Quiet

I'm going to take a bit of a blogging break. I'm not sure how long. A week? Two? Hopefully not for too long. I do love this sharing bits of beauty with you each day. It's good for me, too. 

Blessings to you all and I hope to be back soon, refreshed and renewed by God's grace. 

" ...His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." -Psalm 30:5

You give and take away...

Well friends, on Wednesday I went in for a fetal heart check and they couldn't find it on the doppler. On Thursday morning we had an ultrasound which confirmed that our baby had passed away.  


If you think of it, pray for me today.  I'm having a D&C at noon because the doctor was afraid that because I was so far along that I might hemorrhage and need to go to the ER if I miscarried naturally.  I've never had surgery, so I'm a bit nervous.  I'd appreciate your prayers for me and Brian today. We are going to be doing a good amount of tests after this is over, as the doctor said that it isn't common to have 2 late miscarriage (right around the same time), especially considering that we knew that this baby was healthy with a strong heartbeat only a couple of weeks ago.


It's been a tough week. We are heartbroken, but not without hope.

"Blessed be the name of the Lord, 

blessed be your glorious name...

You give and take away,

but my heart will choose to say

Blessed be your name! "

-Matt Redman (and Job)

In the yarn basket...

I've been (slowly) working on a new crocheting project.  It's a pretty easy pattern and I have about 7 more months to complete it, so I'm in no hurry. :)  I love the soft yarn and the muted green colors. 


Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love to plan and collect and decorate in preparation for big life events. Nesting, I guess? For example, I was collecting little towels and table cloths in my hope chest, years before I ever got married. So, in a feeble attempt to stave off my desire to put together a nursery NOW, I'm keeping my hands busy with this mini afgan. We'll see how my little plan works...

Speaking of vases...

...here's a cute Dmitri and vase moment. 

(And here's a mystery: our cat always has a fresh bowl of water next to his food.  I almost NEVER see him drink out of it.  BUT, when I pour water into MY cup or a vase or anything else other than his own bowl, he slurps it up.  Any help, cat people?)

Lots of Little

One of my favorite things to do with a wilting bouquet (or even a fresh one!) is to fill lots of small vases or containers with the still-good-flowers rather than putting them altogether in a big vase.  In fact, I have far more tiny vases than I do large ones.   I like to spread the cheer all around the house - a couple vases on the coffee table, a few in the kitchen, maybe one in the bathroom or bedroom.  These tiny vases are pretty easy to come by, it seems like everyone is trying to get rid of these little guys. I highly recommend picking up a couple next time you're at a flea market or a yard sale. They are usually less than a dollar and I use them constantly.  I even fill them with evergreen from our Christmas tree in the winter or colorful leaves in the fall.  There are so many possibilities for spreading beauty in your house with these tiny containers...

Listing my blessings...

This is my Father's world. 

O let me ne'er forget 

that though the wrong seems oft so strong, 

God is the ruler yet. 

This is my Father's world: 

why should my heart be sad? 

The Lord is King; let the heavens ring! 

God reigns; let the earth be glad!

Still counting...


651. gelato with Lizzy and Emma
652. canoeing with the boys on the Charles River
653. new flower box plants
654. Soft Sage paint and old Beatrix Potter prints
655. McKenna family dinner conversations
656. a full day to clean and organize
657. my kitty, tummy side up
658. peace
659. fun toys in the mail
660. fun week at summer camp - arcade, bowling, movies
661. fancy fondue dinner
662. nesting fun
663. daily bagels
664. forgiveness
665. 4 years of marriage

Devotion

(a weekly sabbath puritan prayer)

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Devotion

God of my end, it is my greatest, noblest pleasure 

to be acquainted with Thee 

and with my rational, immortal soul; 

it is sweet and entertaining

 to look into my being 

when all my powers and passions

 are united and engaged 

in pursuit of Thee, 

when my soul longs and passionately breathes

 after conformity to Thee 

and the full enjoyment of Thee; 

no hours pass away with so much pleasure 

as those spent in communion with Thee and with my heart.

O how desirable, 

how profitable to the Christian life 

is a spirit of holy watchfulness and godly jealousy

 over myself when my soul is afraid of nothing 

except grieving and offending Thee, 

the blessed God,

 my Father and friend,

 whom I then love and long to please, 

rather than be happy in myself! 

Knowing, as I do,

 that this is the pious temper, 

worthy of the highest ambition, 

and closest pursuit of intelligent creatures 

and holy Christians,

 may my joy derive from glorifying and delighting Thee.

