Daddy

Father's Day always seems to get left behind...Mother's Day gets all the attention, and all poor Dad gets is another tie. My dad won't even wear a tie. Ever.

So, in honor of my daddy, I've created a special treasury just for him--full of some of his favorite things! Check it out here! (Here's a sample of it)
...and I've made a special section in my shop for cards especially for Dad.

I've learned so much about my Heavenly Father from my dad. Every time I get myself into messes, it's always my Dad who's been there to help me out of them. Like the time my friend and I accidentally ripped the door off my car...and dad left the friends' house he and my mom were at to come rescue us...He is always serving and giving, and he never complains. He has such a soft spot for his kids! Not to mention his little grandson! You should see him!

One of my favorite things about my dad is that he's willing to admit when he's wrong and say he's sorry. Because of his example, it's so much easier for me to do so too.

I'm also thankful that he kept us in line. Hebrews 12:6-7, 10-11 says,
"'My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,

Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For whom the LORD loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.'
If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?...

For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.

Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

How good it is when the Lord disciplines us! His heart is to see us partake in His holiness and yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness!

Ephesians 1:3-6 says,
"Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ,
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."

Praise God, the Father who loves us with perfect, complete love, even better than our human dads can!

Santa Margarita Lake

My husband wanted to go camping last year for his birthday, so we tried Santa Margarita Lake. I have lived on the Central Coast of California for about half my life. All that time I had no idea that this lovely place sat nestled among the hills only 15 miles away! What a remarkably stunning spot!
Fishing on the lake:
The view from our tent at sunrise:
Along the hiking trail:
Cards in my shop made from Santa Margarita Lake images:

Rusty Wheels

I know that not everyone will appreciate these the way I do...but humor me and look for a moment anyway :) It was a foggy morning on the farm, and I had noticed this old trailer with a flat tire, retired along the orchard. Each of its four wheels had been painted and repainted numerous time, and strangely enough they all looked completely different! The colors fascinated me, and these photos are almost abstract. In short, I am SO thankful that God created color, and for the way colors compliment and contrast each other. Now do they appeal a little more?
I've just posted two new sets of notecards featuring these very images! Click--here--to see!

Promontoire de Cafe

The smell of fresh coffee brewing makes me stop and stand still for a minute and just breathe in the scent. I love these images because they bring you up close, out into the fresh air, and wanting to share with a friend!

The Little Hills Rejoice!

Delightful Tulips!

I am delighted to present my three newest sets of tulip notecards!

"Sunlit Tulips"

"Pink & White Tulip Bundle"
"Stunning Tulips"

Bent Tree of the California Pinnacles

From the Pinnacles of California! My husband and I went for a hike there last June hoping to be able to explore their famous caves. We got there a week after the wildflowers were in bloom, and a week after they closed the caves for the bats' "pupping season." There's a whole "maternal colony" in the Bear Gulch Cave. Seriously! That's what it says on the Pinnacles Website. Anyway, we still enjoyed the hike, and I came away with this image, which I love. It seems to me this tree is bowing before its Master:

winter through the almond trees

More proof that there is loveliness to be found in the valley! I went for a walk late one chilly winter afternoon (Me and four dogs), through the almond groves. You can see the buds, signs of hope for spring! (They are actually beginning to blossom now--photos of them soon!)