I Call You Faithful

Pat referred to this song in her blog entry. It was just too awesome not to share!

Merry Christmas

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them,
and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:
and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not:
for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you;
Ye shall find the babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes,
lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace,
good will toward men.

Luke 2:9-14

Dialog with Olivia

"Dad, Grandma was wrong when she said that Santa uses beeknockulers (spelled as she pronouces 'binoculars') to watch if you're being naughty or nice.

"Really?"

"I'm serious. There are magic televisions that record if you're being good or bad and then the elves watch them to see who is being good and bad and they write it all in the book."

"wow...I didn't know that."

"Yeah, and Santa just uses his beeknockulars to check to see if the TVs are working right. I'm serious. That's how he knows."

Brillo Man chuckling..."well, I learned something new, I didn't know that's how Santa kept track of things."

"Dad. It's not funny. I'm serious."

countdown...

December 19th and our tree is still not up.

I have some friends who don't put their tree up until Christmas Eve - AFTER the kids are in bed - then telling them that Santa brought it.

Plus - they still have to spend hours assembling the toys that aren't yet assembled.

They get no sleep that night.

We will be putting up our tree BEFORE Christmas Eve. Not sure how much before. Perhaps Christmas Eve Afternoon....

Mercer County State Police said...

Stay off the roads unless it's an emergency.

Apparently, Greenville School District thinks that school attendance warrants an emergency because even though every surrounding district (barring one) either cancelled or had a 2-hour delay, Greenville was open for business as usual.

Guess what?

I got up this morning. Looked outside. Conversed with Brillo Man who agreed that we were going to institute our own 2-hour delay. We just did not deem it safe to put Olivia on a bus (with NO seat belts) when the roads were bad and the state police were advising all to stay home. Then I went back to bed.

Ahh...sweet sleep.

Woke up two hours later -- helped Olivia get ready for school while Brillo Man went out to warm up the van. Then stood and watched as he promptly got the van stuck in eight inches of snow on top of four inches of muck and mud (leftover from last week's monsoon.) After another hour of plowing and clearing and finally getting the van out - Olivia was off to school.

Our two hour delay was now three hours.

She arrived in time for lunch. Her class was just about to leave the cafeteria and go back to class.... she stayed behind to eat and a teacher's aide was supposed to take her back to her room when she was finished, however, the aide forgot and left her behind.

Then another class showed up. Second Graders! "OH MOM! I WAS SCARED! And I had to sit there for really, really long minutes until my teacher came and told me it was time to go to gym class."

What did you do after gym class, Olivia?

We went outside for recess.

Then what?

My friend Zach slipped and fell in a huge snowy, muddy puddle and he had to go home and take a bath.

Oh, that's too bad. He went home early.

Yep.

Then what did you do?

We colored one picture and then it was time to get on the bus.

?

...should've just kept her home.....

At a loss...

Just in case you haven't noticed, I haven't been posting as regulary as I once had been.

I'm at a loss for words. And I don't know why.

I'm feeling a little (no, a lot) restless in my soul. Like something is amiss or should be happening or is going to happen. Spiritually, I feel like I'm sitting on the precipice of something huge and am about to plunge into something that I'm not able to see - not able to test the waters - nor begin to guess about the path ahead. ...wondering if He's going to be there to catch me or give me wings to fly.

I am hesitant to pray, "bring it on, Lord." Over the years, I've learned to be very, very, very, very (did I say, 'very'?) careful how I pray.

This restlessness keeps me from becoming too complacent in my relationship with God. Whenever God's wanting to do some work in me, the restlessness grows until I can't deny it. Lord..reveal to me what you want me to see. What changes do you want to make in my heart, in my life?" See, there. Now I've prayed it. look out.

Even thought this restlessness is sometimes an uncomfortable feeling, I am glad for it because it keeps me from becoming too self-reliant. It reminds me that it is only in Jesus that I find true peace, direction, and security. I certainly am unable to manufacture those feelings on my own. Trust me. I've tried.

