Just thinkin.....

I'm leaving...

2012-01-23T22:51:00.001-06:00

...on a jet plane.

Don't know when I'll be back again.

Oh, but I do know when I will be back again and I am already not wanting to say good-bye.

Seven full days await me with my sister-friend, Alicia, her hunk of a hubby Jarrod (he doesn't mind if I call him that. Neither does Alicia.), and their three beautiful kids whom I adore.

The jet plane won't fly fast enough for me.

It will be a long day.

Drive to Sioux Falls

Fly to Minneapolis

Fly to Atlanta

Fly to Asheville

I will leave my house at 7:30 am and arrive in Asheville, NC at 9:30 pm eastern time.

I put everything I need into this bag...

...so I would get there with all my things and save $25. Yeah for one free carry-on.

This trip was a gift, a much needed break, an overdue visit in person with my dearest friend, a blessing, a reprieve, a vacation, a time of hugs and kisses from three little amigos, and a time of crafting and sewing and talking and crying and laughing and eating and cooking and coffee and shopping and love and love and love.

My heart overfloweth with anticipation.

And just a side note...today is my 47th birthday.

Can I just say...I don't ever want to live year 46 again. Looking for the favor of God and His Wisdom in my life for number 47.

And...(I really should stop using the word and)

I had a color and cut today which turned out fab, if I do say so myself.

Thanks, Abbey!

My bag is packed, my hair is styled, my heart is anxious...yep...

I am leaving on a jet plane.

And I will be back again.

A Psalm of Security

2012-01-14T09:27:00.000-06:00

My heart is secure in You, Lord.

I do not need to fear. You hem me in behind and before.

You have laid Your hand upon me.

Your eyes look at me and Your ear is attentive to my cry.

I lie down and sleep in peace, for You, Lord, keep me safe. In the morning, You hear my voice as I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation to hear from You.

You spread Your protection over me and surround me with Your favor like a shield. You are my shield, Oh God Most High.

When I feel oppressed, You are my refuge; In times of trouble my stronghold. You even keep me safe and protect me when others oppress me.

You are right beside me - my right hand man - so my body rests secure.

When my heart is broken in a million pieces and my spirit feels crushed, You are closer to me than ever and You help me.

You are my defender.

You command Your angels to guard me in all my ways.

You are my deliverer who shields my head in this battle called life.

I wait in hope for You, Lord. You are my help and my shield.

My heart rejoices because I have You to trust in.

Psalm 112:8; 139:5; 34:15; 4:8; 5:3,11,12; 7:10; 9:9; 12:5-7; 16:8,9; 34:18; 72:4; 119:11; 114:7; 3:3; 20:21

Love this Recipe!

2012-01-05T22:20:00.001-06:00

Just a quick post tonight to share one of my

Favorite,

Very Quick,

Healthy,

recipes.

This one is from Taste of Home where pretty much every recipe is amazing.

Bean and Rice Burritos

2 cups cooked brown rice (2 cups water + 1 cup rice makes a little more than what you need.)

1 medium green pepper, diced

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 Tablespoon (yes Tablespoon) chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

dash of cayenne pepper (if you like things hot)

1 Can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed

8 whole wheat flour tortillas, warmed

In a large skillet, saute green pepper and onion in oil for about 4 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in chili powder, cumin, pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper(if desired)until combined. Add beans and rice; cook and stir for 4-6 minutes or until heated through.

Spoon about 1/2 cup of filling down center of each tortilla; top with salsa, sour cream, and/or cheese. Fold in sides and ends and roll up.

If you cook your rice ahead of time, this meal literally takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish.

And it is yummo....as Rachel Ray would say.

Resolutions Sung

2012-01-01T18:59:00.051-06:00

To sing is one thing. Having the ability to write lyrics is another.

I have neither.

As much as I love weaving words together to make some sense of my thoughts, there are just some people whose gifts with words are above and beyond anything I could muster.

So I am borrowing them...to declare my resolutions for 2012. It is after all New Year's Day...or a better way put for me, the first day of a new year.

Sigh.

Ya...I know...not very exciting. But it's all I have in me at the moment.

And hope. Never without hope.

Which is why I've chosen to personalize these songs and make them my New Year's resolutions.

They speak my heart. They sing my hope.

They are my prayer.

"All to Us" by Chris Tomlin

Precious cornerstone, sure foundation

You are faithful to the end.

I am waiting, on You, Jesus

I believe You're all to me.

Let the glory of Your name be the passion of the Church.

Let the righteousness of God be a holy flame that burns.

Let the saving love of Christ be the measure of my life.

I believe You're all to me.

Only Son of God sent from Heaven...

hope and mercy at the cross.

You are everything, You're the Promise,

Jesus, You are all to me.

You're all to me.

Yes, You are.

When this passing world is over,

I will see You face to face.

And forever I will worship...

Jesus, You are all to me.

"Beautiful Things" by Gungor

All this pain.

I wonder if I’ll ever find my way.

I wonder if my life could really change...

at all.

All this earth...

Could all that is lost ever be found?

Could a garden come up from this ground,

at all?

You make beautiful things.

You make beautiful things out of the dust.

You make beautiful things.

You make beautiful things... out of us.

All around

hope is springing up from this old ground.

Out of chaos life is being found

in You.

You make beautiful things.

You make beautiful things out of the dust.

You make beautiful things.

You make beautiful things out of us.

You make me new, You are making me new.

You are making me new.

(Photos taken in Montana)

My planner is not ready. I have not made one list of goals. I have not cleaned out or organized one thing except my refrigerator this week. Considering this week is usually my favorite planning and organizing time, that confession may just be cause for alarm.

But life isn't normal.

It just is.

And so I just am. Just what I can be today...

...exchanging lists of goals for songs of hope where my heart can truly find rest and I can just be.

Thanks for stopping by...reading my thoughts...leaving sweet comments. I love you and wish you a year of letting yourself just be too.

All Things Bright and Merry

2011-12-26T21:41:00.000-06:00

I am in a season of life right now where it would be much easier to title this blog post,

"All Things Dim and Dreary."

But, I have two choices here, dim and dreary or bright and merry. I just happen to be of the mind set right now, to choose the latter. Two hours from now, it might be different.

So while my heart feels cautious, my mind is swirling...freely thinking of...of stuff. Some I can share. Some I cannot.

And while I really am not one to post a lot of pictures of my house, or rather I should say my home, it is one of the bright and merry's in my life. I am a nester. I love making my home homey. I like clean and uncluttered whenever possible. I like to change things around...a lot.

My heart is at home. Even now.

Because True Peace is the ruler of my heart. Not circumstances.

And these help...

...friends...who love and care and send texts and cards and good cheer. Because showing compassion is important to them and it makes me feel, for at least a moment in time, bright and merry.

And family...my parents, my sisters, my sisters-in-love and parents by marriage. They are bright and merry and loving and caring. And too far away, I might add. But, distance or not, their presence is known and they have held my heart.

But nothing would be bright and merry without the astounding grace and love of my children...my gifts from an all-knowing God who creatively knit each one of them together perfectly, to be exactly who they are in the most difficult of times. They are truly amazing. Rocks. Faithful. Relentless in their convictions. Full of grace and mercy, even when undeserved. (But then again, grace and mercy would not be grace and mercy if we deserved it. Just a side note.) In this world, I love no one more.

Corbin, Christiana, and Ross

Elise and her husband, Matt

While wrapping gifts Christmas Eve night, I decided to watch the movie, Little Women. It was perfect...I loved it so much. Jo, in the beginning narration, makes this catching statement...

"Somehow in that dark time, our family,the March family, seemed to create it's own light."

Maybe a part of that is true for us...somehow in this dark time, my family, the Moslander family, seems to create it's own light. Not because we are super great, sufficient people who have strength in ourselves to see ourselves through but because we know the true Light of this world. The One who said...

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."(John 16:33)

I might just rephrase that like this...

Sometimes life is dim and dreary. But take heart, He is

Bright and Merry.

Be Still.

2011-11-30T21:31:00.001-06:00

from my journal...

11-24-11

"I guess I will just do as Streams in the Desert said today, 'Be still and know that I am God.' I'm not sure I even know how to do that. Be still."

still - 8332 (NT Lexical Aid to the Old Testament) - "Rapah" - to be slack, be remiss, be idle, to be weak, be feeble, to sink down; to be despondant, be disheartened, to be lazy, to disarm, to let alone, abandon, desert, to leave off, quit, to relax, to abate, to stop (i.e. to let down the hand; to let someone go; to be still).

The basic idea of relaxing the hands or letting down can connote the loss of courage.

"This is so enlightining. To be still is a position; a mind set of letting go, out of courage, being despondant, weak, remiss. Maybe where I am at is ok. Maybe, I will know God in a deeper, clearer way."

Going on a Bear Hunt

2011-11-12T18:33:00.000-06:00

Life is like going on a bear hunt.

We're goin' on a bear hunt,

We're going to catch a big one,

I'm not scared

What a beautiful day!

Oh look! It's some long wavy grass...

Oh look! It's a mushroom patch....

Oh look! It's a wide river...

Oh look! It's a deep dark cave...

Sometimes on your journey, you get to enjoy the long, wavy grass. Othertimes, it's a deep dark cave.

Like this old, nursery rhyme says...

Can't go over it

Can't go under it

Can't go around it

Ya gotta go through it.

It may be dark. It may be scary. It may be cold and creepy in the deep dark cave.

But you gotta go through it.

And I am not afraid.

He's got my back...

...for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard. Isaiah 52:12

He takes my hand...

For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, "Do not fear; I will help you." Isaiah 41:13

He is with me always...

When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, your will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.Isaiah 43:2

The Wedding

2011-10-07T03:11:00.001-05:00

I have this quirkiness where, I think back to moments in time, at exact times, in my present.

For example...

Last Saturday I was thinking...

"At exactly this time last week I was doing such and so."

Of course, last week on that day, my daughter Elise was getting married.

I, on the other hand, was a frenzied mess.

There are just not words for all the planning and organizing one does to pull off a wedding in three months. I literally filled every page in my planner under the title, "wedding." Not only were we time limited, but cash limited as well, if you know what I mean.

That combination made for a few crazy, down to the last minute to get everything done, days.

At 4:30 Saturday afternoon, just two hours before the wedding, which was a 20 minute drive from my house, I was purchasing things we needed. I had driven 5 minutes from home when I realized I had forgotten my dress...yes, my dress I was wearing at the wedding. I drove home quickly to grab it but stopped too quickly and spilled the raspberry sauce that would be topping the cheesecake in less than two hours, in my car. As I grabbed my dress, I got to the car and realized I had no shoes. Ok..by this time, I wanted to cry.

