little things

Sometimes, it's the little things that mean the most.

1. My husband, Brad, telling me that, no matter how poor we are, it makes him feel like a rich man to have homemade pizza on Sunday.
2. Our baby boy kicking me most of the day and part of the night. It's a blessing to know he's active and healthy, even if the movement startles me or sometimes feels irritating. It's a precious treasure.
3. Having a variety of food to eat, and enough.
4. Bright pink nail polish on my toenails.
5. The sun shining through the trees. Tonight, the maple seed pods twinkled auburn, red, and gold: a hint of autumn.
6. My yarn stash, which has all the right colors for a number of adorable baby boy things. This is necessary, since two of my sisters-in-law are having baby boys this December, too!
7. Safety in the car, at Brad's flag football game, and at home.
8. A nice camera that captures memories.
9. Comfortable, stretchy, soft clothes to cover my growing belly - not new clothes, but good clothes.
10. Not being able to see the busy city street from any of my apartment's windows; instead, we see the leaves of trees, and only hear the traffic.

Dwelling on the blessings, which are many, and trying not to be sad for the things that are not as I wish they were. You, too?


All of my needs are met. Working on helping my heart to desire the things that are best.

our living street, or, on the street where we live.

We live on a

DEAD END


road. There's a big yellow sign with bold black lettering to prove it. I find that somewhat insulting.

We live.

There must be better terminology for streets without a connection on both ends.

• no outlet
• no exit
• quiet street
• no through traffic
• one way in, same way out

I guess this is not really a big deal. But to prove that things LIVE on our dead end street, here's a little walk up and down our road!

This is my tiny little shade garden, full of little annuals that I picked up at Lowe's for just $5.

...pink begonias,

...impatiens in pink, white, and bright pink, and some coleus for color.

Right in front of our porch, we added some pachysandra.

Here's a better view of the little pachysandra garden in front of our porch.

Across the street is our little parking lot. There's a large vine growing with these beautiful white flowers. I don't know what they are, but they're pretty, and fragrant!

As we walk down the little street, there are little surprises, like this forget-me-not, tucked under a bush.

The house nearest the end of the street has a few pretty rose bushes that peek out through their fence.

See the little bee?

Spray roses spilling out onto the sidewalk. If they're on the sidewalk, I can pick them, right? Right? Oh.

Today, there was also this moth...butterfly? as I walked along.

Such bright pink roses!

Doesn't that just shout "summer"? Love the coral pink/bright blue contrast.

Butterfly rests for a bit...

Weeds Wildflowers growing in the sidewalk cracks

Behind an abandoned brick store, there are these pink beauties. Is this bee balm?

Looks like a cluster of pink, glittery stars to me!

Growing in the gravel...

And, to remind us that this is, indeed, the city: broken bits of green glass, glittering in the sunshine.

Still somehow pretty.

Back at our apartment! 

Thanks for joining me on a walk around our very living street!

little things: a bunny

And today, there was a bunny! 

Just by the mailbox, ears and nose quivering, fluffy little white tail, pink see-through ears, smooth brown coat.

 Well, hello, bunny.

 Thanks for hopping by!

Well, friends, the lawn mower is still broken. We had the battery recharged, but the silly tractor still won't rev up to the necessary speed to keep it running.

Sigh.

The grass is now over-my-knees high, and many of the grasses have seeds on their swaying tops. Thousands of dandelion seed globes looking like snow, bunnies and squirrels hiding in the grass, so many wildflowers...

...so I'll choose to enjoy the wildflowers.

violas and forget-me-nots

thousands of dandelion globes

wild strawberries

"Indian" paintbrush

little things

Frosty leaves - from December 20, 2006. Similar to today!

As a grad student, I pretty much arrive at school and stay in the same building all day. I pack my lunch, so I don't even have to leave the grad lounge/study area. I spend from about 8:30am to 5 or 6 or even 9:30pm in that building.

Today, though, I put on my white dress coat, furry boots, pink plaid scarf and fleece earband, and headed outside at 4:15pm to meet a friend.

January here is usually a month of deep freeze - everything is covered in icy white sparkling snow. Evenings fall quickly. Sunrises are orange, sunsets pink. The air smells crisp and dry. It's usually quite windy and snowflakes fall fast.

However, this Western New York winter has been so mild! We've seen sunshine so often, the grass is still green, and right now, there are only patches of snow here and there. The driveway isn't even icy!

