Directions

Following the road God has planned for me has taken a direction I never imagined - I thought somehow my life would continue on the path forever - at least until Al and I were very old and we would join each other in Heaven after we had spent many more years happily here on earth. But my plan was not God's plan.

These gladiolas remind me of that - the yellow ones so bright and standing upright - heading in the right direction. The glorious fuchsia colored one I found lying on the ground bending in three directions yet still determined to bloom. Is this what God wants from me? Even when I am down, I must continue with His plan for me with determination and "bloom where I am planted!"

I couldn't leave the fuchsia blossom outside - it couldn't stand up - so bringing it in to join the others and letting it bend in all directions makes me smile when I walk past it.

I am pretending that this is a very contemporary design making its own statement!

A Little More Practice

Summer is quickly drawing to a close - or at least the calendar says so. I know that the flowers will soon be giving way to frosty mornings so I am determined to keep practicing - these are lavender and ivory calla lilies and pale pink roses from the yard. I should have photographed them right away as the roses appear they may shatter at any moment. The calla lilies will last a very long time, though. Another blessing - my gardens so full of different flowers to play with.

True Blessings

This past week started out with a few challenges - trying to get the camper out of the garage to check out what was broken, trying to find someone who could repair it before the weekend and organizing part of the garage. I did manage to move the camper out and discover the problem but was unable to find a repair shop that could even look at it let alone repair it for another two weeks. That was a challenge yet I know that Amy, Forrest and Ephraim had a great time camping using their tent and Ephraim slept for 12 hours one night! Thus the blessing!

Onto organizing the garage - so once I had the trailer back in the garage and because I had previously moved "stuff" around, I decided to try and put some order to the shelves. Well things were going ok, until the shelf fell down on me and the two coolers (which have sat peacefully up there for over a year) collapsed and landed on me. I said (to myself) "Alright then, I will clean this up a little and head to Home Depot to buy a shelf that I know will not fall from the wall." The blessing was that I really did want to put up some more shelves in that spot so now I had the opportunity and the bruises on my arms are only slightly greenish blue now.

I still tried not to be upset - although I did wonder why these things happen when I am only trying to take care of our house and "stuff".

The last calamity of the day was moving a simple box of boots over to a corner in the garage but alas I bumped a small wooden collapsible table which then fell against my shin and made a nice carving on my leg down to my ankle. This time I did not hold it together and cried out why am I having such a day when I only want to take care of things. I was upset with Al because he was gone and not here to help me and upset with God because Al was with Him.

Now really if Al had the day to spend with Jesus over helping me in the garage --how could I really be mad at him? Somedays I feel that I can still hardly breathe yet those days I know that Jesus is somehow holding me up a little more.

Nothing really awful happened to me - I survived the crashing coolers and tables and was able to laugh a little about it the following day (after my pity party!) But the real blessing that afternoon was spending time with Ryan at the nursery and Home Depot and having my neighbor bring over the most gorgeous star gazing lilies from their farm. They truly are the biggest blossoms I have ever seen. They were so beautiful I didn't even want to try and rearrange them. Thank you Daisy.

Thank you, Jesus, for providing the moments in my life so I will stop and recognize your blessings.

Old Fashioned Lace

I have been thinking of doing something with these blossoms from my yard for several days. Both the allium and the Queen Anne's Lace remind me of an old fashioned garden. They both appear very delicate - yet the allium (a part of the garlic family!) is quite durable - I can play with the blossoms in my hand and they don't fall apart. I know the Lace is more delicate but I love the airy feeling it creates. I added the two lilies for a second focal point at the base of the arrangement. I set the flowers in my dining room and it looked more formal and then in my kitchen where it took on a more whimsical tone. I think I like it in the kitchen - the red vase on the dark green counters with the cherry wood in the background helped the arrangement standout.

I am so thankful for the abundance of flowers in my yard to fiddle with and especially to our Creator who designed so many wonderful patterns, colors and shapes of flowers for us all to enjoy.

Lilies, Lilies and More Lilies

Day lilies just make me smile. Their bright sunny colors and soft blended pinks are popping up all over my yard. Today I even have a few star gazing lilies opening up.

With the day lilies, I actually took a leaf from the calla lilies and lined the vase with it. Hopefully it won't let the water get too murky - I think it adds a neat touch to an ordinary vase. What do you think!

Summer's Simple Elegance

I can't think of another flower that is more elegant than a calla lily. Alfred and Bailey's wedding flowers abounded with calla lilies, hydrangeas and roses. They were all beautiful. Simple in their singular beauty yet we can see God's delicate hand as He created each blossom.

Today it is really warm out and I have had enough weed pulling for a few days and I really wanted to try and do something different with the lilies in my yard. Calla lilies are so striking whether alone or in a bouquet. In my arrangement I place three lilies in a narrow rectangular vase filled with glass beads. If I had had a "frog" it might have made it easier to get them to stand up! This is a more contemporary design for me - but I do really like it.

July in Jackson Hole

We have returned from Jackson Hole. Each day has been filled with memories. My kids - daughters, grandchildren and sons in law - really helped me pull things together so the yard would look beautiful for the rehearsal dinner. We did a lot of weeding, spread nearly 50 bags of bark, and even planted a few flower pots. I wish I had taken a picture of the gazebo, island and the lawn. I think it looked wonderful. (Thank you Forrest and the gang for spreading all that bark and fixing the waterfall!) Ryan once again made the yard look picture perfect with all the pruning and mowing.

Somehow in the midst of working we did manage to have a few moments for play, too. I loved being outside with the little ones playing on the swings and in the wagon - begging to go higher or faster. I loved being with my sisters all in one place - although our time always seems too short and hurried. I truly think a trip for ourselves is in order.

I know I didn't sit still very well in Jackson - to let myself be quiet allowed my heart and head race of how things should be - with Al in the midst of the craziness and taking care of all the little things. I am so thankful for my family who helped me complete all the tasks I had given myself so we would be ready for Alfred and Bailey's beautiful wedding. There was a huge part of me that was doing this for Alvis. I know that he would have been working like crazy had he been there and I wanted to make him happy. Kind of silly knowing that he is walking in God's most glorious gardens everyday - but hopefully we made his blue eyes sparkle.

Thank you all very much.