Friday Afternoon Thoughts...

I know, I know, I just posted in the wee hours of the morning. I'm on a roll I guess, sitting here in my front room, listening to the Doobie Brothers, and feeling so fine!

I have been sorting through the hundreds of photos on my computer. Some long forgotten gems have been hiding right here in folders. Blog gifts, family photos, art projects, etc. My head is filled with all kinds of projects and ideas! Oh, what a lovely day it's turned out to be! Here's an image to enjoy, as we head out of September and October is ushered in!

This was a free image gift from The Graphics Fairy a few years ago. Enjoy!

© 30Sep2016 ajj

Summer...

Days are flying by! When I was young, summer seemed to last forever, not so anymore. One son will be back at college classes in two weeks and the other in four. My summer to-do list looks much the same as it did when I made it, and I've added even more items. Some are "must-do-soon" like selling excess stuff that's been in our storage unit for the past year. Others are little projects to get a jump start on the holidays.

Oh yes, I mentioned the Holidays! Don't hate me, but I even thought about typing the "C" word! Hohoho! The thing is, if you are a person who intends to make cards or gifts, or you just like putting thought into a unique gift basket or bag, it takes time and planning. If I don't get these things done early, my beloveds will get whatever type of item is left for last minute procrastinators, and I find those kind of things do not bring the happy "I know how much you love me because you selected such a thoughtful and perfect gift for me" face! I really want to see that "face" when I give, because it is a gift back to myself. It feels great to bring a little joy to someone I care about.

I intend to enjoy this last month of summer, even while chipping away at my lists. I attended a lovely summer wedding last weekend. I've taken time to step out of the house to gaze at the night sky, to watch lightening and listen to distant thunder, to feel cool grass on my bare feet, do a movie marathon with my sons, go out to dinner with husband and friends, read, and read some more. It's important to make memories, even the small, simple ones. It makes life lovely. It feeds the soul.

A summer night image to share with you, courtesy of Dover Publications.

Happy Summer, my friends!


© 13Aug2015 ajj

Quiet...

My home is very quiet right now.  Paul is camping this weekend with a couple of friends, and the boys are back to their own activities, though they both came over last night to watch the BSU game with me.

Since yesterday, I've done 6 loads of laundry.  Partly because I found boxes with pillow cases, cold weather clothing, etc. I had been storing.  They weren't dirty, but you know how stuff gets musty smelling when it's been packed away for a while.  I was doing some sorting and cleaning, while the washer did it's job, then I got distracted by old photo albums!  I've been looking at the 1995 photos.  My boys turned 9 and 3 that year.  It's also when we moved into this home.  A lot has changed in those 18 years.  I had no idea how very fast the time would go by.

I love the quiet.  I enjoy it even more knowing it won't last long.  I've always been happy doing solitary activities, but I think I enjoy it most when I know someone is just down the hall, or at least nearby.  Well, I'd better take advantage of this quiet time and get some more projects completed.

Here are some Free Images I found a few years back, but I don't remember who provided them. They are titled Peter and Polly in Autumn.  I hope you enjoy them!

Sunshine Today...

There's been sunshine this afternoon!  The day began with a winter storm, snow and strong winds, but all has settled now.  The mounds of white are starting to melt, though I doubt it will all disappear just yet.  I got out a couple days ago, and started bringing in the Christmas lights.  They stayed up way too long because of the freezing temperatures.  The ones along the roof-line are still there because they were frozen in place.  It's predicted to warm up to the low 40's by Friday, so they'll be coming down soon!

I have been in such a happy place.  Dreaming of spring and the projects I want to do.  This is the year to repaint several rooms inside my home.  I keep wavering on color.  Do I go bold or stay with neutrals?  I just can't decide.  I am leaning toward neutral beach tones, especially for our bedroom.  I love the coast, and I'd like to have a light, "beach cottage" feel without being too obviously "beachy"!  Lol!  I'm pretty sure I'll stay with white paint for the family room/kitchen/dining area.  It's much easier to get the color in the accessories, than risk making a color mistake in such a large area.  It's fun thinking about it.

I'm still battling the eye problems, so if any of you have noticed I'm not commenting on your blogs, it's because my computer time has to be very limited for now.  I'm believing this is for a short time!  I love visiting blogs, reading about your lives, and I hope to be back at it soon!

Stay warm, spring is just around the bend!

Art by Kate Greenaway, Free Image courtesy of Dover Publications.

Comfort Media...

