But HONEY.

My faithful red sandals are on their way out, so when I spotted these at Goodwill the other day, 
I was thrilled!  

When I realized that I would have some good solid reasoning to present to the Rugged Mountain Man when I got home, in the cart they went!

But HONEY, I had to buy them!!!!  They had my NAME on them!!!!

I did get a laugh from the Rugged Mountain Man on that.

IT'S COMING.

 THE FAIR

(Artwork by Blossom1)

Blue Skies and Wiffle Ball

We had the youth group over for a picnic not long ago.  

I told myself to keep it simple.  We're opening our home for the youth group families to hang out, to just be together.  

Supplies needed:

Hot dogs

Marshmallows

Blue skies

Open arms

Oh, and some sports equipment!  There were games of badminton and wiffle ball.  

How my heart smiled as I watched and cheered and remembered wiffle ball games in my childhood yard long ago.  

There were some simple country pleasures like micro farm and garden tours and folks picking black raspberries and snacking on tangy goodness.

Banter and deep conversations.

Fire-building and fireside harmonies.  

Snacking, and running, and shouts of fun.

Fellowship doesn't have to be complicated for it to be rich.

WHAT JOY

"WHAT JOY for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises!" 
(Psalm 84:4)

"WHAT JOY for those whose strength comes from the Lord..." 
(Psalm 84:5)

"...WHAT JOY for those who trust in you." 
(Psalm 84:12)

My joy has so much to do with where I live.  
Do I live in chaos?  
Do I live in discontentment?

Or do I live in His house?

Joy comes from clinging to His presence and staying there.  Joy comes from praising Him!

My joy is connected to where my strength comes from.  Relying on Him FULLY promotes joy in my life.  It's hard to be joyful when I'm doing all that I do in my own strength.  

My joy comes from trusting in Him.  I can't trust in myself or "fate."  ONLY HIM.  

Friend, if joy is eluding you today, ask yourself~
    ~Where am I living?  In chaos and discontentment far from His presence?
    ~Where is my strength coming from?
    ~What or who am I trusting in?

I encourage you to kneel down and start fresh.

When You See a Free Sign

Does anyone remember the time God sent me flowers?  It's the story of the pussy willows from a random stranger.

It's all these "just so happened" things that really didn't just so happen.  It's a story about the little things that make it impossible for me to ignore His hand in my daily life.  

I've been wanting a hydrangea bush for a couple of years now.  We had a beautiful one growing up during my little small-town life and it's remained iconic in my mind.  Every time I pass a hydrangea bush, I'm astonished at how expensive they are and I've chosen to forego purchasing one in lieu of other more important things... because that's often what moms do... again and again and again.

Today, I was driving the Blossoms to the pool.  I saw a "plant" sticking out of a garbage bag with a free sign on it.  Free signs are so ridiculously tempting to me!  Being in a hurry to meet up with friends at the pool, I said,

"Gals, we'll pull over if it's still there on the way home."

It was... and when Blossom1 was lugging that garbage bag into the van for me, (they're used to such things), she said in an awe-filled voice, "Mom, there's a little sign on it."

"Hydrangea Bush"

"Blue?"

And now it reposes right next to the front steps.  

Thank You, Jesus.  You just know.

Social Media Pt. 2

 I don't know what everybody's so worried about.

I let my girls have facebook.

Those Shrooms Here

Saturday night, as the sun was setting, I commented to the Rugged Mountain Man how much I love my kitchen sink garden.  It's what I see when I'm standing at the sink. I had freshly weeded it and worked up the mulch and everything looked so spic and span.  

Sunday morning, I groggily filled my tea kettle and started my morning ritual.  I was shocked when I looked out and saw that my garden was CHOCK FULL of mushrooms.  

Y'all already know that I have a fascination with mushrooms.  I was astounded; from Saturday night to Sunday morning, scads of mushrooms that were three inches high appeared in my flower bed!  

I've never seen them grow SO noticeably fast.  

I went to church and told my friends and was just so impressed at how quickly

all

these

mushrooms

showed up.

And when I got home, they were all gone!!!

I hope God's work in my heart last longers than those 'shrooms.

Let's Trek

Throw some stuff in the back of the truck and let's trek to the cabin for the day!

Of course, I forgot the graham crackers.  My trusty Dollar General was out because every other mom in the county forgot too.  We had to improvise.  It was vastly unfortunate, as you can see.

Love abounds at the cabin.

Blue skies and green leaves do too.

This year, tadpoles do too!  I was mystified by the millions of tadpoles we saw there.  It was highly unusual!

We meander.  We wander.  We traipse.

And we breathe deeply and experience it all.

Especially the salamanders and the puddles.

I notice nothing, and anything, and everything.

Exquisitely.

And I remember, instead of forgetting.

I remember what is important.  

I remember to breathe.  

I remember to savor.

I remember to marvel at the goodness of God.