Black and White Childrens Photo Contest at i heart faces

Black & White Photo Challenge at i heart faces

This is a pic of my dd "geeping" around at a gathering of dear friends. I entered this into the i heart faces b&w photo contest that I discovered while checking out the Pages of our Life blog at this link:
http://www.pagesofourlife.com/. So I checked out the i heart faces website and thought it was pretty cool - lots of things you can learn about photography . I've been trying to take better photographs and I'm thinking that this website can help me. There looks like there are some great tutorials on the site, plus lots of good photos. If you'd like to learn more, just click on the link below.

Forty Trash Bag Challenge for Lent

I am a member of the Yahoo group for Flylady and also of Flylady.com and today in our email updates there was a note from a lady about decluttering for Lent. It really resonated with me as to what I need to do to help myself be less stressed and bogged down. I always think of giving up food for lent, but this made more sense to me for this year. Clutter really weighs you down mentally, emotionally and tends to make you tired just looking at all you have to do. I thought this was a good way to tackle some of the clutter and bless others at the same time. Below is the letter that was enclosed that describes the process. Anyone want to join me?

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FlyLadyMentors/message/55811

Dear FlyLady,

I picked up this handout at church recently: The Forty Trash Bag
Challenge. It looked like a great idea, and it fit right in with the
Decluttering for Lent email I just got in my inbox. Here is the Forty
Trash Bag Challenge:

Every day during Lent this year, empty one bag of 'stuff' that is no
longer needed from your house, totaling a loss of forty bags of stuff!

1.) Taking a look at the size of your family and household, with an
acknowledgement of how much 'stuff' is present, make a prudential
choice on the size of bag to be employed during this challenge. Bag
size should be small enough that the goal of 40 bags during the season
of Lent is able to be accomplished, while not being too big that you
are left with nothing. We must still live in the world, after all!

2.) If smaller children are a part of your family, a 'gauge' may be
helpful to keep them engaged and help them keep track of progress. As
part of your preparations, make a 'paper chain' of forty numbered
links. As each new bag is started, place a new link in the bottom of
the bag. This way, as the chain gets smaller, there is a greater sense
of accomplishment.

3.) This challenge necessarily involves sacrifice. Each member of the
family should be encouraged to give something to each bag, or there
could be designated bags for each member of the family.

4.) Instead of just throwing things away, recycling is a great way to
encourage good stewardship of the gifts we have been given, as it
symbolizes that we are passing along our gifts to others. Families
with children are encouraged to pass along clothes that no longer fit
or toys that sit dormant in a closet to families in need instead of
just throwing them away.

5.) Units of count need not necessarily be trash bags, either; however
they should be equivalent. For example, a box of gently used toys or
clothes could equate one bag off the chain. A stack of books donated
to the parish library is another easy equivalent.

As the family accepts this challenge together, bonds will be created
that will last a lifetime. Lessons are also learned not just by
saying, but by putting it into practice. Here, the simple lesson will
last throughout life that having fewer things can lead to a greater
contentment in life.

(Credit due to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for this handout on
vocations and family faith formation)

Women's Retreat

I was able to take my dd to a retreat for women this weekend. It turned out to be an awesome and inspiring time There were missionaries there from SE Asia and we met and networked with lots of neat ladies from around our state and the US. One of the first things that happened was that me dd met another young woman who is interested in missions. It was interesting how much they had in common and it turns out that they only live about 25 miles away from each other. They are already talking about her new friend going with her to Mexico this summer. It is really amazing how God works.

Coca Cola Door - Mackinac

I tried playing around with Photoshop on this one. I'm not that thrilled with how it turned out, but it is a learning curve after all. I really like the little boy reaching for the star!

Mackinac Trees

These photos were taken when we sailed over to Mackinac Island last summer. Ron and I hiked around quite a bit on the island and I took lots of photos. The scenery is just so picturesque there. I love the feeling of being away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist part downtown and also away from automobiles! Mackinac Island is one of my favorite places.

Heart Leaf

Happy Belated Valentines Day

Roast and Toast

Ron and I went to a really cute little coffee shop when we were up North. Here are a few photos.

Tribute to a Great Man

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
Theodore Geiss (Dr. Seuss)

My friend Jerry was one of the greatest people I have ever known. He was the kind of person that when he talked to you, he made you feel like you were someone special. He always made time for people. But more than that, he loved life and he loved his Lord Jesus Christ. He truly was like my big brother, my spiritual big brother. He had a gift of helping people to deal with the realities of life, while at the same time inspiring you to be better, to do the essentials that are meaningful to life.

