cut-your-own: fresh flowers

two things, semi-related:

Running a flower farm with Libby is one of my potential plan B career opportunities :).

And placing lovely fresh flowers on the bathroom sink is a sure way to create an ambiance of luxury. 

delightful

 

I don't typically think of daffodils as a favorite flower, but I forget just how very much I love their cheery presence popping out and shouting: winter is past.

Daffodils are delightful.

birthday brunch

These special sisters came for brunch to celebrate my birthday :)

Golden

I've noticed a lot of golden light this season; it's like it warms everything inside and out.

Last weekend I got to spend some quality auntie time with these three littles. We had a grand time exploring a little neighborhood park just a short walk from the Airbnb we rented.

favorite

After much consideration, I settled on this photo as my favorite waterfall shot of the entire collection from last week's hiking excursion in Ricketts Glen. Twenty-one waterfalls in about four miles leaves one in awe. The beauty was unspeakable. To be present was to be filled to overflowing.

the crisp air. the colored leaves. the incredible views.

the sky. the wonder. the company.

-it was a gift-

"garden" update

we have a mini garden:

tomatoes, snap dragons, coleus, alyssum, onions, mint, zucchini, cucumber, sweet william,

and two sugar pea plants (we've harvested about 8 pods so far...)

 

Perfect in Beauty

The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth 

from the rising of the sun to where it sets. 

From Zion, perfect in beauty, 

God shines forth.

                                                                    ~Psalm 50:1-2

 

After (almost) a Decade!

Heather, Malinda (+ baby), and I recently met up for an unofficial decade reunion.

(!!!)

October will mark 10 years since Heather and I moved to Zambia. 

Upon arrival, we met Malinda who had moved to Zambia a couple months earlier (her house was down the road from our house).

After we all moved back to the States, we wound up living in the same neighborhood for a while, and we're still general "neighbors" within an hour of each other.

It was a treat to spend a steamy afternoon together with these two ladies.

After a 4 mile walk on the rail trail, we topped off our visit with chocolate milkshakes :).

Click here and here and here for a trip down memory lane with these two.

violets

The violets have been enjoying the special food I bought for them earlier this year.

These cheery blooms bring such joy.

visiting Longwood Gardens

Last week I took a personal day and Sara and I spent the day at Longwood Gardens. 

This was my first time to visit the Gardens, and I hope it won't be my last!

We had a lovely day together.  

(though it was a lot of car time for the two littles)

So much to see and explore!

Playing in water was so.much.fun.

His favorite part was watching the big crane working on an expansion project at the Gardens :).

seder reflection

 

my favorite passage from the Haggadah this Passover:

11. Enjoyment of the Festival Meal

Leader: Let us now take time to enjoy the festival meal. We will begin with the roasted egg, a reminder of the final destruction of the Temple in 70 AD and the end of a place for the sacrifice...

As we eat this egg as our "fellowship offering" let us offer our lives as living sacrifices to the God we serve and follow. To remind us that the joy of sacrifice may be surrounded by tears, we dip the egg into the salt water before us.

All: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, who turns our mourning into dancing.

island time

...thinking about the fun sisters' week we had in Hilton Head earlier this winter.

Every year for the past number of years I've thought I should plan to fly somewhere warm in January or February. I've never executed the idea... until this year. Having now had the experience of spending a week in a warm(er) place during the winter has confirmed that scheduling time in the sun in the dead of winter is indeed a very good idea!

Sprung

 

a nearby forsythia bush stunning the neighborhood

I had been eagerly awaiting the burst of magnolia buds.

It feels like we got robbed,

because once again a late frost trampled through 

just before the blooms exploded into their glorious performance.

spring is coming

Bought this mini spring bouquet at the grocery store after work on Friday;

great way to start the weekend.

last Saturday we went to Savannah!

Amy, Libby, Naomi, and I enjoyed soaking in some sunshine last Saturday in Savannah.

We experienced a variety of things while we were out adventuring:

1) Parking is unbelievably limited near Forsyth Park

2) Freshly roasted Georgia pecans are amazing (we never doubted)

3) Magnolias can bloom in February!

4) There remain kind souls on the planet (like the one who returned our lost cell phone)

5) Cuban food is yum

and

6) A green Forsyth fountain resembles a fountain of green jello :)

flamboyant

This amaryllis bulb was the best $6 investment I made in December.

It has been sheer delight to watch these showy blooms unfold and do their small part in making the world a more beautiful place for the past couple weeks.