Lists: Things That Make Me Happy

Soft Hydrangea - Sony Cybershot

This regular posting thing is going well, don't you think?

Life is chaos right now, again, so here goes a simple list.

Things That Make Me Happy

1. Chocolate in almost any form.

2. Colors - all of them.

3. Music - everything from jazz to country to hard rock.

4. Natural light - the best light for taking photographs.

5. Swimming in the Gulf of Mexico.

6. Shopping - and oh, how my wallet wishes it didn't.

7. My nephew's giggles.

8. Flowers in abundance.

9. Making lists of things that make me happy.

There are many more, of course, but I'll keep it short and sweet for now.

What makes you happy?

Inspiration Avenue: My Town

Ringling House, Sarasota, FL - Nikon D40 with 55mm lens

My town is Sarasota, Florida. There are a thousand reasons why I love this town so much. One of them is the proximity to art and history. Above is the John and Mabel Ringling house, built in the 1920s. It is gorgeous and well-preserved and was a gift to the city of Sarasota from the Ringling estate. I try to go at least once a year just to soak up all that history. I love that my town makes preserving this beautiful old mansion a priority.

What do you love about your town?

Lists: Oscar Moments

Mom's Orchid - Nikon D40 with 55 mm lens

Oscar mania! Here are my 5 favorite moments from Sunday's Oscars. And yes, I stayed up to watch the WHOLE thing. I probably should have just DVR'd it and zipped through the entire telecast in an hour.

1. Sandra Bullock: It's about damn time! I have long been a fan of Sandra, especially her dramatic roles. Her acceptance speech was perfection: gracious, funny and quick.

2. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin: Come on, they were funny. If we can't have Billy Crystal, these two are the next best thing.

3. Neil Patrick Harris: The magic of NPH is his subtle facial expressions and he used them beautifully in that opening number.

4. Kathryn Bigelow: Twice, in two different speeches, she made a point of thanking the troops. She's awesome forever in my book.

5. Meryl Streep: Classy, cool and gorgeous. Elegance in the face of many jokes. And God love her, not an ounce of Botox anywhere. That is how women should age. I'm lookin' at you, Nicole Kidman.

So who watched, and what did you think?

Art Auction for Angel Faces Charity

(click image for larger view)

Roses, roses, roses. Shakespeare really knew what he was talking about. I am offering the fine art print above as part of the Inspiration Avenue art auction for the Angel Faces Retreats. The auction begins Sunday March 7 and wraps up Sunday March 14.

This 8x10 fine art print is just the right size for that little nook or small spot of bare wall. Professionally printed with metallic finish. If you love roses you must have this print!

Bidding starts at $5.00 dollars, all bids in whole dollars, $1.00 increments. Only bids in US dollars will be counted. You must leave an email address in order to receive a PayPal invoice. The winner will be notified Sunday March 14th via email and will have 72 hours to make payment. If payment is not made within 72 hours the next highest bidder will be notified. Make your bid at the Inspiration Avenue site.

This print will be sent without watermark in a protective sleeve and rigid mailer via First Class US Postal Mail.

Please head to Inspiration Avenue to see all the other beautiful offerings from the team. Lovely art for a very worthy cause. Come on. You know you want to.

Inspiration Avenue Charity Art Auction

(click for larger version)

Inspiration Avenue is having a Charity Auction on March 7, 2010. We're hoping to raise money for Angel Faces, a truly magical project.

Please stop by Inspiration Avenue on Sunday to see all the gorgeous goodies we will have listed. I know you'll find something lovely, and you'll be helping a very worth cause. What's better than that?

The poster above was created by the amazing Maggie. Go check out her site, it's incredible.

Lists: Favorite Words

Blue Sky and Palm Trees - Nikon D40 with 55mm lens

Last week was a mess, so there was no list post. This week's list is totally random. Some of these words I like because of their meaning, others because the sound nice or look pretty. Like I said, random. Here goes (in no particular order):

:: Hypotenuse

:: Serendipity

:: Believe

:: Hope

:: Cherish

:: Lavender

:: Awesome

:: Bodacious

:: Lugubrious

:: Zaftig

:: Create

:: Wisdom

:: Stupendous

:: Fantastic

:: Wily

:: Moxie

:: Breadth

:: Azure

:: Seraphim

:: Tangent

:: Quicksilver

:: Aubergine

:: Esoteric

:: The 'F' word (sorry, but it really is one of my favorite words - I use it often)

:: Phenomenal

:: Solemnity

:: Ghost

:: Fortitude

:: Power

What are your favorite words?