Wordless Wednesday If pumpkins could talk..."pick me, pick me!"

Fight Against Fall

I just can't believe that summer is going to be officially over this week. Here are my attempts to fight off Fall!

Cosmos are still blooming prettily in my garden.

It's a dog's life for sure in the summer.

Still warm enough to go for a ride.


Wine, music, sunshine and good company on the patio at Woodland Hill Winery.


A great day to have lunch outdoors.

These are sure signs that summer can't be over...right? Anyone else with me in this fight against Fall?

Wordless Wednesday--The friends I meet everyday on my commute to work.

Wordless Wednesday--"Tsar Tops Dancer"--my brother's race horse before the big race.

Max Lucado’s book Fearless

I have read several books by Max Lucado and have always enjoyed them. The book Fearless was no exception. This book is an easy read filled with practical advice to help us face the fears in our lives. The book has 12 chapters each addressing a different kind of fear.

The three chapters that spoke to me were: Fear of Not Protecting My Kids, Fear of Overwhelming Challenges and Fear of Death. Lucado starts each chapter with a story. Some of the stories are about him and some are about people he has encountered. All of the stories are very entertaining while teaching a lesson or making a point. I enjoyed how Lucado also uses stories of Jesus from the bible but in an updated version.

In the Chapter called “Fear of Not Protecting My Kids”, Lucado gives advice for parents. He tells us that our children are not really “ours”; they really belong to God. He relates the story of Abraham and Jairus to show how much God and Jesus love children. He says that we should give our parenting fears to Christ instead of passing them on to our children. Lucado also says that fear can create permissive parents if we are so afraid that we can’t say no. He reminds us to send our children off each day with a blessing.

“Fear of Overwhelming Challenges” is very pertinent considering today’s economy. We don’t usually expect to see Jesus in the storms of our lives but it’s in storms that he does his best work. Lucado uses the biblical story of Peter and the disciples in the boat during a bad storm. He says that there is much power in Jesus’ words “Take courage. I am here.”

“Fear of Death”. Who hasn’t thought about dying and wondered what it’s going to be like. (I know of one person in particular who is very afraid of dying. I am going to give this chapter to him.) In this chapter Lucado tells about his dream of death. He agrees to go when his time is up if he can just say good-bye first. He says that “death is a passageway, a corner to be turned.” If we have faith, our fear of death is diminished. We believe that Jesus died and experienced resurrection and we will too.

Lucado tells us that 21 times in the bible Christ tells us to not be afraid. “Fear not!” The commandment to love God and our neighbor is only mentioned 8 times. He says that “fear corrodes our confidence in God’s goodness and that it can suck the life out of the soul.” Reading this book made me realize that while fear is a natural emotion, it doesn’t have to get in the way of living. I highly recommend this book!

Letterpress Karma?!?

This past August my husband and I went on an Art Crawl. We met with many wonderfully talented artists. One of the stops was at the shop of a letterpress artist. When I told her my printing story she said our meeting must have been karma!

When I was a high school senior many years ago, I wanted to study printing and graphic arts at our local tech college. My dad and I stopped in at the school and asked to tour their facilties because I was interested in their printing program. I was told in no uncertain terms that "girls were not allowed in the program!" And that was that. No tour, no enrolling in their printing classes.

So now years later, I am thrilled to see a woman running the presses in her own shop. Her name is Mary Bruno and she is the creative force behind Bruno Press. (http://www.mcbpress.com/) She invited me to come and watch her do some printing so today was the day!

I had so much fun visiting with her and watching her print off some really fun cards. She was kind enough to answer my many questions while trying to get some work done. Her shop is filled with paper, type, presses, examples of her work and much more. It was awesome just to be around all that wonderful printing "stuff". I'm really hoping to get back and actually try a little printing by myself! Mary even offered to come speak to my 2nd graders about letterpress printing! (and sent me home with some of those "really fun cards"!)

I'm thankful for whatever brought us together--karma or not. I'm also thankful that times have changed and girls have the opportunities to pursue whatever career they want. While I'm not too sad that my life has taken other twists and turns, it sure was sweet to be in Mary's letterpress shop today!

Wordless Wednesday--"Gathered" at the Beach

Savor Your Success

I got the idea for this post from two sources. One, my six-year-old granddaughter and the other Savor the Success, a network for savvy female entrepreneurs who are making things happen in their lives.

