just some happenings

Our island has a drive-in movie theatre.  How cool is that?!  We went for the first time and it really was pretty cool.  The guys went on the go-karts before show-time.  We got lots of junk food at the snack bar.  And we stayed out too late.  Truth be told, all but one of us didn't make it through the second feature (Jurassic World).

 

 

 

The first feature was the Minions movie so all the employees were dressed like this: 

                                                                                   

We've been hiking as much as we can lately.  Charlie gets in on the hikes, although sometimes, we end up carrying him because he has short legs and the hikes can get a bit intense.

 

 

Poor Charlie got stung by a bee (in his mouth!) yesterday at home.  He ended up developing quite an allergic reaction so had to be taken to the vet.  They gave him a Benadryl shot and a steroid shot and kept him for a couple hours of close monitoring.  He's doing much better today.  I sure love that little dog!  And I'm proud of my Blake who was home alone at the time and had the presence of mind to call the vet himself to ask for advice and then to ice the sting area as best as he could to try to keep the swelling down.  Good job Blake!

 

garden in rain

 

Before my eyes opened, before my legs stirred, before I took in a deep breath to steel myself for the day, I heard rain and I listened to the gentleness of it and I imagined the dry ground soaking in each precious drop.  Then came the waking and the dressing and the drinking of coffee.  But later, I visited the garden to discover the beautiful effects the rain had made.

 

I said "good morning" to this sunflower that was enjoying it's first glimpse of day, unfurling petals slowly.

A delicate poppy, petals loaded down with droplets...

 

 

An enormous, fuzzy squash blossom...

Detail...

 

 

If you've never experienced the joy of accomplishing more than you can imagine, plant a garden.

 

Robert Brault

 

 

currently

Reading...  The Midwife of Hope River by, Patricia Harman

Playing...  It is not often that I play games on my phone but when I do, I do it obsessively for about a week before coming to my senses.  This week's obsession is Hidden Object: Home Makeover 3.

Watching...  Aaron and I took in the 4th of July parade all by ourselves as Austin was at work and Blake was out of town for the weekend.  We sat on the curb, in the shade of a big blue mailbox.  My favorite part of the whole parade was the flyover by two Navy jets, the rumble of those powerful jet engines is enough to make anyone patriotic!

Here's the street a few minutes before the parade started.

Cooking...  Mexican Quinoa Casserole in the crockpot.  Anything to avoid turning on the oven lately.

Drinking...  Frozen Mocha from Whidbey Coffee Company.  Thanks Aaron!!

Doing...  We had our first ever church picnic yesterday.  Aaron reserved us a nice big picnic shelter at Bowman Bay and  brought a message about liberty and the depth of meaning it carries in the Bible.  We played Frisbee, ladder ball, and catch with the football.  It was nice to do something out of the ordinary and any excuse to be outside is a good one.

Enjoying...  Watching the garden grow.  One extra clever chicken has figured a way into the garden despite the awesome driftwood fence.  She finished off the spinach and has been sampling the collard greens.  It's funny that out of five chickens, she is the only one who knows how to get in and out of the garden.

More poppies!!

 

Pumpkin blossom

Celebrating...  Austin earned 7th in the nation at the CMP competition in Alabama.  He helped his team win 1st place and set a new record for highest team score.  The team received a trophy, medals, and monetary prizes, even free ice cream from a restaurant in Alabama.  Good job shooters, we are so proud of you.  The team is even featured on the front page of our local paper this week!

Smelling...  Wildfire smoke, supposedly from some wildfires up in British Columbia

Thankful...  that Blake got to spend the weekend with friends on an adventure in the San Juan islands.  To listen to him recount the days, the adventures, the sights, I'm just so thankful that he had the opportunity to go make memories with his best friend.  He kayaked, he swam, he ran a 5K (finishing 4th for his age group!), he ate good food, he rode bikes, he watched a small town parade, and took in one of the best fireworks shows in our state.

A favorite...  This beach, just minutes from our house. 

 



what a week

The week draws to a close and I'm glad.  It was a busy week.  It was a tough week.  It was an exhausting week.  But it was also such a great week that now that we're here at the end I think, 'Wow! Thanks God, for all of this.'

Austin has been in Alabama all week with his rifle team, competing in the CMP Nationals.  He earned the 7th spot in the nation.  7th!!  Beyond that, his team earned the recognition of 1st in the nation.  I'm proud of my boy and the rest of the shooters on his team, and thankful for their great coach.

