Recharged...

I'm back and feeling recharged, refreshed, regenerated, and rejuvenated - all synonyms of RENEW!

I'l post more on where I spent the last week in upcoming posts...

but for now, enjoy a few photos of a sunset I watched while away.

RENEW in 2013...

I can't believe it is January 12th already today. The first two weeks of this year have passed in a blur while I felt awful - sick with possible influenza & asthma and while the cold symptoms persist it is time to get off my recliner and back into the world.

I have chosen my "theme word" for 2013 and you may have noticed, RENEW, in my header and it's definition in my sidebar during the past 12 days. This year, I want to RENEW myself in mind, body & spirit. The definition of RENEW as it means to me... 1: to make like new : restore to freshness, vigor, or perfection.  I'm taking this meaning as motivation to take charge of my health and body. If you know me in person, it is no secret I've lost and gained the same 50lbs several times in my life and this year I'm focusing on health. I'm going to take off the extra weight and keep it off, I'm going to change my lifestyle and focus on fun ways to get in exercise.

2: to make new spiritually : regenerate.   I've promised myself to grow as a woman of God this year - a topic that I won't elaborate on here but I am so looking forward to this personal list of spiritual renewal I've made myself.

3 a: to restore to existence : revive b : to make extensive changes in : rebuild.   I'm taking this meaning back in years...I want to renew old friendships that I've let slide, I want to get back to hobbies I once enjoyed and I'm hoping to rebuild trust in those who have hurt me and I have hurt.

4: to do again : repeat.  The only way to change a lifestyle is to do again and again and repeat and repeat.

5: to begin again : resume.  Another 2013 goal...to begin again and resume my second blog, Marsha's Kitchen. It was time to delete or resume and I've decided so many things happen in the kitchen besides cooking that it was time to start the blog back up with recipes, crafts & family fun around the kitchen counter.

6: replace, replenish.  I'm using this meaning to replace and replenish the "mind" part of my RENEW theme. I've promised myself to "learn" more - first on the list is manual photography and at some point this year I want to take crocheting or knitting lessons. There are many things on my "learn to" list and I'm not getting any younger :)

7 a : to grant or obtain an extension of or on b : to grant or obtain an extension on the loan of.  The best part about a year of RENEWAL is the ability to constantly start over! If I fail on certain days/weeks I get to start over or renew daily. How great is that!

While RENEW is my "word of the year" I just love that I also get to think of all these synonyms: freshen, recharge, recreate, refresh, refreshen, regenerate, rejuvenate, repair, restore, resuscitate, revitalize, revive, revivify. When you think of it there is no way 2013 will be boring!    I hope you enjoyed the photos of my backyard birds in this post. I am so thrilled with my cardinal visitor deciding to call our yard home this winter as well as the flock of redpolls to add more color to our white & gray winter days. As part of my year of renewal, I am taking the next week off blogging but will be back with lots of fun photos to share next week including photos of 4 little Princesses wearing their snowflake themed ruffles.

photos by Jeff...

I'm still struggling with my health and haven't lifted a camera since Sunday but Jeff took it out late this afternoon to capture these shots to share...

Happy New Year...

I am down with a nasty bug so until I feel better I thought I would at least share my January header and a few photos of the little Princesses.

2012...a blog year in review...

It has been my tradition for the last several years to do a "year in review" showcasing each month's blog header and sharing my favorite post of the month as well as the most viewed.

January's header actually showed bird photos as well as a Brooklyn photo before this proud grandma switched over to all grandbaby photos. 2012 was also the first year I choose a theme or "word" for the year like I have seen on other blogs. The theme for the year was Choose Joy which was reflected in each header and I personally really enjoyed making the extra effort to find joy in even the most mundane of days. The January 1st post titled "Choose Joy in 2012"" was my most viewed post that month but my favorite was "Project 365...days 13-23" in which I showed some photos from my warm vacation to Jamaica and returning home to see Brooklyn.

My favorite post of February was a "wordless Wednesday" with photos of a beautiful February sunset out my windows, but can you believe the most viewed post was "little things" where I showed a new paint can topper that made repainting the whole interior of my house a lot easier last winter.

The most viewed post of March was "a week in review" which announced baby J due in July was a girl named Bailey, some outdoor dog & bird shots and photos of my grandnieces, Kinley & Keena. My favorite post was "Spring arrives" where I got out the macro lens and took photos of the early budding trees and shrubs.

During April, Brooklyn turned 6 months old and the post titled "a little big girl" was the most viewed post. My favorite post was "mosaic Monday..Easter weekend" which highlighted a family Easter.

May brought the most viewed post in the history of my blog (2006-present) and that was a post titled "Pine Hollow" which showcased my fairy garden. I linked this photo to a blog party, was invited to enter it in a fairy garden contest (in which I won one of the categories) and it was also pinned many times on Pinterest. I guess with all that extra attention I can also list that post as my favorite of the month as well.

The most viewed post of June was also my favorite, "Butterflies and Brooklyn" showed a butterfly landing on little Miss Brooklyn during a photo shoot. Such a special memory!

I used two blog headers for July - the first one held a blank frame for the much anticipated arrival of our second granddaughter and it was updated with her photo once she arrived on July 25th.

