Tuesday, June 30, 2009
A different point of view.
Monday, June 29, 2009
My babies are growing up.
Each morning, as the sun comes up, they work their way out of the hen house, one by one. They pop their little heads out the door to make sure it really is morning then hop out onto the ladder and work their way over to their perch. They sit together a while until it warms up a bit.
This is Libby. Up close and personal. I have to say...she's a bit of a ham. Whenever I have the camera out she seems to be the one who wants to run up and check things out.
She acts like she's interested in the camera...you know, the lens...the strap (which apparently is somewhat tasty if you're a chicken)...it's all just so intriguing. Yeah right. We all know she's just a camera hog!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
If you give a girl a fig...
Friday, June 26, 2009
The tomatoes are making a comeback.
Day by day the tomato plants (and the peppers, too...but we'll talk about them another time) grew greener and greener and greener. Slowly but surely the sickly yellow leaves began to turn a glorious shade of deep green. And with each day that the tomato plants perked up...so did my attitude.
Look at that sweet little Yellow Pear tomato!
Well, the other day, a little over 3 weeks after replanting them, it was official: the tomato plants had officially MADE IT THROUGH. Not only were they alive...they were healthy. And to top it off...they were beginning to produce fruit!{I posted this late Friday night because we will be spending the morning at my son's All-Star game and we have to get an early start!}
Slow Friday.
I thought she was cute in a very plain Jane kind of way. But I have to admit...the whole time I was enjoying watching her flutter and soar around the garden...I couldn't help but think that at one time she was a little worm and that she had probably eaten a good portion of my lettuce! Luckily, the lettuce is one of the things that has done well in the garden...so there was plenty to share.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Today's been a bit rough.
6 In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears. (Psalm 18:6)
He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me. (Psalm 18:19)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Homegrown gifts...
Well, about 15 minutes later he showed up...with these: Gorgeous nectarines from the tree he and his wife planted in the backyard of their new home last summer. Aren't they pretty? And the smell....ohhh...the smell. We've already eaten half of them...they will NOT go to waste. That is for sure.
But, that's not all he brought. He also brought these...little baby Japanese maples. My favorite tree in the whole world. Their neighbor has a Japanese maple...and it drops seed pods all over their grass in their backyard. And Kelly, my father in laws wife, is constantly battling them, killing them, plucking them out of the grass in an effort to get RID of them. In their yard these little seedlings are nothing but a nuisance.
Well, when I heard that she was ripping them out like weeds I said, "Are you CRAZY?! Grow them!" But, she went a step further than that. Rather than ripping them from the ground and tossing them, she gingerly dug them up with plenty of soil and a firm root ball and placed them in little pots...for ME.
Is that not the sweetest thing ever?! Oh my gosh...what a gift! There are nine of them. Nine little baby Japanese maples. They are the sweetest things...and so is Kelly. Thanks Kelly...you rule!
Now, all I have to do is keep them alive. Gulp. Wish me luck!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Things are looking up.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
I just had to share.
Just that fast...they've come and gone and done they're job. Beautifully. But beautiful blossoms aside, I also had to share what God shared with me in my quiet time this morning. Even though I only share scripture with you once a week, I do my best to read my bible and write in my prayer journal daily. No, I don't always succeed. Sometimes I oversleep. Or get distracted first thing. But more often than not I wake up early while the rest of the house is asleep...I fix myself a cup of coffee...and I sit in the quiet with God. And as I write my thoughts and read His word, He guides me to the words He wants me to hear. And today...this is what He was saying to me...
Psalm 46:5
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Or...if I may be so bold: God is within ME, I will not fall; God will help ME at the break of day. Amen! If God is for me, who can be against me? And just for fun...put YOUR name in place of the bold words...God is within _______, _______ will not fall; God will help _______ at the break of day. And Amen to that, too! If God is for YOU, who can be against YOU? Walk in victory today...God is within you. xoGrowth.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Starting "somewhere"...
Red geraniums on my patio table at dusk.
