Trees :)

Well, so much for posting more during Lent. . . Iv'e been struggling with a lot of things in my life lately. I don't really want to go into details, and I certainly don't want to worry anyone, but if you would just say a couple little prayers for me, that would be greatly appreciated.

Now, if only I could remember what I was going to post about! I thought I had something really good, but now I can't remember it. So, I guess I will write about something else LOL

Well, I kinda need a little break from the world right now, so I'm just gonna start on something kinda random. How about, my favorite trees :D

Have you ever heard of those giant redwood trees? They are officially one of my favorite trees. Those things are huge! I saw a picture of some people climbing one (they needed climbing gear, like you would use for rock climbing!)  and they looked like Squirrels compared to that tree! I'm not sure that it would be a good idea to climb one, (I don't have any climbing gear, and that would be quite a height) but they are just so cool.
here's some more info about them http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia_sempervirens

I also like bonsai trees. . . . . LOL the biggest trees and the smallest trees :) I know they aren't really a specific "species", because they can be a variety of different species, but they are really really cool. They are so tiny! I have wanted a Bonsai tree for, I don't know how long! It would be so cool. They are so tiny, and they just make me think of little tiny people in little tiny villages. (Ok, I admit it, I am a bit obsessed/fascinated with little tiny things :)  )

Another one of my favorites are Maples trees. They are probably one of the most common trees in my area. They Smell So Good! Something about Maple trees is just very calming to me. There is one in my backyard that I climb sometimes. I've done all sorts of things up there, Drawing, Bird watching, reading and just thinking about things. This may be strange to you, but I have to say, that tree is one of my favorite places.

And another of my favorites are Oak trees. Like Maples, they smell really good, and are also another common tree in my area. There is something about Oak trees that make them look so wise. I know, Trees can't really be "wise", after all, they don't really think or talk or anything, but if oak trees were people, they would look like very wise people. I have one of them in my backyard also, and I also like to hang out in that one. One time I was sitting up there, and a squirrel started coming down the tree. He rounded the trunk only to see me sitting there, And he just stopped. He was about three or four feet above me in the tree, and he just kept peeking at me like he was flabbergasted. He looked like he was thinking "Humans in trees? How can that be? No. No I am not seeing a human in this tree. No, I am! There is a human in this tree!" LOL after a little while, probably just a few seconds or a minute, he scampered back up the tree. It was quite funny.


Well anyway, as you can see, I am pretty fascinated with trees. I could go on and on about all the trees I like, but then the post would be so long that no-one would ever make it to the end! LOL


Edit: **** GASP******
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I scrolled down on the link I posted above about redwoods, and I found this! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Redwood_bonsai.JPG
It's a BONSAI REDWOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my. .. .  Oh my! That would be so COOL! It's a. . .  It's a. . .. . . . . . . MINIATURE GIANT! haha!

God works in Mysterious ways

Something that I find, frankly, Amazing, Ironic, and too good to be a coincidence recently happened.

If you know me, you may or may not know that for the last two summers, I have been volunteering at the Cincinnati zoo and botanical gardens as a Junior Horticulturist. (gardener)

I love doing it. Working as a gardener at the zoo really sparked an interest in plants that I didn't really have before. I had wanted to work with animals a little more that plants originally, but they required more time, and we have a bit of a drive to the zoo, so I couldn't do that. So I became a Junior Horticulturist. I like nature in general, and plants are a part of that, and I will still be around the animals, so why not?

Occasionally, especially last year, I would have doubts about working at the zoo.I would think "couldn't I be using my time wiser? Couldn't I be working in a soup kitchen, or a crisis pregnancy center, or some other charity, so that I could actually help people directly?"

But then i would go to say my morning prayers. Last year, I Worked at the zoo on thursdays. Guess what the "Short reading" for Thursdays was?

1 Peter 4:10-11
Each one of you has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these different graces of God, put yourselves at the service of others. Of you are a speaker, speak in words which seem to come from God; if you are a helper, help as though every action was done at God's orders, so that in everything God may receive the glory, through Jesus Christ, since to Him alone belong all glory and power for ever and ever. Amen

" if you are a helper, help as though every action was done at God's orders, so that in everything God may receive the glory" That part was the part that hit me the most. I would feel a little more encouraged about it and think, well, Right now I am a helper.

So, fast forward to recently. I have been praying a bit about what He wants me o do this summer, thinking that maybe I would volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center or soup kitchen or other charitable organization this year. I still had those little nags that kept asking me, really? The zoo? Is that going to help people in need?

