Adding Color .... Painting a Vintage, Western Style, Swinging Door

Hello...

It's a bright, sunny but cold Saturday

here in the mountains.

This photo was actually from a coupe of weeks ago.
The wispy clouds with the dark bank of threatening weather along
with that gorgeous sun caught 
my eye out the window.

I know many of you are experiencing

bitter cold temperatures and some are

starting to see signs of spring.

What a wonderful and diverse

land that we live in!

Today, I just wanted to quickly share with you

a little project that I did to add some color

I'm going to try to keep my posts a little more simple at times and perhaps I can post more!

Also, my computer won't recognize my new 

phone to transfer pictures. So that's a bit of 

a process! 

When we moved into our current home

nearly 20 years ago, I found a set 

of old western style swinging doors in the

garage. I have used them in their

natural state around the house but as

I shared before, I'm trying to add color

to my decor. So I found this wonderful

color to try and painted one of them.

What do you think? 

I am liking it. 

I have a hard time with

decorating large spaces and I love to use

items that I find here and there to fill

in around everyday things.

My rustic mantel. 

There's a story behind this that I'll tell one day :)

Limon roses in a pink hob knob vase.

I have always enjoyed pink and green!

I hope you're enjoying your day.

Isn't it interesting how 

life is always changing? 

I am on the verge of a big change.

Seasons of life can be scary yet

exciting at the same time.

There's gain and loss.

Joy and pain

Beautiful and hard times

It all makes up our story.

Embracing it all with hope and an

open heart seems to be 

the best way for me. 

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead

and joy in your journey!

Oh... I'm considering changing my

blog name to 

The Shabbi Gypsy.

It matches my IG account

and my business name.

Any thoughts?

Hugs and Blessings...

Tamara x

Winter Scape Wanderings~ Keeping the Wonder

I hope that your

new year is off to a good start.

I'm sitting here by a crackling fire, 

(that needs a log ;)

drinking tea with my feet up. 

My day started very early today for 

which I'm happy. 

That allowed me to get my work done early

and have creative time.

What a lovely "wintry" winter it's been so far.

Most days, when it's cold and snowy outside,

I can hardly wait to lay footprints

in the brand new blanket of white.

I have such wonderful memories 

of roaming the hills of our farm in Ohio.

That was way back when I was a girl and teenager.

Now the mountain you see invites me to

 wander and roam it's canyons, slides,

draws and ridges. 

If you've visited before, you know that we live

 at the base of a mountain. We call it ours,

but it really belongs to the 

National Forest Service ;)

Some mornings, we are 

awakened by the beautiful

creatures that live alongside of us.

Their antlers scrape the house as they bite off the

grass that grows there.

Last winter, it was so dry, they were drinking from

a hose that was draped in a tree.

They heard the water as it 

trickled down to the ground.

So we are very grateful that the mountains

have several feet of snow.

Aren't they such magnificent creatures?

we never tire of seeing them

but we do have to chase them off at

times because they make a snack

of the things we work hard to grow!

They roam the mountain among the trees. 

I saw them this morning skirting 

across the meadow at the tree line.

The deep snows have driven them to the

lower country to forage.

Here is a Yucca plant.  

Pronounced yoo-ka in Spanish. 

They grow wild here. 

They produce tall spikes of beautiful,

creamy white flowers during the rains!

My son and his wife lived in Ecuador for

 a year and they learned how to

cook the root. He baked us some

 Yucca root fries when we visited 

at Thanksgiving. They were delicious! 

Crispy and chewy.

Being the first snow of the season, makes it extra special. 

 I was blessed with a window that day to take a

luxurious amount of time. All I wanted really. To hike around

and take in the sparkles that wink at you when the sun hits 

each tiny little flake. To breathe in that 
cold, fresh mountain air...
Oh my.

I always want to keep the wonder

that creates excitement over these

tiny miracles that pile up and spread the

beauty of winter over mountains and valleys.

Don't you truly believe that there are those 

special little miracles and wonder in every day?

Something that touches you down deep.

I thought this little dried plant 

was so pretty even in it's simplicity.

Maybe especially because of it.

Simple pleasures.

It looked so frail but yet has held up 

through all the rainstorms and wind

and now it stands through 

the snowstorms, too.

Are we like that sometimes?

We will experience times of feeling fragile 

but we are stronger than we know.

