first day of autumn.

I suppose today is as good a day as any to make my comeback into this space. Actually, today is probably a better day than most simply because of what today brings, and what today represents in the history of my writing. I found myself hankering for a cup of tea, simply to make sitting down and writing here again feel right. Cael is at my feet, that's normal. The windows are flung open, allowing the gloriously cool mountain air to waft in, washing over me in waves of new autumnal crispness, and letting the nightsong of the mountains be my accompaniment to this long overdue time of writing.

In our bedroom, there is a window that is on my side of the bed, only feet from me when I'm lying there waiting for sleep to claim me. Last night--and fortunately many previous ones as well--I drifted off to sleep with that window open. The sounds of the night were my lullaby, the scent of the mountains a balm, and the cool nightly breeze a light touch on my face. These things elements made for an easy and comforting time of falling asleep. And this morning I awoke to the first day of autumn. The day was heralded in with a cool sunny morning, and while it may have gotten quite warm inside my house, outside it was a lovely precursor to what the rest of this season will bring.

I celebrated by taking a solitary hike in the mountains of Montreat. I felt a little bad for not bringing Cael along, but as his is overdue on his flea medication I decided not to risk it. Truth be told, it was nice to be alone with the mountains. I chose a new trail, mostly because the normal one up Lookout already had a mass of cars parked at the bottom which most likely meant Greybeard Trail did too, and I frankly didn't want to have to deal with people. So I drove to the very top of Appalachian Way in hopes that I would find a trailhead up there. Luckily, I did. So I took a trail unknown to me today, I had no expectations--though hopes of a view are always with me on such hikes--I simply embarked on a new path and willed that it take me somewhere beautiful. If you know anything about Montreat, you'll know that virtually any trail in the cove will take you somewhere beautiful, and this one was no exception. The beginning was rather arduous and very steeply uphill, but I persevered and rested when I needed to, and was eventually rewarded with a meandering trail that was long, but not overtiring. I had to turn around eventually when I came across a hovel of a house that, while my imagination went in different directions both terrifying and exciting, I was convinced that I had gone far enough and should turn back. On the way back though I was able to harvest some beautifully intact acorns. As I collected them I saw many that were crushed or separated from their little brown caps, and I was reminded of when I was young and would go out looking for acorn tops, just the tops mind you, because my mother told me that they were fairy dishes, and that the fairies were ever  appreciative of people who found them the best ones to use for their feasts. I would spend hours collecting them, only the best for the fairies, and then I would put them under my pillow at night and in the morning the fairies would have left me a token of their appreciation in their place--usually a quarter or other small coin--but I reveled in the fact that I, a mere mortal, was providing dishes for the feasts of those magical little creatures. Thank you, Mum, for being such a wonderful advocate of imagination and folklore--I can only hope to be as wonderful a mother as you are to me to my own children.

So autumn, here we go again, please do not desist in your ever-present nudging of my mind to compose with words how enthralling I always find your nature, and how beautifully you inspire my creativity to praise your manner and Maker.

greybeard trail.

There is a certain smell, a certain atmosphere in the mountains of Montreat--surrounded by trees and rocks and the sound of running water; rhododendron, oak, pine--that calls to mind all that is good, all that is wholesome. It brings back memories of my youth, of family, of fun, of camaraderie, of love.
It calls to mind the beauty of God's creation, not only do these sights and smells call it to mind, they breathe with it, they sing in one resounding voice of God's glory. And it is beautiful. It is glorious. The Creator's signature is all around me, and it is good. It is good! It is beautiful. It is mysterious. It is home.

summer arrives.

Goodness, I'm still doing a pretty poor job of keeping up with this space. Apologies, apologies. To be fair, I do have quite a bit going on at the moment. There's work, of course, plus playing fiddle for my church's worship band, I finally got my garden sown and my tomato plants in the ground, running, spending time with Jeremy, cooking dinner, walking Cael, making dresses, still unpacking and any other number of sundry tasks that I decide to throw in. But life is good. God is good. There are some new opportunities coming up for Jeremy and I that could change things, but be challenging and good; blessings.

The fireflies are out in full force in the evenings now, they have been for a couple weeks. The first gloaming that I saw their luminescent song playing across our front yard I knew summer had arrived in the mountains. I also realized how long it had been since I had enjoyed the sight of them--lightning bugs don't grace the streets and closes of Edinburgh, though that would make summer dim up in the Highlands that much more magical.

