Trust In The Lord Part One

This evening I found myself with my nose pressed up against the screen door as I listened to the sounds of the neighborhood, inhaled the scents of summer/fall and watched the color of the trees change and deepen with the setting of the sun. Today was one of the last beautiful days of fall. Our fall season up here can be awfully short; it's been so wet and cold this fall and the last few days have been so lovely, almost like summer. I'm not a fan of winter and fall is my favorite, I just wish it would last longer. Not only was the weather beautiful today, but I was privileged to have lunch with my dear friend and mentor. If you have read my blog for a while, you'll know that the man that taught me everything I know about playing the organ is now one of my dearest friends. We only live a 10 minute drive from each other but we only see each other about once a year and that's if I do everything I can to make it happen. Today was the day. We have one of those friendships where we just start talking like no time has passed. We had so much to catch up on today. I've also been quite wistfully melancholy of late. October is my month. I was born in October and so was my mother; she and I were very close. Her birthday was near the beginning of the month and mine more toward the end so we'd start celebrating with hers and we'd celebrate all month until mine. I miss her terribly, but mostly in October. We used to buy each other gifts and do nice things for each other all month long, always using the excuse, "it's for your birthday" when we knew darn good and well we had already spent and done above and beyond. It was special though and I can't quite let go of the tradition so I tend to try to find ways to treat myself during the month. Silly I suppose.

July was the last time I posted, which has been far too long. I did go back and delete a few posts, they were quite negative and too descriptive if the wrong readers should happen to find this blog. They were all about the struggles we've had at church and I really shouldn't have shared the specifics in such detail. My apologies.

Here are the teasers for the continuing saga of Trust In The Lord.

During the month of August I continued to struggle with all that was going on at church and watch it go from bad to worse. I played for the last hymn sing and our last Sunday was August 11. Stay tuned to learn how I've had to place my trust in the Lord as we both left one church family and became part of a new one.

Also in August was The Deer Chase a mountain bike race my husband heads up and manages. Deer Chase weekend is always stress filled at our house but this year it started off with a bombshell that would rock our foundation for several weeks!

Just prior to all of this going on we also decided it was time to purchase a new to us car as my husband was becoming more and more concerned for my safety.

At the end of September my second granddaughter gave us quite the scare and it remains to be seen if any permanent damage has been done and just what is ahead for her future.

Now I find I'm facing a health issue I had so hoped I could avoid.

To say the months of August and September have been emotional and stressful is an understatement but through it all God has been good to us and we praise Him for upholding us. Hopefully I will be back in a few days to expound on each of these events.

If you stopped by, please leave a note so I know you were here and can visit you as well.

In the meantime if fall is beautiful in your area, do enjoy it.

Royal blessings,

Glorious Fall Day

 It was a glorious fall day today - almost more like summer than fall except for the colors of the trees. All my students cancelled and I almost went into town but I just couldn't justify the expense of gas, lunch out and shopping so I stayed in my studio and caught up on some correspondence and card making for family and friends. I made a get well card for Gordon, a

a card for my mother-in-law,

and one for my cousin. I just love the pumpkin stamp and my new watercolor pencils! 

They went together fairly quickly; writing the letters took most of the time. I still have one letter to compose and I hope to finish that this evening. Tomorrow I must work on my rubber stamp organization so that over the weekend I can make some cards to sell. Two days of consistent effort should get me enough to get my store open. 

This Saturday is the October ATC trade, I haven't even begun to make mine, I'm not sure I'm going to get it done this month, I have too many other things going. 

Daughter #2 stayed the night with us last night, then came back home today after she finished work and is now baking cookies while she listens to one of her books for class. It's good to have her home and though she thinks she'll head home tonight, I hope she'll stay over rather than head back in the dark while she's tired and her car isn't functioning at it's best. 

Tomorrow looks to be our last nice day for awhile. It won't be as warm as today, so I really feel as though I should go for one last walk around the lake...I probably should have gone today. 

We saw a beautiful display of the Northern Lights last night. I'll be checking the sky again tonight. 

Very Fall Saturday

For those of you who might be wondering, no, I did not get everything accomplished on my to do list of yesterday. I did manage to get quite a lot done though and went to bed knowing I had done my best and took care of the most pressing.

I got my chores done and my errands run and after supper I went out to the garden and pulled up everything except the tomatoes which still have not ripened and the rutabaga. I do need to go out and pull up one rutabaga this morning for my stew I'm making for tomorrow. I did pull up the remainder of the carrots and beets and brought in what greens I could salvage - they're not good enough for a salad, but I will juice them just to use them up. I even found some wild Johnny Jump-ups in my garden among the tomatoes and decided to pick a few and press them for my scrapbooks. I hope to go out next week and dig them up and transplant them to my front bed and say a prayer that they will come up next spring. Whenever I see a Pansy or a Johnny Jump Up I think of my mother who loved them. When we moved in here just after her death, they were popping up every day all over the lawn - now in the garden. Somehow I think it's her way of letting me know she's smiling down at us and approves of our endeavors. That's what I'm going with anyway.