I talked on the phone, to my sister, (who was with my two other sisters who had not sat down since they had arrived 24 hours earlier) the whole time I was driving out to the wedding venue, muttering un-intelligible words to her, about every detail that had to be done before the bride walked down the aisle,so she could make a list and help me keep my sanity. I most likely needed a paper bag to breathe in. I arrived at the place where all the detailed plans and reality would meet in just a few short moments, only to discover that I had left my make-up and change of clothes for later at home. It nearly put me over the edge.

I ran quickly to the house where all the girls were getting ready, hoping I hadn't missed too much, feeling a bit like Pigpen with a whirling dust storm around me,when my eyes laid hold of the most beautiful girl in the world...

And I am not kidding.

The bride, our little girl, was stunning, and for just a moment, I didn't care about spilled raspberry sauce or the fact that I had no make-up. This was a moment I wanted to treasure forever.

But,forever would be too long. We had a wedding in less than two hours so that moment was glorious but brief and the flurry continued.
The photographer was ready to take pictures of these girls but one of those girls in particular was my hair dresser. And I was already doing without my make-up. I wasn't going to do without a hair do also.

Christiana sweetly calmed me down, ratted my hair, twisted some locks and did her magic. In about five, my hair was transformed and off I went to finish frosting the cake. Umm yes...that would be the wedding cake. I had one hour until the moment and I couldn't frost with a dress on so I had to leave time for that.

That was an event all in itself.

Let me just say that the word "Spanks" (if you don't know what this word means you may want to google it. I can't bring myself to talk about it) causes heart palpitations for me. It is also a form of gymnastics to don the thing. But don I did with just minutes to spare and on went my dress which I hoped would zip. And it did, with not more than a millimeter to spare, I might add.

Holy cleavage is all I am going to say about my dress.

And well... I loved my dress.

With my friends help, and my sweet niece willing to kneel on the bathroom floor, my face was painted as well as my toes. All fifteen minutes before I was summoned to walk down the aisle as the MOB and all in the tiny bathroom off the kitchen where I just finished frosting the cake. (Alysha, you did a fine job of painting those toes with my shoes on. Amazing really. And Carrie, I might just start wearing eyebrow pencil because of you.)

Speaking of shoes...I found them at Salvation Army for 99 cents. I loved them and they looked fabulous with my dress. However, the green sticker on the back of the heel that screams "thrift store purchase!" was not exactly wedding worthy. Thankfully, a keen eyed bystander caught the sight of that ugly green thing right before I hit the concrete. Thank God I didn't have to replay that nightmare in my head.

Well, ready or not, the time had come to get this show on the road.

Guests were finding their seats.

Pinwheels were whirling.

And now, the craziness had to stop. I had to calm my anxious heart and know that what was done was done and what wasn't wasn't.

It was 6:30. And the wedding was beginning.

My tall, dark, handsome son Corbin, walked me down the aisle, to my seat. I had one last job to do...and I didn't want to mess this up.

"When the Mother of the Bride stands it signals everyone else to stand," is what my sister told me.

Ok.

This was one thing I could not forget to do.

So once I saw these two sweet things make their way forward,

I stood.

And then I beheld.

Here came the Bride in all her glory.

Without her bouquet.

Ok...Now I know you might just think, "What the heck? Don't ruin the moment." But, the reality is, my stupid mind just doesn't stop sometimes. Here I was, watching the biggest moment of the whole day and my brain, that thinks about detail and order, focused in on...

"She forgot her bouquet!"

I'm staring at her, gorgeous as she was, doing hand gestures that are saying, "Where's the bouquet? The flooowwwweeers." Oh,for Pete's sake. As if we were all going to stop this moment and start all over with the bouquet. What is wrong with me?

I'm sorry. I truly am sorry for that. I tortured myself for days afterwards for the stupidity of that moment.

And I tortured myself for days afterwards on lots of things.

Because you want it to be perfect.

And it is the biggest day of your little girls life.

But...

in reality...

it was perfect.

Because it was a celebration of love.

Love between Matt and Elise.

Love between siblings.

Christiana...her sister...her maid of honor.

Corbin, Elise's youngest brother and sweetest boy around.

Ross, Elise's oldest brother and protector.

(Wish I had photos of these two boys in their tuxes. They looked beautiful)

Love between father and daughter.

And love between us. The frazzled MOB and stunning bride.

If I had to do it all over again, would I make some changes to help things look better? Prettier? Tastier? Yep.

Do I want to dwell on that fact? Nope.

Like one wise mom, whose married off a few daughters of her own, told me,

"Crop the photos and remember what you want. They are your memories."

My perfectionist side could cause this day to look like a photo all marred up with scratches everywhere. But, my mom side, the one I really want to be, chooses to crop the photos to my liking and frame only those. Little details just really don't matter. The bigger picture does.

This day was about Matt and Elise!

and

All's well that ends well, as they say.

End well, my dear ones. This is just the beginning for you.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to the sweetest family one could ever have, for all your help. I would have never made it without you.

And to my close friends...you know who you are...thank you for being there. For helping me and loving me through this.

Now, for just a few more photos of this very special and memory filled day....

(This was one of my favorite decorations. Paper bag luminaries.)

For the love.

Showers and Smokin'

2011-09-15T06:53:00.000-05:00

Alicia, my Mad Men "I LOVE Don Draper" creative friend,

who thinks in themes when throwing a party,

did just that this past Sunday when she showered Elise with some bridal blessings.

It all added to the fun that we had just been to the movie, The Help, just a few days prior. It gave us even more gumption.

Well...it gave me more gumption.

It was just something about all the red nail polish and cigarettes.

Did every lady in the 60's paint their nails red and smoke?

Honestly, there was just some sort of connection with me to those ladies in that movie. I didn't like the one's who treated their help in such disrespect, but I did love the whole lifestyle.

Hair, makeup, clothes, bridge club....and the smoking. Yeah, I know. Me. I have never even held a cigarette before. No kidding.

We had no smoking signs in our house growing up.

(Yes...I am not kidding).

I hate the smell of someone smoking.

It gives you cancer for Pete's sake.

But, for just a moment in time, it seemed romantic.Cool.

And I got taken away in the moment...

for just a moment.

But it was all pretend. We were at a theme party all dressed up like those women in the 60's. Alicia had the backyard looking awesome and she also just happened to have a piece of chalk laying on the bench when I arrived. I couldn't help myself. I fell into the role.

We had some laughs, drank coffee out of old china cups, and had some nummy cupcakes.

We fashioned some wedding dresses on these dress forms.

And watched Elise open her gifts.

It was a sweet evening.

Everyone, including out little Sophie girl, seemed to have fun.

It was fun to share the fun with my girls.

And it was fun, for just a moment, to do something so out of character for me.

But...

just for the record...

I have given up smokin'.

Smokin' That Cigarette.

2011-09-12T14:30:00.000-05:00

Yes...that is me. There are not words. More to follow.

Sweet Summer..So Long, Farewell, I Hate to Say Good Bye!

2011-09-09T09:26:00.000-05:00

It just wasn't long enough.

I am not ready.

My garden is not done growing.

I am not done growing.

And yet the somewhat welcomed, sweet, cool air nights are emerging gently.

I'm not really sure that last sentence even makes sense but it sounds good. And it is true. Summer is coming to a close and Fall is just around the corner. Oh, I love Fall. But I am not quite ready for the Summer to end. I liked it. It has been...well it has been what it has been. And I hate to say good bye.

Maybe it is the good bye I don't like. Right now, good byes are not my friend. Too many and more to come and that just makes me sad. But they will happen anyway and life goes on and it will be what it will be.

So... on that happy note...I am going to shower you with summer blessings....

well really pictures...

as I say my good byes to what now will be just a memory.

Ross turned 23 in June and we celebrated with a few of his friends, our family, food, the Shoemaker Birthday Cake, and games.

I love this boy. Even with his hair in a ponytail.

(Yes...they are all holding hands. He loves his friends.)

Next...

Elise is getting married to this guy...

...in just 15 days or so. We had a fun bridal shower with my family in Montana back in July. All the girl cousins were together, along with my sisters, aunts, moms and friends and it was such a sweet time.

We have some baby producing girls in the family right now and as timing would have it, Stephanie, Alysha, Ciana (all pictured above) and Decia, who is married to my nephew, all had babies within three months of each other. Mind you, Stephanie, Alysha and Ciana are all sisters so their mom is a very busy nana.

Here is a picture of all this happiness going on while we were showering Elise with bridal blessings...

Is that just the sweetest thing or what?

And this guy hangs with my other girl a lot. We sort of like him.

I had plenty of these this summer because I love my flowers so much...

Spent lots of time with these two chicas....

Worshipped the One Who Keeps Me Going with friends who love us anyway...

Picked and packed some corn....

And last but not least of the summer blessings...

...ate lots of yummy food.

Cobs of yellow goodness

Breaded and fried zuchinni

Watermelon slushies

(recipe can be found on my Pinterest board)

Lots of grilled burgers...or grilled anything for that matter...

And probably one too many of these...

Studied my Bible, or better known as my Saving Grace and All Things Needed Book of Knowledge, a lot.

Rode bike. Walked. Rode bike. Walked...and rode my bike.

Cried some too.

Laughed.

And then cried some more if I needed.

Because...

Life is sweet at times...and bitter...and savory...and sometimes just plain creamy, like that DQ ice cream cone pictured above. It can be bland one minute and way too salty another. Now a feast,tomorrow a famine.

Nonetheless...it is. One season trumps the former and we do life more.

And...well...I'm in it for the duration.

Living.

Breathing.

Trusting.

Hoping.

For happy are those who trust in the Lord.

(Psalm 84:12)

He Is My Refuge

2011-08-26T17:32:00.004-05:00

Purpose. Driven. Life.

2011-08-19T09:04:00.002-05:00

Several years ago when this monumental book, Purpose Driven Life hit the shelves, I had determined to never read it. I am a bit of a rebel when it comes to jumping on the "have you read it? have you seen it?" bandwagon. I don't really like the hype of the next greatest thing out there to change your life syndrome. It kind of annoys me truthfully. I just want people to get a grip and read their Bibles and do what God says. I think sometimes people are so infatuated by popularity of something that their focus is fantasy and not reality. Mmm...just saying.

But, somehow, Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren found it's way into my life.

Let's just say, I'd owe Mr. Warren an apology if I ever ran into him.

