summer's here

in honor of the first monday of summer, i broke out the skort. ah. what an invention! people over 40 rejoice with me!! this particular version has weird knit biker shorts built in underneath. i don't know yet, but i bet i can sweat and will still be comfy in skorty goodness!

he he. skorty goodness. ah, to live a grateful life...


in other news, the perennial beds are looking nice. they don't normally get watered, unless it's really bad. so, they liked the rainfall.


Lord, help me to quit buying plants! this flat of moss roses will have to go somewhere. better keep digging up dirt, i guess...


you couldn't resist either, right?!


oh. the unfurling. going quite nicely, thanks. i may have a giant caladium by summer's end!

whew. okay. monday mode, monday mode, monday mode.
:) wishing you as much luck with that as i'm having!

sunday goodness

it's a sleeping in, sitting on the porch and drinking coffee, staring out at the unfinished yard work, baking cupcakes and heading down the highway kind of day.

hope yours is a good one!

succies

i could look at you forever.

rain rain

so far this month, it has rained more days than not. i kind of like it. today, for example, it rained and looked gloomy, but now it's brightening up! kind of like a fresh batch for every day. bring it on. that's my rain barrel above. i am so excited that kristie's dad is going to get me a recycled rainbarrel (old soap container) over the 4th of july. woo hoo! i hope it keeps raining.


the unfurling is complete. now we just need to see how BIG he is going to get.


i did discover a fairly major leak in my nest. doh. the joy of home ownership. anybody know how to tar a roof?


luckily, i got my $1 thrifted plastic tablecloth set up yesterday. see how cute it is, lou!


oh, and the digging up of the back yard continues. sweat was produced doing this little section. i ran out of mulch and busted a paving stone, but ALMOST there.

is it friday yet? so much to do besides working!
:)

random design day

like every designer who is worth even a small hoot, i appreciate great design when i see it. that's why it was exciting to behold this "Jolly Jug" at the thrift store last week. i love, love, love the perfection of the design. for all those designers out there who think they are cool with their sleek and modern design, take a look at the people who invented it. in the 1950s, no less. this great little guy was designed by a lady named petra cabot, who is my new favorite dead designer. her bio is interesting. i wonder if it was her idea to put the red round cap on top? because that is GENIUS.

anyway, i love looking at it. i was not going to buy it though, because what the heck will i do with all this useless stuff. until lou unscrewed the lid, and yep, there is a neat glass container in there. so i can actually make hygienic lemonade with it this summer. to be honest, i just want to take a photo with a beach blanket and feet with flip flops and this. sigh.

happy design day!

unfurling still more

well, one thing that is unfurling is that i am scared out of my bejeebers. absolutely TERRIFIED.

it seems that very soon i will get an opportunity to "take it to the streets" as some young prophet evangelists come to town to host a school of ministry. yikes! that was quick, Lord!

oh. get this...remember way back when a long time ago, when i admitted my fascination with flag waving/worship?


well, it looks like a "flagging" workshop is also on the agenda. that guy right there is an INSANE flag waver. insane. he's also 6'3" or so, and skinny. i hope he brings some shorter, rounder flags too :)

he he. unfurl, unschmurl.

the unfurling

new favorite word of the week: unfurl. Webster's defines it this way: to release from a furled state. that little guy above got me thinking about it... you might remember him.


i got him in april, with the promise of him turning into an elephant ear caladium. for a LOOOOONNNG time, he did nothing. now, he's unfurling into something. can hardly wait to see.


hmmm. let's see what else. the berries are coming in, few but scrumptious. and pretty, right?


i know you guys are sick of the chair, but it's absolutely where i live right now. this weekend, i knew it was bad/good when my saturday cleaning moved to the screened porch, and the inside of the house remained untouched. i am working on a super secret project, which fit perfectly into my outdoor nest. kirsten, that other chair is reserved for you ;)


lastly, lou and i had a thrifting FRENZY on friday nite. yes, you heard that right, friday nite. who says we're not party girls?! i am truly DONE with succulents. but not before i od'd on them. succulent overload. sounds like a band.


