Pixie.

Today's Joy: Lollygagging with Mom.

Happy Saturday, Reader. I spent the afternoon visiting with Mom as we leisurely perused a pair of our favorite local antique shops. Nothing better than a little quality time. Especially when it involves bargain-hunting.

Mom is always on the look out for vintage horse harness brass: 3-4 inch round brass medallions featuring a clever cut-out design or image. They attach to a horse's harness or headstall and add a decorative element. Mom is an avid collector and was delighted to pick one up today at a resale shop for 50 cents!

Here are a few other examples of harness brass:

Sun.

Crown.

Reception under the tent.

Today's Joy: Love & A Wedding.
Reader, when Aunt was asked by a dear friend & colleague to do the flowers for her wedding, she was delighted to say yes. Today, weeks of planning culminated in a beautiful ceremony and reception for the lovely couple.

It was my joy to be able to help with the flower arranging and set-up and then to take photographs of this love-filled event. It was wonderful to see the couple so happy with their friends and family gathered around. You knew, being a part of their wedding, that it truly was a joyous moment for all involved. Such a blessing!


Bride & Groom listen to a reading by the Groom's Father.

The Kiss.

Nobody has ever measured, even poets, how much a heart can hold. ~Zelda Fitzgerald

Quote courtesy of The Quote Garden.

Purple-edged Iris.

What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade. ~Gertrude Jekyll

Today's Joy: June & Indigo Flowers.
Happy Thursday, Reader. While perusing some of the flower photos I haven't gotten around to posting yet, I came across these three beauties. There's something so blue & white and summery about them. Each year, I love rediscovering the traditions of early summer. The feel of a sundress, that first pitcher of iced tea, wearing sandals to the first wedding of the season. Now that it's June and wedding season is in full swing, I am enjoying helping Aunt gather flowers, candleholders and glass hurricanes for her friend's upcoming wedding.

It's no wonder so many people tie the knot this time of year. There's something almost perfect about June, when the cool, late spring weather lingers and everything is still lush and bursting with green. Only a few weeks now until the heat of summer sets in and I'll be longing for 70-degree afternoons. But, there's no time to worry about that when we could be out having a picnic under an Oak tree. Perhaps this dreamy, cool beauty is what the Garden of Eden was like.

What's your favorite early summer tradition, Reader? What renews your spirit this time of year?

If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance. ~Bern Williams


Daisies.

In June, as many as a dozen species may burst their buds on a single day. No man can heed all of these anniversaries; no man can ignore all of them. ~Aldo Leopold

Violas.

Quotes courtesy of The Quote Garden.

Spritz Butter Cookies

Reader, I just finished perfecting my Spritz recipe and the house is full of the combined aromas of butter & vanilla. I started over the weekend with the Spritz recipe in Betty Crocker's Cooky Book. But they had a tad too much salt. So, here is my new and improved version. Be warned, you will be lost in buttery ecstasy!

Spritz Butter Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sifted flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.
Incorporate butter, vanilla & egg, mixing until all moisture is absorbed and you have malleable dough.
For thin, crisp & delicate cookies, force dough through cookie press in 1/4 increments. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet.
For a heartier cookie (as pictured), roll dough into inch-thick rolls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Score with fork tines.
Bake cookies 6-9 minutes or until just golden on the edges.
Makes about 5 dozen pressed cookies or 20 scored.

Great for summer picnics or for dunking in tea.

Today's Joy: Employment Prayers Answered!
After nearly 4 months of online job-hunting and a string of interviews all over the Chicago area, I finally got the call today, Reader! A job offer! And not just any job offer, but the one I really want with a terrific company that does good things for the world.

About a month ago, I was feeling pretty deflated. Had been back from Dallas for a few months, and while currently working retail part-time, I needed something more substantial to pay the bills and be a contributing member of society. Things were beginning to feel a bit hopeless.

So, I spent the morning reading my bible, journaling and praying. I turned it all over to God and asked Him to direct me, to send me where my talents would be of use. Certainly wasn't having much luck on my own. I made the decision to stop panicking and complaining, to wait patiently for Him to show me the solution in His own time. And I vowed to not give up hope.

Later that morning, something compelled me to get online and check out Craig's List. I found two promising opportunities posted just that morning and sent resumes out for both. Within two days, I received a call back on both positions. Over the next couple weeks, I went to a first and then a second interview for each. Both were great positions, but I developed a strong affinity for one in particular, almost immediately.

