Yep, I love butterflies!

Butterflies come from a caterpillar. Not very attractive from their beginning source are they. However, they wrap themselves in a cocoon and after a period of time they burst forth as one of the most beautiful creatures God created. A New Beginning! God took that caterpillar that He created and transformed it into something beautiful. So glad He has transformed me!

You will see lots of butterflies in these cards - big and small. Thank you for looking.

Love this new stamp from Penny Black, "Betsy Bluebell". Sentiment is from Hero Arts. Inside of card reads "Have a happy, funny, silly, sunny, grinning, easy-going day!"

As you read may your day be the same.

Butterfly is digital stamp from Hero Arts. Sentiment is from Hero Arts. Made the flowers from a scallop punch. Inside of card: "May your day be wrapped in sunshine. Thinking of you!"

Butterflies are from Verve (Flutterby), Sentiment is from Hero Arts. Inside of card: "May each day bring new strength, hope, grace and joy. Thinking of you!"

Again, butterfly is from Verve, sentiment is from Hero Arts. Inside of card: "All you do, big and small, has made a difference to us all."

Majestic

It is not possible to describe or to even capture in a photo the majesty of God's creation. We were so blessed to be able to take a cruise out of Seward, Alaska to view the mountains, the glaciers and the sea life that is a part of this area.

We boarded our boat around 9:30 a.m. and spent 8 hours soaking in the beauty of Kenai Fjords. It was another lovely day and I think we took for granted how blessed we were to have so much sunshine. From the very outset we saw otters and 3 types of whales (orcas, hump back and grey). We played chase with porpoises. Saw lots of birds including bald eagles and the ever evasive puffins :-)

As we approached the glaciers, they were absolutely amazing. I didn't realize there was color variations to the ice. Standing there watching we could see at times small portions breaking loose and falling into the water. Other times there would be larger portions. Big or small they all made huge sounds as they fell into the water. It was absolutely awesome to watch and at the same time it was sad to see - knowing that with each breakage of ice, that glacier was gradually receding.

How Majestic!

Parts of the above glacier breaking off

Saw lots of otters

Orcas

Dall Porpoise

Our boat for the day - served us prime rib and salmon - yum, yum.

Just one of many jaw dropping sites.

Thank you so much for stopping by and reading :-)

North To Alaska

No, this is not about the movie. It's about friends, fun, fellowship and food. We have recently returned from a ten day trip to Alaska.

We rode some 1300+ miles. Our most northern destination was Denali National Park and most southern was Homer and oh so many special sites in between. So many have asked, "Oh did you go on a cruise?" Well, yes and no. Most of the time that question means did you get on a cruise ship and tour Alaska. We did tour Alaska but it was by car and we did get on a boat and take a Kenai Fjords tour.

After checking out the basics in Anchorage, our first big adventure was to take on Denali National Park and pray for a clear day to see the big guy - Mt. McKinley. And yes, it was a clear day - what a sight to see.

But there are several little treasures in between Anchorage and Denali. We stopped in a quaint little place, Eklutna. There was a Russian Orthodox church and the uniqueness of the place was the fact that little houses had been built and painted all sorts of colors on each burial spot. Sadly it had not been kept up but was truly a special stop on the way to Denali.

 Another treasure is Talkeetna. It is mostly known for a lovely lodge and spectacular views of Mt. McKinley. However, there is a downtown area, more like a village area, that has some little specialty shops and yummy food. They have Moose made out of all sorts of materials and then colored or stained that really add to the atmosphere. Think you would like to spend time there. We did.

Back to the Denali story. Most people take a ride into the park via a tour bus. Charlie and I decided to see the park via a Rhino two-seater four wheeler type of vehicle. What fun! We rode through dry river beds, then places where there was water running through and then some very special places where there were very muddy bottoms. Yep, we went mud bogging :-) - not on purpose.

 The ridges proved to have spectacular views of the park. What a special day. Met some great people and enjoyed fellowship around the back of the Rhinos as we soaked in the vastness and beauty of this place.

P.S. Our guide told us right at the end of the tour that we had a little extra time since our group proved to be such great riders on the Rhinos. He said we would go to another area around the park unless someone wanted to get bogged down since that had not happened on this particular ride. You guessed it - as Charlie and I proceeded to follow the leader we got stuck! Mud flying everywhere - brought the wench and got us out.

What a great day!  More to come later.

Birthday Cards

Wishing You Butterfly Kisses . . .

INSIDE OF CARD

Thank you for looking!

Fishing Is Not About Fishing

I love to fish. I didn't grow up fishing. I didn't learn how until I married. I got frustrated when I first tried - there really was a lot of stuff to learn. I think Charlie has fished since he could hold a pole in his hand.

I am not sure how he has survived teaching and coaching me. I am not always a good student and my attitude is not always good either. You see - I like to catch fish but I don't catch a lot of fish for whatever reason when we go. I make up all kinds of excuses as to why I can't catch them. Like - when I have to fish out of the back of the boat, I am always telling him that I am having to fish in his trash. Those of you who fish probably understand what I am talking about. He has been known to turn the boat around and troll so that I will be in the front (such a sweet guy) - and I still don't catch fish. Or my excuse is there is something wrong with my reel or I don't have the same color worm on my line as he does or . . . you get the point. I know you are thinking why does he put up with me. But he does - bless his heart.

Now the point of all this story is that fishing is not about fishing. It is about the adventure. It is about the things that happen while you are fishing. Today was a perfect example. We decided at the spur of the moment this morning to go the family pond and fish. It was a beautiful morning.  We were going to pull the boat over to the pond with our golf cart. Great idea. About half way there we had some mechanical problems and Charlie had to walk back to the house and get the truck so we could get the boat to the pond.

That didn't dampen our spirits. We got to the pond. Got in the water and he put a new top water plug on my rod. He cast it to make sure it was good to go and handed it over to me with a few instructions on how to use it. I was so excited. I took it, pulled it back over my head, gave it a good cast AND rod, reel and plug went straight into the water. I am laughing again as I picture it in my head. It really is the first time I ever did that. I looked back at him and his expression was priceless. I laid down on the bow of the boat laughing and then began pulling the rod and reel in. Thankfully it was in shallow water so I could reach it.

As I said it's not about the fishing but the stories you get to tell later. I actually caught a nice bass later on the rod and reel but that wasn't nearly as exciting as casting the rod and reel into the water.

Father's Day and Birthday Cards

Thank you for looking :-)

Birthday Cards

Some of my most recent cards.