I’ve heard bloggers say that consistency is important – readers like to be able to count on regular posts, but every now and then I find myself pressing “pause” .. Don’t feel like writing, can’t find a good photo, etc.. No post.

Today I’m taking a “pause”. Instead of hanging out here, Molly & I are going to visit Grandma. There have been rumors of treat drinks and flowers. This is gonna be good.

Happy Wednesday, Friends!

]]> http://suzannebrandsen.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/pause/feed/ 10 suzannebrandsen Roses and Balloon http://suzannebrandsen.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/click-your-heels/ http://suzannebrandsen.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/click-your-heels/#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:00:08 +0000 Suzanne http://suzannebrandsen.wordpress.com/?p=4489 Continue reading »

source (not sure of original source for this photo, so if you do know please inform me)

This time of year can feel like it just drags on and on – we don’t have real snow but it isn’t spring yet, we get cabin fever but we’re fighting off seasonal bugs (at least at our house we are). Josh was out of town working this weekend and I was home with a stuffy head. I found myself staring blankly out the window, waiting for change.

Eventually the fog in my head started to clear and a sense of purpose started sneaking back into my thought process. I began making plans and putting things around me back in order. I did the dishes. Yup. Things are definitely on the mend.

Grandma is out of the hospital and in a rehab facility, Josh is back home, my cold is losing it’s power over me, and we’re making plans to fly south like the birds. And then east. And then home. At which point spring will be here and we’ll be acting like the sheep in the photo above.

Click your heels. Change is in the air!

summer and winter and springtime and harvest
sun moon and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness, mercy and love

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source for all photos, found here

If any post has ever made me want to sit back and sip my coffee, this would be it! So many colors snuck into these photos.

Happy Weekend, Friends! I just realized the irony in that tea is my beverage of choice these days. But don’t worry, pretty little coffee, I’ll be back.

♥

Oh, Friends. Thank you for your thoughts & prayers for Grandma this week! She made it through her hip surgery and is on her way to recovery. She’s still got some issues to work through but has been giving it her all. When she isn’t chatting up the newest nurse/visitor, she’ll lay back in bed listening to her headphones with her eyes closed, occasionally peeking to see if anyone is around. And when her favorite songs come on, she sings them right out, thankyouverymuch.

Josh & I both caught untimely head colds so yesterday we kept our distance from the hospital. I really don’t want this blog to be a daily health diary - boring!, but I’m starting to feel a bit like a broken record despite my best efforts. This time of year can be such a delight, I tell you.

And so, I am thankful that today is a New Day. I’m claiming it by making my first venture back to the pool since I got shingles – head cold and all.

*takes a bow*

Friends, this week has taken a turn for the not-so-cheery. My 93-year-old Grandma fell as she was walking the other day and broke her good hip. She’s been in the hospital since Monday and is scheduled for surgery today, but this is no one’s idea of a good time.

She did tell my mom & I yesterday afternoon that we ought to have party hats on  – you know spending time together is always a party, regardless of where that time is spent or how much morphine is involved.

Would you mind praying for her & her loved ones? Her positive, plucky attitude has kept things rolling so far, but I’d love to cover her with a comforting blanket of prayer.

]]> http://suzannebrandsen.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/oh-dear/feed/ 16 suzannebrandsen Daisies http://suzannebrandsen.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/scenes-from-the-weekend-2/ http://suzannebrandsen.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/scenes-from-the-weekend-2/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:00:36 +0000 Suzanne http://suzannebrandsen.wordpress.com/?p=4419 Continue reading »

Josh bonding with the snowblower <> A color inverted look at Jack Frost’s handiwork <> A pretty little potted heather with tiny purple & yellow flowers <> First official public appearance (work not included) since shingles arrived at my door – so, errands and a treat drink

What was your weekend like, Friends?

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A pretty bear illustration:

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A time-lapse exposure of fireflies at night – if you like this, click the link below for more!

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Paint by number heart! This would be quite the Valentine.

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Pressed flowers – these colors are just perfect. If this collection was mine it would be hanging on my bedroom wall.

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No words necessary – I’m sure you’ll be just as taken with this as I am! *wink*

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This video of Yosemite was nothing short of breathtaking. Mark, I hope you see this, because Half Dome is prominently displayed and looking good! Yes, my brother has been known to call me Half Dome. It’s affectionate, I’m sure. I have a big forehead. There. I said it. I think the rest of us will have an easy enough time finding Half Dome in the video. Oh, and Dad – it shows a view from the top, one that may look slightly familiar to you! So, Friends, let’s sit back, sip our coffee, and enjoy God’s creation through the eyes of a camera lens! *may take some time to load*

Happy Weekend, Friends! Who wants to go play in the snow?

♥

Dirty, dirty window.

That’s better.

Getting home from work and deciding that today is the day to wash the windows. Begging my husband to get the ladder out and do the top half. Scrubbing way too many months of dust away. Feeling the warmth of the sunshine pouring in. Yes, these are all signs that I’m feeling better.

Oh, and if you’re ever out and about and you happen to see the Shingles Bug heading your way, pick up your skirts and run as hard and as fast as you can in the other direction. That is all.

sources: 1/2/3/4/5

I don’t know what it is, but these photos just do it for me. I almost feel like the photographer is winking at me by taking something traditional and making it playful and funny and unexpected. From the first time I saw one (#5, also my favorite) I have wanted to make a Flower Face photo of my own. What can I say, I am utterly smitten and completely Pinspired.

Happily, the height of this infatuation coincided with our annual New Years card writing (Christmas cards will never happen at our house).. It was the perfect chance to play around with some photos of ours from throughout 2011. All of the flowers were from our garden too.

So, Friends, what do you think? Pinspiring or creepy/ridiculous? Regardless, I’m in love. *wink*

I’ve been Pinspired before. Check it out here and here. And if you’re curious about any other freakishly weird photos I have pinned, do some research here.

When I was in fourth grade I had a pink sweater that I loved. It was just long enough to wear with leggings and I bet I wore it three times a week. One night I had a dream that I was on a boat party (shaped like a giant white swan, I was 10) and I was wearing my beloved sweater.  Something happened and my sweater was ruined, and I was devastated. That’s when someone led me to the back of the boat where a trunk awaited me. The trunk was packed with new sweaters - one in every color of the rainbow. Every color. I was over the moon excited. When I woke up that morning I leaped out of bed (probably haven’t done that since - heh) and raced to my closet, already mentally choosing which color to wear that day… When reality came crashing down on me. The sweaters weren’t real. I still remember how hard it was to realize that I had only been dreaming.

Why am I revisiting former dreams that didn’t come true? Partly because I wanted you to stick around long enough for the slide show below to load, and partly because it finally happened! The dream coming true thing!

I’ve got this love for vintage linens – sometimes I talk about it (tea towels) and sometimes it lurks beneath the surface of my consciousness. Recently *get ready for this* my friend Nancy gifted me this entire stack of tablecloths. This, Friends, is my pink sweater, all grown up.

One in every color, and I can’t choose which one to use first. Thank you, Nancy!