One of my favorite sayings of his was that there are only two things in life that are really important -
1 - Your relationship to Jesus Christ and
2 - Your relationship to others in Christ.
The other of my favorites was that he was continually reminding all of us to be intentional every day - to be intentional about reaching out to others, loving them and sharing Christ with them.

No other person outside my family has ever had a greater impact on me than Jerry did. When I was a new hire at Dow, he was always smiling, teasing and talking to me about how I needed to conduct myself to be respected and to be successful there. Once I became reacquainted with him when we moved here 21 years ago, he was constantly helping me and Ron to become better marriage partners. He mentored Ron and me constantly, both in our marriage and in our faith walk with Christ. We would spend hours sometimes talking about spiritual things and how we needed to walk each day to live out what God was teaching us.

When I was rejected by those closest to me - he was always my advocate. He would go to bat for me no matter what others thought. He believed in me and encouraged me to constantly lean on Christ as my rock. He listened and advised, even when the advice was difficult for me to hear. He had a knack for getting right to the crux of the matter and had the courage to say what needed to be said, even though he usually managed it without offending. His deep love for us always showed through and so we were able to accept his words because we knew his heart. He made us laugh and made us closer to each other. I hope to share some of my "Jerry" stories as time goes by. But right now, my heart is just too tender.

There are so many lessons I learned from knowing him, that I am truly a different and better person having known him. I am grateful to God that he gave me the opportunity to know him for almost 30 years. I am going to miss him terribly and so often I wish I could pick up the phone or drop by the church to talk something over with him. My family and I miss him terribly.

But I know that I will see him again...

Mackinac Doors

As some of you know, I have sort of an obsession with doors. So I have decided to post some of my "door" photos. I will start with some from Mackinac Island. This is such an inviting door - just makes you feel welcome and entreats you to come on inside and have a nice cup of tea, doesn't it?

Childhood Memories - The Snake

In honor of my husband's science unit on "snakes" I thought I would post a little memory from my childhood about a snake. I grew up in Mississippi where there are lots and lots of snakes. My cousin and my closest friend at the time, lived out in the country next to my grandparents. I spent as much time as possible out there playing in the woods and along the creek. (As a matter of fact, by first memory of a deliberate lie had to do with me telling my parents that my grandmother had agreed that we could come out one Sunday, when in reality, she had said that is wasn't a good day, since she and my grandfather were both sick. - More about lying and it's impact on another day.)

Anyway - on this particular summer day, my cousin and I were hunting snakes. She had a big ball jar to catch one in. I gleefully went along - not knowing what i was getting into. So there we were, about 1/2 mile from the house, lurking along the wooded side of an open field, when Jane spotted one. In that moment I became absolutely petrified with fear. And she was gleefully chasing down the snake. She captured it in her jar and came back to show me her treasure. I thought I was going to throw up. She was quite amused as all the color drained from my face. She said, "Aw, it's just an ole garter snake - here - hold it!"

Oh, my, I think I set an Olympic record, running back to the house as fast as I could go. She never let me live down the fact that I was a "city girl" after that episode. I have never liked snakes since then.

And then there's the story about the water moccasin swimming across my feet as I waded near the shore of my aunt's pond....oooooh!

Striped Sweater Purse

Here is a picture of my most recent sweater purse, made from a felted wool sweater rescued from the thrift store. The lining is made from a corduroy skirt also from a thrift store. I made it for my oldest daughter for Christmas.

I felted the sweater in hot water in my front loading washer with a little Woolite and then put the sweater in the dryer. Once it was felted, I cut out a purse that fit the sweater. My dd wanted one that was fairly large, more like a tote. I took the felted sweater with me to the thrift store and shopped for an article of clothing that matched to make the lining. My dd had liked the idea of corduroy, so I used a corduroy skirt, which adds to the sturdiness of the purse. I think it turned out pretty cute.

Sweater Purse Lining

Crazy Scarf

Here is a picture of my daughter wearing the "crazy scarf" I made her using all sorts of yarns, sort of like the idea of a crazy quilt. I had seen a very expensive one sort of like this a.t a local department store and decided that I could make something like it for a lot less. My dear friend and crocheting mentor helped me figure out how to do it. It didn't turn out exactly like I wanted it to, but all in all, it is not too bad.

