Not quite a Charlie Brown tree, but close....

      Iwanted to do something special this year for Christmas.  As the years slip away and I see a point coming when our boys will be out on their own and not necessarily able to join us for the holidays,  I felt as if we should do something memorable this year.  We decided that we would go to a tree farm in the mountains and cut down a tree.  I quickly looked online and saw there were several tree farms, but I left it in Scott's hands to schedule.

  On Friday, last week, we all piled in the van for the two and a half hour trip that would take us to Beaver Creek  Lodge where we planned to get the tree.  Scott was excited because they offered a sleigh ride to go out and get your tree (he knows how much I want to take a winter sleigh ride).  Well, normally they do.  This year, the year we decide to go, was only the second time they ever remember being without snow during the holiday season.  Therefore we ended up taking a carriage ride instead.  As we bumped along  the ruts in the dirt path and occasional ice, we laughed about having to take a ride like this across the country as the pioneers did.
  On the way, Clara, our host, told us to be on the look out for a tree as we were heading down the path.  All of us scanned to the right and left as we clunked along to the small wood cabin where we parked.  Our hostess handed us the saw and told us to go find a tree.  We glanced at one another then walked off to find the "perfect" tree.  We climbed up a hill, some of us with the help of our hands as well as feet since it was somewhat steep, looked and looked for the "one".  Did you realize tree's in the wild do not really make the best Christmas trees?  They certainly aren't as full and shapely as the ones at McCoys over on Havana St.  We tromped through the snowy woods and  found nothing.  We were slipping and sliding on the angled hill.  Scott was wearing shoes that were about ten years old and had no traction, Hunter had found a stick to use as a walking stick to help keep from sliding downward.  Robert handed me a walking stick that was so small, I called his name, had him look over and leaned on it.  Quickly it snapped in two and we all laughed.   Hunter then found one, that wasn't a twig, which helped greatly !   We had given up in the area we were at. Most of the trees were growing right next to another therefore one side would be bald, the other full and beautiful.  After sliding down the hillside to the "road", I asked Scott if he thought we were going to be searching in the woods for a tree or a Christmas tree farm.  He thought the same way I had, that we would be at an actual tree farm.

  We went back to the cabin, had hot chocolate and cookies and chatted for a short time with Clara.   Then it was time to head back to the stable where she had her next group of people waiting to go out.  She told us of other areas to search and mentioned the already cut tree's we could look at.  We decided after we arrived back at the stable to look at a couple of spots we could walk to.  The boys headed off in the direction of the pond that was frozen over as Scott and I took off down a road to the left.  We finally found it !  It was by no means what we were looking for but it was somewhat symmetrical.  When the boys had found us, Scott and Robert cut the tree down and cut off some extra since it was a bit tall.  Then Hunter and Nicholas carried it back to the car.  It really was a memorable day with a lot of laughter and fun.  it may not have been the "Thomas Kinkade" trip that Scott had wanted it to be but it was definitely a trip no one will forget !

 Decorating the tree was a challenge, that is why it is sparse in that department.  Every time we put on an ornament, the branches would sag.  We even had a couple ornaments that fell off as we bedecked other areas of the tree.  At least they didn't break as they hit the floor.
  Have a wonderful Christmas!  Make those memories and rejoice, the King is born !

TTFN,
Margaret

Time marches on....

  Wow, I just looked at my last post and it was in August !  I certainly did not keep up with my desire to write my blog more often.  Time slips away, doesn't it?   How often do we let things slip. A friend of mine and I discussed that one afternoon over lunch.  She was the first person I had met when we moved here in August of 2001.  We get together every so often, but with teenagers (she has a teenage daughter, in fact Robert went to pre school with her), work, homeschooling and life in general, we don't see each other as often as we would like.
   I feel that way with the Lord also.  I let the busy-ness of life get in the way of getting into the word.  I try and fail, I am really good at the failing part.  I am grateful He knows my heart and I do pray that my desire for the word would be so overwhelming that if I don't dig in, I won't rest easy.  In a world so filled with deception, I desire His truth.
   Last night at our Wednesday evening prayer service we started in Psalm 1 but ended up in Psalm 119.  The bible I use has a heading for 119, Meditations on the Excellencies of the Word of God.  I think I am going to begin there, go through several verses each day and soak it in, meditate on it, and even try to memorize bits !  (I do have psalm 1 and psalm 23 memorized, because I sang them  ;0)  )
  In this world of go, go, go, take time for the Lord, your family, and friends.  It is so important !

