Last week I returned from a wonderful winter get away. Coming home to a cold and cloudy Minnesota was a bit depressing. I think the gloomy weather had an effect on my ability to get over my jet lag. I've spent the past week feeling moody and tired and sleeping way too much. As a result, Valentine's Day came and went with very little fanfare or celebration in my house. Valentine's Day as a holiday has never really been all that important to me, but I do love the colors. Well, it's mostly about the pink for me. Pink balloons, lush pink roses, fuzzy pink sweaters, cupcakes with thick pink frosting and heart shaped sprinkles. I love the color pink. It's romantic, charming, girly and sweet. The color pink makes me smile. So here's a tribute in photos to one of my favorite colors:
I saw this building in Ireland and fell in love. I wanted to lick the wall to see if it tasted like birthday cake. I wonder what kind of shop it is?
My buddy Sammy and I crocheted these sweet fuzzy bunny slippers for her a few year's ago. I'll bet she's grown out of them by now.
This luscious quilt was made by the featured quilter at the Sister's Quilt Show a few years back. I wish I could remember her name. The quilt was huge, this photo is of the center block.
There were Japanese cherry trees in the backyard of the house that I grew up in. In the springtime, I used to lay on the grass underneath the trees and look at the beautiful blue sky peeking though the pink blossoms. It's one of my favorite childhood memories.
I ate a rambutan for the first time a few weeks ago. Rambutans are a hot pink, fuzzy fruit that grows in the tropics. To get to the edible fruit, you peel the rambutan like an orange. The flesh has the constistency of a peeled grape. It's wonderfully sweet and tastes kind of like a concord grape or a lychee:
Here's a close up:
Last but not least is my fabulous new hairbrush. I about had a fit of the vapors when I saw this in the store. I knew at once that I must have it or die. My sister Sandra does not understand my deep and abiding love of Hello Kitty. But she did manage to swipe my favorite pink shirt that I took on vacation.
At long last my December BJP piece is finished. I began beading on December 1st hoping to get a head start before the holiday madness set in. I always feel like a crazed lunatic by the time the last bits of holiday craftery are completed and the last package is mailed off to my loved ones. I seem to never have enough Christmas spirit to get me through December and I am always left feeling stressed and exhausted.
In an effort to counter balance the holiday craziness, I planned my escape into the bead world of the peaceful winter landscape. 
One of my favorite things about living in Minnesota is the stark beauty of the winter landscape. The layers of sparkling snow and ice offset by the pale blue sky and highlighted by the cool grays of stone and bark. The land lies in wait under her quilt of snow, drowsy and introspective. She is resting from the seasons of growth. 
On clear days, the sun warms and the snow melts. If you listen carefully you can hear the whisper of water weaving through the granite on it's way to mysterious destinations far below. 
At night the water freezes and swells, working it's way into fissures in the stone. Pressure builds until the rock splinters and cracks, reminding us that the landscape is always changing. 
Quiet and still, the land subtly shifts underneath her blanket of snow waiting patiently for the rebirth of spring. 