Treacherous but Beautiful Skiing

Ron and I decided to check out some of the x-country skiing down in Petosky, and after driving around for a while trying to find a place to ski, we finally settled on this location near the local college. Since we knew nothing really and had read that the trails were groomed, it was flat and went along the river, we thought it would be a good choice. It was really cold out, so I was hoping for an easy trail that we could go relatively fast on to get good exercise and stay warm - and hopefully, the scenery would be nice. Well.....it didn't quite turn out like I expected. Whoever wrote about the trail should have defined "groomed" and "flat", as those were terms used pretty lightly in the write-up. It turned out to be somewhat treacherous for me, although, of course, dh didn't have any problems. The trail was packed down, but hardly what I would call "groomed". I fell several times. There were times where we had to travel over bridges that were barely wider than our skiis. We couldn't really travel fast enough to keep very warm, and I was exhausted from falling and trying to get up. "Help - I've fallen and I can't get up!" was my chant! But on the plus side, it was truly beautiful. And I got some good photos, although I had left the better camera in the car : ( So if I ever go there again, I will know what to expect and be more prepared.

My dh took me out for coffee afterwards to reward me for such a trying time. : )

Our Romantic Getaway Up North

Ron and I went up to a condo across from Boyne Highlands last week for a much needed get-away. With the economy, troubles at Dow, and just general exhaustion, I was desperately needing a break to take time to pray, re-connect with my husband and just re-evalute my priorities and how I was living my life. Lots of things to deal with and my emotions were at rock bottom. The condo was absolutely beautiful, the snow was beautiful and we had a really good time. I was able to feel much more rested and focused. I don't know that we made any big decisions, but we dealt with some things that needed to be addressed and I felt much refreshed.

If you haven't taken the time lately to re-connect with your spouse, Now Is the Time!

Twitter Moms: The Influential Moms Network

The Pets

The pets don't get much press around here, but they are definitely "involved" in our family. So here they are!

Devotional: King of Glory Video by Third Day

"Snow in the City Forest"
January 2009


A powerful worship song from Third Day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ExnRvGk9ZA

I am trying to do the One Year Bible Reading and study located at this link

http://www.oneyearbibleblog.com/

as my daily Bible study this year. I also purchased The Bible Experience audio Bible and I am really enjoying listening to the Bible this year. I read along online or in my personal Bible. I haven't done it EVERY day, but I am trying to keep up. My prayer is that God will renew my enthusiasm and zeal for Him through this study this year.

Memory verse for this week:

I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11 NIV

I also found a really neat site for parallel Bible, and Bible in various languages, including the Latin Vulgate, Greek, Spanish, etc. It is an awesome resource. Find it here:

http://biblos.com/

Two Hearts

This is my very first attempt at downloading brushes and using them. Of course my dd helped me a lot. But I think it really turned out quite interesting - don't you? This is a photo that I took when Ron and I were in Montreal this summer. I was wandering around during the day while he was in conferences for work. These hearts are outside the Musee Beaux Arts. It was a wonderful day of wandering. I just took my time and soaked in all of the old architecture, history and beauty.

My First Photoshop Try - Outhouse Door Handle

This is a photo that I took while up north on a cross-country skiing date with my hubby. We stopped in an historic village and I took some cool pictures. This one is the door handle of an outhouse. My dd helped me to edit it in Photoshop. I got the idea from this blog: http://www.thelastdoordownthehall.blogspot.com/ It is simply a fabulous blog and you should take a look around if you get a chance.

Ways to Renew Your Spirit

1. Go to church
2. Listen to wonderful music that you don't hear often.
3. Watch a movie that you love.
4. Read a good book.
5. Go for a walk or hike.
6. Sit quietly in your favorite chair with your eyes closed.
7. Take an extra long bubble bath or shower by candle light.
8. Make a pot of soup for supper and let it simmer all day in the slow
cooker while you relax.
9. Take a nap
10. Go for a drive.
11. Turn off your phone.
12. Sit outside and listen to the birds.
13. Take your dog for a walk
14. Curl up on the couch with a magazine.
15. Build a fire or light a candle
16. Do the crossword puzzle.
17. Listen to the audio bible.
18. Drink a really good cup of coffee while looking at beautiful books.
19. Do something creative.
20. Play the piano.

Time Management vs Procrastination

Professor C. Northcote Parkinson says,

Work expands so as to fill the
time available for its completion.

My Weight Loss Journey

I have recently lost 45 lbs and am trying to maintain the loss. Ideally, I would love to lose at least another 10 lbs. We'll see what the new year brings.

I used the Isagenix plan. I still do 2 shakes a day and one healthy (&sometimes not so healthy) meal and do a nutritional cleanse once a week. I didn't lose over the holidays and maybe gained a little. It was all those fruitcake cookies my husband makes! Ha! But now I want to try to get back in line with the program. One thing I have learned now that I am over 50 is that if I ever want to eat anything extra I MUST exercise. We have been x-country skiing when the weather co-operates and I have been doing a Pilates class once a week and trying to walk at the mall a few times a week. Now that school has started back up for me (I homeschool), it is harder to find the time to work in the exercise. So I hope being a part of the Yo-Yo Sisterhood Diet Rehab Twitter group http://www.twittermoms.com/group/yoyosisterhooddietrehab will help me stay motivated.

