Project Complete

A few weeks passed between the day I began and finished this quilt.

One quilt top down.

Two to go.

Pots of Flowers

 

Geraniums for Dad's office

 

Impatiens for our deck rail

 

 

A much trimmed-back succulent repotted for a second summer on the deck

 

Succulent trimmings experiment

Will they really grow into full plants?



"I know the plans"

Last Sunday Maren graduated a student she has tutored for ten years. We tell Maren that she is retired. (smile) Whether she is retired or not, this plaque made by her student's mom is a good reminder of Who holds her future.

A Birthday for Hannah

Dumpster Diving

Spring clean-up day is coming in our nearby town, and piles of "junk" are showing up on the boulevards. Mom found some treasures in others' junk to bring home - blessings from our Father who knows when we need a spot of joy.

A Week of Delicious Eating

Somehow amidst a week of piano recital, thyroid surgery and the pressures of everyday life (mounds of dishes and laundry, anyone?), we ate as if we had all the time in the world.

First off Mom and I made our favorite salmon meal - broiled with pineapple, maple syrup and cyan.

Then came baked ginger and scallion chicken.

Lastly came a meal or two (plus a couple snacks) of coconut lime chicken soup. Yummy!



Oh, and Maren also worked ahead for Hannah's late-May birthday by making vanilla quinoa cakes with home-made chocolate chips.

Recital Decor

A recital isn't complete without a reception. This year Mom put plants from Jason's greenhouse to use as a serving table bouquet. Now some of these plants have been repotted and will be enjoyed all summer on our front steps. Double duty beauty!

Hannah's Student Recital

We are thankful for a year when Hannah was able to teach piano amidst health problems...

 

...for a lovely recital...

 

...and that she is now recovering well from surgery.

Thank you to all who have been praying!

Miss Lavendar



I admit it. The quilt I received when young from Maren's stash of first-child blankets is still my much bedraggled friend. While I have long been able to leave the house for an over-night without "Pinky" (Any guesses what color she is?), she still comes in handy for those sore side-sleeping knees or for an extra layer on a chilly night. The problem is she is wearing rather thin, and I find pieces of her lying about my bedroom. Thus, it was time for a new all-purpose blanket. Miss Lavendar (named after L.M. Montgomery's character by that name) is now complete and is turning out to be quite a nice new friend. As of yet I have found no scraps of her about the bedroom.

To a Special Mother

Happy Mother's Day, dear Mom!

You have nurtured and taught your daughters in the Lord

in word and deed. We are blessed to call you "Mom!"

Hardy, Not-So-Little Trees

We were a little apprehensive that after several years of rapid growth, our tight row of silver maples dug from Pastor A.'s garden would not move well. Tough and hardy trees they must be, for after a rude upheaval each tree is budding into rusty, delicate leaf.

Surprised by Flowers

After twenty-nine springs on this former farmstead, we were surprised to find these wild, flowering trees for the first time ever. It was such a beautiful little miracle to stumble upon!

 

Sewing in the Sun

We have had so much lovely weather the last weeks, and I can't seem to get enough of it. After "too many" nice days, my sewing machine made its way to the deck one afternoon.

 

The blocks I chose to sew have been waiting in our cedar closet to be made into ministry quilts* for many years. They are made just of recycled denim and upholstery fabric samples from a home store, but to desperate refugees these blankets will feel like richness. I have to say I have grown quite fond of them myself.

 

 

 

Notice the blossoming plum tree in the background. It offered me wafts of sweet and spicy perfume all afternoon.

 

*My blankets are going here.

Gerbera Happiness

From Jason, the Greenhouse Man and Maren's Special Man

Guess What's Cooking

Potato salad for a church dinner and scrambled eggs with fresh avocado for lunch.

Brussels Sprouts to the Rescue

It isn't uncommon to have a vegetable crisis when meal preparation rolls around. "We have just eaten every vegetable variety there is! (Well, almost.) What do we make now?" Brussels sprouts from our garden to the freezer to the oven saved the day.