An Extraordinary Day! is a place of joy and inspiration. Some days, the inspiration is as much for me, as it is for you. Sometimes we just need a ray of hope. The golden hour is the time when I prefer to take a walk. It's the time when I can get the best photos. Or at least I make the attempt. Not many, but when they happen they are dramatic thanks to the lovely light. Isn't this white Echinacea stunning in the light? As long as there is sunshine and flowers...there is hope. and then again... Hope is the only bee that makes honey without flowers. Robert … [Read more...]
Patience. Most of us don't have enough, let alone some to spare. I don't talk much about patience. Mostly because I'm an impatient person and I have this crazy idea that if I don't talk about, or don't ask for more, it will be a non issue. When I read this quote: "Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson I realized that nature is always in wait. When the earth's temperature is warm enough, plants emerge from their winter hiding places and seeds sprout. As the days shorten and temperatures drop, the life-giving nutrients reverse … [Read more...]
This has been one of those weeks.... where you realize that you are totally not in control and at the same time, grateful God is in control. If you'd like a 5x7 print of this photo & quote...click here...and save it as you would any photo. So...when this quote from C.S. Lewis came across my path it certainly gave me pause: Hardship often prepares an ordinary person for an extraordinary destiny. ― C.S. Lewis The sun drops in the sky, the air begins to cool, and the lighting is exquisite. That's how it was this evening when we left the house for a walk, with plans to … [Read more...]
Whether you need a smile.... Or permission to indulge in a tiny cake piled high with frosting... It's good to know: Wasn't that fun? I saw this quote on Facebook this week Once you lick the frosting off a cupcake it becomes a muffin. And muffins are healthy. You're welcome! and couldn't resist creating a 5x7 printable for you. All you need to do is right click on the image and choose save as, and you can save it to your desktop and you'll be able to print it or have your favorite photo shop print it for you. Everyone seems to love cupcakes! So the next time you serve cupcakes, print this off, … [Read more...]
This week I came across this quote: The true genius lies not in doing the extraordinary things, but in doing the ordinary things extraordinarily well. ~ Major General Louis H. Wilson When I came across this quote I truly felt that it spoke of my heart. Not that I am any genius. Far from it. But, I truly believe that every day we can do very ordinary things in an ordinary, ho hum kind of way, or we can do those ordinary things extraordinarily well. As much as I can....I will seek to do the later. How about you? What is it that 'makes' you will go the … [Read more...]
Recently I went for an early morning walk up the hill to the nearby school. There, I have a lovely view of the town and countryside. It's really quite beautiful. This particular day there was an ethereal cloud hanging low in the valley. The sun was shining high on the hillside as I stumbled upon these lovely daisies glistening with the morning dew. In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. Khalil Gibran Though I am not a fan of Gibran's theology...these words speak truth. We all … [Read more...]
As the temperatures rise and the summer sun shines brightly.... what's one flavor that is cool and refreshing? Lemon! Enjoy this extraordinary round up of lemon beverages and delectable lemon delights sure to make your taste buds dance. Thirteen...Wow! All kinds of extraordinary lemony goodness! 1. Mini Frozen Lemonade Pies from What's Cooking in the Burbs 2. Orange Lemon Shake-ups from Love Grows Wild 3. Summer Citrus Shandy from Lemon Tree Dwelling 4. Strawberry Lemonade Frosted Cupcakes from Oh Mrs. Tucker 5. Lemon Poppyseed Muffin in a Mug from Cranberry … [Read more...]
Mason or Ball Jars are a quintessential summer favorite of mine. As I was cruising this week's Monday Funday Link Party, I noticed there were several terrific jar ideas. Here is a round up... Mason Jars 7 Ways! Starting at the top left and going counter clockwise here's our fabulous line-up: Posed Perfection: Patriotic Fruit Ice Cubes Shaken Together Life: {create this} mason jar BBQ sauce ~ Fathers’ Day gift Joy is at Home: DIY Travel Mason Jar Tutorial {5 minutes start to finish}! Clean and Scentsible: Cherry Lemonade Raspberry Slushie Love Grows Wild: How to Make Mason Jar Soap … [Read more...]
