Hello 2014!

M a y   y o u   a l w a y s   b e   b l e s s e d

w i t h   w a l l s   f o r   t h e   w i n d ,

a   r o o f   f o r   t h e   r a i n ,

a   w a r m   c u p   o f   t e a   b y   t h e   f i r e,

l a u g h t e r   t o   c h e e r   y o u ,

t h o s e   y o u   l o v e   n e a r   y o u ,

a n d   a l l   t h a t   y o u r   h e a r t   m i g h t   d e s i r e .

(Irish Blessing)

Makin' Time

 Everybody has a part of her body that she doesn't like, 

but I've stopped complaining about mine because 

I don't want to critique nature's handiwork ... 

My job is simply to allow the light to shine out of the masterpiece. 

-Alfre Woodard

2013 is nearly at an end.

Do you find yourself wondering about 2014?

Vowing to put things from 2013 in the past,

and make the new year better?

Are you the type who sits and ponders over all

the things that went wrong, and went right, 

before moving on?

As I look back on these posting here at FTLOG,

i have to wonder if i achieved any part of my goal

for this?  Or has it turned into "just another nudie blog"

like so many others out there?

As i sit here and ponder, i realize that

what i've learned over the years is we need to

make time for the things that matter to us.  

Most people think we need to find time ... 

but as we all know, that just doesn't happen.  

As 2014 begins, make sure you're making time for 

the things that matter to you.

Free'd

When I free my body from its clothes, 

from all their buttons, belts, and laces, 

it seems to me that my soul takes a deeper, freer breath.  

~August Strindberg

Merry Christmas!

Deck the halls,

wrap the presents,

and sing carols .....

this can be the most

favorite time of year,

and the most dreaded.













If you're like me,

you feel that too much

of the Christmas meaning

has been misplaced, lost,

hiding behind the

busy-ness and stresses

that accompany how it's

"supposed to be"









This year,

follow your heart.


^{Isaiah 9:6}  - For unto us a child is born......

We've all heard this familiar line.  It's even recited in a Charlie Brown Christmas.  To me, no matter your choice(s) when it comes to religion, there is something bigger than us, whether you call it God, the Universe, or some other name.  But the bottom line, the underscore of all of it, is Love.  

Wishing you a joyous holiday!  

May it be filled with laughter and love!

Holidays

“Colored lights blink on and off, racing across the green boughs. Their reflections dance across exquisite glass globes and splinter into shards against tinsel thread and garlands of metallic filaments that disappear underneath the other ornaments and finery.

Shadows follow, joyful, laughing sprites.

The tree is rich with potential wonder.

All it needs is a glance from you to come alive.”
-Vera Nazarian



its that time of year where rituals and traditions
mix and blend within our daily routines.
if you're like me, there are so many things to love
about them, spending time with family.

then there are the obligations of the season
that tend to wear us down:  shopping for that
perfect gift for the special ones in our lives.
cooking favorite meals, even the decorations
can cause us to feel a little pressured
because we want to do it all.
and sometimes we feel guilty when we can't
do all that we want. 

Take a moment to pause.
 just breathe.
and don't let any guilt
creep in because you didn't ----
enjoy what you did,
and love one another

i am on holiday with family -
its a merry loving time.
i hope you are enjoying yours. :)

One Little Hope

 

"A whole stack of memories never equal one little hope."
-Charles M. Schulz

 

is there something you hope for?
it may not be related to Christmas
and all that it brings -- or doesn't.
We all have things we hope for,
but is there one certain something
that you can't just put your finger on?
Lately, I've felt that very thing... that
i have a hope that seems to be deep
inside, that i don't look at very often,
and probably should.

"...all human wisdom is contained in these two words, 'Wait and Hope.”

-Alexandre Dumas

A whole stack of memories never equal one little hope.
Charles M. Schulz
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/memories.html#UyeYh3ilU6RoYxfR.99

A whole stack of memories never equal one little hope.
Charles M. Schulz
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/memories.html#UyeYh3ilU6RoYxfR.99

Memories

 as the holidays approach,

i look back on all the traditions

from my childhood,

and the traditions I passed on

to my children.

 maybe not all of them were good

but having traditions help

create memories from year to year





i hope you're making memories

this year, too :)

Memory is the way of 

holding on to the things you love,

the things you are, 

and the things you never wish to lose. 

To Dance

To dance is to reach for a word that doesn't exist,

To sing the heartsong of a thousand generations,

To feel the meaning of a moment in time.

- Beth Jones

 

a little experimenting

always goes a long way

in making me laugh

at myself.

black and white artistry

along with a few

wriggles and squiggles

fun times!