This book was worth all the hype and I am so glad I humbled myself enough to read it.

And read it I have. I am now going through it, with my hubby Joe, for the third time. I actually pick up every copy at Salvation Army that I find so I can give them away. And for my third time through, I actually grabbed one of those extras to use so I could start with no markings whatsoever.

I wanted to see it afresh.

Underline anew.

Be challenged again.

I am only on day 3 but I want to share some of the points I read today.

They are share-worthy, my friends. If you haven't read this book, go get it today. It will change your outlook on life and maybe even change your life.

The Benefits of Purpose-Driven Living

1. Knowing your purpose gives meaning to your life.

We were made to have meaning.

The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purose.

Hope is essential to your life as air and water.

You need hope to cope.

2. Knowing your purpose simplifies your life.

Your purpose becomes the standard you use to evaluate which activities are essential and which aren't.

You simply ask, "Does this activity help me fulfill one of God's purposes for my life?"

Without a clear purpose you have no foundation on which you base decisions, allocate your time, and use your resources. You will tend to make choices based on circumstances, pressures, and your mood at that moment.

3. Knowing your purpose focuses your life.

(This is by far my most favorite point)

You become effective by being selective.

It's human nature to get distracted by minor issues.

There is nothing quite as potent as a focused life, one lived on purpose.

If you want your life to have impact, focus it! Stop dabbling. Stop trying to do it all. Do less. Prune away even good activities and do only that which matters most.

4. Knowing your purpose motivates your life.

Purpose always produces passion.

Passion dissipates when you lack a purpose.

Nothing energizes like a clear purpose.

5. Knowing your purpose prepares you for eternity.

Ultimately what matters most will not be what others say about your life but what God says.

Living to create an earthly legacy is a short-sighted goal.

A wiser use of time is to build an eternal legacy.

You weren't put on earth to be remembered. You were put here to prepare for eternity.

Point to Ponder...
"Living on purpose is the path to peace."

I concur.

Having purpose + Focused living = Satisfaction

I want to flesh this out in my life. So easy to read... not always so easy to do. Most of the time I just sit around wondering,

"What is my purpose?"

I have one, I know. Maybe it is blurred by all the "minors" around me. Maybe deep down I know but I am afraid. Maybe it really is not as complicated as I make it.

One thing I know, looking forward and not back is key. Pressing on. Perservering. Never giving up.

"Forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past. See, I. am. doing. a. new. thing!"

Isaiah 43:18

And He is. And He is always ready and willing to give you a fresh start today if you need one. Don't let your past determine your future.

LIVE WITH PURPOSE!

A Cure For What Ails Me

2011-08-17T06:59:00.001-05:00

I have a sickness that I am not sure has a name or other's will understand.

Here is the main symptom:

Whenever I am leaving on a trip or have a big project looming over me, I cannot focus until my house is in order.

For example, my daughter's wedding is just,ummmmm, less than 6 weeks away, we have a million and one projects to craft for the wedding...and I decide that my office/craft room needs cleaned out and put in order -- Everything!

So I spent the last four days going through every nook and cranny, drawer and shelf, making sure each area was efficiently being used and no unneeded clutter was cluttering.

For the heck of it, I will show you a few pictures so you can see a couple of great things I found to help "put everything in it's place."

Learned this trick from my mama...use checkbook boxes, tops and bottoms as drawer dividers. Perfect.

Found these sweet things at Salvation Army for 59 cents. One is for bills, the other for receipts. Handy.

This little space that I am working on has also at one time been Elise's bedroom, Ross' bedroom, guest bedroom, and family TV room. And it is only 9'x12' if even. Now it is functioning as my home office for RE, study place for Bible study writing and learning,computer room, sewing room, craft room, bill writing, and Joe's art supply room for painting, including his large easel and many canvases.

Every corner is used. Even the stairs to the attic have become "shelves."

My favorite desk in the whole world and all my books sit in one corner...

...and the other corner has two 6' tables that create a great "L" shaped work space.

With such limited space, you have to be creative with storage. By chance, I walked pass these two things at Walmart and thought they would be great ways to make my space more efficient. They were only around $5 each and are closet organizers for shoes and sweaters but they work wonderful for art supplies and fabric too.

And of course nothing is more handy than clear plastic shoe boxes for keeping all the little things sorted.

These will eventually be put on a shelf that is waiting to be hung...hopefully that will happen tonight. :)

Well, all is better now. I should be able to function just fine with all the wedding details ahead. Something in me just says, "Ahhh you are free now." Literally, my mind could not move on until this was done.

Like I said, it is a sickness I have.

Here Comes the Bride...Part 2

2011-08-06T02:24:00.001-05:00

Just thought I would do a quick, part 2, to the wedding planning post I did on Tuesday this week.

Because...

It is 1:52 am and I am awake.

Not sure. Might have something to do with the consumption of these...

with this girlie friend...

at 5:00 PM yesterday afternoon.

But, it was worth every last creamy, cold drop.

Friday. Five o'clock. Frappuccino. Friends. Fabulous.

(Hey girlie, can we make this a thing...?)

Oh yeah...onto the post about the wedding planning trip.

Elise and I had a great day and found almost everything we needed. And, got all excited over fun things like fabric and how cool the colors were.

We ate at Old Chicago and it was oh so good.

We both ordered a Mediterranean Salad, Buffalo Wings, and Cheesy Bread to share.

The Mediterranean Salad was my favorite part. But anything tastes better when it's served on a cute little plate.

Both Elise and I loaded the table with our notebooks/lists and started taking notes, crossing off what we had purchased and writing down new ideas and such. I think the waitress was a little baffled at our mess.

After lunch we headed over to a department store...

Umm...yes. That does say "The Thrift Department Store." Maybe that makes people feel better about buying other people's stuff, not sure. We found a few items we needed there but I'll be honest, I think I like good ol' Salvation Army in Aberdeen just as well. Maybe even better.

Hobby Lobby was our best friend on this trip and then the fabric section at WalMart made us happy too.

Once we got home, we laid all our wedding supplies on the dining room table. It kind of helped seeing it all in one place.

Now the work begins. Can't wait to see how this all turns out.

Oh...and we picked up The Dress...no pictures allowed, of course.

Light and Shadows

2011-08-03T10:39:00.002-05:00

Thankful for a break in the sweltering heat today, I went outside to go on a bike ride early this morning.

But first I pulled some massive weeds overtaking my garden.

Them darn things!

They get away with growing uncontrollably because they love the heat and humidity and I don't.

I also spent a few minutes gathering all the dead flower pots around my yard. Never, ever, ever will I again try and skimp on spending money on potting soil and use old potting soil mixed with whatever dirt I can find around the yard. It doesn't make the flowers happy and they end up looking like this...

Finally, after being distracted long enough, I put on my headphones connected to my all so loved ipod full of worship music, hopped on my bike and went for a quick spin.

It was a gorgeous morning but I didn't ride long. I parked my bike in the back of my house and sat down on my porch so I could finish listening to the song playing - one of my favorites right now by Christy Nockels, "Waiting Here For You."

It just so happened that all the weeds and dead flower pots that I had gathered before my bike ride, were right in front of me as I sat on the corner of my porch. And as if timed perfectly, the next song that came on my ipod was

"Light and Shadows."

As I looked at all the "stuff" in front of me, weeds, empty pots, garbage, and listened to the words of this song, I began to think...

isn't this how life is?

Light and shadows. Life and death. Joy and sorrow.

Ya know...

We really want this all the time...

But a lot of the times we have this...

Light and shadows. Life and death. Joy and sorrow.

I want you to know...I know about this.

Sometimes life feels like death.

We often miss the joy for all the sorrow.

Light fades in the distance when in the shadows.

Solomon said...

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven..."

And it is true.

Life is not one big bowl full of cherries.

There is death, and by that I don't mean physical. I mean death to things in our life that don't bring glory to God. Death to feeding our egos. Death to ol' number one. Death to our wants and needs. Death to sin.

Because...

Death comes to bring life.

"Death is at work in us, but life is at work in you."

(2 Corinthians 4:12)

It is ok when life is hard, full of disappointments, racked with pain, distanced by broken relationships if we know that
what sometimes feels like death to us, if given over to the One who makes all things work together for His good, can bring life to others.

That is what I pondered today, sitting on my little corner of this great big world.

Light and Shadows by David Crowder Band

Here Comes the Bride...

2011-08-02T06:33:00.001-05:00

53 DaYS....OMG!

$2000 bUDgEt....OMG!

Those be the numbers that sticketh in my head.

Today is the dress pick up day in Sioux Falls. And, the shop till we drop or run out of money day also.

My list is long...sort of. We have lots of ideas and are hoping for success in finding anything that makes those ideas cheaper.

We are a thrifty family.

Or should I say a family who thrifts.

Either way...it is what we do and we kind of like it. Even if I had $10,000 to spend on a wedding, I wouldn't. No fun in that.

Here's my list:

Fabric for the veil
Christmas lights
Galvenized buckets
Fabric
Fabric
Fabric
Maybe some more fabric
Wooden plus sign
Wonder Under (yeah this stuff is fabulous)
Candles
Candle holders from thrift stores
Fun, colorful paper
Swimsuit (nothing to do with the wedding. I just need one.)

And anytime you visit Sioux Falls when you live in Aberdeen, you look forward to the food. Yum!

Here's to early mornings, road trips, mom and daughter days, and...

WEDDINGS!

I Remembered.

2011-07-29T09:23:00.002-05:00

Memory evades me. All the time. There is no trauma in my life that caused it. I haven't had some physical injury that thwarted it. It just doesn't seem to work well.

And that is a bummer.

I am married to a man and live with a household of children who have impeccable memories.

And that is a bummer.

Not for them but for me. On one hand because my children remember things I did which I wish they didn't and on the other hand, because I don't get to share in the fun.

But, about a month ago, I went with my two daughters,Elise and Christiana,to see my family in Montana and attend my nephew's wedding (Ross was already there b/c he was in the wedding and Corbin did not come with us). First, before staying in Bozeman where the wedding was to be held, we headed to Butte, where I grew up all my life until college. There we'd visit my dad and his wife and two of my sisters, Michone and Natalie Jo.

Early one morning,on the second day of our visit, I decided to take a walk from my dad's house to the house of my childhood. It was a beautiful morning and you really just can't live in a more beautiful spot. The mountains are gorgeous. The sun is bright. The skies spacious.

And something strange happened to me.

Memories. I had some. They were simple, ignited by the monuments around me while I walked.

My old grade school.

The bridge I walked over every day, to and from school.

The mountains.

