On the loose!

I learned all about elaeagnus (aka silverthorn) and her arching branches when I lived in the Georgia countryside. That’s a good thing since it cuts my learning curve now that we’ve moved to town…and have even more than before!

While this plant is a FABULOUS privacy screener, she isn’t well-mannered enough to stay confined in our yard. No! She insists on poking through and waving wildly at those who dare to walk on the sidewalk.

To be honest, I haven’t had to do her hair or pay much attention to anything outside of the backyard fence, but as I created a pile of sticks for the weekly utility pick up (now, that is a luxury I can get used to!!), I noticed that somone had apparently needed to give her a quick (1 branch) trim on order to pass safely.

yikes! We DO want to be good neighbors, so I decided to grab some garden shears and create a great big pile for pickup…on Tuesday…and then I remembered that there will be an art show at the park across the way on Sunday afternoon, so tbe foot traffic will be higher–and big thorny piles to avoid aren’t exactly good neighbor-ish.

Well, there was only two things to do about that: temporarily scale back my plans for the haircut and make wreaths with what had already been cut! SO! Elaeganus now graces the fence until I get the new wreaths in place later today and all of her remaining waving locks will live to wave another day…or four…or….we shall see.

In the meantime, I have fresh green wreaths to celebrate the transition into September and another way to make living in the city give rise to more creativity! Art is where you make it–and so is home!!

Grace and Peace!

Memory lane

🎶“The moment I wake up
Before I put on my makeup
I say a little prayer for you
While combing my hair, now
And wondering what dress to wear, now
I say a little prayer for you…” 🎶

“I Say a Little Prayer for You” by Burt Bacharach and Hal David

“That heart-in-the-throat moment when Candace regrets her mini-makeover at the mall just before her big presentation…”

(And, yes, that IS a long title for such a tiny painting!)

Remembering the days of mall makeovers and great music…(do people even know what that is now?!) Here’s hoping your midweek is much less traumatic and at least as much fun as my early morning doodles.

(If you can’t sleep, you might as well play with paint!)

Happy Wednesday!

Almost

They say you should periodically take a turn in your guest room just to make sure everything works well. When Covid invaded, I did just that…and I found out exactly what the home inspector meant when he said there was “low water pressure in the guest room shower.” To be truthful, he really should have said, “You will need to bring your own water in a bucket to this one.”

This isn’t my first time with a slow shower head, so I did some amateur plumbing this morning. Sure enough, I found the problem right away: a bent and clogged filter along with some excess debris that should have been handled a while back. No matter. I had everything I needed to fix it and I did just that…except that the hose that came attached to the new shower head wasn’t up to the power of the water pressure that came through next…and suddenly, it was no longer attached.

Oh, well. There’ll be another (sturdier!!) one in place shortly. As I turned away dripping a bit from my plumbing adventure, I began to sing this song:

“Showers of blessing,
  Showers of blessing we need;
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
    But for the showers we plead.”

D.W. Whittle (1883)

…and I’m pretty sure God laughed right along with me. Happy Tuesday!

Grace and Peace…and good plumbing!

Tandem

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

Romans 8:26

I’m so glad God decided to share Romans 8:26 with us! Some things are just hard to pray for specifically. I’m pretty detail-oriented and I like it when I can pray that way! Of course I know God doesn’t always let me in on those details just so I can’t take credit (or blame!) for the outcome when He answers. While it may be hard to know exactly what is needed, I know WHO is needed…and that has to be enough.

I had a friend on my mind last week, but I wasn’t exactly sure what to pray for, so I just prayed and painted something that reminded me of her. I know God doesn’t need my words, but He does desire my intentional participation in doing what He’s called me to do.

As we enter this new week, I want to remind us all that we have the privilege of working in tandem with God. When we follow Scripture and still don’t know what to do or say, He’s already made provision for us. Rest in that even if your prayers don’t come out as words at all.

Grace and Peace!

