Tig goes for a walk

He's always up for adventure :)
(Available here)

do a dance of joy

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 18:1-3).

not bad for a 2-year-old

Masterly painting technique and choice of colours :)

Tiggy

There was this tiger who woke up one morning and just felt great. He just felt so good, he went out and cornered a small monkey and roared at him: "WHO IS THE MIGHTIEST OF ALL THE JUNGLE ANIMALS?"

The poor quaking little monkey replied: "You are of course -- no one is mightier than you."

A little while later this tiger confronts a deer, and just bellows out: "WHO IS THE GREATEST AND STRONGEST OF ALL THE JUNGLE ANIMALS?"

The deer is shaking so hard it can barely speak, but manages to stammer: "O great tiger, you are by far the mightiest animal in the jungle."

The tiger, being on a roll, swaggered on up to an elephant who was quietly munching on some weeds, and roared at the top of his voice: "WHO IS THE MIGHTIEST OF ALL THE ANIMALS IN THE JUNGLE?"

Well, this elephant grabs the tiger with his trunk, picks him up, slams him down; picks him up again, and shakes him until the tiger is just a blur of orange and black, and finally throws him violently into a nearby tree.

The tiger staggers to his feet and looks at the elephant and says: "Man, just because you don't know the answer, you don't have to get so mad".

This fellow makes me really happy -- he has such a good attitude, he's so cheerful. He's all the childish joyousness of parties, carnivals and fun fairs :)
(Tiggy is available here)

Getting some fresh air. In the shop now.

B has decided she doesn't want to cut her hair. For now.

sailor ghost

I love anything nautical. And striped. And smiling.
(Sailor Ghost is available here)

Several googly-eyed Roros get ready for their new owners.

"it shall be life"

Thus, if there are afflictions, there are also comforts: great consolations, great chastisements. There is a comforter, and there is a chastener. Every man must taste of death: every man must taste of life. It shall not be all bitter nor all sweet for any. It shall be life. The unseen ministers of a stupendous equity have their eyes and their hands about every man’s portion; ‘as it is written, he that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.’

It is the same earth for all; the same earth for the dead, great and small; dust to dust. The same earth for the living. ‘Thorns, also, and thistles shall it bring forth,’ and God provides the flowers too.

(J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Wylder's Hand)

~* the shop is up! *~

The Bikbik & Roro shop is up! Well, the skeleton of it is anyway (technicalities sure are a chore). With God's help it shall be officially open in the next few days (weeks?), with a few Bikbiks and Roros :)

Mrs Harriet Maybell-Winthrop

OK, I don't really know her name. But wasn't she a beauty?

having a great life

The other day a nice customer service lady at one of the major clothing companies was emailing me about my order, and in closing she wrote the usual, "Hope you're having a great weekend".

It was a routine, standard courtesy and I don't think she expected any response from me, but on the spur of the moment I decided to write this back:

"YES, I am having a great weekend really. I've been enjoying myself with my kids, spending so much fun time with them, shopping, eating well, and then having a lovely peaceful home to return to to rest and relax. I am so blessed!

I realise as I get older that it really boils down to one's attitude, doesn't it. like, you could choose to fixate on something that you think isn't right in your life and let that get you down, or you can choose to rise above it and be grateful for all the blessings you do have.

more and more I see that it is wasteful to think that you'd be happy when such and such happens.. like you'll be happy when your knee stops aching or when you've gotten or done whatever.. you have to choose to be happy NOW, whatever your circumstances, and not waste any time worrying or fretting about the future or what you cannot change.. being happy and content really has to be a conscious choice one makes".

I apologised if that was too much information, but explained that I had been contemplating life a lot lately. Now I didn't expect any response from her (except perhaps a mental rolling of the eyes at her end), but this is what she wrote back:

"You are so right. Life is way too short to get caught up in the little things. Thank you for sharing that. I needed to read that and be reminded. It really did make my day".

Honestly, I felt SO happy when I read that. You just never know when, how and to whom you can be a help and a blessing, however small.

latest distraction: cat vomit

Sophie contemplates the results of her sensitive stomach and unnecessarily rushed eating.

Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?

blessings

keep smiling

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7).

O, this is handy (and look at those adorable illustrations)!

So I get the flu, right after getting the flu shot. Fine. I requested "drowsy-causing" meds, but needless to say, they had no effect on me at all. Headache, sore throat and the excessively sensitive hot-cold of a fever have got to be among the more aggravating human sensations available.

Moon. Lighthouse. Flower. Tree. Starry night. Orange balloons. Perfect.

As Le Fanu wrote of his Dorcas Brandon: "I suppose she knew I was looking at her; but she showed always a queenlike indifference about what people might think or observe".

my sketchbook at 16

Nice hair.

Someone is really really into the new Barbie Fashionista dolls. She says she's "Sassy".

at my workspace: the unknown girl

I drew her after seeing her ambrotype in an antique shop. I think she must have just been a teenager, but she had the most intense, solemn expression. It makes me wonder who she was, what she was like, what she did with her days. I so regret not buying her photograph after all. If the person who has it now sees this, please get in touch with me!

it's pronounced leff-anew

OK, fine. I see now why Dracula is the book he's known for. The first half had been so promising! but midway through it was like even he was getting uninspired. So, on to something new, by someone who's always proved interesting, and brilliant with the language too (I think Mr Stoker's favourite word is "heartily"). I haven't gotten much into it yet, but isn't the cover art great?

words of wisdom

Gotta love those Japanese crackers.

hair

B has decided she wants to cut her hair. When it's loose, she can almost sit on it. So I'm taking pictures of it every now and then before we go to the hairdresser (maybe, perhaps) this weekend.

not just dracula

What I'm reading now: The Jewel of Seven Stars by Bram Stoker. Yep, Bram Stoker. The book was published in 1903, some six years after Dracula. It's an absorbing read, intriguing in part because of the way it captures Edwardian England's fascination with ancient Egypt (plus, it's cool to get a little shiver from a good old-fashioned supernatural thriller).