Isn't it so lovely in all it's slenderness 

just holding up that snow 

that's reflecting the light of the sun.

(Some of my pictures are sunny and some cloudy
 because the skies cleared up while I was out.)

Thank you for coming by and sharing in

 my wanderings around the mountain.

I hope I haven't bored you.

I get so caught up in nature and life and can

obsess over the smallest thing!

I'd love to hear about something

 that you have found 

that causes you to stop and wonder.

That makes me think of Mary Poppins!

Enjoying the wonder of the simple

things in life seemed to be part of her very being.

Have a wonderful rest of your week.

Tamara xo

Sweet Tidings For A Happy New Year...And Fun Craft Tags

Merry Greetings and Sweet Tidings 

to you all!

And fling open wide the doors to

 the new adventures and 

possibilities of

a new year. 

A fresh beginning.

Does that give you hope

in your heart?

***

I do hope that you're all doing 

well and have had a 

joyous time this past month.

My holiday was more meaningful this year.

Sharing our music was a joy as several 

  family members visited 

a home for the elderly. 

We sang carols and 

visited with these sweet ladies. 

They were so grateful and we just LOVED

our time with them! 

We also sang at the community 

Reason for the Season

program and were able to have two benefit

nights to raise money for

local Angel Tree kids and the volunteer

fire depts. I was so happy to be able to make a difference for Christmas by sharing our music.

The time was full while trying to keep in

 mind that Christmas 

is about love and that

kindness and sincerity are some of the most 

precious gifts that I can share.

This season has been 

 filled with so much 

good cheer and good things.

Cookie decorating with our

 kids and grandkids.

Twinkling lights~

Sparkles of the garlands~

Brightly colored packages 

with pretty ribbons and bows~

I enjoy it all so much!

But this year I took a little more time for me.

Making time to sit by the fireplace with 

hot cocoa and a good book.

Taking walks, reflecting 

and putting more value on my time.

I had a lot of peace 

this Christmas just 

knowing that God is working in my life. 

I'm so grateful for His goodness

and guidance as my life takes a

different turn. 

He is with us always.

But to be honest, there were 

some sad times too. 

I was missing my dad so much. 

We said goodbye to him 

16 years ago on Christmas eve.

(I wonder if they know how much we miss them.)

And missing my Ohio girl is always there.

 My heart goes out to all of you 

who have had hard things 

this Christmas season 

and heading into the New Year.

Amidst the magic of these special times, 

I found a little creative time and 

enjoyed making these

tags for my 

grand daughters.

Tags are so easy and can be 

for any occasion. 

I love layering and using bits and

baubles of any kind. 

They each have a

 pocket to tuck a little surprise in. 

 Both were tied with

a ribbon and a had a tiny note written 

on the back with the date. 

*************

I am sending warm greetings to

each of you for a New Year

that is abundant in love and wisdom, 

MAGIC and inspiration!

Prayers for finding your way through

the hard things while

embracing the times of growth.

May your hope and peace

 be overflowing for all that

comes your way.

Here's to you

and your best year yet! 

May it sparkle.

Cheers to 2019!

clink ;)

Blessings to you and thank you for 

coming by.

Tamara

XO

Ready for Fall While Looking Back at Summer

Well, here we are off on our

autumn adventures!

Though I am always up for adventures,

I am slow to let go of what came before.

 Do you enjoy looking back 

and savoring days gone by?

Like holding onto that good taste of something

that you just want to last forever?

And did I say slow?

I like to think of myself as living in

the moment...

Being present.

This is something that I have had 

to work at.  

My shutter painted mustard yellow. YAY for paint!

I'm a planner and I'm in love with life.

But I felt that I was missing so much

by trying to do too much and always

thinking ahead or of something else.

VERY distracted.

My daughter and 6 of my grandkiddos. Love them all to pieces.

 That's Escudilla mountain in the background.

My life is so very full of rich family times, just living, projects and change. Right now, I'm 

going through some big changes that I hope to

be able to share about later.

It's been a time filled with many emotions 

and physically exhausting. 

But I'm trusting God and He is

ALWAYS good.

These are just some of my memories that

I captured and a few photos of some of the beauty

of my summer. I hope that you don't mind if  I'm not up to speed with fall.

I wish I could keep up like other folks. I have

tried but it just doesn't work for me.

 I have many more garden pictures to share later.

