I Love Winter Sunrises

2010 by Brenda Colleen Leyland

 Look who's getting up...

Stretching fiery colors across the eastern sky...

Promises of a beautiful day.

 

"Watching the clock

is not the same as watching a sunrise"

~ Sophia Bedford Pierce

Just started a new book from the library entitled Dawn Light: Dancing with Cranes and Other Ways to Start the Day.  I enjoyed author Diane Ackerman when she used to post publish articles in the classic Victoria magazine.  Now I have the delight of reading one of her books.  

"In an eye-opening sequence of personal meditations through the cycle of seasons, celebrated storyteller-poet-naturalist Diane Ackerman awakens us to the world at dawn, bring into stunning focus a time of day that many of us literally and metaphorically sleep through. (inside front cover)

"Ackerman's essays awaken us to a fresh awareness, saying:  Pay attention, these ordinary sights are marvelous." ~ Publisher's Weekly

Yes, I want to pay attention and see with fresh awareness the beauty of these ordinary sights!  Wishing you a beautiful day!

Good Morning Merry Sunshine

2010 by Brenda Colleen Leyland

Dusted off an essay I wrote for my mom a few years.  I found it when I was clearing out a file of writings.  It made me smile to remember that decades-old nickname, so I though I'd share it with you today.

Wishing you a PLEASANT day,

Mom, Little Sis, and me

“Good morning, Merry Sunshine!” 

That phrase echoes down through the decades of my life, still spilling warmth and light into my soul.  It’s a phrase I haven’t thought of in years, but when it wiggled its way out from some dusty memory bank I stopped to take notice. For with those little words came such a sweet flood of happy and warm feelings.

For a fleeting moment I was back in the old farm kitchen. I must have only been five or six at the time. I have a recollection of padding my sleepy-eyed self down the little hallway into the sun flooded kitchen, where Mommy was probably making breakfast. She stopped whatever she was doing to welcome me into the day by her cheery, “Good morning, Merry Sunshine.”

I don’t recall if Mom used that little nickname on a regular basis, or just that one time, but even after all these years, just remembering it again makes me feel all warm and cozy.  Her words, spoken so long ago, poured out something precious – like costly ointment -- over me.  They are a reminder that Mom’s love for me over my lifetime has been like sunshine…always warming, always cheering, always brightening.

Words a mother speaks over her children can echo over a lifetime. The use of nicknames, whether pretty, cute, funny or gently teasing of a special personality trait, when spoken with love and kindness, can give a child a sense of belonging and of being well loved.  That’s exactly what “Merry Sunshine” did for me all those years ago.

Still Enjoying Monet

2010 by Brenda Colleen Leyland

 I found a treasure when I found this book entitled "Monet's Table, The Cooking Journals of Claude Monet (Claire Joyes and Jean-Bernanard Naudin.)

Not only did Claude Monet know how to create delightful art on a canvas, he knew what made great art in a dining room -- good food, lovely table settings, and a host of congenial friends with which to share it all.

"They came to dine in almost ritual form, first visiting Monet's studio and the greenhouses, then having lunch at 11:30 (the time the family always dined, to enable Monet to make the most of the afternoon light).  Tea would later be served under the lime trees or near the pond."  Excerpt from front cover

Of course these happy times came a long time later in his career. There is a story about Monet and his struggling artist friends -- they all knew how to eat beans for days on end, so they could scrape enough coins together to buy paints and canvas for their ever-hungry artistic muse.

See the blue-trimmed yellow dishes in the bottom corner of the photo below?  This pic shows a artistically-laid table in Monet's dining room.

Now... just imagine the excitement my former housemate and I experienced years ago, when we stumbled upon the same pattern of dishes in a local department store.

We snapped them up for our own entertaining,  and though our table might not have included such auspicious guests as Monet's, those blue-rimmed dishes tell their own tales of good food, pretty table settings, and congenial company. Mmmm... maybe it was the dishes!

Don't you just love it when you go to someone's house for dinner and they've created a beautiful table for the occasion?  It adds to the whole pleasure of eating. Monet knew that. Maybe that's one reason why I love him... he seemed to know that our lives are enhanced when every area is touched by beauty. 

Catch a glimpse of it today,

Simply Sunday - A 'Hallelujah' Peek

2010 by Brenda Colleen Leyland


For those of you starting to get in the Holiday mood, you might want to watch this video.  If you are not in the mood, this might get you started.............

Enjoy your Sunday!

Knees Go Weak....

2010 by Brenda Colleen Leyland

Yes, they definitely go weak on this one...............
Michael Buble singing Sway!

Beauty in every corner...

2010 by Brenda Colleen Leyland

Establish Beauty in every corner of my world

Thy kingdom come

Thy will be done...

On earth as it is in heaven

"God has called you to speak the word to the world
and to speak it fearlessly. 

While acknowledging your woundedness,

do not let go of the truth that lives in you and demands to be spoken".