Of course my favorite post was announcing her arrival titled "She's here!". The most viewed post of the month was "garden tour...part one".

The most viewed post of August was "a mosaic of garden shots", since I'm composing this review on a -3 degree night I would have to say it is also my favorite :)

September brought the beginning of the slacker blogger with only 2 posts for the first time ever! "Catching up" was the most viewed as well as my favorite.

October brought "bugs in the garden" which was the most viewed post. My favorite was "Brooklyn's birthday weekend".

November's favorite and most viewed post was "Happy Thanksgiving" in which we tried very hard to get three little "turkeys in ruffle skirts" posed.

December's most viewed post was "Merry Christmas" with photos from Christmas eve as well as our 2012 Christmas card. Until the Sandy Hook tragedy I was posting simple joy daily photos and one of my personal favorites was "JOY in color" showing some of the beautiful birds in my garden. I am so excited to finally have a resident cardinal and I can only hope that spring 2013 will bring a female so we have a resident couple! I'll be back tomorrow with a new header and a new "word" of the year...

week in review...

I hope all reading this have had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was prolonged and finally ended yesterday with all the holiday and birthday celebrations. I thought I would share a few mosaics of the fun and of course my grandbabies and special nieces...Mari & Emma! Christmas celebrations with the family and a playdate visit from Mari...

My two birthday dinners with a sense of humor added...

and finally the 3 littlest Johnson cousins showing off their cuteness in matching outfits...

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all! We spent last night with Bailey & her parents for a wonderful Christmas eve of church, candlelight, dinner and fun.

Even though today is Christmas we will be celebrating until next Sunday with many parties and look forward to Jayme & family arriving on Thursday. I'll share photos as I'm able...

who's eating all my corn?

He doesn't even look a bit guilty either...

I'm so thankful that this beautiful cardinal seems to be staying for the winter...

It's cold this am and the feeders are extra busy...time to get out there to refill them.

Christmas cutie...

Guess who is spending the day with Grandma & Grandpa?

Little Miss Bailey dressed up in her candy cane shirt & skirt :)

She helped Grandma wrap presents and Grandma decided she is our family's best gift in 2012 - so into a box she went. I love that the girls are too young to say no to grandma's crazy photo ideas!

She also loves to show what a big girl she is now by showing off her rolling over skills and we cheer and show her how much we enjoy it.

Joy multiplied...

what's important in life...

I've continued to look for the simple joys in everyday life including the last few days of shock and grief over the tragedy at Sandy Hook elementary but it seems frivolous to post them. Looking at the faces of my grand babies, nieces and nephews and the beautiful and innocent children of our church at Sunday morning's Christmas program and thinking of the families that sent their beautiful and innocent children off to school Friday morning never knowing these poor babies wouldn't be coming home breaks my heart. I saw the following video of little Ana Grace (a victim) online this am singing her heart out while her brother plays the piano. The same brother that was also in Sandy Hook that fateful morning but was unharmed physically but I can only imagine his and his families emotional injury and pain.
 All one hears these days is "gun control, gun control, gun control"! America doesn't need gun control - gun control doesn't keep the guns away from the bad guys they'll find them anyway. What America needs is mental health awareness and help, and people coming back to God. Families that bring their kids to Sunday school and church and not just drop them off at the door and pick them up afterwards...Families that pray together and teach their kids right from wrong...Church pews filled back up like they were when we were kids and not the half empty ones we see now...TV and entertainment that doesn't glorify violence and has more moral themes...the list could go on and on!

In this nation where people fought to remove "one nation under God" from the pledge of allegiance but the courts upheld it, lets start acting like it!

Politics aside, I'm grateful our president quoted scripture at Sunday's memorial service in Conn. when he said: "Scripture tells us, 'Do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly, we are being renewed day by day. "For light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all, so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven not built by human hands." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 to 2 Corinthians 5:1

He ended his speech with: "For those of us who remain, let us find the strength to carry on and make our country worthy of their memory. May God bless and keep those we've lost in His heavenly place. May He grace those we still have with His holy comfort, and may He bless and watch over this community and the United States of America." Come on America...you know what to do!

Christmas is a week away...we always hear "Jesus is the reason for the Season" at this time of year. Yes, he is...it is the celebration of his birth, but I like this quote better..."Jesus is the reason for ALL Seasons". Another favorite quote: "The Magic of Christmas is not in the presents but in His Presence".

I'm off my soapbox and will go back to photos this week...if I've lost you as a follower after this little post...I understand but just couldn't not share how I felt. This blog is about "Garden of Life and Life in the Garden" and I just couldn't let this one go without saying anything after seeing little Miss Ana Grace's beautiful smile and song.

day 14...

is a beautiful morning with everything covered in hoarfrost. I think it makes a perfect winter scene and that makes today start out with JOY. I wish I had time to go outside and share the JOY with macro shots but today is a busy office day so you get a photo through the window...

an extra joy is capturing this redpoll on the tip of a branch...

JOY in color...day 13

Day 13 had me smiling with Joy at first light when I spotted Mr. Red Cardinal at the empty feeders! Wow, can't believe he is sticking around and he had me dressed and filling the feeders asap.

Other colors I'm loving this am are the rose red on the redpolls...

and bright blue against the snow backdrop.