How I'd love to have a grouping of these sweet pre-spring blooms clustered in front of my window right now. The aged pots combined with the fresh prettiness of the flowering bulbs speak of ancient gardens and the tender youth of spring gently renewing their acquaintance after a long winters rest.Such a lovely reminder of the delightful newness that is lying just around the corner...
(image courtesy Victoria Magazine)
It seems that Jules Verne is alive and well designing and constructing key boards and monitors.
As is George Jetson!
If I would have known this prior to making our most recent high-tech acquisition, I think I'd still be trying to decide which era in time to sit in front of on a daily basis. Which would you choose...Ornate Edwardian or Futuristic Retro?
The 'Awe Shucks' part of this post is the wonderful *Stylish Blogger Award* that my sweet sister-in-law Emily of A Lasting First Impression gave to me recently...the 'Oh Dear' part comes later. Emily's blog is special to my heart not only because she is family...but because she has an amazing gift for writing posts that are encouraging, thoughtful, real, and spirit focused. I'm always inspired when I read how the Lord is working in her heart and life. PLUS...she posts about my two most favorite little dudes Johan & Erik all the time (remember the monkey & the giraffe?).
2. I can count to ten in German and...I wore Dirndl's when I was a little girl (loved them)! All thanks to Gitzi, my very German mom!
3. I *used* to be able to play the 'Rain Song' by Zeppelin from start to finish...on my Gibson Hummingbird (just like the one above) which was passed down to me by Gitzi when I was in my teens (she used to play too). It's been in storage for a while now and I'm kind of looking forward to picking it up again, I'd love to see what kind of music, if any...still resides in my fingers, I miss playing.
4. I'm not very fond of filing...my piles of papers haunt me daily....
it's just one of those things...I don't mind ironing, vacuuming, other sorts of organizing, my junk drawer is always neat, as is the sock drawer...it's just filing...paper stuff (although, now that I think about it...my card stock is always tidy...that's something, right?).
Maybe I just need some cute file folders like these....maybe the boring ones just don't inspire me, yes, that must be it...cute file folders will solve everything...I just know it!
5. I do fold my laundry immediately when it comes out of the dryer. I suppose this could have been included in the previous "thing" but oh well...the picture was taken so I thought I'd use it.
6. I was a hair stylist for 16 years. I loved it but had to quit for health reasons...the chemicals got to me (huge problem in the industry, although it's getting better now).
I had my own business, renting out a space at a fabulous Seattle salon...I miss the people I worked with and my clients terribly, they were the best. 
I still dream of owning a vintage barber chair one of these days like the beauty above, to seat the family and friends who still allow me to touch their tresses. I think they're works of art...and look at all the gloriousness surrounding it, the lovely tiled floors and walls, the art, lighting, shelving...perfection!
7. In my teens...a little bit before thoughts of being a glamorous hairstylist flitted around my young brain, I had high falutin ideas of being an 'Album Cover' designer...ala Roger Dean (he designed all the Yes album covers). I did the water color above when I was about fifteen.
(Artwork above and below by Roger Dean)
My father, who used to draw quite a bit (it does run in the family), was always rendering images of knights, armour, swords, castles and the like...and my initial artwork had a slight bent towards this style, with a little fantasy thrown in for good measure. No medievalness going on...just maybe places where a knight or even possibly a damsel in distress might hang out.
(Above watercolor also done around age 15)
Now I draw (and teach)...kitties eating sushi and happy pigs dancing (and I believe singing) in rain puddles...and I wouldn't have it any other way! 
So there's my list....now I am going to pass the love around and give this award to several brilliant, inspiring, and of course very stylish bloggers in the hopes of getting to know you all just little bit better. I've enjoyed reading the fun and interesting 'things' other bloggers have posted from this as well as other awards....so without further ado...here's my list.
Now...for the "Oh Dear" part of the post...my computer has been behaving very badly this past week (actually longer than that) and after seven years...we are finally going to part ways.
But the good news is that a shiny, modern, new one is on it's way and I should be up and running at full speed very soon. In the mean time...I keep praying that this old friend decides to hang around for just a tiny bit longer.
I'm sure by now, everyone knows about the devastating floods that have been ravaging Queensland. The images and stories have been heartbreaking, and some of our dear fellow bloggers, such as A-M, have been right in the middle of it all, desperately trying to cling to the hope that somehow, all will be well when they are finally allowed to go back home.
Mr. 24 and I have had a love affair with Queensland for over ten years now. We had the great fortune of having to go there for business purposes, he many times...myself twice. We became seriously enamoured with this beautiful and unique section of Australia, from the Sunshine Coast (above) to the Gold Coast (below) and everywhere in-between and around...it's lovely inhabitants, both human and animal...stole our hearts, and we became quite attached.
A couple of Kookaburra....
We actually held one of these lovelies...
Mr. 24's favorite Australian cutie...the Wombat.
This gentle giant of a Roo allowed all of us to pet him...
it was an experience I'll never forget....(yes, that's me...with a few of our very special Aussie friends...hi!).
This sweet Wallaby was very friendly and ate right out of our hands....
And now, there's this....
The image of this poor stranded Goanna really got to me...I hope it was rescued...
along with this guy...it's the absolute helplessness of the animals that gets to me.
But then there is also this.....
and this....
Thank heavens there are brave, kind and generous souls who are helping the helpless, reaching out, not only to the people who are in such desperate need, but also to the creatures who can't in anyway help themselves. Thank you....
The sunny spirit of the Aussies will prevail against this time of tragedy...
and there will be calm once again...it's just going to take a bit of time. Please keep the people of Queensland in your hearts, thoughts, and prayers.
Today is Gitzi's birthday....not only is she an amazingly talented photographer and artist, but she is also my mom.
Her imagination continually surprises and delights me, and the creations that have come from that imagination, such as these recent floral works, have brought such joy...I fell instantly in love with these the moment I saw them.
Gitzi has been a photographer for as long as I can remember (hehe) and when I was a baby, she was taking photography classes, developing her own images, as well as her artistic eye and unique style.
Her adventurous spirit has been such an inspiration and gift to me...I'm forever grateful for having been able to grown up around someone who was never afraid to explore new forms of beauty and who was also always in awe of, and trying to capture, the beauty that was all around her.
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