Blue Insulators

Sidetracked-- that is what is happening lately. 

 Wanting to play in the garden and I have wedding details on my list to do.....

  but,  just stopping by to share with you some things outside today.

Vintage blue electrical insulators
On bamboo poles in the garden

Endless Summer Hydrangea

Passion Flower Vine
Loves the Virginia Heat and humidity


Not sure what I will get posted in the next days
 of getting ready to celebrate the wedding of youngest daughter.

 May the Lord richly bless the festivities and preparations.

In Pre Wedding Mode

Abelia

Geranium 

Miscanthus

Pink Astible

Stella de Oro Daylillies


This is what's happening in the garden these days.....

working on prewedding lists of "jobs" and details.

Youngest daughter gets married in 10 days.

Her last day of teaching school was today

 and so off we went to run some errands together and

check some things off the list.

Quiet, fun, and special time together.

So.... will be back a bit more after that....

 Meanwhile.....

God's tender hand guides the garden growth-

On automatic pilot.

Thank you, Lord.

On the Painted Furniture Bandwagon

      It was time..

  to join the crews of people

 painting old wood furniture....

after a trip to Stylish Patina in Falls Church

 today for the wax.....

 A dresser inherited from college days in Chicago

 from a Coach to a brother in law to Sara

 and then to Towson for two years 

and back here in Virginia

 and now to a newlywed apartment.

Before:

 and after:

Left the handles as they were for now.

 Used paint we had in the house

 and then got the Annie Sloan clear and dark wax.

 They are awesome for the finish.

Headed to its new home this weekend.

Unexpected Gifts

Sometimes there are just surprises in your day..... 

 last week when I got home from travels

 I had a couple of gift packages that had come in the mail....

Art Print from Faith Artist- Amber Skeeters

Lovely card with photo

A gift out of the blue-- 

I had found her shop on Facebook

 and given her just a few words of encouragement as a faith artist....

God must have used those words very powerfully.

Another gift -  this one a book from my friend Sybil MacBeth-

 author of Praying In Color.

A lovely book showing the blessings of living in a 

liturgical year of celebrations.

A book from Paraclete Press that she wanted me to take a look at and see

the wonderful ideas of author Jerusalem Greer.

 Two women in Tennessee,

one I have met, the other not.

It is not a small feat 

to package something,

 find the address,

go to the post office and

 mail a gift.

But, perhaps I find too many excuses

 not to this in my weeks.

It is painting a day

 with sunshine for the recipient.

Humbly offered

and gracefully received.

My thank yous sent.

And my heart still rests in gratitude.

Spring Crafting in the Neighborhood

 Catching up with some creative things lately.......

My friend, Julie-one of

the "Ann Voskamp Girls"  came over to make an

art canvas

 with some of our favorite quotes.

We watched the video series of 1000 Gifts this Spring-

finished it and then decided we just need to watch it again.

And we will.

This is the canvas I had put together as a visual  for a retreat in April.

Earlier in May we gathered to make a small Spring Bird or Tweet  canvas.

We shared some of our favorite Pinterest recipes

 and bid farewell to a creative crafting friend- Robyn- 

moving to San Francisco with her Coast Guard spouse.

Robyn and her lovely daughter Natalie.

She will more than likely start her own neighborhood craft group out West when she gets settled.

I forgot to take photos of the projects until after most had left our evening together.

But here are a couple of the evening's creations.

We used Mod Podge to add vintage sewing tissue to the background for texture.

Had the birdies for our "tweety" gathering, 

some old IDEALS magazine for aged paper,

 old buttons, one trims and embellishments.

Always amazing to see what a group

 makes out of the same stack of materials.

And a tiny little bit of art-

 packs a punch of encouragement with the Nehemiah verse-

for the joy of the Lord is my strength!

There is nothing in me that generates the power to complete anything-

 it is indeed humbly to be reminded

 of just how much my weakness allows His strength to be poured out-

May this transfusion bring HIM GLORY. 

Nevada Roundup

The mountain view from Faith Lutheran Parking lot.

Time to finish up with the adventures of time in Nevada.

A little bit of everything here.

I headed out to help pack up a house for a move to

 Ann Arbor, Michigan.

On to new adventures for the Schumacher couple.

at Leone Cafe with Jessica
she came to help pack and spend time with a sister

A specialty coffee

A favorite stop when out West

An Eccentric shopper in Boulder City.  Favorite shops there are:
BLOOM-http://www.bloombc.com/
 And GOATFEATHERS-https://www.facebook.com/pages/GoatFeathers/260359100647270

A first birthday party for Henry Blank.

This is where daughter Laura has been one of the Art teachers in Las Vegas.
Son in law Joshua was a math Teacher and part of the Football coaching staff.
 It is the largest Lutheran Middle and High School in the United States.
An amazing and state of the art facility.

Garden Postings- Yellow and White

Stella De Oro Daylillies

White Yarrow

Evening primrose- Sundrops

On a very rainy day in Virginia,

 photos from yesterday.....

Sedum in bloom


Some bright spots that I can see from my windows this drippy day.

I give thanks for rain.

When You know It's Once in a Life Time - Part 2

Well, actually, I have been at Hoover Dam

 so many times in the past few years 

since the kids moved to Vegas, 

 I feel like I can give tours of the dam.

But on this day in early June,
I knew we were making memories and 

it was to capture the time and space of being together.

Jessica had not been here before.

Hoover Dam

The violent Colorado River was tamed when the dam was completed in 1936.

Over 5000 men worked for five years to erect the massive structure

 between Black Canyon's steep walls. 

The finished dam held enough concrete to pave a

 16 food wide, 8 inch thick road

 from New York City to San Francisco.

The dam is 45 feet thick at the crest 

and 660 feet thick at the base and holds back Lake Mead.

Late in the day - about 6 pm and 103 degrees

A view of the new bridge from the dam side - Highway 93 Now 

Pacific Time Zone

In this corner- playing between the states

A clear view of how much the water level

 has gone down since the dam was completed.

The white part on the rocks is from mineral deposits from the water.

Late afternoon Lake Mead- almost too bright to photograph

This day and the rugged landscape brings to mind the verse-

 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Eph. 3:17-18

A visit out West brings a new perspective to wide and long and high and deep.

When You Know It's Once in a Lifetime- Part 1

Here in Las Vegas--

 packing up middle daughter to move to Ann Arbor.

Took a day off and did some exploring.

With two of my lovely young lady daughters.

Making memories

 and just knowing that this day is a GIFT.

A once in a lifetime- 

of connected journey,

 conversation,

 and visual treats-

TOGETHER.

Valley of Fire State Park- Overton, Nevada

The Beehives

The State Park is 55 miles Northeast of Las Vegas

Sisters- Laura and Jessica

A creature friend

Prehistoric Petroglyphs- from 300 BC to 1150 AD.
 Probably either form the Basket Maker people
 or the Anasazi Pueblo Farmers from the nearby fertile Moapa Valley.
Awesome very old drawings.

Jessica

Hiker's markings along the trail at Mouse's Tank

You use need your shades when out here in the sun

Red rocks and red sand
and now red shoes

Some signs of Spring growth here--
 as the daily summer temps will be 100-120 degrees.
It was 102 this day but with a breeze.

Jessica and Laura

Telling the story of 2000 years ago.
Wonder what will remain of telling the story on a blog-
in another 2000 years?