~It's Been So long~

Well, this post won't be very long, but perhaps I will be able to write more later....I am now finished with my school semester....WOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOO!!

I cannot tell you how glad I am to be done with school....I now have a few weeks off, and start back on January 10th for what will be my last main semester at MJC.
After that, it will F-I-N-A-L-L-Y be time for me to transfer, and finish up my degrees...I will have 2 associates by the end of summer, and My Bachelor's in Ag business/Communications within the next year and a half.

I have also, unfortunately lost my camera, ~sniff, sniff~And I think I'm just going to bite the bullet and get a new, yet cheaper one. Hence...No pics up for a while...so unfortunate!

however, I'm on my mini-vacation...
~I have headed south for the winter! I packed up my car, and headed down to L.A. to stay with my dear family there; Don and Wanda, who were there the day I was born, and have only missed two of my birthdays.....one of which is coming up in a few short weeks after Christmas :)
It's so refreshing to be up here with them, to get my head on again after watching it spin during finals... ha-ha!
But I promise to write more, and get some more pictures up soon, as soon as I get a camera! Keep your fingers crossed!
~All my love to everyone....and I will be posting my mom's recipe for her Pumpkin Stew very soon, and her Pumpkin Bars too....oh man....so much yummy-ness....but always more than enough to go around!
~Ta-Ta for Now!

Just A Lil Note...

**This will be just a quick little note tonight...I'm sooooo tired!

So, I was in San Fransisco all weekend staying with my good friend, she really is part of my family~and I just miss her soo much!

But it was a nice lil getaway, and the ocean was gorgeous to say the least. Her apartment is on the ocean....her balcony looks right in to the city...so nice!

I will put some pics up soon...Just trying to finish up school~I had a speech today on eggs...buying regular instead of cage free and guess what...I got an "A"!!!!

I was so excited, and then my poultry instructor asked me to give the same speech in our Poultry class, and she loved it too...so today was a great day! But long, and tiring...and Turkey-Day is coming up...

Let the hustle and bustle begin! School is almost out, and so I'm rushing to make sure all my projects are finished, and perfect, and it's working out rather well at this point...let's keep our fingers crossed that I finish smoothly!

~Will k.i.t.~

A Fall Feeling...

So...A few weeks ago, my mom had a beautiful dinner party and invited several friends, and so we certainly had a full house!

But we really had a great time, and so I wanted to share it with all of you...I hope you enjoy!

This was what each place setting looked like, how colorful! I must say, I have always loved the way my momma decorates for the different holidays...She loves it, and I think it's one of her many gifts...she's just awesome at it!

This was the whole table...it was in October, so had more of a "spooky" theme...I loved it...and so did everyone else!

See the little ghosts, and witches, and things at each setting? They are our almonds. My momma put them in these little containers, and they were so cute :)

These are some of those, but just little bears...aren't they a cute idea? Something your guests can take home, and add something inside after the nuts are gone... my mom is just so clever...she thinks of all the little things... ;)

These are the pumpkins she used, before they go in the oven...my mom makes her Pumpkin Stew, and after these go in the oven, they are ready to serve the stew in...it's soooo yummy!

Like I said, my momma is quite clever, and she loves to have people over all the time, but especially in the Fall, because it's just a "warmer" time of year, and nice to eat with friends and family...

Bon Apetite! :)

Who wants some sugar?

I don't know about y'all, but lately, I've been in need of some sweetness...and for me, my ultimate source of sweetness is my lovin' spoonful...and therefore...Ta-Da!

I just thought I would put up some sweet lil pics of my family, and especially my lil guy....

I took this right before Halloween...One morning before we got ready to go to school...

Now, this is a grandma thing...She loves, loves, L-O-V-E-S giving kisses...and Levi is most happy to parade around with his kisses and show them off! This is so precious...one of my favorites!

Who doesn't love kisses?

And even more, who doesn't love Gramma-kisses? Levi in his little tie-died shirt, and spiked hair...I'm starting to really love having a boy run around the house!!!!

Well, that's all for this lil blog, but I just love these pictures...makes me smile when I really need some sweetness...who knew such joy and a genuine smile could come from something so small?

Aren't Bumble Bees Precious?

Ok...so if you're like me, you probably hate bees, of any sort, or even detest them, are possibly even a little afraid of them?

I think they are pretty, but yeah, don't much like the idea of being in direct contact with them too much....Except this little one!!!

