... and it's a lucky number, right???
; )
The day was wonderful. I spent the morning quilting, which I'd been literally DREAMING about doing. I finished this little wall quilt for
Mary (sans a bunch of aforementioned
prairie points that just didn't look right):
Then Jenny, Braxton, my dad and I went out shopping. Jenny gave me some LOVELY green mixing bowls that I'd had my eye on since last summer, a lime green potholder, and some tiny "pinch pots" for cooking.
When we moved to this perfect, small house, I decided upon a home full of QUALITY over quantity. My kitchen is pared down to the bare essentials, and Jenny & Alberto have made sure that I have only the finest kitchen goodies to play
June Cleaver with! These new pieces are no exception. (They are in the dishwasher... pictures coming).
As if that wasn't enough,
Jenny also presented me with a second grand-FUR-baby! Here is 3 month old, mellow-as-they-come SAWYER:
After a day on the town, I came home to THESE
bits of loveliness from Emmy and Benjamin:
And THIS painting from my friend, Roger....
Do you recognize the house??? It is MY HOUSE! He commissioned a painting from one of my all time
favorite artists of one of my all time favorite spots in the world!!! Look at the picture of our house below... It is a perfect likeness. The reverse side of the painting is a chalkboard (another one of my weaknesses) with a beautifully painted border *happy sigh*
Later in the evening we went out to dinner where a fair bit of happy eating and laughter took place. We finished up the night with
cupcakes and an arm-full of snoozing baby....
A perfect start to a new year.
The Year Ahead
Forecast for April 2008 to April 2009
The Sun joins with Mercury in your Solar Return chart, suggesting a very busy year ahead, in which communication and learning figures prominently. With both the Sun and Mercury forming grand trines with Saturn and Pluto, this is an excellent year for productive mental activity, solving problems, and purposeful work. While your mental faculties are attuned to otherworldly impressions, offering you increased insight, focus, psychological understanding and awareness, you are also grounded and thinking in very practical terms. Besides solid problem solving, it's also a good year for getting organized, doing detail work, and preparing for the future. Decisions made during this period in your life tend to be practical and well thought out. Work done now is likely to beget tangible results in the future. Manifestation and achievement are what satisfy. It's likely to be a year in which you are capable of a whole lot of work and effort, and you derive quite a bit of satisfaction from it.
You stand to gain some perhaps profound new insights into your life. You can be especially persuasive and convincing in your communications, whether written or oral, as you come across with increased authority. Positive trends in trade, business, and communications are likely. Your perceptions are especially acute. You can easily slip into the role of counselor or advisor. You are inclined to do a lot of “digging”, researching, analyzing, investigating, and getting to the bottom of things. Relationships with younger people may be especially rewarding, stable, and meaningful.
You certainly have the power of practicality, realism, and caution on your side in the year ahead. Work you have done in the past begins to pay off this year--not necessarily in dramatic ways, but in small, measurable ways. You may be recognized or rewarded in some way for the efforts you put forth. Because you project a more responsible and credible “you”, people in authority are more inclined to appreciate you and recognize your work. This is a year in which you put your life in order in some significant manner. Improved concentration, a more realistic outlook, and a practical awareness of the limits of time all help you to make steady progress, particularly in your career. Your concern for your future this year is stronger than usual, and you may find that projects you start, or investments you make, this year will benefit you for years to come. The key to success now is adopting a realistic, practical, disciplined, and orderly approach to your life.
Mars trines Uranus, suggesting bursts of creativity and energy that help you to further your goals. Healthy risk-taking is likely this year, as you are more able to spot an opportunity when you see one. It is easier than usual to break free from habits that have previously held you back from going after what you want in life. Mars also opposes Jupiter, and although you are bound to show great enthusiasm for your endeavors this year, over-estimating what you are capable of doing is a potential problem. You may get fired up over opposing viewpoints, and you may need to adjust your plan of action. Errors in judgment made now are likely due to impulsiveness and the overlooking of crucial details.
With Venus and Mars in a square aspect to each other, your affections are strongly stimulated, and you are more acutely aware of your powers of attraction. Romance, love, and sexuality occupy your mind more than usual. You can enjoy an increase in personal magnetism (as well as libido!), but be wary of competitiveness or tension in existing love relationships, as this aspect ignites your passions in general, whether they‘re feelings of love or anger!
A harmonious aspect between Jupiter and Uranus suggests this could be a "lucky" year, although the luck is likely to come from a positive attitude and an enterprising spirit. It should be a strong year when sudden opportunities for advancement in different areas of your life appear. At the heart of this is your ability to recognize and capitalize upon opportunities and potentials. You are more open to new energies, approaches, and attitudes under this influence. Fortunate events occur as a direct result of your willingness to entertain the unusual and to think outside of the box. This aspect favors group activities, financial endeavors associated with groups or organizational efforts, educational pursuits, writing, publishing, speaking, and humanitarian efforts. A positive and optimistic outlook serves you especially well this year.
The year ahead is bound to be a productive and mostly stable one, although there could be some stimulating fireworks in your romantic life. You are coming across with more authority, and quickly gain others' respect. You are likely putting forth more practical effort this year, and if you do, the rewards are measurable. It's an excellent year in which to organize your life in some significant manner.
