...the mind of a ten year old...

mattie expounding some

wonderful adventurous story

of swords

as he is warding off

some creature

in the woods.

i just get lost in those

beautiful

blue gray

eyes...

just BE.

robin.

...tic-tac-toe...

...blue and miss gandalyn...

blue and gandalyn

enjoyed the

nice weather of

yesterday.

it's a wee bit tricky to

get them to look at me.

hold a pose once

they finally do look

at me..

or to have any

interest in me

at all.
just BE.

robin.

...happy st. patrick's day...

inside or out

i love green...

happy st. patty's day.

just BE.

robin.

...the velveteen principles...

it's funny how you start out thinking in one

direction...

then you go an entirely different direction!

i was digging through a box

looking for a book about angels...

when i found this book...

it's been packed away since

our move.

it's called

The Velveteen Principles

A Guide to Becoming Real

Hidden Wisdom from a Children's Classic.

Toni Raiten-D'Antonia.

Here is what the inside cover says:

"There is a difference between superficial beauty and the inner beauty we all possess as unique human beings. One is the product of the object culture, which reduces us to the things we own and the milestones we accomplish. The other is the result of a life well lived, where our struggles and challenges make us more lovable and truly ourselves. Inner beauty, the kind you can feel and others can see, is what happens when you stop chasing false ideals and become the Real person you are meant to be.

The Velveteen Principles is a guide to becoming Real-Real with ourselves, Real with our hopes and desires, Real with the people we love, and Real with everyone else, too. Through the simple wisdom of a children's classic, it invites us to strip off the trappings of the object culture and remember the things that make us unique, happy and worthy of love. And it shows us that, just as it was for the Velveteen Rabbit in Margery Williams' enduring fable, Real is a process that is sometimes intimidating and sometimes, painful, but in the end, far more rewarding than we ever could have imagined.

In a time when the pursuit of instant gratification and the stress of daily life can swamp us and cause us to "break easily or have sharp edges," this book offers a safe and steady course toward peace, self-acceptance and true love.

It's easy to lose our way. It's easy to forget the simple joys of life. But with the help of a wise old skin horse and sawdust-filled bunny, The Velveteen Principles will set you back on the course to Real, and remind you that Real, isn't how you are made, it's something inside of you. And once you are Real, things will never be the same."

it's back out now,

on my shelf.

i will read it again.

it is a wonderful little book...

if you get a chance to read it...

you will remember the story

of the rabbit and the boy...

and you just might begin to

feel "real" as well.

just BE.

robin.

...high button shoe article...

my mom and dad's home was featured in a special edition of the

Country Sampler-Home Tour Edition

which came out in February.

the house was built in the late 1800's...after my grandparent's passed away

the house was turned into High Button Shoe (primitives, antiques & folkart) in 1995.

Due to a decline in folks coming to the shop-about 2 years ago they converted the shop back into a house. She also has a CD of the house with over 200 pictures of primitive decor.

If you are interested in getting a copy of this special edition or a CD you can contact my mom.

...march 15, 2009...

the moon is saying goodbye for

a time

and the sun rises on a

new day.

as i looked around during

my time of quiet-

my thoughts

turn to...

how sometimes, like the winter,

after the snow melts...

we are left exposed.

it's all out there

for everyone to see

our hurts,

our sadness,

our disappointments,

our self doubts.

but then...

something wonderful happens...

we are given a new day,

a day

which offers choices.

do i stay under this covering of

debris that the winter

has left me with.

or do i brush myself off

and allow myself

a new beginning.

a new beginning to plant myself

firmly on this soil

and let myself grow.

let myself be open to the possibilities

that lie ahead.

i can look inside myself,

just as i can see inside

the shell of the yucca plant...

it will be replaced

with new life...

new energy,

new strength,

new inner beauty.

as will you

as will i.

the Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.

welcome to coffee hour.

welcome to Sunday morning.

just BE.

robin.

...a moment...

i was on a site yesterday

of a beautiful spirit...joanne...

she shared this quote...

i loved it

and i wanted to share it with you.

the sun is shining...

tho the breeze has a chill

i am on the porch...

rocking in my rocker...

the sun on my face...

reflecting

on

a

moment...

Every day, God gives us, as well as the sun, a moment when it is possible to change anything that is causing us unhappiness. The magic moment is the moment when a “yes” or a “no” can change our whole existence. Every day, we try to pretend that we do not see that moment, that it does not exist, that today is the same as yesterday and that tomorrow will be the same too. However, anyone who pays close attention to his day will discover the magic moment. It might be hidden in the instant that we put the key in the door in the morning, in the moment of silence after supper, in the thousand and one things that appear to us to be the same. This moment exists, a moment in which all the strength of the stars flows through us and allows us to perform miracles.
- Paulo Coelho

thank you joanne...

just BE.

robin

...somewhere between...

this is one of my favorite trees...

at one of my favorite times...

the time between

sunset and twilight...

somewhere in between

there is a star.

(click on star)

what a beautiful place to be...

just BE.

robin.

...despite the cold...

these pictures brighten my spirit.

i see life

i see renewal...

i see warm

carefree days...

i see sitting on the porch in my rocking chair...

just sitting,

rocking,

listening.

i hear

laughter,

i see kids running,

playing catch,

kicking a ball.

i see butterfly's (or flutterby's)

i feel the warm earth

sift between my fingers

as i dig it up.

i smell the scent

of flowers,

i smell the warm earth.

it's all very simple really...

************************************************************************************* that's all it took.

that's all it took to make my heart soar.

the sparks of possibilities were ignited...

by that simple,

that

one

still

frame.

just BE.

robin.