Isn't he just precious?

I took Levi over to my Aunt's house last night, and this is my cousin Holly. She went with us, and we took him around her parents' little neighborhood, and it was his very first time trick-or-treating...He didn't want to at first, but pretty soon he had such a knack for it, he learned pretty quick!

My lovin' spoonful and his awesome Gramma before we went out...

My sweet little bumble bee was definitely tryin' my patience last night...He didn't want to wear that costume for NOTHING!!!!! It took about an hour or so, of tears, him trying to rip it off haha, and then finally...WOO-HOO!! He was all good with it, and so we got some sweet pictures :) Mommy was very excited!

I just love this pose...my son is quite the little poser for the camera...He's just so adorable, this is one bumble bee I just wanna squeeze!!

Oh, my sweet Levi...He is my Joy, he is my Happiness, He is my light, He is certainly my bright star in the night, and I love him forever and ever and ever!

Fall is my mom's favorite part of year...

Mine just so happens to be Christmas, and winter in general, but fall is pretty close in line next for me.

And I love Halloween, I have ever since I can remember. My costumes were always made by my wonderful momma...She made me a Snow

White costume that I wish I had kept to this day...it was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!

And it happens that my mom loves to decorate throughout the seasons, and she has a god-given knack for it, let me tell you....

The above picture is a "scene" on top of her piano of her now complete "Village" De Halloween...

And seeing as how today is Halloween, I thought I would share this lovely menagerie with all of you...and you will get to see her decor changes through the seasons.

This is the right hand corner, and I

think it's the House of Wax...

And a nice addition with the house

is the candelabra, with purple and black candles and a lovely pumpkin...just enough flash! I love it!

Here we have a close up picture of the House of Wax...When it is lit up, and when it is not....OOOOHHH......Spooky....

And here we have our witch's gathering...stirring their brew...cackling over an "open cauldron"~

Most likely about whose house they are playing cards at this week, their husbands' dirty socks, and their children's antics and dirty clothes!

On the cauldron to the right, if you look close, it says dirty clothes....it just cracks me up that even witches have to clean their laundry!

This is our "Haunted House and Ferris Wheel"...

Can you imagine...

A haunted Ferris Wheel?

You get to sit in the skulls.....well it looks a lot cuter than it sounds....

This is a little...Blimp, if you will...that carries ghouls, goblins and little scary things...I don't have this one in the dark when its lit, but it's really very cute!

So this is one way that my momma enjoys decorating her home for Halloween...She's been collecting these new little parts of her town for the last year or two, and now she has a whole town!

Happy Halloween everyone!!!

I am going out tonight with my little "Bumble Bee"...Lord willing he will let me get his costume on him for at least an hour...I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!! There will hopefully be pictures of that very soon to come!!!

~~All my love for now~~

Entering A Great Escape...

Who's ready for a vacation...raise your hand???

Where would you like to go, if you absolutely had your choice, with no worry about money, or where you would stay or for how long?

As I settle in for the long haul that will be the rest of this semester (which isn't overly long, I'm done Dec. 14th) I am dreaming of my vacation, and where I so desperately want to be, even now as I type this...Santa Cruz...one of the most beautiful places on earth, anywhere. Also where I have done a great deal of my growing up in my heart, as well as in my head...If I could live there I would; even in a one/two room studio, that cost me 2000/mo

nth...cuz that is what alot of the going rates up there are!! It's nuts! My family that live up there, made it easy for me to stay and visit, and I have so many memories, of getting up at 6 or 7 a.m.~going down to Ideal (small restaurant as you get on the wharf) and having breakfast especially my coffee on the beach deck out back. I could be the only one sitting out there in February or March, or there could already br a 45 min. wait in June or July, but I don't care...nothing beats it...it's so calming, and refreshing, and I love snugging in to my sweatshirt sipping my coffee, listening to the otters bark at each other early in the morning and smelling the ocean, and feeling the spray hit my face as I drink my coffee...

The pictures I am sharing this post were all taken by Patrick Smith...And I just wanted to share a little taste of things I have grown up around, and have come to love, places that are a part of who I am...they ingrained within me...So tonight, this is my vacation...this is where I'll be, so I hope you enjoy!