So, We were in Church, and one of the morning announcements was that the person who had been doing the garden work at our Church was retiring, and that they needed someone to take over.

BOOM! There it was! Perhaps this is why I have been working as a garden person at the zoo!

If I hadn't started working there in the first place, I might not have been interested at all. I wouldn't have the same love of plants and gardens that I do now.

If I hadn't worked there, I wouldn't have gotten the same experience with plants that i have now. Sure, weeding and watering are things that everyone can do, But last year they let me prune a Trumpet vine that was growing out of control! It wasn't perfect when i was done, I had never pruned a trumpet vine before, and probably never would have gotten the opportunity to, But it was a good learning experience and I don't think it looked too bad when I was done ;)

So, in order to help me figure out what God wants me to do, I called them today, to find out what was going to be involved.

Basically, It the same stuff i was doing at the zoo! Weeding, Watering, Mulching, Planting, Pruning etc.

The way I see it, It's Like God was training me, through helping to take care of the zoo's gardens, so that I could take care of His!


AHHH! I'm really excited now.

I still haven't completely decided yet, I still need to Pray about it more, but I am leaning more towards helping my Church this year. I mean, I'm going to miss working at the zoo, I got to know a few people and it was fun, but I think this may be what God it calling me to do now.

I am just in awe. God is amazing. I know that He knows all, and that He always has a plan. I beleived these before I started at the zoo. But I surely didn't realize that helping out at a zoo might be part of that!

So there you go! He really does work in mysterious ways, and we may not even realize when!

 And always remember, " if you are a helper, help as though every action was done at God's orders, so that in everything God may receive the glory" ;) :D

 

Animal poster

Hi everyone! Today, when trying to organize some stuff, I ran across an old match game from a nature magazine. A little idea sparked. So I painted a cartoon-ish tree, and cut some of the animals out of the cards (along with a few from an old trail map) Stuck the animals to the tree and surrounding area, and then gave them some speech bubbles, and something to say. so here it is, along with a few close- ups

one of my favorites in the picture is the female cardinal  saying "Hey hun, could ya bring home dinner?" and then the male cardinal (picking berries) says "Sure hun" LOL i just thought it was kind of funny for some reason. . . 

"Come on dear! it's time for dinner!"  if you look of the other side of the tree there is a fawn saying "OK!" ( yes i know, this is a male deer. )

"IM STARVING!" "OH! I AM FAMISHED!" " HURRY! WE'RE STARVING!" "Hold on darlings!"

"Who woke me up?" "peck peck peck peck peck peck Oh, Sorry sir!"

                          

My latest projects.

Lately, I have not been working on that much, but i have been working on a few things. First off, here are the cards I made for Easter ( I hope everyone had a Wonderful Easter by the way!)

 I also like to make Crowns out of Flowers and willow vines. This is the best one I have ever made. The aroma coming from this crown, Was so good, I can't even discribe it!

 Another picture of the crown pictures above.

 Here is the card I made for my Wonderful Art teacher, Ms. Bethany, For teacher's appreciation day today.

So there you have it! that is pretty much all I have been up to ( "Art Wise" ) lately!

-Fianna

Inchies

Well, http://www.rosesonmytable.ning.com/ also has inchie swaps. Inchies are miniature works of art that are only one inch wide and one inch tall! Here are the ones i made for the April Swap.

 You make six of them, send them in, and you get six back, each from a differnt person!

 I made little envelopes for them :)

 Here is the match up to the cards

this is how they fit in there :)

i think they turned out pretty good. I used colored pencils on scrapbook paper, and then cut out the words and glued them on. Then I put Mod-podge on the cards to make them shiny. I made the envelopes by taking 2'' x 2'' peices of paper, folded in the corners and glued them there, then I took just plain washable markers and made little designs on them. I put a little mod-podge on them too, so they would match with the inchies :)

Some Art

Well, Since i just turned my blog into an Art and Poem blog, I'm going to put up a few of my recent projects.

 Here is a Collage I made. The words are a little blurred it says " Enjoy The Wondrous Beauty Of Nature That God Has Created" on the petals. and on the leaves it says " Love, Joy, Peace, Hope"

 A little jar i decorated with magazine clippings and Glitter Mod Podge

 One of my panitings.

These are my Spring themed Artist Trading Cars for the ATC swaps at http://www.rosesonmytable.ning.com/ It's a wonderful site!

So, now you have seen some of my recent art :)