A SCRAPBOOK OF INSPIRATION: January 2009

Happy Pink Saturday

Today is Pink Saturday at Bev's place, How Sweet The Sound. I love Pink Saturday because so many people are celebrating pink through their pink posts. So, if you stop by HERE, you will find wonderful pink inspiration today.

Bev has been hosting this event for a very long time now, and did you know that she e-mails us a reminder each week, and then she takes the time to put together the looooooooooooooooong list of all of us participating on her Saturday post. She puts so much effort each week into creating this PINK madness for all of us to enjoy. Thank you Miss Bev.

I have been taking out photographs of pink roses.

To study them and to help me paint,

I have been filling journals ...

with hand-painted pages...

and a wee bit of magic.

And well, nothing looks nicer than painted pink roses.

I Hope your day is filled with bouquets of pink roses.

and bluebirds,

and a very Happy Pink Saturday.

Sigh, dreamy moments painting roses in journals and listening to Johnny Mathis.

The song for this post is Gina,

nce upon a time I was fifteen years old when this song was on the top ten list. I loved sipping egg creams at the candy store with my friends, dancing with six foot five tall Jimmy Rendall at the Jr. High dance and listening to this song so many times that I wore out the record. Sigh... I might have worn out the 45 but I never tire of recalling the chapter that this song bookmarks for me.

Hopeful Friday

I woke up this morning, grabbed a cup of coffee, avoided the news in the morning paper, did not turn on the television to watch the local and world news, and put on some nice music.

I sat down at the computer to write a post and I could hear the howling coyotes in woods nearby. I sat for a minute and listened to their blood curdling howls and screams. Yikes, Cocoa and Sam "Lions and Tigers and Bears" oh my! Soon Cocoa, me and Sam looked out the window as we watched these sketchy guys in the distance, walking the path down below along the flat stretch.

I started thinking about how the journalists, television hosts and newscasters are a bit like the coyotes out there. They scare us to death, with their opinions, howls and bleak perspective. As if our own realities aren't scary enough right now. I know my reality and it is worrysome, but being frightened 24/7 by watching the news or reading about it, isn't helping me. In fact, if I go out looking for a job and think about the gloom and doom, what kind of energy would I bring to that interview?

I have to remind myself that these journalists, newscasters and talk show hosts (lions and tigers and bears) are still vying for ratings to save their own jobs. Hmmmmmmmm, puts things in a whole different perspective for me! I know that the honest ones in our government do have our interests at heart and they are doing whatever they can to put something in place to help us. I also know that listening to positive, uplifting words wherever and whenever they may be found help me face today.

I heard something the other day that made me stand up and take notice. The story was about how when faced with a fogged out airport, this young man thought the entire city was under fog conditions. Once the airplane took off, the sky was blue and the sun was shining. He could see that the fog that looked so overwhelming was just a small stretch hovering over the airport. He said:

"Remember the sun is still shining behind the clouds."

This is the HOPE we need to hold onto.

The song for this post is HIGH HOPES. Frank Sinatra might be singing this right this very minute in heaven watching this situation unravel. Reminding me that God is still in control.

Thankful Thursday

oday is Thankful Thursday hosted by the lovely Rhondi from Rhondi’s Rose Colored Glasses.

It's an opportunity to stop and ask yourself what are you thankful for today.

I love music and I am so thankful for the variety of music that serenades my life. My husband introduced me to classical music years ago, my girls introduce me to the young music trends, and then there are all those songs that bookmarked the chapters of my life.

I enjoy all kinds of music and every day I choose to add a favorite song to my post. Just listening to an old song brings back vivid memories from special days.

When I was little I could always envision a soundtrack playing in the background. Just like a lovely movie our life has a song.

Some days I awake with a song or a lyric dancing in my mind. Such a gift to be able to compose such beautiful music.

All that I have to do is remind myself to listen to what might be playing, to celebrate the day.

I love this group, The Secret Garden and their melodies are haunting. They can lead you down a lovely path. The name of this song is called Song from a Secret Garden and perhaps that is what I am feeling today.

Life, if we choose to be thankful and think of the good things in our life, our blessings can become our Secret Garden.

This song has such a haunting melody leading me deep into dreams far away. That violin seems to be asking us to follow it to toward some magical place.

I hope your day is serenaded with some lovely music that brings you home to some dreamy land within.

A Dream

I was trying to enter that place where dreams live.

That little creative garden within, that leads to inspiration.

I was trying to get lost in the gardens of ideas, peeking around for magic.

You know that place, where garden gates open and lead you to lovely places in your mind...

And then it happens,

The inspiration blooms.

Then you begin to glide along the ideas,

Follow the thoughts

That lead to a new creation.

After a short while, you give birth to that creation.

Creating is like a dream,

No matter what you are creating, cooking, baking, writing, speaking, sewing, crocheting, knitting, quilting, crafting, photographing, planting, gardening, designing, composing, performing, singing, decorating, building, homemaking, flower arranging, drawing, molding, it all leads to the same door.