Communing with the Angels

Lori Szepelak of Southampton, Massachusetts, wrote a book on her experience with angels.

Appropriately titled, "An Angel on My Shoulder," it details her own spiritual awakening after the death of her mother, to whom she was very close.

Lori spoke on sharing her spiritual journey,  this month, at the Milne Library in Williamstown, MA, home of  Williams College.

Lori is a photographer,  public relations worker, and  writer.  She said she first became aware of what she perceives to be angels through "auras" or bars of light that showed up in her photographs. 

Sometimes, in cloud formations, she has found the comforting faces of her parents, both of whom have died!

A gentle and kind woman, Lori said she talks to her angels daily and encourages others to do the same. Angels can help in difficult situations that life brings and can be a source of great comfort, she maintains.

Lori can be reached through Wings and a Prayer Press, P.0. Box 217, Southampton, Massachusetts, 01073-0217.  Cost of her book is $18.95 plus postage and taxes, when applicable.

HAVE YOU HAD ANY ENCOUNTERS WITH ANGELS? IF NOT, DO YOU BELIEVE IN THEM?

The High Price of Freedom: Memorial Day Remembrances

Memorial Day is a bittersweet holiday.

It's gratifying to haul out the American flag and hang it from the front porch post.

Usually there are parades with marching soldier units and patriotic music. People enjoy picnics everywhere.  There are even  Memorial Masses in cemeteries to honor the men and women who died while defending this country.

Whenever I see rows upon rows of soldiers' graves, with crisp American flags on poles nearby each one, it fills me with deep sadness.  How many mothers' tears fell over the loss of a "child" who died while defending this country?  How many fathers' hearts broke with news of sons' or daughters' deaths?

Why can't humankind learn to live in peace?  Why must there be wars and killing, bloodshed and violence, generation after generation?  Why can't we ever learn to just live peacefully and be grateful for all the gifts we have been so generously given? Why must more lives be lost?

(The ultimate sacrifice, found at the top of a hill in a cemetery in Western Mass.)

We live in a land of unparalleled freedom. Sometimes we take it totally for granted, living our lives the way we please, never giving a thought to the price paid for such freedom.

Today, even if for just a brief moment,  I hope we can think of those whose lives were sacrificed so we can live in sweet freedom.

This holiday, above all others, we honor our soldiers.

WHAT ARE  YOUR PLANS THIS HOLIDAY?

The Gifts of Mother Nature...

Almost overnight, trees and bushes have burst into bloom.

It's so amazing to see the intense beauty of Mother Nature.  Every morning when I open the front door to retrieve the daily newspaper, there's something amazing to see or hear.

It might be the melodic singing of some unknown bird, hidden away in a sea of new blossoms on a nearby tree.  Or, it could be flowers that were tiny buds yesterday, now bursting into glorious blooms the size of  hands.





Looking up to the sky through a towering pine tree, a beam of brilliant sunlight bursts through, flooding my face with warmth.  Could that be a silent whisper from the One who created all this beauty?

Sometimes, the gift of being alive makes me want to cry tears of joy.

A heart filled with gratitude aches with loveliness.



WHAT IS ONE SURPRISE FROM NATURE THAT  YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED LATELY?

Make Front Entryway Welcoming

The outside entryway of a home leaves an impression.

Is it welcoming?

Does it give a hint of who lives there?

Is it well kept or neglected?

With these questions in mind, my homemade pink and cream colored rose wreath got placed on the front door.

This little number came from a thrift store. It hangs on a wall above the outgoing mail basket. It’s a nice shape and colorful. It looks very old-fashioned. Does anyone know the origin of this kind of decoration?

This old chair was a steal at $5. It has a nicely carved back. even though the seat needs fixing, it still makes a perfect perch for a small wreath with more pink flowers and ribbons.

On the brick floor in front of the door is a bright rug. This was a post (http://writingstraightfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2011/04/simple-pleasure-ability-to-see-color.html)

The front entry way is now ready for guests or to welcome home all family members.

DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL TOUCHES FOR YOUR HOME'S FRONT ENTRYWAY?

Windowsill Gallery for "Thrifty Things Friday" and "Show and Tell"

                                       This sweet darling has an important message for the world.

Today, we are joining Diann at The Thrifty Groove for "Thrifty Things Friday." Also joining Cindy's Friday "Show and Tell" at My Romantic Home.

When it comes to art, it can certainly be displayed in any room of the house.

Kitchen windowsills in our house tend to be turned into elongated galleries for every possible variety of applealing, artistic items.

The exhibitions change on a whim. Almost all of the items shown were found at estate or yard sales and thrift shops so none cost a lot of money.

When I was a little girl, my Tiny Tears doll rarely left my arms.  So, when I found this little sweetheart, she had to come home with me. After all, she brings me right back to my childhood.   Here she is:

Nearby are these little houses, all different and none more than two-and-a-half inches tall.

This Valentine teddy is so cute she gets to hang out on the windowsill  all year long.

This angel makes a nice piece,  blowing on a flute-of-sorts:

Two love birds soak up the morning sun:

Upper sills, too, can display things like these cobalt blue bottles.

Also, angels, including one that fills the room with rainbows when the sun hits it!

DO YOU DISPLAY ART ON YOUR WINDOWSILLS?

Simple Pleasure

Joining Dayle's Simple Pleasures party from A Collection of This and That. Every week participants tell about something small or insignificant that adds joy to their lives.




Today's simple pleasure appeals to several of the senses.

It is scented liquid hand soap.