~This is Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz, Ca. at sunset. It's a state park where you can also camp (or at least you used to) and the park is literally ON THE WATER. It's a large beach, but to get down to it is a good, steep hike, so be prepared...The two rocks, used to be joined together, thus it's name, natural bridges. But a really nasty storm broke it apart in the early 1970's. My grandma has some old pics of this exact spot, from the 40's and 50's of it in tact, I should go hunt them down....they show it's beautiful!

~This is a picture of the same place, but different light, and more birds on top. I cannot tell you how many times I have swam in this ocean, at this very beach...and let me just say...it's pretty cold!!! My reasoning though...after the tingling and numbness go away, you can't feel...ANYTHING!!!! So it's all good!! I love it...

Isn't it marvelous? Of course, it really is one of those places that pictures just can never do it justice, you just have to see it for yourself...*sigh...*

~Now this, is up in Humboldt county, where one of my precious friends went to school. This kind of picture just puts me in awe, and it definitely makes me want to jump in the water!!!

I have personally never been here, but it's on my to-do list...for sure.

~Another up in Humboldt...the colors of the sky, and the waters...I believe this was just after or just before a big storm that had gone through...but rain doesn't bother me, even at the ocean...I love standing in the rain...it just feels so good! I am trying to get out to one of my vacation spots very soon...hopefully before Christmas lol....

I *Heart* Boobies...

So...it is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

And I feel very passionate about cancer in general, but especially Breast cancer.

Several people I know have been touched by this...sad illness. So this is my tribute :)

This poem has an unknown author, but it is beautiful...

Cancer is so limited...

It cannot cripple love.

It cannot shatter hope.

It cannot corrode faith.
It cannot eat away peace.
It cannot destroy confidence.
It cannot kill friendship.
It cannot shut out memories.
It cannot silence courage.
It cannot reduce eternal life.
It cannot quench the Spirit.

I have many lives around me that have been touched by cancer; both family, friends, and some friends who have become family...my next door neighbor, women I have known my whole life, both of my grandmothers, my beautiful, precious cousin who after fighting for a little over a year, going back and forth to Stanford, who towards the end, had to have her IV's in her beautiful smooth head because they could no longer find a vein in her anywhere else, lost her heroic fight with Leukemia when she was only 9 years old.

And as different as these sandals are below, are the lives of those this cancer touches, and the lives it affects, each and every day.

My great-aunt passed away this past spring, only a few months ago really...and I went to her service down by Fresno, after a two year long bout with cancer. My aunt Irma did not look the vibrant, lively, beautiful and sweet woman that I remembered when I was younger. She had the biggest heart, would help anyone she could, and loved while she helped you. They told her two years ago that she only had 6 months to live...and my response to that was that only the Lord knows when He is ready for us to go home to Him.

She is home now with the Lord, but her husband, my uncle John, has NEVER been without his Irma...and had a rough transition...and now we have discovered he has cancer himself...this life is never easy...especially for those who face this unseen demon...who fear they are just buying time...but we must remember that those who lose this battle don't do it unwillingly...sometimes, maybe most times, they have more will than those of us who are healthy, and living "normal" lives every day...but they have incredible stories to tell, full of life, of love, of tears, of pain, and beauty, and ugliness on the rough days where it may be all they can do to keep down some broth and have no strength left to speak, or even sleep...their stories are incredible, and can teach us so much.

My grandma very recently discovered she had breast cancer; within the past 6 months. And I could not be with her, to take her to doctor's appointments, to help her on the days when she was having it rough...she lives in Idaho, and I could not be there, but she went through surgery, and then radiation. And I am so proud to be her granddaughter...this is not even her first bout with cancer, but her third. She is amazing to me, and she is such a survivor.

To sit and realize that the story of your life, is "all of a sudden" out of your control, and sudden, you're spiraling out of control when you get the news, everything seems to come crashing down around you...or maybe everything becomes silent and utterly still...or maybe all the sounds around you, where ever you might be or be going, seem to get deafening...maybe your hands and feet, or your whole body turn to mush, and you can't seem to stand or do anything, just frozen...

Whatever your story, its an amazing one...I love hearing stories...I consider it one of my best abilities and one of my greatest pleasures in life...to be able to sit, listen, and feel someone's story...to live it with them in some small way; whatever it may consist of.

Stories are what connect us; and survivors have unique stories, stories that link them together, that unify them, if they are not in any other way. And cancer survivors are unique in the fact that they have overcome something that is at times, considered "bigger" than they are...but their stories are so rich, and full of life, that death is no longer main focus. It merely becomes a doorway, into a new life, a healthy life, that is everlasting...So I encourage stories, and support, of those enduring the fight, and those who have survived it...How awesome and courageous you are!

