Mandala Monday ~ Strawberries

Sometimes I like to play with my food 🙃

I’ve really been enjoying my little patio container of strawberries this year. It’s such a lovely, delightful little pot, and I’m getting so many berries on it – more than ever before!  It’s an ever-bearing variety, so it’s been non-stop since spring.

Tiny, but tasty! 🍓

And the bright, hot pink blooms are so beautiful..

This is from earlier this spring…

And this is from this morning…

I’ve got to keep an eye out for the pesky squirrels who like to snatch them just as they’re ripening. Those theiving little beasties!

I also have a little strawberry plant that my granddaughter and I started from seed back in March of 2020 when she had her last sleepover just before the big C burst onto the scene here in the US.  It too has been getting tiny berries on it…

I arranged this on my potting bench the other day using some of the berries from that plant while thinking of my sweet granddaughter…

She’s getting so big…

And so is my grandson…

Gosh, how time flies… we’ve really got to cherish each moment, don’t we. 💕

 

May your Monday be filled with sweet moments…

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

Mandala Monday ~ It’s Been a While

Life is a wheel

constantly turning

ever-changing

staying the same

 

Around and around

right side up

upside down

perspectives in flux 

 

But the Center never moves

 and for that I am truly grateful

 

 

© Julie Rehnelt 2021

Hi friends, it’s been a while! I hope this finds all of you well and that you have beauty and joy and love in your lives!

Things have been extremely challenging for me recently, but in this moment I am ok, filled with gratitude. 🙏

I haven’t been feeling as creative as I usually am, but I have made a few nature mandalas since I was here last and thought I’d share them with you.

My garden is a bit lacking this year, so I haven’t had as much to work with, but I’m sincerely appreciating and enjoying what I do have.  I just harvested some yellow beans from my veggie garden and they were actually what sparked the inspiration for the mandala above. Here it is with the beans…

😁

And here is a mandala I made a couple weeks ago…

And a few others…

I also made a little mini wreath one day just for kicks…

I used peppermint for the base and it was very fragrant!  I’m so grateful for my sense of smell.  And for all my senses.

Well, I guess that’s all for now. I gotta go get ready for work.  Thanks so much for letting me share!  I hope this brightens your day in some small way! 🌼 May it be happy and blessed, and may the wheel of life spin you in beautiful directions today!

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

Sweet Love

The sweetest pink

the softest petals

a whisper of romance

sensuality in bloom

 

© Julie Rehnelt 2021

 

Happy Valentine’s Day! 💝

 

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

Mandala Monday ~ Stopping to Smell the Roses

I came across this gorgeous zinnia ‘mandala’ this past week while my mom and I were on a little outing to a local public rose garden. It’s been ages since she has been out anywhere, so it was really wonderful to get out and do this with her.

There weren’t many people there, and the ones who were there, all kept their distance from one another, which helped my mom feel more comfortable being out. I’m so grateful to have places like this nearby and I’m glad it was still open to the public during the pandemic. We really need our outdoor spaces.

We had a very nice time and of course, I took tons of photos while we were there. I seemed to gravitate toward all the pinks…

The fragrance was soooo heavenly! 🥰

Here are a couple orange beauties I noticed…

And yellow…

But back to the pink…

I really couldn’t get enough of the pink. Even in the other flowers they had on the grounds…

The bees liked them too…

And we came across other wildlife out enjoying the beauty too…

Sweet little bun bun! 🐇 💕

We also spotted some beautiful clematis wearing my favorite color…

But my favorite ‘flower’ was this one in blue…

❤

 

Wishing you beauty this week!

 

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

Beauty Rings

Trumpets resound at the rising sun

as beauty rings out in the garden

 

© Julie Rehnelt 2020

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

Mandala Monday ~ Midsummer

“Flowers are the music of the ground

from earth’s lips spoken without sound”

~ Edwin Curran

Gosh, I love the idea of that quote!

🎶🌼🎶

I created this week’s mandala on midsummer using some randoms that are flourishing in my garden right now.

