Friday, November 30, 2007
Christmas Pumpkins
I saw them last year at a cute little shop while out with my Mom and Aunt. Pumpkins all decorated up for the Christmas season! Well, I knew I must add them to my decorating for this Christmas. And so since about January it has been on my decorating ideas list in my Christmas notebook - I know, but that is for another story.
This week the decorating process began - it never is anything short of a week. Not that we do that much, but that it just seems to take me time to work my way through the process. . . .
One night I washed the pumpkins. The next night they were painted with a beautiful metalic pearl white craft paint - I really like that paint. And last night they were decorated with pretty, shiny red ribbon, raffia, ornaments, berries, and greenery. And today they found their way to the front porch.
They turned out absolutely wonderful!
In the midst of decorating them last night I swooshed through the den on my way to retrieve the raffia and proclaimed, "I really like my Christmas pumkins!"
"I can tell," responded my husband.
As I am finishing my project, I step back to admire them and once more proclaim how cool they are. My husband gets up from the sofa, joins me in the kitchen to admire my work, and then leaves me to the finishing touches of fluffing bows and cleaning up.
I love that man! Not every guy would put up with such pumpkin craziness!!!
simple faith
I saw them last year at a cute little shop while out with my Mom and Aunt. Pumpkins all decorated up for the Christmas season! Well, I knew I must add them to my decorating for this Christmas. And so since about January it has been on my decorating ideas list in my Christmas notebook - I know, but that is for another story.
This week the decorating process began - it never is anything short of a week. Not that we do that much, but that it just seems to take me time to work my way through the process. . . .
One night I washed the pumpkins. The next night they were painted with a beautiful metalic pearl white craft paint - I really like that paint. And last night they were decorated with pretty, shiny red ribbon, raffia, ornaments, berries, and greenery. And today they found their way to the front porch.
They turned out absolutely wonderful!
In the midst of decorating them last night I swooshed through the den on my way to retrieve the raffia and proclaimed, "I really like my Christmas pumkins!"
"I can tell," responded my husband.
As I am finishing my project, I step back to admire them and once more proclaim how cool they are. My husband gets up from the sofa, joins me in the kitchen to admire my work, and then leaves me to the finishing touches of fluffing bows and cleaning up.
I love that man! Not every guy would put up with such pumpkin craziness!!!
simple faith
Labels: Pumpkins
Sunday, November 18, 2007
HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY!
My panhandle state celebrated its 100th birthday on Friday, November 16, 2007. The day was filled with planned events all over the state cumulating an entire year of celebrations. I, unfortunately, was unable to attend any of them.
But, I did arise with a song in my heart on Friday morning:
baba baba baba babaOoooooo-klahoma!
Where the winds come sweeping down the plains,
And the waving wheat sure smells sweet
When the winds come right behind the rains.
Visions of Rogers and Hammersteins' musical danced in my head! Then my thoughts became captivated with another vision.
Several years ago, we had a talent show of sorts for our Sunday School department. I will not divulge all the details in interest of protecting the innocent (and not so innocent), but one performance in particular always brings a smile to my face.
One of my friends provided entertainment dressed as quite the hillbilly girl singing "I'm Just a Girl Who Cain't So No" from the musical "Oklahoma!" It was a riot! She and I share the same twisted sense-of-humor that can easily get us in trouble. Her sharing with me the fact that she REALLY wanted to perform that song dressed as a pregnant hillbilly has forever imprinted that image in my thoughts.
And so my song changed from "Oklahoma!" to "I'm Just a Girl Who Cain't Say No" in a matter of heartbeats. And as so often happens with songs, it stayed with me the remainder of the morning. So while others sang "We're Oklahoma Rising" or baba baba baba baba. . . . - I simply found myself "in a turrible fix"!
Thanks my friend, I wouldn't trade that memory for anything!!
simple faith
My panhandle state celebrated its 100th birthday on Friday, November 16, 2007. The day was filled with planned events all over the state cumulating an entire year of celebrations. I, unfortunately, was unable to attend any of them.
But, I did arise with a song in my heart on Friday morning:
baba baba baba babaOoooooo-klahoma!
Where the winds come sweeping down the plains,
And the waving wheat sure smells sweet
When the winds come right behind the rains.
