"Beautiful Things"

Yes.



"Beautiful Things" by Gungor

All this pain

I wonder if I’ll even find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us


All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You


You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us


You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us


You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new


You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

Apples, Peaches and Hyacinth Beans

Is a beautifully ripe, red-speckledy apple a worthy trade for several broken bones and a traumatized toddler? Need a moment to weigh the options... no? That's probably wise.

This was the question troubling me whilst I was balancing twelve, tangled feet up inside of an apple tree, stretching for the fruit that was precariously out of my reach. (I know that was a tediously, long sentence, but I had to paint a picture in your mind since I ran out of the house without my camera.)

Evie and I had the fun of picking apples and peaches with our good friend Cindy this morning. And Cindy made the observation that she could better sympathize with Eve's temptation, so could I... boy that fruit was tantalizing!

I was such a mess from tangling with those trees!

And this is a bit random, but that's never stopped me before...

my hyacinth beans have become really beautiful! Not everything has survived our record-breaking hot Summer, but that is mostly my fault. I'm a wimp in the heat, I wilted after all.

Now, what shall I do with all these apples and peaches...?

Not So Fond of Goodbyes

I don't remember goodbyes being this difficult.

Whether that is because relationships have gotten deeper, my heart more fond or because I'm more present and aware of what we will be missing... maybe all the above, and more...

Ohio you are too far away.

(This might be the first time I've scolded a state. But it probably won't be the last... Maine, you've got it comin' too. That's too much to think about right now though.)

You will understand if I'm in a funk, won't you please?

Feathering Nests, Building Caves and a Teepee

We've recently entered the fun stage of building pillow forts, and making nests out of blankets... Evie calls them nests and caves.

It's sad when we have to take them apart and put everything back.

But now we have found a sweet little hideaway that can remain part of our landscape. Isn't it the cutest!

Little Bunny Foo Foo

Funny little girl... I didn't realize she knew so many of the words to this song!

Ocean Grove Beach

Quirky Cuteness In the Form of a Shell

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.


I love this!

Breakfast in the Sky

Don't get me wrong, I love our home here in the Midwest... but part of me is wishing we were here this morning, having breakfast on PaJoe and LaLa's balcony.

With PaJoe's yummy bakery bread and espresso.

(Is it a sign of a bad coffee-habit that I was seriously sad to leave not only family, but also the espresso machine?)

Or we could just daydream...

 Or we could watch photoshoots and parties on the NYC rooftops...

Or watch the boats go up and down the Hudson...

The height doesn't phase Evie.

If we had been in town for the Fourth of July, this is where we would have watched the fireworks. (Even though you can only see 1 1/2 of the 6 barges...)

And at the end of the day we could follow the glow to Times Square. Does that sound like a good day to you too?

Right Out of Pollyanna

We were quite the sight walking into Ocean Grove, NJ from the train station; the eight of us in the rain, walking in a caravan of umbrellas, rolling suitcases and stroller.  

As we passed through the gates into town we read the signs "Enter his gates with thanksgiving in your hearts", and we were charmed. (Ocean Grove is called "God's little square mile" and was founded in 1869.)

Hmm... this one's for sale, two blocks from the beach and only nine times our current mortgage! Gulp.

 This is part of the "tent city" that surrounds the auditorium which was built in 1894.

 Folks on the lawn outside the auditorium listening to a concert inside.

One evening's event was a big choir festival with close to 800 voices.

 We just hung outside, wandered around, and we might have had some delicious ice cream at this place.

All I wanted to do was wander around town with my camera, go to the beach, and hang out with the family. And that's all that I had to do. How wonderful is that?!

 Are you charmed too?

 I kept saying to myself, this one is my favorite...

 No, this one...

Or maybe this one, yes definitely this one. (Do you see the sunflowers over on the right side of their yard? They are the cherry on top.)

We were inside of the movie Pollyanna, or a Norman Rockwell painting. Magical.

Another ice cream institution... I told you it was magical.