A beautiful day in the neighborhood...

I'm spending the morning on the deck, in the sun with a good book. Life doesn't get much better than this...
A friend just gave us this hummingbird feeder. Unlike our old one, it doesn't leak and it has a perch the hummingbirds have enjoyed. We have at least 2 hummingbirds that come to visit, but they are very territorial. Somehow, this morning they decided they could share the feeder at the same time as well as drink side by side. Enjoy their company... I'm headed back out myself!

Just Do It!

After being sick for a week and falling behind in so many areas, I began making lists of what I need to do and what I have to do, and promptly got overwhelmed because I couldn't figure out where to start. Finally I decided to follow the Nike people's advice and "just do it". So now the kitchen rugs are washed, as is the floor, the herbs are planted as well as the spider plants that can't seem to stop throwing off babies, newsletters ordered, others read, I've worked out and now I need to shower and dress for all the appointments we have outside the house this afternoon and evening. Yes, it felt good to just dive in!

A little bit of Spring for you...

A few weeks ago I went up to the Roozengaarde display gardens, it was an incredibly beautifully day. My zoom function was broken on the macro view so I had to get creative with my framing and selection of what I took pictures of.

Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment:

Twlight

One of the few activities I had the energy for this weekend was going to church. We've been attending Overlake Christian Church during the Reel Theology series that has just ended. They took 4 of last years hottest movies and used them as a springboard. Chris and I have long espoused that movies are today's parables, and Mike and Gary used that theme as they taught. The movie I was most interested in hearing how it would be handled was Twilight. Mike tackled that one Sunday night, did a great job with it and pointed out a parallel that Chris and I hadn't seen before, the theme of community. That living in and being a part of a community helps you to keep on track. For the record, we agree with this principal. We have a core circle of friends we like to hang with and be "accountable" to. After the service, Chris pointed out to Mike that another theme in the movie is the parallel between how the vampires are responded to, and how we as Christians should also affect our culture. To paraphrase Edward just after taking Bella to his meadow, "everything about us is designed to attract". As Chris pointed out to Mike, when we enter a bar or other "dark" place, we are the "brightest" people in the room, and people are attracted to us, because of the light that shines from within us. This is the reason Chris and I have a standing date every Friday - at the local bar. We go so that we can be a light in a dark place and so that we can love on people. I love to see peoples response to us, they think they enjoy our company... but we know better.

Back in the saddle

Finally recovering from a cold that took me down Friday.
Wednesday and Thursday I had meetings but managed to take a few pictures of Spring, and one of Shamoo and her best friend Moose wanting me to play with them. I've added them for your enjoyment, and now, I need to get to all the business related reading I didn't have the brain for the past few days. Enjoy...

From my mom's rockery:


Cherry blossoms:


Shamoo (aka Moo) and Moose

Yesterdays weather-was-stay-inside-wrap-up-in-a-blanket-and-read-weather. It gets cold and damp here by the river. If we had a fireplace it would have been lit. I wasn't the only one who was missing the nice weather, Moo (formally known as Shammi, and less formally known as The Camel or The Black Muscle, among many other nicknames) couldn't go outside and play with her friend. So she had to make do with me. Note the pleading in her eyes...



While I sat and read, all the birdies that had been enjoying the nice weather as well, came back to feed. I really like the Goldfinches, they make me happy. Love the sound the Red-winged blackbirds make, like the brown hooded blackbirds but don't like the Bluejays, they chase everyone else off.


Today would be a repeat of yesterday, except I have appointments that will keep me out all day. But I am meeting a friend for Pho for lunch!

A change in perspective...

So I woke up grumpy this morning after several dreams that left me disgruntled, and the morning went down from there. A bright point early in the day was that I found several new blogs I enjoyed from Nadine's Just being me blog, check them out if you have time: My five men and Life at Willow manor. Both ladies are engaging and I pulled some great recipes of their sites. So back to the darkness that had settled over me this am... I finally tracked it down to ungratitude, is that a word? Any way, it was my state of mind this morning. So I decided I needed to do something about it, and began thinking about all that I have to be grateful for, here's a short list:

• I work from home, and set my own hours, schedule and agenda.
• I have great friends that make me laugh, keep my head on straight, encourage me and allow me to encourage them. The above schedule allows me to meet with them when I want, unlike when I worked in Corporate America.
• Chris and I are both healthy, enjoy each others company and have a great marriage.
• I've been able to read a bunch the past few weeks, both business and pleasure and mostly on the deck in the sun, I figure over 5000 pages...
• I love where I live, and that it's SPRING! Oh... no allergies, another benefit of not dealing with Corporate America...
• Life is gooood and God loves me.

Once I was reminded of all that, a better perspective, and mood settled over me. May your day be brighter today as you reflect on all that you are grateful for.