The magic and calming of music that flows through my days and fills my heart is

a gift to me that I unwrapped as a very young child. It's melodies and harmonies have

filled so many cracks and crevices in my soul 

and changed my life forever. And now that goodness overflows and with God's

blessing, is touching the lives of others.

I am so grateful!

JOY... 

BLISS...

DELIGHT... 

EXUBERANCE...

GLADNESS...

HAPPINESS...

and sisterly LOVE!!!

with a dash of ornery ;)

Simply 

MAGICAL ~

I cannot resist faded petals. I have a collection of geranium 

flowerlets that I've been gathering all summer to be put in a jar.

Fading beauty is a part of life. Aging is a natural process that reveals a beauty all it's own. 

Being able to embrace it all as we pass through each season is a sign of a life richly lived. 

My geranium after wintering in my 

kitchen bay window.

It doubled in size this summer.

I had to cut it back to bring it back 

inside. I love their scent!

Jeff and I play with the group Bush Valley Rounders and the two

 of us have our own two person band called BackRoads. 

We were delighted to have our first summer ever booked from June to September.

We played nearly 30 times. It was a little daunting at times but we did it!

And we're so grateful for all of the support!

On the nights when we play music, the couples get out on the patio under the nights and dance. The merriment of the music rolls out across the valley to meet the mountain carrying the sounds to the elk, deer, foxes, bears, wildcats and coyotes.

 Making our yard and gypsy camp come alive

with flowers and plants is something that I look forward to every year. The refreshing that it 

brings to our spirits is a reward for 

the hours of energy, commitment and time 

devoted to it. During the hottest part of the

morning, I sometimes take a break under the pines

and spend a little time reading and resting.

Three cheers for going on 

a little different kind of adventure!!!

Annnndd.... 

for family togetherness.

lots of clapping! ;)

Cormorants

This week, we will pack to leave for Ohio.

I hope to be hanging around on the blog and coming to say hello.

Now I must go taste the peanut butter pie

that Jeff brought me last evening.

Darbi's in Pinetop, Az...

I lost count of their restaurant awards!

And they have theee best pie on the mountain.

Have a lovely weekend. Please tell me of your

fall outings and adventures.

Thank you for being here!

Hugs and blessings,

Tamara xo

Brutus, The Garden Cat: ^^ An Impromptu Summer's End Photo Shoot

Happy Day to you.

It's a beauty of a Friday and we've been

watering and mowing.

Our monsoons are gone so we

are back at it with the hose and water cans.

But the temps are cooler now and it's a joy to 

be there just soaking up the 

last couple weeks of summer. 

Do you have adventures planned

for the weekend or are you going to choose

a quiet "last weekend"

of summer?  

I actually just realized...

It IS the last weekend of summer 2018!

Oh my...

Time to reflect on all of the loveliness

and wonder of those beautiful summer

days that have come and gone this year.

That will be my next post.

We are packing up to spend the weekend

with some of our kids and grandkids.

We've rented a large house on a little lake. 

It's only about 20 minutes from here.

It's going to be a beautiful weekend

for some fun and family time. 

No special  big plans. 

Of  COURSE it will be special.

* sleepovers together

*sit in the jacuzzi

*walks around the lake

*drink wine with grown-ups

*annnd... hot cocoa with the kids

(anytime is hot cocoa time)

Yes?

Just some simple family time.

Isn't life filled with simple pleasures?

But before I go, I want to put a little

 post out and say hello to my lovely

friends~

Here are a few fun photos of

Brutus... 

He's such a character.

One can almost read his mind here.

Hahaha!

Moving in for a closer look...

And closer...

 Guess what happens next? 

(wink!!)

 Out of all of the cats that we've ever had,

Brute is the nature lover.

Is it just me, or does he look love-struck?

And definitely mischievous! 

He cannot resist flowers and herbs.

When I have vases sitting  

 on the table, he will jump up

 to smell them and lay

by the vase. Of course, being on the

table is a no no! So I take his picture and 

then shoo him away. 

;)

Whatta cutie!

I do need to go. I have packing to do 

and groceries to buy.

I want to wish you all a fabulous

last weekend of summer.

I hope it's a perfect way to end your

season. And don't we have so many

delightful things to look forward to 

in the fall?

Hugs and blessings to you and 

many thanks for coming by for a visit.

Tamara X