The Lord is the one who is going ahead of you. He will be with you. He won’t abandon you or leave you. So don’t be afraid or terrified. Deuteronomy 31:8, God's Word Translation If you would like a free downloadable print, click here, and save it to your computer. Print on your printer or have the image printed by your favorite photo printing service ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Catch up on all that's Extraordinary... this week at An Extraordinary Day: Here are this week's … [Read more...]
Wow! Talk about a fast change in the weather. Two days ago I set up a space in the basement to work where it's cool, because it was in the high 80's. And today, I don't think we got past 45 degrees and there are winds gusting up to 30 mph. Oh, and there's a freeze alert tonight too!! I know, it's May and anything goes, but I am so ready for just plain spring. Summer can take her time. I just want to relish in a bit of spring. I want to enjoy the Rhododendrons, the Iris, and the Cornus Kousa Dogwoods for more than a day. How about you? Having said all that. My level of discomfort is nothing compared … [Read more...]
Lovely Lunaria as a Cut Flower A corner of our backyard has the popular dried flower, Honesty. Sometimes it is also referred to as the Money Plant. It often has a weedy appearance in the garden. But, this year the color was especially stunning. You might describe it as a deep magenta purple. On a whim I decided to cut two stems and bring them inside. A small cut-crystal vintage bud vase was the chosen vessel for this loveliness. There are lots of side stems on this regal-colored plant. I cut the side shoots off the main stem and had many pretty … [Read more...]
The party is finally over. We managed to enjoy this blogiversary celebration for nearly two whole weeks!! I am still in amazement at how much fun it was and how wonderfully gracious and generous my bloggy friends have been. This week, for me, has been an extraordinary wrap-up to the celebration. If you are a regular reader of Joy Day! posts each Sunday, you might have remembered seeing this scripture photo among the other spring flowers filling the post. One of you has quite a Pinterest following. I couldn't believe my eyes this morning when I saw that it was pinned … [Read more...]
Our first Blogiversary Celebration! Whew!! What a week! Happy Blogiversary An Extraordinary Day! All week long we've been partying to the hilt. And boy, has it been fun! Just to add to the fun and my appreciation of you. I'm finishing the week with this lovely photo of apple blossoms. And... The fun part is that you can click here for an 8x10 to print, or here for a free desktop background. I hope you enjoy either or both. What day was my actual blogiversary? Though my first published post was April 29, 2012...technically Sunday was my … [Read more...]
Doesn't this photo make you think garden party? It seems with so many trees in flower and color everywhere the earth is having a celebration. I stumbled across this quote. Is it not perfect? Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" Robin Williams Speaking of party! There is a big party being planned for An Extraordinary Day! It all starts on Monday with a guest post from someone who is a VIP in my blogging book and one of the first people that I connected with in the blog world. It will be an honor to have her here to help celebrate my first year of … [Read more...]
After being bombarded all week with tragic photos everywhere, I want to give you.... a picture of hope. To give you words of truth. Words of hope. Beauty. A friend told me about this video. I don't usually watch videos...I prefer to read. If you're like me, humor me, please watch the video just because I ask you to. It's eye-opening. http://youtu.be/litXW91UauE Did tear up as you watched the video? If you're like me, maybe you've been running a recording in your head that really isn't true. Let's change that, my extraordinary … [Read more...]
I'm loving this daffodils quote: If one daffodil is worth a thousand pleasures, than one is too few. William Wordsworth Are daffodils popping up all around your neck of the woods? Almost overnight they are everywhere along my walking path. I snapped these photos in the late evening as the sun was low in the sky illuminating this patch in my neighbor's garden. From a distance, I get to enjoy this patch of sunshine from my window. Lucky me. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ … [Read more...]
Flowers... Everywhere I go, there are little green stems with swollen heads. Daffodils waiting to soak in the sunshine and warmer temperatures. Wistfully wanting to slip out of their green cloaks and turn their little cheerful faces to the sun. I feel just like them. Basking in the sun sounds absolutely wonderful today. No doubt in a few short months we all will be seeking a reprieve from the sun and its heat. Perspective. As I was dreaming of flowers and warm weather, I 'flipped' through my photos and came across this one I took at Letchworth State Park some time ago. This quote seemed to marry … [Read more...]
