A Time for Musings

Clearly the end of one year and the beginning of another year is a time for random musings for me.  I seem to come round to this spot but once a year with a desire to do this "blog" thing on a regular basis.  Of course, I have another blog on my Stampin' Up! website that I've kept up with a little more this year.  There's a link on the right-hand side of of this page.  I really believe the crux of the problem is two-fold.  One, is I take on too many things in my life and two, I need better instruction/training on developing and maintaining my blog.  There are always so many excellent examples out there, but the "how to" eludes me.  So, that being said, my New Year's Resolution for 2011 is to learn how to create and maintain the kind of blog that makes me happy.  Wish me success! 

Where did 2009 go?

I just stumbled upon my blog. Yes, I said stumbled. Last year, exactly one year to the day, I posted my musings about our 30th anniversary. Today, it was a gift to come across the blog and reread it. However, after the idea of it being a gift, came the unbelief that a year has passed and I did not blog even once! I must admit that the past year has blown by and I can't account for much of it, but I will try. We traveled to Hawaii and Brazil. In Brazil we got to see two of our "adopted" daughters and their babies--Lorena (18 months) and Joao (5 months). We had a grandson graduate from high school and turn 18. We said goodbye to Jim's mom, Pearl, age 87, on October 13. Praise God, my brother-in-law shared that she confirmed her acceptance of Christ and we will see her again in eternity. We had heartbreaks that I won't share in a public forum. I believe God's hand will be in the healing for all concerned. We participated in the launch of a new church body, The Pointe, which has brought great joy to me. I had a surprise birthday party put on by my husband and daughters--yes, I turned 60! I'm thankful I don't feel as old as that sounds. But then, my favorite saying is that it is required to grow older, but it is optional to grow up! I strive to have fun and joy as often as possible. My longest and closest friend, Jan, and I celebrated our birthdays by taking a road trip to Las Vegas. We saw Bette Midler and Cirque du Soleil "O". We walked and shopped until our feet were screaming. I continue my total love of stamping and papercrafting, attending our annual convention in Utah (we traveled by train) and holding classes and workshops. I became "Certified" in My Digital Studio, a new papercrafting software that was launched by Stampin' Up! this fall. WOW, I guess if I put my mind to it, I recall more than I thought. So, blogging, smogging...who had time to blog with so much going on. I'll try to do better in 2010. Happy New Year to anyone who stumbles upon this blog. May you be truly blessed in the coming year.

Stampin' Up! Spring-Summer 2009 Idea Book & Catalog

Check out the full year idea book and catalog from Stampin' Up!

30 YEARS AGO...

tonight at 7 p.m. I was married to my husband, Jim! What an amazing time it has been. We were talking about how the time has that unique quality of "forever" and only a couple of years. I believe it may be the phenomenon of long-term relationships. Whatever it is, it is hard to believe all of the things that have happened over the years.

We started our lives with four daughters between us. Those four daughters have brought 11 grandchildren into our lives--NINE boys and two girls. I always say God has a sense of humor (in giving me so many grandsons), but it's much more than humor he has given me. One of the grandsons brought a great-granddaughter into our lives just over two years ago. We added to our own, by participating in student exchanges, four more young women whom we claim as daughters. Masha came to us at 15 as an exchange student from Russia. How I cried and grieved when I sent Masha home, thinking I might never see her again. Masha returned when she was 17 to live with us and go to college. She married, became an American citizen, and gave us two more grandchildren to share with her real parents--one boy, one girl. Next came Fernanda--our first Brazilian "daughter"--we have visited her twice and she will soon be married and have a son. Fernanda was followed by Flavia, another Brazilian, who is now married and has a baby girl. That brings the total grandchildren to 14 -1/2!

You may have noticed that I didn't tell you about a fourth girl. Her name is Carin and she came to live with us a few months after Masha came. She is from the Netherlands. We have lost touch with her, but one of my goals for 2009 is to see if I can reestablish communications with her. She was a delightful addition to our home and we miss hearing from and about her.

Of course, with additions to a family, there are always some losses. The losses were too soon, but then, that's the way it always feels. Jim's father passed away just after our second anniversary. My mother and step-father passed away just before we celebrated our tenth anniversary. My brother was gone just after we celebrated thirteen years of marriage. In the last year, we have been dealing with Jim's mother and her declining health, both physical and mental. It has brought some different perspectives to loss as we watch her slowly change. She will be 87 in January.

I believe marriage is defined by how you manage both the joys and sorrows of life. It is easy to handle the joy, but it takes great compassion and understanding to walk together through the tough times. I don't see us as unique or especially gifted, but I do see us as staying committed to one another through the highs and the lows.