Railey called me the other night breathless with excitement. It turns out she finally figured out how to ride her bike all by herself! After countless tries--and not giving up, (aided by mom, dad, her Aunt Rana) she is now able to balance her bike. She actually went on a two-mile bike ride and didn't fall once! She was quick to tell me so that she could go on to make more calls to share her success.

Savor the Success is a network that I have joined to connect with other female small business owners. I'm hoping they are going to share their success stories. Maybe I can use what they've learned to help my bath and body products business-Gathered From the Garden grow. I see in them Railey's determination and stamina.

I think too often we are very humble and don't shout out our successes. Maybe we are afraid of appearing boastful. But listening to Railey describe her accomplishment I realized that we need to share and savor our successes. This is what keeps us motivated to continue to be successful.

This week I was able to make a delicious (and cute) S'Mores cupcake AND I figured out a way to take a good picture of it to post! Successes for me indeed!

Do you have any successes you'd like to share with us? C'mon, savor your success!

Wordless Wednesday I Wish My Purse Was This Organized!

Simple Woman's Daybook

It seems the simple things in life are best. Each action, each moment, each sound…they all have significance and meaning. So today’s post will be from the Simple Woman’s Daybook: (simplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com)

Outside my window…
Sunshine and a cool breeze. It’s only in the 70’s here today.

I am thinking…
About all of the blessings I have received already this week.!

I am thankful for…
An amazing husband.

From the kitchen…
Lunch was a full of fruit and veggie goodness.

I am wearing…
Comfy shorts and a t-shirt.

I am creating…
A romantic massage oil blend.

I am going…
To travel to Tampa to meet my son’s future in-laws.

I am reading...

Fearless by Max Lucado.

I am praying…
For patience and wisdom in my classroom this fall (and all year).

I am hearing…
A wren papa and mama singing as they bring food to their little ones.

One of my favorite things…
Is gathering flowers from my garden to dry.

A few plans for the rest of the week…
Babysitting my “grands” tomorrow so mom and dad get some grown-up time alone. Finishing Gathered From The Garden’s newsletter for this week. Putting together some recipes for a bridal shower I’m invited to.

One of my favorites on the list is “I am hearing…”. You can learn alot about someone’s world by finding out what they hear during the day. There is so much that I miss when I’m not mindful of my surroundings. There is beauty in each sound. So…what are you hearing right now?

Wordless Wednesday--"Sisterly Love"

Hey I’m now a Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger!

I love reading books, talking about books, looking at books and sharing books. My love for books is also one reason why I am excited to be accepted into the Thomas Nelson Publishers Book Review Blogger program.

The first book I have requested to review is Fearless by Max Lucado.

I plan a review by the end of the month. Stay tuned!

Question: Do you like books as much as I do? If so, maybe you’d be interested in the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger program too. Check it out, and let me know if you apply!

Ten Things You Might Not Know About Me

1. I have five sisters who are all younger than me.

2. I am a certified aromatherapist. I used to be a Master Gardener.

3. I love to create and putz with art/crafts.

4. I think "YUCK" at this "I'm gonna show-my-bra-strap or my fat rolls” craze of dressing...showing my age?

5. I have lots of pieces of black clothing...I’m convinced that black makes me look thinner!

6. I went to Alaska this summer and accomplished one of my life's goals --to see whales up close.

7. I am a lover of chocolate like a lot of women. I especially love Dove dark chocolate.

8. I got my first tattoo at age 40. I’ve gotten three more since then. My youngest daughter is a bad influence on me! (Not really, I do like my tattoos.)

9. I received my first Ipod (Shuffle) for my birthday this summer. Now I can listen to music while I run.

10.And in case you didn't know by now I am not perfect, my family is not perfect and my home is not perfect...well, my home...almost. LOL!

Wordless Wednesday...Beauty in looks and fragrance!

Wordless Wednesday

The "Star of Alaska". A 24-carat yellow diamond worth $1.3 million on an ordinary gal's hand!

Pamper Your Spirit


After getting back from an awesome Alaskan cruise I realized just how much we need to pamper our spirits as well as our bodies. (Although Jerry won a spa treatment worth $195 the first day of our cruise. It was a sea-algae wrap and massage. Talk about being pampered!!!)

Being on a cruise you obviously pamper your body--especially with the incredible food--but on this cruise my spirit was so pampered also.