The restlessness I feel is actually a big signpost to my heart to say that I'm not completely relying on God. (See...like I said...self-reliant.) I'm trying to fix everything that needs fixed - in my finances, in my relationships, in my walk with God. There's room for much improvement in all... but I can't fix things. I need to rest in the Lord --and see what great things He is going to accomplish. It's going to be something big. Maybe not the something big that I expected - but something that will be His perfect will for my life.

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"Come to me,
all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest."
-Matthew 11:28

"Call to Me, and I will answer you,
and show you great and mighty things,
which you do not know."
-Jeremiah 33:3

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The beginning of a New Day....

Today my dear friends, Pat and Sara lost their Mom and Gramma.

As I've been reflecting on all the splendor that Eleanor beheld this morning as she entered Heaven's Gates, I'm wondering, as I know her family is, if she danced, or sang, or bowed in worship, or was she so overwhelmed that she couldn't even speak?



In honor of Eleanor Gerhardstein...
...it will be an honor to meet you one day in Heaven.

May God wrap His loving arms around her family as they journey through this difficult time. Love you guys!

Check out our Elfen Family....

Click Here

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Then maidens will dance and be glad,
young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy
instead of sorrow.
-Jeremiah 31:13

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AH...the Aroma...

Once again, I'm reminded of the little blessings in life. How God is in the details.

The other day, I took a bunch of my art to a flower and gift shop in a nearby town. The manager is a dear friend and he's selling some things for me. While there, I noticed a display of Colonial Candles. Their oval jar candles are by far, my favorite. Brillo Man bought me some of the Oval Jar candles as a wedding gift - which we, of course, took on our honeymoon. I've been in love ever since - with the candles. (And Brillo Man too!) I have several of them throughout our home. And what's really neat about them is that when you've used up all the candle, the oval jar makes a great "keeper" of stuff. Buttons, sea shells, marbles --whatever strikes your fancy --looks great in the oval jar. And since I'm one who KEEPS EVERYTHING, a chic oval jar container is lovely way to display some of the stuff that I won't throw away.

Anyway, as I turned to leave the store, my friend said, "Wait, I want you to have something." He picked a candle off the shelf and handed it to me. A blessing indeed - as I'm not in a position to be spending $15 frivolously on a candle. (You know, the whole mortgage industry stuff....) Anyway - I now have a fragrant Pumpkin Pie Spice Candle to add to my collection of Colonial Oval Jar Candles.

Tomorrow - we're having Thanksgiving at our house. I know - we're late. The girls are coming home (Randy's daughters) - so we thought we'd wait and celebrate with them. My mother will also be joining us, as will my good friend, Ellen and her granddaughter, Angel (Olivia's best friend in the whole wide world.) So...I've been cooking for the last three days. It takes way too much of my energy to prepare a huge meal such as a Thanksgiving feast in one day. I have to spread out my efforts. Everything is ready to just pop into the oven (with the exception of the mashed potatoes and the vegetables which I'll do tomorrow.) The yams are done, the acorn squash is done, the pumpkin pies are baked, the stuffing (or dressing for you southern folk) is done and ready and stuff into the bird. And...my house has smelled heavenly for the the past three days. Even Brillo Man commented on how good it smelled as the pies were baking. (I told him not to get used to it.)

Earlier this evening, I walked past my Colonial Pumpkin Pie Spice Oval Jar Candle and thought to myself that I guess I wouldn't be needing to light it just yet. Perhaps I'll send it to mrs. mac.

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Every morning and evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD. --II Chronicles 13:11a

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She Can't Ride a Bike?!

Olivia is five. And she doesn’t know how to ride a bike. How sad is that?

You see --we live on "the state park" and have no pavement anywhere - with the exception of the road - which is obviously no place for a kid to learn to ride a bike. (At least not if you're me - overprotective parent that I am...)

This past summer I should have been more diligent about taking Olivia to the community park which has a bike trail. She could've learned to ride. Problem is - there are no benches in this park on which Moms can sit and watch their kids crash their bikes. And with me needing a place to park myself and rest a lot...the no bench thing was a deterrent. So --we didn't go very often.