TTFN,
Margaret

The old lady in the room !

Plink...plop....plinkity plop....
   That, my friends, is the sound of my brain cells falling out over the past sixteen years, nine months.  All you mother's out there can relate to the "forgetfulness" that prevails with pregnancy, yet I have found that it has continued well into the teen years of raising our boys.   That is why there has been fear and trepidation in my life whenever I considered going back to school.
  I did it !  After weeks of trying to get registered online and let's face it a bit of dragging my feet, I drove up to the school yesterday for my first official class.  As I drove around looking for a parking space, here and there I weaved through the sea of still cars, saying a prayer to God, asking, "is this the sign that I should not be here, that you have closed the door on this new chapter?"  Then, there was an open spot, one where I could make a quick get away afterward !    Slowly I made my way into the building, my heart, somewhat pounding, praying all the way.  I went into the room and it was a joy to see other "older" people, only one or two and  I am sure I am the oldest in the class.  That is fine because hopefully with age, I have become a bit more wise.  The teacher, professor, I am not quite sure how to address him yet, passed out the syllabus and a paper asking about our musical background and what our goals were with music.  I delved into the depths of my purse to grab a pen and started to write my answers.  I took a deep breath to try and calm my hand that was shaking as though it were a leaf in the breeze on an autumn day and began writing.
   As I thought about how the first class may play out, I figured it was a college class and they are not going to want to hear anything about us.  I was wrong....  The teacher wanted to know why we were in the class.  I sat there thinking "Oh great, really!  I have to speak on the first day, in front of everyone!".    Many people were in there because they had taught themselves guitar and wanted some musical knowledge.  One student said he had the knowledge but was just getting back into school and wanted to get his feet wet in a subject that he could handle.  Same here!  I told them I was involved in two choirs, study voice privately, and am going to be working toward a music degree.  Wow, I said it out loud to people other than my family and my voice teacher !  Overall it was a good day in class, I didn't die, I didn't break into tears, and I even gave the sniffly kid in front of me a tissue.  (He probably thought, oh great what's with this old lady :0)  )
  This is going to be a new adventure in our lives, especially mine !  I am looking forward to it and what God has in store for me.

TTFN, Margaret

Just a mom....

  I was listening to the radio in the car after dropping our youngest off at his first day of "school" last week.  As I started the car and got on the road, I turned on Focus on the Family.  There was a woman who was talking about motherhood and how we look at it as more of a chore than anything.  She started talking about how when someone would ask her what she did, she would say "I am just a mom".
  How many times have I done that.  Said, "I am just a mom" or thought those very words silently to myself,  as if it were a bad thing.  You see, as an adolescent,  I had all these grand ideas of what I was going to be and do when I grew up, but God definitely had a different idea for my life.  For sixteen years I have been a mom, the hardest job I have ever or will ever do, also the most rewarding.  God makes no mistakes and in His sovereignty He put this family together.  God knows me so well, that He gave me all boys.  Oh, don't get me wrong, there are times that I feel as though I am the one person in the history of man that God decided to play a joke on by giving me three, completely and utterly different boys !
   Being a mom is more than just changing diapers and providing meals.  It about instilling God's truth in our children, teaching right from wrong, teaching them to love and care for others, to respect others.  Teaching them to respect authority.  Not to mention, as a home school family, the educational side of it.  Who can forget attempting to instill responsibility.  
   I am a mom and it is the most important thing I will ever attempt in life.    When I look at my children, I am happy to be just a mom.  They are great boys, not perfect mind you, but they are good kids that have good hearts.  God is working on them just as He is on me, and I, as a mother, need to keep that in mind.
 
   For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.   Eph. 2:10

My baby !