Blake spent the week at a wrestling camp and got to meet the college wrestling coach of the year, Ohio State's Tom Ryan.  I don't think he'll ever forget it.  While the man is a wealth of wrestling knowledge, he is also a Christian.  He impressed Blake in a way that I've not seen before.

Also this week, Aaron closed on his first sale as a real estate agent.  I'm so proud of him for how much he's learned.  This man, he amazes me.  He works two jobs, is very supportive of his sons, is patient and kind to me, strives to help others out in any way he can, takes care of finances at our church, leads singing in services, and still finds time to walk on the beach with me.  I love and admire him.

Last year a tiny little poppy plant sprung up in the least likely of places.  When the petals fell off I kept the pod, hoping to plant the little poppy seeds in the garden.  This year, when I planted the garden I opened up that little pod and it was empty!  Strangely enough, a plant that I didn't recognize began to grow elsewhere in the garden.  It grew and grew and grew and now stands over 3 feet tall!  Just yesterday a beautiful pink poppy opened up at the very top.  There are plenty more buds getting ready to open too!

This is the poppy I didn't plant in my garden but grew anyway.  I love it.  And I know that it's a gift from God.  He works that way sometimes. 

Have you ever seen the flowers that a potato plant produces?  They are delicate, similar to bleeding hearts but unique to themselves.  Here are the flowers from my potato tower:

 

I pretty much live this quote everyday:

picture plethora

It's summertime!  The weather is gorgeous here.  Yesterday we had a good soaking rain and today is sunny and warm.

 

I don't have much to say but I have a lot of pictures to share. 

 

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These wild iris were spotted while on a canoe/fishing date with my husband.  He fished.  I rowed and took pictures.  We ate Cheetos.  It was great fun.

 

The lily pads on the lake that day were gigantic. 

The lake is beautiful.  It's a smaller size but a favorite fishing hole of many bald eagles.  One time we got caught in a heavy downpour on this lake and took shelter on the far side under trees. 

 

On a separate evening we took a nice long walk on the beach five minutes from our house.  The waves rolled gently, the sun was warm.  And I found these wildflowers.

A few days later we went back and I found the same patch of wildflowers to photograph again.

 

 

Blake participated in a spring football camp (as a freshman!).  The camp lasted two weeks and culminated in a scrimmage with a school an hour away.  Our team is in the white and purple jerseys.

 

Aaron and I went to our local ballet's production of "Frozen".  We have a couple friends with daughters in the ballet.  It was beautiful and skillful and wonderful.  I'm amazed at the athletic ability of a ballerina coupled with grace and control. 

My 37th birthday happened.  My sweet and thoughtful co-workers surprised me with blueberry cake.  I ate two pieces of this beauty.

 

 

And balloons!  And a card!  And a coffee gift card!

I must confess that in addition to the two pieces of blueberry cake I enjoyed, I also delighted in a generous piece of ice cream cake that night at home, thanks to my husband.  Yay for cake!  Yay that birthdays only come once a year!

 

 

I pulled these beauties from the garden today.  Pretty purple beets.

 

 

 

The first wave of peas is flowering.  I planted a second wave for a longer harvest but they are just 2 inches tall now.

 

The sunflowers run the entire length of the garden.  They have grown quite tall and provide excellent shade in the early evening.  No flowers yet but I'm beyond excited at the prospects.

The cherries are just now ripe.  The branches are laden.  Hopefully we get more than the birds this year.

 

 

 

The chickens are a wonderful hobby.  There are drawbacks, such as early morning wake up calls and poop mines all over the yard but I adore them.  I love listening to their conversations with each other and love when they walk right in the back door looking for a treat.

 

Here is Pearl.

 

 

 

Until next time!

 

holding the stone

He is married.  She is not his wife.  And the story gets much deeper and darker after that.  Ready to condemn her, I held the stone in my hand.  I was disgusted and angry that such a thing could carry on.

When I saw her next I could barely be cordial, wanting instead to lash out in judgment.

It took a few words with another to change my mind.  My eyes were pointed back to Christ and what would honor Him.  Christ himself, would not condemn her, but instead show compassion and love.

When I saw evil and filthiness I should have seen a broken young woman.  I should have seen the pain.  When I wanted to lash out at her I should have spoken words of love.

It reminds me of the woman caught in adultery in John chapter 8.  The scribes and Pharisees brought this woman to Jesus and were ready to stone her for her sin.  They wanted to throw rocks at her until he she died!

Jesus said,  "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone a her."

