It's the simple things in life..

Simplicity:  

Freedom from artificial ornament, pretentious style, or luxury; plainness; as, simplicity of dress, of style, or of language; simplicity of diet; simplicity of life. 

 Sometimes things can get so busy in our lives that we often neglect paying attention to the simplest things in life. Those simplest things, if we stop and think about it, have the potential to bring us joy. 

I have a couple photos that I've recently taken and I wanted to share them. They're just simple things that brought a smile to my face and a reminder to pay attention to life because it goes by so fast. I don't want to be a person that lives through life never "stopping to smell the roses." I want to notice the "smallest" things and enjoy those moments. 

Baby bird peaking out of his nest

My husband and I were helping a friend from church move out of her house and she told us there was a nest full of baby birds in her bush. Naturally, we peaked inside the bush to spy on the nest full of baby birds. They must have thought we were "mommy" because they all opened their little beaks up in hopes for food. I was actually too short to look in the nest, so I lifted my camera up for a shot. And this is what I saw on the screen! It makes me laugh every time I look at this picture! He looks like a clumsy little dope, resting his head on the side of the nest saying, "Hey, what's all the commotion?!" And the fuzzy little Einstein feathers on his head!  Can anyone not find this so humorous and so sweet at the same time?

 Gorgeous blue clouded sky above a yellow canola field

I took this photo from inside the car during our 7 hour road trip to take two girls from church to camp. All along the way we saw these bright yellow fields that went for miles! And to "top" that, the bright blue sky scattered with fluffy white clouds added to the beauty of it to make it perfect. I couldn't help but stop and think about God's greatness in how He created such an amazing art. He is the ultimate designer in decoration! Just look at how the colors He chose from the beginning of time jive perfectly together! There's never a doubt in my mind that wonders if these colors right here actually look good together. 

 The Peekaboo kitty
 

This little kitty lives somewhere in the neighborhood. We don't know if she actually belongs to someone or not. We often see her wondering around in the back yard, just keeping to herself. One day we were downstairs in the living room sitting at our computers and all the sudden we see this little cutie peek inside the window! She just sat there looking in at us as if to say, "What'ch doin in there'?" This little incident made my day! We laughed about it all day. She must know we like it because she's visited this same window several times this summer. Don't you just love that nose? 

Vase of Carrots

The neighbor next door has a beautiful little garden growing in her front yard. After talking with her for a few minutes while she was playing in the yard, she gave us a handful of fresh, just pulled carrots. Hubby was washing them up and I wondered how they would look in a mason jar. Pretty neat, I think. A little on the random side, but I really like it. Kind of makes a cute centerpiece, huh? Yah, pretty simple!

Tiny broken egg shell

 I found this little blue egg shell in the grass under a tree as I was walking through the yard. It's so tiny and precious! What a teeny little guy that new baby in the world must be! New life is so precious. Life itself is so precious. We need to take it and embrace it and thank the One who gave it. Our lives are like a vapor! They are only here on earth for a short awhile. 

 Don't buzz through life without ever seeing the beauty and humor around you that life brings! Don't forget to look up at the sky and notice it's beauty. Don't get too serious or busy that you can't laugh at the funny things. And while you're doing all that.. Remember where all these came from. 

Psalm 24:1

"The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein.."

To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life. ~John Burroughs