This afternoon, I made this cute little mini book to sell on my etsy site. I had the illustration of the Retro Red Bike and it reminded me of the red bike that sat ever so regally in my garage as a kid. It was very similar to the blue Schwinn that also had a space in the garage. I think the blue one had been my Mom’s bike when she was a kid. And now I had one almost just like it. I rode that red bike for a few years - and then all I could think about were the cool, banana-seat bikes with the high handle bars. I wanted one. I wanted the one with the groovy flower power seat. And I got one for my birthday one year. It was a bright turquoise color - and it had the flower power banana seat - and a basket! Wow! I was livin’ high on the hog now!!

Fortunately for me, my birthday is at the end of May –the beginning of the summer season. Aha - so many miles to ride!....

I rode that bike all over town. Literally. My friend and neighbor, Bobbi Jo, and I would ride everywhere. We lived on our bikes. Stopping only for an occasional round of perpetual Monopoly set up on Bobbi Jo’s front porch –the never-ending game that lasted all summer. (I used to buy as many houses and hotels as possible - as quickly as possible - and would squeal with glee when my friends landed on my properties and had to give me all their money!)

One day my Mom and I were driving past a church in our town.
“Bobbi Jo and I rode out here on our bikes.”
“No, you did not.”
“Yes, we did,”
“You couldn’t have.”
“Why not?”
“We’re more than ten miles from home.”

I was in fifth grade.

Next year, I think I’ll take Olivia to the park so she can learn to ride her bike.
Or maybe not.

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My sheep wandered over all the mountains
and on every high hill.

-Ezekiel 34:6

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Bowled over by His blessings!

I volunteer at The Good Shepherd Center –our local “mission”. (heretofore The GSC) Some days I spend my time conducting intake interviews to determine if an individual or family meets the income guidelines to receive free food from our Pantry.
Other days I stock the shelves of the Treasure Store with all kinds of neat junk that people donate. And I run the cash register in the Treasure Store too.

Ninety percent of my Christmas shopping for Olivia has been done at The GSC. Over several months I've picked up games (Green Eggs and Ham, Operation, Don’t Break the Ice, Arthur Goes to School), books (too numerous to list!), clothes, videos, a Dora doll backpack, puzzles, an addition to her Fisher Price dollhouse village...and the list goes on and on. In fact, I’ve had to curb my spending because I ran out of room in my “Christmas chest”. All told, I think I’ve spent about $25 - maybe less. And some of the things are still in the original packaging - never been opened.

I decided that I needed a new purse. In addition to a purse for me, I was looking for one made of tapestry to use as a backdrop for photographing my jewelry which will be put up for sale on my website. Purses at The GSC are always 50 cents each. Granted, some of them have decades worth of lint and cracker crumbs in the bottom, but most are clean and in good condition. They had no tapestry purses, but I found a little leather wallet clutch with a long strap - perfect to sling over my head, allowing for hands-free rummaging and shopping. There's even a pocket on the back for my cell phone and a pen. Perfect.

On my way out the door of The GSC, I spied a bowling ball. “How much?”
“Free - it’s going in the trash.”
“Trash!!”, I said with horror and disbelief, “Don’t throw it away, I want it.”
“For what?”
“I use them as lawn ornaments.”
(Insert strange looks and shoulder shrugging here.)
“Well, we’ll save them for you if you want because we get them in all the time and we just throw them away.”
Filled with excitement and glee (I know - it doesn't take much...) I picked it up and headed out the door.

When I got home, imagine my delight when I discovered that the bowling ball was RED! I quickly added it to one of the many groupings of balls we have throughout the property.



Then I sat down to 'change' wallets. Upon transferring my things from old wallet to new –guess what was in one of the pockets of the ‘new’ wallet for which I only paid 50 cents?.....$25.00

Brillo Man comes home that evening from his scrapping adventure and asked me if “this is anything you want to keep”. He handed me a tote bag full of highly collectible Shenango China and antique glassware. The tote –made of TAPESTRY!

