DIANE O'CONNOR

Fall is in the air! The days are beautiful and you can tell that the sun is getting lower in the sky. I love these last days of summer! This year I decided to do several paintings in August in anticipation of fall decorating. It's always fun to have a new focal point above our piano in the living room, so I got to work. [Last year I waited until fall was in full swing to start a fall painting, and it was winter before it was complete! This year I got an early start.] I wanted

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you

“I am not a Democrat or a Republican, I vote for the men who will do what I feel is best for our country.” * John Kristiansen, 1960 That's the answer my dad gave me when I began to take some interest and ask questions abut the up-coming elections. And today I find that I follow in my father's footsteps—I am not Republican or Democrat. I am a Constitutional Conservative — and as such, I will vote for the person I feel will best uphold the constitution and conservative values.

Fall Designing & Decorating I wanted to create something to hang above my sink for the fall season, so I started with a cradled wood panel. [16 x 20 x 2] The Foundation First I applied all kinds of papers using a medium glossy gel and applying papers over the top to cover the edges as well. Scrappy, used papers and memorabilia are called "ephemera." My ephemera was a little too stark and busy for the background I had in mind, (see above) so I applied a tinted layer of gel ov

Trust - The Key to Healthy Relationships “To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.” George MacDonald I've been thinking a lot about trust these days . . . well mostly, MIS-trust. It seems everywhere I turn I see people whose trust has been broken and they are skeptical about the motives of others. I am by nature someone who easily trusts and generally gives people the benefit of the doubt. But recently I'm finding that when trust has been broken multiple times,

I love summer! I look forward each winter to days of sunshine and warmth. I'm outside as much as possible—it seems I have a renewed sense of the beauty of God's creation. I've been marveling at each detail on my summer walks, drinking it in before these lovely days of summer are behind us. I'm realizing that so many times I take for granted all God has done in the world and in my heart! Spread out in front of me are thousands of wonderful, everyday miracles. Recently I came a