What I Learned While June Sped By

What I’ve learned in June.  A reflective list of realizations, some new, some rediscovered.  Join the party hosted by Emily over at Chatting at the Sky and see what others are sharing about June lessons.

1.  I like cool spring days better than hot, humid summer days and we were blessed with several of those early in the month.

2.  Hydrangeas need lots, lots, lots of water.  They wilt at the first sign of too much heat.  But they are beautiful and worth the extra maintenance.  I hope the one I planted this month survives.  And I hope it retains the beautiful blue color.  There is much I don’t know about Hydrangeas yet.

800px-Hydrangea_macrophylla_-_Hortensia_hydrangea

Source Raul654

3. Speaking of high maintenance, my brother would rather I call him once with a list of all things going on, instead of calling him randomly.  Then he can get back to me.  Whatever!  Today’s list for him (a list within a list if you will): I love you. How is your foot? Have you seen Dad’s new building yet? Aunt C is in the hospital. Aunt K is in the nursing home. B is going back to Texas for a week and then she’ll be back here for a while. Come see us sometime. Tell T and the kids we love them. If you need me I’m only a phone call away! Come to church with us sometime. So, when I called him, he actually answered. Turns out I’m supposed to mail the list every Friday.  I just might do that.   I know he loves me and I think he was just joking about the list.  Bottom line – he doesn’t like to talk on the phone.  I don’t either, but I do like to keep in touch with my brother once in a while. So, I call him sometimes.  He’ll get over it.  If I didn’t call he’d think I didn’t love him anymore.  And, a list is very efficient, the call lasted less than five minutes.

4.  I did not learn this in June (I’ve always known), but was once again reminded that I love my sister and I love having her home from Texas, she fills in some gaps that are missing when she is not here.  I think I’ll lasso her, tie her up and keep her here.  Can you tell I’ve been catching up with McLeod’s daughters on Netflix?  Sisters are a gift to be treasured.

5.  They killed Claire McLeod off on McLeod’s daughters.  I know this is old news to most people who remember this show. I just discovered this last night and I’m still in shock. She was the pivotal character.  I hope I did not spoil this for anyone, I realize I may not be the only one ten years behind.  (it was just as depressing as Matthew dying on Downton Abbey – oops, hopefully you already knew that).

6.  I should remember that if you attend church business meetings, you will be elected to be the clerk or something like that.

7.  I’m discovering that as much as I love people, I really need a lot of quiet time to reflect and regroup.

8.  I like the idea of owning a first edition book over the idea of selling it for big bucks.  That is a true book lover.  I also have too many books, but I did not learn this in June.

9.  I read lots of blogs in June rather than doing a lot of writing on my blog.  I came to some conclusions that I’m formulating into a post.  I’ll share my thoughts once they are in line.

10. I’ve been seeing that depression is a topic that we need to speak out about.  I have some thoughts brewing about this too that I want to write about on my blog.

11. I’m so over all this equality stuff.   I will not share my thoughts on my blog. There are already too many voices out there espousing opinions.  OK, I will say one thing:  God knows the truth of everything and he knows his designs and plans.  I need to trust him and follow his lead.  OK, two things: words have meanings and those meanings should not be changed.  It is what it is. That is all I will say.  You have to choose your own opinion about all this stuff.  Hopefully you will do that prayerfully.

12. Prayer, even in the little everyday things is vitally important.  It builds our faith. Praying daily helps prepare us for the bigger issues.  It makes us more grounded when they come. And come they will.

13.  After 29 years I love my husband more than ever.  We celebrated our marriage this month – not a new thing I learned, but a good reminder of where we’ve been on the journey to where we’re going.

So, what have you learned or re-learned in June?  You can link-up here to share , or if you want to read what others have learned, just pop on over and read some of the other blogs.

Learning in Grace, Sadie

Moments of Beauty

What do Impellizzeri’s Pizza, Petit Fours, Honeycrisp Apples and Roses have in Common?  (Answer below)

Impellizzeri's Pizza - Best of Louisville
Petit Fours & Chocolate Chewies from The Fresh Market
Honeycrisp Apples from The Fresh Market
Estelle Roses, Hydrangeas & Baby's Breath from The Fresh Market

Today was about feeding the soul (and the stomach).   Usually weekends are reserved for errands and housework.  Today was about rest and beauty.

We decided to go to Impellizzeri’s Pizza – we had heard good things and so even though it is a tad expensive compared to other Pizza places, we decided to check it out.  It did not disappoint.  The crust was just the right combination of thickness and crispness and flavor.  the sauce was rich and thick and I asked for extra.  The toppings were just right. It was filling and we have leftovers for lunch.

On the way to  Impellizzeri’s   we saw second, larger  location of one of our favorite stores: The Fresh Market so we decided to stop in on the way back home.  I wish I had taken pictures of some of their decor and displays – maybe another time.  The Fresh Market is a little more expensive than other stores we shop, but once in awhile I like to treat us by shopping there.

Today was about the flowers, chocolate and apples.  I came home and did some flower arranging:

Home from Market
Cutting the Roses - sometimes you have to suffer before true beauty can bloom!
Hydrangeas in the bedroom
Roses, Baby's Breath and Honeycrisp apples "staged" on my writing table

Not a bad way to spend a Saturday Afternoon!  See the orange glass cross on the wall?  That is a beautiful gift from my friend Sue, who is in my Writing group at church.  She gave that to me last weekend. She designed it with symbols and colors that reflect who I am. (orange is my happy color; StoneLeaf is the name for lots of projects in the works)  The cross has been a great inspiration to make time for beauty in my life.  Life is too short to do laundry all the time.  (I did manage to do three loads today – in between the moments of beauty).  That’s how we should live life – insert the work in between the moments of beauty.

stoneLeaf Cross - designed and created by my friend, Sue

I hope you have a week full of beautiful momets!

Go in Grace,

Sadie