Guest Heart Thursday #38

Welcome to Guest Heart Thursday -
A place to share YOUR heart!

What I first noticed about Carole's "Noteworthy Musings" blog were her photos. They are wonderful! As I read through her older posts, I came to love her sweet spirit, wonderful sense of humor, and her view of life.

It wasn't until much later, after getting to know her, that I realized we live in the same state!
Then things got a little spooky ...
Turns out we spent several years as teenagers ... living within shouting distance of each other!
Possibly even met a few times!

During one of Carole's visits to a local arts and crafts show, she came across this beautiful dress - with the heart on top. Do you see the second heart here?

Thank you, Carole, for sharing your hearts today!

Carmelina is one of the most amazingly creative people I have had the honor to meet via Blogland. Her blog "Creative Carmelina" is a treasure trove of wonder!

Can you guess how she uses these gorgeous little cushions she made (with the cute little hearts)?
They are needle tags! What a wonderful idea!

Thank you, Carmelina, for sharing your talent - and your hearts!

I was introduced to Dave Bonta's blog "Via Negativa" by Susannah over at "Wanderin' Weeta". What an amazing person he is!

I have only had the chance to skim through his posts, but look forward to having the time to spending a LOT more time doing so!

Thank you, Dave, for sharing your heart!

Halcyon of "Halcyon Travels" has been in Berlin this winter ... she lost her Father-in-Law
These flowers from his funeral, covered with newly fallen snow, show so much love.

May the New Year bring joy and happiness to you, my friend.

Thank you, Halcyon, for sharing the beauty of your heart ... even amidst the grief and pain of life.

Grannie Annie (AKA Deann) is one of my Blog-sissies, and I am stunned and amazed at the beauty that flows from her fingertips. You can see her talent over at her blog "Whimsey Asylum".

This is a collage Deann made for an art challenge. She calls it "A Little Slice of Heaven". I agree with this title!

But I also agree with Deann's comment ... "What I want to know is...just who's idea of heaven is heaven going to be...and can it really be heaven if there is no chocolate?"

Thank you, Sissie-Dea, for sharing your heart!

As always - huge thank you to all who participated in Guest Heart Thursday last week. I loved seeing all of the delightful hearts you found in your world!

Happy New Year to you all!
May the hearts that find you this coming year warm you -
heart and soul.

If you have found a heart (or drawn a heart, or designed a heart, or ...), please join us for Guest Heart Thursday. Just link the URL of your heart to Linky!
The link will be open from Thursday morning until Sunday night.

Have you found more than one heart?

Put in more than one link!

Is your heart from a long time ago?

It doesn't matter, as long as you put the direct URL link to that post!

Another Orange Heart

It only makes sense ...
That the 'heart' of the orange ...
Is a HEART!

Orange Peel Heart

The orange peels dry on top of the wood stove,
Scenting the house with their delicate aroma.

Oh look! Someone left a heart!

Fight Fire With Heart!

I love how hearts are found in some of the most unusual places!!!

I was filling my car with gas the other day, when I saw this heart hanging near one of the gas pumps. Kind of gives new meaning to the term "Fill'er up!"

Joy Nativity Heart Reflections

Christmas Eve is special to me.
While Christmas Day is a day of joy, presents and excitement, Christmas Eve is the time we set aside to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is an evening of peace, joy and love.

Mom always cooks up a huge pot of clam chowder, and a cake.
We sing Christmas carols, then feast on clam chowder.
And the cake?
That's for Jesus. It's his birthday after all ...
A prayer first, then we all sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus.
It's a Christmas Eve tradition that I cherish.

To see "joy"ful reflections from around the world, visit James at Newtown Area Photo ... and join us for Weekend Reflections!

Guest Heart Thursday #37

Welcome to Guest Heart Thursday -
A Place For You to Share YOUR Hearts!

Merry Christmas to all of my Heart-Seeking Friends!

She hides amidst the Christmas holly, hidden hearts surrounding her.

She is drawn by the amazing artist Beth of "Beth's Artworx".
I am honored to say Beth is not only my best friend, but is my real life sister!

Thank you, sissie, for sharing your hearts!

Lani found this beautiful Christmas card ... complete with one tiny lonely little heart. Do you see it?

Lani has two blogs - "Taipei Daily Photo" and "Hong Kong Frequently Visited". If you haven't checked out her blogs, then you are missing out on a treat! I love how she shows daily life in places that are foreign to me - and yet so familiar now.

Thank you, Lani, for sharing your heart!

