...The Princess is Here!! And the Parrots are Flying!!

My dear friend Ginger Nielson (also a wonderful illustrator) has a new book out! Coming soon to a bookstore near you or on Amazon.com!
check out her website at www.gingernielson.com


And Sherry Rogers, another talented illustrator and dear friend has her new book out as well- at bookstores and online!
check out her website at
www.sherry-rogers.com


I am soooooooo lucky to rub elbows and be encourage by these ladies!!!!

Illustration Friday "Ghost?"

This week's theme for "Illustration Friday" was Ghost. Here is a little history on Halloween F.Y. I.-
Halloween- Originated as a Celtic Harvest Fest-It is the evening before "All Saints Day" - a Christian religious holiday. As was typical, the church holidays were set at the same time as pagan holidays with hopes the people would abandon their rituals. Instead- a melding of the two happened and today we have both religious and pagan roots in holiday traditions. A night where the spiritual world and the physical world are intertwined.
Black Cats- originally seen as "good luck" when a black cat cross your path , the Church associated them with Witches and through that association, the stigma changed to "bad luck"
Jack-o-lanterns- Comes from an Irish Folktale where after losing a deal with the devil- A not so clever farmer ends up becoming "Jack of the Lantern" and wanders the earth with a candle lit inside of a turnip."

Most of our Halloween tradition came with the immigrants from Ireland in the 1800's. And much of it was melted together in America and then adopted out to other countries- such as Canada, UK and Australia as a 20th century "pop culture" tradition!
(from Wikipedia.com)

...Here's to Muddling Through!"

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6&7 NIV

Recently I have been
thinking about these verses, so often we think of results and pray fervently for them. Lord heal, Lord save, Lord spare me. Lord take care of this or of that. And if He does, we we think He is watching out for us and if He doesn't we think He doesn't care for us. But answering our prayers, the way we think they should be answered is not the promise. The promise is that no matter what is happening, no matter how much we are in "the depth of despair" to borrow a quote from Anne Shirley, He will guard our hearts, since the Evil One is always looking for an opening. In other words, when life, or people, or our own stupidity wounds us, leaves us open for attack He will be there to make sure that we are protected. Nothing, no event, no circumstance should cause us to doubt His love and His protection.
Now I am not saying, we should be dancing in the streets when bad things happen. Some circumstance call for "muddling through". Getting through one day at a time, only think about one day at a time, is sometimes all we can do.
I am in such a time. There will be no quick solutions to the difficult waters I am navigating right now. We are dealing with ailing parents, that need help, a lot of help that takes a lot of time. My husband and I still have small children, careers and commitments, so shifting our lives, which are full, so there is room for this new responsibility is taking its toll.
And as usually in stressful times, are we getting to church every Sunday, doing a daily devotional, praying frevently? No- my prayers as of late, are a few words- " Lord, help" or filled with petty frustrations on my part and complaints- but He will listen and then am amazing thing happens, a feeling of ....the universal word would be peace- but it is more a feeling of " it will be alright, it will be okay, you will survive this cause I am right here with you." washes over me. He guards my heart. It is a promise He will never break.

..."The City Different"

Went to Santa Fe this weekend with some girlfriends. What an amazing city,known as "The City Different", which one of my girlfriends wanted me to explain to her why.I couldn't, but after we walked the streets for the weekend, she didn't need anyone to.
In the center of Santa Fe is the town plaza. On one side of it is the Palace of the Governors, where from 1600's the Spanish and the Native People have been playing a serious game of "King of the Hill", battling and retaking the compound, each in possession of it for a few decades.Why did they each want it so bad, for the Native People it was to maintain their way of life and existence, the Spainish, to benifit from the riches of the North they had to hold Santa Fe as a hub for their trade routes up from Mexico.
Trade is still here at the plaza, now the Native Americans fill the long porch of the Palace, sitting near blanket filled with silver and inlaid stone jewelry, as the crowds slowly pass by, crouching down to buy their wears.
The streets jut out from the plaza, with narrow sidewalks next to adobe walls that guard the hacindas behind them. But now, through the gates of the hacindas, lining their flower laidened courtyards are shops and galleries and days can be spent wandering the maze and getting lost, if only for awile, in the "City Different"