children do that.

It rained a lot today,

but the sun shone in my soul.

today's loves:

the shops on Hawthorne.

an entire double sided 6x3 foot display of ribbon.

a coffee shop with Powell's books attached.

a steaming cup of joe.

my Asher in all of his glory.

my dear friend,

and quite possibly,

our last coffee-shop-rendezvous

before her life becomes fuller than she could ever imagine,

and bestows upon her huge heapings of love

that will never cease.

It's the sort of love that makes your heart so full,

that it flows over,

changing the way you see everything else.

enormous. unconditional, compassion-seeping. love.

lovely things/giveaway results!

Last week, my Mother-in-law asked if she could come drop off a birthday gift!

Now, she is one classy lady, (just like my own Mother) and has a knack for choosing the perfect gifts for people.  Because she knows that warm colors dance around my house and fill my closet, she has taken it upon herself to supply many of the wonderful, warm-toned necklaces that hang from my jewelry hooks.

 a bit of my collection...

Love these antlers.  So appropriate, too, being married to a hunter.

I can't wait to have a rack on my wall!

I love the light gold in this necklace,

and the assortment of colors

makes it easy to wear with many outfits.

This necklace has various charms,

including this sweet owl, a tree branch

and a cool medallion. 

I heart Lucky jewelry.

This necklace is especially unique.

It was brought home to me from Iraq from

 my brother-in-law, who was serving there last year.

It is exciting to have a piece of jewelry from across the world.

This year, my Mother-in-law surprised me with another gift.

Check this out--it's amazing.

Have you seen these calendars?

She made it herself!

She backed each pebble with decorative paper,

included various inserts for the calendar backing to fit the

appropriate season, and added a sweet little space for tacking

photos, quotes or special notes.

Isn't is lovely?

I just love looking at it.

Aren't the little cards stuck to it wonderful?

The "You are a force of nature"

and

"What are you waiting for?"

are a few of the things that Christine Mason Miller

slid between the pages of my copy of

Ordinary Sparkling Moments.

{Find out more about what Christine is doing with current book proceeds here.}

That's right!  You are here for the Giveaway Results!!

drum roll please.....

#9!

Congrats, Shaleign!  You've won your very own copy of Ordinary Sparkling Moments!

I know you will love this book!

Thanks all for playing,

and check back tomorrow for

Giveaway #3!

The Invitation

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, 'Yes.'

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

-Oriah Mountain Dreamer

{This was read during my friend, Shannon's wedding ceremony this last weekend.  It was perfect wording for this perfect couple.  I've known very few people like them--people who thrive because they embrace life in its fullness.  Pictures and re-caps to come.  }

the evolution of fresh blueberry pie.

Really, much needn't be told when there are pictures like these...but I'll give you a few details anyway.

This was my family's first trip berry picking!  Since Amber was in town last week, she came with us to join my sister-in-law and my niece and nephews at Valley View Blueberry Farm.  It was way too much fun, and I think I'd like to try and do again soon.  It was perfect for the kids, and apparently the owners don't mind that little fingers eat at least a handful or two in the meantime. 

Do you find yourself feeling overcome with addiction while you pick berries, too?

There were various types of blueberries. 

Taste-testing was a pleasure while hunting for the perfect picks.

My visiting sis, Amber

My SIL, Jeannie and I

Asher

My niece, Olivia

Brooklynn

Asher and his cousin, Hunter

Now for the assembly of blueberry pie:

The fruits of our labor in golden delicious shape.

Just wish I was feeling this way about my body after all these treats.

Oh, yeah.  I forgot to mention we made homemade vanilla ice cream to go with it.

In my family, it's homemade

or bust.

Doing any berry picking?  If so, how do you plan to use them?

Sour Cream Lemon Pie

I am a sucker for all things lemon.

For example:

Lemon-Lavender Yankee candles.

 Lemon Drop cocktails.

Lemon yogurt.

Lemon Mambas.

Lemon Poppy seed muffins.

I also appreciate that my dishwasher detergent and my dusting spray come in the flavor of lemon.

 So the other day, I was overcome with the many blog posts that I had clicked upon which were sharing delicious baked goods.  I decided there wasn't two ways around it.  I had to join the madness, get in the kitchen and bake to my heart's content. 

As it now appears, I was feeling all sorts of yellow on Sunday. 

Possibly the reason I chose to wear my new yellow frock

and whip up this delicious 

Sour Cream Lemon Pie. 

Friends, it really doesn't get much better than this.  Well, it could if you aren't particularly fond of lemony treats, but today we aren't talking about the things we don't like. 

Wallah.

The evolution of the best tasting lemon pie you have ever laid your eyes on.

Now I'll hand over the details:

Sour Cream Lemon Pie

Credits are due to my wonderful SIL Jeannie Davis

1. Bake and cool 9 inch pie crust.

2. Prepare filling:

1 T. lemon zest

Juice of 1 lemon (1/4 C.)

3 T. lightly heaping corn starch

1 C. milk

1 C. sugar

3 egg yolks

Mix ingredients in saucepan and stir constantly until thick. 

Fold in 1 C. of sour cream.  Mix well and pour into a cooled baked pie crust.

3. Prepare topping:

1 C. whipping cream

2 T. powdered sugar

1 T. instant vanilla pudding mix

Beat until fluffy.  Top onto cooled pie. 

Chill for at least one hour; longer will ensure that your pie cuts and serves beautifully.

4. Enjoy!!

Photos courtesy of Josh Melin.