The amazing thing is that all who have dealt with cancer have the ability to say The Victory Is Won...they just say it differently, but they all say it courageously, valiantly, and whole-heartedly...and that is how they rise above. One way or another, they rise:

Above the Cancer, above the sorrow, and above the pain, some never have to endure another Chemo treatments, or any more Radiation burns and scars, no more nausea, fatigue, side effects from Chemo and Radiation; and others, who are declared, CANCER-FREE...well, they are the survivors, who rise up, higher than ever before, on wings like eagles, to places they never thought they would ever see...or ever see again...and that is what is so awesome about survivors...

Back In The Groove...

Wow...So it has certainly been a while since I've posted anything...over a month now, I believe. August was a very hectic and difficult month for me, and amid all the hustle and bustle, I did have a two week break from school, the last two weeks of August; I started Fall Semester on the 30th.

School is now in full swing, and life seems to be changing right before my very eyes...There are fast approaching decisions to make...apply to Fresno State...or apply to UC Santa Cruz? I will be getting my AA in Behavioral and Social Sciences in the Spring...to which I say YEESSS!!!!

I have worked a long time to finally get at least one of my degrees under my belt, and trekking onward, to the finish line, to get my Master's eventually.

New people coming in and out of my life, seems to me that life is just full of surprises...

Some seem great at first, but then not so much; others~not what you expected at first, and after waiting with a bit of patience, you discover they are so much better than you thought they could be, and how refreshing...

Dealing with illnesses of various types, with myself, and those around me, which is NEVER easy...ups and downs, you learn to tolerate the bad days, and give praise and thanks for the good days...and am sometimes able to give praise/thanks for the bad days as well...

So I've learned alot in these past weeks, and have really missed my poor neglected blog...but I have every intention of putting up a new post very soon...this is one thing I cannot get out of doing...I love my blog! So until my new post...I hope all is well, and will see you soon!

~D

Beauty in The Roots

So, today is a beautiful day outside, and it's not scorching hot like it has been, but it's warm...

Makes me think of roots...different kinds.

There are the roots of our lives, what was planted in us from a very early age, that made the foundations of who we are today.

~And in thinking this, it makes me think of how the roots grow in plants, and especially flowers, the farther down they grow, the healthier and bigger the plant will be.

Then, there are the roots of our names...where they are derived from, various origins of our names, which has always fascinated me.

So this post is really just meant to be colorful, and exploring so many different attributes of roots...

I chose the Lotus first because that is the flower for July. I have seen them several different colors, like pinks and reds but never blue!!

I thought, "How interesting...and beautiful!" A bright blue lotus...how could this not make it on my page? haha...

I thought this was an unusual type of flower, and its just because I've never really seen this before!! It's so pretty, and its so small...it's called the Clover; the Oregon Coast wildflower.

The petals are thin, but lovely...

Have you ever wondered what certain flowers "mean"? In the old days, If you gave a woman a particular type of flower, it had a generalized meaning behind it...

These are pictures of a Camellia flower. These were meant to say "Have courage...Be brave and you will succeed."

This a peach colored Hibiscus flower. How incredible?

These were given to denote gentle beauty; saying "The beauty of your face is matched by your heart". How incredibly loved, or even adored would you feel if you received a bouquet of these, maybe even different colors, from someone you loved so very much?

Pansies are small...simple...and yet so full of various colors, that they are just as beautiful as other, larger flowers, and they have their own space. So lovely, they signified the reflection of pleasant memories...as if to say," Remember the night we danced..."

And for the flowers, last, but most certainly not least, my two very, whole-hearted favorites...

These are various types of Orchids...They are so very precious to me, and I will always love them, because they are so delicate, and fresh.

Orchids denote abundance...saying,"I will give you everything your heart desires..." How incredible, to be given the things truly of your heart? What else could possibly make you feel complete?

These are various lilies, my very favorite being the Stargazer, the second picture. I love all kinds of lilies, but by and far, those are the dearest and most precious to my soul...and they were reflective of purity, saying, "I love you without expectations..."

The reason I love Lilies and Orchids so much is because of what they "signify"...the expressions "I love you without expectations..." and "I will give you everything your heart desires..."

Who does that sound like?

There is only one that can make those promises and fulfill them completely...Christ.

