goodnight moon

Besides being a classic picture book, it's also a wonderful sight.


Sheer exhaustion has me heading to bed early tonight.  Hope your day was good.  We get another one tomorrow. 

fall @ home

This season is a photographer's playground....













It always amazes me that before they die, the leaves go out in a blaze of glory like the last colorful explosion at a fireworks show on the 4th of July.  How privileged we are to have the chance to see such an array of hues before they drop to the ground.

Where will you get your color from today?

Morning

I love the dawning sky.








Love how those black clouds can go away with the start of a new day.

easy peasy


This Thursday's list of what I'm thankful for comes easily.

I'm thankful that:

My son is home from college and staying for a few days.

My daughter is arriving home from college this afternoon (and also staying for a few days).

They get to both be in their friends' wedding on Saturday.

The feel of family is all over my house.

God's got it all under control, even when I don't. 

In the comment section below, tell us - What are you thankful for today?

It's a McLinky Carnival!


What's a McLinky carnival?  Well, it has nothing to do with cheeseburgers and fries, let me assure you.  It has to do with having that special encourager in your life that has spurred you on time and time again.  Go on over to (in)courage and check it out!

just change your pants, george


Does anyone remember this scene from the movie Beethoven, back in 1992?

Alice: "Just change your pants, George."
George: "I'm gonna change my pants, Alice. But if I change my pants, I gotta change my jacket! If I change my jacket, I gotta change my shirt! If I change my shirt, I gotta change my tie! I hafta change my belt! I gotta change my shoes! I gotta change my socks!"
Alice: "Just change your pants, George."

We had a similar situation the other day on a smaller scale.  My husband was getting ready for work, which on that day called for the inclusion of a suit jacket.  He had on the tie and the shirt, but when he slipped the jacket on, I said,

"Oh, no.  That doesn't work at all."

Thinking I meant his simplest accessory, he went back into his closet, took off his tie, and grabbed another one. Still a no go from me.  One more time in for a different tie, and after he tied it and pulled on the jacket again, I told him the bottom line.  "It's not the tie.  It's the shirt." 

Of course, this was not really what he wanted to hear because it was more of an overhaul if he had to start back at the shirt part of the process.  I couldn't blame him- I'd hate to have to start over again too when I'm ready to walk out the door.

In that moment I thought about it and realized how often in my daily life I am just switching ties when the real problem is my shirt.  I invest in and trade a lot of surface stuff, hoping for a match, instead of getting to the main issue and fixing that. Why? 

Because it's messier and dirtier and more time-consuming (and heart revealing) to deal with what really matters and needs to be changed.  It's easier to keep switching around the small-ticket items hoping to bandaid the problem long enough to get me through another day.

Usually somewhere between tie #54 and #55, God looks me in the eye and says, "Stop switching accessories.  You need to deal with the heart of this.  Now. Sit down and let's get this straightened out."  And what I'm about to do takes time, revelation, some unveiling and occasionally (ok, usually) confession and repentance.

But the heart transformation that takes place when God is done with me and my issue is worth every minute. 

He knows what tie goes with what shirt that looks great with the jacket. And when he coordinates my heart and lines it up according to His plan, I've got a match.

Drum roll, please

Today's the day!  I have the fantastic opportunity to be a guest blogger over at the (in)courage site.  It's a wonderful place- go on over and check it out!

You can check out my guest post directly by clicking here.

Thanks for stopping by and we'll see you over at (in)courage!

a sneak peak at tomorrow


Fun news...I get to be the guest blogger tomorrow, Thursday, October 7th, on the awesome women's ministry site of (in)courage !  I'll put a link here on my blog tomorrow that will go straight to my guest post there.  I'm thrilled and excited to be able to share on their site- it's an online beach house for us gals that is warm and welcoming. 

I'd love it if you'd dropped by (in)courage tomorrow to read my post and others.  I have a feeling once you do, you'll be hooked and stop by every day.  I'm just sayin'....

perfect baking weather


Cold, gray rainy days.  Fantastic days for baking delectable treats.  Yummy items where you'd rather eat the dough than the baked product.  But with our household getting smaller and with those of us left in the house trying to keep our waistlines that way too, I am not baking much these days.  But I thought this was the perfect place to include my story of my fearless attempt to whip some bananas into shape one summer afternoon.  Go here to read about the fun I had!

Bon appetit!

fall things

I got a nice little Canon Powershot on Saturday - while I love my larger digital SLR, it's not practical to take with me every day and everywhere; so I felt the definite need (not a want, a need, mind you) to get myself something powerful yet purse-size. 


The fruit of some of my labor (which isn't laborious at all- it's a blast) -










an afternoon at the doggie expo

What fun, what fun.  A beautiful October afternoon and a parking lot full of dogs.  We took ours but almost wished we hadn't (tug, tug, pull, pull).  But we figured it was her one social event of the year.  Maybe even the decade.  Or, quite possibly, her entire life.  Once she simmered down we had a calmer time.

And despite what you see in these pictures, this was not just a Golden Retriever show.  I'm just partial.








I thought October would never get here....


Happy October 1st!

I wanted to write a little somethin' somethin' to celebrate this new and hopefully cold month.

Sing the following lyrics to the tune, "These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things".
(And no, that's not Julie Andrews under the bag.)

Leaves that are falling and rust colored sweaters
Sending my college kids emails, not letters
Seeing how much a used textbook can bring
These are a few of my favorite fall things.

Rainy cold days with hot tea that is brewing
Reading instead of the chores I’m not doing
Wild geese seem smart as they leave until spring
These are a few of my favorite fall things.

No more white dresses or bleach for them needed
Labor Day’s passed so wear skirts dark and pleated.
Snuggling in hoodies with those pesky strings
These are a few of my favorite fall things.

When the dog barks
At the school bus
And my kids look sad
I smile and remember – still nine months of school!
And then I don’t feel.....so bad  :)