Painted Lady at RedGage

I'm not sure if this was a photo turned into a painting, or a painting done from a photo. Either way it is absolutely beautiful!

Painted Lady | RedGage:

"Creator:ArtzeeChris
From my Butterfly Shoot at Brookside Gardens"

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Egg Flower Photo

Isn't this flower just beautiful?! I love the playful title too!

Egg Flower

"This lovely flower was another find on a hike. It reminded me of watching an egg in a frying pan. July 2011 Arizona"

New Photo! Pretty in Pink

Bringing you another fabulous photo! Isn't it just beautiful?

Photo - Pretty in Pink This lovely pink flower blossomed on a frightful looking prickly pear cactus! July 2011 Mohave desert, Arizona

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

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Cricket in Hand Photo

Make sure you go see this one in full size! Can you believe that little cricket was just sitting in his palm like that?!

Photo - Cricket in Hand My son caught this little baby cricket and had to show it off! July 2011 Arizona

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

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Troll Stories To Share

Check out this fantastic book I just started reading with my boys. We have had it for a while, but just took it off the shelf today. I forgot how much I loved hearing troll stories when I was little! I LOVE have the opportunity to really read and "do all the voices" for this book! Now that I have children (8-18yo), I do a huge troll quite well, if I say so myself!

The Troll With No Heart in His Body by Lise Lunge-Larsen


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Snow Isolates Rural Southern Chile

This snow storm was really amazing! How is it that global warming can still come under debate when things like this a re going on? There a photo of the snow at the other end of the link.. it isolated 16,000 people!

Link - Snow Isolates Rural Southern Chile Heavy snow and a cold snap prompt rural southern Chile to be called a disaster area. July 23, 2011

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

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Snowshoe Meets the Bug Photo

OMG! Snowshoe is checking out that alien, I mean bug.. what IS that thing?! Well, it can be too horrible of a beetle, or I am sure that Snowshoe wouldn't be that close! Then again.. you know what they say about curiosity and the cat! I do hope she's okay!

Photo - Snowshoe Meets the Bug Snowshoe decided to get a closer look at the bug. I believe she is braver than I! July 2011

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

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I See You! Now Help Me UP!

LOOK! It's another photo of that alien looking bug thing! OMG those eyes are HUGE! I don't think I would want to put my finger anywhere near that thing! They certainly do have some interesting things in Arizona!

Photo - I See You! Now Help Me UP! Look at those huge bug eyes! Still trying to decide if its an alien. Do I really want to stick my finger in to help it?

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

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Snowshoe Under the Table Photo

How adorable! I guess this kitty found the best seat in the house! Isn't Snowshoe just the sweetest thing you have ever seen?!

Photo - Snowshoe Under the Table Snowshoe found this great place to sit under the table and watch the world go by. July 2011

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

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Latte Art - Designs in your coffee

I love my coffee.. but I am not sure I could bring myself to slurp through this fabulous artwork! Follow the link to see Batman and Darth Vader in the foam! Talk about playing with your food!

Link - Latte Art - Designs in your coffee An excellent article and pics of fabulous artwork done in the milk foam of lattes. Its being called latte art. Talk about designs in your coffee!

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

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Insect or Alien Photo

What IS that thing?! It does look like it could be a mini sized alien! Check out those things on the end of it's antennae! You might want to go see it full size! What a cool looking bug!

Photo - Insect or Alien You have to wonder when you you see things like this if it is really a tiny alien. If so, why was it in my kitchen? July 2011

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

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Grasshopper Photo Six Last in the Series

I do believe I am feeling sad to have to tell you this.. This is the last photo in the grasshopper series. Did you get to see all of them full size?! Did you go check them out at RedGage?  It is so worth it!

Photo - Grasshopper 6 The grasshopper my youngest brought to me. July 2011

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

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Grasshopper Photo Number Five

We are almost through the grasshopper photos! I hope you are enjoying seeing this insect close up as much as I have been! So glad to be able to share with you!

Photo - Grasshopper 5 This grasshopper seemed happy to pose for the camera. July 2011

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

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Grasshopper - Photo Number Four in the Series

It's the fourth photo in the grasshopper series! Have you noticed the black stripes on it's legs?

Photo - Grasshopper 4 Another of the grasshopper my youngest brought to me. July 2011

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage


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Grasshopper - Photo Three in Series

Excellent! Check out Grasshopper photo number three! Isn't this a great way to study insects?!

Photo - Grasshopper 3 More of the grasshopper my youngest brought to me. July 2011

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

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Grasshopper - Photo 2 In series

Photo number two in the series! Loving seeing this bug up close without having to get close to it! How cool!

