Knock Knock…

Who’s there?

I am still pondering my lack of blog fodder, I think I have lost the capacity to come up with an original thought, or maybe I am just obsessed with the clay, it seems that's all I can think about…I wake up thinking about it and I go to sleep thinking about it!

What I will make next, what I want to learn how to do next…..

This is Angel #3….

 

My last angel bit the dust….literally!

 

Live and learn and keep practicing!!!!!!

 

I have to go wake the hubs up I a few minutes, and I was thinking about how quiet my house is this morning and how things change in life.

My daughter and 160 of our youth at church are off to their annual Spring Break Retreat at PCB. They go to a Christian retreat facility in Laguna Beach every year.

Confession time here: Where my daughter is concerned that nut did not fall to far from the maternal tree in sooooooo many ways.

Last week when she was nearly driving me to distraction with all her preparations, double checking her list of the critical items necessary to get herself ready to go, asking about a billion times “Mom do we have…..?” I just breathed deeply and thanked the Lord that she was excited about being with all her friends to fellowship and worship at the beach.

This year she has one of her school friends who has made the decision to be baptized at the beach. How awesome is that!

And yes she did borrow Muffinhead’s bunny ears for the trip. I warned her on pain of death to make sure that they made the trip home or there was going to be one unhappy little girl at my house. Actually she will probably not even give them a second thought, but it was fun to threaten her.

 

It was all over Facebook last night that they had arrived safely and were having a wonderful time.

Well now I really do have to go wake the Hubs or we will be late to church!

 

Blessings

R

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Ok I’m trying here…another post in the black hole that is or was my blogging mojo….



1. What are your plans for Easter?

Our plans are very simple. We are going to church and then probably just returning home for lunch.

Are you cooking a big lunch or dinner?  

Normally I do not cook on Sunday’s and Easter is no exception. However this year the Hub’s birthday falls on Easter Sunday, so I am throwing a small Easter/Birthday dinner.

Dyeing eggs?

Probably not, we did when the kids were little and Muffinhead has not been here in a few days so we have not had the opportunity to have any Easter fun.

Attending a sun rise service?  

Our church does hold a sunrise service out at our campground but I for one will be snug in my bed at seven am.

Eating too much chocolate?

Does German Chocolate Cake count? That’s the Hubs cake of choice for his birthday. I do still have to assemble Muffinhead Easter basket so there might be a few chocolate eggs involved……..

2.  What is something you feel too young to do?

Eat dinner at 4:30, I will share that as the years creep on and on my bed time has become earlier and earlier. However I still don’t think I am heading in the direction of dinner at 4:30.

3.  "Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud...it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs..." 

Of the characteristics mentioned in the biblical definition of love which do you find most difficult to live out and why?

easy choice….it keeps no record of wrongs, well love may keep no records but my memory is long and has the ability to pull from decades of hidden files at whim.

4. What's a springtime flower you associate with your childhood?

I remember my grandma’s tulips in her garden. I remember they all seemed to be perfectly uniform and all lined up and all blooming at the same time.
Bright red, pink, yellow and I think there may have been some white ones….sadly down here in the south tulips do not grow very well as annuals, they are more of a perennial and have to be dug up every year, it just doesn't get cold enough for them to thrive.

5.  Ever sung karaoke? If so, what's your go-to song? If not and you're given the opportunity, would you?

No I have never sung karaoke, but if I ever did have the opportunity it would probably be something form Rogers & Hammerstein…

OOOOk-lahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain,
or Happy happy happy happy talk, talk about thing you like to do, you’ve got to have a dream, if you don't have a dream how ya gonna make a dream come true…or……..
I’ve got the horse right here his name is Paul revere and the guy he say if the weathers clear, can do, can do this guys says the horse can do……..

somebody stop me…..ok ok one more

Shall we dance? On a bright cloud of music shall we fly? Shall we dance? Shall we then say, goodnight and mean goodbye.
Oh perchance, when the last little star has left the sky.
Shall we still be together? With our arms around each other, and shall you be my new romance?
On the clear understanding that this kind of thing can happen
Shall we dance? Shall we dance? Shall we dance?

6. What is something you keep in a basket?

Napkins on my kitchen table…ho hum!

7.  When was the last time you felt foolish?

Oh my goodness, I think that may be a daily occurrence. How about the times I find myself in my car and realize that I am waiting for the red light…at a four way stop!….or how about the time I put my cell phone through the washing machine…..or how about the time I closed the back hatch on my van only to realize that I had set my Starbuck's frappachino on the bumper of the car…………

8.  Y’all I am torn between wanting to stay informed and just wanting to bury my head in the sand. Every time I watch the news it seem that I am seeing more and more things that defy explanation. Violent acts that are to despicable to describe, the frightening debt crisis, the lack of morals in the secular world, it just seems that every time I turn on the television I am overwhelmed with a multitude of moral and social issues that boggle the mind.