When I'm cleaning, or doing little odd jobs around the house, I always turn to comfort media.  By that, I mean music, TV or movies which have a nostalgic feel to them.  Occasionally during the holidays, I tune into Days of Our Lives simply to see them decorate their tree.  The ornaments have each character's name on them, and they are placed on the tree during a big family party, including those of cast members who have long ago left the show or passed on.  I never watched soaps much but when I was living in Phoenix, before the days of the VCR, mom would have me watch her soaps for her.  She worked during the day and hated to miss them, so she'd call on the weekend and I'd fill her in on the antics of Marlena and Roman Brady, or what Grandma Alice Horton was up to.  I became a faithful viewer for a few years because of mom.

A lot of people dismiss soaps, as just so much fluff, naughtiness, and bad acting.  That doesn't bother me.  I watch them for the same reason I read comic book adventures as a child.  They were fun, imaginative, and quick.  They were for the days when I didn't want to dive into a Tom Sawyer or a Great Expectations.  It's the same reason I turn on easy listening music, or a light holiday musical, while doing my chores.  It takes my mind off the mundane tasks, without drawing me into something heavy or distracting.  So, it's time for me to tune into a classic movie and get back to my chores.  Until next time...

This free image is from My Vintage Studio.  Sharon has many wonderful images to share. 

© 11DEC2012 ajjahner

Near-Perfect Autumn Day

I'm having a near-perfect day.  It's cold and overcast, but the BSU-Wyoming game is on TV, and both sons are here watching it with me.  Go BSU!  A big roast is in the crock-pot for supper.  A new catalog arrived in the mail.  I am a happy lady today!

Here's a free Halloween image for personal use, compliments of Dover.

Wishing you a near-perfect weekend of your own!

The MS Struggle Continues

I'm very close to making a decision on medications for my MS.  I'm thinking of moving forward with the Gilenya.  There are risks, but there are very few options at this time.  I saw a marvelous Doctor this past week.  She is a neurological ophthalmologist.  She feels that the risk to my eyesight, from the medication, is minimal.  The risk to my eyes, from the MS itself, is actively happening.  I have something going on called Optic Neuritis, mostly in my left eye.  I'm having a lot of trouble with my vision.  I'm spending very little time on the computer because of it.  Thankfully, computers allow us to make the lettering very large.  That way when I do check in, it's much easier to read.  My eyes just tire very quickly.  This condition happened back in 2006, but after a couple of months I recovered almost all of my vision.  The doctor is also watching for something called macular edema, so I'm using medication in both eyes every night, as well as drops every two hours.  I see her for another evaluation in a couple months.  This is a lot of boring information to most, but hopefully is interesting for those of you who have been following my journey with the MS.  (By the way, I should edit this for run-on sentences, etc., but my computer time is running out for today... sorry...)

As for the rest of my life... excellent!  My husband participated in the Alzheimer's Walk and Vintage Car Show yesterday.  He walked in memory of his mother and grandmother, who both passed from Alzheimers, as well as for an aunt who currently has it.  Today he is honoring his dad, by participating in a Veteran's Vintage Car Show/Benefit.  My sons are happy and enjoying their classes.

Autumn Scene. Free image, compliments of My Vintage Studio.

I am loving the cooler autumn weather and seeing the changing colors!  I'm appreciating all the visuals so much more, and not taking one thing for granted.  Wishing you a beautiful week.  Enjoy autumn!

Another Selection for Poetry Month

Just a little poem, on this cold spring day.  Even with the wind, and the chill in the air, the birds have been singing outside my door...

Sweet bird, thy bower is ever green,

Thy sky is ever clear:

Thou hast no sorrow in thy song,

No winter in thy year.

Oh, could I fly, I'd fly with thee!

We'd make, with joyful wing,

Our annual visit o'er the globe,

Companions of the spring.

~ John Logan ~

This free image was shared by Dawn of The Feathered Nest.

Cold, Grey Tuesday...

We finally got a bit of sunshine yesterday, and again for a little while this morning, but it's been a long, grey day.  Overcast and gloomy, with a bit of rain.  And cold!

Even on this chilly day, my heart is in a sunny place.  I've been visiting some very colorful blogs.  I also found some lovely, free images over at The Graphics Fairy, The Vintage Moth, and The Feathered Nest.  I've been mentally preparing some craft projects.  I think I'm in a springtime frame of mind... crafting, yard sales, flowers.  And, in the spirit of "thinking spring" today, here is some free art for you to use.  These images are all from Dover Publications and are royalty free, so right-click away and take one or all!  (Hint:  Click on the picture, it enlarges to full size, then save it to your files.)

A Favorite of Mine... Little Peter Rabbit!

Autumn Begins...

Autumn... the best time of the year. It awakens the imagination... it brings hope of holidays and family gatherings to come...  

Golden leaves, harvest, warm days, cool nights, ducks and geese heading south... I love it!  I hope you are enjoying this beautiful first day of Autumn!  

 

 

Feel free to copy the image if you like it...   

