The Tree

This isn't about the beautiful colors of fall, or about a Stampin' Up stamp set, or about my dead maple with the mushrooms growing on it in my back yard. It is about a verse that has been kicking around in my mind for the last few months.

"He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper." ~Psalm 1:3

I foresee a study on The Tree in my future! What are these words telling you?

Yummm

Pumpkin nut muffins with a buttery struesel topping. Gluten free, of course.

Need I say more?

Memorization -pt 2

I was thinking about this a little more. There's alot of methods to help with memorization. Here's a few:
* You can write it down and look at it over and over. I've tried that.
* Read it and then close your eyes and say it, then look again, and say it.
* There is the association method to assist rememberance.
* In order to not flunk out of physics class, I even tried tape recording the stuff and playing the recording while I slept to sink it in subconsciously. This method does not work. I dropped physics in the first semester after getting a 32% on a test!

Nothing is a perfect formula, in my opinion.

I don't know if memorization is as simple as some may say it can be. There must be more to it. How do you memorize something?

Oh, my verse that popped today is "A house is built on wisdom, and is established on understanding". Prov. 24:3

Garden goods

In May, I got all ambitious and planted, if that is what you want to call it, a garden. I put in peppers, tomatoes, onions, and some herbs in the ground. I figured I would probably be able to make a pot or two of sauce with the pickings. The plants had other plans, though. Nothing grew for me...except the weeds, of course.

Since there wasn't a huge plot of earth to plant stuff in, I gathered together my biggest, deepest containers and planted stuff in them too. In a long one I put lettuce seeds and I did have lettuce grow in it. The seedlings came up like there was no tomorrow but there were way too many of them competing for space so a bunch of them died out and I got enough lettuce for two bowls of dinner salads. *sigh*

A few years ago, I purchased a fica tree for our living room. When I got it home and hundreds of teeny ants started coming out of the huge pot it was planted in, the whole thing went outside. Then the tree died and the pot has been sitting plantfree in the shed. As I was planting, I had a great idea for that pot.

Since the pot was big, round and deep, I put carrot and beet seeds in it. The beets didn't do anything except make big greens, so I pulled them all out. The carrots have been growing! Every time I look at them and see their little orange tops in the dirt, I get so excited. My dad told me that carrots take a long time to grow. Well, the anticipation got the best of me today and I pulled one. Isn't it the cutest thing you ever saw? It smells so good too. I can't quite get myself to cut it yet. It is in the fridge staying cool. After all, I grew it from a little seed and look at it now! I will be patient, and leave the others in place to continue to grow and will pick them when they are more mature.

Although most of my gardening efforts failed, I still have hope for my pot full of carrots. This story kind of reminds me of a parable of Jesus. Know which one?

Check it out

My niece, Laura, has just started up her own blog. Fun! She claims that reading my blog had something to do with her wanting to start one. Wow!

So, check it out. Her blog is in my list of favorites as Laura's Thoughts. Let's welcome Laura to blog-land!!!

A new favorite

I was driving home from rehearsal tonight and heard a spectacular song on the radio. You can hear it here. The band's name is Tait and the name of the song is Lose This Life. I'm thinking I'm gonna have to download some of their stuff!
We all feel lost in the dead of night, drifting like a satellite spinning out of control sometimes and need to lose our life so we can find it again.
Anyone ever hear them before?

Five years ago

In 2003, there were some memorable events in our lives. Here they are.....
I was working for one year at my current job, and learning alot being in a law office.
On April 1st, we purchased our house! Yes, it was April fools day and I hoped that meant that it was a joke that we had to pay our mortgage, but the bank didn't see the humor in that idea.
Vince and I had our 7th anniversary a month later.
It was also the year that we got Mouse.

Get a load of those wiskers! She has the longest, whitest wiskers I have ever seen on a kitty. Give her some attention and she'll be your best friend for life.
What did 2003 hold for you?

One year ago

One year ago, my hubby and I were just starting out with the worship group at our church. I will never forget how tremendously nervous we were. As a matter of fact, we could hardly sleep at night waiting for what was to come.

Our first "gig" was in our home location in Clifton Park. Kevin led, and we were just kinda frozen up there, deer-in-the-headlights, on stage doing our thing. After way too many years of not playing for services, it was a little bit scary to dive back in again.

What a difference from then to now! We have met tremendous people and have had the opportunity to play in front of hundreds for each service. Our set lists have covered everything from the old hymns of the faith to heavy metal. Who would have ever guessed?

None of this would matter at all if it weren't for the higher purpose. We have also been a witness to hundreds of people choosing Christ and getting baptized. We were there when a new location opened bring the campuses from two to three, and when the original campus closed (awaiting constuction) bringing the campuses back down to two. We have been able to serve the lost and encourage the found.

