snow day.

it's been sunny and much warmer lately. the snow is melting [we had a LOT and we still have quite a bit], and the birds are back and beginning to sing again.

  

so today, my brothers and i headed down to the local state park to hike around and take photos. tyler went one direction, and trevor and i went further down the road before exploring.

we walked on a snowmobile trail over a bridge and followed a trail up a hillside. the snow had to be at least 4 feet deep under out feet, but the 'sleds' had packed it down so we could walk or even run on top without sinking in! a few times we got a little snow up our jeans, but then it was only from stepping off the trail.

Bigfoot roams these hills.

  it's almost picnic weather... probably the most sunshine this table has seen in months!

and finally, my favorite picture of the day: snow on the river.

spco!

after much deliberation, anticipation, and friendly exhortation [from a beloved parent], i have just purchased two seats at the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's Friday morning performances at the Ordway Center.

i am overwhelmed with delight!

Reasons for Such a Purchase:
-i have always adored classical music
-i have seen the SPCO perform many times
-the Ordway is a beautiful venue, in historic downtown St Paul, Minnesota
-the tickets were very affordable
-the thought of being a Season Subscriber to an orchestra has been very prominent in my mind for some while
-the repertoire this season is outstanding! [aka EPIC]

here is a taste of what i have to look forward to!
-MOZART- one of my favorite composers: 2 different concerts!
-Vivaldi's FOUR SEASONS- no explanation necessary.
-guest conductor was the organist at WESTMINSTER ABBEY
-GERMAN BAROQUE!- two Bachs and Telemann!
-Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony
-Leila Josefowicz plays Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Tchaikovsky!
-and finally, Hadyn: performed on the oboe and harp!

i'm also dearly hoping to get tickets to the Orchestra's opening night performance:
Mozart's complete opera, Don Giovanni!

i've recently been looking into the Charlotte Mason methods of education and study. before each of these performances, i'd really like to thoroughly study a large portion of the music to be played, and thereby enjoy every last drop of music to the fullest. it's amazing how much more interesting a concert becomes when the music is familiar. oh, it does such good to my soul!

my greatest hesitation in purchasing these tickets was not the price, but the fact that my life is still so transient. i don't know what the next year holds, nor on which continent[s] i'll be living it! should i happen to be away for some or most of these concerts, i'll gladly sell my tickets to interested musical enthusiasts. [if you'd like to be put on my list of potential buyers, let me know] and, should the Lord keep me here in the Midwest, then i'll most happily and heartily attend each and every one.

p.s. - speaking of the SPCO, there's a free concert on Friday, March 26th! if you leave anywhere near the Twin Cities [especially the Eden Prairie area], take advantage of this great opportunity to hear marvelous music for free on a Friday night. 
visit their website to order your tickets today. [i ought to get paid for this..] :)

feeling inventive.

i made an invention tonight.

p.s. I LOVE MY PIANO.

that's all.

love, annie.

poem.

sailing! sailing! i want to go sailing!
  out over the vastness of blue
    in a ship full of sails
         driv'n on by the gales
             till our eyes shall glimpse wales-
i want to go sailing with you!
                                                    -akj.

springs in the valley.

here's a poem from yesterday's entry in Springs in the Valley by Mrs Charles Cowman:

God is not in a hurry, dear!

    The work He chose for you

Can wait, if He is giving you another

    task to do,

Or, if He call you from your work

    to quietness and rest,

Be sure that in the silence

    you may do His bidding best.

You cannot be a joy to Him,

    if thus with frown and fret

You turn at each new call of His,

    to find new lessons set.

The old familiar tasks were dear,

    and ordered by His hand;

But come and tread another way:

    it is as He has planned.

And yesterday He led you there;

    and now He wants you here;

And what shall be tomorrow's work,

    tomorrow shall make clear.

So patiently and faithfully let each

    day's course be run;

God is not in a hurry, dear,

    His work will all be done.

-Edith Hickman Divall.

There must be a Selah!

storyland.

Ermengarde quite beamed with delight.