A Happy Fourth... and a Happy Birthday!

Wishing each of you a Happy Independence Day!  It's a time to remember, and to celebrate our Freedoms.  I hope you are having a glorious weekend with family and friends.  

I also want say "Happy Birthday" to my cousin, Deborah!  You're the original firecracker! 

This is a free image from Dover.  Click on it to save a copy for yourself. 

Love and Blessings to all! 

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope each one of you is having a Happy Valentine's Day with someone you love, whether it's a sweetheart, a family member, or a dear friend.  And, if you find yourself alone today, do something that makes your heart happy.  

This image made me laugh when I saw it.  Take it if you like... it's a free image.  I don't have many, but if you click on the link it will take you to the other free images I've shared.

This has been a good day for me.  My writing muse kicked in again for the Sunday Scribblings prompt.  I must warn you that it's a sad story, so if you don't like sad you may want to skip reading this one.

My husband is baking sugar cookies for us to decorate, and eat, later this evening while we watch the Olympics.  There's a roast in the oven that will be ready in about two hours.  It smells so good already.  All we have to do is whip up some potatoes, make a vegetable dish or salad and we're set!  

The sun was shining most of the afternoon.  It was gorgeous.  People were out walking with their dogs, their families, or both!  There is now a grey cloud cover, but my happy sunshine feeling remains.

Merry Christmas!

  I just wanted to take a moment to wish each one of you a Very Merry Christmas! 

I hope you are tucked in with your family sharing food, music, games... making memories!  At my home, we are having a simple Christmas with just my immediate family. 

We are getting ready to watch a movie while Christmas dinner cooks.  These are the times we will remember when we look back on our lives... simple times, sharing our faith and our love with friends and family! 

Blessings and Love,

Nita Jo



Oh, before I forget... please feel free to take a copy of the beautiful angel image, compliments of Dover's Free Samples.

Quick Hello... and Quotes...

I'm a bit under the weather. So today, I'm just leaving you with a couple of favorite quotes...

"Friendship is unnecessary,

like philosophy, like art...

It has no survival value;

rather it is one of those things

that give value to survival."

~ C. S. Lewis

~~~

"Memory is a way of holding onto

the things you love, the things you are,

the things you never want to lose."

~ Fred Savage as Kevin Arnold in "The Wonder Years"

Away For a Bit...

Hello friends! Sorry about my lack of new material. Summer has me either tired and napping, or sitting in an easy chair with sweet tea and a good book! I also have a dozen or more magazines that I am enjoying. It's so nice to have reading glasses!

Before I go any further, I must say "farewell" to my oldest niece. She hit the road in a U-Haul early today. She is off to pursue the only thing she has ever dreamed of... to be a full-time singer/songwriter/musician. She's written hundreds of songs and has performed locally. Now she is on to the next phase of the dream. I will miss her so, but I wish her love, joy, and success. I will be waiting to purchase that first CD!

I will be gone this week, but will be checking back in with all of you next weekend. I'm taking some reading material with me, my sketchpad and pencils, a notebook, and a comfortable camp chair. Maybe the change of scenery will inspire me back to my writing.

Speaking of inspiration, here are some Free Images for you. They come from Dover Clip Art, which offers a large assortment of images to use in your art projects. They should enlarge when you click on them. Then just right click and save to your own art file. You can save them even if they do not enlarge. There is a frame from one of the many Celtic books, an image from the Gibson Girls collection, and two florals from Ladies Flower Garden. Enjoy!

Hugs & Blessings!

Nita Jo

Spring Has Sprung!

We are having the most glorious "First Day of Spring" ever! It is sunny and in the high 60's! The birds have been singing all day long in a symphony of harmonious voices. (I know... gushing a bit... but it is sooo beautiful today)

I have been in spring clean mode for the couple of days! It's slow going, but so satisfying. Right now I just want to go outside and enjoy the sunny day...

...and that's exactly what I'm going to do!

Blessings to all!

Nita Jo

~ ~ ~

Oops, almost forgot. This is a Free Image. Click on it and save it to your computer if you wish. It is a piece of royalty free Dover Clipart. Enjoy!

A Very Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Just as the card says...

"and this a token gladly take..."

You may click on this image and save it to your computer.

It's from The Graphics Fairy. Her photo link is on my side bar.

She has all kinds of lovely graphic images, free for your use.

Sending her a special "thank you" for her generosity!

~~~

Hope your day is peaceful and lovely!

Blessings,

Nita Jo

It's a Beautiful Autumn Day... and Free Images

It is a beautiful autumn day. I was doing some clearing up around the house, then decided to go through my photo files on my PC. I found a ton of art images that I haven't gotten around to using, so I decided to share some Free Images with you.