 I long to fill all my time for Thee, 

whether at home or in the way; 

to place all my concerns in Thy hands;

 to be entirely at Thy disposal, 

having no will or interest of my own. 

Help me to live to Thee for ever,

 to make Thee my last and only end, 

so that I may never more in one instance love my sinful self.

A Lovely Anniversary Surprise

"One for Mama and one for our bundle" - Brian

On Thursday I was met with these beautiful blooms set in 18th century style vases from the West India Goods Store.

(you locals must check out this historic little shop in Salem!)

This Moment - Brian's Birthday Whale Watch!

This Moment:  A moment that I'm pausing to remember and savor...

Joining with SouleMama:

{this moment} - A Friday ritual

4 Years Ago today...

4 years ago today, I married the best guy I know. 

 Words can't describe how blessed I am.

A Summer Sunset in Salem

We went down to the Salem Willows with some friends a while ago and in between arcade games, I was able to sneak out and catch the sun setting over the harbor... breathtaking! It hit me that this happens every night. Every night there is a gorgeous sunset...and I miss it far too often.

My Weekend Project

...decorating for Vacation Bible School - High Seas Edition! 

 I painted the backdrop for the skit from a canvas drop cloth, spray paint and tempera paint.  Then I used tempera paint and painted ocean, clouds and sea gulls on a bunch of windows in the main lobby.  It was a lot of fun to do and I so wish I could be there to see the kids enjoying it!

Thanks

Thou hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more, a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such is a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.
-George Herbert

There is much to be thankful for...

636. the first week of summer camp
637. painting pottery with the boys
638. painting church windows with ocean and clouds
639. summer thunderstorms
640. dinner with Ariel
641. honesty
642. popsicles and saltines
643. small group
644. fun phone calls
645. kind friends and kind offers
646. Brian's birthday date - cruising the Atlantic, breeching whales and ice cream sundays for dinner
647. afternoon naps
648. Brian's guitar/ukulele strumming
649. our baby
650. Successful surgery for Dad, looking like it's the end of this long, hard road.

The Deeps

(a weekly sabbath puritan prayer)

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The Deeps

Lord Jesus, give me a deeper repentance, 

a horror of sin, a dread of its approach. 

Help me chastely to flee it 

and jealously to resolve that my heart shall be Thine alone.

Give me a deeper trust, 

that I may lose myself to find myself in Thee,

 the ground of my rest, the spring of my being.

 Give me a deeper knowledge of Thyself 

as saviour, master, lord, and king. 

Give me deeper power in private prayer,

 more sweetness in Thy Word, more steadfast grip on its truth.

Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action,

 and let me not seek moral virtue apart from Thee.

Plough deep in me, great Lord, heavenly husbandman, 

that my being may be a tilled field, 

the roots of grace spreading far and wide, 

until Thou alone art seen in me, 

Thy beauty golden like summer harvest, 

Thy fruitfulness as autumn plenty.

I have no master but Thee, no law but Thy will, 

no delight but Thyself, no wealth but that Thou givest,

 no good but that Thou blessest, 

no peace but that Thou bestowest. 

I am nothing but that Thou makest me.

 I have nothing but that I receive from Thee.

 I can be nothing but that grace adorns me.

 Quarry me deep, dear Lord, and then fill me to overflowing with living water.

Sea Kettle Studios - Update

Finished!

(Did I tell you that my two students, who are twins, ended up separately picking pictures of the SAME lighthouse to paint!? Such a twin thing to do, right?)

This Moment - The Ultimate Edition!

This Moment:  A moment that I'm pausing to remember and savor...

(Ok, so confession time.  This is a moment from last week but I couldn't post it! 

It was BY FAR the best moment I've had in a loooong while!)

Introducing the Sea Kettle Kid! 


God willing, the baby will be joining us right around Valentines Day....

Joining with SouleMama:

{this moment} - A Friday ritual

Guerilla Photography

So, yesterday when I posted pictures of the wedding I photographed a couple weekends ago, I regretted to inform you of my extreme guerilla photography skills.  The bride's family owns a logging business and of course, a bucket truck.  The mother of the bride thought it would be neat to get a picture of the entire wedding from the bucket.  I didn't really think about the implications until I got there... 

(Did I mention that I am afraid of heights?)

And the results of my bravery and gumption! I guess it was worth it... :)

A Summer Wedding

My sister in law and I photographed our second wedding a couple of weekends ago and I've been a bit slower this time around in sorting, editing and labeling.  Alas, better late than never!  It was another beautiful day filled to the brim with love and all that good stuff.  :) Here are some highlights.