The street sign.

The House.

Ahhh yes...The House. My home.

On a whim, I decided to knock on the door of The House. The house that my dad built. The place I grew up. The one with the white stones in the brick. The one that held the numbers

The lady who answered the door that early Saturday morning was super sweet. She remembered my dad and right away invited me to come in and take a look around.

Awesome, I thought. But I knew this moment needed to be shared. I asked her if she would mind if I brought back my two girls so they could see

The House.

Finally, my chance at sharing some memories. This would be a first.

I walked my little self, as quickly as possible, back to my dad's. Upon my return, I announced to the girls that they were going with me, pajamas and all. I had a surprise for them.

As we drove,I told them everything I've already shared with you so far in this blog, about my school and my long (not really but it seemed like it) walk home. Then some other things like the time someone tried to kidnap me while my friend Gwen and I were walking over the bridge. How we ran fast and took the shortcut through the back field. (Yes, I am serious. He offered us some candy if we would get in the car with him. It was scary).

Then we came to The House. And there, I was able to share a few more things, like...

...these trees.

Four trees. Four girls.

These four trees, all planted at the same time, grew just like this. Stair-stepped. Just like it was done on purpose. Oldest to youngest. Michone, Christine, Robin, Natalie Jo. Isn't that strange? But true. These are our trees. For us four girls. And here they remain.

The kind lady who now owns the home, won't let her husband cut these trees down because she knows...

...these are memories. They must stay.

Then there was this....

I didn't even see it at first. Stepped right over it when Elise stopped and said, "Mom!" and then pointed at this monument. Of course, I was only 5 years old when we made this impression so I don't remember it at all but, it sure was a sweet thing to see... for me...and for my girls. And even cuter since the current grandchildren who were visiting their grandmother in The House, colored the tiny hand impressions with chalk.

Then there was this....

The intercom system. Yes, we could talk to each other from all around The House. Even to those who came to our front door.

"Who is it?" we would ask. Well, maybe...I can't really remember that part.My memory doesn't serve me. Just seems like it would be so since the location of one of the speaker things was right by the front door.

And this....

leftover from this...

My dad built this fireplace too. It looked a lot cooler when we lived there. Not too fond of the added decor. It's gorgeous all by itself. And very memorable.

We peeked into the backyard from the kitchen I washed many a dish in and I realized that the same wooden fence that my dad had built to keep us safe and secure, was still standing. Wow!

As we walked to the car after our tour of The House, Elise said to me, "Mom, that is the most I have ever heard you share about your childhood."

Yep! That is true. Most of the time I can't recall a whole lot of anything but this day was special.

I remembered.

Happiness is.....

2011-07-21T08:58:00.001-05:00

This....

This is my little sweet spot. My morning meeting place. My, "no intruders please," haven.

I settle things here. When life happens, this is where I go. If I could bottle all the thinking I have done in this part of my world, I would have thousands... of bottles that is. Not money.

I talk with the One and Only Solver of Problems here.

I read the Manual for all of life's issues here.

And I write.

Letters. Journals. Notes. Scripture.

Some of them end up here....

It makes me happy to see these. And other sweet things that make me happy find their way here. Like this....

What heart can't be happy when you see a handwritten note, given by your 17 year old son, stuck in the very spot that he knows you will be to see it.

Happiness!

Funny how a certain place, just a hole in the wall kind of spot, can bring such thoughts of happiness. But it is true. Where there is peace, there is joy. And, there is only one true Peace in this world and that is why I go to this spot.

I find my Joy there.

And He sees me there.

"The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him."

II Chronicles 16:9 NLT

Make a Difference Monday

2011-07-18T09:15:00.002-05:00

Last night as I tidied up my house before bed, I was giving thought to all the things I would put on my "to do" list for Monday.

Nothing was really all that urgent. But, Monday is always a good day for a list and it keeps me motivated when my bed seems all too inviting.

Yeah....this is my list, written out at 5 am this morning. I am not sure but if I accomplish all this today, I just might have to do a post on "How to Be SuperWoman." That's funny because I am so not super anything. Some days I can hardly get my bed made. Seriously.

But I did have a bit of a "moment" in all my thinking before bed last night (you may understand better why the title of my blog is "Just Thinkin." It is a habit of mine.). I remembered that Monday's on KLove, the Christian radio station I listen to periodically, promotes "Make a Difference Monday" every Monday.

Mmmm....I thought, I should do a post and challenge myself and others to make a difference on Monday.

Because.....

I never make a difference on Mondays. You know what I mean? It all sounds good. Wish I did. But I just don't seem to put it on my list with anticipation of crossing it off. And that is probably because I am too consumed with my other things to do.

Here's the plain truth of the matter:

It takes effort to think of others and do something about it!

It takes effort to make a difference on Mondays...

or any day for that matter.

So, is anyone up for the challenge? Want to make a difference today?

I do and am going to.

If you want to make a difference today, let me know. Just click on the comment word at the bottom of this post, sign in with your google account or just anonymously (if you do that be sure and sign your name in your comment so I know who you are), or leave a comment under my Facebook link and tell me how you are going to make a difference this Monday.

Here's is what I am going to do on Make a Difference Monday:

Send a note, via the old fashioned, hand-written, USPS way, to a secret person who I can't reveal because they read my blog.

Can't wait to see what all the rest of you plan to do.

"Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other."
Romans 12:10 NLT

Happy Monday!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2011-07-14T11:53:00.001-05:00

Blog world tends to lend itself to life glamorized.

It is easy to make things seem just a little more perfect than they are.

We do photos that are edited, highlight positives and forget the negatives, and basically pretend.

Sometimes.

I certainly am not trying to say that all bloggers are posers but I read enough blogs to know....

We don't really want everyone to know the real side of things.

Being a poser has never been a real strong point of mine. In fact, most of what I feel can be read on my face at any given time. But, since my face isn't seen in blog world, posing is an option. If I really only wanted people to see the good side of my life, I could make it so.

But, that's not really me either.

The flip side to posing, which would be complete transparancy, is not all that cool either.

TMI is just that sometimes....too much information.

That's not really me either. I've learned my lesson the hard way on that one. Believe me.

It would be easy to pose for today's post if I really wanted to. Glamorous to say I've been married to the same man for 27 years. I could tell you it's been perfect.

That would be posing.

It is my 27th wedding anniversary and with all honesty I can say...

It has been good...oh, very good! But like every marriage out there, there is the bad and there is the ugly.

No sense in pretending. No posing here. Joe and I have had some really hard times. Some really ugly times. Times when I thought, we were not going to make it.

But we have.

And we will.

Let me assure you, 27 years does not happen without effort. We didn't hop in a sail boat and float our way here. Oh no. It's been more like tubing behind a motor boat. Hanging on for all it's worth. Laugh your head of funny. Good times. And occasionally, toppling off into water too deep only to realize you've just got to get it together and swim for the top, catch your breath and get back on.

That is how you get to the number 27.

Joe is not perfect.I am far from perfect. But together we've ridden these waves of love and its been worth every bumpy ride we've ever been on. And just because it's bumpy, doesn't mean it's not good. It's been the good, the bad, and the ugly. Love and war. Life is what it has been. And I wouldn't change it.

Believe me when I say, I counted it a privilege this morning to greet him with a kiss, glasses on, hair a mess, half asleep, and say...

Happy Anniversary, hon.

I love you with my whole heart.

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."

I Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT

That is the real the reason you make it to the number 27.

Doing love God's way.

Happiness is....

2011-06-24T12:13:00.002-05:00

Today I am going to start a new blog post series called

Happiness is....

I have many things that bring happiness into my life and so I am going to make a point to tell the world...

well the blog world that is...what makes me happy.

So today

happiness is.....

flowers.

I'm sure I have said this before, but I love my flowers.

I did not grow up in a climate where many flowers grew so this is something that I have only experienced in the last five years or so.

It started with my daughter Elise's graduation and my flower fanatic friend, Alicia.

Here is Elise......

Here is Alicia....

As with every graduation, the frenzy was flying. Projects always need to be done for graduation, ya know. And that is where my love for flowers started.

Alicia came over and helped me "decorate" my front porch with all kinds of annuals. Those are the kind of flowers you have to plant every year, just in case you were like me and didn't know. And I haven't missed a porch decorating since.

Then came the addition of a word I hadn't heard much before...

Perennial

Just say it out loud. Pur - en - ee - el! Love that word because I love them.

Three summers ago, a client, of whose house I had listed, had 2000, yes 2000, perennials planted in her backyard. Once the house sold, she began the process of digging most of them up. And she gave some to me.

We made a spot in the front of our house, I carefully planted each and every one, and lo and behold, the things grew and grew and grew.

That began my love affair with all things flowery.

I do not know how to express to you how I feel about these things. They are simply

Happiness!

Every year it just gets better. And even though some perennials have had a hard time returning to me the following year, I have been faithful to them. And I add more happiness each year.

What I really want is an Old Fashioned English Style Cottage Garden.

Soon.

And yes, I talk to all my flowers, every morning. I clean off the dead heads and speak softly over the pretty little things. Sometimes I just get the urge to plop down right in front of them and have a complete conversation with those beauties.

You can call me a dork. I am. I just can't help myself.

And now you can see for yourself

my happiness.

These were started by seed... at a very hard time in my life. I did it on purpose. Sometimes when it feels like death, life is just looming around the corner. Oh these testify!

What makes you happy?

And I Know He Watches Me

2011-06-09T09:23:00.000-05:00

This morning I had some fretting going on. Thoughts swirling in my head that just wanted to take root. It's like they were running around in my brain trying to find a seat. But God had different plans.

Because, He is watching me. He sees me and He cares enough to give me Words of hope that send those thoughts scramming for a way out.

And sometimes the way He shows me these Words of hope is almost comical.

Like today.

While sitting at my cute little round table, finishing up some time of prayer and reading with Joe, I glanced over in a casual stare at this...

...my current Bible that I read on top of an older Bible of mine. As I sat and stared unintentionally, I noticed one of the pages of my older Bible was frayed and sticking out a little. As I looked more intently, I focused in on the tiniest print of a Scripture. There on that littlest piece of a worn out page, was this Scripture reference: Psalm 118:6, 7.

I kept staring blankly when all of a sudden I felt compelled to read that Scripture. I am familiar to this feeling. I knew God was up to something. And sure enough He was. Because He is watching me always and He knew I needed this. Today.

"The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

The Lord is with me; he is my helper.

I will look in triumph on my enemies."

