Wisdom and Integrity

The background photo is of a very special place, the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.  As I'm currently living in the UK, this photo has special meaning as I miss this part of being home very much.  We are in a rainy season right now so it has been a bit blah recently.  As I type, the rain is tapping away at the windows.  Dog gone it....if it's going to rain, couldn't I get a nice thunderstorm to go along.  Unfortunately, those are rare here and they are another thing I miss about the US Midwest.

♥Aimee

Springtime

The front door to springtime is a photographer’s best friend.

~Terri Guillemets

 

The Missouri Botanical Garden never fails me and in early Spring, it's in its glory!  This place is a photographer's playground.  Here's just a sampling of nature's artwork. 

 

It's been a crazy Spring for us with four trips in a month's time, but things have slowed down to a crawl.  I'm using this time to play catchup.  The Etsy Shop is growing and there have been a few sales.  I'm up to four pages of items and continually adding.  So, if you get a chance, stop on by and browse.  

 

 

Growing Up

Today was, well, one of those melancholy kind of days.  Spring is finally arriving bringing with it some warmer weather, however, today it was rainy and gray.  So, I found myself inside.  My youngest daughter will be moving into her new apartment/loft in a couple of weeks and I'm a mess of emotions...excited for her, sad for me.  I knew this day was coming, but it just seems too soon.  Too soon to not have her a part of our home.  Too soon to say good-bye to the little girl that once was.  I had hoped to squeak out one more summer together.  Today I decided to start packing up the remainder of her belongings, things I know she will want with her.  I stood there in her room desperately wanting to do the impossible...hold onto those little girl days.  My thoughts went to, not so long ago, when she danced through the house and belted out her favorite song.  I miss the sound of her laughter, our daily conversations, and just the life she breathed into my every day.

The season outside is changing as the buds appear and the flowers begin to blossom and once again my life is changing.  My little girls are grown women now, making lives of their own.  Although, today I am sad and I mourn the loss of those simple childhood days, I hope for our future and anticipate the changing relationships.  For I am truly blessed to have them in my life. 

Our lilac buds are just beginning to show...a promise of the beauty to come.



The new Flowering Almonds we are planting out front.



Loved the look this little bluebird gave me!  He made me smile.

This pair of bluebirds come by every few days for a visit.  These little creatures bring such joy!

A little something I picked up in Kimmswick...have a thing for these little nests.  I guess they remind me of Spring and proof that the seasons will change.

Spring Nests

Today it's hitting 72 degrees.  It's been a long, cold winter for a lot of us.  Glad to be seeing the end of winter.  I wanted to post something to help usher in the warmer weather and am going back to a project I did last Spring.  I couldn't post then because one was for my sister's birthday and I didn't want her to see the post before she got her gift in July. 

I bought some wooden eggs at Hobby Lobby and painted them a solid aqua color.  You can use any shade of blue.

 

 Then spattered them with a contrasting color by putting a small amount on a paint brush and flicking the bristles.  I used brown and cream.

 

The cute little porcelain birds I found at Michaels Craft Store.

 
I put it all together in a cute hat/gift box tied up with a pretty bow.  I'm using a wooden bowl for mine and I put my sister's in a black iron bowl.  They would also be cute put under glass.  It's a simple gift and it's a great time of year to find the eggs at the craft stores.

Bee Tree Park

John and I went out to explore Bee Tree Park...a little county park that sits right on the river's edge.  We went to photograph the tulips, however, it appears they are not doing tulips anymore.   So we took a walk.  It's a great park for photo shoots with an historic home and an old red barn along with spots to overlook the river.  I hope I get to use this beautiful location some day.

Cultivating Joy

I discovered that happiness and joy are not the same thing.  How are they different?  Happiness is the physical reaction to events surrounding us, a state of well-being, whereas joy is the inner emotion, spiritual effect that is accompanied by truth and peace.  We can have joy and not feel happy.  For a long time, I did not understand this.  I thought my joy was a reflection of my happiness and that if I didn't feel happy then how could I be joyous. 

I had a fabulous weekend visiting my two girls.  This joy-thing seems to be following me wherever I go.  While we were shopping, I glanced over at a stack of watches and the one that caught my eye was jeweled with the word, guess...JOY!  Then, I attended my daughter's church for the first time and, would you believe, they are teaching on how to have joy unspeakable.  It's amazing to me the timing.  I made a conscious choice to seek out this joy a few months ago after reading Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts. 

There are a number of ways that we can have this unspeakable joy.  One of these ways, I found out this weekend, is that we cultivate joy in the waiting.  God planted the seed of joy in us...it's a fruit and we have to cultivate it. 

I find myself in a time of waiting and I didn't even realize that that was exactly what I was doing.  I've been cultivating joy and have discovered that no matter how bad I feel, I can be joyous! 

When times are hard, we look to God.  When we look to Him, we find hope.  He is our JOY.  While some may say this just isn't true...they have not experienced true joy.  They have not experienced what faith and confidence in Christ can give them.  I know that through hard life, I am not alone...

 

...there is One that walks beside me always.

MY JOY DARE

  

3 Gifts Opened Up
167.  Eyes to see all the blessings
168.  God's word
169.  A heart open to love God and others

170.  A bright day to enjoy outdoors
171.  All the bright colors at the gardens
172.  Petals blowing in the wind
 

173.  Trickling water
174.  A mom's day
 

 

175.  A mad daddy goose and a momma on her nest

 

 

176.  Beautiful pathways

177.  A message that speaks to exactly where you are at

 

3 Gifts Reflecting
178.  Geese on water
179.  Spring trees around a water's edge
180.  A daughter's happy smile
 

184.  Kitty head butts
185.  Unexpected call from a long-distance friend
 

3 Gifts Fragile
181.  A mother's heart
182.  Our very lives are fragile...each breathe a gift
183. New dreams
 

 

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.          Galations 5:22-23