Plant additions

Plant additions to the yard. Want to add lots more, but that will have to wait for cooler weather and the finishing the structures. In the waiting.....bourbon clematis, white rose of sharon, bambusa nigra, musa basjoo, cape honeysuckle.

Plants

Plant additions to yard. Trying to create a lush feel in this dry climate!

Pool

Long time no post.

So here are some pictures of the pool. The two in the middle are recent (one shows the pool looking out to the street and my neighbor's view, the other from the pool toward the air conditioners); the top one was obviously during the build, and the bottom one is my kids getting in on a sunny, brisk December day at 53 degrees. That's what you do when your pool gets finished in December!!! The materials are pebbletec majestic plum and MacGregor Lake rock with a silver quartz cap. Due to the size of the lot, building codes, and several other issues, I ended up with a much different pool than what I had originally planned. I'm learning to deal with that!

The yard is long and narrow, 23 feet wide and somewhere around 70 feet long. There is a lot left to accomplish, or better stated, FIX, so we've come to a standstill. We want the final feel to be a tropical retreat (think Bali, not tiki) and I know I want a pergola behind the fence with vines climbing up, but I want the materials to compliment a patio cover. The patio cover has several challenges; the shape of the patio, (the patio is offset from the windows, so the symmetry is somewhat off); we want an open feel but we also want to cover the door since there is no overhang and in the summer the door plate gets hot and in the winter there is no shield from the rain; tying it into the rest of the project; privacy from the street; and the list goes on. We also need to mask the pool equipment to dampen the noise (while keeping it assessible); create privacy from the street and neighbors because our fence is at the bottom of a slope so it is actually lower and people can look right in; build storage for all the pool tools/toys and cover the airconditioners. Then there is a drainage problem next to the pool and a 'bowling alley' of dead grass along the side of house where I'd like some raised beds. I have a lot of ideas about what I'd like to see, but so far the patio cover problem has thrown a loop into the project. I have made a lot of mistakes along the way, and really am hoping this last portion will help me get over the things that didn't happen in first phase. I'm gun shy about contacting someone for help, because I don't want to end up with a typical landscape design. Suggestions are welcomed!

64 Years! Happy Anniversary

Vicki D Photography

Today is Steve's parents 64th Anniversary! Congratulations and thanks for being a wonderful example! We love you!

It's 4 a.m. and I'm Angry

I'm angry that I'm awake
I'm angry that I'm obsessing about the design choices I made for our new house
I'm angry that my husband sat in the lobby on the phone because he didn't care
I'm angry that I do care
I'm angry that we're getting "organic" color carpet rather than tan
I'm angry at the design center lady for too many reasons to list
I'm angry at that I feel like we judge each other based on these things
I'm angry that the computer glare hurts your eyes at 4 a.m.
I'm angry that I can wake up at 4 a.m. worried about this
but I can't wake up a 4 a.m. to pray for my kids, or world peace, or my neighbor,
or the design center lady, or my coworkers, or something WAY more important...

Lord I'm angry and I don't want to be.....

Truth

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest
fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not
our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who
am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually,
who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing
small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened
about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure
about you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that
is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And
as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other
people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from
our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Marianne Williamson

Prayer of Mother Theresa

Lately I've become a little bit infatuated with Mother Theresa. I used to not be interested in her, because she was Catholic, and being the good Christian I was, I was judgemental with regard to the Catholic faith. Now that I'm learning to let go of the judgement, I have taken a real interest in her love and devotion to Christ. If ever there was an example of loving your neighbor, she had it down. The phrase "sold out to Christ" really hits it when I think of her. I love this simple prayer she had for everyone. What kind of world would it be if we all prayed this for each other?

May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.

Let Your Light Shine

The state of your soul is always expressed in your outer conditions and in the intangible influence which you radiate at large. There is a cosmic law that nothing can permanently deny its own nature. Emerson said "What you are shouts so loudly that I cannot hear what you say." In the Bible, the "city" stands for consciousness, and the "hill" or "mountain" means prayer or spiritual activity. "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help." "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." The soul built upon prayer cannot be hidden; it shines out brightly throught the life that it lives. It speaks for itself, but in utter silence, and does much of its best work unconsciously. Its mere presence heals and blesses all around it without special effort.

Never try to force other people to accept spiritual truth. Instead, see to it that they are so favorably impressed by your own life and conduct, and the peace and joy that radiate from you, that they will come running to you of their own accord, begging you to give them the wonderful thing that you have. "I, if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me." To do this is to make your soul truly the city upon a hill that cannot be hidden because it is the City of God. Let your light shine to the glorifying of your Father.

Emmet Fox, The Sermon on the Mount- published in the 1930's....possibly written well before that...