~ Henri Nouwen, Inner Voice of Love

"Your vocation is to speak from
the place in you where God dwells."

~ Henri Nouwen, Inner Voice of Love

My desire to establish Beauty in every corner is not so much about flowers, teacups and lace -- although it is part of that -- it's also about establishing the beauty of heaven here on earth where ugly stuff like p*ornography, child abuse, s*ex trade, hunger, cruelty to man and beast, crime, lying stealing, cheating is eradicated.

A place where people can flourish because they deal with their issues wisely;  they know how to overcome the 'enemy' of their souls; they have learned to walk out the royal law of love in every situation.  Because people everywhere who hear the whispers of heaven are determined to establish heaven's Beauty here on this blue marble we call home. 

People say that's impossible, look at the world around you.  How do we do this?  Certainly not by praying out of fear or hopelessness and wringing of the hands, but by believing our prayers can and will change the world.  More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.  Believe you receive when you pray and you shall have it.

"God wants this planet to look more like heaven and less like hell."

~ Jean B. Wall

For nothing shall be impossible to him who believes

I believe...

Simple Pleasures On This Snowy Day

2010 by Brenda Colleen Leyland

 TODAY

Outside my window...

 

I am thinking...

~ About what to include in the next lesson

of the 'newbie' blogging e-course I'm writing

I am thankful for...

~ Warm, cozy sweaters

~ A furnace that faithfully burps out heat

~ Snowy, gray days that make me feel Christmas-y

I went out into the cold...

~ To get bird seed for the my feeders

~ To meet friends for coffee

I've been reading...

~ A Christmas Memory, by Truman Capote

 ~ My classic holiday Victoria magazines

Today I might watch...

~ A Hercule Poirot DVD from the library

  Or... The Velveteen Rabbit

Or...Both

In my office, I am...

~ Looking for a WordPress theme to fit my

new website

~ Still sorting anddeleting the e-mails that accumulated

(we're down to just over 300 from 680)

In the kitchen...

~ I'm going to make mushroom meatballs for supper

~ Heat apple cider with cinnamon and cloves

I can hear...

~ A large chorus of sparrows chirping

in my bushes

Wishing you the simple pleasures today!

I 'Heart' Birds Who Don't Mind Winter

2010 by Brenda Colleen Leyland

Never lose an opportunity

of seeing anything that is beautiful;

for beauty is God's handwriting. 

 ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

When many of the birds migrate south for winter, I'm always grateful for the faithfulness of the ubiquitous sparrow, not to mention those cheeky chickadees who remain behind all winter in our northern climes.   I don't know how they brave the frigid temperatures! But I'm grateful for their cheery presence.

Of all birds, sparrows seem to know how to sing even on the coldest days!   Maybe the Heavenly Father keeps His eye on the sparrow because He loves their perseverence!  You think?

Keep the song in your heart!

Hugs,

Is Quilting A Sane Hobby?

2010 by Brenda Colleen Leyland

That's what Mom and I were wondering last week. 

Think about it... first you go out and look for the perfect large piece of fabric. Then you cut it into little strips.  Wow, a big job cutting all those tiny strips.  But wait... now you  have to sew them all back together again.  Because, of course, you need a large piece of fabric if you want to to create a beautiful new quilt.

But it's the way you put those little strips back together

that creates the excitement...

...watching a new pattern form

as each strip passes over the
feed-dogs of your sewing machine.

It was quite the sight

when we spread the pieces over the

the huge makeshift table set up

in the living room

(the room with the most natural light).

Here's my beautiful mom....

As you can see the afternoon shadows

were already creating lots of shadows,

so we had to stop for the day.

Miss Kitty thought it was a great time

to play with those funny looking pins.

(sorry for dimness of the photo....

I caught her sitting there in the dark).

It was a special week -- I think we quilted more than just pieces of fabric though.  Our hearts were also quilted with the beautiful pattern of mom and daughter time -- precious time!

So maybe quilting really is a sane hobby!  Especially if it brings loving heads bent together over the same project, creating memories as well as something beautiful for your home.

Wishing you your own beautiful 'quilted' moments,

What's YOUR New Thought Today?

2010 by Brenda Colleen Leyland

 

With the new day

comes new strength and new thoughts.

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Sandy over at ...and He shall direct my paths  shared this quote today.  I'm glad she did!   What grabbed my attention was the phrase 'new thoughts'. 

Sometimes it's so easy to stay with the old thoughts, especially on a Monday morning when we begin to settle into the 'usual' routines of the week. But old thoughts often means getting stuck in the same old place... a rut. Which reminds me of the old saying that a rut is like a coffin with the ends kicked out.

So I asked myself the question what new thoughts am I going to think today?