Last nights supper of hamburger patties, home fries and steamed garden beets and carrots was amazing!! Beets and carrots together make a wonderful fall vegetable choice and so pretty to serve out. I just love that color of purple in the fall and that combined with the orange of the carrot was just as pleasing to look at as it was to eat. I took a picture, but it didn't turn out.

My projects continue today - I hope to get to my letter writing and my computer files...I can't find anything in there! Before all that though, I'm planning a trip to the scrapbook store - they're having a "make and take day". We go in at our convenience, sit at the table and make cards from kits they have created. Each card we make costs only $1.00 and the proceeds go to the local animal shelter. It will be nice on a gray day with Hubby gone teaching an all day hockey seminar, to get out and visit with the ladies and hopefully come home with some new card ideas.

Well, it's time to get my cleaning done so I can head over to the store.

A Light Glows on October 3

It's a gray, cloudy day today and it rained quite a bit this morning - very fall like. I'm lighting a candle today in honor of my mother; today would have been her 86th birthday. I usually try to do something special on this day, but with a lesson right in the middle of the day, it's a bit difficult to very much. Perry Como is singing in the background...he was her favorite. I miss her terribly. 

Today I'm trying to catch up on correspondence, blogs, emails and letters as well as sort through some computer files. If time, I'll work on some cards. 

I'm enjoying the cooler temperatures, but not the lack of sunshine. I'm not quite ready to "hunker down" just yet, so I'm hoping for more sunny days ahead. I still have a few chores I need to do before the weather turns bad. We made a total of 22 1/2 quarts of applesauce and after giving away 2 boxes of apples, we still have  a box full to deal with. I decided to juice some and put that in the freezer as well. 

I'm enjoying my students; each one is a joy. I could still use a few more to fill the days, but in the meantime I plan to use the time to get myself organized around here. I'm still trying to get my Etsy store up and running and make more cards to put up for sale. I hope this weekend I can get several made and get pictures taken of them for the website. 

The new organ has yet to be picked up, but they are predicting we should have it sometime in the next couple of weeks, then the work really begins. I have been spending more time at the piano recently which is a good thing. I have been trying to work up a piece of Christmas music my college professor arranged. It's quite challenging and my brain just refuses to wrap itself around some of the patterns and surprises it holds. Still I soldier on...I would really love to play it this Christmas in his honor. Please continue to play for Dr. Gordon Page, he has his consultation today. http://drgordonpage.tumblr.com/ One of the things on my to-do list is to make him a card and send him a real letter. 

Hubby continues to worry me. He is restless in his sleep...when he sleeps - I know he has so much pressing on his mind that he refuses to discuss and I don't know how to help. We continue to pinch our pennies and to no avail. Now with the healthcare requirements...UGH! We can't afford insurance, nor can we afford the penalty. How they figure it's affordable for everyone is beyond me!! Our country is in such a mess and between that and the other discouragements and sadness in my life I struggle to stay positive but I keep going back to Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble." 

For some reason I keep thinking today is Friday...wishful thinking? 

An Absolutely Gorgeous Day...The Better Version

A good share of this post is a duplicate of an early entry. There is some added text and all the pictures have finally been uploaded. I hope you enjoy your walk with me.

October 3rd, 2012...I am absolutely amazed at how beautiful that day was! 

   
The fresh air, sunshine and temperatures in the low 70's literally beckoned to me. I got my housework done and after lunch planned to go on a walk around the lake for about 45 minutes or so. 
   
With Suki in tow and my camera along, I took off! This is a favorite spot in the area where we walk our dogs every day. 
 
 I have been fascinated by this old building since we moved here. My son and I have often dreamed of restoring it and making it into a fabulous home decorated in an industrial style combined with a pop of warmth. It would have an open concept main floor with the bedrooms upstairs. All the floors would be wood and I'd keep as much of the natural stone as I could without it being too dark. Keep your eyes open, I had some fun with this old place.
 
  The sun was warm but not hot, and the sights, sounds and smells immediately lifted my spirits.
   
 I wanted to somehow scoop up and bottle the scents of pine, dry leaves, moist earth and moss to open again on some dark winter day when the The Little Turquoise House is full of stale air from being closed up. I found them intoxicating!
  The water sparkled, the birds flitted from tree top to tree top and the leaves delicately swirled to the ground. My creativity was renewed and I wanted to take photos, write, scrapbook and compose all at once. My mind was full of ideas and thoughts and plans. Days like today are truly gifts and blessings from God!   I dawdled and soaked up every bit of natural vitamin D I could get to shine on my face.
   

Suki and I enjoyed the view from this bench for quite some time. 

   

Here is another glimpse of the old building.

