Surprised by Joy!

I'm still, very slowly reading Ann Voskamp's book "0ne Thousand Gifts."

Her chapter, "Go Lower," is so beautifully written.

"Surprised by joy!"

C.S. Lewis, she writes, was 'surprised by joy.'

She writes of the sheer joy and delight of a small child

~ through the example of her youngest child ~

You can search the world over, Ann writes, and find joy LIKE THAT only in a child.

"The secret to a child's language of laughter, their domain of delight, is perspective. "

"The heights of our joy are measured by the depths of our gratitude."

May we find the greatest joys in the small and simple things ~ discovering that gratitude precedes the miracles!

Wishing you many beautiful days ahead ~ sprinkled with ...

Showers of grace and blessings for you dear friends and family,

~ Maria

Quotes from "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp

Photo of my oldest ~ Amanda, when she was very small 

peace

 "Lifelong prayer brings peace to your lion's den."

 via

Last week, the associate pastor of the church we attend, spoke those words.

Those words settled deep in my soul.

I needed to hear them.

We all have our own lion's dens.

This summer, I looked into the "eyes" of the three overstuffed bedrooms

where my children stayed... as little ones and as adults...

With Chris' help and God's daily offering of Grace

we brought peace to that lion's den that seemed so daunting.

Ahhh Peace!

Another lion's den I face is what has become of my profession.

The jaws of government wait.

The evaluations will be impersonal and litigious.

It's easy to feel like a small animal who spends unimaginable time and effort

trying to avoid becoming prey...

* instead *

via

 I will pray every day for my school, colleagues and students

and bring PEACE

to this lion's den.

...just had to share this with you, my friends and family ♥

busy as a bee

Hello!

Just stopping by my little blog to show you some of the

work we've been doing and the progress we've made.

~

Amanda's old room went from "teen dream"

to "woodland white."

{a Benjamin Moore color} 

My sewing room went from "industrial"  

{no before photo, but imagine three base cabinets with a countertop that went the width of the room
and a twin bed on the other side with a tray-table night stand} 

...to a sweet and cottage*y place to dream and sew...

I searched this spring for vintage dressers and really enjoyed the transformation process!

I'll post my before and afters soon.

 We've been cleaning out closets and sorting through lots of things that belong to our children.

It brought back memories to find things like

Pokeman cards {Jason's closet}

and NSYNC concert photos {girls' closet}!

Yes, deep cleaning, fresh paint and organizing was long overdue!

I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel...

We will be painting the hallway and stairwell next week.

Amanda has long been on her own and is now enjoying some sparkling times of her own!

 {Taken by Amanda earlier this week in Cape Sebastian, Oregon}

~

It is nice "to be back" in blogland this morning!

~ I'll be visiting you all soon ~

God bless you always,

Wishing you much summer JOY!

{Enjoy more summertime joys at Sky Watch Friday!}

Time to Relax

For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.  

~Lily Tomlin

To sit with a dog on a hillside {or boat} on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring - it was peace.  

~Milan Kundera

~ Looking forward to some relaxing moments this weekend ~

Wishing you a lovely, and relaxing weekend

which includes a few boring and peaceful moments!

♥

Enjoy more relaxing views at Sky Watch Friday

photo credits:

collage made with photos by Amanda and Nick

photo of Timber taken by Rachael and Juan

God's Herald

Let us take time to marvel

at God's fingerprints on the world around us.

We see it everywhere, from a watercolor flower to a brightly painted butterfly.

Let us also see Him in one another.

♥

Wishing you all a beautiful summer weekend

with eyes and hearts aware.

May we find His signature everywhere on the garments of what He has made.

{Psalm 8}

Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory
    in the heavens.
  Through the praise of children and infants
    you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
    to silence the foe and the avenger.
  When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
  what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?

  You have made them a little lower than the angels
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
  You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
    you put everything under their feet:
  all flocks and herds,
    and the animals of the wild,
  the birds in the sky,
    and the fish in the sea,
    all that swim the paths of the seas.

  Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Wishing you joy

as we care for each other

and for the beautiful gifts God has given us.

{while maintaining her sparkle and shine}

People are like towers

and stained-glass windows



they sparkle

and shine

when the sun is out

but when darkness sets in

their true beauty is revealed

only if there is a light from within.

♥
~ It started as a dream ~

 and became a reality.

These are just a few of my niece's beautiful photos of Paris.
A few years ago, she traveled through Europe en route to Prague, capital of the Czech Republic.
She went there for the summer to do more studying in the field of internal medicine.
Sarah graduated this May from medical school with many distinguished honors.
{Auntie Maria is proud of you!}

Thank you for sharing your photos Sarah!
It was fun to use them for this fabulous virtual trip to Paris
with Anita and a so many other blog friends!

Fly on over to Castles Crowns and Cottages
for more Paris fun!

joy x 1000

graduations

new jobs

reasons to celebrate

travelers visiting from afar

California ~ Texas ~ Florida

all together

for the love of

family

♥

“Fly free and happy beyond birthdays and across forever,

and we'll meet now and then when we wish, in the midst 

of the one celebration that never can end.”
 -Richard Bach 

~ So grateful for the beautiful moments I've spent with family this week ~

Wishing you all much joy and God's most generous blessings

♥