Finding joy in the everyday

Artist: John Pugh American Trompe l'oeil artist What is real and what isn't - sometimes it is very difficult to tell the differences. I would highly recommend you visit his website and check out the many murals he has done. I think they are fantastic:  http://artofjohnpugh.com/murals/ Someone complained about this building and wanted to know when the hole would be fixed!   http://artofjohnpugh.com/april-1981-taylor-hall-csuc/ What is real in this photo - I really struggled to work it out at first. Is the girl real. One patron thought so!  http://artofjohnpugh.com/february-1997-san-jose-california/ For other great examples of trompe l'oeilm check this out: http://www.creativebloq.com/illustration/examples-trompe-loeil-12121498

Wikimedia Commons The other week I wrote about Mother's Day, and one of my readers responded with a comment about the difficulties that women who cannot have children face on days like Mother's Days. It must very tough, especially with so much " in your face " commercialism surrounding such days.  It isn't only women who cannot have children, it is also those who have lost children through miscarriage or later in life (such as through cot death, cancer, accidents),  those who have husbands that cannot bear children and women who no longer have a mother. All these women feel the pain and loss and mostly forgotten, we need to be more sensitive, especially the church when celebrating motherhood.  I often read blogs about the Duggars and the praise heaped upon Michelle Duggar for all the children she has had (as if she is some perfect example of Christian motherhood). Is she? She is blessed (no doubt about it), but it isn't a competition to see who can h...

Do you know the history behind the disposable cup? I didn't until recently. Its fascinating, but more interesting is the consequences of the disposable cup and where it led  . . .  to a whole new way of thinking about a disposable society. It all started in 1918 and the influenza pandemic which killed millions of people. I n America in 1907, a lawyer called Lawrence Luellen was worried that one of the worst culprits in spreading germs was the humble public drinking fountain, many of which were installed in schools, office buildings and railways stations. Here, a single glass or metal cup might be shared by hundreds of different people. Luellen came up with the idea of a placing a paper cup dispenser beside a water cooler so that the drinking utensil could be thrown away after the water had been drunk. The cup was a simple thing made from a cylinder of plain paper wrapped around a disc of paper as its bottom. Paraffin, a waxy by-product of petroleum, was us...

This is a segment that Sandy from " Vegans Eat Yummy Food Too " does sometimes and I quite like the idea. In fact her latest one was on measuring cups and mugs ( link ) and yes, she has quite the collection.  I have 3 sets of measuring cups and had no plans to buy any more, however whilst I was out shopping on the weekend I came across the coolest set of measuring cups (I thought they were cool!!) and I am now the proud owner of these colourful bowls.  They aren't just nice to look at, they will be very handy. The blue cup is large enough for 2 cups and has the marks for both a 1 and 2 cup.  The green is 1.5 cups or 3/4 cup,  red is 1 cup of 1/2 cup, orange 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup and the baby yellow is 1/4 cup or 1/8. Interestedly, there is no 1/3 of a cup!!  Due to their various sizes and the fact that they are bowls, I think I will also use them for all sorts of other things besides measuring - they will be much used in my kitchen. ...

 Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) "The painter of light" The Turner exhibition (from the Tate Gallery, London) is on its way to the National Art Gallery of Australia, opening on the 1st of June (until Septmeber 2013). I am very excited about this and will be going off to see the exhibition at some point.  He was one of my art teacher's favourite artists and would love to tell us stories about the artist and talk about his works, I always think of that teacher when I think of Turner.  To celebrate the arrival of the Turner works I thought I would share some facts about the artist that you may not be aware of. Turner died on Dec. 19, 1851, and was buried as a national hero in St. Paul's Cathedral, during his life he lived a rather squalid life and considered eccentic. He left a fortune of more than £140, 000 to a charity for "Decayed Artists" and a vast hoard of sketches and his finest paintings, many of which he left to the natio...

Contentment : two hardworking and dedicated parents enjoying time together in my garden ( Indian Myrna birds) . When you feel dissatisfied with your circumstances, contemplate the condition of those that have less than you. "I had rather be in a cottage with my books, my family, and a few old friends, dining upon simply bacon and hominy, and letting the world roll on as it likes, than to occupy the highest place which human power can give." My thoughts entirely. Source: The Golden Gems of Life by S. C. Ferguson and E. A. Allen (pages 131-132)

Source of imagine A s a boy and as a man , my experiences with bullies have left me feeling intimidated, depressed, anxious, stressed, and sick to my stomach. The scary thing is that mine have been mild cases compared to most. The bullying reports that flow each day into my email box and web pages are truly disturbing, as are many of the stories told directly to me by people who attend my speeches or talk to me in my travels.  by  Nick Vujici Bullying occurs in all walks of life. Many children experience bullying at school, workers experience bullying in the workplace, it can happen at church, to the elderly in nursing homes, by your neighbour and by your spouse.  We all know at least one person who has been bullied, it maybe yourself. My husband was bullied in the workplace a few years back, it went on for years . . . I know the effects it can have on the individual and on the family -  it can be very damaging physically and emotionally. It is a situat...

Our 25 year old son invited us around for morning tea on Sunday - a hot pot of tea was waiting plus this delicious apple pie which he had made.  We sat in his sunny living room eating apple pie (covered in cream), sipping tea and chatting.  This is why you need to teach your sons to cook, the kitchen isn't just for women!  They make their mothers happy and most certainly make their wives very happy which leads to stronger marriages! As you would already know, I am all for husbands getting involved in household activities, especially when the wife is also busy (and aren't we all). My husband helps out and only yesterday he did the dusting for me whilst I was at the grocery store.  He usually does the vacuum cleaning every day and that is such a help which I really appreciate.  I am not one of these wives that complain that my husband doesn't do anything around the house, as he does.  On Saturday my son surprised his wife with a new rug and lamp (...

I thought I would drop by, say HI and see how you were doing? What have you been up to? As it is a Saturday. I am at home and indoors where it is warm, it's very chilly outside even though the sun is shinning bright. This morning I popped out for a little while to pick up some groceries and visit a bookshop that is closing (always makes me sad). I managed to find a few cookbooks, one in particular by my favourite author Roxie Kelley and illustrator Shelly Reeves Smith which I can read in bed tonight. I now have three of her books. I also found a book on bread-making (to add to my collection) and one about Jane Austen and her books that looks very interesting ( What matters in Jane Austen ). The chicken stock is made and in the freezer - so easy to make and much nicer than the stock you buy in the supermarket. Mine contains very little salt, but lots of flavour and a big plus, its cheap to make. To make life easier (something we are all want to be able...

Art Friday: Liu Bolin Born, 1973 China - lives in Beijing These photos are amazing.  Liu Bolin, with two assistants, paints himself to camouflage within the scene he is posing in front of and becomes the  invisible man .  Each photo takes around 10 hours to set up.  According to one newspaper report ( source ) , he stands very still until an unexpected passer-by walks past and what a surprise they get! ( source ) This one is really incredible! Liu Bolin doesn't only do this type of art, he is also a sculpturer. He has said that his works are a comment on man's place in society: "Each one chooses his or her path to come in contact with the external world. I chose to merge with the environment." Website:  http://www.liubolinart.com/