When you see views like this (Mendenhall Glacier):

Your spirit is just filled with joy and awe. You know there has to be a higher presence and you can't help but send thanks for the opportunity to see this spectacular scenery.


I have a list of life goals that I hope to accomplish. (Jerry has one he calls his "bucket list".) One of the things on my life goals list is to see whales up close. On this trip I was able to do just that. We took a whale watching trip. We saw humpbacks and orcas breach. It was so breath-taking that it actually brought me to tears. We got to see humpbacks "bubble-feeding". Our naturalist told us that most people in the world will never see this! I wondered if my spirit could be filled with any more joy...

Our last stop was Skagway where we took a train ride up into the mountains. This was a little more low-key after seeing the whales and the Margarie Glacier "calve" but still quite impressive. The scenery was beautiful and you had to marvel at the work someone did to be able to put a railroad track up that mountain. (The flowers you see here are called "Fireweed". They were blooming everywhere.)

I have come back refreshed in mind, body and spirit. It was truly a vacation to remember. I hope you all take time to pamper your spirit even if it isn't a life-changing experience for you. Do you have an experience you'd like to share with us? How have you pampered your spirit this summer?

Wordless Wednesday
"Never Too Young To Start A Business!"

Secrets of Healthy Aging

The picture you see is of me right after ran my second 5K ever. I read an article in the April issue of Body and Soul magazine. The article was titled "10 Secrets of Healthy Aging". Since I am always interested in healthy ideas I read on. You guessed it--one of the secrets was to get your sneakers out and stay fit.

My daughter and her husband have been doing quite a bit of running. My daughter ran a half marathon this spring. All of this influence got me to thinking that maybe I could run too. I'm a pretty consistent walker but I wanted to challenge myself and see if this old girl could really run.

After finding a training program for running online, I started out on my treadmill. After about three weeks I actually ran my first marathon. (My daughter ran with me pushing a stroller. You can see how fast I was...) Anyway, my goal was to finish and I did. But that just made me want to be able to run faster. So I kept training.

I ran another 5K about a month ago. Surprise, surprise--I came in first in my age group. (Well, there were only three of us but still...)This race was much harder even though I trained longer for it. The weather was VERY humid and I was used to running on my treadmill, not outside. I admit I did have to walk a couple of times. But I did finish and even got a medal.

I am going to continue to run. I've been trying to run more outside but it's easier on the treadmill when I can watch tv or read. (A bonus for me was that my other daughter was here visiting two weeks ago and I could run with her outside.)

I've been thinking about that article and some of the other ideas they listed. Eat more potassium, (I have a banana every day.) reduce red meat (I've been eating veggie burgers and soy sausages) get more Vit. D (I am taking a supplement my daughter the chiropractor suggested. It also has calcium.) do tai chai (I've never done it but I'd be willing to try.),think positively (It's easier to do this during the summer when I'm not teaching!) and more that I will have to really consider.

Do we have any runners out there that have some words of wisdom for those of us who are beginners? Has anyone tried tai chai?

Don't Wish Your Life Away

Since my birthday was yesterday I've been reflecting on getting older. The birthday gifts and greetings were great but now I'm left with writing a bigger number for my age. (Although you won't believe this, I actually got carded at a restaurant on Sat. night!)

I was lamenting the fact that I'm on the downward slide toward another number ending in zero when my husband said "yes, but you are one year closer to retirement..." He's right. I should be looking at my age more positively. However, I shouldn't be wishing my life away.

Looking at how fast my grandchildren are growing up makes me realize time moves too fast. My little grandson is so adorable (two yrs.) I wish I could freeze-frame this time for just a little bit. My flowers are in full bloom, the raspberries are just beginning to ripen and butterflies are starting to visit. Really, could life be much better? The calendar tells me that summer is already more than a third over and I haven't crossed much off my to-do list. But why am I worried about that? I need to stop wishing for another day and really just enjoy today.

A good example of this is a couple that I taught with. They did a lot of traveling before and after they retired. Now 5 years later, Don has Lou Gehrig's disease and their traveling days are over. I can imagine how they would give anything to turn back the clock. I'm also sure they are not wishing their lives away and are making the most of every moment they have together. While we are dealing with the setbacks dealt us, life goes on and good memories can still happen.

So...I want you to pack as much joy and happiness as you can into today. Stop and be grateful for all your blessings. Share your good fortune with others. I'm not going to think about what might be ahead, but enjoy the rest of the afternoon. I've got some ripe raspberries calling to me...