Cheryl's blog "Life Is What You Make It" takes my breath away.
She is a fellow heart-seeker, and posts them nearly every day. I fell in love with this Christmastime snow heart!

Thank you, Cheryl, for sharing your hearts!

Dani's two blogs "Snow Flowers" and "A Lovely Home For Hearts" are two of my favorite places to visit. Dani has become a wonderful friend; in fact, I think maybe we were twins in another life!

Dani's Korean friend made this card for her - complete with hearts. Isn't it beautiful?

Thank you, Dani, for sharing your life - and your wonderful hearts!

Judy over at "Lilac Gate" shares the most amazing macro views of her world. Her flower photos are stunning!
Like this beautiful Christmas cactus heart. Wow.

Thank you, Judy, for sharing your heart!

Thank you all for sharing your beautiful Christmas hearts.
MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone - a time of peace, joy and love.
If you don't celebrate Christmas, then I still wish you a season of peace and joy and love.

As always - huge thank you to all who participated in Guest Heart Thursday last week. I loved seeing all of the delightful hearts you found in your world!

If you have found a heart (or drawn a heart, or designed a heart, or ...), please join us for Guest Heart Thursday. Just link the URL of your heart to Linky!
The link will be open from Thursday morning until Sunday night.

Have you found more than one heart?

Put in more than one link!

Is your heart from a long time ago?

It doesn't matter, as long as you put the direct URL link to that post!

Heart Shrub

The nursery down the street has some beautiful trees planted in front of their fence.
Most interesting to me is this rambling shrub ...
A giant heart!

Snail Mail Hearts ...

What a wonderful postcard I received in the mail today ...
Do you see the heart on this beautiful card?

With a wonderful note of Christmas love ...

And this beautiful card ...

These were sent by my friend Terry ... you may know her as Lady Liberty Patriot.

Terry has had a tough year. She has been through trials and tribulations I can only guess at ... through family illness, separation, and more.

But you wouldn't know it to look at her blog. Even when her life has been in crisis, her world shattering around her, she posts of love. Of hope. Of beauty. Of faith.

To Terry: You amaze me. You inspire me. I am honored to know you!
I hope and pray that your Christmas is blessed, and that this coming year brings to you the joy you have given so many of us who know you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Happy Trails!
Love and Peace.

Guest Heart Thursday #36

Welcome to Guest Heart Thursday -
A place for you to share YOUR heart!

Judy at Lilac Gate takes the most amazing photos - her flower macros are stunning.
Like this picture she posted of a spent thistle flower in the snow ... a gorgeous heart.

Judy has an account over at Cafe Press where she is going to be offering her beautiful photos for sale on cards and journals; and will be changing out her photo every month or so. What a wonderful idea, Judy! I will be watching!

Thank you, Judy, for sharing your heart!

Several weeks ago I was surfing the internet (looking up found hearts, of course!) when I came across another seeker of hearts!

I would like you to meet Rick Ruggles. He has a Wordpress blog called Found Hearts by Rick Ruggles - what a joy it was to sit down and go through the hearts Rick has found in HIS world!

I encourage everyone to mosey over to Rick's blog - his hearts will delight you!

Thank you, Rick, for sharing your hearts!

When I saw this entry in Watery Wednesday I spied something besides a gorgeous lily pond. Lois over at Tallahassee Daily Photo found ... hearts! Lots of hearts! My favorite is the dried leaf at the top left ... reflecting into the lily pond as a PERFECT heart!

If you don't know Lois, you are missing out on a lot of fun. She lives in sunny Tallahassee, Florida, and while I will probably never visit there, I feel like I know this delightful city through her eyes!

Thank you, Lois, for sharing your Tallahassee - and your hearts!

Another of my all-time favorite places to visit is the Magic Lantern Show ... where Owen (AKA Mr. Toad) shares a wonderful and unique look at his world ... with a blend of humor and seriousness. If you are in France, you may come across Owen in his wanderings ... but don't look in the usual places - Owen specializes in the unique and original!

Owen found these Chinese Lantern flowers in his side yard ... he didn't plant them himself, but you know what? I think there is no better place on earth for them to grow! Chinese Lanterns for the Magic Lantern Show!

And look ... they are hearts as well!

Thank you, Owen, for sharing your world ... and your hearts!

Darlene over at A Dancing Mango made this card for Christmas last year. If you haven't met Darlene or seen her artwork, then you are missing out on a treat! Because not only is Darlene an amazing and wonderful artist, she is also an amazing and wonderful PERSON!

And I love how she incorporated a heart into her card.