The Hubs and I have nightly conversations on how crazy it is, sadly the solution is so very simple, at least in my mind it is. However turning from sin and setting your eyes on God is so far removed from so many that at times it seems impossible.

However that word impossible is not in God’s vocabulary. He is the God of impossibilities. 

I may be overwhelmed and focusing on all the things that are wrong instead of all the things that are right.

I am so glad that God is, God and I am not…..cause this, the world, makes no sense to me right now!

2 Chronicles 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Blessings and Happy Hodgepodge y’all
R

A bunch of totally random things that y’all really don’t need to know…..but hey at least it’s a post!

My husband is out of town/really out of town as he is in Germany so we had frozen pizza for dinner last night.

Since my husband is out of town I had not unloaded or reloaded the dishwasher in several days.

It is now loaded and my kitchen sink is now full of very hot sudsy water trying to get the last bit of frosting residue off the decorating tips I used to make Muffinhead’s birthday cake.

The aftermath…..

The results, she really loved her cake y’all!

I now re-remember why I stopped doing wedding cakes….the clean up is a killer.

The lemon thyme that I cut back to nothing this past fall is now bursting up from the pruned stems in a dark green lushness that just makes me want to go out and run my fingers over. I love my herb garden.

I have to make one last harvest of my swiss chard from the veggie patch and then I can get in there and turn over the dirt and amend it to get my spring veggie garden planted.

My pottery buddy and I are trying to work up some inventory for a spring sale. We are not sure when it will be but I am excited about it. I find that I am a bit obsessed with the clay. I feel like I have really found the creative outlet that I have been looking for.

I love my gardening, my cooking, my knitting/crocheting, my painting, but getting my hands in the clay fills something in me that is hard to explain.

It was a good throwing day yesterday.

One large kitchen crock (top left) three coffee cups (bottom shelf). I am heading back over this morning to finish up with the handles for the cups today…if they cups are dry enough to clean up.

I was expecting Muffinhead this morning but when I awoke she was not here. My DIL told me that she was not sure if my son was coming home last night or not.

No Muffinhead….means that he did get home last night. I have the morning off…yea for me!

Here’s a biggie y’all.

After twelve years we are in the process of getting a new pastor at our church. I remember the last time this happen and how devastated we  all were at the concept of loosing our beloved pastor. We then all saw how faithful God was to send us our current pastor. So I have faith that God will be just a faithful in providing for us this time around. However I will say that I have some definite thoughts about the timing of this move. Now that I am in the season of flux (hormonally speaking) I also feel like I am gaining some wisdom. For as much as I will miss our pastor, I really do think it may be time for a change. There have been some major things going on that have been disturbing my spirit at our church for some time. So much so that I was contemplating making a change. I never thought that would ever happen.

My husband and I have been members of this church for over 25 yeas and have been very happy. It was truly the catalyst for me, bringing me to where I am in in my relationship with Christ. I feel it is my spiritual home. However there have been a few changes that have taken place that have cause a very distinct upheaval in how I feel about my spiritual home. Changes that I feel may not have been Christ driven. I am still pondering and praying about all of this. I am seeking some discernment for the Lord on how I am feeling and asking for some clarification. We will not be making any life altering changes any time soon, the Girlchild loves her youth group so much and is so invested in in this church, she knows nothing else. Her whole life and her foundation with Christ is formed in the people and the experience she has had at this church home.

But….changes are coming and you know how difficult that process can be……

There really isn't a point to all this randomness other that to try and get SOMETHING posted to my blog.

I have been in such a blogging funk lately. Wondering about the purpose of it, the purpose of me, the purpose of a lot of things……

My last thought, for as difficult as the hormonal shift has been, I find that it is like the example given in scripture. The heat of the flames burns away all the impurities and what is left behind is the refined gold or silver.

Now I am not comparing myself to gold or silver, I am just saying that for now I feel like I am in the furnace and am waiting for the refinement process to end so I can see what is left behind…

Somebody get me a nice tall glass of lemonade with lots of ice and have that polishing cloth ready….

Lastly I will leave you with this….

A little taste of spring that I ran across yesterday and I had to stop the car and take a picture….

Blessings

R

Project 365 ~ Week 8

I only missed one day this week. By Friday evening I was down for the count. So I spent the day Saturday curled up in a blanket sipping my Alka Seltzer Plus and sleeping!

