More unbeleivably adorable nursery art

I have to stop finding such cute stuff! first bears, then the baby animal photography, now this:

Doesn't it make you want to snuggle a chubby, velvety little one in your lap? Sigh... Baby Lana was too cute today. See more here.

Because I'm married to the Beefygeek...

I have become a connoisseur of all things nerd. And even though he's more of a PC than a Mac, I can't get over how creative some of these are...















This one may be my favorite, it's called Snow White's Revenge. Ha!

Queen Anne's lace on flickr

I know, I know its more of a mid-summer post than a barely-spring post but isn't it by far the loveliest weed? And they are actually wild carrots.
How cool is that?

11 12 13 14
21 22 23 24
31 32 33 34

Beauty's Cottage, Beast's Castle

I think I like Scandinavian home design because it looks like the cottage that
Beauty would have lived in before she met the Beast:

Wowzers and how about this for after she meets him:

All pics from here. No, I don't know how to read the words.
But I like the pretty pictures. I'm regressing.

Ah me, young love.

Three years ago, on st. patrick's day, my beefygeek asked me the question I'd been dying to hear. (I'm a week late on the anniversary... I know. I'm a 'ish' kinda gal.)

And then, a few short months later, he married me. On our day of days he sang me this song:

Always Have, Always Will
Dave Barnes

"Darling, we're both scared
But where love is, fear won't tread
All of these friends here agree
We're right where we should be

Underneath all you're white
My Lady, My Love, My Bride
In your darkest hours
Will I love you still
I have and I always will

I guess it's because I just do
Following heaven's clues
This is a big mystery
How I found, you found me

Underneath all your white
My Lady, My Love, My Bride
In your darkest hours
Will I love you still
I have and I always will

And you are changing now
Your part of me somehow
And I will never be alone

In your darkest hours
Well I love you still
I have and I always will
I have and I always will"

And he has. Oh what a gift! Thanks to my Heavenly Groom
for giving me such a wonderful earthly Groom.

Window Farms

Photo by Julia Makarova.


I don't know if I can sacrifice one of my windows...
but I kinda want to.

Just realize this is my first post labeled "garden"... le sigh.
I do miss having a yard. But its my own lazy fault. I could at
least have my herbs back.

Paul Massey Photography

Tightwads and Martyrs Part II

After my mom's brilliant comment comparing thrifty housewives to Scottish rebels, I got to thinking more about the comparison... and decided it needed another post.

I saw a quote on one of the frugal blogs I follow that went something like this:

"Never sacrifice what you want most to what you want now."

Regarding tightwad-ery this is pretty simple: if you want to pay off your mortgage early you can't go out to eat every time you don't feel like cooking. As the frugal zealot says, spend your money on investment purchases (things that earn you money or that you can resell at full value) rather than on throw-away purchases.

But it also reminded me of another quote:

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
-Jim Elliot

The principle in the Christian walk is similar to the tightwad one. Forgo pleasures here and now in order to gain them 100 fold over again in heaven.

Wisdom is the same the world over. Whatever subject I study I see her there. Calling as she's always been calling...

²⁰ Wisdom calls aloud in the street,
she raises her voice in the public squares;

²¹ at the head of the noisy streets she cries out,
in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:

²² "How long will you simple ones love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?

²³ If you had responded to my rebuke,
I would have poured out my heart to you
and made my thoughts known to you.

³² For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

³³ but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm."

Proverbs 1: 20-23,32-33

funny buttons...

Tightwads and Martyrs

To have what we want is riches;
but to be able to do without is power.
- George MacDonald

One of the reasons we tightwads love being tightwads is because of the sense of calm it gives us, in the midst of difficult circumstances and uncertain future. Even without the large savings account and low/nil amount of debt that often accompanies tightwad-ery, there is a sense of power in knowing that you can live on very little and be happy.

As Christians we have this power on a deeper level. "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matt. 10:28) This is why Martyrs have been able withstand hunger and cold and torture and death... "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." (2 Corinth 4:8-9) They can look at their tormentors and say, "What's the worst that could happen? What I treasure, you can't touch."... "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹²I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Phil 4:10-13)

And to quote Paul once more. "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Phil 3:12 The reason why I think so much about fearless contentment is because I'm a worry-er and I don't wanna be.

Ha. that's funny.

Ear-Bending Cellmate: ...and when there was no meat, we ate fowl and when there was no fowl, we ate crawdad and when there was no crawdad to be found, we ate sand.
H.I.: You ate what?
Ear-Bending Cellmate: We ate sand.
[pause]
H.I.: You ate SAND?
Ear-Bending Cellmate: That's right.


...Raising Arizona.

Nicolas Cage's delivery is impeccable.

BeefyGeek and I re-winded it like 10 times.

Excitement

Ok... according to my sitemeter thingamajig....

at least one person subscribes to tangle'skey in their google reader!

Thank you. Whoever you are.

Silly me. It made my day.

Abby Try Again photgraphy

Isn't it lovely?

Today I got a little bit sunburned

Today, I saw daffodils coming up.

Doesn't it make your heart race to think of it?


Soon.

I heart my Beefygeek

yeah. pretty much.

Brain Park

Desire to Inspire just featured this guy but I have to pass it along. Unbelievable.

yes.

Relient K and Vitamin String Quartet? Seriously. My face has been rocked off.

My new favorite banana blah blah blah

Yet another banana bread recipe... but for real... So good. I added some nutmeg and walnuts and cut the sugar.

Paper Art