cemetery

I enjoy walking through old country cemeteries; listening to the birds, breathing the quiet air, thinking about lives lived. The only thing a person can really do in a cemetery is think. There is nothing to distract - no loud noises of the city, no phone. Just open sky and space to breathe. And for the one who trusts in the Lord, there is peace.

thoughts from the garden

Just like a flower newly brought from the nursery, we reach moments in our lives when we become rootbound.

We have set out roots within a comfortable place of containment and achieved good growth, perhaps even put on some blossoms that have become a thing of beauty for the beholder's eye.

Then suddenly, the day comes when our daily watering is not enough.

We are no longer satisfied by the nutrients within. We begin longing for a deeper breath, a longer drink.

Yet the new soil bed is a place unknown.

We will be subject to the elements that, until now, have been outside of the greenhouse walls.

There is a temptation to remain where it is familiar, safe and warm. But somewhere deep down, we know what the Gardener has intended.

We know it is time to take the risk in a bigger plot of soil, a place where our tangled roots can come undone in the new ground.

Then we set our eyes on the hope set before us, the hope that, risk taken, the beauty of our maturity will bless the One who called us forth from the beginning as a living seed.

"The illusion which exalts us is dearer to us than ten-thousand truths."

Aleksandr Pushkin - Russian poet

tulip

Beauty, isn't it? It's a tulip from a raised bed at the zoo. I've heard that some people take pictures of the animals when they go to the zoo.

every day is a "take my camera" day

Sometimes I take my camera with me for no reason except that I'm afraid something amazing will happen and I'll kick myself for not having it with me. Like my baby girl sitting in her car seat with the light falling just perfectly onto her face....

or big brother discovering a ladybug in the grass.....

or the completely random moment when she laid down under an old tree and just watched the sky.....

or the minute she was done with me following her around with the camera instead of doing the yard work I was supposed to be doing.

inspiring people

There are two videos that have really inspired me this week, and I had to share them. They are both videos from the show Britain's Got Talent, the first one is the group Flawless, and the second one is a vocalist named Susan Boyle. I am moved to tears every single time I watch her video. Enjoy!

ten inches lighter

I did it! I cut ten inches! Aunt Martia gets all the credit for the cut, but I was brave and didn't change my mind! That's gotta count for something, right? I know I would have chickened out had it not been for donating my hair in honor of Josiah. I would have gone for a shoulder-length "safe" haircut. I'm really happy with this. I can feel the breeze on the back of my neck again!

One last look in the mirror before making the big giant cut....

A new me! Change is good.

a walk in the park

I left Jamie with the kids this morning and went for a walk at Sunset Park. It was chilly and cloudy, but it was still nice to get out into the fresh air and enjoy a change of scenery. It's amazing how our recent study of birds made me so much more aware of their sounds. I was able to identify them without even seeing them. I like that about nature study, that it makes me feel so much more awake and aware of my surroundings. After my walk, I was able to snap a couple of pictures of things springing to life.

This is a better picture of moss capsules than the one I posted last week. This moss is growing on the side of a water fountain in the middle of the park. I'm afraid it's a little blurry, but these capsules are so much bigger than the ones before. It's so strange, I've been a nature nut all my life, and this is the first time I've ever seen moss do this. Makes me wonder what other magical things are awaiting my discovery!

St. Matthew's Passion

Last night, Aunt Martia treated us to a date night - tickets to see Bach's St. Matthew's Passion, while she watched the kids for us. It was held at Presser Hall in Lindsborg. I really like the music of Bach, we got great balcony seats, and I didn't have to hush any children or get anyone a drink or take anyone to the potty for two and a half hours! Recording video was not allowed, but I couldn't help it, so I set my camera under my seat so no one would notice and pressed the button for just a little bit! (So the video footage is black and the audio isn't fantastic.) But anyway, I hope it's enough to enjoy for a minute. The choir is singing the very last part of the performance - words are below. (You'll only hear a very small portion of them - I'm sharing the words for poetry's sake.) Enjoy, and have a Happy Easter!!!

Here yet awhile, Lord, thou art sleeping,

Hearts turn to Thee, O Saviour true:

Rest Thou calmly, calmly rest.