Hope

No matter how dark the moment, 

love and hope are always possible.
 

-George Chakiris

During the Holiday season

it seems to me that everyone

feels just a bit more loving,

a bit more hopeful.

Perhaps its the memories

that spring up of traditions

from our childhood, 

the simpler times 

we wish we could have again.

 

Be Kind

"Life is short and we have never

too much time for gladdening

the hearts of those who are

traveling the dark journey with us.

Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind."

Henri Frederic Amiel












It's cold here, and everywhere

else it seems, as well.  Winter

has arrived, and yet officially

its still autumn.   

I wonder

if that indicates this will be

a harsh winter?

In the spirit of autumn,

I found a bouquet of

dried grasses.  And since

I never pass up a bargain

if I think I could use it in

some photos .... 

These little light up branches

were $2.50, run on battery!


Cute and cheap photo op!

i didn't like the harsh light in the first photo I took ...
draping the light with a scarf toned it down,  but
added a bit of red....  pix in the dark aren't always easy!

Who You Are

.

“And that's when I heard 

the whisper in my heart's ear: 

"It's not about your childhood. 

It's about who you are!”

― C. JoyBell C.

 

Five Things, Q&A

Fall has arrived

here in the Valley of the Sun

and the leaves turn quickly

as the nights get cooler.

Here are five things you

might not know about me:

I am an introvert
     (in spite of what you see here!)

I raised two handicapped children
     (Both are finding their own way in the world)

I am 54 years young
     (because I refuse to say I'm old!)

My dog, Sadie, is a joy to have around
     (Most of the time!)

Along with photography, I love to write.


I wonder how many of you are willing to tell ME five things about yourself in the comments, or email me  ( Fortheloveofgal@gmail.com )

The Ordinary

Nobody

sees the obvious,

Nobody

observes the ordinary.

-Robert Anton Wilson

felt like being

square this week

its been both

busy and quiet

in a way that

tends to alter

my moods








 “In the end that was

the choice you made,

and it doesn't matter

how hard it was

to make it.

It matters that you did.”


― Cassandra Clare

Seek Yourself

"To love yourself as you are

is a miracle,

and to seek yourself

is to have found yourself,

for now.

And now is all we have,

and love is who we are."

--Anne Lamott

Imperfect

"You are imperfect,

permanently and inevitably

flawed.

And you are

beautiful."

-Amy Bloom

Glowing

You are beautiful.

Your beauty,

just like your capacity

for life, happiness, and success,

is immeasurable.


-Steve Maraboli

i really liked the

first picture here

how the light

changed the look

of my skin

and contrasts

with the black

i almost appear

to be glowing!

Ass+

“Life is all about Ass. 

You're either covering it, 

laughing it off, kicking it, 

kissing it,  bursting it, 

or trying to get a piece of it.”

― Unknown Author

Herself

The rarest thing in the world 

is a woman who is pleased 

with photographs of herself.  

~Elizabeth Metcalf











 




This is so true,
and i'm no exception.
i cull out a few
photos and poses
because i don't like
this or that
about them.
 

 

On the other hand,
i've learned to become
more accepting
of who i am,
how i look,
and realizing
that there is beauty
in every curve,
every line,
of a human body.

Curves Ahead

.... then i saw those

black lace panties

and i knew that it was you ....

When life gives you curves,

flaunt them!

Feel Like a Woman

this first photo is an example of what photos
look like when i take the first shot,
then run back to peek at the image --

to see if i have my body in the image,
if the settings are ok....
obviously they weren't so OK here!
but i found the visible garter appealing.










Inspiration for this set was a line
from a Shania Twain song....

"The best thing about being a woman
Is the prerogative to have a little fun
go totally crazy-- forget I'm a lady
Men's shirts --short skirts
really go wild -- yeah, doin' it in style
get in the action -- feel the attraction
Color my hair -- do what I dare
I wanna be free -- yeah, to feel the way I feel
Man! I feel like a woman!

Do Nothing

some weeks can feel longer
and more tiring than others
and i'm not sure why.

even my feet wanted to give it up,
to come home and rest early today.




 
There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want.  
~Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes

Half Naked

“Her chin lifted.

"Very well. Here is my best offer.

Half of my nakedness for all of yours."

He pretended to think on it. " It's a bargain.”


-Tessa Dare, A Week to Be Wicked




(i don't know about you,


but that sounds like a

perfectly delicious book!)

Dinner, anyone?

 “There is no spectacle on earth 

more appealing 

than that of a beautiful woman 

in the act of cooking dinner 

for someone she loves.”

--Thomas Wolfe