"At the Stroke of Midnight..."

... I wish you

the beginning of year filled with beauty...

peace...and serenity.

Farewell, 2011.

"The object of a new year

is not that we should have a new year.

It is that we should have

a new soul.”
~ G. K. Chesterton

"Some Desert Moonglow..."

...for my mom on her birthday...today! ♥

With love from...

Susan, David, Joya, & Jillian...

Jack, Sharon,

Vanessa, Lauren, Steve, & Myles...

Mark, Katie,

Christopher, Courtney, & Corey...

and

Scott & me.

“God could not be everywhere,

and therefore

he made mothers.”
~Rudyard Kipling

HAPPIEST of BIRTHDAY wishes

to you, too, JAN...

my dear, dear friend! ♥

"Let the Trading Begin..."

Well...

I am off and running

in another Illustrated ATC swap adventure

which will go for the next 5 days!

Whew!

I really don't know though if I can give this one away...

as

she is on of my "faves" thus far.

I call her

"Tree of Life: Swirled Starlight"...

my touchstone to the cosmic universe.

*sigh*

"When your heart is filled with love...

you will experience

the Divine

in the entire cosmos.”
~Sri Sathya Sai Baba

"Merry Christmas..."

...from my family...to yours.

♥

“Other things may change us...

but we start and end

with family.”
~Anthony Brandt

"This Magical Eve..."

...may your day be sprinkled with spiritual joy...

and nestled in moments of

serenity and peace.

I wish each of you a happy heart...

a joyful soul...

and

memories softly twinkling with smiles.

"Christmas

waves a magic wand over this world,

and behold,

everything is softer and more

beautiful."

~Norman Vincent Peale

Tree Rings...

...and starlit snowy branches,

a hearty, yet magical, winter solstice combination.

"Winter

is the time for comfort,

for good food and warmth,

for the touch of a friendly hand

and

for a talk beside the fire...

it is the time for

home."

~Edith Sitwell

"The State of the Weather..."

in Arizona:

soaking rains here in the desert valley...

and SNOW

in the higher mountainous elevations

around Flagstaff and along the Mogollon rim

with

24+ inch accumulation totals

predicted from just yesterday and today.

Winter is definitely here!

Brrr!

How To Be Alone

I found this on my friend Lisa's Facebook page. It is simply delightful and full of love. Enjoy! :)

There Always Seems To Be..."

...something around to draw...

while sitting around waiting, and waiting, and waiting...

for "this or that"!

The fire extinguisher was drawn lead free...

ink straight in...

(which explains the wonkiness of it)

at the gate.

The swirls and botanical bits were drawn

in flight...

after awakening from a long snooze.

(Note departure time...yawn!)

Color was added back in Arizona.

:)

"A new idea is delicate.

It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn;

it can be stabbed to death by a joke

or

worried to death

by a frown on the right person's brow."

~Charles Brower