Mandala Monday ~ Since We Last Spoke

Why helloooo!

Hi there, my dear WordPress friends! 💕

It’s been such a long time! I hope this finds you all doing and being well! I’ve had many of you on my mind off and on throughout this time I’ve been away, and have thought of posting something on numerous occasions, but frankly, I just didn’t have it in me. There’s many reasons for my absence, none of which I’ll go into right now, but today I thought what better time to pop in to say hello than on a Mandala Monday?!

I must confess, I haven’t created a whole lot of mandalas since we last spoke. I haven’t had the time nor the inspiration for as much creativity, but there’s been moments. Blessed moments, where I haven’t been on survival mode and have been able to settle into the stillness and create…

From my birthday last summer…

On top of a tambourine! A gift I received on said birthday…

Playing with sidewalk chalk.

Some keychains I painted for gifts recently. I can’t remember the last time I painted!

More sidewalk chalk shenanigans…

A work in progress from this past summer solstice. I was trying something different. Don’t look too closely at it, it’s sorta crooked oops! 🙃 I plan to paint the bottom half in greens to represent grass. We’ll see how it turns out. 🤷‍♀️

And these aren’t mandalas. But they are circular. Little dandeLIONS I made with my sweet grandchildren…

They’ve grown so much! My granddaughter is 6 and my grandson is 3. They are such a joy and blessing, I can barely contain the immense love I have for them! 💕

And this isn’t a mandala either, but I have to throw this into this post as well. I’ve recently taken on a few Swallowtail caterpillars to foster and I’m very much looking forward to it! I’ve fostered Monarchs several times in years past, but never Swallowtails. Hopefully I’ll have the chance to share some of the process with you.

Well, I better go get ready for work. I hope to drop by some of your blogs soon!

Sending you all good vibes!

✿~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~✿

Welcome Spring

Serene pools created as the warming sun transformed winter snows, reflect the barren landscape of early spring, clothed in amber and gold, soon to join the fresh, lush hues of the evergreens

As these overflowing reservoirs spill out, carrying their replenishing waters to share with all living things along its journey across the land, streams of abundance flow, with laughter, singing a joyful song

 

Welcome Spring!

 

© Julie Rehnelt 2021

Happy Spring to those of you here with me in the Northern hemisphere! Of course, the date on the calendar doesn’t necessarily always match whatever the weather is doing wherever one may be.  Here in my area of Minnesota, we are having some beautiful weather at the moment – although that can change dramatically on any given day.

The above photo was taken on a lovely walk I went on the other day on a trail along Nine Mile Creek. It’s so hard to capture the full beauty of a place or a moment. One thing you probably can’t get the full effect of from the photo I snapped is the ‘serene pools’ I mention at the top of the poem. In the upper middle part of the photo you can just barely see it, but the calm waters so beautifully reflected the landscape there.  It was the stream I was mostly trying to capture though, but the whole scene was so lovely.  And the sound… gosh, it’s wonderful to hear flowing waters again after the long winter…

Hope you have beautiful sights and sounds to enjoy wherever you are on this first day of Spring! I’m off to take full advantage of our nice weather! Many blessings to you, my friends!

 

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

Winter Romance

Fresh white snow

bright blue skies

a walk in the woods

your hand in mine

 

My desire set aglow

by the twinkle in your eyes

catching my breath

my heart sighs

 

at the touch of winter romance 

 

© Julie Rehnelt 2021

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

 

Full Moon Friday

There was a perfectly lovely moonrise last night!  So stunning that I had to stop in my tracks to gaze up at it for a while, breathing in its beauty.  Ah dusk and dawn.  Sigh…

I took out my phone to try and capture it, but as usual, I was not able to. I did manage this shot, which although it still falls quite short, it does capture some of the feels. I admit I used a filter to enhance it a bit, but only because this was more what it actually looked like to me. The colors gave me a serious case of heart eyes! 😍  I love the moon so much!

 

Wishing you a wonderful day and beauty that gives you heart eyes!

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

Frosty Sea Creatures

Floating on an ocean of glass

frosty sea creatures rise to greet the winter dawn

 

© Julie Rehnelt 2021

It’s finally cold enough for nature to breathe its icy breath on my bedroom windows! I love winter’s unique beauty!

No matter the weather wherever you are when you happen upon this, I hope you’re keeping well and finding beauty and joy in every season.

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

Kindness & Snow

“Kindness is like snow –

it beautifies everything it covers”

Khalil Gibran

Technically this isn’t snow in this image, it’s hoarfrost (which we’ve been delightfully blessed to be having quite a bit of here lately), but who’s being picky? Certainly not me. 😉

So HI YOU GUYS!!!

Sorry for ‘shouting’ all in caps, but I’m excited!

But I’m not excited with this new editor thing. Ugh. Probably old news to you all by now, but it might take me a while to get used to it.

So, I’ve sort of been away from here for months and you know what? I’ve sincerely missed you all! ❤

I have no explanation really, but I did start back to work in the beginning of October. I feel like I’ve been on survival mode for like, ever. You may relate, yes? And that doesn’t promote much inspiration or creativity. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had many moments where there’s been both of those, but I guess maybe I just haven’t been able to take the time nor had the energy to share. Plus, do you ever get tired of yourself? Like, do you ever feel like you’re always sharing the same thing and have nothing new to offer? I don’t know, like I said, I don’t really have an explanation. And then new habits and routines form and before you know it, it’s been months since you’ve shared on your blog…

Even now, I’m squeezing this post in before I have to hurry off for work. But I saw this quote and just had to take this time to share. I’m feeling it so much…

I have more to say, but I’m gonna have to leave it there for now. I hope you all are well. I’m sending out so much love to all of you!

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

Mandala Mon…oops it’s Wednesday! 🙃

The yellow squash I used in this mandala sorta remind me of an old-time airplane propeller.  And that’s a bit how I feel lately… Round and round and round she goes, where she stops nobody knows… But it might be on a Wednesday!  🙃

Here’s a version without the propeller…

🏵

 

Hope you’re all doing well. May you be propelled into beauty and joy this week!

 

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

Mandala Monday ~ When the Garden Gives You Yellow

I’m SO feeling a hint of autumn in the air right now!  And I’m sensing it in the garden too as things are starting to wind down.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s still lots going on out there, but I harvested the last of my beans in the veggie garden the other day, and my yellow beans were the inspiration for this week’s mandala.  The beans and all the other yellows that are happening in the garden…

Gosh, I love yellow, it’s such a bright and cheerful color!

💛

 

It’s a rainy start to the week here on this Monday, but our weather forecast for the week looks amazing! And by amazing, I mean… cooler temps. Yes! Oh, how I love the changing of the seasons!

I hope the weather is nice wherever you are, and that you can find joy and beauty in whatever season you’re in. Wishing you bright and cheerful things in the coming week!

 

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