June 2013

I am due for a post, but this will have to do for today :).

Spring Photos

A good friend of mine had been wanting to do a photo shoot with Mirabel, and she invited us to meet up with her in a random field here in the hill country a few weeks ago.  Couldn't have been better timing, right before Mirabel's birthday (she turned 2 this past Monday) and Mother's Day.  

We had so much fun, plus I love how they all turned out.  Here are just a few.  I'm so thankful for these shots; usually when we do family photos, Mirabel isn't very happy when it comes to taking pics with me (it seems most photographers try to capture daddy and daughter first--which is great, but I want some pics with her too!!).  So this was lovely.  I think she captured the sincerity very well.  Those wildflowers are so beautiful, too.  Can't say Texas ain't pretty :).  

By the way, can you believe she found that dead butterfly on the ground right next to where we were about to start shooting?  Kind of bittersweet, but it shows that all beautiful things serve their purpose, even after their souls leave Earth.  Cheesy, I know :P.  

I've been wanting to write a post about Mirabel's birthday, but I'm waiting until this Saturday's bday party comes to a close--I've still got plenty more pictures to take :).

The weather outside is frightful

...that lonely tree is our Christmas tree. We put him on our porch after deciding, on the day after Christmas, that we needed the space in our living room. Maybe I should crochet him a sweater? ;) Mirabel seems to be enjoying the view from inside.

Our last fall in New England

The Beggar

I'm usually the beggar instead of the giver; asking God for more with an ungrateful heart instead of offering what I already have, the little that can be used. I'm still learning that it's when I've given myself over to him, weaknesses and all, that I can receive the greatest blessing.

What good of me is there to give?
A failed attempt to change or
the change, in my pocket?
A few quarters and pennies?
I have more than that.

My head knows what it means to bow
but, truly, only in fear;
reverence is a place I have not arrived at.
Trust is weakened with my plans.

I
look up only to ask
and other times
I
forget WHO is there.
(I
don't always say thank you
because
I
Usually ask why?

...I, I, I instead of
You.)

You will give
When I have given
More than I have offered or sacrificed.

I've lived my life in alphabetical order:
Me comes before You.
But You ask me to break the rules of convention,
Open my heart to only you and
an intervention

where

holiness replaces all the holes
and fills me with
You,
Then I will have enough
because
It will be your
love
I'm
giving.

A story of two monks

"I need oil," said an ancient monk, so he planted an olive sapling. "Lord," he prayed, "It needs rain that its tender roots may drink and swell. Send gentle showers." And the Lord sent gentle showers. "Lord," prayed the monk, "my tree needs sun. Send sun, I pray thee." And the sun shone, gilding the dripping clouds. "Now frost, my Lord, to brace its tissues," cried the monk. And behold, the little tree stood sparkling with frost, but at evening it died.

Then the monk sought the cell of a brother monk, and told his strange experience. "I, too, planted a little tree," he said, "and see! It thrives well. But I entrust my tree to its God. he who made it knows better what it needs than a man like me. I laid no condition. I fixed not ways or means. 'Lord, send what it needs,' I prayed, 'storm or sunshine, wind, rain, or frost. Thou has made it and Thou dost know.'"

Story taken from this book (again :)

Freedom

They took away what should have been my eyes,

(But I remembered Milton's Paradise)
They took away what should have been my ears,
(Beethoven came and wiped away my tears)
They took away what should have been my tongue,
(But I had talked with God when I was young)
He would not let them take away my soul,
Possessing that, I still possess the whole.

Helen Keller

Lemons and forgiveness :)

When life gives you lemons...take a picture of them and edit the pic with gimp (or make lemon cake ;). When people give you lemons... (OK, so it doesn't have much to do with the post, but I wanted to share this fun pic from Haymarket.)

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Forgive and forget, it's a cliche that some say is biblically based; if God does it then we should too. We're not God, though, and he knows that. Bear with each other & Be kind and compassionate are the two commandments prefacing the call to forgiveness. They put it all into perspective and answer the questions surrounding the issue of forgiveness.

I'm certainly not one to forget when I've been hurt, but with time I've learned to slowly let things go. Only because, with prayer, the anger and bitterness have gradually been replaced with compassion and understanding. Even though the former feelings still creep up every now and then, it's difficult to truly be resentful toward someone when I put myself in their shoes (consider their upbringing, their own battles and struggles, etc.).

We don't have to wait for an apology from anyone to start forgiving them. If turning the other cheek sounds unreasonable, then the way we've been looking at it is all wrong. Turning the other cheek requires us to turn away from the 'raised hand' (or the hurt) and look away from the act/person that's hurting us. At that point we're the most vulnerable and we can also see something other than the pain. It's in our most vulnerable moments that we can humble ourselves and realize that we're not so different from those who've hurt us. We may not engage in the same hurtful acts, but we've all hurt and been hurt. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other... There is a reason why compassion comes before forgiveness.

Seriously.

Seriously. Just look at that face and...the tiny paws! How can I be bothered?

Yep, that is my new friend Mr. Raccoon, except I think it might be Ms. (oops!). She is very curious.

Yesterday the hubby and I were enjoying hot dogs outside on our porch (because the weather was so so beautiful) when we heard someone barking in the background. Nope, it wasn't a dog, it was a squirrel -- not just any squirrel. Apparently Mr. Squirrel is quite territorial and really (and I mean really) becomes anxious and aggressive whenever he sees Ms. Raccoon anywhere near his tree. He barks up a storm, even his tail twitches to the beat of his barks, for added emphasis. I think he got his point across to Ms. Raccoon, who refused to climb up the tree.

Instead, she made her way to the area surrounding our porch. We made eye contact when she was in the neighbor's yard and she could smell the food, I'm sure. I could hear some rustling nearby and guess who it was? Yep, cute and curious Lady Raccoon.

That picture you're seeing was actually taken today. She was a bit on the shy side yesterday but today she was bold enough to climb onto our porch. I left the sliding door open while I was baking chicken and sewing earlier this afternoon, I'm pretty sure the aroma in the breeze was too much for a hungry raccoon to handle. I opened the curtain and there she was, except, I only caught a glimpse of her furry tail curling around the edge of the porch while she tried to escape. But a minute later she decided to come back and say hello. She literally remained in that pose (in the photos above) for about 5 minutes. :)

As far as sewing goes, I'm working on a few Mother's Day projects. I'm finishing up a tote/beach bag for my mom. I made it really huge :D, I was afraid of making it too small, but I added a few pockets because things are bound to get lost in that big ol' bag. I have to sew the exterior/interior together still, but here's what I have so far:

Earth Day

scrap from Noshay Designs.

foodie fun and stuff in boston (and everywhere else)

Haymarket: Cheap produce and lots of it!

Christina's Spice and Specialty Foods Store in Cambridge


Oh oh! And if you love Anthropologie.com (but aren't a fan of their prices), check out Ruche. Their clothing is gorgeous, still a bit pricey for me, but they do have pretty good sales! I love their earrings! Lulu's also has some cute stuff. And Purlsoho.com is so fun, I'm thinking of getting some of this fabric for kitchen curtains...

Living the life

Digital Photo Collage

So...it's still really really cold outside. Despite the fact that the high is 40 today, the windchill makes it feel like it's in the 20s outside (painful!). I decided to stay indoors for a few hours, at least until it feels more like 30 something. I spent the morning playing around with the gimp, creating a digital collage. Gimp is so much fun, I love that stuff like this is free :P!

Here are some of the pictures taken beforehand and edited:

right outside of the law school...