Well, I want to start something new. There is something I want to do. Something I've wanted to do for a long time. I'll venture to say I've wanted to do this since I was a little girl...even going so far as to "start" a few times. However, when I realized it wasn't easy...and didn't just magically happen, I gave up. That was my m.o. Try something. Don't achieve immediate success. Quit. Then beat myself up for even thinking it was ever a good idea in the first place and what the heck was I thinking?! The story of my life. Until now. I'm turning over a new leaf.So, to turn over a new leaf I have to start "somewhere", right? This is my "somewhere"...reading Bird by Bird:Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott...one of my favorite author's. I read her Traveling Mercies several years back and loved it. Her "voice" is real...and easy...and sarcastic...and I can relate. And just so you know...I actually bought this book 2 years ago. TWO. And it's taken me this long to get around to reading it. I've thought about reading it. And I've attempted to start reading it. But I've never actually read it. So, starting last night, I'm going to read it. And I'm going to apply it. And I'm going to absorb it. I'm going to take notes in the margins and add sticky notes to my heart's content. This is what I do to books. I mark them up. A lot. And I have a sticky note fetish. But we can talk about that another time. Anyway...I've been in a bit of a funk for quite a while as far as my life is concerned. Not life itself. Life itself is good...the important parts like healthy kids, loving husband, roof over my head and food in my fridge. That's all well and fine. I mean, we have our struggles and our moments and being in business for ourselves isn't always sunshine and roses. But for the most part, life is good. What I'm talking about is MY life. ME. My SELF. That little, tiny voice deep, deep inside...the one that never shuts up. The one that needs to be heard...or maybe not. It depends on how you look at it. So...last night I was on the computer, browsing and reading and visiting blogs that I enjoy when I glance up at the TV and my eye quickly passes by the bookshelf in the corner and the book catches my eye. Again. And I decide then and there that I am going to read it. And I am going to apply it. And I am going to see where it leads. I have no idea what's in store...but I am excited about the journey.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Wednesday in the Word.
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
earnestly I seek you;
8 My soul clings to you;
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
All you need is love. And water. And sun. And Diatomaceous Earth.
Monday, June 15, 2009
There's a new sheriff in town...
As you know I've been battling earwigs. And not just a few little earwigs here and there. I'm talking ear-wigs. Hundreds. Thousands. Eating everything in sight. Tender beans shoots...sweet new squash and cucumber leaves...even spicy pepper leaves. If I planted it, they ate it. And mocked me every chance they got.
As you also know, I have chickens. Real live chickens in my yard that get the opportunity to "free range" now and then. So I had to find something that would kill earwigs but not chickens. And I think I found it. Diatomaceous Earth. Now, it hasn't obliterated the earwigs like something toxic would. And trust me, it's tempting to just run out and buy something majorly poisonous so I can be done with bugs once and for all. But I refrained and decided to try this powerful white powder first. And let me tell you...it has truly helped. It's not a cure. But it IS a help. There are fewer earwigs in the usual hiding spots and less damage to my sweet little plants. I'm sold.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Now this is my kind of summer...
Friday, June 12, 2009
Friday...miscellaneous ramblings.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
How did we forget that?
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Wednesday in the Word.
“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”- Colossians 3:13.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Exposed.
–verb (used with object)
1. to sit upon (eggs) for the purpose of hatching.
2. to hatch (eggs), as by sitting upon them or by artificial heat.
3. to maintain at a favorable temperature and in other conditions promoting development, as cultures of bacteria or prematurely born infants.
4. to develop or produce as if by hatching; give form to: His brain was incubating schemes for raising money.
–verb (used without object)
5. to sit upon eggs.
6. to undergo incubation.
7. to develop; grow; take form: A plan was slowly incubating in her mind.
I relate to that last one...the one I highlighted. Partly because there is no object (eggs)...obviously I'm not physically incubating anything. Regardless of what some of you may think in regard to my chicken keeping...I haven't gone that far over the edge! (Although I DO find it very funny that this is the word I'm given... incubate...God works in mysterious ways and VERY FUNNY ways.) But I am incubating something inside of me...in my mind and in my heart. I don't know what it is yet...but I know it's there. Part of me is really excited to see what's coming. And the other part of me feels very vulnerable about it all. Exposed. The bottom line is...I just need to keep my faith. And trust. And continue moving forward...step by step, day by day, moment by moment. And when the time is right...I'll know.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Scattered. And a reality check.
