Poppies and IA Challenge

Poppies are a favorite flower.

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Ivon Hitchens (British artist, 1893-1979) Flowers

According to this source the poppy means that...

The red petals stand for the vast outpouring of blood; the yellow and black center, the mud and desolation of all battlefields. The green of the stem is symbolic of the forests, meadows and fields where generations of Americans have perished to make this land free. The stem represents the courage and determination of our fallen warriors. The assembled product, a flower, is a symbol of resurrection, which is sure to follow.

In the book The Language of Flowers, poppy means consolation.

Darling earrings  source

A favorite blog read is BJWS; this paragraph is taken from her post found here about poppies.

In the World War I battlefields of Belgium, poppies grew wild amid the ravaged landscape. How could such a delicate flower grow bright and  wild surrounded by death and destruction? The overturned soils of battlefield enabled the poppy seeds to be covered, allowing them to thrive and to serve as a reminder of the bloodshed during that and future wars. The use of poppies as a remembrance for those who served in war was inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields" written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae of the WWI Canadian forces in 1915.

poppies on silk by McCarroll

Elsbeth Müller-Kaempff (German artist, 1869–1940) 

Poppies have been painted, photographed and written about since time immemorial.  Show us a picture or write about poppies and link back to Inspiration Avenue (IA). I will comment on every entry and will surely  enjoy each of your posts.  Here is a linky picture to use in your post if you would like to copy it.

Angels and Oranges

Be it a spiritual angel,

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or referring to fun in the snow

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or thinking about the most important event in the realm of Christianity as relating to Jesus' birth when the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary:

Luke 1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

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we are all somehow linked into God's kingdom.  And I believe angels do guide and protect me while in a state of grace.  (More about this here on guidance and protection.)

A few angels from my Christmas display collection:

See the angel furthermost to the left in the picture above?  My mother had that easel angel for many years.  She usually displayed it right beneath a pot of ivy.  I think she must have connected to her heavenly roots each time she gazed on that angel.  Stair-stepping up from the left is a contemporary angel my sister Pam gave me several years ago. I asked for it; wasn't that greedy?  But she willingly complied...I just wanted an angel from her!  Then the angel at the center-most top of the photograph was given to me by my friend Francis eleven years ago before she died that following summer.  I always think of Fran and the good times we had painting together when I hold that fragile pink glass angel. The white angel above was given to me by my friend Carol about 15 years ago.  We met in the early '70's when our husbands were in graduate school in Michigan, and we still keep in touch.

Linking to Inspiration Avenue and the Theme of the Week: Angels

  also linking to Mandarin Orange Monday with a bowl of tangelos and orange squash

Look Through a Window

Linking up with Inspiration Avenue here for the weekly challenge of "Look Through a  Window and Share What You See," this was my view out the front door at 6:30 AM.

and the back windows...

Cold and wintry!

How is your morning and what do you see?

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Fairies' Tea Party and You Are Invited

Inspiration Avenue Invites Your Blog Participation at

Click here for signing up!

Go here for signing up to post some pictures of your favorite little fairiy girls having a tea party.  And there will be seven sweet give away prizes just for entering into the tea party festivities. And there will be party favors! Hop around and visit other blogs joining in to the tea party and see what they are serving.

My backyard fairies will be having these scones with clotted cream:

After all, why should just Alice in Wonderland have all the tea party fun?

Introducing a Blog Party Hosted by Inspiration Avenue

Blog Hop and Tea Party!

It's a magical get-together; an event

to get to know all our friends and to see where

they create and write!

So we invite each and every one of you,

old friends and new,

to set the table for a FAIRIES' TEA!!

Call all your fairy friends and bring them along for

weeks of magic, inspiration, and fun  Go to "read more"  for all the details!