I only found one Thanksgiving picture in my files. It's this turkey from Dover Publications. If you click on the link, it will take you to their home page. They have all kinds of publications, including clip-art. You can sign up to get Free Sample images that can be used in your own creations. They also have some amazing sales on books of all kinds.

You just click on the image to enlarge it, then right click and save to your files.

Also, from Dover are the following three Christmas images.

I hope you enjoy using these in your own art projects. There are a few other images I offered in the past. Just click on the Free Images label below to see them all. Any images not marked as free are owned by me, or used with permission of the owner. Please honor my copyright on all other photo's, images, and writing.

Blessings!

Nita Jo

Faith over Fear

In honor of Faith and of Angels, I am posting these two Free Images for you to copy. If you click on the image, it should enlarge so you can save it to your files. I know one says Easter Greeting, but she was so cute I didn't want to leave her out.

I've just been thinking about how blessed I am. No matter what the trial, I feel like angels are watching over me. That's not to say I have an easy life, it's just that my faith keeps me on firm footing.

I want to be resilient when fear tries to wash over me. It's work for me to look at the glass as half full... I'm naturally geared to seeing the worst case scenario and trying to imagine how I could get myself out of that one. For example, I saw a little boy on the news today. He was from Tennessee and had been attacked by a bear during a family camping trip. I knew exactly how he felt when he said something along the line of, "I told my dad a bear would get us." Then he kind of rolled his eyes up toward dad like "I told you so." It made me smile. I hope the experience doen't cause him to carry fear with him, but that surviving it will give him strength and faith.

I'm the "girl" who was always afraid of the dark, wild animals, boogie men, etc. Lions and Tigers and Bears.... Oh MY! I was really afraid of the flying monkees and the wicked witch! I just knew at any given moment I could be killed in a car, my plane would crash, I'd be robbed, my house would burn down (in my own defense, I had many near misses which may have fed the fear... I may share one or two on another day).

Sometimes I was right to be afraid, but to be wary doesn't mean to live in the fear. Even as an adult, I often have to "have a talk" with myself. "Have faith... don't be so negative... pray... believe... hope... and have peace". I doubt I'm the only one out there. So to all you "half empties"...

Take Peace, Hold Hope In Your Heart, Trust God, Have Faith...


Blessings,
Nita Jo

Change of Plans

Well, plans fell through for me. I was supposed to be up at our Church Camp with PJ and Lucky13, but there were other plans for me. I had not been feeling the greatest. Monday came and I still felt under the weather, so I made a decision to stay home. I have felt a real peace about my decision, and I'm not totally on my own... older son is still here when he's not at work or out with friends that is.

Two years ago we had to miss the camp. I was very sad the entire week. I was not well enough to go, but I missed it so much. Church Camp has been a part of my life since I was 7 years old. At least that's the first year I remember going. It's always a fun week full of spiritual activies, recreational activities, and just time to get acquainted with new friends or spend time with old ones.

So far, reports are that husband and son are having a great time! They went fully armed with mosquito repellant, but I forgot to send the sunscreen... it's always something. It's like when you forget to serve the jello salad or the sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving until everyone is too full to care.

My husband got West Nile Virus a couple of years ago, so we are extremely careful about the mosquito repellant. He recovered, but it was a slow process. He still doesn't have the energy he had before. We are so fortunate though. Lives have been lost and some have difficult long term disabilities. A childhood schoolmate is making a slow recovery from paralysis resulting from West Nile. He was infected the same summer as my husband. He's thankful for the progress he makes each day.

I've heard these things referred to as "speed bumps"... they make you slow down and take another look at your life and where it's going. I think sometimes they could more aptly be described as gigantic sink holes or craters. Faith, and a sense of humor, are sometimes all that gets us through them. It sometimes helps to look back on your happy times and laugh again.

Here are a few pictures from past camps that make me smile:

PJ & I three years ago

Water Curling... Points earned by how far your teammate slides.

Two of my Very Favorite Cousins, Kevin and Laurie

From "several" years ago Kathryn & Joe, Grandma Martha & Grandpa Evert, Robin & Kent (another cousin... Oh my, I'd forgotten bout that beard!)

I love this old photo. I have hundreds more, but no time or room to post them. I'll save some for another day.

Random Note: On the Free Images I posted, I noticed that when you click on the image, they are not enlarging as some of my photos do. I'm not sure why, but it may affect the size of the image you are able to save. I have checked out the "Help" section to no avail. If anyone out there in blogland knows the answer, please post it in my comments section. I would appreciate it so much. I have a few more royalty free images that I'd love to share sometime.


Anyway... When I'm not resting and trying to get back to normal (whatever that is), I'm still here at my computer.

May your day be blessed with sunshine and smiles.