As he molds us, shapes us, and creates these beautiful blossoms inside of us that no other could ever match, it really stops me...and makes me wonder...WHY ME?

Sometimes it feels like a heavy job interview...you've been selected out of 50 to 100 other applicants; weeded through for weeks, and each having nearly the same qualifications...and when you get the phone call that YOU have been chosen, out of all those others, you cannot help but wonder, "WHY ME?" "What was so special about me, that they wanted me for the job, and no one else?" "What was it they saw in me?"

But with my God, the crazy part is...we don't have to 'measure up', or try to have the greatest, most incredible resume ever seen, we don't need references for others to vouch for us or our character.

He says, "Come as YOU ARE...and I will give you everything your heart desires...and Oh, how I love you, without expectations..."

He does not require anything of us...except that we yield the only thing we have to Him...our lives. My life. Whatever fruit I produce in it, if I produce it for Him, that is the ONLY thing that is asked of me.

~My roots are Hebrew~

I love the roots of my name...Danielle. It's the female form of Daniel (and I was named after my grandfather, and I'm so proud to say that.) In Hebrew, Daniel looks like this: דניאל. It means God Is My Judge. As does mine, Danielle.

my son, Levi is so precious. Even before he was born, it really seemed to be the only name that truly fit him, and even more so after he was born. And I chose his name because it's biblical, and it's beautiful.

In Hebrew, his name looks like this: שבט לוי.

Levi means Joined In Harmony, or to Accompany.

Our names come from deep roots, somewhere...and I really love knowing where mine came from, and my son's....how precious it is to me.

In Matthew 21, the story is about the Pharisees, and the "teachers" whose main goal was to steal from the poor masses, in the courts of God, every day. His confrontation with them opened their eyes, and His words pierced like swords in them...The owner of a vineyard rented out to vine growers...who promised to care for his servants, and once he was gone, killed each of his servants, and eventually murdered his only son, and threw his body outside the vineyard. In doing this, they hoped to gain all the profits for themselves.

This story exposed the roots of the Pharisees, these "teachers" and "holy priests" for what they were...withered and shallow, without nutrients.

I love His words to them...

"The stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief cornerstone. This came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous to our eyes...He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust."

Those are powerful words...

So, if my faith is shallow, and has no real roots, I'm a fake. no better than all the priests and teachers who ridiculed Him, and tried so vehemently to trap Him...But if I welcome Him, and allow Him to take root, just as I am, I will not remain the same...the remains of the day will change, as much as I allow them to be.

So, it's up to me...I love my roots...where I've come from...and I'm so glad that I'm no longer left to my own roots! It begs the question..."Where do my roots lie~Near the topsoil, or deep beneath?"

Feelin' Kinda Patchy

I just love quilts...as a matter of fact, I still have my baby quilts. There are 2 of them. One my auntie Babe made, I've been told anyways. She passed away around the time i was actually born, so i never got to meet her, but my mom and Grandma told me she would have just adored me. :)The other one, my Aunt Diane made for me when I was around a year old or so. It's beautiful and pink with pretty colors.


I just love patchwork quilts...and it just so happens that I really love to sew by hand, but haven't done it for years. I have to say that is noe thing I think i would really enjoy doing...making a quilt all by hand. Perhaps someday I will have the time to learn.

I just love the colors, and the different designs, and how they can just mimic our hearts...most of us, as we go along in life, we get patchwork hearts...but they are just as beautiful if not more, than anything else...so I just wanted to share some beautiful work here...

~This is called the Mariner's Compass... its so shiny!!









~ This is huge...but it blows me away, a few women made this isn't it gorgeous???


Can you guess what this picture is of?


~Return To Zion is the name of this quilt What an awesome image...















This one is so vibrant...I just love the colors...a colorburst....

~This is called Birth of a Star

It sure looks like one doesn't it? Like something you might see from space...


















I love Humming Birds...I love everything about them, their colors, the sound their wings make...and the size of this quilt just amazes me...this takes so much talent...bravo!!!!

~This is called Grandma's Patches.

This one just has so many patches, and they are sooo pretty; this one really reminds me of a patchwork heart...maybe my own heart...different patches for different pieces of my life, and how they all come together to make something beautiful and complete...

~This one doesn't have a name, but I love the colors. So pretty and vibrant...I just can't believe how much time and effort it takes to create something as gorgeous as this...

~This is called the Reunion Star.

This is just really pretty!!