Sunday Art: God's Painting

I have been noticing some beautiful sunrises this week as I have to leave early in the mornings for work, and today was no exception but I would say that it's an exceptional sky that made my heart sing all morning.

God, grant that I may live and love...
and face the many tasks that each morning brings...
and never lose the glory and worth
of humble service and simple things in life. Amen.

Thankful Thursday

Some thoughts for my thankful Thursday...the weather has turned to "hot" again so it really feels like summer now. We had some wonderful ripe, kissed by the sun strawberries that can only signify the beginning of a great summer. Fireflies are still fun to watch, and the stars seem so far away, even though the kids are "big kids" now. Our air conditioner decided to quit working totally now so we are all thankful for the many fans we have around the house. Emily found her "cool spot" on the kitchen counter and reminds us daily that we are all thankful to have each other. The kids are done with another school year...bittersweet feelings.

Fingerprints on Friday

There are some beautiful barn swallows just outside my window today. I was wondering if any pairs of birds would build their nest near the house this spring and was so happy when this pair showed up. You see, it was a sad day when I noticed this little nest that had been blown down by one of the high winds that we had recently, and that was a nest made by little house wrens that usually make their nest right by the front door in the spring. There was a bright spot...little berries forming nearby and there are birds that land on the redbud tree with its heart shaped leaves now. So later, when I heard a different kind of singing near the back door, I learned it was a pair of barn swallows that had made their nest on a post there. Many people do not appreciate the barn swallow, saying they are just messy birds, underneath bridge dwellers, that sort of thing, but I have really enjoyed watching them with Emily (she's very interested in this couple.) They have beautiful rich blue feathers on their backs with a light rusty color around their head and light colored tummy, but what sets them apart is their split tail and it's so fun to watch them eat flying insects while in flight. They never need to touch the ground to get their food! I have tried several times this week of capturing them with my camera, but usually I just stand there and watch them fly around, so glad they are getting rid of the pesky flying insects (isn't nature so smart?) These beautiful barn swallows are a fingerprint of God, found in nature, to be enjoyed by us and Emily and I will continue watching this pair outside the window.

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Birthday Emily!

We are celebrating a very special day...it's Emily's birthday! So I had to include a baby photo, as any proud mom would. She has been my furry best friend for the past 6 years and her duckie is still her favorite thing to practice her hunting skills, although it's a little worse for wear (ever seen a bald duck?) I have watched her grow into her tail, lose her claws, and never know the wonderful feeling of motherhood herself...but she has done a wonderful job of taking care of me. I really enjoy her company and sharing our love, relaxing together or playing...very entertaining and I hope we will have many more years to celebrate these special days together.

Wordless Wednesday: Shout, Shout, Let it all out!

Saturday Morning

This is a watercolor I painted (about 10 years ago?!) of my daughter, Mary, doing our favorite thing to do anytime, but I titled this one "Saturday Morning" because it happened to be on a Saturday morning. I don't know if she was actually reading this by herself or just telling me the story as she often did (repetition was a big thing at that age.) Either way, this is one of my treasured memories and thought it would be good to share on this Mother's Day weekend.

Wordless Wednesday: Waiting for Dinner