Thursday's Favorites Fare

Matt took this photo for me and when he saw it, he said, "Oh, Mom, let me retake it as I didn't notice that flower had ragged petals with a hole in one of them." (Click on photo to enlarge.)  I looked at it and said, "Matt, it is perfect...I want this shot with the flaws...life doesn't have to be perfect...I like this flower just the way it is...maybe more because of the flaws."  It's been a week of appreciating the flaws in life...the photo seems perfect to me...just beautiful, flaws and all...seeing that perfect working order isn't always necessary to have something be beautiful just the way it is.   Sometimes it is nice to slow down, take a break, appreciate what is there, and not to try to organize it into perfection...perfection isn't necessary in the long run for anything this beautiful.  This flower, flaws and all, is just  beautiful, don't you think?  I love the circle in the center that surrounds what looks like a heart shape.  The circle feels like a big hug. I love the warm orange color reaching out from the center and blending into the yellow, separate but somehow together.  Just beautiful.  Just perfect the way it is. 

READING:  Vatican Museums (Still reading this as I keep reading, stopping to look up other works by the same artists, etc....am savoring it and making it last a long time!)

POOLSIDE READING:  The Crucible by Arthur Miller (Matt needs to read it this summer for Guerin reading list and I had not read it since high school...am reading it with more knowledge now about the McCarthy era in the 50's and Miller and his contemporaries at the time caught up in the zeal of all of that...don't you love going back and reading stuff from high school and college now that you are older, wiser, and more adult?)

LISTENING TO:  An Afternoon of Jazz...Mark loves Jazz, and so for his birthday, it's been all Jazz all afternoon!

COOKING THROUGH:  Anything fast and fresh...it's summer!

FAV NEW FIND:   Well...who knew?  Turns out, I am the last in this house to discover, that my computer, Clarice, has a "card reader" which I knew nothing about and makes this photo thing a whole lot easier.  Prior to this I had been using a cable to hook up my digital camera to Clarice and get my photos that way.  Yesterday I could not find the cable (when one has children one is never 100% certain something will be where it is "supposed" to be, I have found...) and Matt says, "Well, Mom, you don't really need that as you can just pop the card in the side slot there on Clarice and get the photos that way...it's a lot easier to do it like that anyway."  NOW THEY TELL ME!  So, that's my "new" favorite find this week.  I have had Clarice how many years and never knew this?  A card reader...who knew life could be this simple?  (Okay, you can all stop laughing now.)

FAV THING TODAY;  Well, today is Mark's 55th birthday, so I will say that celebrating Mark's birthday is my favorite thing today...celebrating is always fun, and when it is celebrating such a wonderful person, it is extra fun!   55 years old...who knew we would get this old this fast???

SCRAPBOOK PAGES THIS WEEK;  12...while Matt and Alex were doing theirs.  Matt did 18 and Alex did 10.  Don't look for a total next week as we are at fair every day, double swim practices, and PE.

GOING TO:  The Hamilton County 4-H Fair and to Elwood on Sunday to celebrate the three birthdays!

PRAYING FOR:  Updates:  Tom Hedlund: He continues to struggle greatly...had several surgeries this week and is making progress.  Please join me.