So - all my Christmas shopping at The GSC has been ‘reimbursed’ with the $25.00, I’ve got my garden ornaments and my tapestry...and the end of the day, when I listened to my phone messages, there was one from The GSC.

They have another bowling ball for me!

God is good.

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All these blessings will come upon you
and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God...
Deuteronomy 28:2a

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Lord...of the Flies

Yep, today is Sunday.

The Sabbath.

The Lord's Day.

Sunday-goin'-ta-meetin' day.

The Holy Day.

Today at my house, it's the Day of the Flies.

I've swatted 38 thus far....and counting.

One of the plagues...revisited.

WHERE ARE THEY COMING FROM?!?!?!?

---

...I will send swarms of flies on you
and your officials,
on your people
and into your houses.
-Exodus 8:21

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Laughter - the Best Medicine

---

A merry heart
doeth good
like a medicine.
Proverbs 15:13

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Many of my blog buddies will remember my friend, Dawna. She had back surgery yesterday and I know would appreciate your prayers!

Scatter Brained....

My therapist (yes, I have one) says that she believes I have attention deficit disorder - one reason being that I am often unable to complete what I've started and if I do, can't stay with it very long.

For example....I started off a few weeks ago listing on my long forgotten etsy site. I began by listing a few notecards and some ephemera stuff - then decided to make earrings - then decided I needed a 'niche' or something for which I could be KNOWN, so I began to create stained glass pendants. Then I got off on this tangent creating brooches and pendants made from upcycled stuff (i.e. - you take things from the garbage and make them art!). Those pieces have turned out really well (in my humble opinion), however, they will NOT appear in my etsy shop - rather they're going to a shop in a nearby town - hopefully they'll sell there. (The one in the center with the stars is a Christmas ornament - I've made a bunch of those.)



Here where I live, it doesn't seem like there's much of an 'artsy' crowd - if you know what I mean. They're mostly farmers - NOT that there's anything wrong with farmers - but I haven't known too many farmers who appreciate funky art. They're mostly into seeds and cows and stuff.

Anyway, then I got this brilliant idea to do these word and Scripture pendants - so I made a few of those. I'm checking my etsy site practically every hour and noting with horror and disbelief that NOT ONE of my fabulous word pendants has sold yet! What is UP with that?

Then this afternoon, I started searching through my studio space. (Yes, I know I promised pictures of the finished studio - hold yer horses - it's not quite done although I AM able to use the creative space!) I found my acrylic paint and canvas stash, then sorted through my watercolors, then looked through a bunch of ephemera and funky papers for possible collage pieces.... what to do next? Oh --I also found this old peasant skirt that no longer fits me (too big - yeah!) and since it has some really great fabric squares in it, I thought I'd do something fun with the fabric - maybe fabric and glass coasters or mini pillows... At this rate - I will never be known for anything. And I literally have HUNDREDS of notecard designs which I need to list...

I guess Deb's Random Art was a good name for my etsy shop after all.

Attention Deficit...ha!

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Your eyes will see strange sights
and your mind imagine confusing things.
-Proverbs 23:33

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How Much is TOO Much?

You can never have too much (or too many):

Garlic

Sunshine




Books

Chocolate


Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade

Laughter
Toenail clippers

Music

Friends

Today's Wisdom

A very wise person reminded me today of this passage...

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." -Matthew 6:25-34

I'm done worrying. At least for today, I'm going to live in the moment and enjoy the silence of the morning, the cozyness of my husband's embrace, the laughter and kisses of my daughter, and the knowledge that God has everything under control.

...At least for today.

Tomorrow - I may need reminded again.

Getting Cozy

Brillo Man and Olivia
watching a movie together
during "Olivia Time"

Stand Out

Today Olivia is having a pep rally in school. That means it's "blue and gold day". She awoke this morning and donned her blue and gold Greenville Trojans T-shirt. She wore a pair of blue jeans. She even had blue socks. As she was getting dressed, she told me that she had no idea what a pep rally was. I explained that the whole school assembles in the gym and cheers for (in this instance) the football team.