As far as my weight loss goes, it is and has always been, a struggle for me. My biggest "downfall" really was multiple injuries that kept me from exercising and also depression. It took a major devastating event to get me on my journey to weight loss and to get me to start putting myself on the list (like Oprah said the other night - ha!) I had spent so much of my life caring for others and giving and giving that I never took care of myself.

So the devastating event (which I won't go into) helped me to decide to take care of myself. (That - at least - was a positive outcome.) I guess there is that turning point for each of us - and it is different for each of us. But once I started healing - I was able to start moving toward health. And it is still not easy. But I would encourage each of you to consider putting yourself back on your list. I have to daily recommit to eating healthy and I do fall off the plan sometimes. I just keep trying to pick myself up and get back with the program. So...I hope these comments help a little for any of you who are struggling to lose weight or keep the weight off.

Twitter Moms

Interesting Quotes from TOS

"Home schooling is a very old way of doing things. If you look at any of the bills in your wallet or the coins in your pocket, they all have a picture of a homeschooler on them." -William Lloyd

"Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age will bring few regrets, and life will become a beautiful success." - Louisa May Alcott

7 Days of Give-Aways by Learning at HIs Feet

Starting today, you can click on the button in my sidebar to see how you can win a daily give-away for the next 7 days.

Holiday Printable Countdown Freebies by Linda Vollrath

Today I finally joined a Yahoo Group for Altered Books. Why haven't I thought of that before?! The first message I read was by Lisa Vollrath of Ten Two Studios and she is having a Holiday Countdown Freebie give-away of downloadable freebies. Please visit her web site and support her. Thanks, Lisa!



Also, I hope to scan in pages from my many, many altered books and post on here. I just never take the time to scan them in. But - over Christmas vacation......whee - hopefully I'll finally get to it.

Maybe as a part of this group I'll figure out if I'm doing things right, wrong or like any one else is doing. I'm really looking forward to this.

Thanksgiving is Coming

This year I hope to spend more time being truly thankful. I read a good article in our paper today written by a local doctor. It was profound as he shared a little about patients that entered his practice and how each one made him realize an area he had to be thankful for. For example, a woman who couldn't walk made him realize how thankful he was that he could walk. There are so many things that we take for granted. Even with the economy as it is right now, if we stop and really think, we have much to be grateful for.

Once again, my MIL will be with us for Thanksgiving. We are so blessed to still have her with us. And my SIL will be coming for a visit with her 2 boys and her boyfriend. It will be good to be able to enjoy her company. We have a warm, comfortable home in which to host our guests. I tend to focus on our lack of space instead of the fact that we have such a nice comfortable - and may I mention - paid for - place to invite friends and family to visit. Well, there are many more things - our health, my DH good job, my children, and more. But for now, I'll just say Thank you - to God, my creator and savior.

"O terque quaterque beatum”
We are three or four times blessed.

Jess in Chinese Cultural Festival

Today Jess performed in the Chinese Cultural Festival at the Center for the Arts. The dance they did was called "Dun Huang Fantasia" and was beautiful. The festival featured a Chinese Orchestra, Tai Chi Fan, a fashion show where the clothing was replica from the Tang Dynasty period, (Jess modeled a green Kimono with an umbrella), displays and exhibits of Chinese brush painting, Chinese calligraphy, food, musical instruments and more. It was quite well done and entertaining.

Jess was exhausted when it was all over with. She had to be there from 9 until it was over. I was very proud of her. She looked absolutely beautiful. She also made the newspaper and had her picture in - in silhouette - much to her relief. She was embarrassed to be seen in the costume which was a little revealing.

Fall Fun and Halloween

Last night the kids went out again and we had our annual Halloween gathering with much trick-or-treating, food, and fun. Katy and Alex went along as chaperones and were given much candy, since they, too, were in costumes. We had chili, nachos, homemade chai and wassail, and of course, lots of candy. We even had chocolate covered potato chips supplied by B! Wow were those ever good and even a little sinful. Ron also provided us with Margaritas to spice up the evening. The most fun for me is watching the kids get dressed up and also to see all the little ghosts and goblins that stop by. It has been an annual tradition now for about 10 years. Then while the moms sat with their feet up sipping Margaritas, the dads and kids played Apples to Apples. Lots of fun! I'll post photos later when I get my adapter back.

