Too Long For Twitter RT! #2

“There is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within.” Elbert Hubbard #quote http://bit.ly/jdgOy9  via @bluevertical


A phoenix was seen / flying toward the Norse fijords today bowing its head / in sorrow / but promises to soar once more / on the morrow  via @fumanchucat


Put your passion into your creations, it will shine through. Both #writing and #artwork. And learn 'on the job', don't wait to be great. ;)  via @growlersworld http://bit.ly/pS5ga6


Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly but the bumblebee doesn't know that so it goes on flying anyway. Mary Kay Ash  via @delphileaders


The art of communication is not only to say the right thing at right time, but to leave UNSAID the wrong thing at the tempting moment!  via @ricklgodwin


Like it or not we are all heading in the same direction, a smile and a wave along the way is the least we can give to each other  via @citizenwake


Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.  ~Emily Dickinson  via @rainbowhealing


A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light. da Vinci  via @bluevertical http://bit.ly/qv4liX

Egg Flower Photo

This is one of my favorite photos that I have uploaded recently. Have you seen it yet?

"This lovely flower was another find on a hike. It reminded me of watching an egg in a frying pan. July 2011 Arizona" Egg Flower

Racing Beetle Photos!

You asked for it, now you are getting it! I have a couple of those fantastic racing beetle photos up! I can't believe how many photos I took of that little bugger, and only a very small handful are good enough to show. I'm kind of bummed about it. At least I got a couple of really good ones!

Check out these two photos!
http://bit.ly/alieninsect
http://bit.ly/crazybugbelly

Snowshoe watched the bug for a bit, and then decided to check it out a little closer.. here's the first of those pics too.
http://bit.ly/snowshoebug

Too Long For Twitter RTs!

These fabulous words would no longer fit into the Twitter limit when RT, so I brought them here to share instead! Enjoy!


You can only discover the extent of your self-imposed limits by going beyond what you perceive those limits to be. #JetNetting - via @heshiesegal 


To be able to make a difference is truly a blessing with no equal. - via @ralphmarston


"Failure is only postponed success as long as courage coaches ambition. The habit of persistence is the habit of victory" Herbert Kaufman #quote  via - @iain2008


Wouldn't it be great if we chose to live every moment as if to create a memory we'd will cherish for a lifetime? It just takes a smile :)  via - @darrensproat


“What no wife of a writer can ever understand is that a writer is working when he’s staring out of the window.” Burton Rascoe  via - @quotes4writers


Vincent Van Gogh was a big regular of the cafe society and famously said: I have tried to show the cafe as a place where one can go mad. via - @choosecoffee


A clear & focused mind will last a lifetime. Getting your mind in shape is the key to sustainable success in the world. R Simmons  via - @delphileaders


You're beautiful, powerful & capable of achieving ANYTHING. What's stopping you are your self-limiting thoughts & beliefs. Awareness is key!  via - @sarah_hopkins_


Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky. ~Rabindranath Tagore   via @shivpreetsingh



watch you drift into sleep ~ hold you  ~ love and protect you ~ to keep the smile in your heart ~ this is my joy  #micropoetry  via @paintswithwords  #thinkingofyou

Racing Beetle Excitement In Our Kitchen!

We just found this fantastic beetle crawling around our kitchen! It was about two inches long and had yellow stripes running down it's back, like racing stripes! Perhaps the little thing's speed is what made me relate the stripes that way!

I finally had to catch the beetle in a clear shoe box bin so that we could get a good look at it, and get some photos! This thing had the most marvelous antennae! They had these red feather looking things at the end, that made it look like the silly thing was wearing false red eyelashes, held away from it's head.

The cat even made an appearance in the shenanigans. At one point, Snowshoe even laid down in the bin with the beetle! Mostly she had a great time pawing at it and watching it crawl around.

I am completely wiped from a really long day following on the heels of an excellent all nighter.. so photos will be forthcoming.. hopefully tomorrow!

I bet you can't wait to see them now!

New Photos! Grasshopper

I have been busy putting up a series of photos of the grasshopper that my youngest brought me the other day! Grasshopper 6 is my personal favorite! This little green guy actually held still at several points as if posing for me! Loved it!

Grasshopper 1

Grasshopper 2

Grasshopper 3

Grasshopper 4

Grasshopper 5

Grasshopper 6

Updated this Hubpage! Cheap & Easy Parmesan Noodles

I just finished a quick update on this HubPage.

Cheap & Easy Parmesan Noodles

I am thrilled that we found Tinkyada brand rice noodles at Wal-Mart.. who would have guessed it? We haven't been able to find Tinkyada anyplace other than Whole Foods, so it has been a good three plus years since we have had them! I was thrilled to be able to use them for last night's dinner!

Yeah.. I am that excited about noodles.. go figure!

New Photo at RedGage - Snowshoe ~ Comfortable Amid The Toys

I loved finding Snowshoe curled up on the coffee table with the card game remains and dishes the boys had left when they went outside! She is just the sweetest kitty!

Photo - Snowshoe ~ Comfortable Amid The Toys Snowshoe caught napping on the coffee table amid the items left behind by the boys.

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

Join me at RedGage or come see more photos...

New Photo at RedGage Snowshoe ~ You called

I got up a new photo of Snowshoe.. did you get to see it yet?! See it full size at my RedGage account.

Photo - Snowshoe ~ You Called? Snowshoe looks over as called, awoken from a cat nap in her cat tree. July 2011

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

Nuclear Power Phased Out Completely!

Wouldn't that be an amazing headline to see in the news?! As Japan recovers and rebuilds from the earthquake destruction of March 11, 2011, nuclear reactors are undergoing safety checks before being brought back online. Although Naoto Kan was previously a supporter of nuclear power with proper safety precautions, he has been quoted as saying, "We should seek a society that does not rely on nuclear energy. We should gradually and systematically reduce reliance on nuclear power and eventually aim at a society where people can live without nuclear power plants."

It is time the world woke up to all the dangers we are putting ourselves in, and start turning to the alternatives that are available to us!

Read the full article from this link.

Lasting Impressions

New content over at Redgage!

Photo - Lasting Impressions These leaves left a lasting impression on this sidewalk in Prescott, AZ.

Source: SparkleChi's Content on RedGage

Vaccine Dangers and Vaccination Choice

Vaccinations. I think for some parents that may just be the scariest, most heart breaking word in the English language.
I grew up learning the history of vaccinations, how many people had been saved by them, how many diseases had been all but eradicated by them, etc. I don't remember ever hearing the risks they carry in them or the dangers they present to some people.
I remember my own vaccinations, some 30+ years ago.. the fevers that followed, the pain, the headaches, the weakness, the sore muscles, the upset stomach.. I hated them. They made me sick every single time. The pediatrician had no answers for it.
My first child had initial vaccinations. With every shot, she got sick. By the time she was 4, I was desperate for answers and unwilling to subject her to any more shots of any kind.
My second and third children have never been vaccinated. They have been healthy their entire lives, hardly ever having a cold or even headache.
Parental choice as a legal exemption on this issue would be wonderful. There are current legal exemptions in every state, but it is not always easy to claim them. With some states you may have to know the right wording for it to be accepted.. and "they make my kid sick," is not a currently accepted reason. "I think they are dangerous," is not a currently accepted reason. "I want to wait until they are older, as a larger body size begins to mitigate the dangers," is not a currently accepted reason.
My beliefs are that I should be able to choose what I put into my own body, and my children's bodies, since I am responsible for them. What are yours?