So, laundry is piled again...and always. The house is messy. And to add to it all, the schedule is off kilter due to minimum days this week before summer vacation. School is out on Thursday...and I'm not ready! Summer is here. Whether I like it or not!
- FREE movies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
- swim at the community pool
- enjoy free books, DVD's, magazines and a/c at the library
- picnic at the beach (less than an hour away from us!)
- visit local museums
- visit the Vivarium in Berkeley then head to Blondie's for a slice of pizza
- Six Flags Marine World
- spend some fun days with Grammy!
And we're headed to a friend's cabin for 4 or 5 days at the end of the month. And Seth is going to music camp at the end of summer. And we're going to see The Lion King this month courtesy of my parent's. And honestly, due to the school district calendar and scheduling, the summer is shorter than usual. So even though I'm getting a little worked up about it all...the reality is that this summer is going to FLY by. And before I know it my oldest will be in HIGH SCHOOL and my youngest will be a 6th grader...one year away from entering middle school.
Now that is what I'm not ready for. So instead of dreading this summer...what I need to do is enjoy the company of my boys, attitudes and all, because before I know it, they'll be leaving the nest. Nothing like bullet points to put it all in perspective, eh?Saturday, June 6, 2009
Lazy Saturday with nothing to do.
What? Nothing to do? How did THAT happen? I don't know how it happened...but I'm glad that it did because we needed some down time.
Happy nasturtiums in the garden.
Chris and I decided to go to some yard sales this morning. We were just sitting and sipping coffee and thought, "Hey. Let's go to some yard sales!". So we did. And it was good. We got some good treasures for great deals. After my nap I'll take some pictures to share our finds!Friday, June 5, 2009
Happiness is...A WINNER!!
Okie doke lucky winner...send me an email at moonshinelane at aol dot com with your mailing info and your print preference: Animal, Vegetable or Household. I will then send you an original piece of art...a 4x6 (roughly) hand-carved linoleum cut printed on high-quality watercolor paper It will go out in the mail on Monday! Congratulations! And thank you to everyone for playing along...this was fun. I think I may just have to do this again sometime...soon!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Dare I jump on the Thrifty Thursday bandwagon?
However, today I happened upon two books that would fit quite nicely into my collection: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver and Christmas Joy by Susan Branch. I've been wanting to read Kingsolver's book for over a year now...ever since I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. That book made me an instant fan of hers. And it changed my life. I see it all the time in thrift shops and the used book store. But...I guess it's never fit into my budget! Christmas Joy by Susan Branch was a must-have. And honestly I would have paid for this one. Years ago my aunt gave me one of Branch's beautifully illustrated cookbooks, Vineyard Seasons, and I just loved it. Then a few years later...she gave me another, The Summer Book. And then I found one at the thrift store a while back, Autumn. And now...this one. I had to have it since Susan Branch cookbooks are obviously becoming a "collection". These finds made me happy. Not to mention my sweet friend, Francine, who works at the thrift store shared half of her yummy, gigantic oatmeal cookie with me! Bonus! Oh...and if I can't stop thinking about the table, I'll go back tomorrow and if it's still there...possibly consider it meant to be...for ME.
You know you're a crazy yo-yo when...
Plus, carnivals are in our blood. My grandfather used to travel with the carnival. But he had all of his teeth. He was actually one of the owners. He owned a ferris wheel, a merry-go-round, a snack shack (that my dad used to work in during summers and to this day will not eat a corn dog!), and a picture booth. How cool is that? I have a picture of my grandmother and my aunt from that picture booth. My grandfather carried it in his wallet until the day he died 8 years ago. My grandmother and aunt had since passed years ago...yet he carried it in his wallet all those years. Sweet. And now I have that picture...tucked in my little red bible with my name engraved on the cover. I may be a crazy yo-yo...but I come by it honestly.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Giveaway reminder!
Just a friendly reminder to go to this post to enter in my first giveaway! I'll be drawing the name of the lucky winner on Friday!
Wednesday in the Word.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Happiness is...
**Giveaway will be on Friday...name will be drawn randomly.**