Thank you, Darlene, for sharing your heart!

Next Thursday is December 23rd ... just a few days before Christmas.
So ... next week's Guest Heart Thursday will feature Christmas hearts!
But I can't feature YOURS ... unless you send them to me, or link them to this week's Guest Heart Thursday!

As always - huge thank you to all who participated in Guest Heart Thursday last week. I loved seeing all of the delightful hearts you found in your world!

If you have found a heart (or drawn a heart, or designed a heart, or ...), please join us for Guest Heart Thursday. Just link the URL of your heart to Linky!
The link will be open from Thursday morning until Sunday night.

Have you found more than one heart?

Put in more than one link!

Is your heart from a long time ago?

It doesn't matter, as long as you put the direct URL link to that post!

Healing Broken Heart

From 1986 to 1989 my ex and I were stationed in Germany.
Being so far from home was fun ... yet hard. I was helped along the way by some wonderful people, including my friend Anne and her newlywed husband Dan. We had some amazing and fun times together. Like so many military friendships, time and distance split us apart, and we lost track of each other.

Yesterday I was contacted by Anne, who found me on Facebook (an account that confounds me some, so I rarely go there!).

Tears broke loose when Anne told me that Dan had been killed in Afghanistan in 2007. I remember seeing his name on a casualty list, but didn't think it could be MY Dan. It was. He left for Afghanistan 2 days before the birth of their 6th child.

I wanted to find a perfect heart for my friends, and was stunned when I found one I had named "Healing Broken Heart" - a branch had broken from a tree, and the healing process is what made the heart. I think it is perfect. Anne's heart is healing. She has remarried - to a wonderful man with four children of his own. They now live in a chaotic and loving crowd of 10 kids aged 3 to 16.

I will always miss Dan; but I am glad that Anne has found love again.

She deserves this happiness. This Healing Broken Heart.

Rainy Windshield Reflections With Heart

I was trying to get a photo of the reflections on the windshield of my car - through the dripping and misting rain ...

And wouldn't you know it ... one of those drips was a heart!

To see reflections from around the world, visit James at Newtown Area Photo, and join us for Weekend Reflections!

Guest Heart Thursday #35

Welcome to Guest Heart Thursday -
A Place to Share YOUR Hearts!

Please join me in welcoming back fellow Queen of Hearts - Dani!!!
She has been sorely missed!

Did Bhavesh know he found a heart in this photo? I'm not sure! But he did - do you see the tree heart here?

For those of you who haven't seen the amazing photographs of India taken by Bhavesh on his "BLOG", you really should take a look.

In fact ... I am still smiling with joy because Bhavesh recently won the OlympusPro City Frames Photo Contest!!! His prize is an Olympus mju Tough Camera - that actually takes pictures underwater!!! So when you visit his blog, be sure to congratulate him on his well deserved WIN!

CONGRATULATIONS Bhavesh - I can't wait to see what amazing pictures you take with your new camera. And as always, thank you for sharing your heart, and your India.

Some hearts are well hidden. Do you see the hearts in this picture?
I'll give you a hint ... they're hiding in the feathers of this mourning dove picture taken by Abe, and posted on his blog "My Birds Blog".

Abe has been an inspiration to me since I first found one of his photos ... I hope he will be an inspiration to you as well.

Thank you, Abe, for sharing your heart ... and your amazing life stories. You are awesome.

Sometimes you don't have to search for hearts ... they JUMP right out at you!
Like this stunning glowing cloud heart that Cheryl found. Every time I see this photo I am thrilled anew!

Cheryl has been an inspiration to me since she became my first follower on my first blog (Other than Sissie, of course!). I had no idea what I was doing, and she helped and encouraged me so much. You can visit Cheryl at her blogs "March to March", and "Nostalgia: Today and Yesterday".

Thank you, Cheryl, for your encouragement, your friendship, and for sharing your hearts!

Limar at "My Replicator" posted this picture of a conch (tree fungi). She didn't realize she had also posted a beautiful heart! Do you see it? It's so cute!!!

Thank you, Limar, for sharing your heart.
(And thank you Dani for bringing it to her attention!)

I know she'll probably kill me for posting this one ... but there is a special reason why I wanted to include this ATC (Artists Trading Card) drawn by my daughter Victoria ... and filled with hearts.

You see, tomorrow is her birthday. She and her twin sister Georgia are turning 19.
Wow, has it really been that long?

Thank you, Tori and Geo, for sharing your hearts.
For brightening my life.
For being the heart behind my heart.
I love you - now and forever.

