books and cats.

This is one of the nicest and most relaxing things about living with cats.

I wish that this picture would have come out better.  Sneaker had been laying on top of me for nearly a half-hour when I finally decided to reach over for my phone.  I should have remembered to turn off the shutter sound, because Sneaker ALWAYS runs away when she hears a sudden sound...

gifts coming together.

This past Saturday was my piano studio's year-end recital.  It was such a wonderful day and I'm so proud of all of my students.  The morning of the recital, our neighbor Danielle knocked on the door and brought in a bouquet of flowers that she had picked from her garden, specifically for us to display at the recital.  It was such a beautiful bouquet and an even more beautiful gesture.  There were a few little sprigs of lilies that were too short for the vase, so we stuck them in a mug and they're finally opening up today!

What I love about this picture is how nearly everything pictured is a gift from someone special.  The flowers from Danielle.  The mug was a wedding shower gift from my Aunt Di.  The Lumberjack Bookmark was made by my cousin Jon (& was gifted to Christopher).  The blue/green fabric napkin was from my mom-in-law.  The yellow frame, I actually bought from a thrift store many years ago, but the red matte was a "gift" from my mom!  That covers just about everything!

I wonder how many corners of our apartment or how many corners of our souls come together from/through the "gifts" of others.

This is the day the Lord hath made.

Sometimes you see art without really looking at it.  We've passed by this wall many times, and although we had appreciated it from afar, we never got close enough to read it.  The wall itself never changed but our perception of it certainly has.

all three cats.

It's rare to find all three cats together on the bed during the day.  Mussbe & Random are in full view.  Can you spot Sneaker?