'Oh, Sara!' she whispered joyfully, 'it is like a story!'

'It is a story,' said Sara. 'Everything's a story. You are a story- I am a story.
Miss Minchin is a story!'

-excerpt taken from A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

espressive.

this is my other recent thrift store find.

i realize and confess that i am always quite taken with interesting dishes, particularly of the coffee-holding variety. i found this set of 7 espresso cups and 8 saucers, and just couldn't leave without it.

i am filling up a little chest of homemaking treasures, so that whenever the day comes that i have my own home within reasonable moving distance from here [aka probably not europe], it will be a cinch to get my kitchen feeling cozy in no time. and i'd have to say, i suspect that an espresso afternoon will certainly be held at my earliest convenience.

"There are so many responsibilities on a person's mind when they're keeping house, isn't there?" - Anne of Green Gables

the find.

well, here's one of the latest thrift extravaganza finds. i realize i just spent a weekend thrifting in the cities, but all week i had a strong desire to go to the Aux [auxiliary thrift shop]. it's right across the parking lot from the restaurant where i work, so every day upon leaving, i'd remember that i really ought to go sometime soon.

well, i finally went. and i got two things. this post is about the first thing. it's vintage, burgundy leather, tailored, and worn in just right. and it cost, ladies and gentlemen, two dollars. ta-da!

 

watercolor.

here's my latest swing at it!

1. prepare your workspace.

2. add some sunshine.

3. paint to your heart's delight.

copyright 2010 Andrea Johnson

think creative thoughts!

and do creative things!

in the past few weeks, i've been generally uninspired to create. it always seems nice, but i tend to get lost in something infinitely less imaginative in the matter of mere seconds.

not so today! today has been quite inspiring indeed. of course, having a breakfast of hot fresh coffee and warm scones [fresh out of the oven and topped with devonshire cream and homemade preserves!] in a room bursting with sunlight, does certainly spark the imagination afresh. although in hindsight, i must confess that it has been stirring up within me during these less creative days. i have made a remarkable discovery about classic children's literature [circa 1860-1920]: the heroes and heroines have absolutely the most glorious imaginations. none of them are well off financially, they all work and study hard, and they have the most thrilling adventures, these children of yesterday's books.

i once read in a book the story of a man whose name is henceforth and forever removed from my memory [both the book and its character]; however, i shall forevermore recall his way of life. he was a poor preacher-man in england, not in terribly good health nor held in particularly high esteem amongst others; he was moved to this and that parish, accompanied by his wife and several children. they had very little money and few possessions, except for these more precious than they all: a small yet beloved collection of books. and each evening, through the reading of these books, this family would embark on the most fantastic adventures around the world and back again, all from the warmth and light of their cozy hearth. i have ever since admired this family's example, and relished in the thought of traipsing the world over, either in person or in imagination.

at work today i spoke extensively with another employee about the joys of old maps and globes. i declare, i am utterly smitten by geography. i remember not one bit of geographical study from my schooldays, but thankfully that lack has not seemed to dampen my current enthusiasm. for my birthday last week, i received a beautiful large National Geographic map of the World. i intend to hang it on my bedroom wall and rapturously devour each continent until i know it by heart.

part two of my birthday adventure was a trip to the city with my mother. we attended a performance of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra to begin the day. [i find it fitting to insert here that i am in love with classical music, and that each time i have the privilege of seeing and hearing an orchestra, i am once again overcome with awe and appreciation. how i would love to learn a string instrument! or all of them! sigh!] after the concert, we collected my grandmother from her home and spent the ensuing afternoon and following day perusing many area thrift stores for treasures.

my favourite find of the weekend is pictured above. i've been gradually updating the decor of my room since my arrival back in the states, and i find it slowly progressing into a lovely storyland. i suppose that means it is a collection of various items which bring utmost delight to my soul and art-loving eyes. there are treasures from all over the world, and books, and pictures, and windows, and lights, and boxes, and instruments, and all sorts of good, pretty things. this globe was a perfect addition to the grand scheme of things! although it appears to have an early graffiti artist's handiwork upon it....