unless you ask and are granted permission by me to do so. This is to ensure that the zoo's philosophy re: their animals, which I totally support, is adhered to. Thank you:)

Photos taken summer 2011.

I Should Be...

Sleeping,

after being up almost all of last night.

Cleaning house,

if I am not sleeping,

after being up almost all of last night.

Working in our gardens,

if I am not sleeping,

after being up almost all of last night,

or cleaning house.

But...I'm not:)

What should you be doing that you aren't??

Blessings,

Aimee

Of an Octopus, Starfish and Marine Life

How about a trip to the coast?

OK, let me take you on a trip to one of my favorite places on the central Oregon coast--

a place I have been visiting for many (and I do mean MANY) years:)

Wow-that was a quick drive!

It seems like it took no time at all

and here we are already on the southern side of beautiful Yaquina Bay!

Shall we go in and explore?

Ah!!! The famous octopus--so famous that he/she gets his/her own webcam.

You think I am kidding??

No and many people (I included) think that is awesome!

Anything that helps people understand, appreciate and then take good stewardship of our marine life is OK with me!

A favorite of mine--

did you know that starfish come in so many colors?

Which one do you like best?

And how about this fellow...

shhh, I think he is watching us.

I think he is rather good looking--kind of distinguished.

And this---beautiful!

It is amazing that there is so much color below the surface of the ocean

and in tidal pools.

Go ahead -- touch -- it is OK here.

And there are always great staff here to help and answer questions.

I like places where people like what they are doing!

BTW---I touched a fish when I was here--it was COOL!

Well--there is a lot more to see here (lots of exhibits)

but I do need to get a few tasks done today so...

outside we go.

You know if I had planned better we could have done the nature hikes along the bay

or gone to a lighthouse

or ??

There is a LOT to do in Newport, you know--

or do you know?

But for now we shall enjoy a few flowers and then bid goodbye to the coast

until next time...

LOVE this place:)

Blessings,

Aimee

Note: TY to the wonderful staff at OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center

and for permission to post these photos on my blog. If you get a chance to visit the Oregon coast I would definitely recommend a visit here, especially if you have kids. It is a place to see, hear, touch and learn more about the coast and marine life. Here is their main website: http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/

10 Days + Counting

I am 10 days into my retreat now and am learning to embrace some changes I have made (but am also seeing other changes that would be good to make). Some changes I have made (and am loving) are:
1. Less TV time. Before the retreat started my DH and I had made a decision to cut way back on our satellite TV package--meaning all the premium channels and some other ones too. I have found that I do not miss them at ALL and it costs less too.

2. More time spent in reading. I have always loved reading--as a child I spent hours reading our encyclopedias, Bible Story books, Nancy Drew and books about horses (of course). During this retreat (and a bit before) I have already read 4 books or so and am in the process of reading more, including one on how to be thrifty (written in the early 1800's). A very interesting read -- some things just do not change:)

3. More quiet time. One of the blogs I read--morningramble.blogspot.com--talks about quietness a lot. Our house has always been filled with noise--but I am finding that I LOVE the quiet--especially the (relative) quiet of the night and early morning! By this I mean it isn't perfectly quiet at those times--one does hear the beautiful sounds of nature and maybe a passing car or two, but these sounds are peaceful ones.

4. More music/Christian radio time. Am finding that I like this much more then TV.

5. Practicing the 'presence of God' -- not just during Bible reading and prayer, but also when you are doing chores in the kitchen, outside or wherever. Still learning about this.

Still have some more goals for this retreat--but preparations for making these goals are still underway so I will wait to post about them:) And now--it is time to get back to today's tasks...

Blessings,
Aimee

Playing: Fireworks

A little over one year into my new camera,

I am enjoying playing with its many features...

that is except for the

dreaded

zoom lens.

I just have this nagging fear of taking off my 'regular' lens

and then not being able to get any lens on.

I know, I know-

I will someday just do it and then wonder why it took me so long to try it:)

~

But back to the topic -- playing.

Here are some of the results of my play time this summer.

I had no idea what settings to choose,

so it was a guessing game...

but that also made it fun!

Come to think of it. I still don't know what settings I chose

unless I look at the specs for the photos.

Maybe by next year I will know what I am doing:)

Some of them remind me of how my hair ends get when they are really dry--

like this one and the one above it.

And my favorites? The ones with several different colors:)

Playing can be fun!

Blessings,

Aimee

To Strengthen Our Souls

The first and chief need of our Christian life is,

fellowship with God.

The Divine life within us comes from God, and is entirely dependent
upon Him. As I need every moment afresh the air to breathe, as the sun
every moment afresh sends down its light, so it is only in direct
living communication with God that my soul can be strong.

~

Blessings, Aimee

Source: Murray, Andrew. The Deeper Christian Life. Fleming H. Revell, 1895

(This book is in the public domain and can be found on http://www.ccel.org/)