If you need God to speak to you concerning something in your life, watch for Him everywhere. You never know where He is going to show up. If I am in prayer, seeking Him first, looking to Him for all my answers and need, I will find Him. He has shown me answers through billboards (yes, I am not kidding), songs, words from friends, Oswald Chambers, Beth Moore and many other great teachers, and even in the small print of cross reference Scriptures that happen to be sticking out of the end of my Bible. And He is always speaking to me through His Word.

Sometimes I think we make hearing from God so hard. Sometimes we don't pay enough attention. And sometimes, we just don't want to hear.

But God is there and He longs to help you.

Because....He is watching. He sees you and already knows. And he is your helper.

For My Dad

2011-05-13T16:03:00.001-05:00

(Sorry this had to be a day late. I guess when maintenance has to be done to the blog world there is nothing I can do about it.)

On time or belated, my heart still says the same thing. I love you with all of it.

You have been a source of strength to me.

You have loved me unconditionally.

You never criticize when you could.

You believe in me and tell me often.

You are always there.

Happy, Happy, (belated) Birthday Dad!

I love you and hope you live to be 120.

Me...an artist? I don't think so.

2011-05-10T22:11:00.001-05:00

I would consider myself semi-creative.

I know of myself that I am not a "feeler." I am the epitome of logic.

I have decided that creative people, those who just make things up as they go, without patterns or things to look at, play a tune without notes....they are feelers.

I am not a feeler. I need to repeat that. I am not a feeler.

It doesn't mean I am without feelings. Oh...I feel things. Pain, suffering, hurt, betrayal, sadness...I can feel those things but what I can't feel is the kind of feeling that flows from somewhere down in and then comes out in the expression of something creative. My mind is too logical.

Joe (my hubby) is the epitome of a feeler.

I WANT to be more of a feeler. However, I do enjoy the logic side of me too. It just seems like being a feeler might make doing some fun things, like painting, a little easier.

I can't paint. I need to repeat that. I can't paint.

BUT, I want to.

So, last Friday night, I planned a little surprise for Joe and I.

I packed up a bag full of paper, paint brushes, water, paper towel and some really fun looking water color paints. Joe and I hopped in the car and drove to Wylie Park (he still had no idea what we were doing). We found a semi-private picnic table where I unloaded all the supplies for my first ever

ART LESSON!

At first Joe thought I was kidding but he soon realized I was serious as a heart attack. Well, that might be a slight exaggeration. I wasn't serious at all...I was just looking for a fun night out and the chance to be a feeler.

It doesn't just happen. Feeling, as in the way an artist feels how to be an artist, is innate. I am sure of it. I knew this after my art lesson.

My flower looked logical.

(And was so darned hard to draw. I tried about a gazillion times)

Joe's flower(s) looked artistic.

But I do have to say I was pretty proud of my attempt at being a feely kind of artist. And it was loads of fun and something we will do again. After all, I might just conquer this and let go of a little of that logical side of me.

I officially ended my art lesson by signing my work. I had Joe take a picture because I thought it was just too funny. And the logical person that I am, signed my entire name like I sign a check. When Joe signed his, it looked like art. He made some swooshing mark that resembled his initials.

He is a feeler. I am logic.

That's ok.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T14:47:00.001-05:00

"I am the Mother. That's why!"

Pretty sure every mother out there, with a child old enough to talk, has used that line before. And you probably looked something like this little lady....

Oh Motherhood. It brings out the best in me, in the worst kind of way. I really am only trying to keep order, reign in the straying, straighten up the wandering. My heart's intent is good. It just doesn't always come out of my mouth that way. Sometimes in all my intended goodness, I can only settle the issue by using the "I am the Mother. That's why!" explanation. Usually once that's said, especially when I find my secret soprano voice saved only for such occasions like these, nothing else needs said. And it is especially effective when I can use the "hands on my hips" gesture, like the little lady above, for added emphasis.

I think....

As moms, we often let the times we act like we wish we wouldn't, define us.

I'm sure my mom suffered with the same syndrome. But as a daughter, I do not define my mom by the time(s) she lost her cool and needed to remind me that "I'm the Mother. That's why!" moments.

Nope.

Somewhere in the years of life between needing spankings and standing on my own two feet in this real world, those moments hardly exist. Instead, especially on days like today when being a mom is what the whole day is about, it seems that love prevailed. And I sure hope my kids feel the same way about me. After all....

"Love covers over a multitude of sins."

(1 Peter 4:8)

And moms are good at loving. Even when we do it with our hands on our hips!

I love being a mom and I love my mom. She taught me so much on how to be the mom I am. So today, I celebrate the one who gives me the privelage to call her mom and the ones who bless me each day by calling me mom.

Love to you, from me. The Mother.

Elise...who's smile is big enough for all the world to see, a heart even bigger....

Ross...a man of passion and conviction and defender of all things right...

Christiana...full, I mean full of compassion and mercy and sweet as pie...

Corbin...my baby, my defender and protector, the gentle one.

The Mother and the Mother....I love her with all my heart.

A Cup of This, A Cup of That!

2011-05-03T15:05:00.001-05:00

The beauty of your own blog is that you can post whatever suits you at the time. Some are random. Some are whimsical and poetic (well not really poetic but you know...) Some come straight from the heart and are expressed with passion.

And some are just plain ridiculous!

Which is the case for today.

I found these cool cups at Salvation Army and wanted to share them with you...because I know you care.

Every once in a while, like every now and then, like more often than not, like never forget, you must take pause and thank the Jesus, as my daughter Elise would say, that Mother and Father, Maw and Paw reside in the same house. It is intended. And it is never to be assumed. And it is good.

Maw needs Paw. Paw needs Maw.

Always and Forever!!!!

And now for the most ridiculous part...because I know you care...

Could someone please explain how this happened? After all, when I put the grounds in the percolator, they were all ground up! And even if one little bean snuck it's way into the little holder for the ground coffee, how did it make it's way through the process of brewing into the cup of coffee?

I am baffled.

To Live is Christ

2011-04-24T23:41:00.001-05:00

I have wanted to post something all weekend. So many thoughts but I can't seem to put them to writing. It is now 10 o'clock on Easter Sunday night as I try to formulate some sense of the ramblings that take place in my head. But to get us started I will share this with you:

A beauty, huh? My heart yearns for the showing of God's splendor and boy did He deliver tonight. I took this photo at Mina Lake this evening.

Not only is this sunset breathtaking, it is a reminder that this day now rests so a new one may begin. All this day's burdens, the memories, the emotions, the laughter, the ins and outs of it, lay to rest now as the sun sets, signaling the hands of creation that tomorrow is due.

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:21,22)

Because He loves us so much, our lives are not consumed by the things that seem consuming. We do not have to be consumed. He gives us newness every day. His compassion, or translated from the Hebrew, His mercy, tenderness, sensitive love, begins anew with the rising of the sun each day. That is a promise we can count on. I have lived approximately 16,873 days and have yet to see one of those days where the sun did not rise. So when God promises us new mercies every morning, He delivers. We are never without a new morning.

Amen? Amen.

Now on to my other thought.....

Have you ever wondered what day 2 of this Easter weekend was like? When you look at a calendar, day 2, or Saturday, is blank. Empty. No name. No significance.

Friday is Good. Sunday is Easter. Saturday is nothing.

It must have been so quiet that day some 2000 years ago. For those who despised Jesus and wanted Him dead, He was gone. For those who loved Him, He was gone. It was eerily silent, I am sure. The Feast of Passover had come and gone. The Feast of Unleavened Bread had begun and so it was a Sabbath. All was still. No work. No travel. Silence.

And on that second day, Jesus lay in the tomb. Yet to be risen, His body lay still and with it those life changing promises that would burst forth on the third day and change the world forever. For in Him, as He lay, was a new covenant of hope, a word called grace, an action known as mercy, a love that never separates, a new set of commandments to love your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and then to love your neighbor as yourself, compassion that never fails, hope that never dies, life everlasting. All encompassed in His body that lay in the tomb....until...

Up from the grave He arose. And with Him, a life anew for all who put their trust in Him. Now we must walk as He walked. He died, layed in the tomb, and rose again to bring us life...not only eternal life but a new way of life on this earth.

Do you share the new covenant of hope? Are you practicing grace? Do you show mercy by your actions? Are you a lover of God with everything in you? Have you loved your neighbor as yourself? Can you show compassion when someone does not deserve it?

That silent second day held these things with it...but only for one day. At dawn that followed,Christ and all He embodied, lay in the tomb no longer. Oh no! He had risen. And everything changed. No longer the law but grace. And a new way to live...for all of us.

Oh to be like Jesus. I just want to be like Him.

"For to me, to live is Christ...." (Philippians 1:21)

When God Speaks, I Shall Listen

2011-04-19T12:47:00.000-05:00

I read this devotion, a couple of days ago, from one of my longtime, daily favorites, Streams in the Desert. As many of you know, we are going through one of the hardest times of our lives. But God has been so faithful to me...to us. He has spoken so many promises over our lives and given us such hope. As I read this devotion, I just added it to the stack of all the other great ways God has held us and encouraged us over the past several weeks. Maybe it will mean something to one of you as well.

April 17

"The hand of the Lord hath wrought this." (Job 12:9)

"Several years ago there was found in an African mine the most magnificent diamond in the world's history. It was presented to the King of England to blaze in his crown of state. The King sent it to Amsterdam to be cut. It was put into the hands of an expert lapidary. And what do you suppose he did with it?

He took the gem of priceless value, and cut a notch in it . Then he struck it a hard blow with his instrument, and lo! the superb jewel lay in his hand cleft in twain. What recklessness! What wastefulness! What criminal carelessness!

Not so. For days and weeks that blow had been studied and planned. Drawings and models had been made of the gem. Its quality, its defects, its lines of cleavage had all been studied with minutest care. The man to whom it was committed was one of the most skillful lapidaries in the world.

Do you say that blow was a mistake? Nay. It was the climax of the lapidary's skill. When he struck that blow, he did the one thing which would bring that gem to its most perfect shapliness, radiance, and jewelled splendor. That blow which seemed to ruin the superb precious stone was, in fact, its perfect redemption. For, from those two halves were wrought the two magnificent gems which the skilled eye of the lapidary saw hidden in the rough, uncut stone as it came from the mine.

So, sometimes, God lets a stinging blow fall upon your life. The blood spurts. The nerves wince. The soul cries out in agony. The blow seems to you an appalling mistake. But it is not, for you are the most priceless jewel in the world to God. And He is the most skilled lapidary in the universe.

