double exposures.

I've been working on these double exposures lately and I am so excited to share them with you guys today. It's tricky, trying to stick two pictures together; but it was fun to see how they turned out when finished.

What do you think? Have you tried any double exposures?

memories

some call up hurt from deep down inside

some make the tears press against your eyes

some provoke laughter, bubbling forth

some make your heart chasten with revoke

others make your eyes shine bright with mirth

some you hold close

some you push back

but when it comes to memories 

there are more good than bad

memories, (c) haley jane

(Me writing poetry? Ha. Yeah, I don't know either. But, hey, I thought I'd give it a shot.)

Recently I pulled out my shoebox, shuffled through the notebooks, loose papers, and notes, to find my old journals. I browsed through entries that sometimes seemed like another person had written them. Most of them, I just laughed at myself, because believe you me, the majority of them are hilarious (ah, the ideas of my ten-year-old self). Pictures of people and places were dusted off in my mind and I stopped to savor each thought and memory. I went back and found highlights that I had written down a year ago from same exact event that had happened earlier that day. The similarities were amazing. So I opened up my new journal and got out a pen and scribbled down highlights like I had the year before, then resolved to do it more.

How about you? Do you ever look through old journals?

let's catch up on things.

It's been awhile, hasn't it? While the end of April and the beginning of May are some of my favorites times -- they're busy, busy times. But, I love it. It's the thrill of trying to balance everything and fit it in. The only thing is that being busy doesn't include time for blogging. So, we have some catching up to do.

Last weekend Dad built a strawberry bed in our garden. Now there are eight plants and when summer comes, we should have a few strawberries, I think. But next summer is when we'll really have berries to eat all season long.

Plus, I planted three different colors of zinnias (purple, green, and yellow) in our flower beds last week. They're already sprouting.

Also, I found kittens in our hay shed! There are four -- two black ones, a dark orange one, and a dusty yellow/orange colored one. They are over a week old now. Oh, and boy, are they cute. ;)

pictures from addy and mine's instagrams

We've just gotten done with Awana Grand Prix this weekend. Addy's car was red BMW and mine was a blue convertible.

In closing, I hope to be around here a little more. Happy Sunday!

hues of easter.

Easter was calm and quiet this year. I woke up just before six in the morning and then came the curling, primping, and the race against time to get out of the house to church for the sunrise service. The afternoon was spent at grandpa's house for lunch and some home videos. At home, I curled up in a chair with a blanket and a book and in the evening we dyed eggs.

How was your Easter?

(post idea credit here)

p.s. thoughts on the new design?

a love story.

Today I'd like to tell you a story. It's a love story.

Imagine a great, perfect, and mighty king. All power and knowledge is his. This King built a beautiful, spotless kingdom and put His people in it. For a time the people lived in the kingdom, but then they turned from the King. They broke the law. The King couldn’t be around this wrong. The people would have to be separated from Him forever. There was no way for them to be right with the King, except to have a perfect sacrifice as a substitute.

But, the King loved His people so much that He made a Way for them to be able to be with Him again. The King sent His son – His only Son – into the fallen kingdom to live as a lowly servant and to die as atonement for the people’s wrong. The King sent His pure, innocent Son to take the punishment that was the people’s incurable problem. The Son was betrayed, falsely accused, and mocked. He was spit upon, beaten, and nailed to a cross where He died.

The Son suffered all this to save the people in the fallen kingdom. He did this so that the people could be forgiven for their wrong in turning away from the King. He endured the lowest, cruelest death so that the people could have a Way to be with the King again.

As you might have guessed, this Son is Jesus. He left a perfect Heaven and came to earth. He took our place. He suffered, died, and was buried so that we could be forgiven of our sins.

But the story’s not over.

After Jesus was buried for three days, He rose again. He is not dead. He is alive. And that is why we can have eternal life.

Today we celebrate Easter. The reason we celebrate? Because Jesus rose from the dead. He’s alive.

This story is true. And it's the greatest love story of all time.

Christ has risen! He has risen indeed!

Happy Easter!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..."

1 Peter 1:3

highlights and happy things.

"I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string." - l.m. montgomery

Highlights and happy things from recently:

+seeing my cousin from Germany for the first time 

+finding an Easter dress 

+telling someone quite honestly that Andy Griffith is my favorite t.v. show (yes that totally happened) 

+snapping pictures of a butterfly in our lilac bush and a bunny in our field 

+eating excessive amounts of clementines and chocolate chunks (best snack ever) 

+my first pair of toms

+holding a newborn baby

+turning up the music just a little louder