Economic Downturn and Homesteader Outlook

We have talked as a family about going on a "money diet", as my best friend often calls it. Now that our stock value has plummeted, we are looking at it as a good time to tighten our belts and teach the kids more about living frugally. We have never been really extravagant, but have always had as much as we needed. An article I read had the following tips for keeping a homesteader's mindset, even if you are not a homesteader. Here are the comments"

Avoid the feeling of depravity and start thinking of it as creativity.

Before purchasing anything (clothing, food, household item, equipment, etc.), there are several questions that run through the mind of someone who considers themselves a homesteader. These questions help decide whether he or she should make the purchase. Here are just a few examples:

* "Can I make it myself for less than it costs to buy it?"
* "Do I have something already that works in place of this item just as well?"
* "How often will I use this new item?" (Hint: If it's not used regularly, don't purchase it.)
* "Can I do without this item?"
* "Do we actually need it or do we just want it?"

When choosing to do without or make do or make it myself, the homesteader looks at the whole event as a way to be creative. Creativity is central to this new mindset, not just a budget or skimping, but creatively finding new ways to do things, new ways to make things, and new ways to use, reuse and recycle things. It's a challenge and a game to someone with a homesteading mindset to see just how happily and simply we can live. http://www.stretcher.com/stories/08/08oct20c.cfm

More Bike Riding

We went for a long bike ride last night. I have been very discouraged with my weight loss efforts. I seem to be gaining even though I am not eating much. So I know exercise is an important key. The neat thing is that the weather has been fantastic this week for outdoor activity. We rode until it was almost dark. My dh stopped mowing the grass just to go with me. Today I am sort of sore, but that is a good sign that I actually had a good workout. So I'll do what FlyLady says and say to myself, "Go Me!" I don't really like to congratulate myself, but I have to learn to applaud my own efforts at trying to live a healthy life style, so that I can keep going. Otherwise, I will fall by the way side. And I've put WAY too much effort into this journey to turn back now.

Casting Down Imaginations

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ..." 2 Corinthians 10:5

So, I pose the question, What has the enemy stolen from me? What image is he trying to foist upon me, to steal the joy in finding God’s best and success for my life?

Let’s reclaim the joy. Challenge the lies in our minds. Declare war on the father of lies. Cast down those wrong images, and let’s raise up the vision God has for us.

New Quote

"You may dazzle the mind with a thousand brilliant discoveries of natural science; you may open new worlds of knowledge which were never dreamed of before; yet, if you have not developed in the soul of the pupil strong habits of virtue which will sustain him in the struggle of life, you have not educated him, but only put in his hand a powerful instrument of self-destruction. "
-- Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne

I found this used in one of my Yahoo groups. It really causes one to think.

Riding My Bike

I have been very lax in exercising this summer - mostly because we have been gone so much. I have walked a couple of times a week, but nothing really strenuous. I was doing pretty good until I got a horrible case of poison ivy and had to stay in for 3 wks. But today I rode my bike about 9 mi. round trip with my family. It felt good to be back into it. I get discouraged because it is so difficult to maintain my weight. But I am trying to stay positive.

My dd is home from college this weekend, so that is really nice. I plan to enjoy her as much as possible.

Sunny Saturday in May

Continuing the Moving in May challenge, we walked about an hour today. Not really fast, but walking, anyway. I guess every little bit helps to set the pace and move toward the habit of exercising. My dear husband was willing to walk with me, even though his back is really sore from doing lots of yard work this weekend in the glorious sunshine. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, although it was quite windy. But the weather does help the mood. Signs of God;s renewal of the earth are all around us - blooming tulips, crab apple trees, flox and more. We were able to walk part of the way with my neighbor whom I don't see often anymore, now that our girls are older and don't get together as much any more.

We were able to go over to Bay City and get the sail and the dodger which we had repaired over the winter. Going up to put the boat in the water this weekend. I'm praying for good weather and hopefully we will get a chance to go out for a sail once or twice. Looking forward to spending some quality time with my husband.

My daughter is still in Mexico and doing well there. The weather is quite hot but the group seems to be surviving ok. They are stuccoing some walls for the apartments while the guys are doing more heavy construction - or de-struction, as the case may be. They are making holes in concrete walls for places to put doors. She is really getting a chance to practice her Spanish more and more. I'm praying that she has a great, rewarding and satisfying experience and feels useful to the children's home there.

My son made a delicious carrot cake tonight from scratch. It was really excellent and I was so impressed that he actually did it all, including the icing from scratch. I HAD to have a piece, even though it is not on my eating plan. But it was the best cake I think I have ever had - certainly in recent memory. He was disappointed in how it looked, but it was truly wonderful. I had to ask him to take it home with him, so I wouldn't be tempted to eat more of it. He even placed it on a Lazy Susan tray I had, which made it much easier to manage for icing. Pretty innovative idea. I know I never would have thought of that.