Containers of the soaps in different scents sit on counters near every sink in our house. 

Scented liquid soap is very affordable and leaves a lingering scent of citrus, lavender, or whatever it is made from on one's hands. I love the burst of fragrance when the soap mixed with water is massaged into the hands.

Using liquid scented soap is really such a little thing but it brings a bit of pleasure several times a day.

Sometimes I find lovely scented soap at Marshall's or T.J. Max; other times it's in specialty boutiques or even off-the-beaten-track gift shops.




Liquid soap made in different countries such as Therapie de Provence's "Lavender" from France and Pecksniff's "Grapefruit and Citron" from England peel tend to be very nice quality.  It's worth it to pay a little more for these.

My absolute current favorite is "Orange Blossom Honey", found in Trader Joe's.  The scent of blossoming orange trees is incredibly intoxicating, in a positive way. This hand soap reminds me of spring nights and a lane of orange trees in bloom. Mmmmmmmm.

It's important to note that I do not promote any particular brand of scented liquid soap nor am I compensated for mentioning any.

     It's just that delicately scented liquid soap is, for me, a wonderful simple pleasure.

DO YOU USE LIQUID SCENTED SOAP? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE?

Small, Round Flower Garden Brings Color and Variety

(LOOKING DOWN INTO A TULIP )

It's so great to get up in the morning at this exciting time of year.

Each day there's something new and wondrous to see.

Last fall at the Christmas Tree Shops, packages of tulip and daffodil bulbs from Holland were on sale. About four packages landed in my shopping cart.

     All winter long, I thought about the bulbs under the frozen earth. When the weather started to warm up and the ground unfroze, squirrels began digging up the bulbs and eating them.

     

Finally, after some chicken wire protection,  (http://writingstraightfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2011/04/bunny-wishes-and-chicken-wire-war.html )  green shoots popped up out of the earth. 

      At last the daffodils and tulips have bloomed and fill our front yard with bright colors.

    

The reds are the most brilliant among the tulip selections.  They sizzle with color.  Then, one pink tulip in the bunch is pretty, too, as well as the purples.

    

Combined with the frost resistant pansies(http://writingstraightfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2011/04/pretty-pansies-brighten-up-front-yard.html) that are perky and resilient, the little round flower garden makes a bright welcoming sight for guests as well as for residents!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPRING FLOWER?

Cabbage Rose Wreath

An eye-catching front door wreath for spring would be a nice way to welcome guests.

A store had a beauty, with fat pink cabbage roses, but the price tag was enough to blow one's socks off.

“I can make one like that,” flashed through my mind.

So it was off to a big discount store for several huge pink and cream colored roses, bigger than the palm of one’s hand. a thick roll of silky pink ribbon also came home.

Back at the “ranch,” an ugly wreath from the attic was dismangled. Its old flowers and leaves went into the trash.

 Stripped bare, the skeleton wreath made a perfect backdrop for the roses. Using a hot glue gun, the roses were attached to the wreath.

An artistic sister, at my request, made a stunning bow with long streamers that sway gently in the wind.

The spring wreath is now in its second year of welcoming guests!

HAVE YOU MADE WREATHS FOR YOUR HOME? WHAT KIND?

Little Touches Add to Room's Decor

Joining Metamorphosis Monday on Susan's blog, Between Naps on the Porch. Be sure to go there to check out other home projects. Just click http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/.

It does not take a lot of money to make a small room look inviting.

Thrift store and yard sale finds brighten the bathroom shown in this post.

A very small pink rectangular basket, filled with petite books, sits on the counter. Surely you have seen mini books like these at yard sales for as little as 25 cents each. They really do make good readers and take up so little space.

At one estate sale, there was almost nothing affordable except this rather regal looking mirror. It's actually made from plastic and cost $5.99.

A Charles Burton Barber print, purchased for $1, hangs beneath the mirror.  http://writingstraightfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2010/04/of-children-and-animals.html)

This sweet lacy heart with tiny pink rosebuds, made by my artist sister, decorates another wall.

The ballerina , shown above, ( http://writingstraightfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2010/01/charm-and-grace.html)  gracefully poses on a gold shelf. Her price tag was $7.99.

WHAT LITTLE DECORATING TOUCHES HAVE YOU USED IN YOUR OWN 'NECESSARY' ROOM?

Window Box Flowers

Empty windowsills cry out for attention in the spring.
   
Luckily, a dear friend told about a huge flower sale, sponsored by horticulture students, at Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

We drove together to the destination and were delighted to find hundreds of flowering plants such as begonias, dahlias, daisies, impatiens, petunias, and geraniums.

Here's one called "Lemon Symphony":

Bill Florek, director of Horticulture at the school, said more than 35 students began planting last November for the sale.

Plants filled three greenhouses on the grounds. Students helped customers carry selections to cars and rang up the purchases. What a great program this seemed to be. Too bad all public school cannot offer horticultural programs. 

The hardest part came when deciding which of the $4.00 plants would come home to fill the flower boxes.

Brilliant red geraniums or soft apricot colored?  Dazzling pink or pastel? The final selection included white with pink (kind of candy stripes) and pastel pink geraniums, brilliant fuchsia ones, too, and white petunias.

Oh, how I'd love to go back to the sale for some lavender and for some fiery red flowers and at least 10 other varieties.

In the spring, it's easy to fall asleep without counting sheep. One can count all the different kinds of flowers there are to plant.

DO YOU HAVE WINDOW BOXES TO FILL?  IF YES, WHAT FLOWERS DO YOU FILL THEM WITH?