Because the sky was on fire
because I love sunsets, 
because they remind me of my Grandpa, 
and because it was breathtaking.
The end.
Jennifer
The Carrot Seed and Old Windows
One of my all-time favorite childrens books is a little one written in the 1950’s. The carrot seed by Ruth Krauss is an absolute treasure. It tells the simple story of a boy who plants a carrot seed, then waters it diligently and carefully weeds around it while his entire family looks on telling him “it won’t come up.”
But he doesn’t quit. He continues to tend his seed patiently until one day…
I love this story. I love reading it to my children. It speaks of acting in faith, believing in yourself when others don’t, of the law of the harvest. I have also dreamed for years of somehow hanging this book in my home as a reminder to us all. I hesitated, however, worried about the number of picture frames it would take.
Last year a friend gave us a beautiful set of two old windows. Painted a beautiful butter yellow, they each have six panes. One day the light went on in my head and I rushed to my copies of The Carrot Seed to count pages. Sure enough, I could do it. It took two copies of the book (purchased years ago from Scholastic for 99 cents each).
I cut the binding off the books and carefully taped the pages to the backs of the windows. And now, on two old windows, we have the entire story hanging in the toy room. It makes me smile to peek in and see the children reading it while they play. Exactly what I hoped for.
A simple way to hang an entire book, and the windows add character and interest to the room. Most importantly, we’re reminded daily to keep working on those good seeds we’ve planted in life. Eventually they will come up.
Jennifer
Cut Lavender
Last week I cut my lavender. It was a beautiful morning and the solitary activity in the stillness of early hours was therapeutic.
Observing the variation in color, the itty bitty flowers, how the scent varies slightly from plant to plant was good for my soul. How grateful I feel for this slowing down that July has brought to us.
The bundles are now hanging to dry in my studio. I bundle the lavender with rubber bands. As the lavender dries the stalks will shrink so rubber bands are perfect for holding it together. A turquoise ribbon over the rubber band to hang and I was done.
It feels good. My first lavender harvest in years. I look forward to the increased yield that time will bring when my young plants produce more. For now, the faint scent greets me when I walk in the room and the beauty of it hanging in front of my mirror makes me smile.
{Happy sigh.}
Jennifer