One by one, each man realized that they were not qualified to judge and condemn this woman.  One by one they turned and left.  If it takes someone perfect to judge, is there really anyone qualified other than God himself?

Does Jesus judge?  He said in John 8, "Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man."  So he tells the adulteress woman,  "Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more."  He didn't accept her sin.  He recognized that she was guilty but he didn't pronounce a sentence on her.  He urged her to quit her sin.

"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved."  John 3:17

I was definitely humbled when I learned what God was trying to show me.  Here I was sitting in proud judgment, stone in hand, ready for some sort of condemnation to fall on a broken young woman, taken in sin.  But Jesus says, "He that is without sin among you, let him first a cast a stone at her."  Oh boy.

You want to know what Jesus wants us to do in these situations?

"Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged:

Condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned:

forgive, and ye shall be forgiven."

 

Luke 6:36-37

 

I'm not saying there is no judgment but what I am saying is that judgment belongs to God.  I'm a flesh and bone human being.  I'm finite.  I'm imperfect.  I can't see to the heart of a person like God can.  When God judges it is not based on what He sees.  He doesn't reprove based on what He hears.  This is all I would have to go on.  God, in His righteousness and perfection is fit to judge.  I am not.

 

My heart has been softened.  It doesn't mean that I accept the awful things that have gone on or the lifestyle that others have chosen.  It means that I love people with a love beyond what I am capable of.

 

I love how God works.  He let me see that I was in the wrong.  He drew my heart and eyes back on Him.  Then He allowed me to see the lesson in action.

 

I was sitting in a waiting room, in the back, in a corner because that's how I roll.  There was a young woman with a brand new baby boy sitting there.  I later learned that he was just two weeks old! 

 

Another young woman came and sat in the room, nearer to the young mother.  They shared some small talk.  The young mother gave the young woman an invitation to her church.  The young woman admitted that she is a drug addict, clean for just two weeks now and that this invitation comes at a perfect time for her.  The young mother encouraged her saying that she, too, had been an addict and those first two weeks were the hardest. 

 

And I sat in the corner of that waiting room watching what God's love looks like in action.  And I didn't miss the beautiful poetry in that the young mother's baby and the young woman's sobriety were the same age. 

 

God works amazing things.  God can heal the worst situations.  And in the midst of all of this He takes the time to teach me a lesson.

 

The end.

 

 

this is thursday

 

Outside my window...  Sunshine!  And birds!  We've had a lot of goldfinches and hummingbirds.  All the starlings just had babies so that has been a ruckous.  And some smart crows have been visiting the suet feeder when they think nobody is watching.

I am thankful...  for this face.  My Charlie dog is so loyal and loving.

I am wearing...  Skinny jeans and a gray flowered tunic-style shirt with my fave sandals.

I went...  to our little town's farmers' market with my youngest son today.  I got a jar of honey.  I love how it captures the sunshine, like sunshine in a jar.  And tastes wonderful.  It'll be a great addition to a cup of coffee.

I am reading...  The Hiding Place  by, Corrie Ten Boom

I am hoping...  One of my hens went broody this week, meaning that she got the desire to hatch herself a brood of chicks.  The problem is that without a rooster, none of the eggs they lay are fertile so her efforts are for naught.  And while broody, a hen gets moody and doesn't lay eggs.   So I've been researching how to break a broody hen, researching and fretting and researching some more.  Today, she seems back to normal (although I didn't really do much).  So, my hope is that she starts laying again soon.

In my garden...  There are a lot of things growing and taking shape.  I'm amazed at how it changes day to day.  The other morning as I watered, a hummingbird stopped in to inspect the sprinkler.  They are inquisitive little creatures, and thirsty.

In my kitchen...  Tonight we're having upside down pizza casserole for dinner.

In the homeschool room...  There is less than a month left of school after which my only remaining homeschooler will be off to high school.  And my heart aches a little bit because of it.  He's working through trigonometry and dependent clauses and it's not fun but he's here, and for now, that is enough for me.

One of my favorite things...  those fave sandals I mentioned?  From Wal-Mart of all places!  I could wear these every day. 

 

 



A favorite quote for today...  Isaiah 46:4  "I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry you, and will deliver you."

God reminds us that He is our creator, our deliverer, our sustainer.  A few verses later, there is a description of some folks that built a "god" out of gold.  They made it, they bear it, they carried it to a place and set it there.  Once there, it didn't move and did absolutely nothing for them.  I'm thankful that my God is not made of stone and is ever present in my trials and victories.