snail's pace.

the rains have brought the snails out of hiding.
last night on my narrow walk to the trash can
out on the street for morning pick up, i counted
no less than 12. again this morning i made the
same journey and counted 19 - including
the tiniest of snail babes. while i despise the
garden destruction i simply cannot step on the
little things so i gingerly trace my steps to
and fro ensuring their safety even though they
are determined to eat all the veggies we just
planted as well as leaves of particular sort.
there ain't enough snail bait in the world to
keep these gastropods at bay.

i snapped this picture a couple years ago ..
beauty midst the destruction.
hmpfh. slime-walkers.

of oats & berries & a special meal.

late afternoon washing of the hair then up in a bun
until morning .. has produced a tumbledown tress mess...
with time at a premium i'm simply
going with it come what may.
i'm a daring one, to be sure! wink.

see that glass with the last hint of contents?
overnight oats. years ago our daughter introduced us
to this concept and just recently i re-introduced it
to our occasional morning breaking of the fast.
simple ingredients: equal parts of oats, yogurt, milk ..
{regular oats, siggi's plain yogurt, unsweetened almond milk} with a spattering of fruit {strawberries!} and a good stir, cover and place in the fridge overnight.
it's delicious. and filling.

the hubs spent a few days in the bay area for work this week, so for his welcome home dinner i prepped salad, filets, and dessert. ♥

super greens, pistachios, raisins, tomatoes .. then a drizzle of both olive oil and balsamic vinegar
along with a good turn of the pepper mill.

one sweet potato was sufficient for both our plates as well as a bit for the next evening's meal.. i prepped filets with fresh cracked salt & pepper along with olive oil.. the hubs is the grill master - the filets came off the grill so incredibly tender! on the stove top i saute'd onion, mushrooms, and bacon {cooked up & drained}
.. then spooned it over the filets. delish!

a simple dessert of strawberries, plain yogurt, sugar free whipped cream, and a tablespoon of graham cracker crumbles. 

have you made a special meal lately? 
i'd love to hear about it!

♥

just small talk.

more coffee pretty please.

i don't always sleep well and last night was such the case.
waking nearly every half hour - restless. sleep was had
but fitful at best. it happens to all of us i suppose. what's
amazing is that i slept through the beep beep of my
coffee maker, finally opening my peepers at 5:28am. 
feet on the ground and in my slippers and zipped robe,
padding to the kitchen where with one eye open 
coffee was poured, cream added, then padding to my
morning perch in the living room - i settled in for the
first sip and the Word. thankful we're going through the
psalms at church - the few chapters read offered peace
and renewal. i don't always choose the Word when i
rise from troubled sleep - those mornings don't progress
well - big surprise. but this morning getting into the Word
brought me to a better place - offering praise to my Savior
and praying for others dear to my heart - one in particular. ♥

"i will trust in the mercy of God forever and ever."
~Ps.52:8b

productive morning. by 9am two loads of laundry completed,
bed made, kitchen cleaned, breakfast which consisted of
sweet strawberries and yogurt,
showered, dressed, a bit of spackle on my aging mug .. 
the latter being a  thankful undertaking. wink. 
will meet a dear friend for a quick lunch before we both
head back home to tend to our independent
vintage trailer project-ridden garages.
there's a broom and dust pan in my afternoon future.
and a can of stain. and glaze. 
on a hope and a prayer i'll make sense of the
trailer cabinets... it's coming along. 
slower than anticipated but coming along.
it'll be a keeper. ♥

wood dust = precious fibers of joy

"life with God is not immunity
from difficulties, but peace
within difficulties."     ~c.s. lewis

restoration.

pieces of you - your life - may be missing ..
may always be missing ..
the next step unclear ..
unstable ..
as if in dank fog.

hearts break for :
*what happened
*what didn't happen
*a relationship lost
*a longing
*loneliness
*misunderstanding(s)
*confusion
*a medical report
*a marriage troubled
*loss of job
*loss of remaining time
*regret
*shame
*death unexpected
*death foreseen
or:
* ___________ {fill in the blank}

most of us have been in dire personal
situations.. i'm not talking having a headache
through the night or a bothersome hangnail
by day. i'm talking trauma. the kind of trauma
that finds you prone on the floor and if not
the floor then certainly your knees.
and while there's a time for that floor or knee effort -
ohhh most definitely!
there's also a time for standing..
and that time is not defined by anyone else's
schedule or expectation.
that's between you and God.
so take that necessary time be it days, weeks,
months, or even years as in my case...
and perhaps continuing on as God sees fit,
for do we really ever find ourselves as having arrived?
your identity and how
to navigate the unsettled periods are God led,
provided you've been and continue
surrendering your all in all to a holy Lord.
and if you haven't been surrendering,
please do so soon if not now. today.
life is but a whisper in time.
make the most of it in the present.
healing. healed.
the new normal.
the new you.
simply put. ♥

be reminded that
HE who began a good work in you
will continue right up until the day of
his return {philippians 1:6} :::::
creating fresh ..
giving reason to wake ..
to stay alive ..

a new way of living once thought
impossible in the face of distress ..

this morning i'm
humbled by his grace,

as i seek to glorify his name

and bring honor to him who

sits on the throne.

he alone is worthy. ♥

if you have a pulse,

he has purpose
to continue

a precious work

in your heart ..

in your life ..
and that my friend is divine reconstruction..
sometimes this tumble & turn appears as destruction
while he conducts that deep work
in the nooks and crannies your lacerated heart. ♥
people won't understand.
and really - it's not theirs to understand,
for this is between you and Jesus.

he may not change the situation
but he can change your response to
the situation.

"come, and let us return to the Lord;
for He has torn, but He will heal us.
He has stricken, but He will bind us up."
Hosea 6:1

"so you, by the help of your God, return;
observe mercy and justice,
and wait on your God continually."
Hosea 12:6

"do the next thing."

~elisabeth elliot

♥.

music :: restore by sherri youngward