November 12, 2018 ~ A Wedding Celebration

It hardly seems possible that just over a week ago we celebrated the recent marriage of my daughter, when it feels like just yesterday that I, myself, got married!

I look in the mirror and realize that, while mentally I still think I'm that 20 something girl, physically, time is marching on, making changes and taking it's toll on my not so young body anymore.

I watch my daughter and realize that now is her time, this is her moment to start down the road, to begin her journey into adulthood, just as each of us has done before her.

There will be joy and sadness, success and failure, impressionable and memorable moments in her life that will define, mold and shape her into a mature person in the way that only life and it's experiences can do. 

I watch, both with joy and trepidation, knowing that there will be happiness and excitement over little things, yet knowing that not all of life is happy and exciting. But if anyone has the courage and determination to live life to it's fullest, my daughter is surely one who will do it.... While I, now on the sidelines, will always be there praying, encouraging and cheering her on. ♥

 

 ~ ♥ ~

September 27, 2018 ~ Life Keeps Moving

Before I knew it, summer passed in a blink!

Flowers have bloomed and faded away,

Warm breezes have come and gone,

 Sunsets that were once late in the evening

are now on our doorstep not long after dinner!

Summer was a mixture of 

unusually hot days

and lots of sunshine,

bird watching, butterfly gazing 

and catching the scent of my sweet

Butterfly Bush through the open windows.

Summer was unhurried mornings 

relaxing on the back deck,

feeling the sun's rays wrap their

beautifully warm arms around me.

It was sightings of tiny newborn fawns,

the long awaited return of my hummingbirds

and nest building in my birdhouses.

It was rainbows on my kitchen walls

as sunshine glistened through my prism,

It was vases of flower bouquets

from roadside stands, fresh berries

and hot fudge sundaes

while driving through the country,

winding down after long, busy days. 

 

Then, slowly but surely, the changes came.

Those little changes like the color of the sky, 

the way the leaves look on the trees

and the lack of katydids singing in the night.

Sultry evenings dwindled, cooler mornings

greeted us as we stepped out the door.

And now, here we are, welcoming 

the season of Autumn, before I'm

really ready to let summer go....

 

 Yet, here I am, digging out my Autumn

displays ~ colorful leaf garlands, 

scarecrows, candles for the mantle

and a wreath for the front door....

And I hope, my dear friends, that this post

finds you all happy and healthy,

moving along productively in life,

much the same as I!

~ ♥ ~

P.S. If you have an iPad, iPhone or smartphone like me, you've no doubt realized how much easier it is to jump on the internet and do what once was only done from our computers at home! I recently found an app that's quite simple to use and allows the upload of information quickly and with ease. These days, that's a really intriguing idea to me, because I hardly ever sit down at the computer much anymore! And I'd rather do a short but sweet post, than to have no post at all, which, sadly, has been the case here.

I've tried repeatedly to use the Blogger app on my device, in an attempt to post quick updates here and there, but for some reason there's always a glitch and it ends up booting me off the post I'm trying to post! :/

So I'd like to invite you to join me over at my new page (don't worry I'll still post here from time to time), where I hope to keep in touch with you all much more regularly. And the nice thing is, it's computer friendly, too. Please stop in and say hello!☺

https://padlet.com/kimmarie69/between_friends

 

Just Browsing - November 9, 2016

 

This evening is a perfectly quiet evening to enjoy a few moments of image browsing on Google. 

The thought that came to mind was "THANKFULNESS"

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Yes, I can certainly see the truth in that....

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It really comes down to this ~

.....even if that means some days I work harder at it than others. 

I am healthy. 

I am alive.

Everything else is just icing on the cake!

~ ♥ ~

Days Fly By ~ February 4, 2016

Life is moving at a fast pace these days. It seems mornings have turned into night in the blink of an eye.

 And when night comes, the sky has been filled with dark, clearly defined clouds. Other times the sky is clear for miles, and I can see what I'm sure are thousands of stars!

I move through my days, always taking moments to peruse the outdoors through my windows.

Sometimes, after I take the dogs for their walks, I come inside the house to grab my camera then head back out into the yard. I never tire of taking pictures of all that I see around me. 

Photography has turned into an extension of the peace I find when I am in or viewing nature. 

Just look at these darling twins grazing in our backyard with their mother. Soon they'll be yearlings. Can that possibly be? I remember when they were spotted fawns what seems like just a month or two ago.

