Reluctant Summer

Things have changed. It happened suddenly, practically overnight.

The cool, pleasant air of springtime has fled.

So have the sun's gentle, warm rays.

The sun shines with a hot intensity now.

Heat and humidity hang thick.

We slap at mosquitoes, adjust thermostats, let down window shades...

and eat snow cones at suppertime on a Sunday evening.

While the calendar shows that it is officially still spring, the truth is...

the next four months of life in the Deep South have arrived... summer.

I am reluctant to embrace her relentless presence.

The Lord, Our Righteousness

"The days are coming," declares the Lord,

"when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch,

a King who will reign wisely

and do what is just and right in the land.

In His days Judah will be saved

and Israel will live in safety.

This is the name by which He will be called:

The Lord Our Righteousness."

Jeremiah 23:5-6

Saturday Morning Sunrise

Sunlight and birdsong called me from my bed this morning. It is a quiet morning. The professor and Boo are on a camp out while Tukes sleeps late. I have my tea and my camera, open windows and my book... some rare moments of Saturday morning solitude. It is nice. When the bustle of husband and boys begins, as I know it will, that will be nice, too. But, I'm not rushing it.

Morning Adventure

Mommy, will you move the car?
I want to drive my rocket-powered go-cart down the driveway...
and into the street.

Little boys have an amazingly inaccurate sense of invincibility.

I find it charming and distressing.

Third Time's a Charm

He just lost his third tooth.

It's the first tooth he hasn't swallowed.

This one fell in the trash can.

He went in after it.

The recovery effort was a success.

Mod'ish Mobiles

An afternoon rain shower botched our outdoor plans and produced two disappointed little boys... a diversion was very necessary. We had fun constructing mod'ish mobiles using Space Clusters, a simple building kit that's been tucked away in the professor's junk trunk storage trunk for at least a decade.

Naturally, our 3-D artwork had to be displayed. To add interest in the living room we installed a spherical ceiling mobile and a large coffee table sculpture resembling a three legged satellite dish.

The Boo was proud of his Sputnik-like creation... a nice compliment to the Verner Panton panels splashed across his bedroom wall.

Color plus creative construction equals happy boys and a rescued afternoon. The End.

Just One Rose

Our bachelor neighbor is much too occupied at his law office to notice the small, established rose garden nestled on the south end of his property. I take it upon myself give his neglected blooms some attention... and from time to time I take just one.

Trike at Sunset

The Lord Our Peace

The God of peace be with you all.

Romans 15:33

Morning White

Cheap Summer Fun

"Mommy, I didn't paint anything from this world, I just painted the shapes that I saw in my mind."

I was considering summer art lessons for my little modernist... the city's department of parks and recreation is offering a week's worth for $40. That was until I learned that our art museum is hosting an entire summer {three months!!!} of free Saturday morning art workshops for kids. Now that is a deal I can't refuse!

The city's bicycle club organizes weekly rides in town. Membership is free and open to any age. Voila, a free, fun, and healthy activity for the family.

Free summer concerts each week in the park, the local strider's club meets for regular area walks, a family fun day hosted by the university... it's all free and fun, the makings of happy summer days.

I'm learning to dig a little deeper and, at times, look in unlikely places for memorable summer activities that won't break our budget. Where do you look within your community for inexpensive summer fun?

Morning Out

We made for the country this morning to visit friends who's property can most aptly be described as a little boy's paradise... creek, tree house, mud, and woods. The adventure man in our family enjoyed swinging from the trees with his buddy.

My little animal lover was content to corral the goslings to the creek and back. It must have been an exhausting job... he was sound asleep on the floor of his bedroom not long after lunch.