We are truly blessed. And I am hopeful to see many more years ahead of us.

Pacific Coast of Mexico

Just over one week ago I returned home from a week long cruise to the Pacific Coast of Mexico. What a great time! There were 10 of us so we pretty much made our own party. We sailed into three ports: Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. Cruising has got to be one of the best ways to relax in the world. You can do as little or as much as you want. Of course, you always hear about the food. There is no end to the food. I swam with teh dolphins in Puerto Vallarta. That may be one of my all time highlights. I felt sheer delight while in the pool with those wonderful creatures. There are no words to compare what their skin feels like nor how friendly and frisky they were while playing with us "humans". They are so large and magnificent and then as gentle as can be.

We get to go back to Cabo for a week in December. We have a time share on the Pacific Coast side of the Baja Peninsula. In fact, my new banner is a sunset shot taken a few years ago from our room at the time share. Really, we lead a very fortunate and blessed life.

My goal is to post a little more often and to start showcasing more of my Stampin' Up projects. Maybe I'll even get brave enough to try posting a tutorial.

TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG, THAT IS THE QUESTION!

What did I see for this blog when I started out? I'm not sure--maybe a place to share with family and friends that I don't see every day, maybe a place to showcase some of the things that occupy my days and bring me joy--crafts, cards, computers, church, music, Bible study. I think I know what caused me to stop blogging. It's not much of a surprise. I wanted my site to be fun and interesting and lively and eye-appealing and so much more than it is. I wanted more pictures. Since I'm using a free blog site (which I am thankful it exists), with free templates (which enabled me to even get started), it is not as interesting as many I have seen. I LOVE to visit other people's blog sites and I enjoy all that they present. But then the old "I Don't Measure Up" bug bites me and I just wish and hope to do better and do nothing. Such is the state of many of us.

So, today, here I sit, watching a Martha Stewart tv show about blogging! I'm hoping to pick up some great tips and get some information on how to improve. I have lots to research and hopefully I'll get inspired.

For now, so long, and come back to see if anything changes!

Blessings Abound

Seems like I lost my "blogger's edge" or perhaps it's "blogger's block", but it has been almost two months since I put finger to keyboard (used to be pen to paper--welcome to the 21st Century!).

I just read a friend's new blog and I was blessed. She is a beautiful writer. She is real and honest and thought-provoking. She is striving to live for Christ and run her race. She encourages each of us to run our own race. Every time I read something she has written, it touches my heart. I don't know if her blog is open or not, but check her out at http://crisnole.blogspot.com/.

More blessings abound

Yesterday, my daughter's oldest and closest friend turned 35. I was blessed to go to dinner and a musical with her, her mom, my two daughters and a third "friend" of the girls that is very close, too. We had a wonderful time, laughing and crying and sharing. These young women I've watched grow since they were girls. They have children ranging in age from 2 to almost 17. I've been down their paths and I feel for them. They are all doing a wonderful job with their families and careers. This is just the tip of the iceberg of blessings, and yet, Stefanie, the birthday girl, sent a late night email thanking US for sharing with her. My heart strings were pulled yet again.

I got to spend all of Saturday and half of Sunday with my very close friend. Evelyn, "playing" with all of our paper and ink and goodies. We were supposed to be at a retreat this weekend, but it didn't happen. So, we decided that we would play anyway. We stayed up until 4 a.m. , slept for about five hours and hit the table running. We had such good fun, that if I hadn't had the wonderful dinner and theater plans, I could have kept going. So, what's a girl to do? Well, I went back this morning to play some more! But then I needed to leave to watch one of my grandsons.

My oldest and closet friend, is Jan I. She had surgery last year on her eyes, so now I call her Jan "Eyes"--an inside joke. She is such a blessing to me. We can be together everyday or maybe weeks will go by, but I always know that she will be here for me, no matter the need. She is my sounding board, my shoulder, my bestest cheerleader...I can't even think about her not being in my life. We don't just finish each other's sentences; we finish each other's thoughts! How many people do you have in your life that you have called "friend" for 5/6ths of your life? Now that can be a very short time, if you are young. If you a 'not so young', as in my case, we are talking about 48 YEARS! You can't tell me that isn't a blessing.

Of course, my dear husband figures into my blessings equation. He is a good, kind, gentle, understanding, loving, hard working and generous man. I could go on, but there isn't enough time.

Speaking of time, I am running out of it for now. But I'm not running out of blessings. God has been so good to me. I could go on and on, but I won't. Just remember, and never forget, to count your blessings--name them one by one. They come in all shapes and sizes and all the time.