My husband cooked steaks on the grill for us tonight from our new beef we just purchased. It was really, really good. I never want to have to go back to buying beef from the store. This is so much better. We had asparagus, broccoli and potatoes, along with salad to go with it. Great meat. I am so fortunate to have two men that are such good cooks!

Moving in May II

More Moving in May info:

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful, and although my knee is still pretty sore, Ron and I rode our bikes for 1.5 hours - slow and steady. Boy was I tired when we got home. My legs felt like walking on Jello. But it was good to get out and enjoy the good weather and the beautiful Spring scenery. And the good news is that today my knee doesn't hurt any more than it did yesterday. So we hope to go again today. We have another absolutely breathtaking day out there.

So, as Tigger says: TTFN!!

Moving in May

The challenge from Flylady this month is called "Moving in May". We are supposed to exercise at least 15 minutes each day. This has been somewhat frustrating for me, because I hurt my knee at my Pilates class early in the month and haven't been able to do anywhere near as much as I would like. I have tried walking a little and biked a little. Tonight Ron and I biked for at least 30 minutes. Not hard, but steady. I have exercised on average about every third day. But my knee is starting to feel much better, so hopefully, I will be able to do more and more as summer comes on. I would like to lose 10 lbs. more, and it is getting tougher and tougher to stick with it. I am going to try to post my minutes here for the rest of the month.

My exercise for the previous part of the month is as follows:
5-1 60 min. Pilates
5-1 60 min. Aqua Fitness
5-4 30 min. biking
5-7 30 min. Walking
5-9 30 min. Walking
5-10 30 min. Biking
5-10 10 min. No Excuses Work Out (NEWO)

The Power of the Mind

I have run across many things this week that have to do with the power
of the mind. Experiments where a placebo has almost as big an effect as
the medication.

As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth,
so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind.
To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again.
To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over
the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.

- Henry David Thoreau

Winter Photos

This is a neat slide show from webshots.

Failure or Success at Home?

"No success can compensate for failure in the home"
~David O. MacKay

This is an appropriate quote to start my first post for 2008. This is my one and only New Year's Resolution - to improve our home life. This year I will continue to focus on restoring our marriage and making our home a haven for my family. 2007 was very difficult in many,many ways, but we are on our way to a healthier marriage and family for 2008. The Lord is truly faithful and can resurrect new life from any failure, disappointment or crisis.

"For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans for a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. This will be my verse for this year. I have to keep reminding myself that my life has a purpose and I have a reason for being. It is a God-given gift - not something I have earned or deserve. But it is a gift to be used as a blessing.

Our First Snow

Today I woke up to a beautiful blanket of white snow. I've been really running around lately trying to get things done, so I hadn't watched the weather - so....the white blanket was a big, WONDERFUL surprise. It made everything look so clean and fresh. It made me think of the way we all need a fresh clean start and that God, in his grace and mercy, gives us that opportunity with each new day. And boy did I need a new start today. The last week has been really difficult - and last night in particular was. I couldn't sleep, so stayed up till 2 a.m., which I knew I would pay for this morning. I have been in the doldrums for several days, wondering if life is really worth much and is anything that I do worth much. And so - the early morning SNOW - gave me the assurance that we can start again with each new day. We don't have to wait until Jan. 1st or some other monumental occasion. Just start with today. I have sort of unwittingly been fasting today. And I feel refreshed and renewed. Thank You Lord for your gift of snow and grace and mercy!

21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:21-36

The entrance

The entrance, originally uploaded by bitprocessor.

I love this photo - the black and white and the shimmering light off the cobblestones. Plus - a DOOR! Of course I am enamored with doors and entrances of all types. Great job!

Memories for Those Born in 1955

I was born in 1955, so I thought I would add a few memories here - an idea I got from one of the Yahoo Groups I am a member of:

One of my favorite toys was the hul-a-hoop.

The first Barbies came out in 1958 or 9 and I got my first one in 1959.

I remember being in 1st grade when JFK was assassinated. Everything stopped to watch the news.

When I learned to drive gas was 19 cents a gallon.

I remember phone party-lines where you could listen in on your neighbor's conversations!

The Monkees and Herman's Hermits were popular musicians when I was in Jr. High.

