there are blessings all around.

the world offers so many blessings.  

we just need to look up.  

take notice.  

use our senses.  

receive through our senses.  

name the blessings.  

breathe.  

xo.

life stories: celebrating creation.

before you are a few images from our time with church friends over the weekend.  we love the green spaces in the world that bring rest.  this spot has become a sacred place where we laugh, rest, and renew as we are among people we love.  such a gift. 

on the pier.

fishing.

the sacrificial worms.

a fish caught by a young friend.

on the paddleboat.

life stories: a trip to the national zoo.

my boys and i played in D.C. for a day last week.  we took great delight in the sights and spaces of the national zoo.  here are a few of those delightful moments beholding a little of what creatures live and move and have their being in this world.  

we had such a great day of walking, talking, and being together.  we loved our day to and from riding the train and getting around town.  such a good day at the zoo & visiting the mall & a museum.  

savoring these final days of summer together.  sharing times of walking, talking, playing, eating, and being together.  may your days be filled with life, color, & laughter! 

in the studio: marking moments for L.

life's passages have many marking moments.  while i've been marking my own with landscapes.  L brought me a landscape of her own, made for her when she pastored over 10 years ago (if my memory serves me).  she wanted me to find inspiration in her landscape and create a piece of art that would mark graduation this may.  i love that this landscape is exactly where my hands are working these days.  

i love the symbolic reference to light and dark, 

night and day, 

the path and the road unseen.

and so her landscape is carved & printed. my favorite print of this run (seen here) is one that L's used for her graduation invitations as well.  what a delight!  

life stories: family camping.

we enjoyed a rather impromptu camping trip as a family this week.  

what a glorious way to mark spring and to mark spring break.  

after setting up camp, we took a hike.  

my sweet boy with his walking stick and an apple, 

we journeyed down to the creek and took note of what we saw. 

of course i must take photos of round objects and moss.  

here this log meets both loves. 

many of the ferns were unfurling and others were in their complete glory.  

i love the way ferns open up, revealing their color and shape.

walking toes. 

a space for a quiet walk in the woods. 

and space for yoga.  while lying on my mat, looking up into the trees, i was completely relaxed.  seeing the trees move with the breeze carried me into meditation on their presence and beauty.

i moved with the trees. 

and i remained still, watching and waiting.  being present to myself. present to my loves.

present to the fire. present to the gift of this time together.  

while packing and menu planning for this impromptu trip were somewhat strained for a few of those moments, we found ourselves opening up to the beauty that surrounds us. we were open to our time together, the sounds of the wind, and the open spaces of life lived together.  we found ourselves resting in each other's company. we were called to create this time for each other in these wonderful spaces of creation. 

in the garden: along the front of the house.

the dogwood continues to show its best year.

the clematis is the largest its been. i really need to make a proper space for this to grow tall.  

thinking about how to accomplish a good trellis from repurposed wood in the shed.

my favorite guacamole hosta of my various hostas.  

love, love this plant with its shades of green and large leaves!

sweet coral bells that just opened their blooms, 

with the shadow of some of our tiger lilies. 

 woo hoo! love these!

my japanese poppies returning for their second year. 

i love the shade of these orange beauties.  

they're saying goodnight for the evening in this image, 

but you get the idea of their abundance.

in the garden: spring continues.

a mostly cleared garden space for planting. 

((signs of our giant rosemary plants left and right.))

the cherry is producing the berries.

our irises have started to bloom.  

a while has opened and the purples are soon to follow.  

the blueberry continues to look good.

an armenian cucumber plant growing.  

our greek oregano and a bit of the flowering rosemary.  

this rosemary has bloomed for two years straight, i think.

more oregano, which has been shared again and again.

mint. mint. mint.

mint and a yellow yarrow getting ready for blooming time.

a sweet violet. lovely.

a sign of butterflies to come...

life stories: dyeing our eggs

oh, the easter dyes in their special little tablets. 

sweet hands lowering the egg carefully.

using glass jars, vintage pyrex, and le creuset for the dyes.

each egg is its own, carefully created with 

my sweet boy in our cozy home.

a small array of rainbow delights. two are missing, 

as they were peeled and eaten almost immediately.  almost.

we'll dye another dozen, hide them, find them.  really it's the act of wintessing the colors that we love so much.  then seeing all the eggs in a bowl on the table.  we love that.  when the eggs are dyed, i usually use rice, grits, or egg shells (removing the liner) in the dye so that we can fully make use of this fun.  i love, love dyed rice for art. so much fun.  ((of course, you can't really eat rice that's been dyed. so... this year i'm pulling from the container of brown + white rice that was somehow mixed up some time ago. i'm not called to sort those rice back into their containers.  a little fun can come from that mishap.))

life stories: celebrating 60 years!

a few weeks ago we drove outside of Mari0n, VA to a lovely log cabin to celebrate the 60th anniversary of my love's grandparents. four generations from three states gathered around the table and around the fire to laugh, tell stories, eat, and enjoy each other's company. it was a delightful weekend spent together. the hike my love and i enjoyed was lovely. there was so much to celebrate. we celebrated love.