well. so much for happy, carefree weekends. now, i can hardly wait to see how life unfurls this week :) enjoy your monday!

one day summer

well, yesterday was "it" apparently. today is grey (and - at least - rainy) again! i managed to take advantage of the sun yesterday, pulled weeds, went for a walk, grilled chicken for dinner, and just generally enjoyed the sky and warmth.

i even went thrifting for about 20 minutes. i have not been thrifting NEARLY enough yet this season, have not had the time so far to dig in wholly. but, nevertheless, i have found a few things. wanna see?

yellow - my official favorite color since i was about 6 years old - is now coming in more strongly around the house. and pears. i really like pears. i have had the little ceramic honey pot for awhile, but i just got the glass jar. oh. and glass jars. and enamel ware. i know. you are getting the idea i like everything, which is SO not true.


he he. i have been fantasizing for a couple of years about those giant plastic lighted santas from the 60s. this little guy is NOT that. but he will look very cute on the steps this winter, if i can figure out how to get him open to change the lightbulb. $2. tell me you think i'm nuts.


everything has to be a collection, i swear. lately, it's "succulents and old ceramic pots." cannot have enough of those. last weekend, i finally hit the jackpot and found some cool old succulents that remind me of my grandma's windowsill. and late yesterday i said to lou: "i really need some old chippy planters."

of course, look what i found on the lone garage sale i went to! i see more of these little gems in my future!!


ah. looking at pretty things is something i don't think i'll ever tire of. maybe someday, i won't have to necessarily OWN them. happy friday!

here comes the Son!

well, thank goodness the Lord is bigger than the forecast! looks like we get the light today afterall. :)

flip flops and sweatshirts

that's the new wardrobe i've adopted. kriminey! going into day 6 of cold, rainy weather, with nothing else in the forecast for another week! how do you seattlelites do it?

accchhhhh. i have napped enough, and spent enough time under the afghan, with the furnace on. in june. each night, i check the wunderground website (which, by the by, is excellent) and we get 0.01 inches of rain. that's not enough rain, people! if we are going to put up with clouds and cool weather every day, at LEAST could we get some measurable rain?

the plants really are not seeming to mind that much. i have lillies, catmint, irises, daisies, and my big blue indigo plant all blooming. i guess that they are just thankful for the fact that it isn't snowing. perhaps i could take a lesson.

ps. 8:15. sun just came out for a sec. thank you Lord :)

everything in season

yum. i love this time of year, when every week a different delicious thing is in season.

this week, i discovered a 4 lb. container of strawberries at the grocery store. since my own berry patch yields approx. 4 berries total every season (and usually, i share with the birds), this was too good to pass up. they were the yummy kind, not half rotten and mushy like you normally see in the store.

in case you are wondering about why i need 4 lbs of strawberries, let me tell you about how to preserve them. it's easy peasy. i usually just wash them and cut up the really big ones. then, throw them on a cookie sheet, single-file, and freeze them for a few hours. when they are frozen, and you can break them apart, put them in ziploc bags and freeze. now, whenever you need strawberries for baking, or even to eat as a treat (microwave defrost for a few seconds, sprinkle with a teaspoon of sugar, and serve!) - you've got em.

i think i may make jam out of this batch at some point.


as for my own garden, it's just silly with baby spinach, lettuce and radishes right now. i guess it's salad for lunch again today!

happy wednesday!

heather clark

one of the things that i find changing in me lately, is my taste in music. i am liking the stuff that takes me IN. completely swallows me up in Godness. i discovered heather clark thru the conference...whoa. she is amazing. i love her website!

i really cannot work at the same time as listening though, because i find myself dancing around and praising. maybe that is not all bad :)

know-it-all

i thought my devotional today was excellent, so i'll share it here. i especially love that christians are often accused of being "blind" and "sheep" which of course we are, but not necessarily because of stupidity (although sometimes, i admit i fall into that category, too). when i went to the conference last week, i heard a guy introducing himself as a "recovering intellectual." that made me laugh.

ps. isn't the photo great? i LOVE that einstein is misspelled! love, love, love.

happy day!