Photo - Grasshopper 2 A lovely grasshopper my youngest brought to me. July 2011

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

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Grasshopper Photo - First in the Series

The first in a series of macro photos of a fantastic looking grasshopper! Check it out!

Photo - Grasshopper 1 My youngest son brought me this lovely grasshopper.

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

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Grasshopper Photo Number Five in the Series

I love the antennae on this little guy! I wonder how they got it to hold still for so long?! Photo number five in this grasshopper series!

Photo - Grasshopper 5 This grasshopper seemed happy to pose for the camera. July 2011

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

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Cheap & Easy Parmesan Noodles

Cheap & Easy Parmesan Noodles

Check out this fabulous recipe! Using rice noodles to make it gluten free, it is a delicious main dish for a vegetarian dinner! We had it for dinner the other day! Fantastic!

New Photo! Snowshoe ~ Comfortable Amid The Toys

I am loving all these photos of Snowshoe. What a great kitty! She looks so comfortable lying there with the toys!

See the full size photo - Snowshoe ~ Comfortable Amid The Toys Snowshoe caught napping on the coffee table amid the items left behind by the boys.

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

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New Photo! Snowshoe ~ You Called?

Check out this new photo over at RedGage! Isn't Snowshoe just the most adorable kitty you have ever seen?!

Photo - Snowshoe ~ You Called? Snowshoe looks over as called, awoken from a cat nap in her cat tree. July 2011

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

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Prime Minister of Japan Says Phasing out Nuclear Power Needed

Link - Prim Minister of Japan Says Phasing out Nuclear Power Needed News article reports that according to the Prime Minister, Japan needs to completely phase out nuclear power. Reasons of safety are cited, in light of the March 11, 2011 earthquake.

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

Below The Water...

Photo - Below The Water... A doodle of a mermaid?

Source: CamAnju's Content on RedGage

Lasting Impressions

Photo - Lasting Impressions These leaves left a lasting impression on this sidewalk in Prescott, AZ.

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

Leafing Impressions Behind

Photo - Leafing Impressions Behind Talking about leafing an impression! Seen in a sidewalk of downtown Prescott, AZ in 2011.

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

Life Learning - A Life Long Journey

Spending time healing has led me to many new thoughts, not the least of which is how much easier it is to avoid healing than to face your fears! Facing my fears and finding the truth is exactly what I have been learning to do. Coming out the other side, I see so much more hope, happiness, and direction for my present and future.

Now I am learning how to gt all of my thousands of projects organized, so that I can successfully accomplish them. Narrowing down to only doing one thing at a time may be too much for me, but I can see how eliminating, or putting some of them off until another time, can be helpful in getting them to become something I have successfully accomplished!

For now, I am reading, organizing, and eliminating the excess. It feels great to cull! And to release the guilt from doing so! Come check out on of my projects.. I have been organizing and getting a bunch of my photos up. Talk about a lasting impression.. or how about a bit of a fright up close.. or maybe a nice sunny flower. Plenty more to look through after clicking one of those links! Enjoy!

One of Those Moments

Have you ever been hit by one of those Duh! moments? The kind that literally makes you sit down and shake your head because you finally realized that you were missing it the whole time. Sure, you "knew it." But now, you really get it, and you realize that you were standing in your own way the whole time! I just had one of those. So let me just say.. Duh!

Google Logo for 6 March, 2011

I really love the Google Logo doodles! They can be as educational as they are creative! Today's log features a character by the name of The Spirit. He is a comic character created by Will Eisner back in the 40's. Turns out today is Will Eisner's birthday. He would have been 94. You can read more in my blog post at RedGage! And while you are there, join in! It's a great community! Here's the link: 

Will Eisner Tribute in Google Logo

Desert Spring

I do believe we may have finally reached spring here in the Mohave desert of Arizona. It has been a long drawn out winter that has been colder than normal, and kept stealing back in to freeze pipes, and houses! The last couple of days we have heard the birds return though, and we are starting to see the growth of new greenery among last years dead vegetation remains. It makes for some neat findings though, like the dried out broken squash vine that left a single wild squash hanging in the tumbleweed, and swinging in the breeze.

In Limbo

Perhaps it is in these times of limbo, when we are forced to wait for the eventual outcome to happen that we can learn to handle our emotions of the upcoming event.. I wrote about my grandmother and my 'Thoughts on Letting Go of My Grandmother'. It is a bit of a sad read, but one full of feeling. and an experience that we all must face at some point in our life.. letting go as people dear to us die.

family sadness

Today brings with it sadness as news of my Grandmom's health continuing to decline reaches me. We have been preparing ourselves for the eventual end of her life, but it as not easy as it nears. I so wish that I could be there to tell her how much I love her. I wish I could be there to support my mother through her grief. Perhaps the Universe will provide me with a way to do so yet. I will let my wish go, and let the seeds be planted.