Some day you are to blaze in the diadem of the King. As you lie in His hand now He knows just how to deal with you. Not a blow will be permitted to fall upon your shrinking soul but that the love of God permits it, and works our from its depths, blessing and spiritual enrichment unseen, and unthought of by you." - J.H. McC.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Dorothy shops in Aberdeen???

2011-03-17T18:58:00.003-05:00

Oh Dorothy.....

2011-03-12T11:10:00.000-06:00

Christiana had the fun privelage of shooting a 30 second commercial for Aberdeen this week. She was playing Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, out on a shopping spree for the perfect pair of tall red boots. She sent me a still photo from the shoot so I am sharing it with you all. The commercial will run the end of this month.

Hope Endures

2011-02-22T21:21:00.000-06:00

Soon this trial of life called winter will give way to spring. It is the way, you know. Spring always follows winter. Life always follows death. It may be cold and desolate and lifeless on the outside but beneath the ground life stirs and knows, "soon I will emerge."

It is our hope. In our hearts as well. Life may be buried beneath the darkness of pain but given the right amount of light, it will begin to stir and say, "soon I will emerge." It may barely be visible to the naked eye but it's there. And in time, the seed will burst forth and give way to tiny green growth that will give way to tall slender stems that eventually gives way to fruit. It is the fruit of life that we long for. No one longs for death. But it must be to have life. The hope. It is the hope of fruit bearing life that saves us through the darkness of death.

It won't be long. Nothing outside in this unbelievably long, cold, snow packed winter gives sign of the life that is longing to burst forth. But I know it is there. I've seen it. And I long for it again.

Just the beginning...but soon to come...

the fruit of life.

I am longing....

Meet Betty Crocker

2011-01-21T11:29:00.001-06:00

Today I am going to introduce you to one fine lady. She has been around for a looooooong time but she never ages. She is the epitomy of a home maker. Her skills are refined and she does everything right.

Her name is Betty Crocker.

She wrote me a letter with the greeting

"Dear Friend" and signed her salutation,

Here is one part of the sweet letter she addressed to her friend (I think she meant me personally):

"We dedicate [this book} to homemakers everywhere - to all of you who like to minister to your dear ones by serving them good food. That's the age-old way to express love and concern for their welfare."

Amen Sista! Here is how I ministered to my family last night.

Parmesan Chicken

Fried Red Potatoes

Garlic Green Beans

And now I would like to share with you Betty's advice on "How to get PERFECT Results form Recipes in this Book..."

1. Read Recipe Carefully!

2. Look at the Pictures! (After all, it is a picture cookbook)

3. Turn on the Heat!(I'm pretty sure someone texted this exact sentence to me yesteday)

4. Get Your Ingredients Together!

5. Collect Untensils, Too!

6. Measure as Exactly as a Druggist follows a doctor's prescription!

7. Mix Carefully as Directed. (This one was not followed by an !)

8. Bake or Cook or otherwise prepare correctly as the recipe indicates.

I tried to scan and upload this page from the cookbook but Blogger is not letting me upload this for whatever reason. Bummer too because the pictures just make this all the more awesome. Seriously. I could write for days on the interesting information and tips Miss Betty gives in her cookbook. It is laugh out loud stuff. And so I will leave you with an exact quote from this vintage, 1950, wonderfully treasured cookbook that did exactly that to me....

Reduce Recipes

To make half a recipe:

Use exactly one-half the amount of each ingredient.

Thank God she cleared that up for me!

Just a little Christmas fun.....

2010-12-29T22:43:00.000-06:00

Just for the fun of it, I am going to post pictures of some of my Christmas fun....traditions, visits, and decorations.

Traditions

We have three traditions at Christmas that have stood the test of time........

1. Decorating the Christmas tree. This is a huge family time. Since I can remember, that night has been spent with lots of food, Christmas music, egg nog and lots of ornaments. Most years, I have given all my kids a new ornament the night we decorate the tree.

2. After we have gone to church on Christmas Eve,we come home and eat something simple then open one gift. Sometime in early December we draw names between the six of us and that is the gift we open Christmas Eve. Then, we watch a Christmas movie.

3. We always open our gifts on Christmas morning. There is no exception to this rule. Santa comes in the middle of the night even when your kids are 24, 22, 19, and 16.

Here are some pics from our tree decorating party...

I served chili in mugs that I had painted with chalkboard paint, then written their names on.

I made them each a yarn ball ornament this year. I know my boys probably think it's weird but one day they will appreciate it. :)

Corbin

Ross

Christiana

Elise

All done!

And decorating the tree would not be complete without the use of our Christmas goblets filled with egg nog. I bought these glasses from Arby's in Cleveland, Tn when Elise was 2 years old. They have hung in there for 22 years. Amazing.

One other tradition that hasn't been around as long but is one of my personal favorites is the Jesse Tree. Several years ago I made ornaments to go with all the major Bible stories all the way to the birth of Christ. Since my kids are older, I usually end up doing this one by myself but I enjoy reading the stories and hanging the ornaments as part of a devotional time each day.

If you look close you can see the stories...I promise. Creation, Joseph's coat of many colors, Rahab's red cord, Passover, the burning bush, Jacob's ladder and so many more.

Visits

I felt so overly busy this year but one thing I really wanted to do was to have some "wiser" women over for coffee. I love women of all ages and usually if you take time to listen, you can learn a lot from those with a few more years of experience than yourself. It was sort of like a decade of gals. I'm in my forties, three ladies were in their 60's, one in her 70's, one in her 80's, and one in her 90's. We had tea and coffee in my ever loved china cups with molasses cake and whipped cream served on the china dessert plates. It was a true tea party. I asked all the ladies to share their favorite Christmas memory and to share one piece of advice they would give me about life. I loved every minute.

From left to right:

Rose, Jeanette, Myself, Linda, Sharon, Marilyn, Monie.

Decorations

I put out very few decortations this year. I decided to only put out the things I love and then I added some new decorations too.

This was one of my favorites because it was all old stuff I grouped together.

My friend Alicia and I made these this year. I love it but my husband thinks it leaves a lot to your imagination.

Sometimes simple is best. I made this pedastal from a plate and vase I bought at Salvation Army.

This is in my kitchen above my stove. Love, love, love this.

Picked up these adorable, vintage Christmas cards while in Bristol with Alicia then I turned them into garland. I wanted to stencil the piece of wood sitting on top of the piano but I never got it done. It is a piece of old siding from our house.

I love these Christmas geese. Found these at the Dollar Store about 5 years ago.

Whew! Didn't think this blog would turn out this long. Sorry if I bored you. Having your own blog is like being the editor of your own home magazine. Thanks for reading.

Love,

Robin

I Found A Treasure!

2010-12-28T21:20:00.000-06:00

I am mainly writing this post so I can quickly show my dad the treasure I found today. But, the rest of you may find this interesting too.

I was on the hunt for something I could make into a hope chest for our daughter Christiana's Christmas present. I looked at furniture stores but they were expensive and ugly. I drove to Bristol, SD in hopes of digging one out of their massive collection of "one man's junk is another man's treasure" pile. I searched antique stores to no avail. So,I finally gave in to buying a cheap toy box and making the best of it.

Before......

After......

I really do think this turned out cute and the size fits perfectly in our overstuffed house but, then I found this, the Monday after Christmas, at Salvation Army.

I could not believe that I had hunted for weeks for something to make into a hope chest and after Christmas this actual, old hope chest was sitting there. The more I looked the more I wanted to buy it but, I knew Christiana would already feel sentimentally attached to the one she received on Christmas Day so, heart sick as I was, I left without it.

This morning I woke up, still thinking about this hope chest. I decided that if it was still at Salvation Army, I was going to use my Christmas money and buy it for myself. I just felt emotionally attached to this thing. And I think I know why.

I know you can hardly see this but on the inside of the lid, in pencil, are the words written in cursive, with love I'm sure, "Margaret from Bob December 25, 1939."

How sweet is that! Who would ever give this away? So, in honor of Margaret and Bob, I am treasuring their treasure. I am going to restore it back to what it should look like, not painted, self. (For all you who know I paint everything, this is one thing, oh and the china cabinet my dad built for me, I will never paint.)And since Margaret and Bob's family didn't have anyone to pass it on to, I will pass it on to someone in my family...hopefully a sweet little granddaugher, one day. And I will never erase the penciled inscription.

Here's the rest of the photos for you, dad, so you can look at all the details and share my excitement with me.

(the back is ugly but thought the hardware was interesting)

By the way....was doing some research on the Internet. This is a Cavalier brand hope chest which is the cadillac of hope chests, so they say. Also, the little placard thing pictured on the inside lid adds 10% value. This hope chest is definately much simpler, not quite as ornate as some I have seen while researching. But, I love it all the same.

Merry Christmas To All and To All A Goodnight!

2010-12-26T00:07:00.001-06:00

Soon I will be saying goodnight to Christmas 2010. It has been my most memorable and enjoyable Christmas that I can remember (which any of you who know how short my memory is, that may be laughable). But still, today was sweet. And happy. And full of love and fun gifts. And long.

There is something to be said for having Christmas morning with your almost all adult children. No one is in a hurry. No more 7 am knocks on the door wondering if they could go downstairs yet. And although those are treasured memories, this Christmas, starting at 11 am suited me just fine. It had been a long week of flu, pneumonia, more flu and a lot of rushing to cross the holiday finish line and I was just pooped out. We didn't even have one gift wrapped when we rolled out of bed at 8 am this Christmas morning because I had been up until 2 am finishing a project for Christiana and spent a good amount of my Christmas Eve day sanitizing everything in my house about a billion times so no one else would get the most horrible, indescribably flu that Corbin and I had endured. Along with sanitizing, I had this crazy need to have my whole house in order. It's just a thing sometimes. Gotta get the house in order so I can enjoy life.

In the end, the day came off without a hitch. And like a friendly person told me, while grabbing a few more things at Shopko on Christmas Eve, "What gets done, gets done." And she was right. Somehow, all that needed to, got done.

So I wrap this day up with a big, pretty bow anxious to meet the last week of the year. To be honest, this is my favorite time of year. I love the quiet, low key, short days of the end of December to think about the next year. I love to think. And evaluate. And get my house in order. Oh yeah, I already said that. Surprisingly, my house is clean tonight as I ready for bed which I think is a first on Christmas Day. Dishes are done, gifts put away, and Corbin's room is completely sanitized and ready for him to enter a good night's rest in. That makes me happy.

In fact, this whole day has made me happy. I am enjoying this season with my kids. They are beautiful people. And they like us right now which is a good thing. And I like them. I would have to say that one of the best Christmas gifts I received today was the blessing of my children and seeing who they have become. Each one has such a distinct personality but they are all full of life and love and kindness and thoughtfulness. Who could ask for more?