It was, indeed, crisply cold and windy when I went outside today. As I kept my eyes down to avoid the wind in my face, I noticed the ivy crawling up to the edge of the sidewalk, its little lobed leaves resting just between the concrete and mulched earth. Rich red-brown leaves with white veins, deeply green ones, mottled red-and-green leaves, all huddled together just above the ground. I stopped my hurried stride and looked for a while, just breathing the quiet, cold air and drinking in the refreshing foliage. I didn't remember the ivy being there before, in fact, I don't think there is any ivy on the opposite side of this symmetrical music building. I don't usually use this door, but there I was, breathing in beauty.


I did have an appointment to keep, so I moved on, but not without noticing more! There were little bird tracks in a small patch of snow, and rustling still-there oak leaves, moved by the breeze. An iced-over planter, with pretty patterns in the ice. I felt warm enough; happy, even. Memories of my time here as an undergraduate student came back - that's the corner where tulips were planted one year - that's the hill where I first flirtingly took my husband arm to walk with him - that's the classroom where I enjoyed a photography class - the stone steps I climbed three times a week - the place I studied in the sun one May term.

Isn't it lovely to notice the little things? To remember the little blessings we're given in each day? What were yours today?

and today at grad school

And today at grad school, I used a power tool!!

Well, just an electric screwdriver, but it was cool. We just got a new Wenger folder cabinet for the choir folders, and I had to readjust the height of the shelves to accommodate our binders. This meant eight screws and Linnea wielding a bright orange Black & Decker screwdriver. Awesome. It brought a wee bit of self-sufficient happy to my day.

In other news, I also bought a $13 t-shirt for $5 at the campus store, followed soon thereafter by the news that my $60 parking ticket had been reduced to $5. Win.

I ate a quick lunch, accompanied for an hour, and went to class... finding out that I most certainly have an A for this half of the semester. Sweetness.

There's a tree on campus that has some strange looking fruit that looks like an overgrown cherry with bumps all over it. I have since discovered that it's a Kousa Dogwood, and the fruit is edible! It tastes like a peach with a really weird texture. It's a soft, fleshy orange color on the inside, and the skin is reddish orange. Cool!

Many reasons for happy. So many more than what's here. I'm blessed!

sharing spring

a rainbow from Friday night's thunderstorm

unbelievable

yesterday was sunday, and church, of course. we were supposed to get our "new" car, but evidently something is wrong with the battery. we're glad the guy is fixing it, but it really stinks for my husband to not have a car. we've worked out rides and who has the car for the next few days... it'll work for a little while longer. we didn't realize how blessed we were to have two cars at all!

work has been... more drudgery than simply work. i know the Lord establishes the work of our hands. i'm really struggling to be grateful. i know i'm here to do his work in this time, and not just the secretary stuff. i'm supposed to be an outspoken servant of His. what an assignment.

on a positive note, it has been a beautiful day. i love when, in the winter, the sun comes up clear and golden, and hits everything with a perfect warmth that takes the chill out of the snowy landscape. there's a hill of open pasture land near our house that is dotted with round, snow covered bales of hay. when the sun is out, they cast small, dark, semi-circle shadows beside them, as if they've been gently nestled into the field. with the sparkling cold snow, bright icy blue sky, the golden bales waiting for spring, and the almost blindingly bright sun, it looks like something wonderful is about to happen - something special. occasionally, there's a deer with his furry winter coat burying his muzzle in the snow. his graceful form, alert brown eyes, fuzzy ears, and white tail just belong - this all belongs together. it was created to be this way. there could be no accident.


and i feel so much more peaceful. just breathing in the sharp, cold air and seeing such beauty is enough to stop me from my worrying, to make me slow down, and to really remember what a blessing it is to be here, now, for a reason.

Saturday evening we had another girls' night in - and just as I arrived, the sky was clear and full of stars. what more could i ask for to remind me that He's always there, that i'm complete, loved, and that my life has meaning? i have not been forgotten. there is a plan.

here's a hat i made this weekend for a coworker of mine. it's a basic hat pattern, but i added three big cabled sections to it for variety (*k8, p4, k8 [cabled section], repeat three times from *). it's made with a worsted weight Lion brand (washable!) wool, and a Red Heart "Symphony" acrylic/polyester blend held together. It's very thick and warm - perfect for the frigid temperatures we're experiencing at the moment. and what better timing than right before the snowstorm we're supposed to get tomorrow?
and for good measure, here's the completed gray/pink/sparkly pink legwarmer i finished:

yes, i did actually take a picture of it with the stitches going the wrong direction... oops. i suppose i could flip the picture so it's correct, but what fun would that be?


counting my blessings.

i am so in love with my husband. i have so much more than i need. my mom sent me a package today! at work! :o) a lovely diversion. and i'm re-learning my Music Theory. deep breath. my life is in His hands.