Patient Waiting

Today was the first bloom of this passion Flower
Watered and waited and waited
Guess none of it is My Timing

This plant actually overwintered outside here
in Virginia in this past mild winter
A head start for this year....

The Plumbago has been pokey too.
Almost afraid to let us
 see the magnificent blue color

But not shy at all is this canna
 Stretching towards the sly
at least 7 feet in the air

And so this Sabbath rest ends-

 with the brilliance of 

noticing that waiting on the Lord

 is not such a bad thing after all.

He's  "Got That".

30 and Counting

The four rose corsages from the installation
this past weekend in Richmond.
A honor for myself and  the three young ladies in our family.

The Spoils

Not all bad when a young adult daughter moves home
and brings her Crate and Barrel leaning shelves along.
Grabbed them right away and had fun styling all that  vertical space.
( a personal mantra-- Go HIgher!)
Turned out to be super spots for
 Keep the Faith Art projects---
 that tell pieces of our family story.
Hmmmm-- not sure she is getting them back.
Didn't know if  I'd like the modern look
 with all the old things in our house.
Just the right mix and still lots of empty space 
to rest the eye.
My friend, Diane, will probably want
 her needlepoint chairs
 back now that I am storing for her.
 So the spoils of a move- not all bad.

Can you guess what the metal piece was in a former life?
I liked it because it had a modern "cross" design.
OK------  it is a gas burner piece from an old gas stove -
probably had a more formal name than that.

The crape myrtles are in bloom here in Virginia.
Always a wonderful sight in summer
when the landscape can once again turn shades of pink.

Tonite there was a rain spoil.  Lots of lightening
and thunder but not a drop.

The spotty showers turned out to be just that---- activities called off because of the rain,,,,

but nothing came..... spoiled again.

Brilliant red of the mandevilla stands out
 in the landscape for sure.
It takes the heat on the deck 
and the unrentless summer sun.
So I just keep on watering.

But, all in all, the "spoils" have got to refer to me.
What I have left over-
 because I cannot use up all of my
 quotient of grace each day.
The boundless outpouring of God's love
 and grace makes me crazy to watch any slip away...
 unnoticed
unused
just gone.


So it a day filled with bounteous
  spoils and spoiled rain showers and
spoiled health interventions
(for my sister)
and spoiled
 plans for my To Do list
I sit back and see myself with just a hint of
God's lavish grace dripping from my forehead,
and I grin-
 Yup- I am wonderfully spoiled. 

Transition Mode

Some transitions are fine tuned and well planned... 
like the planning of a wedding and all the festivities.  
We enjoyed time in Indiana at nephew
Matt Graft and Brianne Diehl's  July 14 wedding. A documented love story.

Some transitions move along over thirty years- 
like the tender growing and lovely aging of dear friend - Lu Ann - on the left.  
She was the Art teacher and I was the Home Economics and Social Studies teacher in Lagrange County, Indiana. 
Some time to catch up in the beautiful gardens at the home of sister Lee Ann. 

Some transitions have a great story behind them.  
Like when sisters- Jessica and Laura marry guys-
Dan and Joshua- that just happened to be college roommates.

Some transitions are about going back to the starting point.  
A clean and empty apartment in Towson for Sara-- 
like we moved her into two years ago.

And in all the moving along it is easy to feel swept under.........


and in my PAUSE...... I rest a bit

 A reading from Amy Carmichael's  
I Come Quietly to Meet You,,,,,

My Father, something inward tells me I have been living scattered. Sometimes anxious. Restless. Distracted. Wandering inside.

 I fix my eyes upon the cross now- upon the post and crossbeam which became my one bridge back to your side.
 And I lift my eyes beyond the cross, to the One who sits beside you-
 to Jesus, the Risen One!
 My Lord, my brother, with arms outstretched in welcome. Calling to me:
"Come home."
 I come, Father, to hide myself in you.

July nudges

 

Lantana perfection

some things continue to move along
 without much attention on my part-- 
thank the Lord for THAT.

the unexpected- pool balls in a glass vase
maybe quirky-
 but I have always loved the bright colors on them

the small ceramic tag was a gift
 from Miss Mustard Seed at the Luckett's Fair-- it says
 Move Mountains---

that is what it feels I am doing right now--
-  an office transition and moving
 one daughter back home for a new job
 all good things--- but lots of rearranging of stuff

 and the sorting-- 
some to storage- some home and some  to give away--

one year anniversary July 17, 2011
the bride Jessica with siblings  Sara and Laura

                       seems like this special milestone sort of slipped           through the cracks- and yet so much learning 

             and growing happens in that first year of marriage.

Jessica and Daniel

A wonderful addition to our family-
 We give thanks for the blending of
faith-filled spouses and families for our daughters.

The Lord is Good to us.

Creative Newlywed

What a fun time to stop in at the home of oldest daughter Jessica and husband Dan- on the way home from a North Carolina vacation.  Time to see just what the creative newlywed bride----  just celebrating a one year anniversary- had to share from their redo and upcycle home.

Old Window made into a wall shadow box
Old Bibles on a "clean out" pile from her church
she added twine wrapped bottles for texture
simple but elegant

Wreath---Natural Coffee Filters with some added dimension
 with a tea dye mixture and burlap ribbon
She made this at a Pinterest party with friends 

Large canvas covered with pages from a Bible
 that was no longer usable
Stenciled the words from Isaiah 40:31 with acrylic paint
Added the eagle silhouette-enlarged a print to create a stencil

Remake of her laundry hamper
 that had lots of pink and stenciled flowers
A more neutral palette -
 painted the bottom with brown acrylic paint
 Wove burlap ribbon through the wicker for dimension
and added a burlap tie to the handle

A Great upcycle technique

Lake Lure Living

a spot in Western North Carolina has a soft spot in my heart---- a week there to recoup and spend time with our family- a true gift

Hot and Hazy Day at Lake Lure
The Resort at Lake Lure is where
 they filmed "Dirty Dancing"25 years ago-
 The  1927 Lake Lure Inn and Spa
 still packs a lot of nostalgia.

Lazy Nibbling Deer

View of Lake Lure from Chimney Rock State Park
 a 75 mile view from the summit

Hickory Nut Falls in Chimney State Park-
This trail is where they filmed part of the
 remake of
"The Last of the Mohicans" in 1992.

Mountain views and lots of Trees give a restful
vantage on sultry days