Just a little something to tide you over til Monday. I made these Saturday night for our church's Family Fun Day today. They had the pastors in a dunk tank and games and a cake walk, which these little beauties were headed to as prizes. It was all to raise money for a mission trip. The best part was I ate a couple and gave the rest away so I didnt overdo. Yay!

Natashas Shabby Chic Matchbox Swap

I had some fun yesterday putting together and decorating the boxes for the matchbox swap. It is pretty hard to find things small enough that are special to go into the teeny little things but I think I did ok. I won't tell you what is inside because my swap partner is all the way over in Australia. I am sending these out today and who knows how long it takes to actually get to another continent? But I will post what she sends me and hopefully she will post these when she gets them and I will provide a link. I think I was only supposed to do one, but they are so small and I had so much fun decorating the boxes I did five. They will still all fit in an envelope, I'm sure.

Ok, so just so you know what I mean when I said I need to weed my garden... I went out last night to get it done (I am only half done!) and I actually found a teeny little foxglove that I didn't know I had. This poor crowded plant is only about a foot tall instead of the stately 4-6 feet it should be. It is a fair punishment for me since I have been waiting a couple years for this little guy to actually bloom, and here it blooms in such a pitiful manner. So back out I go today to see if I can finish the job of weeding out this bed....then I can start on the next. I could make a comment about the weeds of neglect stunting the good things in our lives but you can make that connection yourself I suppose and I really don't want to get preachy. Suffice it to say the lesson occurred to me as I weeded and found flowers hidden and (eewwww!) snake holes because the cover was so good. Fortunately I am not afraid of snakes. So what will I be doing today? Pulling weeds and watching for snakes as I pull!

I love this beautiful sunset color rose. It was given to me by my sister-in-law several years ago. Fortunately, it must be very tough because I have a hard time with roses. I buy them and they have long graceful stems, huge buds , and big glossy leaves. I plant them according to directions and give them plenty of room for their roots, plant with peat moss and the next year they come up short and spindly and the blooms are about half the size they were before. I feel lucky that they come up at all. I admit that I don't always remember to feed them (hmmm), and I don't baby them a lot. I am really a pretty casual gardener when you get right down to it. It is probably a wonder that I have any flowers at all.

It occurs to me that my spiritual life is sometimes as neglected as my garden. I don't read my bible every day (most days, but not every day). I sometimes forget to check and see how I am doing growing the fruits of the spirit: love, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, self-control (ouch!)

In other words, I am almost as casual in my faith as I am in my garden. I am glad that God's grace means that he loves me even when I am not as good a gardener as I should be. But I need to cultivate and care for my faith more diligently. And my garden is getting weeded and fertilized today!

I originally started this blog as a way to keep up with family and friends and maybe stick my toes into the wide world of blogging. I have been so thrilled with the response I have gotten and the interesting people I have met through this little online diary. At the same time I sometimes wonder at the superficiality of blogging. I wonder if people really care what I got at the farmers market. I don't want this blog to be only about my latest acquisition at the thrift store or garage sale. There is so much more to my life than what I buy. Most of it isn't interesting enough to put down in words. Cleaning the house, trying to figure out what is for dinner, again. The many things I do each day that I have to do before I can do what I really want to do. I sometimes wonder how other women get so much crafting done that they can show a completed piece of art every day and even stock an etsy store. I am in awe. I see blogs about beautiful homes and wonder if their houses ever look like mine with socks on the floor and dust in the corners. My blogging hero is Brin at My Messy Thrilling Life who manages to not only create beautiful things for an etsy shop, but apparently hold down several jobs (she's also writing a cookbook!) redo an old house while blogging about beautiful things, creating extremely wonderful devotionals, teaching bible school and finding time to just do nice things for people. Talk about feeling inadequate! How does she do it? Why can't I get that many hours out of my day? Do you think Brin is a pseudonym for a whole group of people who share her blog? I like to think so but it is probably just one woman who is amazing. Anyway, I don't want this blog to be about superficial things all the time. I want my readers and visitors to know who I am. Is that too deep for you? If I don't get comments from this post I will assume it is. And I will post about my latest garage sale find or my garden. I am not abandoning those fun things, but I want more. Do you?

Happy Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day to my wonderful, loving husband Earl. You are everything I missed in my own father. Your sweet love and patience with your girls is one of the best things in our lives and we love you so very much! Hugs and Kisses... Your Girls