How to Make the Best Pot of Coffee Ever

Here is a glimpse of how we spend our weekend mornings.

Steven Curtis Chapman

Click here to read about a tragic accident in Steven's family. Their youngest daughter Maria died this week after an accident at their home. Click here to see a fun video of her. Steven and Mary Beth founded Shaohannah's Hope, a ministry to help families in the adoption process. They have 3 adopted daughters, Maria was the youngest.

I have been listening to Steven Curtis Chapman's music since I first became a Christian. His lyrics are some of my favorite, and express a heart longing for intimate fellowship with God and communion with His people. I can't imagine the sorry and grief they are experiencing right now. I pray the Lord's mercy and grace are theirs in the this painful time.

Swimming Fun

We are in the midst of another heat wave and this time we got smart!
Here is SIG with his friend LD, enjoying the afternoon sun in her little pool.
And, here they are sharing a seat on the beach chair.

Happy Mother's Day - to the moms in my life

To my Mom, Susan:
You are a beautiful woman - kind-hearted, gracious, patient, forgiving - loved dearly by our Heavenly Father, and cherished by your children and grandchildren. I admire your strength and endurance, and the way you are constantly looking for the positive aspects of each situation. I know your life has not always been easy, and at times unjust and very painful. However, you have not let those times define who you are, rather you have entrusted your heart and soul to the Lord who made you and loves you and desires to pour out good gifts on you. Thanks for this great example to all of us, for always giving of yourself to enrich our lives. I honor you, and bless you as a woman and a mother. I love you, mom!

To my Mother-in-law, Cindy:
You are a gentle, gracious, and generous woman and mother.  Thank you for your love and tender care for me.  May the Lord give you increased hope, joy, and peace as you see your family grow and flourish.  I honor your life today, and bless you!  

To my sisters-in-law, Val and Amy:
Val, you are a great mom to your 3 young men!  You are the perfect wife for my brother - a compliment in so many ways.  The Lord has given you many wonderful talents, and as you offer those back to him in service, many others are encouraged and refreshed. Bless you! 

Amy, I admire your strength and grace.  You have a tender, mother's heart.  You, also, are a perfect match for my brother, and a wonderful mom for Andrew.  Bless you!

My girlfriends (near and far - you know who you are) - You are each wonderful friends, and the perfect moms for your little (and not so little) ones.  I appreciate your kindness and love to me, and I'm glad we get to walk through the mommy years together.  I honor each of you and bless you! Happy Mother's Day to you all!

Gardening - for my Mom

I grew up watching my mom plant flowers, vegetables, fruits...anything that would grow in dirt. She has 2 green thumbs, and is always happy getting her hands dirty to plant something. It's relaxing and therapeutic for her. Wherever we lived, she was always eyeing the landscape to figure out what she could plant where. I remember one house where she planted sunflowers outside our bedroom windows, and they grew so tall that we could see the blooms out the window. Another house had a large yard and she made raised beds and planted all kinds of yummy vegetables that we enjoyed every year. And, we always had a number of houseplants that seemed to thrive year-round.  She also liked to start avocado plants from seed.  She would put toothpicks in the side of the pit so that it would sit in a jar and only the bottom would touch the water.  Once there were roots, she would transfer it to a pot.  I remember a number of lovely avocado plants in our house...she probably has one or more growing today!  

To my hindrance, I didn't care to learn much about how to garden and take care of plants when I was young. The last few years, I've found myself wishing I had taken more time to learn this skill from my mom. Where we live now, I don't have a yard, just a concrete patio. So, I have tried to collect a few potted plants that will survive the southern CA climate, and are not too hard to care for (because a number of them have died along the way from neglect). I can usually manage to water fairly regularly, and repot when needed. Here's what I have growing outside right now:Here you see the pots arranged just outside my patio.  The pots in the front have some flower seeds in them, but I'm not too hopeful about them growing...we'll see! There is also a gerbera daisy plant next to the big pot.  It's bloomed every year since I got it 2 years ago, so hopefully the flowers will come out this spring, too. 

Here's a close-up of the blooms on this plant (I can't even remember the name of it, that's how much I'm not a gardener!).  I tried to catch the light purple hues in the blossoms - they are very pretty! 

This is a cute little mini rose bush that has lasted for a couple of years now.  

These are 2 pots with shamrocks in them. The green shamrock was a gift from my friend KD, and it has doubled in size since she gave it to me a few weeks ago. I already repotted it once, but I think I'll need to repot soon. The purple shamrock was one I had bought myself about a month ago. My friend RW, who used to live in the same complex, had given me her purple shamrock when she moved away 4 years ago, and it got stolen off my front porch (I was very sad). The green shamrock that is in with the purple one was a gift from my mom 3-4 years ago, and I brought it home from OR. I'm proud that it's still living!  The purple one has pretty light pink colored flowers, and the green one has nice white blooms. 

This is a pretty plant that was given to me by my neighbor Mary Lou (can't remember the name of this one, either, but I know it's a common one).  She and her husband Chuck lived next door to us for a number of years.  They were the sweetest elderly couple we've known!  Chuck was in a wheelchair when we moved it, but he loved plants and he had planted a lot of nice plants in our apt complex before me moved in. He passed away a couple years after we moved in.  Mary Lou passed away last year.  I'm glad I have this plant to remember them by.  

So, there you have it...my potted plants!  We also have some lovely jasmine that is in bloom right now - it makes the walk down the courtyard quite fragrant and lovely! 

A Boy and His Dog

I love this picture! Last weekend we had dinner with some friends, EB and AJB. A highlight for SIG was playing with their little dog, Emma. After dinner, SIG and Emma were playing on the sofa, and EB started snapping a few pictures. I love the expressions on both their faces! This was really a good shot, because SIG doesn't often hold still that long for pictures, and EB said that Emma doesn't either. Here is another cute pose:

EB has recently started her own photography business. If you are in CA and need a photographer, be sure to get in touch with her - EB Photo and Design.

Thanks EB for these adorable pictures - they are wonderful!