munchin'....

Ok... Blogger made this post a bit strange, but it rotated my photos sideways. You'll have to look to the left side at the bottom of the photo to see the little muncher in the flower garden...
This was the only flower of this type in the garden, and it seems to have been the tasty treat of someone... ah.... the culprit below...

I think he was quite pleased with his lunch and with himself!! : )

bloomin' chives!

These amazing chive flowers were blooming in my mom's garden when I was in Michigan a couple of weeks ago.

I think they are wonderful ...

...with their big purple onion-like shaped buds...

...popping open into beautiful blooms!

Marvelous beauty!

chive talkin'...

Not quite ready to burst into bloom...

Their onion-dome buds reaching toward the warm spring sun...

...soaking up the sun, preparing to burst forth...

(I know it's a bit of a strange picture, but I love this one with my mom, the giant, in the background tending her flowers.)

...it's almost time...

celebrate the Sabbath...worshinping the Lily of the valleys...

I am a rose of Sharon,

a Lily of the valleys...
~Song of Solomon 2:1

He is the Lily of the valley...

i'm likin' these fairy cups...

I remember these little cup-like formations from when I was kid.

I used to call them "fairy cups."

I found these in my uncle's yard while I was in Michigan.

I think they're some sort of lichen or growth of that type...

but I could always imagine little fairies of the forest or brownies drinking dew from them!

I love God's crazy little creations!!

i'm off to a faraway land!!

Dear Blogging Buddies and Cyber Friends,

I know I haven't mentioned it until today, but early tomorrow morning I am off to a faraway land!! I've been crazy busy packing and gathering requested items to take with me. I am going to the nation of Georgia (you know, by Russia) to visit my sister, brother-in-law, two nephews, and niece who live there. They are missionaries with Youth With A Mission and are currently in the capital city of Tbilisi.

I will be there for two whole weeks, and it is my very first visit! I'm very excited, as you can imagine!! My travel there will be very long (because I'm using awards miles and, therefore, must go via Moscow and Munich...which is quite a bit out of the way)--if I've figured it correctly, with the 11 hour time difference, I will be traveling 31 hours with 4 flights and various layovers along the way. So, please keep me in prayer as I travel...and as I get to visit with my family.

I probably will not be posting much from Georgia, but in my preparation to leave, I have scheduled some auto-posts of some of my favorite photos and thoughts. I will try to post a few times from Georgia if I can--maybe to share some photos of my adventure! I'm sure I will be inundating my blog with travel photos when I return.

Thanks for making this blogging thing such a blessing! I enjoy your comments and your blogs so much!

And, I'm off! : )

Sunday brunch...

My last Sunday in Michigan, I went with my sister to her little country church. It was a small congregation but everyone was very warm and welcoming. It was a great message, and I enjoyed the service.

I loved that this was the view when we came out of the church after service: Just some happy country cows eating their Sunday brunch...

"Hey! Where's the champagne??!"