We just want more of God, more fellowship with the believers, more souls saved. The awesome thing is: there is more of God to have, and more friendships to develop, and certainly more seed to be sown and more harvest to reap. God is just so good... all the time!

What was happening in your life a year ago?

Creativity

I was talking to some ladies the other day. The subject of creativity came up. One of them said she thinks of me when she thinks about being creative, which sort of surprised me. I don't think of myself as that creative, I guess. After all, I know people who are more creative than I am. I shared how my mother taught me many outlets creativity. She is an artist herself and we still share our crafts with each other. (I love you Mom!)

It got me thinking about what it is about making things that I enjoy so much. Is it the process? Not necessarily. There are enough PFO's in my house that I am embarassed to even divulge how many there truly are. And, yes, there are more than the three I shared with you in my post about it in July. Is it the fact that I have time on my hands to do the things I do? No. I know of people with plenty of time on their hands and absolutely no interest in making anything, ever!

Then I started to come up with it. We are created beings. We have been fearfully and wonderfully made. Our Creator made all things out of the darkness and the deep. There was a whole lotta nothing sitting out there. With His vision, and through His words, all things were made! The finished results of His six days of creation had meaning and purpose and beauty. Doesn't that get you excited? It gets me excited!

So when I look at my pattern, my pile of yarn and my knitting implements (needles or machine), I see a whole lot of nothing sitting there as they are on their own. They are useless when left alone. When I start making the knots and putting the individual pieces together, I come up with a finished product that has purpose and meaning and beauty. This same result is true when someone plays music, or bakes a cake, or writes a story, or plants a garden or paints a room. It's awesome! Everyone is creative in some way. It is a reflection of our Father's character. The created one creating.

That being said, here's a project in the works. My honey has asked me to make him a really long blanket. The ones in the stores are too short to tuck over his shoulders and under his feet at the same time. A job like this calls for the knitting machine!











As you can see, I am about half done with it. This blanket is about 9 feet long and is coming out great! It'll be a nice birthday present!

So that's my take on being creative. It is something I will always embrace. Let me encourage you to embrace it as well, creative ones.

Chilly night

As I opened the side door last night to let Sparkie out to "do his business" for the last time before bedtime, I was very surprised to feel how much chill was in the air. I know that it is September, and that the first day of autumn is coming quick, and that the darkness of night is upon us before 8:00 p.m., but it still took me by surprise.

We have been debating as to whether or not the air conditioners should be put away yet. I think the probability of a hot and humid streak is pretty much over, but my better half is thinking there is a chance we might need them one more time. With a window unit in the bedroom, that chilly air was able to creep in and reminded us of the nip in the night.

Nights like that make me want to bake muffins or buy apple cider. It reminds me that the leaves will be showing off their wonderful colors of fall, but afterwards they WILL fall . . . all over my yard! It gets me thinking about how I am going to dress Sparkie up for Halloween this year. It gets me to bring out my favorite sweaters and toasty warm clothes.

No matter how much it doesn't seem like summer should be over, or that we will be changing our clocks back in less than two months, or that we will be seeing Christmas stuff in the stores soon, time marches on. It's time to face it - summer's over. There will be many more chilly nights to come.

Shore thoughts

For two summers, I had the opportunity to live by the Jersey shore. For good reasons, I think about being there at this time of the year.

In the summer, the shore is a very busy place, as you can imagine. Scads of people go there to vacation at the ocean. The locals accept this since it is a wondrous treasure that the state can offer. Business is good. It's kinda like the Christmas shopping season for the department stores.

But from Labor day to Memorial day, it is a different story. The streets get back to normal, the lifeguards are gone, the boardwalk is still, except the occasional jogger or lady walking her dog. The beach looks so beautiful, so natural. It's no longer overrun with bikini-clad girls or body-boarding guys. Now you can actually walk quietly on the sand, pick up shells, listen to the never ending sound of the waves and the call of the gulls. It's priceless.

Living at the shore for two summers was a season in my life so long ago, but it deposited a song in me. A song that I can hear as the days grow shorter and the air gets chilled. The song of the sea. I love the ocean!

Hot September

The summer might be technically over, but it is going to be a HOT month! The temperatures are summer like, the Stampin' Up class is going to be amazing, there are fabulous people in my life who I will be celebrating their birthday with. Hot stuff!

Labor day (and I still can't figure out why it's called that since there are so many who work on that holiday) is over, the Schaghticoke Fair has closed up for another year, we can't figure out how to get a Tilt A Whirl (since they are going for a cool $350,000) to keep that fair-feeling in our yard. At least Sparkie has not found any ticks or face worms this year, although he has been known to have a flea from time to time. My honey has the worst allergies right now than I've seen in a long time. Can you say "face mask"?

Regardless of all that, I still love the month of September. There's something clean and fresh about it. A time to get back into routine. A time to focus on the last few months of the year. A time to embrace the cool nights and start to prepare for the winter. Good bye summer - hello hot September.