Summertime gifts...

Backyard Butterflies

Even though I have been absent from this space...I have been enjoying all the beauty that God has to offer.

In Honour of Mothers...

I have to say...until becoming a Mom myself, I never really understood all that a Mother is. And I say THANK YOU!

Thanks MOM... For being my friend, for providing a HOME.

For all the LOVE that you give... not only to me but to others... children, family, animals, friends and those less fortunate.

For staying up late and waiting in line.

For always attending recitals, rehearsals and plays.

For putting me ahead of yourself.
For picking me up and for taking me HOME.

For letting me grow... make my own mistakes and loving me even more when I do.

THANK YOU MOM...for your support, LOVE and respect.

Mommies deserve to be honored today...they make the world a better place!

Spring flowers

Spring is so beautiful this year.... these beauties are all from my yard!

Please forgive my absence from blogging...once warm weather hits...I'm outside. I will be taking some time away from blogging for a little while...but I will be back with more LOVE to share soon!

Making A Wish Come True for Alan

I got a phone call on Wednesday afternoon from Dr. Matt Bitsko with ASK (Assistance Support Kindness). ASK is a non profit organization that provides financial, spiritual, social and emotional support for children with cancer and their families. Matt told me about Alan Hill who is the recipient of a room makeover from Make A Wish Foundation.

Alan's mother Laurie wanted Alan to have some special designs painted in his room. Alan aspires to become an entomologist (a branch of zoology that deals with insects) and loves bugs, all types, kinds, sizes and shapes.

So, on Saturday morning, I made my way to Alan's home. Alan is a wonderful 16 (soon to be 17) year old. He is smart and kind, and Alan has a pure zest for life.

Alan has been diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor and has been in a tough battle with this relentless disease since 2005. Alan forges on. He does not feel sad or sorry for himself. He LOVES life!

So, after speaking with Alan and his Mom, we decided on several different bugs.

And a special request from Alan's Mom; "Can you paint Wayne Alan Hill, Jr. P.H.D., Entomologist on the wall?" Well of course. I painted each dragonfly, butterfly and beetle in its place.

It was such an honor to meet Alan and his family. It was such pleasure to be able to paint in Alan's room and to know how much he appreciated it. In fact, he told me so.

On Saturday, I learned something I've always known... A mother's love is GREATER than any love there is!

Happy Birthday Alan! Prayers and blessings are being sent your way!

Progress @ the Autism Clinic

You remember my start for this mural... Anyway, I got ALOT done today.

What do you think about my creation today?

JOy

Such A Sweet Face.......

This is Joy, one of my new puppies (previous post), she is so very sweet and loves affection, but she is also a preditor and a hunter through and through. I won't go in to details and spare you of her recent kill. Needless to say my world has been very interesting since the adoption of the 2 sisters.

Mural Beginnings for VCU Child Development/Autism Clinic

The clinic is huge...probably 4500 sq. ft. at least. I started this 3 weeks ago before our big snow with the sun painting.

Yesterday I continued with the fish, waves, more color. This project will be on-going...could take months. There's alot of wall space. I'll update you on the progress.

I am also painting a train on 1 of the walls and haven't even started that yet!

Wish I had better photos...the flourecent lighting isn't so great for getting good pics! :)

It's Snowing & Snowing & Still Snowing in VA!

It's been snowing since 1pm today! Yippeee, I love SNOW!

How do you like our snowman? Nice looking fellow, huh?

Let the snow continue through the NIGHT... Because tomorrow there will be more FUN in the snow :)

Hope & Joy...our new Additions

Friday, February 20th started out like any other work day, but Friday changed everything for me...

As you can see, we have 2 new additions to our home. I received an email from my friend Simone. She volunteers a long with many other kind animal lovers to rescue animals. Emails are sent out weekly with photos of dogs and cats, all kinds, shapes, sizes, and ages. These wonderful animals are in shelters that are over capacity, and they are slated for euthanization. They are there either because they have been surrendered or they are strays.

The email I received contained a photo of these 2 sisters...surrendered by their owner and whose fate was certain death...euthanization at 5pm.

I responded at 4:30pm that I would adopt the 2 of them.

From there, volunteers worked out how they would transport the pups from South Carolina to Virginia. It took 3 different volunteer transports to get them to South Hill, Virginia where we met Elvis and Trish (also rescue volunteers) for the final leg of the trip.

Susan Ward and Tracy Morgan (and so many others) are instrumental in arranging the adoptions, rescuing the animals and sometimes taking them in until a permanent home can be found.

All of the volunteers are TRUE animal lovers and ask for nothing in return. They are overjoyed to bring these sweet souls to their new owners. I cannot say enough about how truly giving all of these folks are...of their time, energy, finances and efforts to find homes for these animals.

Jean Schnurr, also a volunteer of MAMA's (Mary Ann Morris Animal Society) coordinates the transports. In this particular rural area in S.C. their are little funds available to the shelter. They operate on an annual budget of $20,000 and rely on donations for all the rest of the money needed to feed, shelter, transport and care for these animals. If you would like to make a donation to help with their efforts please send to:

MAMAS

P. O. Box 1511

Bamberg, SC 29003

If you would like to adopt an animal, please send me an email and I will be happy to put you in touch with these folks.

Hope and Joy...that's what we named these 2 beautiful sisters...because Friday was THEIR day...filled with HOPE and JOY!