There were many corner stores that sold penny candy- things like wax lips, necco wafers, candy dos and more

Milk came in glass jugs

Disposable diapers were just about unheard of

Other popular toys- Tiny Tears, Chatty Cathy, Raggedy Ann, Radio Flyer wagons, metal skates with keys, tea sets, Easy Bake Ovens

In grade school we all learned the drill procedure in the event of an atomic bomb attack – duck under your desk and cover your head

Many places did not have an area code, and telephone numbers were often associated with names and letters .Stanley eight and so on

All phones were rotary dials will bells for ringers

Most children’s records were done on heavy vinyl and played at 78 rpm

No video recordings- cartoons waited till Saturday morning

No air popped popcorn- it was in a pot with oil or the new invention of Jiffy Pop.

View Masters were new toys and cool

Silly Putty was new and cool

Etch a Scetch was cool

There were pinball games but no video games

Microwaves were incredibly expensive and very few owned them. Same was true for air conditioners


Car seats were unheard of and most of us rode around in the back of the station wagon, free as a bird

Everyone played in the neighborhood- softball, kick-the-can and hide and seek were spontaneous events

real paper dolls

milk being delivered to door

Captain Kangaroo

black and white tvs, we got 3 channels

portable record players

stingray bikes

clackers

Cocoa cola came in glass bottles

drive in movies

Drive ins - they put the food tray on your car window

Completed "Things I Love" Art Page

Here are the instructions from Wrapped Emotions: http://wrappedemotions.blogspot.com/

With Thanksgiving being next week everyone begins to ask the traditional question..."For what are you thankful?" This week let's put a little twist on that thought.

What do you love today?

For this week's prompt you will need to set aside a small block of uninterrupted time. *gasp* You can do it. You need to do it. Allow whatever amount of time you think it will take to complete the project. Get any art supplies ready ahead of time. Open your art journal to a clean page, date it and begin listing the things you love today...or whatever day you do the project.

No typing on the computer and printing words. It should be done in your handwriting. Make it neat, make it sloppy, make it uniquely yours. Doodle the words, fine line print, bold line print, scribble. Write horizontally, diagonally, backwards, upside down. Give the page some color and pop...paint the page first...collage the page first...color the page with marker. Do not be limited by these suggestions. But WRITE the lists...no typing and printing. What is important is that you know what you love today.

One more twist...in a creative way include a wrapper from one of the things you love today (or the day you do this). Remember, if a week's project is not completed on an actual journal page, take the time to lovingly place each one into your art journal.

So...What do you love today?

Since it is hard to read what I wrote in gel pen, you can read the list here:
Things I love today are:
my husband, my children, my Lord, memories of butterfly kisses from my children, seeing my children succeed and enjoy life, my close friends. And for the more trivial - not necessarily "love" but like or enjoy extremely : watching the Hornblower movies on the pull-out couch with my family, long walks in the woods, long bike rides, good music - my son's music, my daughters' creations, getting compliments, being told that I am loved, hearing from my son, our property up North on Long Lake, being called "skinny", talking for hours with my good friend, drinking great coffee, looking at books, creating art, listening to my daughter play the piano, dreaming about the future, sunsets on Long Lake, autumn leaves crunching under my feet as I walk, one perfect, tiny crimson leaf lying amid thousands of dried up brown leaves, white birch bark among multiple dark tree trunks, shopping for cute clothes for myself for the first time in years, reading good books, altered anything! still!, going to the art fair and meeting the artists, hand-made, hand-embellished wool felted hats.........

The wrapper I chose is the cup wrapper from a couple of coffees enjoyed with friends - one from Starbucks and the other from Barnes and Noble. Barnes and Noble is a place I love to spend time because I can combine my love of looking at good books, drinking great coffee and spending time with friends or family. I simply scanned them in, along with the cover of a soap container (Mary Engelbright) given to me by my best friend.

The scanned Clinique wrapper represents my new interest in wearing make-up and trying to look my best. And the bicycle - well that is probably obvious.

I have recently lost over 40 pounds and hope to lose 20 more. All of this is part of my trying to re-frame my life. I am trying to re-discover the creative part of me. So finding this creative outlet with Wrapped Emotions seems to really fit. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Things I Love Today

This is the first post since a year ago - what have I been doing? Mostly trying to stay alive and re-frame my life into a new one. I had an earth-shattering experience last March that I won't go into here, but suffice it to say that my old world completely crumbled and I have been trying to find myself in this new world I call "life". It has been a long, difficult struggle and will probably continue to be so for some time. But the fact that I can at least write again suggests that I am starting to live in this new world instead of stand by and look at it.