And now for the pictures....Elise had the camera most of the day. I always forget to take pictures so these are taken through her eyes. By the way, she is the queen of self portraits. You know, the kind where you hold the camera out in front of you and hope you are getting a good shot. Well somehow, she gets them all the time.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Angelic visit

2010-12-11T14:11:00.002-06:00

Two very special angels came to visit me, in my home, for a short time yesterday. Sophie, dressed as a princess and readied with her belongings in her backpack and her sweet, tender brother Jack anxiously entered my home around 10 am. This was Sophie's first official time to be left with me in my house and she was all about it. Jack felt right at home and wondered where the Batman were.

I quickly fetched the box of Batman and the one other toy I have in my house, a box filled with a wooden train set. Sophie didn't find either one of those things too interesting so I "borrowed" one of Joe's art brushes and a set of watercolors and put her to work at the table.I had dishes to do and Christmas decorating to work on so having the two angels busying themselves under my feet while I worked was just fine by me. It has been a long time since I have had to do that.

We also had a little snack because anytime you visit someone's house, you are always hungry.

Then they decided they just needed to do some hanging out....maybe read a book or two.

It's not often that these two sweet things come to see me at my house, but I have been a regular visitor in their home since they were born. With all of my extended family living so far away, I feel so blessed that God gave me my friend, Alicia, who is like a sister, which makes me a pseudo auntie to her children (which also includes Noah, Sophie and Jack's big brother).

I love, love, love these little angels.

It's a Charlie Brown Christmas

2010-12-05T18:51:00.001-06:00

There is something so endearing about the characters of Charlie Brown. So when Joe decided to do "It's a Charlie Brown Christmas" as his sermon series for the month of December, I had great anticipation for the fun this would mean. In no time, Joe and I found a scene in the movie that would make a great stage set. This past Friday night and all day Saturday, a group of us set out to work to transform the sanctuary stage into the infamous tree lot where Charlie Brown finds the now iconic "Charlie Brown" tree.

Several willing people showed up Friday night, including my daughter Elise, with an ipod full of Christmas music in hand.

We cut trees from sheets of styrofoam insulation, then painted them very vibrant colors. We had five women and five trees giving each of us one to "decorate." That was the really fun part. Looking at the paused scene from the Charlie Brown movie helped us with ideas but personality and individual creativity played just as much a part. As each one was finished, all the rest of us would rave in approval. I almost decided that I want to make styrofoam trees for my house. They were that cool.

Kristin painting with flair.

Tina giving me the "way to go, Robin". The orange tree was my charge.

While we worked on our trees, Scott and Stephen worked on the clearing of the stage and the details of how to set up the lights. By the time we all went home Friday night, I was so excited. Except for one thing.

Last year, during the Christmas season, in the foyer of our church and with the theme being "It's a Christmas Tradition," we did the cutest ever, live nativity. We dressed up some of the young children and even had live goats. Because it was such a success, we were planning to do this again. But, when I got home on Friday night, I told Joe that it seems conflicting to walk into church and see a traditional nativity scene and then walk into the sanctuary to a whimsical scene from the Charlie Brown Christmas. After going back and forth on whether or not we should cancel doing the nativity scene, Joe had a great thought. "Why don't we do a Charlie Brown nativity scene."

What a great idea was my response to Joe, but I knew that meant Saturday was going to be one heck of a busy day. And once again, dedicated and servant hearted friends and children, came flying through. Between lights going up on stage, hunting for Charlie Brown costumes from thrift stores, and cutting and painting more trees and other things from styrofoam, this is how it all turned out:

Sanctuary stage

Nativity before kids

Nativity scene with sweet little kids

It took about every ounce of energy I had by the time it was finished, but, it was definitely worth it.

Now go grab a cup of something, turn the lights down low, and enjoy the movie,
A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Yep...It's Black Friday Alright

2010-11-26T23:49:00.001-06:00

As I was spending my Black Friday in my bright orange room, trying to finish up some crafting, I decided it really was a black Friday for me even though my feet hadn't even hit the shopping pavement. After two full days of shopping, cooking, cleaning, decorating, cleaning, eating and cleaning again, I could hardly bear the thought of waking up to the mess I still had to face this morning. There is just no getting around the fact that Thanksgiving is all about work.

Here is what my house looked like this morning (Oh, it still looks like this. I have been hiding in my office/craft room all day):

This is a small amount of dishes left after the dishwasher was run three times.

My living room, which was turned into the dining room for dinner, covered with paper, glue, and scissors from an after dinner project.

Here is just a small portion of what I pulled out of my makeshift, front porch refrigerator to serve up for dinner. Oh...just a few leftovers after 9 people ate. What was I thinking when I fixed all of this? I have issues with making sure we have enough food. We could have fed the proverbial army.

Not to be Debbie Downer at the beginning of the holiday season, but I just can't do it anymore. I decided that doing all this work, fixing all this food, cleaning all these dishes for a 10 minute feast that ends with too many leftovers to squeeze into my refrigerator, is just all highly overrated. I woke up this Black Friday and decided it will be different next year.

So...I have jotted myself a few notes in my little Thanksgiving folder that I have tucked things in for several years.

It is currently filled with menus from past years and lots of recipes. But now it will have one little extra piece of paper that will say.....

Menu 2011
Turkey Sandwiches, 7 layer salad, chips and dip, pumpkin pie.

That's my plan and I'm stickin to it. No more stressed out, beat to death, overspent Thanksgiving dinners. I want to be thankful on Thanksgiving, not thankful it is all over. My menu will be simple and have everything my family loves - the day after Thanksgiving treat will be served on Thanksgiving Day. I can roast my turkey a few days ahead, make one salad and couple of pies, mix up some dip and buy some fresh bread. I have a feeling it will all work out for the better.

Because when Mama is happy....everyone is happy.

Love you all!
Robin

*UPDATE*

Giving Thanks for this Happy Saturday!

Much better. Glad Black Friday is over.

It's me again....

2010-10-30T23:18:00.001-05:00

It has been way too long since I posted a blog. It's not been for lack of profound thoughts :) or crafty ideas. It was for two other reasons:

1. I had a virus that was nearly impossible to fix. We thought it was fixed but it was affecting other strange things on my computer, like my blog. I could not post.

2. I had a bit of self-awareness that I wanted to check. I love the blog world. I love to write. I love to read. But not long ago, I picked up a Martha Stewart magazine that nearly put me over the edge. One of the first pages I read was "Martha's Calendar." After reading everything from the day she was picking her plums to the day she would clean out her linen closet, I thought to myself, "I really don't care, Martha." She listed stuff that she was doing that seemed ludicrous and to be quite frank, very self promoting. I just don't think she is that important that she should think everyone cares what she is doing on Sept. 8th, 20th or any other day. It made me think of some things I had blogged in the past and I wondered, do people read my blog and think, "I really don't care, Robin. Your really not that important." I hope not. It was never my intention when I began blogging, to be self promoting. I just wanted a place to write and share some photos with family and friends. And so, I decided to take a break from the blog world for a while and do some introspection.

With that said, can I just say, I miss posting. So if I ever come across in a way that makes you want to stop reading, please do. I won't be offended. Some things I write, I write for my family who lives far away and loves to see my weirdness in writing. Other things I write, I write to just practice writing. Blogging is free and I don't need a publisher so I use it to pretend I am a writer. Most of what I write, I write because I just feel like sharing and I don't mean anything by it. Like now. Right now I am going to share with you some of The Dumbest Things Ever!

but I really can't help myself. So here, once again, are some Random Thoughts by Robin:

Random thought #1

A few days ago, I texted my friend and said, "I am going to the grocery store in hot pink, velour sweat pants. If I saw me, I would be saying to myself, 'she shouldn't be out of the house in those.'" Oh but I was. And, I crossed paths with a woman while in the grocery store in my hot pink, velour sweat pants and she nearly ran into me because she was staring at my pants. I knew instantly what she was thinking. I wanted to tell her I understand but all I could say was, "I'm sorry." I meant I was sorry for running into her cart. I think she thought I was saying I'm sorry for wearing my hot pink, velour swear pants. I probably should have been.

Just in case you would like to stare also, here are my hot pink, velour sweat pants:

Random thought #2

I love my mornings. I NEVER, unless I absolutely have to, get in the shower until I have had about two hours to sit, think, drink coffee and read my Bible. As usual one dark morning last week, I rattled together the coffee to perk, then made my way back up the stairs to my office, with coffee in hand. I'm not usually bright eyed and bushy tailed at this point in my day but upon entrance into my most holy place, something came flying out of nowhere and brightened my eyes and bushed my tail right into a tailspin. I so didn't want to spill my fresh cup of coffee so I managed a loud scream while setting my cup safely down on my desk upon which I screamed again and scrammed to the hallway. At this point, all three people who were sleeping, were in the hallway with me wanting to know what in the heck was going on! "Well," I said, "there is a bird in my office." Yes. It was a bird. Christiana saved the day for me. She is the Bird Whisperer, you know. As I stood in the hallway hating that my coffee was getting cold, Christiana was in the office talking gently to the bird which eventually flew out the window she had opened for it and coaxed there.

I think this is what the bird looked like but I'm not really sure. I was too busy screaming and trying to find a safe place for my coffee.

Random thought #3

I love make-up. Always have. Always will. So I am going to share the funnest make-up I have bought in the longest time (remember, these are random thoughts):

White, black, pink and silver, CREAMY, eye shadow. It was so much fun to wear. And yes, I will be 46 years old in two months and I don't care if Oprah thinks you shouldn't wear creamy eye shadow because it creases. My eyes looked fabulous, if I do say so myself. (This is one of those moments you may want to say, "I don't really care, Robin." It's ok. You can.) But for the rest of you, here is a picture of my creamy eye.

and another.....

Random thought #4

Joe and I decided to paint my office/his new art place a bright orange. We were looking for a color that sparks creative juices. It felt a little overwhelming at first but now I love it. Hoping to do some other decorating in here but for now, I'm happy as a clam.

Joe is going to finish all four children's paintings and we will hang them up in our new, orange office/art room.

Well that is probably enough on the random thoughts from yours truly. It's nice to be back. Maybe next time, hopefully soon, I will post something that requires a little more intelligence.

BTW...comments are always fun. If you stop by and read this random post, it would be great to hear from you.

