An Evening in the Countryside

 Strolling among the wildflowers during eventide. 

So calm, so quiet. 

No cars with loud mufflers dragging.

No semi's rattling the house.

No neighbors yelling.

It all fades into o b l i v i o n 

until there is only

 tranquility

& birdsong

the buzz of busy bugs.

It is the matchless twilight hum 

that can solely be found

among the gently rolling hills 

of the countryside.

A Simple Dishcloth

Chain with an F hook until it looks right (for me with this cotton yarn by Sugar n Cream it was 24 chains). Then, single crochet into the second hook from chain and continue to the end for a total of 23 single crochets. Chain one. Turn and repeat until desired height is reached. 

Happy Crocheting!

Summer Dreams Make Me Feel Fine

 

 Okay, so that's not quite the words to the song, but "dreams" fit my purposes better than "breeze." Only three more days of school. I love my little cherubs, but by the time summer rolls around, I am more than ready for a little extra R&R. 

The ivory box actually held Christmas cards in its former life before I re-purposed it into a gift box for Mother's Day. I had a Victorian book of art that I picked up for under two bucks a while back and decided to put the images to good use. If I had more time to do it over, I would have hot glued some fancy trim along the page edge to cover the faint sheen of tape that is visible every so often in certain lights. 

Today, may you all find time to reflect on the sacrifices of our brave service men and women. I am thankful for the freedom I have 

because of their bravery. 

Happy Memorial Day!

Sunday Scripture

Sewing Among the Flowers

 The Saturday of Mother's Day weekend, I stole away to my mom & dad's cottage in the country. 

Everywhere I turned there was some sweet flower or cheery birdsong to instill peace and tranquility back into my heart. It's been a long past couple of weeks and this visit was precisely

 the medicine the doctor ordered!

 While there, Mimsie also helped me with sewing these adorable quilt squares together. The cheerful prints and happy colors perfectly capture the color scheme for my kitchen redo (except for the grey. I am not really emphasizing that color much). It is a curtain to hang across the gap where my leaky dishwasher formerly sat. 

The clematis' spiky fronds never cease to astound me with their electric color. They seem such a tropical-looking plant to do so well in Ohio.  

 The dahlias below are stunning. Not very large yet, but very striking in their abundance of petals. 

Sorry to have been away from you all for so long. I have enjoyed receiving the many comments of love and encouragement you have been so gracious to send. I am a bit of a sad sack today and have enjoyed dropping by each of your happy blogs to take in the beauty and soak in the cheer. There is nothing like a good dose of blogger therapy to help get one back on track!

Jess left this morning with Mom and Dad to help her move into her new North Dakota digs. We squeezed so much into this past week it is incredible! Many lovely memories. Last night, I hugged her goodbye and dashed out the door before she could see me cry. She doesn't like a sappy fuss being made over her. I drove home crying terrible great big fat tears that wouldn't stop. Halfway home, the thunderstorm that had been threatening broke loose and joined me in my cry fest. The rain came down so hard, I was crawling along at 25 mph in a 55 zone! The streets of town were flooded in some parts. Hubby described the fat bolts of lightening as looking like the Emperor from Star Wars as he battled to the death. Rather comical interpretation, but in retrospect, it did look that way. 

I have been listening to Little Women as a book on cd. I have read it a couple times over the years, but my last reading was over a decade ago now. I forgot just how touching the story was. I have decided to take Marmie's advice to her sweet brood to heart and apply it to my life: "Hope and keep busy."

And that is exactly what I intend to do! It is my new motto. There is not time for me to dwell on sadness. Instead, I am deciding to embrace this new phase of Jess and my's life and make the most of it. 
I have all ready made a list of fun care packages to send and am planning to buy a web cam so we can Skype. Hopefully, she will be back for a visit before I know it.

May each of you find hope for the day and happy things to keep you busy!

The Going Away Party

 This past Saturday evening, John and I hosted my sister's going away party. In a mere 5 days' time, Jess will be driving 24 hours away to settle in North Dakota. It will be a wonderful adventure for her, but, goodness, will I miss her something fierce.

Owing to my scurrying around last minute, Jess took all these photos for me. What a dear! She knew I'd want to share the evening with my blogging friends ;-)

Since my lil sis shares my love of the color aqua, I was able to use the last of my plasticware rolls leftover from mine and John's wedding last July.  

This fantabulous acrylic tower was a freebie my dad picked up from a local department store. They were going to trash their old displays in order to make room for brand new models. My dad is a visionary and knew that one of the ladies in his family could surely put these pieces to good use, so he borrowed a truck and hauled several pieces away, thus saving them from being shattered and stuck in a landfill. Way to go, Dad!

 All in all, the evening turned out to be lovely. It was a long couple of days trying to get it to come together so smoothly, though, for we had a sewer pipe burst in our basement the Thursday before the Saturday fete. We were in a panic, informed the guests that the party had been moved to my parents' house, only to have our plumber come in and save the day Friday afternoon (we had thought he couldn't do the job til Saturday). It was beyond lovely to have running water once again restored to our home. We felt so destitute without it! Amazing how much we can take our modern conveniences for granted until they are no longer there. 

I look forward to spending every second of this coming week that I can enjoying special times with my sister before she moves away. 

(We are investing in a webcam ASAP in order to Skype). 

Looking forward to blogging more regularly soon. 

Until next time, may your days be full of sunshine and happiness!

Sunday Scripture

The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. ~ Psalm 18: 28b-29 (NLT)

 

{Image Source}

Inspiration for your Day

I do not usually share videos, but when I saw this today it uplifted me so much I felt the need to share it. I was mired down in the remains of a crazy-busy, super-stressful day feeling drained and depressed when this happened across my screen. It blessed and refreshed my spirits and I hope it does yours as well.

Sunday Scripture

{Image Source}

A key foundational truth for which I am grateful my mother instilled into me from a young age. Some of my earliest memories are of us quoting this scripture by heart together before bedtime. Precious is a mother who teaches her children to love God! 

Thank you, Mimsie! I love you!

Sunday Scripture

{Image Source}