Salt Air, Sea Birds, and Sunsets

Listen...

Sea Birds calling...

Soaring high out over the bay.

I stand in my garden,

and listen to their music...

Breathing in the salt air.

A sea fog settles over the bridge to paradise.

And the gulls cry...

The sea is calm as the sun sweeps low in the western sky...

A full moon about to rise up out of the water.

Do you believe in beautiful mermaids?

Look!

Far out on the rock...

Misty island dreams...

No, it isn't a dream...

It is real,

this island paradise in the misty sea fog...

For the moon never beams,

without bringing me dreams...

Bliss. God's perfect bliss...

There are those who would not notice God's sunsets.

I am not one of those, thank you, Lord.

Six years ago,

on a January day

at sunset,

Daddy journeyed into heaven...

What a gift he gave me...

With every setting sun,

I look upon its beauty,

and feel the spirit of someone who thought I hung the moon...

Blessings

Yaya

A Place in the Sun

Our tiny cottage...

deep in the southland,

through the lowlands,

across the causeway,

out into the Gulf,

there sits a tiny island...

Our place in the sun...

A place to slow down...

Rest...

Read...

Think,

and ponder life...

When I am away,

I dream of being here....

Soaking up the salt air...

Renewing the soul.

Walk...

Breathe...

Thank you, Lord, for this place in the sun.

Ramblings from the island cottage...

Listen, alone beside the sea...

Gather a shell from the strewn beach...

The echo of the whole sea's speech...

Sheer miracles of loveliness...

And round the sandy beach far and wide...

The rushing of the sea-tides of the soul,

and inspirations that we deem our own.

Blessings

Yaya

A Winterscape

A frosty winter's day...

A cup of hot chocolate...

The country house glowing from the inside with warmth...

Memories of childhood Christmases gone by...

Carols filling the winter air with the sound of holiday...

The magic of the season

can take us to Christmases of yesteryear,

thinking of loved ones

and

blissful reminiscences...

All on a frosty winter's day

while sipping my hot chocolate.

Snow is on the way,

and I can't wait to experience the magic of a true

winter wonderland...

May you have blessings of a beautiful winterscape...

Yaya

Home and Hearth at Christmas Time

Welcome Home...

Oh how I love those words

when we return from far away...

After a busy day of shopping,

wrapping presents,

it's time to slow down and relax...

Christmas music fills the air...

Hot mulled wine in hand,

candle light,

a warm fire...

It feels so go to be home by the hearth,

getting ready for Christmas

and family

to arrive at the old country house.

Blessings

Yaya

Home For Christmas

No matter where you are

out there in the big beautiful world...

Paris...

London...

Old New York...

There is no place like home at Christmas time.

Merry Christmas Blessings

Yaya

Harvest Blessings

Welcome!

It's harvest time at the country house...

I love the autumn fruits and vegetables,

and many of them will be used in our country kitchen

as Thanksgiving dinner is prepared.

Of course,

the quintessential autumn main course is roasted turkey.

Bliss is going to the Farmers Market

and coming home with baskets,

and baskets,

of sweet potatos, squash, apples, pears, pumpkins,

cabbages, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower,

eggplant...

And don't forget to pick your persimmons,

if you should be so lucky to have a tree.

Yes, the country house does have a persimmon tree...

Don't you love picking fresh sage for your dressing?!!

Ohhh so good.

May you all have a blessing of plentiful harvest!

Yaya

Savouring Autumn

Mornings start slowly, but early,

with coffee and conversation...

Country life has a rhythm and heart all its own.

Some thirty miles out of town...

I love having a place to retreat from the hectic world.

Music fills the rooms,

and flows out onto the porch.

Sounds of Mozart or Chopin,

and so much more...music from around the world.

We play Rook...we read...sip hot mulled wine.

A home is where one puts all one's favorite things...

A home is where family gathers together for the holidays...

There is no place I would rather be,

than in the countryside

savouring autumn,

and waiting on the arrival of family

and

Thanksgiving.

Blessings

Yaya

Autumnal Palette

Colors of autumn

suffused

with

beauty and warmth...

I love filling the old country house

with

vivid hues from outside my window...

Set a beautiful table with warm colors of fall...

It looks as if it would smell of spice...

It does.

The smell is cinnamon and apples...

Spice cake...

The perfect place to sip warm cider

or

hot mulled wine.

Open your home to family,

and celebrate the season of

Thanksgiving.

Blessings

Yaya

A Beautiful Mess

And oh so worth it!

"Weed, Yaya...Weed...Tay?"

Tay.

MmwahMmwah...KissesKisses

Beautiful Blessings

Yaya

Autumn Sunset

Our world is so fast, and hectic...