"Mom, you mean we all cheer together?"
"Yep."
"But I don't know the football team."
"Well, that's okay, it's just fun to show school spirit. You'll have a good time because you'll get to be all excited and make a lot of noise."
"But I don't want to cheer just because everybody else is cheering."
"Good for you Olivia. You don't have to cheer if you don't want to."

...how often do we "jump on the bandwagon" of life, or "go with the flow", or do things just because everyone else is doing it?

Today -- Be an Individual.

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And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
-Romans 12:2

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911

Then he sent horses and chariots
and a strong force there.
They went by night and surrounded the city.

When the servant of the man of God got up
and went out early the next morning,
an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city.
"Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked.

"Don't be afraid," the prophet answered.
"Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see."
Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes,
and he looked and saw the hills
full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

-II Kings 6:14-17

God will fight our battles for us.
May our eyes be open to see
that He has everything under control.
Even when the situation seems impossible...
with God ALL things are possible.
And what seems insurmountable to us
is really a small matter
in the eyes of the Lord.

clean

dirt
clump

rain

washed
clean

soul

tainted
sin

Christ
redemption

soul

washed
clean

---

...wash me,
and I will be
whiter than snow.
-Psalm 51:7b

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Where Does the Time Go?!

So, Olivia is in school all day and I have this huge, long list of things in my head which, upon arising in the morning, I fully intend to have accomplished by the time the school bus pulls up to the end of our driveway at the end of the day.

My projects for today included: Listing seven pair of earrings on my Etsy site (which I stayed up late last night -3:00 am!- to create); cleaning the living room; doing the dishes.

Of course, since I was so exhausted from staying up until 3:00 am, I had to go back to bed after I put Olivia on the school bus this morning. I slept until 10:30 am. There went half the morning. Then I had to putz around reading email and checking phone messages. I handled a business issue with our mortgage business. It's now after 11:00 am. Now I'm hungry. So - I putter around trying to find something good to eat. Nothing sounds good. I opened and drank a can of Cherry Pepsi which proceeded to immediately make me jittery. I spent the next hour photographing the earrings which I created last night, only to have to shoot them all over again because the lighting wasn't right and I was jittery from the pop. That was another 30 minutes. By this time, it's 1:00 pm. Brillo Man walks in the door from his three part hospital test today. (He had to be there at 6 am, 12 pm and 3 pm). We spent a few minutes talking and eating burritos for lunch. Now it's 1:30 pm. I sat down to list the earrings --listed four pair --more than half my goal. I'm on a roll! Mom called and I must say that I didn't mind that interuption at all since I rarely talk to her on a daily basis anymore because Olivia always monopolizes the phone conversations with Grandma... After a 30 minute conversation --it's now after 2:00 pm. Some more putzing doing what?, I don't remember, and soon it's after 3:00 pm. Finally, I decide to GET SERIOUS and I began to unearth the coffee table in the living room. That's almost complete. For some reason, I can't ever seem to completely rid the top of that surface from stuff! (My therapist might tell you that there's some reason for that...) Now it's time to sit down and rest because of the walking and bending and putting away of all the stuff that was on the table. My energy level lately hasn't been good (it doesn't help that I was awake until the wee hours of the morning). So...I sit down to type this blog. By the time I search the internet for some appropriate photos to place here and there...it will be time to walk up the driveway and meet Olivia. Then, I have to start dinner. Thus far, I haven't achieved any of my goals....and the phone is ringing again...

...There's always tomorrow...perhaps I'll accomplish more then.

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Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know
what a day
may bring forth.
-Proverbs 27:1

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The Things of Life

Okay --just so ya'll stop complaining that I haven't been keeping you informed --yes, I'm in the current (September) issue of GUIDEPOSTS Magazine. Not a big deal --just a little blurb on the last page. (They saved the best for last, of course!)