Bedtime Routines

When you have children, having some sort of a bedtime routine is a good thing. For those of us who really do not like to adhere to a schedule, foolowing a basic outlive of a routine can still help bring some order to the end of the day. Set up a way to spend some quality time with your child(ren). Bedtime stories are wonderful for this! Let you child pick out a book, and read it to them. Help them with their reading, discuss it with them, be silly. This can create some of their most heart warming memories.. and a few of yours too!

Snow in Arizona Again This Weekend

Can you believe it is going to get cold AGAIN! We are going below freezing at the end of February in the Mohave desert of Arizona. Not only that, but we are expecting snow. I'm not sure that we will get any in our yard, but we certainly will be surrounded by it up on the mountain tops! I also hear that traveling through the mountain passes is expected to be 'nil to dangerous.. I guess we are going to be snowed in to our little valley! hmmmph! Not sure which I would prefer.. rain or snow.. take a look at these rain in the desert pictures and you will see what I mean!

Gerbils, gerbils, gerbils!

I love animals. Wild or pets, they can just be SOOO cute! I love this collection of gerbil pictures! Check these out... 'Did you say close up?' 'Ooooh LINT!' 'This Could Be Useful' 

How can that much cuteness fit into a package that small?!

Plenty of Color

I thought this combination of pages was quite colorful today! Thought I would share them with you. Let's start with this.. 'Express Your Color Mood' link. Then move on to enjoy these fabulous moth photos... 'Moth in Mason Jar' and 'Moth Among Leaves' I wonder if the colors express the moth's mood! Enjoy this short color break!

Gorgeous Red Flowers

I have been privileged enough to find some gorgeous photographs online lately! I love the title of this one.. 'Hummingbird Stop'. And what exactly does the title of this one make you think of? 'Jumping Cactus'  I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring! Have a fantastic happy time, where ever you are in the world, and what ever time it is when you find this!

Rain, Rain

Rain, Rain, Go Away, Come Again Another Day.. I think it is starting to flood out there. I don't really want to be stuck in the house because the road is flooded. You would think that living in the desert would mean that it would be dry. That is not true here though. The Mohave desert has so many different types of weather, and this is a high desert, a mountain valley even! We get snow in the winter, floods a few times a year.. heck, the road even washed out twice last year! Check out these pictures! Mohave desert sunset Windswept Couds Fiery Pink Sky I'll bring you more later!

Gerbil Photos!

OOOOOOOhhhhhhh! Did I find something fun to do today?! I found this site that has all these great photos on it! You should check out this cute gerbil and then there's another one of her sleeping in her burrow. There were plenty of things to look at.. I am sure I will be going back!

New Beginnings

To bring around new beginnings, there have to be old endings. Everything in life works this way to some extent. Here I am trying to start my life over.. create a new beginning for myself, just as my grandmother is reaching the end of her life. I always thought she would be around long enough to see me stand on my own to feet and succeed. I guess I am taking too long! I'm not sure that I know how to live life without her being in it. She has always been in the background supporting me in some way.

Liquid Sunshine..

Starting the day off with a large glass of freshly squeezed orange juice is simply awesome. That sweet flavor.. that bright happy color.. it is like drinking in sunshine. And since I cut the oranges in half and juiced them, all of that nutrition and flavor is still packed into that juice. SOOOOOOOO much better than carton juice that has been pasteurized for ease of shipping. I wonder when the cost of pasteurization will be realized, and we will start to take a stand to regain our health and happiness..

Sweet Sleep

The best part of a long day is finally getting to the end of it. Curling up in bed to dream peacefully of sunshine and slow days is the perfect recovery tool. Wishing everyone out there pleasant dreams of the sweetest things. Good night all!

Ridiculous?

I just set up a twitter account for my cat to go with her website/blog. Is that totally ridiculous or what?! Yeah, I was bored. Snowshoe's Condo can be found here.. and followed @SnowshoesCondo Come visit and see if it gets interesting along the way!

Too Tired

Do you know what you get when you have a bunch of nights that you haven't gotten much sleep during in a row? TIRED! That would be me today.. tired. Went for a walk and all it got me today was MORE tired. I am going to go play a computer game now.

Walking on Sunshine..

I love this song! so right now I am Walking on Sunshine.. and skipping along! Enjoy!

Short Nights, Long Days

After what feels like an incredibly short night, I am off to another running pace for another really long day. i feel like ai am starting to burn the candle at both ends, and I am not sure how long I can keep this pace up. Freshly squeezed orange juice and green smoothies provide wonderful nutrition, but turn me into Superwoman they do not.. I do that part all on my own. Wow I am tired!