When I come here to the countryside,

I feel the peace start to flow.

I STOP.

I sit on my country house porch,

and

sip wine

at

sunset...

An autumn sunset.

Running here, dashing there...

We can feel so scattered and pulled in every direction.

I love sitting here...

Just being still...silence...

Every part of me starts to feel grounded to the earth's core.

The sunset looks like a brilliant, but soft light of energy.

Energy from God...

It fills me with such peace.

Find your place of peacefulness and connect to it.

Let it carry you along.

Peaceful Blessings

Yaya

Don't Forget to Live

Let go...

Stop concentrateing on work...bills...difficult people.

Give yourself a few minutes of leisure time,

if not each day,

several days a week.

Set the alarm 15 minutes early...

Program the coffee pot (you will awake feeling pampered),

when you smell the fresh coffee drifting throughout the house.

Slip into your fuzzy slippers...

Grabe your favorite throw blanket...

Take your coffee outside into the crisp autumn mist.

Breathe...

Sip your coffee...

This is your time...

Take it...

Make time for precious, quiet moments.

And,

don't forget to live...

Enjoy life.

Fill it with beauty, and grace...tenderness...

Fresh flowers...wine...sunsets...

Oh the list is long...

Don't forget to live.

Blessings

Yaya

A Countryside Haven

That is what our old country house feels like to me.

As comforting as a snuggle blanket,

or an old cashmere sweater.

And every country house in the deep south

has a front porch.

A place to have morning coffee,

an afternoon cup of tea,

wine at sunset.

Just being here soothes my soul...

Country blessings...

Yaya

Fall Flowers and a Candle

Oh so pretty...

Oh so simple...

OouLaLa...

Make your space beautiful,

One little area at a time.

Blessings

Yaya

Elixir

My fountian of youth...

My healer of disease...

There is not a better way to step into your day.

And,

what a magical afternoon cocktail...

This elixir that looks like autumn.

This elixir that nourshes and rebuilds every cell in your body...

So pure...

So healing...

So delicious...

1 pound of organic carrots

2 organic apples

1 organic pear

Place into juicer.

Enjoy your healing elixir...

May you be blessed with good health...

Yaya

Home in the Countryside

And so they arrived from far away...

It always feels so good

to

walk barefoot over the old wood floors...

Smell the smells of home...

Sip a glass of wine,

and

relax,

but,

not for long...

It's the season

of

holidays.

It is time to decorate

and

make everything beautiful...

Blessings

Yaya

A Touch of Beauty

It doesn't have to be much,

or expensive...

Just a touch...

One candle...

One crystal vase...

The ambience of the room is immediately changed.

Just a touch of beauty,

And the extraordinary is there...

Waiting just around the corner...

Only a candle and a vase away...

Oh so pretty,

Just a touch of beauty.

Beautiful blessings

Yaya

God's Artwork

Autumn in all of its glory...

Inspiring us...

How I love this time of year.

The air is now crisp,

the holidays are almost upon us,

and it's time to decorate the old country house.

One last look at our serene lake view,

before heading to the countryside

and

full speed into the holidays.

Let's get to baking and decorating!!

Autumn Blessings

Yaya

A Perfect Moment

One with Mother Nature

and

man's best friend.

That does make

A perfect moment...

May you be blessed

with many of life's

perfect moments.

Yaya

A Country Lane

A country lane will take you to a place

where

songs of birds

and gentle breeze are all around...

With little kids climbing trees

and getting scrapes on knees...

Popsicles and lemonaide...

Iron skillet fried potatos

and front porch rockers...

All of this

and

more

will be waiting at the end

of

a country lane.

It's called

home.

Country Blessings

Yaya

Through A Garden Gate...

Everyone needs a garden gate...

And a beautiful place

filled

with blooms and butterflies

and

the sweet scent of summer...

A fountain...

The peaceful sound of trickling water...

A chair in the coolness of a shade tree...

A place to sit

and

ponder upon life...

A place to renew the spirt.

Blessings

Yaya

A Summer Afternoon

If only once...

Just one

afternoon,

out of the whole entire summer,

YOU

should spend it

like this...

Doing nothing...

Nothing,

but listening to summer birdsong,

and

silence.

Renewing your soul...

Sleeping...

Reading...

Sleeping...

Bliss,

on a summer afternoon.

Summer Blessings

Yaya

Not As I Planned...

But oh so beautiful...

Like life.

Take each day as it comes,

And find the beauty and joy.

Beautiful Blessings

Yaya

Beauty Is Everywhere

Even in the tangled webs we weave...

It is there,

if only we look.

Blessings

Yaya