Change of pace

It looks–and sounds!–counterintuitive to add more boxes to the mayhem at this point, but it is a deliberate choice. We thought about it, did quite a bit of research, and then made some decisions…and a few purchases. Despite the “Fragile” messages on these dented boxes (and the obvious care with which they were handled! Ha!), we expect the contents to bring us robust joy for years to come.

We’ll have to wait for the unwanted guest (Covid) to leave before we can truly dive in, but I’m enjoying it even now because we decided to make a change of pace in this new place and this is just the start of that. We decided to make some changes and set about following through to make it a reality. Don’t miss that. You can do that, too.

Your changes don’t have to cost money, take up space, or even be shared. They don’t have to match anyone else’s expectations or even be impressive to those who love you best, but if there’s something you believe will help make your life more in line with what you feel God has for you, then what are you waiting for? Get busy making those changes–or at least start taking the steps to implement them as soon as you can!

Whatever changes you’re contemplating today, be sure and choose joy!

Grace and Peace!

Quiet day provisions

It’s a quiet day around here today. Covid has come to call and we now await its departure. We are resting easy and remembering the tastes of summer in other places as we escape the heatwave in the air conditioned comfort of this new place. God is in control and He is always good.

“You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills;
they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.
From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth…”

Psalm 104: 10-14 (ESV)

Grace and Peace–and health to us all!

Midweek medicine

“Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: All of them make me laugh.“

W.H. Auden

I believe Mr. Auden was on to something, so here are just a few of the things that have made me chuckle a bit recently:

(Taken at our local courthouse and, yes, I did ask permission before I took that photo! Ha!)

and…

(that one might have hit a little too close to home as I have emptied box after box after…)

May your midweek bring you smiles and a few belly laughs–and, if not, make it your business to bring some to those around you! I hear they’re good for the soul and they don’t hurt the environment, either!

“A cheerful heart is good medicine…”

Proverbs 17:22a (NIV)

Good things

1. Jesus still loves me–and you!
2. More boxes left my house yesterday!
3. More art found a home on the walls!
4. The sell/donate pile continues to grow!
5. Thanks to the industry of local farmers, I have fresh veggies to prepare for supper and a little extra for the coming winter when all the industry in the world won’t bring me locally grown patty pan squash!
6. A dear friend started my day off by sharing Scripture with me!
7. I have finally carved out a few minutes for art over the past several days…small steps in reality, but making progress in this area makes me incredibly happy.

This piece is a work in progress. I started it in GA, but had to pack it away for the move. I’m trying some new things in my few minutes a day and experimenting with more than just paint. Sounds like life for all of us, I think.

What are the “good things” on your list?

Grace and Peace!

Power-packed

A new hometown means a search for a new home church. As I have been reminding myself while unpacking and looking for new ways to use old possessions, “you never find exactly what you had, so make the most of what you have.” The same can be applied to the church search.

Yesterday, we went to a new-to-us church. Greeters were friendly. All was as anticipated…until we sang the opening song:

“Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.

Refrain:
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so!

Anna B. Warner (1860), refrain: William B. Bradberry (1862)

I wasn’t expecting that and this tiny little song from my childhood (and yours, too, probably) just wrecked me. I’ve known these words and the truth they share my entire life, yet I am never prepared for the power they contain.

I thought maybe you could use a reminder as we start this new week. I pray you know the truth of these few words and that you walk through this week in the strength and power of them.

Happy Monday! Have a power-packed week because JESUS LOVES YOU!!! ❤️

Grace and Peace!

Peace

Oh, this is so true! Today I emptied the final load from the storage facility. As I took the final photo below, my heart was filled with peace at what God has and is doing in our lives. At long last, all we have been entrusted with is in one location. Praise His Name and pass the peace!

May your weekend schedule be as full or as empty as you and He desire, but may your hearts be always full to overflowing with His Peace. (He adores you, you know.)

Top graphic from Country Living/Getty images.