Daily Smile - Sunflowers!

Hello everyone,
I don't know about you, but sunflowers always make me smile! These are located in a field on Route 68, just outside the town of Yellow Springs, Ohio (in the southwestern part of the state.) I hope you enjoy looking at this field of gold!

 

Until next time,

Cindy

Linking to Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

Photos courtesy: Wikipedia Images and Yellow Springs OH facebook page

Give-away Winner and Gingerbread Houses~

Hello everyone,
Today is the day to annouce the winner of my teapot give-away and the winner is... Jil at Say It With Roses!!  Congratulations, Jil!  Thank you to everyone who visited and participated! Each of you made my first give-away a very fun experience for me!

Yesterday, I visited Kingwood Center in Mansfield, Ohio. For those who don't know, Kingwood Center is a 47-acre public estate/garden that was a private residence, at one time. It was decorated for Christmas and my first time visiting during the holidays. It was gorgeous!! I took lots of photos and will be doing a full post about it later, but today I'm sharing photos of a couple of the wonderful creations that were on display for the Gingerbread House contest.  Enjoy!

Until next time,

Cindy

Autumn Reflections 2011 ~

Autumn is fading fast in northwest Ohio. Most of the trees are bare, it's cold and windy and we even had a few snow flurries today. It was "spittin' snow" as my Mom would say. The holidays are fast approaching and some are starting to decorate for Christmas. I'm not quite ready to let go of fall though, and want to hang on just a little bit longer...so here's to autumn 2011!

Collage photos taken at Forrest Nature Preserve in northwest Ohio and the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont, Ohio.

Kingwood Center in Mansfield, Ohio

Indian Mill in Wyandot County, Ohio

Until next time, have a wonderful weekend!
Cindy

Linking to Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer

Change of Seasons

The look and feel of autumn is in the air! Mild sunny days and crisp, cold nights. Time for sweaters, scarves and putting an extra blanket on the bed at night.  My sister, niece and I took a leisurely drive on Saturday and stopped at a country farm market/pumpkin patch. I love the colors of fall! 

Here's more of what we found. Don't you just love these rusty old wagons and farm equipment filled with flowers and pumpkins?

Some of the more creative displays and even a fort made out of hay bales!

 Rimelspach Farm Market is located at the intersection of State Route 12 and State Route 53 in Fremont, Ohio. Until next time, wishing everyone a happy week!

I'm linking this post to Outdoor Wednesday on A Southern Daydreamer

The Wind of My Soul ~

I just read a little gem of a book titled “The Wind of My Soul,” written by Peggy Hill and illustrated by Cynthia McDonald. It’s full of inspirational poems and reflections that touch on the themes of love, nature, courage, faith, pain…life in general. It’s the type of book you’ll want to keep close and read over and over - each time gaining something new from Peggy’s insightful words. I absolutely love that it includes pages to record your own thoughts, poems, and musings. And Cynthia’s colorful, ethereal paintings are the perfect companion to Peggy’s poems. For yourself, or as a gift for someone special, I highly recommend The Wind of My Soul.

About the author:
Peggy Hill is a lover of life, words and nature. She is an award-winning writer who has produced music, theater plays, videos and books, and is also active as a retreat and conference facilitator. She resides in the Ancient Ozark Mountains, where she writes and is the founder and CEO of the music, publishing and production company, Circle Studios Records. Her hobbies include cooking, reading and traveling. You can read more of Peggy’s writing at her blog, which can be found online at:
www.wingsandthings-peggy.blogspot.com

About the Illustrator:
Cynthia McDonald was born and raised in Ohio. She is a wife, mother and grandmother who has many passions besides her family, ranging from the Native American flute to painting. Cynthia’s biggest love is gourds, which she carves, stains, paints and adorns; creating beautiful one-of-a-kind works of art which are highly sought after by collectors. More recently, Cynthia applied her creative talents to painting on canvas and to an artistic concept called “art journaling,” both of which are featured in this very special book. You may find Cynthia online at:
www.wildgourdstudio.com
www.cynthia-mcdonald.blogspot.com