Sara...
Betsy Wetsy Etsy did put your order through. I have your card ready to mail --just need to take it to the post office for hand canceling --wouldn't want that monkey squished in the automated system!

Pat...
I accept your apology for Sara --although as a Mom, you really needn't take responsiblity for your adult childrens' actions.

And as for the next "thing of life"...and I realize that as I'm typing this, Brillo Man's 'forever oldest' and 'formerly youngest' have yet to learn this news unless they've spoken to Grandma Erskine today....After a very, very long doctor's appointment yesterday, we have learned that Brillo Man's hip which he had replaced in July 2006 will need to be redone. Not fun at all. Although we really knew that this was coming --it wasn't at all easy to hear. Here is the remarkable part --after an hour of intense conversation with his (new, never before seen, 2nd opinion orthopaedic surgeon), Dr. Piston began talking about the Lord and how he knows that God is always there - walking with us through all that this life brings - carrying us when we only see one set of footprints in the sand. He talked about Job, reminding us of all that he endured, yet Job still glorified God. He told us that he would be praying for Randy, not only for his health, but for our finances which in our human eyes will be stretched beyond the limit throughout this process, as Randy will not be able to do any work for a number of months. We both sat in the office and cried as Dr. Piston talked about the faithfulness of the Lord and then gave Randy a huge bear hug! (sorry Brillo Man, now the countless millions who read my blog who all along have just taken you for a comic, will know that deep down, you are a tenderhearted, loveable, sensitive guy...One of the MANY reasons I fell in love with you!) We know that God works ALL things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose!

...And of course, that leads me to another thing of life...a friend and dear sister in the Lord whom I've never met, Arlene, continues to need us to storm the gates of heaven on her behalf! With all that she has and is enduring - her faith has never wavered. I'm sure she has no idea how much of an inspiration she is to me and others who know and love her and follow her blog. We continue to believe for her complete healing and pray that the Lord will be glorified through this situation.

And finally, the last, but not least, thing of life...today was Olivia's official FIRST day of school. She was so excited and got very little sleep the night before. She dressed in the cutest outfit which she had chosen specifically for the first day. As we were ready to walk out the door, she really wanted to take Dolly with her, but I explained that Dolly needed to stay home. Her little mouth began to turn into a pout but thanks to quick thinking, I told her that Dolly would need to be home so she could keep watch over the chocolate pudding that Olivia would have as an after-school snack. It worked! No tears! We waited for the bus and prayed together that she would have a safe, happy day at school. After a full, exhausting day, the bus driver had to wake her up when she arrived at the end of our driveway. But she quickly disembarked, looked at me with evidence of chocolate pudding on her face from lunch and exclaimed that the cafeteria served salad and pizza and peaches and chocolate pudding on her tray for lunch - all her favorites. AND --the best thing of ALL was that she was able to snap her own skirt all by herself after using the bathroom! (She keeps me grounded! --Full of joy over the little things!) But God cares about even the smallest details of our lives. Even the hairs on our heads are counted. "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."
—Matthew 10:29-31, NIV (Jesus speaking).

We should never lose sight of what God can do, big and small.



So...in all of today's things of life...I praise Him for the small joys, I praise Him for the expectant big miracles for all who need big miracles...and continue to trust that He is sovereign and faithful and keeping track of my hair count (down three due to the gray ones that I plucked while in the bathroom before typing this blog. Believe me, no one knows how great a miracle it is that He can keep up with my hair count because, as you may remember from my previous post, I spend WAY too much time in any given day removing those rogue hairs from my head!)

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Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.
-Dueteronomy 7:9

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Got Junk?

While Brillo Man was working his paying job last evening, I was busy creating. (No - my studio isn't done so don't ask.)

Brillo Man is working really hard collecting scrap. He is now the resident expert in dumpster diving. Hey --the mortgage business is NOT good right now and as they say, 'ya gotta do what ya gotta do!' Our working loans are down - way down - and lenders are dropping like flies. On a daily basis we get emails from lenders saying that they're no longer in the business of funding loans. In fact, Countrywide's subsidiaries went out of business and Countrywide had to borrow money. They're one of the biggest lenders - number three as far as dollar amount loan funding is concerned.