Things I love today are:
my husband, my children, my Lord, memories of butterfly kisses from my children, seeing my children succeed and enjoy life, my close friends. And for the more trivial - not necessarily "love" but like or enjoy extremely : watching the Hornblower movies on the pull-out couch with my family, long walks in the woods, long bike rides, good music - my son's music, my daughters' creations, getting compliments, being told that I am loved, hearing from my son, our property up North on Long Lake, being called "skinny", talking for hours with my good friend, drinking great coffee, looking at books, creating art, listening to my daughter play the piano, dreaming about the future, sunsets on Long Lake, autumn leaves crunching under my feet as I walk, one perfect, tiny crimson leaf lying amid thousands of dried up brown leaves, white birch bark among multiple dark tree trunks, shopping for cute clothes for myself for the first time in years, reading good books, altered anything! still!, going to the art fair and meeting the artists, hand-made, hand-embellished wool felted hats........

That's it for tonight. I'll try to do art tomorrow.

Pumpkin Carving Extrordinaire

J and I went out to B's to carve pumpkins with her family and with the 2 Korean boys that she tutors in English. It was their first time to ever experience the American tradition of carving pumkins. I also picked up another youngster who is Chandler's age, and we stopped at the grocery store for goodies to share and pumpkins to carve. Actually, I was supposed to stop at a farmer's place on the way out there, but when the little guy caught sight of this very LARGE pumpkin, he just had to have it. And since his dad had given me $3 and it cost - you guessed it -$3 - I gladly took the opportunity to save myself a stop at the farmer's house. I just got one for Jess at the same time. The only problem was that my little charge couldn't CARRY his pumkin, so I had to carry TWO!

THE GIANT PUMPKIN!


















THE GANG CARVES PUMPKINS!

It was pretty funny watching them all get really grossed out by the pumpkin guts. They found out that it was a lot of work to clean those huge pumpkins out. And carving through the thick skins was more than a little difficult. They perservered, however.



Here is Harry pulling off the top to the sounds of "ooewe!!"











J & E were downstairs stenciling on theirs to make spiders and turkeys. Theirs turned out pretty neat.

DOORS

Doors are fascinating to me these days. Here is one off the internet - from France.... The next one is from Bay City. They seem to indicate portals which can take you wherever you want to go - seems that there must be something very interesting on the other side.

Jesus said in Luke 13:24, "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able."

And also, in Matthew 7: 13-14 -
"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. "



Jesus had a lot to say about doors. Probably the most important thing he said with regard to doors is found in John 10:9, "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."

As for me, I guess I am searching for which door I should choose. Not about my faith - that is firm and solid. However... while much of my life is pretty satisfying, there still seems to be a void - so... for today, the subject is DOORS.

THANKSGIVING 06

We had 13 in for Thanksgiving dinner, which included my mother-in-law and father-in-law, which is truly a blessing, since this time last year, we weren't sure how my mil would be doing, as her health has been in decline. We were very thankful to have her with us this year.






DOUG AND MAGGIE
AFTER DINNER CONVERSATION.......
Just what is it that makes jello not gel when it has fresh pineapple in it?? Let's check out the biology text....


Also, my son was home. This was a true blessing to me as well. I never get as much time with him as I would like, and it is always a joy to have him here.














RYAN WATCHING TV AFTER DINNER

He will be a Senior at school this next semester, and he will be out in the world before we know it. BTW, here is a link to the latest article about him at school.

MEET THE MUSICIAN:
http://www.hillsdale.edu/collegian06/default.asp?issue=110906§=arts&item=meet_the

Also, Ron's sister was here with her boyfriend and her two sons. We also hosted my friend and neighbor and her daughter. We had lots and lots of pies. It seems everyone this year wanted to make pies. We had 2 apple, 3 pumpkin, AND a pan of brownies - WOW!










JAN AND CRAIG










RON AND KIDS WALK OUT AT CITY FOREST















BOYS PLAYING FOOTBALL














And then there were the animals. Jan's dog, our dog, our cat and our 2 guinea pigs made for exciting times. I think all survived unscathed (although haven't checked the pigs cages lately : ).



RON, PHILIP AND FEZZIK



















JESS ON TOBOGGAN RUN AT CITY FOREST

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays, because it is truly a time to be with family and friends and appreciate all the blessings we have from our Heavenly Father. Even though we struggle often, there is always something to give thanks about. To have a healthy and safe holiday, with so many of us here to enjoy it, good food, good friends, family and a warm, comfortable home in which to enjoy it. Richness beyond what most in the world are able to have.

I am so thankful for our freedom to celebrate in peace here in this country and for the troops who are serving over seas. We just recently heard about a school (which we had supported being rebuilt about 2 years ago) had just been bombed by the Taliban in Afghanistan and most of the children and both teachers were killed. Just senseless! True proof that evil is rampant in our world and, as the Bible says, "Satan is prowling around seeking those whom he may devour." Our heart aches for the families of those innocent ones. I pray comfort for them during this difficult time.

PHOTOS BY KATY and ME!