  August 12, 1996, we welcomed our first born into this world.  In a way it seems so long ago but on the other hand it seems like a short time ago.   I had never babysat when I was younger, I was the youngest child, so there were no siblings for me to run after and help with.  I was at a loss when I gave birth to one of the most precious things in my life.  Thankfully, all of our children were huge babies !  I was scared of babies as it was,  but if I had, had a petite, little, five pounder, Yikes !  Those that know me know I am not the most graceful and having a tiny bundle would have made me absolutely a wreck.
  Little pig number one is such a joy to me !  There have been bumps along the road, what parent doesn't experience that, but seeing the young man he is becoming is very exciting.  Yes, he could be more responsible, and work a bit harder, but he does have compassion for people.  He's a guy, so of course that character trait isn't always at the forefront as "the ladies love me" comments are that I often hear......  It is in there though.  Our oldest would go out of his way to help anyone and I appreciate that about him.
  It will be neat to see what the Lord has for him in the future, as much as we think we have it all figured out, God knows the plans that He has for us and my prayer is that Number one will seek Him first ( and of course be nice to his brothers ;0)   )

Lord bless !

TTFN,
Margaret

What am I thinking !

  For awhile I have had the feeling I should start classes.  I have prayed consistently about this and am just trying to seek the Lord in it all because to me, this is a huge step.  My family is absolutely my first priority ( and of course my relationship with the Lord) so when I first started thinking about this, my initial reaction was no way, I won't have time for studying because I have to take care of my husband, kids, house, etc.  I kept praying about it and God just kept giving me a peace about it.  All of the things that He knows about me and all of the things I brought to Him.
  " I'm not smart enough, the brain cells have died away during this motherhood gig. :0)  I am not organized enough, I can't even find what my kids need half the time, let alone what I need.  (that causes a lot of stress !)  When I start something, don't bug me !  God has definitely been working on this one in me, thank goodness !  Things will get done even with interruptions.  There are so many other things !  Then, in talking to one of my friends about this, she even said to me when she was in school and she was pursuing her degree, when the older woman was in class she would think to herself, "what is she doing here".  Well I will be the old woman in the class, but that's okay.  I know that I am more wise than I was twenty-two years ago when I went to college, and that I am so grateful for !
  If this goes through, maybe I should name my blog "The Old Lady in the Room" as I expound on the happenings of me in a college classroom ;0)

Have a blessed day !

TTFN

Organization, ha !

Good morning all,
  I thought I would pop in and say hello !  Once again, it has been awhile, unfortunately ! Well, I am on somewhat of a mission this summer to get organized, don't ask how it is going !  I really feel the Lord leading me to start classes this fall and with everything so chaotic in our household, it will be a nightmare !  So I decided it is just time to do it.  I have started in the laundry room, taking out clothes that no longer fit anyone, cleaning the top of the washer and dryer, going through all the "stuff" and thinning out.   I would love to replace the floor, but if I do too much then my hubby will want me doing all the home improvement projects around here ;0)   I am not the best at organization, at all.  In fact my mom and I had a conversation once.  She was a VERY organized woman.  She said her brain was like a filing cabinet, she could get everything situated and not have a problem.
  I said, " Mom, my brain is like a filing cabinet too, only it has been pushed over and everything is strewn all over the floor !"  She chuckled at that one.
  I wish I had her sense of organization, but I have my dad's.  Organized chaos !  It is all good though, I will get it figured out and in the fall we can let the adventure begin !

  Have a great day in the Lord !

TTFN, Margaret

Trust

  Sometimes I find it difficult to trust.  I am not sure why that is, maybe I have been let down too many times in the past.  I have been finding though,  that I can trust God completely.  Lately,  I have been asking Him to open my eyes and help me to be sensitive to see where He is at work around me, and He is answering that prayer ! 
   Those of you that know me well know I do get nervous in situations where I am singing.  There are times when that nervousness causes me to "crash and burn" !  We've all done that at one time or another, maybe not singing,  but in some situation ;0)
   I went and sang at NATS last weekend.  A singer prepares three pieces for their genre ( classical and/or musical theater) and presents one to the three judges, then the judges choose your second piece to perform.  I had been praying for weeks for this.  Not "oh Lord let me win this competition....."  It was "Lord, you have given me a desire to sing, You created me to be who I am, please don't let the fear get in the way of the voice You have given me," then, and I do not do this, " Lord, I trust you will do this for me", and was confident in that.   I also had a few close people praying that He remove the fear as well.  He did it !  Why was I surprised?  He is faithful !  For me, though,  I just feel that I am being presumptuous by saying "Lord, I trust you will do this for me".   Maybe He wants me to crash and burn to learn something from the situation !  The whole experience was just a big eye opener for me, plus God working and accomplishing the goal I had of not letting the fear take over.  To top it off, one of the judges said my high range had a "beautiful full sound"  Praise the Lord, because those are the notes that I was afraid of ;0), (not so much anymore).  I am just so incredibly thankful for what God is showing me about myself, even the painful bits, and those around me. 

