Wow, it has been a busy month and a very busy year.  It has been good though, God is very good to us and blesses us way beyond what we deserve.  I started singing with a new group this year, Vittoria Ensemble, and it has been terrific.  It has been nice getting to meet new people and sing with "old" friends.  The best part is we have a terrific conductor who wants us not to just sing and hit the right notes, but she wants us to bring across the emotion of the music.  We perform polyphony style music which was new to me.  It was a little challenging at first, but now, love it !!  Our first concert was in St. Dominic's, which is a beautiful stone church with stained glass windows, dark wood pews and altar.  It really is a wonderful place.   When we first started practicing there it was amazing.  We would be going through a piece and all around us you could hear the echoes of the our voices coming back at us.  In our first concert I sang the piece,Qui Sedes ad Dexteram Patris, He Who Sits at the Right Hand of the Father Have Mercy on Us.  What an amazing experience. I was nervous because my voice teacher had talked to me on several occasions about the acoustics of the room and how the sound will be bouncing off the walls and coming back at me but when I sang, it was fantastic and one day, Lord willing,  I will do it again.

I have to sign off, my hubby is calling.
TTFN, Margaret

Autumn beauty

  Have you noticed the colors of autumn this year?  I was amazed driving down the road a few weeks ago at the brilliant reds and golds that surrounded the streets this year.  I don't know that I have ever seen the leaves so vibrant here in Colorado, compared to where I grew up.  This season really takes my breath away.  The cool crisp air, vibrant hues, waiting for those cloudy gray days where the wind blows the leaves all over that you just raked into a pile.  I love the scents that I equate to autumn as well.  Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, all those yummy smelling spices.  It is a wonderful time to stand in awe at the beauty our Creator shares with us ! 

  There are a few photos of some tree's and yes we were at the cemetery for Hunter to get photo's for his photography class :0)   I thought they turned out nice !

TTFN,
Margaret

Sometimes I wonder....

 I  felt the warmth of the sun on my skin while peering through the overgrown cucumber plant, looking for some fresh vege's to enjoy.  The silence, broken.

 "Baby!"
 "Babe, where are you?"
 "Baby!"

  I continued to look through the garden for a few more minutes.  I gathered some tomatoes, checked the pepper plants, excited to see a yellow pepper almost ready to harvest. 
  Then I went inside to see why I was being beckoned.  There he stood looking at me, then glancing at the cream colored linoleum that had a river of liquid running across it. 
  "What is it?" He asked.
  "What is it?"  I repeat, looking at the counter covered with coffee from the coffeepot I had started several minutes before.  "The coffee pot wasn't put in correctly and it is leaking all over."
  I stood there taken aback and then started laughing.  My husband is a bright man, but there he stood as coffee was pouring all over the counter and floor, just looking down, calling out to me.  Then he finally started cleaning it up, with my help of course !
  How has the  male species made it thus far, only by the grace of God !

I love my hubby !

TTFN,
Margaret

Perfect storm

  The school year looms ahead of me like a storm on the horizon.  One of those storms that produce hail,  tornadoes, rain that you cannot see through and I am heading directly into it.  I know this is what the Lord has in store, but I feel utterly incapable, having two kids in high school.  This is a point in my life where I know the Lord wants me to lean on Him for direction, guidance, and support.  He alone knows what is best for our family and I need to seek that out.  I read a quote the other day that said "Education is not complete unless it is built on character".  It struck me that yes, my children need to be educated and know their stuff, but more importantly what is their character?   Are they going to grow up and only look out for number one?  Will it be all about the money and not about God ?  My prayer for them is that they would love God and CHOOSE to serve Him and Him alone.   That they would love those around them, help those in need,  and whatever career they choose,do it well, and glorify the Lord.  All I can do is take it one day at a time and trust that as I seek, the Lord will reveal.

TTFN,
Margaret 

Trusting through the pain

  I look into the bathroom drawer and her make up still sat there even though she has been gone, almost ten months.  Standing up, gazing into the mirror, I was taken back.  In my minds eye, I could see her there, dusting her face with powder, putting on her lipstick and blotting it by kissing a tissue.  She would finish off by combing her hair and spraying her perfume, a lot of perfume :0).  I always enjoyed watching her get ready.  I was brought back by the tear streaming down my cheek.  I stood there, dark eyes staring back at me,  gazing at the dark curls and olive skin, like hers.  It is all the little things that I think of from my childhood.  Her sitting in the kitchen having a cup of coffee, folding the laundry in the evening, reading a book.  There was always a book, a page dog eared, sitting somewhere in the house.  Working in the yard.  Mom loved to be outside, whether she was tending her flower beds or going on her four mile walks.  I never knew it, till one day towards the end, she loved to watch the clouds.  She was asking for her window shades to be opened so she could look out  at the clouds.  I think that there were a lot of things that I didn't know about my mom, that now I'll never have the chance to.  It's ok though, somewhat painful, but God carry's us through the pain, He doesn't make us exempt from it just because we are His.   I have to trust in Him and His sovereignty.  This is a hard journey and some days it seems as though it will never end, but I know there is One that sticks closer than a brother and I am so grateful for that.


TTFN,
Margaret

Beading for friends

A friend asked me to come up with some earring designs that had her school mascot or,since the school name is Paris, an Eiffel tower charm.  The school colors are royal blue and black, so naturally I went with those color beads. Here is a picture of what was done. 

I also made another friend a birthday gift.  I really like the metal circle in the piece and have to come up with some other designs with that.

That's all for now !

Margaret

Lesson learned

Wow.  I had been having a rough time.  I was grieving the loss of my mother and was trying to deal with tween and teenage kids, homeschooling, being a wife, getting everything done for everyone else.  I had a meltdown and was basically transparent with a couple of people.    Now, I feel as though they look at me differently and not in a good light since that time.  Things seem superficial and it hurts a bit.  I think to myself,  I shouldn't have said the things I was feeling,  I never should have told them how overwhelmed I was with my kids, since they always seem to have it together.  As believers in Christ we are to bear on another's burdens and come along side others in love.   That is why I thought it would be okay to open up.  I do not do it very often for this exact reason !   Lesson learned.

Blessings,
Margaret