Goodbye.. ummm.. I Said Goodbye

What a long day! I had another one of those phone calls with my mother that I wanted to be a ten minute phone call, but somehow it was over two hours long, and I said good bye several times. The reason I dislike those calls so much is that they are usually later at night, and my kids end up falling asleep in the living room waiting for me. Poor things.. we were supposed to spend a nice evening together and then have our normal bed time routine. Ah well.. such is life.

Walking Through Sand

Some times in life it feels like we are walking through sand. We feel like we are struggling to get anywhere, and we really are trying. It seems that when that happens in life, there is always someone else around you that just shakes their head and wonders why you aren't getting anywhere. From their vantage point, it looks easy.. just put one foot in front of the other and keep going. And as hard as it is, that is exactly what you need to do. As we went for a walk today, the dirt road turned into sand, and we struggled along, and in the end we reached more solid footing and went off at our usual pace.

Juicing Time!

I love making green juice! It is so nutritious, and sweet! Today's recipe is seeming to be romaine lettuce, red grapes, celery, and parsley.. listed in order of quantity. This is one of our favorites.. although we do vary our leafy greens. It can be very important to rotate your leafy greens, or you will end up losing your taste for them, and won't enjoy your juice as much. Want to know what is even more nutritious then green juice? Green smoothies.. all that good green fiber to help clean out your body and absorb the toxins. Lovely and kid friendly!

Family Gatherings

I love days like this.. the kids come together to help each other out. This is homeschooling at it's best. The youngest is having some difficulty with addition and subtraction. When the numbers go over five, it gets tough for him. I've been through this before.. my oldest had the same difficulties.. just not a math person. It is wonderful to see her stepping in to help him.. they think the same way, while my middle child and I are very logical and number oriented. My other two children seem lost in the clouds to me, but I can see that they see things through patterns and colors instead of shapes and numbers.

What a Day!

Wow! What a day! When it started out I knew it was going to be good.. We were talking about how things were just coming together so easily today, until we got back into the car after shopping and it wouldn't start. It was not a click click, not a slowly dying start sound, just nothing. Well, after sitting there trying to figure things out for a little over an hour, we finally got a bit of good news. Have you ever tried to keep three children from panicking when you are stranded 45 minutes away from home? It was a very long hour!  The good news though.. a mechanic friend called back, made a suggestion, and the car started right up. Something about a micro switch or sensor.. in my words, the car wouldn't start because it didn't know it WAS in park. And after shaking off the upset of being stranded, we are back to talking about just how terrific a day today is! Life is GOOD!

One of THOSE Days..

Have you ever had one of THOSE days? You know the ones.. you wake up thinking that everything is just fine, but the walk into every doorway. You try to put on your socks, and catch them on your toes. You try to pick up a cup, and just miss. Yikes.. have you ever tried typing on one of those days? i swear the keys are doing dances and swinging their partner 'round. I am having a hard time keeping up with them! Hope everyone else out there is doing better than me!

Gluten Free Brownies.. YUMMMMM

Okay.. I just had to tell you.. we finally decided to try one of those Betty Crocker Gluten Free box mixes of Brownies. We got a whole bunch of different ones at one point on a free coupon or something.. I really don't remember anymore. Well, after sitting on the shelf for a couple of months, we finally decided to try one. This arctic blast freezing everything made turning on the oven feel like heaven. And the brownies?.. YUMMMMMMMM. After warm gluten free brownies and the oven warming the house, we all feel much happier now!

Good Morning Cyber World!

I absolutely love waking up to sunny days! The arctic blast that we are getting right now I am not so happy with though.. After all, it is February. When is this frigid air going to be gone? I want to wear my sleeveless shirts and capris.. I am so tired of the sweaters.. and shivering.  I am just finishing up going through my emails while I drink my fresh green juice and coffee. I know.. quite the combination. But that is me, and you will find that I have a variety of interests and ideas to share with you.

IT WORKS!!!!!! and Mango!

It works! The autopost really works! And now you will be getting to see all the nifty things I find to share all over the place! It will be so easy for me to just tell you about things this way! This might just be the best invention since sliced bread!!! Hmmm.. considering how bad bread is for you, let's make that sliced Mango! Click that link there to go see one of the best tasting healthiest recipes you have ever seen with mango! Who says it has to taste bad to be good for you?!

Sending Them Off

I just couldn't help myself! I had to see if this autopost thing actually works! 

But I won't leave you high and dry with nothing to read.. check out this article I found while browsing today!

http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Is-the-Best-Home-Treadmill?&id=5650085