If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them —John 13:17

Be determined to know more than others. If you yourself do not cut the lines that tie you to the dock, God will have to use a storm to sever them and to send you out to sea. Put everything in your life afloat upon God, going out to sea on the great swelling tide of His purpose, and your eyes will be opened. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the calm waters just inside the harbor, full of joy, but always tied to the dock. You have to get out past the harbor into the great depths of God, and begin to know things for yourself— begin to have spiritual discernment.

When you know that you should do something and you do it, immediately you know more. Examine where you have become sluggish, where you began losing interest spiritually, and you will find that it goes back to a point where you did not do something you knew you should do. You did not do it because there seemed to be no immediate call to do it. But now you have no insight or discernment, and at a time of crisis you are spiritually distracted instead of spiritually self-controlled. It is a dangerous thing to refuse to continue learning and knowing more.

The counterfeit of obedience is a state of mind in which you create your own opportunities to sacrifice yourself, and your zeal and enthusiasm are mistaken for discernment. It is easier to sacrifice yourself than to fulfill your spiritual destiny, which is stated in Romans 12:1-2. It is much better to fulfill the purpose of God in your life by discerning His will than it is to perform great acts of self-sacrifice. "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice . . ." ( 1 Samuel 15:22 ). Beware of paying attention or going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something that you have never been. "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know . . ." ( John 7:17 ).

smells like old lady

ah. went to an estate sale with lou and cousin emily at lunch today. em went a little crazy with the vintage clothing, lou bought some bakelite dominos to make jewelry with, and i bought more old lady sheets.

siesta tests out all vintage linens before we use them. i don't know who loves old lady smell MORE, her or i. maybe it's a tie :)

poor little guy

look what i found tonite in my neighbor's driveway. i could tell he was injured in some way, he did not move at all. i kept watch for awhile, and he did walk, but it looked like he has a broken wing, could not fly.

i googled him, and it looks like he is a baby falcon - american kestrel. kirst, i wish i knew how to do rescues. i really feel bad, because i don't think he will make it the way it was looking. i guess i will just pray, since he has hobbled away by now. gosh, he is sure beautiful tho, isn't he? sigh. :(

the chair

every day, it taunts me. i usually visit it once in the morning, before i'm really awake, and for a short break around noon.

then, at 3pm every single day (you could almost set your watch by it), i lose all willpower. i think about all my friends who are there already....



and i can no longer resist...the chair.



sigh. i missed you ;)

jason's turn

before i keep on keeping on, i will just say by hearing joshua mills speak last week, i was blessed to experience the LOVE of Christ, and just the idea that He needs to always, only be our consuming passion.

so now. on to jason. jason westerfield is a powerful speaker, although it's a mile a minute, running and jumping and moving, moving, moving kind of powerful. it's kind of like the opposite of me ;) ha. i hadn't really heard much of his testimony, so it was neat to hear some of it, and the thing that struck me most, was that he had the courage and desire to be OBEDIENT in the face of God. he doesn't brush stuff off and say "hmmmm, maybe someday" like i tend to do.

story. when jason was a young christian, God told him to go to a place in northern california where some prophetic things were happening. he was in LA at the time, unfortunately, he had no money. so he told the story of getting in the car to drive anyway, trusting God would provide (which he did, by a stranger buying him a tank of gas in the middle of the night). but that's not the story i'm going to tell. the story i'm telling happened AFTER that, when God told him he would see an accident, and that he should stop when he did. He said he would instruct him more when it was time.