Heart you all,
Robin

Corn Lovers

2010-08-18T22:49:00.001-05:00

We, thankfully, live in the abundance of corn country and come along the end of July beginning of August, every corner in town has a home grown country bumpkin corn selling stand. It is always a sight for corn longing eyes. And this year, we would not be disappointed. The corn has been oh so sweet and crisp and scrumptious that you just have to keep going back for more.

Much to our corn loving delight, one of the farmers who attends our church invited us to come pick corn from his field of golden goodness. Given Monday is Joe's day off, we were headed out of town as quick as possible. Not only was the weather beautiful but the whole day was just one of those days. We had a nice drive, picked corn, ate lunch at the cafe in the town of Ipswich then drove home to a load of "joyful" work ahead.

Picking the corn was just the beginning though. Thank goodness Joe doesn't mind hard work when it comes to having bags of sweet corn in your freezer for a few months. After shucking, boiling, scraping and bagging, we will be as corn fed as the cattle in the field.

Here are a few pics from our corny day:

Corn Daddy

First time I've ever picked corn.

It was a bit claustrophobic in there.

Shucks! :)

The First Ten...we ended up with 20 bags; 4cups of corn in each.

It was such a great day but soon a day is coming that will make my heart sing even more.......

Salsa!
(Yes, these are from my garden)

Design on 200 Dimes

2010-07-10T11:37:00.001-05:00

Joe and I were watching something the other day on Tru TV and their slogan came up "Not reality, actuality." I've sat there,time and time again, buying into these catchy phrases like the genius behind the marketing plan expects me to, when it donned on me, what is the difference between reality and actuality? Don't they mean the same thing? I turned to Joe and said,"Not reality, actuality? They are the same thing." To prove my point, I looked up the definitions on http://www.dicitonary.com/.

Reality - The state of being real; the resemblance to what is real; a real thing.

Actuality - Actual existence; reality !

Those darn marketing specialists couldn't trick me.

Anyway...I really didn't intend on that whole spill for this blog. Instead, I started it off with the title that resembles another phenomenon going on in the boob tube world and that is DIY programs. DIY is the fun abbreviation for Do It Yourself, just in case you didn't know. I like DIY. If it wasn't for DIY, I wouldn't GAD (Get Anything Done)!Spending money on paying someone else to do what could be a DIY is something this frugal mind cannot even imagine. Plus, there is NFII (No Fun In It) if you can't be creative and DIY.

There is an actual network called the DIYnetwork where they have tons of shows showing you how to DIY. But the title of this blog was nabbed and changed a bit from the popular show on HGTV known as Design on a Dime. I've always thought, back to my reality tv soapbox, that I should have had that show. Designing on a dime is my reality. Or actuality if you'd rather. I've just never had another choice. It was either a dime or nothing of which I have done both.

So when it came to re-doing my bedroom last Saturday, prompted out of complete boredom and the fact that it was about the ugliest room in the house, I told myself that I could do whatever I could as long as I did not spend more than $20. Yes...I did say $20..... or 200 dimes. With some ideas in mind and a little inspiration from some curtains I had purchased the day before at Salvation Army, I was off and designing.

Between cans of spray paint I had in the basement, curtains I had purchased from Salvation Army, a little re-arranging and cleaning, and a few creative projects created from whatever I could find in my basement, I managed to design on 200 dimes this bedroom:

Here is what I did:

Hung the pretty sheers I bought from Salvation Army, which by the way were an exact fit and the exact amount I needed. Three sheers, three windows. They cost $1.99 for all three.

Spray painted this old record player holder that used to be white and used as my nightstand (which is now Joe's since it looked better on his side of the bed)....

and this smaller, old record holder that I had in my basement to somewhat match the other one and use as another night stand.

Covered two lamps that did have red shades and were used in different rooms of my house, with some toile fabric that I had in my tub of fabric stored in my basement. This project was the most fun and so easy. Can I just say, I now think spray adhesive is the coolest thing ever. $4 at Walmart.

Painted this metal dresser that I bought at a rummage sale 12 years ago for $6. This is an old YMCA metal dresser that was pretty ugly before I painted it. Some might think it is still ugly but that is the fun in designing on a dime. You just have to make do sometimes. The paint for this dresser was $7.

Dyed two pillow cases black that went with my sheets. Yes, now my pillow cases and sheets are not the same color but no one will ever know except Joe and I. Cost of dye: $3

Framed this picture. This was so much fun. I have always loved this picture of Joe and I. It was taken when we were dating in college at a 50's fun night. They had a cool old telephone booth set up and in those days, we easily fit in it to make it a kissing booth. I scanned the photo into my computer and printed it in an 8 x 10, black and white. The frame, which was recently painted gold for Christiana's graduation, was spray painted black. The mat was created from another frame that had an ugly picture in it that was actually printed on cardboard. I took the picture out, cut a mat to fit my picture, and spray painted the "new" mat black. We have several fun frames in our basement that we have picked up here and there so that helped a lot with this project. This is what the picture looks like up close and in it's original color:

Then I did one last decorating project that I absolutely loved. It was completely free, made from everything I had in my house.

I had a large empty wall to the right of my bed so I hung this old, empty frame there. I decided it may look cute to hang something in the frame. So,I cut two pieces of cardstock in half, covered them with some scrapbook paper I had, glued on the punch out letters to spell LOVE which were in my scrapbook stuff, then found some other punch outs that said cool things like "You and Me," "Forever" and "Happiness". Then I hung all of them using fish line so you couldn't see it and Waa-Laa! I love it.

I did end up buying a couple of candles which put me over the $20 mark so all in all, I designed on about 240 dimes. I can't believe how a little DIY creative energy can make something look and feel so much better. Makes me wonder why I have waited so long. In time, I am sure, I will find some other things to add to my bedroom but for now, it suits me fine. This is my reality. And my actuality.

Twilight

2010-07-02T22:01:00.001-05:00

Twilight - the soft, diffused light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, either from daybreak to sunrise or, more commonly, from sunset to nightfall.

Last night I was in a twilight kind of mood. I took pictures of my flowers and garden at twilight and I began reading the outrageously popular book called "Twilight". I haven't gotten too far in the book but I'm thinking my flowers at twilight and the book "Twilight" will have nothing in common.

I can be a little stubborn when something becomes "the thing" to read or do or say. I think it may be called rebellion but I am not sure. When the book "Purpose Driven Life" suddenly became the thing to read, I just chose to do the opposite. After a while, though, I did succomb to the pressure and much to my surprise I loved the book.

That is kind of how I am feeling about "Twilight". My girls love it, my nieces love it, everyone talks about it and so I decided to be rebellious for a while and not read it. But low and behold, last night in the midst of my twilight moment, I plopped in my bed and picked up the book. I have to say, I think I may enjoy this one too.

But not a single book could bring me as much pleasure as my summer pasttime...flowers and gardens. I am becoming more and more addicted every year and wonder how I ever lived without them. Here is just a peak at my "Twilight Garden".

From front to back.....

My front porch.....

Side view of my front porch

MY PERENNIALS...OMG they are so fun and growing like crazy!

On the side of my house...

A gift from Joe...sits in the side garden....

Full view...lovely

Vining black eyed susans, part of the side garden, that have gone wild!

My wonderful new back porch...painted

My garden by the door....I love my herb garden on the little table. I sewed the skirt to block the gas meter.

Snap peas...can't wait except they make my mouth itch terribly.

My grandma flowers...always remember my grandma's violas. These are so darling.

Box garden #1 - tomatoes, onions, peppers of all kinds.

Box garden #2 - tomatoes, peppers of all kinds, cucumber and watermelon.

I am waiting for the fruit of my labor. If you are anywhere near, I will share.

So long locks...I don't need you anymore!

2010-06-18T10:52:00.000-05:00

There is something about long hair. Some people, maybe including myself, I haven't decided yet, believe that long hair holds some sort of power. You feel more sensual. You can flip it over your shoulder for drama. You can up do it to appear bold. And somehow you feel as if you are special. After all, my hair is longer than your's is the chant going on secretly in your head.

These lock lovers are attached to their hair like creeping vines attach to whatever is near. But let's face it, some of these people need to just do like my friend did one day to his vines that seemed to be growing up his house and into places they should not be. He chopped them off. Any you know what? They grow back. That is the thing. Hair grows back too and I just wonder, why do we feel so attached?

I have never been one to keep the same hair style for long. I have proof:

This picture was taken in May.

This is my current business photo. It is two years old.

This was my hair in January 2010

This was my business photo (and card) from June of 2006).

This was my business photo from 2004. (I think I like this hair cut. Mmmm...)

But I do have to say, I tend to stay on the safe side of longer for the most part. Again, I think it is a hang up on the long hair syndrome.

Since I hate being one who seems to be too much like others, I have made a declaration against loving locks. I want to be free. Free to do whatever seems right. Never again will I hold tightly to the vanity of length.

Oh Rapunzel! Rapunzel!...I shall not be. So long locks....I don't need you anymore!

With freedom abreast, I ran straight to Hair by Stewarts and got myself a new do. The funny thing is, my daughter Christiana had come to show me her hair and on a whim we went back to her hairdresser so she could do the same to me. Only, I said the dreaded words...."I really love her hair cut but could you cut mine the same way...... just a little bit longer?"

Ugh!

What a sweet daughter I have. Not ashamed to let me share the same haircut. Here we are with our new, shortened version of long.

Random things

2010-06-17T10:10:00.002-05:00

Here are a few of my random thoughts that have been swirling around in my head:

Random thought #1

I'm pretty sure these two things do not go together:

ABC Family and their new show, "Pretty Little Liars." That was until recently when I caught a little subtitle underneath the new ABC Family logo that says, "A New Kind of Family." I like the old kind then.

Random thought #2

Last week I was trekking my way to a little town west of Aberdeen called Ipswich. I spotted a small herd of cows on the side of the road and noticed that this little calf was standing next to his big mama, who just happened to be lying down. Being in the state of mind I was after my own busy week, I thought to myself, that mama cow is tired. I can relate. We mama's just get tired.

Random thought #3

Speaking of cows, did you know that in the Honolulu, Hawaii zoo, they have a cow? Yes, a cow. I learned that bit of trivia from my daughter, Elise.

Random thought #4

I want to build a greenhouse in my backyard and give homegrown flowers and vegetable starts away. (These are random thoughts just in case you forgot).

Random thought #5

I think one of the best things in life is to have all my laundry clean, folded and put away.

Random thought #6

Off Clip-On Mosquito Repellent is the best invention ever. It works. I love that you don't have to spray anything that smells. This thing is completely odorless and I never water my flowers or garden without it.

Random thought #7

I am sick of rain.