This pair of female Cardinals were some of the many I've had waiting for a turn at the feeders below.

I got such a delight out of this brave Chipping Sparrow who didn't mind a bit my being inches away as I was taking its picture!

 One day I was lucky enough to spot this buck, who has already lost one of his antlers. He was curious about the lady with her camera. *grin*

Yesterday I spied the neighbor's cat out "mousing". Before I took this picture, he was perched ready to pounce, with his tail swishing at the very end.

 By the end of the day, a lone Bluebird sat on the wire, watching the sun as it was setting, painting the sky and clouds with beautiful colors. 

I looked on with it, until I realized that the hour was getting late, and I really must think about getting dinner started!

And so goes my day. One day, after another, after another! 

~ ♥ ~

An Invitation to Life

"I get the invitation every morning when I wake up to actually live a life of complete engagement, a life of whimsy, a life where love [is put into action]. It doesn't come in an envelope. It's ushered in by a sunrise, the sound of a bird, or the smell of coffee drifting lazily from the kitchen. It's the invitation to actually live, to fully participate in this amazing life for one more day." ~ Bob Goff

I absolutely love this quote for it's 
frank and simple truth!

~ ♥ ~

Our outdoor birds bring me joy all year round, but especially during the winter months. Just knowing that they're perched waiting in the trees and bushes nearby for their daily treats is all the incentive I need to brave the cold and fill their feeders!

©KMC 2015

Beautiful Morning

I sit here this morning with my cup of tea in an unusual moment of utter peace and quiet. My windows are thrown open wide, to take in the delicious smell of a gentle, mild breeze. The air smells as clean as air found deep in a country meadow, hidden away and untouched by the pollution that is inevitably a part of life in the city.  Nothing but the sound of Sparrows chirping, the song of a Robin and the coo of a Mourning Dove can be heard, and truly these sounds are music to my ears. 

Mornings like these, when I can step unhurriedly into my day, renew my spirit, and offer a sense of well-being that all is right with my world, even if the world around me struggles to rise out of the many problems that plague it. My mind is free to wander aimlessly over thoughts that bring happiness and tranquility to my soul, instead of the stress that comes from a day begun with hustle and bustle the moment my feet hit the floor. Quiet, reflective moments bring relief and healing to the feelings of anxiousness and discontent that always seem to go along with stressful, chaotic days. They help to put parts of our life back into proper perspective, when things become totally skewed and off kilter. And while things may not always pan out exactly as we'd like in life, we're able to move forward and accept these differences more easily when we're able to find time to sit, digest and work through them in our mind.

I often wonder how much happier and more content so many of us would be if, regularly, we were able to enjoy peaceful moments of existence such as I am experiencing this morning. In today's world, finding this time can often only be done by deliberately carving out that time, just as we make plans to shop for groceries, pay our bills and any number of other things that we must pencil into our agenda to do from day to day. I'll be the first to admit that I don't work hard enough at doing this for myself. I truly believe life was not meant to be the fast paced, chaotic, so often interrupted life that we live today, no matter how nicely it is wrapped up in the guise of success and technological advancement. I know this because, when I am living moments like I am this morning, my body tells me this feels good, and I can almost hear it take a huge sigh of relief. 

I say all that, to say this ~ Wherever you are today, whatever you do and however it is that your daily life unfolds, don't overlook the importance of finding time for YOU. No television, no texting, no technology. Whether it's waking up a bit earlier to be alone with just you and your cup of coffee or tea, or slipping away in the evening to a quiet place as you look out over nature settling down to take it's own rest, find the time to do it. Will it solve all your problems? No. But I promise you that you'll come away feeling renewed.....rested.....rejuvenated. And that, my friend, is something worth far more than any time and attention you give to something that, in the end, can never feed your spirit, soul and mind the way a quiet, peaceful moment can.

Hugs,

Kimberly Marie 

Memories In The Making

When my husband was young, he remembers pressing his nose against the metal screen of his bedroom window on many a sunny summer morning or warm summer night. The smell of the air, mixed with the scent of that metal screen, to this day, is a memory that is etched in his mind. 

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Likewise, I remember the sound of the creaking screen door of our summer cottage when I was a girl. It instilled such a fond memory in me, that when my father and I built our screen  house, I insisted on having a creaking screen door! Every time I went in or went out, I was greeted with the lovely sound that gave a happy lift to my heart.