Potting and Sprucing

Inspiration can reveal itself in the most unexpected places and at the most unlikely moments. I certainly wasn't looking for it two weeks ago in the hospital, of all places, as my mother and I walked the halls late one night. But, when she showed me a watercolor of large pots, full of green leaves and colorful blooms, all clustered together next to porch steps I realized how neglected my own little kitchen steps had become. Really, it was quite dismal and unwelcoming... what a shame, the side entrance to our home is the one that we, as well as our friends and family, use most often.

One afternoon last week the professor came home early and said, "Forget the dossier, forget the tenure and promotions committee, forget the book... I'm taking the rest of the day off! What do you want to do?" I knew exactly what I wanted to do; with the hospital watercolor in mind I was on a mission. After Tukes woke from his nap and a spring shower passed we made a trip to the nursery.

I chose begonias... they are colorful, can endure the full summer sun, and are drought resistant, which is good because I know things are going to dry up around here very soon. These red and white blooms are also inexpensive, which means I didn't have to skimp on quantity.

Puttering in the shed produced a nice collection of different sized pots that we already had on hand, and a morning of potting transformed the kitchen entry. If "the earth laughs in flowers," as the American poet e. e. cummings once penned, then there is definitely some giggling happening at the south end of our house... that makes me happy.

Speaking spring sprucing, there's been a bit of that going on around here, too. Thank you for the kind feedback and compliments that you've offered regarding the recent blog design changes. I so appreciate the encouragement. While I love visiting other sites that feature big, beautiful photos, I'll confess that it has been a bit jarring for me to see my own photography published in such a way... the new image size will definitely serve as a tool to push me toward growth {and, hopefully, improvement} as I use the camera.

Potting and sprucing, it feels nice. Things are slowly falling into place around here, just in time for the happy days of summer. What have you been doing to fluff up your world?

New Shorts for Tukes

Made from my seemingly endless supply of black and white stripes. I like them with yellow.

Orchids for Breakfast

It was fifty-two degrees when I woke this morning. Delightfully cool. In mid-May such mornings are rare for us! I longed to be in it... 

By 6:20 I was out for a walk. The world glowed in early morning sunlight, the honeysuckle was generous with sweet fragrance, white wisps decorated blue skies, birds sang songs of exultation while the trees clapped their hands in the breeze. I soaked it all in, careful to step over a little green lizard trying to find warmth in the street.

When I came home there were English muffins and cheese grits, open windows and orchids, and two sleepy boys to enjoy at breakfast. Monday mornings can be wonderful.

God of Gods

For the Lord your God is

the God of gods and the Lord of lords,

the great, the mighty, and awesome God...

Deuteronomy 10:17

Marble Run

Recent rainy afternoons have provided ample time for building marble runs. While the boys haven't mastered independent construction {yet} the Quadrilla has been worth every penny. The professor and I enjoy it as much as the little guys.

Morning Hug

Sock Monkey fears withstanding, there is always plenty of love for "The Off-Roading Guy" {yes, that really is the bear's name... don't ask me why}, Ducky, and Flois.

Ordinary Miracles

Boo spiked a fever this afternoon, a good excuse for the boys and I to settle in and watch Charlotte's Web while the rain dripped outside. When it was over tears dripped down our cheeks... Boo and I are kindred spirits that way, we cry at the end of movies. As the credits rolled I listened...

It's not that unusual

When everything is beautiful

It's just another ordinary miracle today

This evening I called my mom while I prepared dinner. She was sitting on the backporch swing enjoying the late afternoon... a miracle from where she was this time last week.

And so, I've been thinking about the beautiful, ordinary miracles that fill my days... noticing the dusky sunlight on a favorite teapot after a day of rain and knowing that my mother is outside swinging. The miracles are here even when the dark clouds hang low and the valley is deep. 

Life is like a gift they say

Wrapped up for you everyday

Open up and find a way

To give some of your own

I realized this afternoon that now is when it is most important to notice the ordinary miracles, to enjoy them, and to share them. If I let the burden of trial blind me then I'll miss the blessed fingerprints of the Father... and those are really the beautiful, extraordinary miracles of today.