So...ya Got Junk? Or as I prefer to say, "Got Junque?" --that spelling is oh so much more...Je ne sais quoi!

Here is a find - along with a bunch of other really neat things --but this was the neatest so far-- from this house that they're cleaning out and getting ready to sell.
One side is engraved "Alice" and the other "1887". Needless to say. We will NOT be scrapping this piece of metal! (you can click on the photo if you REALLY want to see the detail!)

Until the mortgage business improves, Brillo Man will continue with his paying job and I will create and sell my art!

Here are my latest card designs. When the finished cards are completed, they'll be listed on my etsy site. Stay tuned for more! I've got the creative "bug" now!

The Crunch is On

So...with all this talk all these months about my studio....the neat doors we're putting on the ceiling, etc... because of a billion other "priorities" - my studio has not been completed. In fact, it's FAR from started!

Brillo Man said to me two days ago --"This week, I want to get your studio finished." Yeah! Hooray!! Now finally, perhaps with Olivia starting school next week, I'll have some time to get back to my passion of creating!

Here are the "before" photos (All of you who are 'neat freaks' may not want to look - it could be too much for you!):









Some progress HAS been made --the garage door has been removed and two french doors put in it's place. The doorway to the next bay of the garage now has a door and not just an opening. Insulation has been added to the front wall. A pellet stove has been installed. We're not mentioning that all of that was done more than six months ago...

Of course, I'll share the "after" photos. (Brillo Man says one week --I say, don't look for the 'after' photos any time soon. - We still have to drive 60 miles to pick up the old doors which we bought for the ceiling --last summer. I hope the guy still has them!)

In the meantime, look for my art to appear on my etsy site. There are a couple of things there now --just so I could play around with listing.

I hope to get some good stuff listed in time for the Christmas shopping season!

...okay...off I go to work on THE STUDIO!

The First Day

Yesterday was Olivia's first day of Kindercamp.

Kindercamp is a program which our school district has initiated which helps ease kids into kindergarten - thereby hoping to deal with and alleviate any anxieties that the children may have about going to school.

Yesterday, Olivia woke up, all bright-eyed and bushy tailed, excited to start her first day. We drove to the school and assembled in the gymnasium with all the other children and their parents. The students were soon ushered back to their classrooms, ready to begin their adventure. As they walked away and we watched them disappear down the hallway, my friend Jim said, "...there they go...with not even a wave goodbye..." It was then that I got a little bit teary-eyed - but managed to hold to together. After all, we parents would be in the school the entire morning and I would be driving Olivia home.



This morning, however, on day 2, Olivia woke up, all bright-eyed and bushy tailed and excited again because she was going to ride the school bus! I wish I wouldv'e been quick enough to capture the expression on her face when she pointed down the road and exclaimed, "Mommy, the school bus is coming!!" (Okay Mom, hold it together...this is, after all, just a 'dry run'. School doesn't REALLY start until the 28th....this is JUST kindercamp...) The bus moniter emerged and taught Olivia the safe way to board the bus and off they went, down the road. Destination: Adventure!


Now I'm faced with the long walk back down the driveway. Surprisingly, I took a few deep breaths, thanked the Lord for the beautiful morning, and tried to push out of my mind that I've just sent my baby girl out to face the world all on her own. I made up my mind that I wasn't going to cry and instead decided to take some pictures of the flowers growing along the way.

How beautiful they are - created by God just for me to enjoy this morning. But then I saw it - the flowers were crying.

Still - I'm okay...there is a lot that I'm going to be able to accomplish while Olivia is in school and this is going to be a good thing....

Then I came in and started typing...and did really well until I typed the words, "...I've just sent my baby girl out to face the world all on her own." It was then that I could no longer hold back my emotion. The tears are falling...she's in Your hands Lord. Keep her safe. My baby girl is growing up...

...but I don't have to like it.