As the name of my blog indicates, I spend a lot of time thinking about home. Of course, my Heavenly Home is the one that is eternal, so that’s where I need to lay up my treasures, and that’s the one I’m striving for. But in the meantime, I have been given this tiny piece of the here-and-now—this home on the edge of town, this family, this neighborhood—in which to serve Him. And, though this is in the earthly realm, I want the things that happen here to be investments in the Heavenly realm.




Friday, July 31, 2015

July Photo-a-Day Challenge {Week 4 and a bit more}


Summer days are racing by! We are keeping busy with one thing or another (or six) every day. 

Recently, I confessed to my friend Joanne that I felt like I was getting ready to be run over by the birthday train. (We have a gazundle of July and August birthdays and anniversaries in our family.) Later in our conversation, I said that I'd love to host a ladies' game night/dinner party in August and she said, "What?! That would be like throwing yourself on the tracks!" 

Yes, Joanne/Voice of Reason, it would. So I'll stay off the tracks and just do my best to keep up with the birthday train.

Today I am completing Kati's photo-a-day challenge for the month of July. Even though I can't believe that July is over. And I hear that train whistle right behind me...



day 22: tree
We planted two locust trees in our front yard when our oldest children were quite young.
One day my toddler son brought a "flower" he had picked for me.
It was the tiny locust tree.
(But what mother can refuse a gift given from the heart?)
The little stub that remained of the tree flourished and grew,
although it is still a wee bit shorter than its mate.



day 23: an ordinary moment
Ordinary in its every-dayness, but extraordinary all the same: morning coffee.



day 24: close-up
Petunia on the back porch.



day 25: far away
The long rows of corn lead back to the woods.



day 26: 9 o'clock
At 9 pm on day 26, we were on the edge of our seats!
This summer's shark activity on the East Coast (we saw one!!) had us talking about the movie Jaws.
Oh my. It was intense! Not our typical movie night.



day 27: cloud
Dark clouds brought some afternoon rain showers.



day 28: blue
Blueberry pie on a Blue Willow plate.



day 29: flip flops
Old Navy flip flops: one of the few things you can still buy for a dollar. 
(At least when they're on sale.)



day 30: shapes
When our friends took a trip to Israel, Kati and Bekah cared for their pets.
They were paid well, but our friends also brought them each a gift. 
Bekah's is a ceramic dish based on an actual mosaic of the loaves and fishes.
She keeps it on her nightstand where it sometimes holds earrings overnight.



day 31: morning
The morning sun spotlights the multitude of blooms on the limelight hydrangea.





This week (and a bit more) has found a couple of us under the weather, cancelling plans, rescheduling activities, cancelling again, cleaning out the laundry room, and shopping for birthdays.


What  has been happening in your world this week? 


* * *


Click ~ here ~ to see how others have met the photo-a-day challenge!


Thank you, Kati, for encouraging me this month to get my camera out of the bag and into the little details of daily life!

7 comments:

  1. Joanne's response was so funny! Funny and true. Sorry to learn that folks have been under the weather. Not the way to spend any summer days that are flying away so quickly. Odd that I never complain that winter is flying away. Oh. That's right, it doesn't.

    Had to laugh about the gift of a tree...doesn't seem to have allowed the pruning to slow it down.

    Enjoy those many birthdays! Is it possible to have a blow-out bash and honor them all at once?

    See you in September, Cheryl. I am taking a much needed break.

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  2. Well I would say you have and will continue to be quite a busy girl!! All I am hoping for at this point is for August not to be as stifling as July was! Yesterday, the humidity meter was registering in the tropical level...YIKES! Enjoy all the birthday parties and try not to eat too much cake...I know I would!! :)

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  3. oh sickness anytime isn't fun but especially in the summer. Hope you all are on the mend. Enjoyed your photos again, amazing you had time to fit them in! Love that last morning shot especially. Take care of yourselves and have a good (slow?) weekend.

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  4. Cheryl, your photos are so pretty. The loaves and fishes mosiac dish is a treasure--what a thoughtful gift. Your limelight hydrangea is just gorgeous-- Hopefully by now health is restored to your family. I hear you about the birthday cascade- We have that in the month of October and the month of December. ♥

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  5. Fun choices for the challenge. Really love your blue shot! :)
    Sorry to hear you are under the weather. It's great to have a friend that keeps you from jumping on the tracks! Have a good weekend.

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  6. Great photos - I especially like the petunia, the hydrangeas & the flip flops :)

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  7. Oh, dear! I don't think I've ever been thought of as a voice of reason before! Ha! But when the train has passed, I'm so there for ladies' night :-)

    Your pictures always bring a sense of peace! But then "Jaws" pops up! LOL I went with my Dad to the movies to see Jaws and it is the ONLY time I ever heard him yell out in fright. EVER!

    I love the loaves and fishes plate! So thoughtful of your friends to think of Kati and Bekah especially.

    I've yet to take my final picture. "Choose Your Own Theme" is proving to be the one to stump me most!

    Great challenge, Kati!

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