Musing {24-32}

A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought.  There is a visible labor and there is an invisible labor  ~Victor Hugo

The beginning of another week has arrived. And with it, the start of a fresh page on the calender. It is so very strange for me to realize that we are already in the eighth month of 2011.

The way time passes is, in itself, a blessing for me. No matter what happens, I always know that the sun will set and rise again on a new day. Time is a constant, regardless of what I do or what decisions I make in each day.

But as always, this past week has overflowed with so many beauties that I can hardly bare to see this week come to an end. It was another watercolour week...one blessing after another, blending together to paint the most stunning portrait...another adornment on the wall of my life.

• 24. The official beginning of OZ!...a tumultuous read-through crammed with details and information, bursting with whispers of the next two dramatically theatrical months to come. 

• 25. A surprise package bursting with a six-page epistle and a beautifully scented patched of knitty goodness from the heart of a precious friend...one of those reminders that I'm not alone, and I am loved.

• 26. Three nights, interspersed throughout the week, but three nights of sleep all nightmare-free. There is such beauty in rest, such a deep sense of peace found when one lays herself down into the hands of the King, trusting on Him to bear all the restlessness.   

• 27. The start of a new Inspired Monthly Giveaway...another chance to lose oneself in whimsy and beautiful things, immersed in stunning talent from the workbenches of others. 

• 28. Hearing a Word, straight from the heart of the King of the world...the sweetest balm for my soul..."See, I am doing a new thing. Now it is springing up; can you not perceive it?I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." (Isaiah 43:19)

• 29. Rediscovering my seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer after almost a year-long lack of viewing. Sometimes, dusting off old fictional friends is a sweet reminder of days gone by and dreams once imagined. 

• 30. Brand-new brown and teal swirled dayplanners, lemon drop fudge with a sprinkling of sugar, and neatly organized theater schedules. 

• 31. Laughter. 

• 32. My niece resting her head on my shoulder, tucking her thumb contentedly in her mouth, and clinging to me with a little sigh of infant sleepiness...gazing over my shoulder at the world of cardboard boxes. 

Each time a new month starts, I cannot help but wish to look ahead, to see what might be in store for me in the coming thirty-one days of life. To start August off in such a way...to be surrounded with so many blessings...I can wish for no better way to begin a month. 

As my list of blessings grows longer, I am reminded of what a beautiful thing this life is...what a beautiful place this world is...and oh, what an even more splendid Home awaits me in days to come. 

This is a watercolour list...

...in my watercolour world. 

It is a good idea to be alone in a garden at dawn or dark so that all its shy presence may haunt you and possess you in a reverie of suspended thought.  ~James Douglas


(For this post, I'm linking up with Carissa at lowercase letters.) 

Août (August)

I walk without flinching through the burning cathedral of the summer.  My bank of wild grass is majestic and full of music.  It is a fire that solitude presses against my lips.  ~Violette Leduc

Tomorrow is the first day of August.

The last full month of summer, and the eight month of the year.

I have always looked at August as the prelude to autumn...the first notes of the golden orange and brown symphony that is close at hand.

I'm not sure what I think about all summer being so close to an end. I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of what I want to accomplish before the days grow short and the prologue to snow arrives.

The colour schemes of nature will change from the fresh summery greens and purples...fading into the rich and fragrant reds and gold tones of harvest.

I'm honestly not sure if I'm ready for the seasonal change.

Yes, I am going to eventually embrace the inevitability that the promises of God are eternal....autumn follows summer, an unbroken cycle until the end of days. And yes, I soak in the beauty of every season...I do not have a favourite, for each one has its own glories of inspiration.

But summer has not ended yet...I still have time.

Time to continue to work on my production of OZ!, which I do promise to write more about in the coming weeks....

...to have picnics of sandwiches and lemon drop fudge, to sip lemonade and eat ice cream cones by the riverfront...

...time to chase fireflies and count the endless stars in the clear country skies..,

...time to taste the freshness of sun-ripened fruit against my lips, and embrace the delicate flavour of every sort of berry imaginable.

August arrives tomorrow.

Fall will have to wait

just a bit longer.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.  ~Albert Camus

Whimsy (Second Giveaway)

Item No. 1

Dreaming is an act of pure imagination, attesting in all men a creative power, which if it were available in waking, would make every man a Dante or Shakespeare.  ~H.F. Hedge

Before we begin, I have to admit...I was blessed beyond measure by each and every one of you that responded to my previous giveaway. For it being my first, it was exactly the encouragement that I needed to continue in this beautiful endeavor. From the lovely comments I received, three random winners were chosen.

And now, as August rolls around...the final month in these warm and wonderful days of summer...the second giveaway has begun

I am more than honoured to present the following pieces from the beautiful and talented Molly and Claire of Molly the Pirate and Bisou Bisou Beads, respectively.

Each one of these pieces is remarkable in its own unique and one-of-a-kind beauty. I am, once again, drawn to the faintest bit of longing to be one of the lucky ones who will receive these elegant designs.

As before, the items mentioned are shown in order throughout the post.

Item No. 1: Afternoon Coffee Petite Glass Earrings from Molly the Pirate

Item No. 2 (example)

Items No. 2 & 3: One (1) Scrabble pendant necklace of the winners' choice from Bisou Bisou Beads. Two examples have been included in the post. Two winners will be receiving this gift.

(IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are one of my lovely international readers...i.e. not from the United States...please comment as such in one of your entry comments. Many lovely thanks!)

Here is how to enter to win one of these three beautiful items (each counts as either +1 or +2 entries; leave either one or two comments per entry, respectively. Also, please include your email or blog link in at least one of the entry comments).

Entry 1 (mandatory): Comment on this post with something you've always wanted to do, a place to which you have always wanted to journey, a dream you have yet to complete...perhaps an item from your bucket list. (+1)

Entry 2 (mandatory): Follow this blog, and put the BLOG BUTTON in your side bar/lovely reads/blog page/etc. (+1)

Entry 3: Blog/tweet/Facebook about the giveaway (+3, one entry per, one comment per)

Entry 4: Go to Molly's Etsy shop, heart it (if you have Etsy), and comment on this post with your favourite item from her shop. (+2 )

Item No. 3 (example)

Entry 5: Go to Claire's Etsy shop, heart it (if you have Etsy), and comment on this post with your favourite item from her shop (+2)

Entry 6: Follow Molly's blog (+1)

This world is full of whimsy...of beauty...of so many perfect dreams, just waiting to be experienced. Life is meant to be lived. We were created to wonder...to muse...to stand in awe of this world and the Mighty Creator who knit us all together from our earliest moments.

Be a gypsy.

Be a sojourner in this world while you yet have time.

Inhale life.

Chase the whimsy.

This giveaway closes on August 30th at midnight CST. Winners will be drawn that night using Random, and announced the following day. Winners will have 48 hours to claim their gifts, or new names will be drawn. 

The best reason for having dreams is that in dreams no reasons are necessary.  ~Ashleigh Brilliant