{Song quotes from "Ordinary Miracle" written by Glen Ballard and David A. Stewart}

Mother's Day

3:30 a.m. Roger opens the door and flips on the light... he has come to draw blood. While the patient yields her arm without complaint I rise from my night's bed, a vinyl covered recliner, and shuffle down the hall to fill a hospital thermos with ice water. The patient will be thirsty.

6:30 a.m. The doctors make their rounds. We receive encouraging news... home on Monday! For the first time in almost a week the patient is allowed solid food, a while later we share a plate of waffles and scrambled eggs. On Mother's Day morning there is no place that I would rather be than on the seventh floor of university hospital with my mother.

2:00 p.m. I drive home in the rain feeling torn. I yearn to be with the ones who call me daughter, and yet I yearn to be with the three who are waiting for me, loving me. I contemplate balance.

4:00 p.m. Three pairs of blue-gray eyes greet me with smiles when I step through the kitchen door. Tukes excitedly announces in his jolly, Tuke'ish way, "We made cards. We have borfday pwesents for you!" {For Tukes, any present is a birthday present.} I hug their necks while they give me treats... on Mother's Day afternoon there is no place that I would rather be than with my three men.

9:00 p.m. I fall into bed, physically exhausted and emotionally drained... the valley is a hard place.

You, dear readers, have overwhelmed me with your support. Thank you for your thoughtful and encouraging messages. Thank you for praying. Thank you for understanding.

{Photo: My mother and me, captured by my father, 1978}

Time Out

I woke from my sleep at some point in the night and I was crying... my cheeks were wet again this morning when I opened my eyes. Someone dear to me is suffering and it is hard. I've tried to blog this week, but my heart hasn't been in it. Emotions engulf me, yet my posts seem so empty and shallow.

I've come to realize that this is a time for me to live and love exuberantly in the here and now without distractions. So, I'm stepping out of my blogging shoes for a little while... perhaps a week or two, maybe a month, I'm not sure.

My inspiration has not disappeared... After a time I know that I'll be ready to share again, but for now simplicity is best. Thank you for understanding, my friends. I will see you again soon.

Summer Seersucker

A sweet deal on some striped seersucker means that my nephews will be looking dapper in blue and white this summer. It took some trial and error but I figured out how to make a pair of shorts!

Perfectly Placed

I fell in love with this idea for storing jewelry the moment I spotted it in the January/February 2008 edition of {the now defunct} Blueprint magazine.

Put your colorful assortment of china teacups and saucers to work in the most delightful way... and enjoy giving yourself a "birds-eye-view" of your prettiest baubles and bling.

What you'll need...

• an empty drawer {warning: be prepared to clean out!}
  
• velvet for lining the drawer, if desired
• a hodge-podge of colorful cups and saucers
• jewelry that makes you smile

Place everything to fit your fancy and you'll feel fancy indeed.

Buttery Mellow

Lemon-Verbena

Desperate for some spring cleaning motivation, I made a special trip across town and paid full price. It was a worthy investment. The fragrance is so rapturous that I'm looking for things to clean.

{Well... almost.}

Christ, Our Advocate

Even now my witness is in heaven;

my advocate is on high. 

Job 16:19

May

"Lo, the flowery month is come! March winds and April showers have done their work and the earth is all bedecked with beauty. Come my soul, put on thine holiday attire and go forth to gather garlands of heavenly thoughts...

In Jesus I find not only fragrance, but a bed of spices; not one flower, but all manner of sweet flowers. He is to me my rose and my lily, my heartsease and my cluster of camphire.

When He is with me it is May all the year round, and my soul goes forth to wash her happy face in the morning-dew of His grace, and to solace herself with the singing of the birds of His promises.

Precious Lord Jesus, let me in very deed know the blessedness which dwells in abiding, unbroken fellowship with Thee."

from Morning and Evening by Charles H. Spurgeon