i have a book called 'Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline'. it begins with a rhyme:

A wonderful woman who lived in a shoe

Had so many children,

And she knew exactly what to do.

She held them,

She rocked them,

She tucked them in bed,

"I love you, I love you"

Is what she said.

it is (obviously) about discipline, and loving guidance. i can hear what my parents are saying already!!

on Tuesday night my friends husband dropped off the bridesmaid dress for the wedding on Saturday. Yesterday I went shopping for shoes, stockings and something for my hair.

i love the dress - it was just bought from the rack at Table Eight and is something I would wear again. Good thing, as I still have two more weddings after this one to go to. And the dress is black. a dominant colour in my wardrobe. ;-)

so this will be kind of the look i'm going for:

i also found a pair of gorgeous ballet pumps, but they can wait until next week.

the wedding is small and intimate. the reception is at a restaurant, so it is like dressing up for a really special dinner.

over the next few days i'll be busy - with the wedding, and then with this:

my patchwork-quilt-come-picnic-blanket. i am going for a 1950's look with this.

while shopping yesterday i came across a "bible" illustrated by Marc Chagall. Actually it is only Genesis and Exodus. When we were in the south of France (don't you hate people that start sentences like that??) David and I went to the Chagall art gallery. we loved it and spent a fair bit of time there, in contrast to the Matisse gallery which wasn't as inspiring. A lot of his biblical paintings were on display there.
One of the illustrations is Hagar in the Desert.
I've often thought about the story of Hagar and felt sorry for her situation. It wasn't her fault she was given to a man as his concubine. Purely to father him a child. And then to be sent out into the desert with her child. I can imagine the distress she felt. God obviously cared though, because He saw her and He met her need. I wonder what Abraham would think today of his descendants still fighting today.