a meal

beauty in a colorful Spring meal

A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 
Ecclesiastes 2:24-25

play

today our family played with a piñata that Peter brought home from school.  It was simply a decorated paper bag filled with goodies, strung up from our second story railing. 

But there was plenty to smile about and beauty to be found.

beauty in play 

and laughter

Today is the day the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

path

beauty on the bike path

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. 
Psalm 119:105

gardens

today I walked down a street where house after house 

had a beautiful array of flowers growing out front.  

It was soothing and delighted my eyes.

beauty in well-cared for gardens

 

The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 58:11

sky

beauty in the sky

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Psalm 19:1

light

beauty in the light on this flower

The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1

a succulent

beauty in the simple unfolding of a succulent

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

together

beauty in watching my kids work together

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

Proverbs 17:17

art

beauty in the act of creating art 

(not just the final product)

In the beginning God created...
Genesis 1:1

reading

beauty in sharing a love for reading

photo cred to Peter

Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

grandpa

beauty in the LOVE of a grandfather

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure - Stuart Townend

a seed

beauty in a little seed starting to grow

 Jesus said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how."
Mark 4:26-27

poppies

beauty in the eye-catching color of a poppy

For the beauty of the earth, 
  for the glory of the skies, 
for the love which from our birth 
  over and around us lies; 
Lord of all, to thee we raise 
  this our hymn of grateful praise. 

                 -Folliot S. Pierpoint

buds

beauty in the buds of our orange tree

Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so... And God saw that it was good. 
Genesis 1:12

beauty

Life is hard.

and sometimes I find myself dwelling on all the hard things and dismissing the beauty around me.

 Last night, my wonderful husband challenged me to take one picture a day of something beautiful and share it.

So here goes...

Beauty found in the pink blossoms in our back yard.

light

Rainy, cloudy days produce the most gorgeous light in our family room.

I just had to pick up my camera.

Here's a few moments from the last two days...

Our friends Wilson & Henry came to visit, I tried to get a picture of all four older kids....

and it ended in this.. 

Wilson is pretty smitten with Hannah 

I think she shares his affection. 

Who doesn't love this cute pouty face? 

And her curls are beginning to show 

Cheese!

Toby has the most beautiful amber eyes

Abby's checking him out. 

cooking time!

welcome

Welcome to Scotland!

Land of driving on the left side of the road,
(way to go Matty!)

beautiful views wherever you go,

 

awesome red telephone booths,

hotels that are actually castles,

the land of Peebleshire - home of the Robbins'
(according to family lore)

numerous stone buildings

colorful doors

 

graveyards 
 (where we had hoped to find some Robbins' but couldn't read anything before 1850)

bountiful cups of delicious coffee and tea

alleys with a view

picturesque towns

this happy, traveling trio

evidence of the Robbins!

 

five (part 2)

(a couple additions to my earlier post)

1. Daddy says that this 5th birthday is a bit hard on him too (don't worry he's not weeping)



2.  Hannah insisted that after swim lessons we take pictures of her special birthday crown
(oh yes, we actually still have last year's crown - that's how special these things are to her)

 

3. Apparently, even when 5 year old's want you to take pictures of them
they rarely stop moving long enough to accomplish said task.

 

3. singing "Happy Birthday" and blowing out candles is still really cool at 5!

 

 

 4.  Just in case you don't remember, we have another birthday in our family tomorrow
(yes, my oldest kids are 2 years and 1 day apart)