A huge thank you to all who participated in Guest Heart Thursday last week. I loved seeing the beautiful and amazing hearts you found in your world!

If you have found a heart (or drawn a heart, or designed a heart, or ...), please join us for Guest Heart Thursday. Just link the URL of your heart to Linky!
The link will be open from Thursday morning until Sunday night.

Have you found more than one heart?

Put in more than one link!

Is your heart from a long time ago?

It doesn't matter, as long as you put the direct URL link to that post!

Heart Reflections

The abandoned church across the street is "abandoned" no longer. It has been purchased by a demolitions and dismantling company whose workers are hard at work reducing the main building to bare walls.

After the carpet was removed and most of the garbage scraped away, the water from the leaking roof started forming large pools throughout the building.

One of these pools of water had a dry spot in the center ... in the shape of a heart!

To see reflections from around the world, visit James at Newtown Area Photo, and join us for Weekend Reflections.

I Heart The Beach!

Sissie and I had a wonderful time at the beach ...
Three days of pure bliss!
And hearts ...
Like this kelp showing it's hearts in the snowy sand ...

And this seaweed heart brought in with the tide ...

Then there were the seagulls. We tempted them with yummy tidbits of bread, and look what happened ... This lucky seagull ate his heart out!!! (Sorry, I couldn't resist)

It really was hard to leave. I can't wait until the next trip!

Heart and Autumn Oak Leaf

I will be gone for 3 days - to the beach!
To watch the winter storm ...
And spend time with my sissie.

Until I return, please enjoy this delicate Autumn scene
Of heart and oak leaf.

Sunny Heart

I was taking pictures of the last leaves still hanging on the trees - before the coming windstorm. The sun peeked through just long enough to catch some beautiful and radiant shots.

As I moved around to get the best angle, I noticed the sun showing under the leaf - had become a glowing sunny heart!

When I looked at the picture full screen, I noticed the spider webs - reflecting the rays of the sun into little miniature rainbows.

Life can be so amazing, if we learn to look closely!

To see reflections from around the world, visit James at Newtown Area Photo, and join us for Weekend Reflections!

Guest Heart Thursday #32

Welcome to Guest Heart Thursday -
A Place to Share YOUR Hearts!!!

The ocean holds a very special place in my heart - though I have not seen it in several years. Beth, over at Expect the Unexpected, found this beautiful cloudy Heart Over Ocean on one of her trips to the Oregon coast.

I chose this heart for a very special reason.
Beth and I are going to be spending 2 days at the beach next week!
I am already excited!
My sister; my ocean. What more could a girl want???

Thank you, sissie, for sharing your heart. And your ocean.

Deann at The Whimsey Asylum continues to delight and amaze me with her delightful (and sometimes naughty - love it!) art. She loves to enter "challenges", and is becoming quite well known for her imagination and talent. When you visit her, you will see why!!!

Deann, you are wonderful, and I love you. Thank you for sharing your heart!

Diane is from Arizona, and is a talented photographer. Her blog, Desert Colors, is among my favorites to visit!

Diane took some adorable pictures of a desert towhee taking a bath.
Little did she know ... she found a heart. Do you see it? It's a feather on the towhee's wing!

Thank you, Diane, for sharing your world, and your heart.

Judy's blog Lilac Gate holds magic. Judy takes macro shots of gorgeous plants and flowers, and I'm not sure how she does it!

Judy found these violet leaf hearts kissed by the frost ...

Thank you Judy for sharing your hearts - and your flowery world!

Susannah sees the world differently - she sees the tiniest of life's beauty - and shares it with the world. I am constantly inspired by her and her blog, Wanderin' Weeta (With Waterfowl and Weeds). I even find myself looking at the world a little differently myself - and have been known to see something tiny and beautiful - and shout out "Look! A Wanderin' Weeta Moment!"

Thank you, Susannah, for sharing your hearts - and your beautiful world!


A huge thank you to all who participated in Guest Heart Thursday last week. I loved seeing the beautiful and amazing hearts you found in your world!

If you have found a heart (or drawn a heart, or designed a heart, or ...), please join us for Guest Heart Thursday. Just link the URL of your heart to Linky!
The link will be open from Thursday morning until Sunday night.

Have you found more than one heart?

Put in more than one link!

Is your heart from a long time ago?

It doesn't matter, as long as you put the direct URL link to that post!

Mushroom Heart

I was out in the woods taking pictures of the many mushrooms I found.
They sure are prolific this time of year!
I had to stop in my tracks, though, when I came across this one.

It had curled itself into a heart!