Have I mentioned lately how grateful I am for my humble little outdoor space?  SO very!

🌱

Here are a few other snaps I took during the process…

And here is the full view of the shot at the top of this post, uncropped…

Of course, my feet!  😁  Toes unpainted as of yet this summer, but still so happy ~ especially in the garden!

 

May your feet lead to happy places this week! 👣

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

Mandala Monday ~ Heart for the City

Some of you may know that I live in the city of Minneapolis, and you may have heard what has been going on here over the past week.  Some of it may now also be affecting your communities.

My heart has been so troubled… I can’t really even formulate the words to describe the range of emotions I’ve been experiencing, but grief, anger and fear have been at the forefront.

Grief over the death of George Floyd, grief and anger over the racism, hatred and injustice that exists in our world; and grief, anger and fear over all of the violence, chaos and devastation sweeping over my city right now.

I don’t have the answers or a solution of how to fix anything.  But I do believe that our thoughts and emotions have energy that expands outside of ourselves and affects the world around us.  So I want to take care with the type of energy and vibes I’m putting out.  I don’t want my grief, anger and fear to add any fuel to the literal flames going on around me – I want to radiate peace and love out into my community, and out into the world.

Even though I feel very small and powerless to change anything, I have to believe it makes a difference somehow.  I can shift my focus and take these actions…

“Lord make me an instrument of Your Peace

Where there is hatred, let me sow Love

Where there is injury, Pardon

Where there is doubt, Faith

Where there is despair, Hope

 Where there is darkness, Light

Where there is sadness, Joy

Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console 

Not so much to be understood, as to understand

Not so much to be loved, as to love…”

That is what I was meditating on as I made this mandala ~ making it heart-shaped as my heart went out to my city.  And making it with Bleeding Hearts felt pretty perfect…

 

My deepest sympathy to the family and friends of George Floyd.  Peace and Love to all the people of my city, and in the world, who are hurting.

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

Wordless Wednesday

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

Mandala Monday ~ Dandelions

Some say a weed, some say a flower

I say

dandelions shine like bright little stars scattered amidst a galaxy of green

warming my heart like the sun

 

Spiral of cheer

 

© Julie Rehnelt 2020

~

Rescued these bright little stars from going supernova by getting chewed up in my lawn mower over the weekend, and thought I’d create a mandala with them.  I was in the mood for a spiral…

What are you in the mood for on this Monday?

 

Wishing you warmth and cheer! 🌞

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

Flowery Friday and the New Phone

All the flowering trees are in bloom here right now and it’s so beautiful! 😍  And the weather is perfect too!  Yesterday I was literally outside all day – almost from sun up to sun down. Gosh I’ve needed this. 🥰

 One thing I didn’t mention in my long rambling post the other day is that my beloved phone died.  It was old, as far as cell phones go, I got it in 2015, but it had a great little camera on it and took such beautiful pictures, so I’m really sad about it.  Most of the newer phones don’t even have as nice of a camera, unless you want to spend a lot, which I don’t.  But while I was talking with customer service, crying the blues about losing my nice camera on my phone, the rep told me about this one – the Samsung Galaxy A51, which I’ve fondly named Area51 (get it? cuz it’s called the A51 😉). What… you don’t name your phone?  My last phone’s name was Tink, may she rest in peace.  Anyway, this new one is nothing fancy, but it does have a 48 mp camera and 4 lenses, so hopefully it’ll take nice pictures.

 I was disappointed with the majority of pictures I snapped of the flowering things with it yesterday, the quality that I was expecting just didn’t seem to be there. But hopefully as I get more acquainted with it that will improve. If not, I guess I’ll just have to deal with it. So if you notice that the pictures I share aren’t as nice as they used to be, that’s why.  I did think the shot I shared above turned out pretty.  It was gorgeous in person! 🌸

 

I’m heading outside for the day again today – gotta soak in all the loveliness that I can.  I hope your weather is nice and that there are flowering things wherever you are today.  Wishing you beauty and joy!

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