Meditating on a Panorama of Beauty and Peace

Today, I get to enjoy another view of The Alps, this time, a closer view from the Sorell Hotel Zurichberg. 

A view of the Alps and Lake Zurich from the Sorell Hotel Zurichberg

That's me at the hotel facade

This is where I enjoy the panoramic beauty of the place

This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience! I so love this view of the pine(???) trees lined up in front of the Swiss houses along the streets. 

I look at them through the branches and twigs of some barren trees while the sun is just appearing beneath the clouds. The view of the lake with the Alps at the far left, isn't it such a beauty!

I see smoke coming out of the chimney from one of the houses. That reminds me of the story of Classics Illustrated, The Three Little Pigs. The wolf's desperate attempt to get the pigs, remember, was made through the chimney! :) 

I also see a few people walking around with their dogs tagging along--- peeing and pooing :) Makes me miss Moshi and Dutchie!!!!!

I feel the cold air brushing against my face. Perfect time to meditate upon God's word! Truly, "the earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters." (Psalm 24:1)

I sit here on the bench, meditating on God's goodness for allowing me to relish the beauty of this place.

The picturesque view around Sorell Hotel Zurichberg

As I do, I read and pray through the first verse of Psalm 24, "My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer..." Praying that He would grant me such gift, inspired by the relaxing view of the lake and the Alps! 

The Sorell Hotel Zurichberg, located high above the city of Zurich, is certainly a perfect haven of peace and quiet rest.

Sorell Hotel up-close

Look, The Alps!

What a blessing it is to savor the wonder and beauty of these snow-capped mountains after walking a few kilometers to a church up a hill several blocks from Wipkinger Park. I didn't expect to see this view on Day 1 here in Zurich, Switzerland. Never in my whole life did I realize I would ever take this photo personally. It's very, very far from where I stood, yes, but distance is no hindrance in savoring such wonder and beauty! See this--- The Alps!

Beholding in awe the beauty of God's majestic creation--- The Alps

Glad to catch this poem from Google, The Alps by Watie W. Swanzy. It so perfectly echoes the sentiments of my heart, beholden in appreciation of God's glory.

Thy towering peaks, O mighty Alps! arise
From out the deepening shadows of the past
Like sunlit spires above the shades of night
Seen from some proud eminence afar.
On thy summits rest the eternal snows,
In semblance of the purity sublime
Of Heaven, from which streams of living waters flow,
Those rocky heights that rise, piercing the sky,
And against which the fleeing clouds do break
Themselves, and where the snowy avalanche
Forms and falls on the silent rivers of ice
Below, with deep-toned thunder, are summits
Whereon Orion and the sweet Pleiades,
All the shining hosts of Heaven, pause to rest
On their eternal revolutions. Time,
In his onward course, seems not to touch thee.
Unlike this lower world, that under his
Fierce sway becomes changed in its aspect, thou
Hast stood the same for ages past; and who
Can say thou wert not then, as now, when time
Began his first cycle?

 

Ambitious man
Is powerless to subdue thee, although
He has oft fearlessly scaled thy steep sides,
Reaching the summit of thy highest peaks.
Yet he could not long remain there: thy airs
Are too ethereal for his sluggish powers
To inhale; and, faint, exhausted, he comes back
To lowlier scenes, content to gaze on thee
As thou standst enveloped in the blue mist
Of distance, which mellows and softens thee.

 

Oh, what a hymn sublime thou singst to God
Who formed thee! and I join thy anthem of praise
Gladly, with all questionings of His right
To create and control silenced. Did he
Not, with his attendant seraphim, pause
On thy summits, and look down upon his
Handiwork spread out before him? Methinks
He did; and all things in audible voice
Did loudly glorify and worship Him.

Enjoy cooking without burning your fingers!

What? It's the first day of February already? And I haven't featured all the projects I made for the Christmas holidays yet!!!! Oh my, how time flies! 

Last week, I posted about the Barefoot Sandals I made for the first time. Today, let me showcase the Pan Handle Cozy I made. I Googled for patterns from the web and found Rachel Choi's Double Thick Pot Handle Cozy from Crochet Spot. 

I was attracted to her magic words--- "double thick"! I like that because I don't want to get blisters on my hands while accidentally touching the pan handles while cooking. 

Here are the crocheted pan handles I made. 

Oh yes, I made two, using different patterns. I used the pattern from Crochet Spot to make the one on the left of the photo. The pattern was very simple and easy to follow. The only modification I made was not using double strand of yarn because the Ombre Sayelle knitting worsted type of yarn I used was already thick.

I will tell you the secret ;) in the making of the other one on the right. But that will be in another post. So please stay tuned for a secret to be revealed soon! 

How was your celebration of the Chinese New Year?
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Crocheting Barefoot Sandals

Hey, hey, hey, have you crocheted anything like these before?

Two pairs of barefoot sandals I made
with some other gift items given away for the Christmas holiday season

I found these cute barefoot sandal designs with patterns from Top 10 Free Crochet Patterns for Barefoot Sandals and I wasn't able to resist experimenting using two of the patterns featured. Here are two pairs I made up-close... chic, aren't they?

Bohemian Barefoot Sandals 

and 

Kitty's Barefoot Sandals

A discovery it is for me, indeed! Wondering how these barefoot sandals are worn? Well, everybody who received these items as gifts all asked the same question (with raised eyebrows and a "What-are-these?" retort) hahaha! Here, take a closer look at each pair---

Now these are two persons wearing the same design--- the Bohemian barefoot sandals.
You will never guess whose feet they are!

Now you know what my favorite color is!

The patterns are very easy to follow, although, believe it or not, this was the first time I ever used beads as embellishment for my crochet works. Well, I did enjoy the challenge of learning a new technique for the first time. Learning, indeed, can be real fun! 

I must confess I was very careful in following the instructions so as not to miss any stitch that would alter the design.

I have to revisit the other designs for these unique sandals in the coming days. Perfect for summer! Can't wait crocheting more pairs using the other patterns and playing with different colors! Oh, I'm so excited seeing my friends frolic along the beach or the swimming pool wearing the barefoot sandals I'm making for them!

Thank you, Chandi of Expression Fiber Arts for the chic Bohemian barefoot sandals modeled by your newly wed niece and Katie Turpen of Kitty's Creations for sharing the pattern of your Kitty's barefoot sandals! :))

I have actually crocheted seven pairs of sandals using other colors for my friends at work. I will feature the other pairs I made in another post.

Now, do these sandals entice you to go barefoot on the nearest beach or swimming pool?
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Let's get framed!

I'm working on a teaching module which is long overdue, but let me pause awhile to get some rest. How can I work, work and work without blogging in between? 

Checking on my blogger dashboard, I see one comment to an old post. I approve the comment, review the old post and what do I see? One of my favorite photos of myself taken almost two years ago by Jepoy, a very talented nurse-photographer-dancer. I like the photo that I made it my profile pic in Facebook and other social networks I joined. 

Click here to view how I framed one single photo using different designs from Photo Frames Online. :)) Oh yes, there are lots of other digital frames (click here) available online which you may choose from. Google and explore now...  take a selfie... frame yourself just like what I did! And oh, please share on the comment box below which digital photo frame you used.

If you were on my shoes, would you have jumped off the frame? Hmmmm... I don't think I would like to hear your reply to that question!!??? hahaha!

Thank you, Jepoy, for taking my picture! 

Now back to the module I'm making. Have a great weekend!
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