Visions of Rogers and Hammersteins' musical danced in my head! Then my thoughts became captivated with another vision.
Several years ago, we had a talent show of sorts for our Sunday School department. I will not divulge all the details in interest of protecting the innocent (and not so innocent), but one performance in particular always brings a smile to my face.
One of my friends provided entertainment dressed as quite the hillbilly girl singing "I'm Just a Girl Who Cain't So No" from the musical "Oklahoma!" It was a riot! She and I share the same twisted sense-of-humor that can easily get us in trouble. Her sharing with me the fact that she REALLY wanted to perform that song dressed as a pregnant hillbilly has forever imprinted that image in my thoughts.
And so my song changed from "Oklahoma!" to "I'm Just a Girl Who Cain't Say No" in a matter of heartbeats. And as so often happens with songs, it stayed with me the remainder of the morning. So while others sang "We're Oklahoma Rising" or baba baba baba baba. . . . - I simply found myself "in a turrible fix"!
Thanks my friend, I wouldn't trade that memory for anything!!
simple faith
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Changing Seasons
Fall is having a hard time arriving in my panhandle state. We have had freezing night temperatures this week, but our daytime temperatures continue to hover in the upper 60's and will reach the mid 70's during the weekend.
Our red maple tree was the prettiest color I have seen it since planting it a few years ago. Its brilliant color is already fading. Yet our native elm and other large trees are just beginning to dress themselves in their fall colors.
The berries on an ornamental tree are turning bright red, yet the hot pink geraniums beside it continue to bloom proudly.
A limbo of sorts seems to exist in my yard. Soon the changes of fall will fully arrive - it is inevitable for the seasons always change. God made it that way.
This year my yard seems to be a mirror of some things going on in my life. There are some changes that are coming - they are inevitable. Yet the timing of them seems to exist in a limbo that only God truly understands.
A new season in our spiritual journey will soon begin. God is bringing changes. Much like I wait expectantly the newness of the changing seasons in my world, I also wait expectantly this change.
Celebrating the beauty of the passing season and anticipating the beauty of the new season.
simple faith
Fall is having a hard time arriving in my panhandle state. We have had freezing night temperatures this week, but our daytime temperatures continue to hover in the upper 60's and will reach the mid 70's during the weekend.
Our red maple tree was the prettiest color I have seen it since planting it a few years ago. Its brilliant color is already fading. Yet our native elm and other large trees are just beginning to dress themselves in their fall colors.
The berries on an ornamental tree are turning bright red, yet the hot pink geraniums beside it continue to bloom proudly.
A limbo of sorts seems to exist in my yard. Soon the changes of fall will fully arrive - it is inevitable for the seasons always change. God made it that way.
This year my yard seems to be a mirror of some things going on in my life. There are some changes that are coming - they are inevitable. Yet the timing of them seems to exist in a limbo that only God truly understands.
A new season in our spiritual journey will soon begin. God is bringing changes. Much like I wait expectantly the newness of the changing seasons in my world, I also wait expectantly this change.
Celebrating the beauty of the passing season and anticipating the beauty of the new season.
simple faith
Labels: Life, Spiritual Journey
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Why I Speak
It was Shade Off Drugs day during Red Ribbon Week. My fifteen year old son shows up in the kitchen sporting his Texas Hold 'em look - mirrored sun glasses, San Diego baseball cap, and an orange hoodie with the hood up.
"I like that look!", I say. "Make sure you don't loose any of that stuff at school."
"I won't." (Read that again with a 15 year-old attitude.)
"Have you seen my backpack?"
"Have you looked on your back?"
And he wonders why I say the things I say. . . .
simple faith
It was Shade Off Drugs day during Red Ribbon Week. My fifteen year old son shows up in the kitchen sporting his Texas Hold 'em look - mirrored sun glasses, San Diego baseball cap, and an orange hoodie with the hood up.
"I like that look!", I say. "Make sure you don't loose any of that stuff at school."
"I won't." (Read that again with a 15 year-old attitude.)
"Have you seen my backpack?"
"Have you looked on your back?"
And he wonders why I say the things I say. . . .
simple faith
Labels: Boys