   
 I absolutely did not want to come home and so I dawdled some more and nearly didn't make it back in time for my student that afternoon. Instead of 45 minutes, we had been gone 2 hours! Before going in, I stopped by the garden and found these Johnny Jump Ups still in bloom. They popped up right next to the vegetable garden this summer. A bit of a story here, these flowers and the larger version, the pansy have always been my mother's favorite flower. We bought this house right around the same time my mom passed away and she was more heavy on my heart than the furniture we were moving. With all the doubts and fears and stresses we were experiencing, I found peace and comfort when these flowers started blooming all over our new front yard. Call me crazy, but I took it as a nod of approval from my mother, that we had done the right thing in buying the house and that she was pleased with it and happy for us.  Now this year we planted our first ever vegetable garden and this little patch of flowers showed up only here and no where else in the yard! October 3rd is a day very near and dear to my heart because it's her birthday and this was the perfect way to celebrate it. 

I hope you enjoyed your stroll with us. Welcome back to the Little Turquoise House!

An Amazing, Gorgeous Day!

I am absolutely amazed at how beautiful today was! The fresh air, sunshine and temperatures in the low 70's literally beckoned to me. I got my housework done and after lunch planned to go on a walk around the lake for about 45 minutes or so. With Suki in tow and my camera along, I took off! The sun was warm but not hot, and the sights, sounds and smells immediately lifted my spirits. I wanted to somehow scoop up and bottle the scents of pine, dry leaves, moist earth and moss to open again on some dark winter day when the The Little Turquoise House is full of stale air from being closed up. I found them intoxicating! The water sparkled, the birds flitted from tree top to tree top and the leaves delicately swirled to the ground. My creativity was renewed and I wanted to take photos, write, scrapbook and compose all at once. My mind was full of ideas and thoughts and plans. Days like today are truly gifts and blessings from God! I dawdled and soaked up every bit of natural vitamin D I could get to shine on my face. I absolutely did not want to come home and so I dawdled some more and nearly didn't make it back in time for my student this afternoon. Instead of 45 minutes, we had been gone 2 hours! October 3rd is a day very near and dear to my heart, and this was the perfect way to celebrate it. 

I took pictures...lots of pictures! It's killing me not being able to share them right now, but I want to put them on my external hard drive instead of on Hubby's computer, but he says he has to show me how to properly disconnect it and so I don't want to connect it until I have that instruction. Of course, he's gone for the evening. I was going to wait to tell you about my day, but I wanted to get it down while it was all so fresh in my mind. I may have to copy some of this post again when I have the pictures ready. You can just skip the text then and just look at the pictures if you want.

The temperature dropped much earlier than I had anticipated and shortly after our early supper I had to close the front door and the windows. 

I know we are expecting a rain/snow mix this weekend, but if tomorrow is nice at all, I'm considering going out again. 

I'm very tired tonight, but it's that exercise, fresh air and sunshine kind of tired so it's good. I should sleep well tonight.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So I'll go on Enjoying every lovely day Because I'm sure You would've wanted it that way. And when there's sorrow it's no more than I can bear Because you are, and always were, and always will be there

I was thinking this was last year, but it was October of 2010 that I took this walk with my two walking buddies, Suki and Gilmore. It was the most perfect fall day ever. I hope we have a chance to do this again this year.

Fall Scurry and Thankful Thursday

A cup and a half of coffee, now a cup of hot tea...it's the start of that time of year when I need to have my hands wrapped around something warm. It's another dark, damp day and Hubby and I watched the geese fly from the lake in droves this morning. I'm beginning to wonder if we will not get our Indian summer this year. 

Most of my friends here have a daily plan for blogging...Tuesday Ten, Wordless Wednesday, Thankful Thursday...if they don't mind, I think I'll join them when I can. Kris posted this morning about her mom coming to visit and though the thought tugged at my heart and brought tears to my eyes, I am so very thankful for the relationship my mom and I shared and for the time God allowed me to spend with her. We were freakishly close, our tastes in movies, crafts, clothes, food...just about everything was the same and there wasn't anything we didn't enjoy doing together. Thank you God for the mother you gave me...for her patience, love, understanding and gentle guidance.

I feel a bit like those geese and the other birds and animals, scurrying around, preparing for the cold months ahead, trying to get everything done before the snow flies. My plan for the day was to finish work in the kitchen and possibly spend the afternoon in my studio with my heritage scrapbook project. It's the perfect type of day to hunker down with old photos, pretty paper and glue, but instead, I have decided I will brave the weather and head into town to visit the jeweler and see about getting my mom's wedding rings cleaned and repaired. This is one of the things she asked me to do and I regret not being able to do it while she was still here to enjoy them, so I will do it now and hope she can see that they were and are important and mean a lot to me.With the weather the way it is, I am afraid if I don't look into it now, it might not happen until spring and I don't want to wait that long...I've waited too long as it is. I will also see about picking up a Christmas gift I saw for my son. I made a little money teaching this week, I just hope the jeweler won't charge much. 

So, if I get home in time, I'll still do the cleaning, I want to get that done before the refrigerator comes tomorrow and I'll have tomorrow to scrapbook. 
Off I go...