It is a Data Entry position for a wonderful chain of Chicago-area Organic Health Food stores. While interviewing, I visited several locations and they were all neat, clean, well laid-out and full of helpful people. Every person I came in contact with at this company was happy, upbeat and excited about their job. It's also a Christian company and continues to provide products and services that make people's lives better.

Tonight, I got the call I've been waiting for. They offered me the Data Entry position and I accepted with great delight. Can't wait to dive into this new challenge! Can't wait to learn all about organic foods and how to eat better! Can't wait to throw my energy into a company who is doing wonderful things for the world!

Thank you, Lord, for getting me where I need to be to do your work!

Coral Rose.

The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. ~George Bernard Shaw

Today's Joy: The Garden, Revisited.

Whew! After a wonderful but crazy-busy weekend, it's so nice to be able to relax again. I popped out to see the garden after working a very early shift this morning, Reader. It was like visiting a new and gorgeous oasis. I can't stop marveling over the changes that take place in nature and Creation, right under our noses. Today, the delphiniums are in full, fabulous bloom around the house and the roses are wide open to the world, having burst into their full glory sometime over the weekend.

There's both pride and humility in watching a garden evolve through the season. When your plants bloom right on cue, treating the neighbors to a show-stopping display, your head can't help but swell a little. However, it quickly deflates when you realize, after a few days away, that the garden does just fine without you, thank you very much. Just a reminder that you may be the founder of this little growing enterprise, but your plants are busy staging a benign takeover.

Enjoy your afternoon, Reader. Hope your Tuesday is full of unfurling joy.

Aunt's Herb Garden.


It pleases me to take amateur photographs of my garden, and it pleases my garden to make my photographs look professional. ~ Robert Brault



Chamomile & Irises in Herb Garden.


I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day. ~ F. Frankfort Moore, A Garden of Peace


God Is In The Details, Delphinium, June, 2010.

Delphiniums, June 1st, 2010.

Gerbera Daisies in Galoshes.

Tortoise Under the Birdbath.

Gardens are a form of autobiography. ~ Sydney Eddison, Horticulture magazine, August/September 1993

Garden Quotes courtesy of The Quote Garden.

Chunk, pooped.

Today's Joy: Peace & Quiet.

Reader, I am exhausted! After 4 days of non-stop horse activites and photography, I am all in but the shoe strings. Don't get me wrong, it was a FABULOUS weekend. But after all the fun and sun and running around and house guests, I need a nap. Hope your Memorial Day weekend is full of joy, Reader. And that you too will get a chance to sit down today and put your feet up. Even if it's just for a few minutes.

Today's Joy: Freedom & A Sunday Morning Trail Ride.
It was so lovely this morning, Reader, to forego all the fancy show trappings of the last few days and just get the horses out for some fun at the forest preserve. It was warm (high 80's) and beautiful at the Cook County-Potawatomi Woods Forest Preserve in Barrington, IL. We were quite the entourage with 5 carts & buggies and 4 people on horseback.

As it was Memorial Day weekend, I couldn't help thinking, as we laughed and rolled over hill and dale and through the backwoods, how blessed we are as Americans. The sacrifices of innumerable men and women throughout our country's history have made it possible for us to spend this carefree morning in the country, not worrying about our personal safety, or a corrupt government, or religious persecution, or if we'll have enough to eat tonight.

It's so important to remember how we got here. And equally important to recognize the people who give up so much so that we can continue to live this amazing life. I pray that God brings hope, joy and peace to those who are called to serve and to their families. They are doing sacred work.

Here, for your enjoyment, Reader, are a few shots of our wonderful day on the trail. More trail ride highlights are available here. I can't think of a better way to honor and celebrate the sacrifices of our forefathers & mothers and of our dedicated military than to get out and really live! What are you going to do today in celebration of all you're blessed with?


Little Man, Cousin & the Divine Ms. "M" on the trail.


Julie & Breezy, Serious Trail Riders.

Follow the leader.

Stay to the right!

Grace & Norma come up over the hill.

Uncle & Ginger coming up the hill.

Little Man hitches a ride with Aunt.

Waiting for stragglers.

Ginger meets the water obstacle.

One look and she's an old pro.

Elated smile or terrified? You decide.

Taking a break in the shade.

Cathy & Harry traverse the water.

Charge taking the plunge.

Just chillin'.

Uncle, Driving Portrait.