I'm going to write a book.  TODAY I am picking up a dream to write a small book on healthy living based on the wisdom of  Proverbs.  People are always looking for tips to help them get better results.  After reading and pondering over the many proverbs in the Old Testament for many years, I realized these instructions are timeless... and powerful.  Would you read a book called  "64 Timeless... and Powerful Tips for Living  Healthy"?

On that note, I'm off to the library, where laundry, vacuuming, and a 100 other needful errands can't bamboozle me into putting it off for another day.

Now I ask you, what NEW thought are you thinking today? 

Enjoying the beauty of new thoughts,

PS.  Remember what John Maxwell once said, You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.

Cotton Candy Pink

2010 by Brenda Colleen Leyland

"God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone,

but also on trees, and in the flowers

and clouds and stars."

~ Martin Luther

A glance from my bedroom window early this morning...

 

had me thinking about cotton candy...

for that's exactly what these wispy clouds reminded me of...

 

Promises of another beautiful day.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Remembering....

2010 by Brenda Colleen Leyland

photo from CBC News

Remembering those who lived, fought and died

so we could have the freedoms we enjoy today!

God bless them this Remembrance Day!

PS.

A fellow writer, Jack, shares his story of how
Canadian soldiers

freed his beloved country in 1945.
Click here to read the rest of the story,
as seen through the eyes of a 7-year-old.

A Little Blog of This and That

2010 by Brenda Colleen Leyland

It's near midnight and I'm working on one of my 40-day Fanatical Challenge goals.  It's hard to believe we're already on Day 10!  If you recall, one goal was to clear out the almost-600 e-mails that have accumulated in my in-box over the past 11 months (these do not count the hundreds I already deleted over the year).

And, that's how I found this thought-provoking quote
my sister sent to me back when 2010 was still a new year...

On Writing

by Rona Maynard

I had seen that memorable writing demands

more than insights and wordcraft.

The other essential is urgency.

If a writer feels no need to speak,

why does anyone need to listen?

Which reminds me of something I read in

The Huffington Post, Complete Guide to Blogging:

"Memorable messages
don't just make you think about a subject
-- they make you feel, taste, smell, or hear the content.
They make you experience the content."

Huffington Post Rules for Great Blogging

1.  Blog often - if you want an audience, give them new content often.

2.  Perfect is the enemy of done.

3.  Write like you speak.
"Think of blogging as writing an e-mail to a friend.  Don't try too hard."
Verena Von Pfetten, Living Editor, Huffington Post

4.  Focus on specific details.  You don't have to explain it all.  Choose one nugget.

5.  Own your topic.

6.  Know your audience.

7.  Write short.

8.  Become part of the conversation with like-minded blogs.


On that note, I best get back to the e-mail task.

Wishing you beautiful dreams!

 

A Beautiful Day Ahead

2010 by Brenda Colleen Leyland

I got up early this morning (is 2:30 am early enough?)

Had a few things to work on this morning before my day 'officially' started.  I am really a night owl, because it's so much easier to get things done when all is quiet and still than when the sun shines.  I'm really not that good at making hay then. The fun part of either staying up late or getting up early is that I have one nephew who is usually up  that time too, so we chat a bit on msn as the rest of the world sleeps.

But now the day begins.  The sun is bright already.  Later this afternoon I go to pick up my mom.  We're looking forward to her visit -- Kitty and I have been getting things ready.  Quilting, blogging,  and lots of visiting and laughing are part of the plan so far............... 

Here's a timely quote by Janette Oke:

"Getting things accomplished isn't nearly

as important as taking time for love."

Here's sending you glimpses of beauty

every time you turn around today!

Don't be too busy and miss them!

Hugs,

   

Evening Falls

2010 by Brenda Colleen Leyland

With the evening drawing its curtains soooo early in the day now, it felt like a good time to post this comfy fireplace scene (from glittergrahics) alongside William Cowper's perfectly cozy winter poem.
 

 "Now stir the fire, and close the shutters fast,

Let fall the curtains, wheel the sofa round,

And, while the bubbling and loud hissing urn

Throws up a steamy column, and the cups,

That cheer ... wait on each,

So let us welcome peaceful evening in."

William Cowper

"The Winter Evening"

 
I'm excited about the neatest thing this week... I've been having the delightful fun of helping my mom start her very own blog.  Her kids have been hoping for years that she'd take up the notion to write out her stories for her family, and with a little encouragement from her oldest (that's me) to join the blogging community, she's decided to give blogging a try.

With it being Remembrance Day in Canada this Thursday, Mom's been writing out some of her childhood memories about the war years as she remembers them. She was just a little girl when her big brother went off to war.  As it turns out, when she sat down to write one story, many more tumbled out all over her keyboard.

At present, she wants to write just for family (otherwise I'd share the link).  I'm excited that she's leaping into blogosphere with me.  She comes to visit for a few days this week.  The plan is for us to finish a quilt she started earlier this summer.  Who knows, we may just have to blog a while too!

On that note, here's wishing you the pleasantest of evenings!