For His Glory !
Margaret

Slacker....

Well, I can admit it, I'm a slacker.  I had all these great intentions of writing my blog more often this year, so much for that happening !  So, here I am, and I am going to try to be more diligent with it. I have found that I really do enjoy writing, although I am not the most elegant with words ( sound familiar, I'm thinking Moses !)   You just get a bit busy raising children, keeping a home, being a wife, a friend, etc. that activities you enjoy go by the wayside for a little while.  Not that I don't enjoy those aforementioned things, well, housecleaning is okay, but not my favorite ;0) We get away from things that we enjoy,when in different seasons of our lives, and I think it is time to get back to it !

TTFN,
Margaret

Well, here are some photos, unfortunately they are not as bright as I would have liked and you don't get some of the intensity of color.....  I really need to read up on photographing jewelry.   Maybe get a stand to display pieces on, that would work :0)




  The blues in the photo at the right don't ring true.  The briolettes in the center are a more vibrant color than is depicted here.

I love this stone.  It is tourmalated quartz.  It is neat seeing the black fibers snaking through the white, sometimes clear quartz.

Blessings !
TTFN, Margaret

Butterfingers, unfortunately not the candy.

  A friend got in touch with me and asked if I had any jewelry stock that she could come and look at.  I thought this is a great chance to sit down and create some pieces since I have not done any jewelry making in awhile. 
  You see, I have been considering going back to school for some time now.  It has been on my heart for months now and  what I thought I would start with, to get my feet wet again, is a Certified Gemologist certificate from the Gemological Institute of America.  It is mainly online,  but I would  have to go to Carlsbad, California for a week or two,  for lab classes. 
  Now, back to where I started.  I was all excited to be working with silver wire, findings,  and beads again.  I had all my tools out and in some semblance of order, I am not an orderly person, in fact organized chaos is a good description.   My board was out and I started pulling out some beads.  Blues, greens, black, purples, all different colors.  I started working with some silver wire to make some loops for an earring, I grabbed a bead, oops, there it went....  Falling to the ground under the desk, where it was dark and hard to see since it is a little dark downstairs, if you ask me. ( I'm all for a hundred watt bulb right over my head when I work on something)  I found the bead, then went on. This happened a number of times for several days.    I started working on a bracelet, earring, and necklace combination for myself made with Rainbow Flourite and silver.  I took a larger silver bead and all of the sudden, plink, plink.  If falls from my fingers down behind the boxes next to my desk.  I took a deep breath, a little frustrated from the other beads I had been dropping previously, and went on.  It happened again....  I would have to say the last straw, as far as me realizing maybe I should not get a Certified Gemologist certificate and possibly work at a jewelers down the road was when I was polishing a glass bead.  It's called blueberry glass.  It has a slight hue of blue to the glass and blue striations through it.  It really is very pretty.  So, I was polishing this bead since it picks up fingerprints very easily, with a cloth and apparently squeezed a little too tightly.  It flung forward into one of the compartments in my little roll top desk.  It's still there, I didn't even bother to get it.  I just sat there and thought to myself,  if I were working at a jewelry store, I would be the one who has some woman's diamond that costs thousands of dollars and I just flung it across the room.  Then in my minds eye, I saw myself crawling around on the floor looking for it....  No employer would be too impressed with that I would have to say !  Then I thought to myself, "Lord is this way of showing me to just start classes for a vocal performance degree?"  I do feel that it is the Lord impressing on me to start classes.  I don't  know why, but I do know it hasn't let up for months and months.  I'll just keep praying for clarity and see where the Lord takes me.

TTFN, Margaret

ps  I'll post some photos of what I made soon :0)