naturally, he was thinking "how am i gonna see an accident out here?" when - he saw an accident. he pulled over and he sat in his car thinking "okay God, NOW what?" then God told him to get out and go over to a man that was distraught. problem is, there were some police officers/authorities standing DIRECTLY in between him and the guy. so he says"how is this going to work, God" and God just says "walk" .... which he does, DIRECTLY between the guys, who miraculously don't even notice that he did so. and then he says "NOW what God?" and God says "go up to the man and start to talk." now, jason is a young christian, he doesn't know WHY he stopped at this accident, and really doesn't know WHAT he should say to this man! as he opens his mouth to speak, much to his surprise, and to the man's as well, he speaks spanish! which is not a big deal, except that HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO SPEAK SPANISH. he ends up comforting and praying for the man, then goes upon his merry way.

cute little story, which begs the question, what would God do in our lives if we had the ears to hear what He is saying to us, and if the desire to obey was strong enough to actually DO what He says when He says it?


hmmmmm. i think obedience is importance in our walk with God, don't you?

my happy surprise

she told me to post this yucky picture, so i guess i will. because you know what? even though i LOOK kind of awful here, i do think you can tell i was having a LOT of fun, can't you?

this happened last tuesday, a hectic, grey and rainy-ish day in which i was trying to feel like i was in control before i left for phoenix, and failing. carey called, and asked if she could drop by with a surprise karen, before they went to the airport.

we ended up spending over an hour, talking talking talking. i got to see THE HAIR in person (very, very cute) and best of all, i got to hug her. for reals.

so the next time anybody tells you they think blogging is dumb, or they don't have time to do it properly, or that computer relationships aren't real, SHOW THEM THIS PICTURE.

:)

let's get sparkly

i was gonna tell a really good story about joshua mills, and how he actually BECAME sparkly with gold dust during one of the prayer meetings last week. he didn't start out sparkly when he began talking, but somehow, he became that way as he spoke. it's kind of hard to explain :) but let me tell ya, it was neat to see.

later on, he laid hands on all of us, and asked God for an impartation of the Glory - however, whatever God wanted to do in our lives. i am wondering if i might not have caught some, because yesterday i ran to the grocery store quick, 'cause my cupboards are bare. i kept hearing these people saying stuff like "well, i guess it's not gonna happen, looks like we lost the apartment" (on a cell phone to someone) and "i can't believe my bike got stolen! i don't know what i'm going to do."

i wish i could say i came up to them like joshua talks about here. instead, i just prayed in the name of Jesus that the enemy would NOT take their ground, that their apartment and their bikes would be restored. the words in my head actually came pretty easily, i wish i would have said them aloud.

i didn't get sparkly, but guess what? someday, i just may ;)
happy tuesday all!

helllllooooooooooo!

hi all.

i missed you last week. i have been thinking about how to package all the stories. it was an amazing time, although 3 prayer meetings a day for 3 days is very grueling. i am SOOOOOOOOO tired today. i did experience times of real "high" though, like mountain-top air coming in. that was neat.


hmmm. see that guy up there? you might not think so when you first see him, but he brings the glory of God around with him in his pocket. i was so so blessed to hear him speak. his name is joshua mills. sometimes, he gets gold dust all over him when he praises God. he sees angels. he shows other people (like me) how to see angels. i have a good story from him to tell.

hmmmmm. oh. you probably are wondering about the "upgrade." it did not take too long to get it at the conference, God doesn't mess around. when we registered, we told the people at the desk our funny story of how we forgot to register, but God promised an upgrade. they looked at us like "oh, good for you!" but clearly, the upgrade was not coming from them, the conference was just jam-packed full.

so, we just said "okay" and after about 10 minutes in the lobby, our friend dianne - who had a different flight than sher and i - called from the shuttle she was on coming from the airport. it seems that she met a young woman from seattle on the same shuttle, and they got to talking about the glory of God and how they were so excited, and jennifer (new friend) mentioned that she had 2 friends who were not able to come, but she came anyway....he he.

yeah. we got her tickets. we had decided just to buy them directly from her, but what is really funny is that she had somehow gotten them at a discounted rate, so even the price we paid for BOTH her ticket and the one we already had was EXACTLY the same as the original conference price. no prob.

anyway, lots to digest. all i know for sure is that God is much bigger than we act like He is. and He loves us so.

happy week!