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 For a time, my folks owned a cottage tucked in amongst several acres of pine trees. When Becca was still a toddler, we went there quite often. As she has grown, she has mentioned many times over the years of there being a certain smell in the air similar to that of the cottage in the pines. As young as she was, that memory will last her for as long as she lives. 

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The older I get, the more I realize that memories are not moments of time that we consciously determine to always remember. In fact, those things that I've vowed to always remember, have now become vague and elusive to me. There is nothing I can find that determines a surety for the making of a memory. Rather, memories are hidden in the everyday moments of life that, somehow, unexpectedly, in the picture of our mind, have become indelible. 

Simple Is Enough

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While watching House Hunters on HGTV this past week, a young woman made a comment that seemed interesting to me. As she was looking out one of the back windows of the flat she was being shown, she had mentioned how lovely it was to see the laundry hanging out on the balconies around her. It had given her a sense of connection, she'd said. A feeling of being "in the middle" of things, of seeing life going on around her and it felt comforting. 

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Her comment has replayed in my mind at least a dozen times since then. I think of how simple and basic the fact of laundry hanging out to dry on a balcony is. How simple.... Yes, that's it. How simple! How uncomplicated, and how real. It speaks of life, of the everyday, ordinary things that sometimes begin to feel too mundane. Yet these are the very things that we long for most when we feel out of our element, and are far away from home. Fresh laundry, a home cooked meal, sitting outdoors sipping on a glass of lemonade under the hot summer sun....

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Maybe we complicate life too much. Maybe we think we need too many things. When it comes down to it, maybe all that's really important are the simple things in life. And reminding ourselves of this from time to time is a good thing to do.

Buongiorno ~ "Good Morning" in Italian

Good Morning, tea time. You help me to start my day in a nice way.

Good Morning, Romeo. Yes, it's time to play again!

Good Morning, Checkers. Yes, it's morning already! 

Good Morning to you, too, Melissa! Yes, you're still my most cheerful greeter!

Good Morning, Ziva. Yes, you're safe ~ there's nothing to startle you just yet! 

Good Morning, sweet finches. Yes, your welcome singing is as lovely as ever!

~ It's a been a beautiful start to the morning, but now it's time to get on with my day ~

GOOD MORNING TO YOU, MY FRIENDS. 

Yes, I'm so glad you stopped by! 

Have a meaningful and special day. ❤️

A Day In Pictures

Here at home sweet home:

It snowed.......again. No surprise there! It is, after all, winter. But this time it was a gentle, pretty snowfall, instead of the wind driven, lake effect snows we've had of late!

 ~ ♥ ~

 And since Dean has finally returned home from his long, out of state job.....He'll take care of the shoveling today! Phew....

But you'd think we live in Alaska by the way he's bundling himself up ~ Lol! He says being in Florida for so long has spoiled him.....anything under 60 is freezing!! :D

I couldn't help but to snap a few pictures of him "enjoying" the cold and snow. ;) And he can't resist but to smile at my pleasure in all of this!

~ ♥ ~

It was a day to get several loads of laundry done......Mmmmm, I just love the clean scent of laundry fresh out of the dryer!

~ ♥ ~

In between laundry loads, I looked through one of my favorite bird books. I'm getting excited for new ideas to attract birds to my yard this year!

~ ♥ ~

Well, what do you know? I found a large cutting board that I completely forgot I have! Now where do you think I might have found this - perhaps tucked away in the back of a kitchen cupboard? No, silly! It was tucked away in my roll top desk, just where I'd think to look for it, right? 
(Apparently, after having used it as a lap board for my old computer, I never thought to put it back in the kitchen for future use! Wow. I wonder what else I may have hidden around the house?)

Gee, and this is such a nice cutting board to have been without! Since I have a few others, I just never gave the whereabouts of this one much thought! Well, anyways, I'm glad to have it back where it belongs. :)

~ ♥ ~

The house smelled fabulous with the scent of this fresh baked bread. (The loaf didn't even last 24 hours. After all, I'm not sure I know of many people who can resist a slice or two of warm bread just out of the oven!)

~ ♥ ~

And last, but certainly not least, Romeo entertained us with quite a few funny faces....among them was this one. It's like a sideways grin that really cracks Dean up, especially when Romeo is looking quite shaggy like he is now!

Oh, Romeo, you funny little man!

~ ♥ ~

THE END

Calm Life

Ahhhh.....Thank you. For this truly makes me happiest!