Lately the heat of summer has made its way into the valley, though the nights are still cool and fragrant to temper the summer sun of the daytime. I'm happy to be home, happy to realize and recognize the things that I missed and enjoy them once again.

these mountains mean home.

God is so good. All of the time.


Here's what my lately has looked like, care of Instagram:

lightning bugs lightening up the dim.

i walked for lunch one day at work.

zucchini cakes. {recipe!}

always in awe.

fresh summer south carolina strawberries.

wordless wednesday. [new specs]

crafty happenings.

Most of you know that Jeremy and I recently moved into a new house in Black Mountain. It's the first house (not apartment, flat, or in-law suite) that we've ever lived in together, and though we don't own it, it is still a huge step to that eventual end.
Of course, with a new place, comes new crafty projects (thanks to the help of Pinterest!) and new interior design elements. It has unfortunately taken me much longer than I would have preferred--due to numerous reasons--to really get the house to a point where I feel okay having people over (but only in certain rooms, we are still far from finished moving in). But! This last week has seen the fruition of a number of projects that have been rolling about in my mind since even before we moved in. Today, I'll share them with you.

Finished last week: I've been planning this one since about January or before, but wasn't able to get it finished. My idea was to create a huge photo canvas of one of my favorite photos that I took during our time in Edinburgh. I bought a 24x36 wrapped canvas a couple months ago, and finally last month was able to purchase the 24x36 print that I wanted. The print itself was remarkably cheap, only $9.99 at vivyxprinting.com. They were running a special for first-time customers: a 24x36 print for ten bucks, it's like it was meant to be. :) So I painted the edges of the canvas, like so:

Then used spray adhesive to mount the print to the canvas. Admittedly, it's not a good as I want it to be, I'll have to research better procedures because the print ripples a little bit--which is only noticeable in certain light at certain angles, but I'd rather have it perfect. But here's how it turned out:

I also have been brain-storming a cheap but creative way to display/organize my jewelry, and thanks to the burlap given to me in an adorable gift basket from my close friend,  Kelsey Keil, I was able to simply wrap 11x14 canvases with burlap and hot glue to make this little babies:

Below the canvases, I simply nailed three small nails into the wall for the necklace hanging. Voila! It was so simple.
































This one is another one I've been thinking about for a while, and I originally got the idea from Pinterest. It's a wrapped canvas, painted green, then painted vintage white. I used sticker letters on the white coat, then painted a grey coat over it, let it dry, then peeled the stickers off. The last line was written using a paint pen. After everything was finished, I sprayed a coat of ModPodge finishing spray over the whole thing for continuity.

And there you have it, my creative endeavors of late. I've also been able to alter a pair of ill-fitting dress pants as well, and I've plans in the works for some summery dresses too!

wordless wednesday.

degree.

I guess a lot can be said for the fact that I have a Master's degree, regardless of what occupations are or aren't being thrown at me because of it. It's an awesome thing that I was accepted into a postgraduate program, went to Scotland for a year, and came home having earned a Master's degree. I know that I chose my degree on what some might call a whim, but it was the culmination of years of curiosity and passion about Celtic studies. It's just frustrating not having anything substantial to show for it now. Perhaps I will in the future; in fact, I'm kind of counting on that. But part of me wishes I would have gone for something a little more practical--like Museum Studies, so that I might have a legitimate claim to having an interest in being a curator. But at the same time I hear my good friend, Ellar, talk about her MFA in progress at VCFA, and all the fiction writing experience she's getting with huge names in the YA Fiction world, and I wish I'd maybe done something like that. That's what it boils down to though. All the degrees I coulda, shoulda, woulda, all come down to the same thing: writing. I can do that with or without a Master's degree. But I have one, and one that inspires creative writing at that. I just have to do it. I need to buckle down, stop wondering what might happen if I had done something else, and realize that I have a Master's degree in Highland Studies because I'm supposed to. I have a Master's in Highland Studies, and I spent a year in Scotland learning, studying, and experiencing that culture and taking in such incredible opportunities. I don't know what I will ultimately do with my degree, but I know that I have it for a reason and I've wasted enough time wondering if I've done the right thing. I need to write. I already know that is what I am supposed to be doing. I know it--even if I doubt it sometimes. I have been given the experience and resources for some amazing stories, why don't I write them?

As a wise friend once told me: "Don't doubt in the dark what God has shown you in the light."

No more doubting. More doing. More writing.