Death, that holds Thee in its keeping,

When its bonds are loosed by Thee,

Shall become a welcome portal,

Leading man to life immortal,

Where he shall Thy glory see

Saviour blest

Slumber now, and take Thy rest.

beautiful lengths

(Josiah, Kara and baby Anastasia)

Thank you for all the hairstyle votes! Looks like it's going to be number 7! Short and sassy. Boy is that going to be a shock to get that much hair whacked off! Turns out I have good reason to do it though....my friend Kara is getting hers cut and donating it to Beautiful Lengths, an American Cancer Society program sponsored by Pantene. Kara's son Josiah has undergone cancer treatment since the beginning of the year. (Almost done with chemo now - hooray!) The day after I posted my blog about haircuts, she sent out a message asking if anyone else would like to participate by donating eight inches of hair. So in honor of his sweet little bald head, we can donate our hair to make wigs for women who have lost their hair too! I also have a grandmother who is a cancer survivor, so all the more reason to do it. I'll be sure to post a pic when I get my new do. :)

cast your vote

It's time for a new do. I've had long hair now for a hundred gazillion years and I need a change. The only problem is, there are too many options and I can't decide what I want! SOOOO, that's where I need your help! I went to www.dailymakeover.com and uploaded my photo, picked through options, and took photos of the ones I thought were even possible. (If you go to the site, it's free unless you want to "upgrade" to get more options, and believe me, they give you plenty of opportunities to upgrade!) So, here are the entries. (Starting with number 1, above.)

Number 2. Looks like number 1 but longer.

Number 3. I'm pretty sure this one would be easiest for my hair to do since it's naturally curly in the back, but I'm afraid of it being a "mom" do.

Number 4.

Number 5. My hair would do this cut a little more wavy on the sides and curly in the back.

Number 6.

Number 7. Oh so sassy. I love it.

Number 8....wait a minute....is that???? Sarah Palin??????

And Number 9, which would require me to get a flatiron.

So, taking into consideration that I have somewhere around a negative seven and a half minutes to spend on my hair each day, tell me what you think and cast your vote! And Sarah Palin doesn't count!

a little bit of nature study

This is henbit. It's a common wildflower (weed), which no one wants to find in their manicured lawn. But somehow I've come to realize how much it reminds me of childhood, of spring, of rabbits and the business of bees. I remember sitting in grand, sunny patches of purple with my sisters, plucking out the tiny flowers and sucking on the sweet nectar at the bottom of the "straw." Like the dandilion, it's a child's flower, scorned once we grow old enough to manage our own lawns and fields. And I'm not saying it should be given a place of honor in a carefully sculpted garden or a carpet of well-groomed turf, I just think it would be a loss to forget how a child looks upon a flower, before they know to call it a weed.

Up close and personal with a tiny (size of a quarter) clump of moss, you can see it "blooming," although I'm not sure that's the correct word to use. At the tips are spore capsules. (You can click on it to magnify.) According to the Handbook of nature study;

"The egg cell as soon as fertilized develops into a spore capsule...protected by a silky cap. The cap comes off; the lid of the spore case falls off, the spores are shaken out and scattered by the wind...find fitting places to grow.....and repeat the story."

So maybe, like me, you never thought of moss before, but to me it's just so fascinating to look closer at every little thing God made. It's all purposeful and planned, no matter how small. Very much like you and me!

back to the garden center

I made another trip to the garden center today to get herbs for my planters and just couldn't resist taking more pictures. The pansies above - don't the colors remind you of sunset?

I don't think it's right to require perfection from flowers before I consider them photo-worthy. The curled petals on this pansy are beautiful.

Bleeding hearts...I remember my neighbor Leilani having these in her front yard when we lived in Brentwood. They last for such a short moment but they are so delicately crafted.

A new-to-me variety of impatiens, a shade-lover. It reminds me of vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of strawberry syrup. Isn't God's handiwork fabulous?

the fitness road

See the chisled thighs, the tight abs, the extraordinary balance? Yeah. This is not me. I look like a mom with four kids and some, you know, "leftovers." If THIS woman is a mom of four kids, I don't even want to be her friend. But I did just do something fun. I think. I started a fitness program - Sparkpeople.com, and I am pretty hopeful about making some changes. I have 28 pounds to lose by October, and if I put it in writing like I'm doing now and make myself accountable to everyone who reads my blog, I will be ashamed if I do not stick with it, and I really, really do want to get rid of these pesky pounds. So, I give you permission to ask me if I'm doing 30 minutes of cardio four times a week. And if I'm not, I want you to throw an apple at me.