Sunday, February 17

There is just something very satisfying about using a bowl that I made myself. This poor little bowl, a bowl only a mother could love, it wobbles and spins as it is not flat on the bottom and the rim is off and not flat either. But we were all happy with this new glaze combo.  It is just the right size for a double scoop of strawberry frozen yogurt.

Monday, February 18

The Hub’s loves a big salad with something sliced up on top. I had some grilled pork chops in the freezer and I pulled them out and had dinner in under a few minutes. I love those kind of suppers!

Tuesday, February 19

I entertained myself for a few minutes watching this Mourning Dove collect nesting materials in the back yard. It was very particular about searching for the proper ingredients. The nest is located on a large bank of cedar trees bordering the neighbors backyard. So I had a front for seat as it went back and fourth all morning long:)

Wednesday, February 20

I know I promised no pictures of wet and drying clay, BUT I was very happy with how these three small batter bowls came out.

They are almost all the same size and shape…

Thursday, February 21

I made cabbage with sausages for dinner. Normally I toss some apples into the mix at the end. However I had used some chorizo sausage and I did not think the apples would be a good contrast. I settled for tossing them in a pan with some butter and brown sugar. It was a super good combo, the sweet apples and the savory cabbages and sausage! YUM!!!!!

Friday, February 22

I made these cups at the end of last year. I was totally not happy with how the glazing turned out. I decided that since I did not like them already it would not hurt to try my hand at re-glazing them a second time. No harm no foul.

Well I am glad that I did. I was much happier with the outcome the second time around!

 

That was my week.

I am feeling a bit better, but not 100%.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend, for more P365 y’all head over to Amy’s and link up!

 

Blessings

R

Bla Bla Bla Blogging Bla….Anybody else out there feeling this way?

 

What up with this? I think I have lost my blogging mojo.

 

Anybody else out there feeling this way?

 

Thinking of taking a break…

 

Does anybody even read these post????

 

What peeks your interest for visiting and reading a blog?

 

What do you want to read or why do you give a blog a look-see?

 

Ho Hum…bla bla bla…

 

Blogging blaa-ness…

 

Blessings

R

Project 365 ~ Week 7

I am trying to work up this post and keep an open line of prayerful communication at the same time. As parents we all face those times when the natural course of time brings the inevitable rites of passage. These things need to happen, yet as parents we would choose for them to be postponed indefinitely.

We have a new driver in the family and today is the first day she will be driving herself home from church. I am sure that this is not a new concept to many of you. It happens to all of us. However I will openly confess that this mothers heart is a bit on the anxious side. I know she is a good driver, yet my desire is to wrap her and the car in a heavenly and very thick layer of bubble wrap of protection.

So I am moving on to other distractions until she is safely home and out from behind the wheel, at least for today anyway.

Prayer for safe travels would be greatly appreciated….

Sunday, February 10

My son and his family were over Sunday night. He required a bit of help from his dad for some repairs to their vehicle. Well since Muffinhead had to be back at our house bright and early the next morning we decide that it would be easier and logical for her to just spend the night. Thankfully I had a spare set of PJ’s on hand…so we were good to go!

She likes to take a bath in our big garden tub when she is here so she had a really nice soak with her toy hippo…

 

Note To Self: Next time do not let her take the plastic animals in the tub. They are hollow and have a small hole in them, so now they are all full of water….no telling how long it will take for the water to evaporate out from inside:(

Wednesday, February 13

More Muffinhead surprises. I think hands down beside her Barbie's, her next favorite toys are all of her small plastic animals. She never tires of playing with them. After she left on Wednesday I went to scatter a few sprinkles of salt over something and this is what I found in my salt container…..so how do you take you lamb and your cat?

Heavily salted I think!

 

Thursday, February 14

This past Tuesday was Skoots1mom’s birthday. We decide that since it was Valentines Day and half of our husbands were called out of town that we would take this opportunity to have Birthday/Valentines Day celebrations. We met for dinner at a local pasta place and had a wonderful time. We all had a bite of this sweet treat after dinner. Crepe’s filled with Hazelnut and fresh banana's It was delicious! 

 

Friday, February 15

It was a happy kiln day at the pottery studio.

 

We have decided to work up some more inventory for a spring sale. I have a list of things i am fairly confident that I can reproduce. Over the next few weeks we will be working diligently to get enough completed to have another sale….

Saturday. February 16

Winter in the south, some days it’s super cold and then the next it shorts sleeves and flip flops. It confuses the flora and fauna so much. There a daffodils and jonquils popping up all over and all the redbuds are in full bloom. The cherry tree in our backyard is even beginning to bloom. The sad thing is that there is always a cold spurt that usually gives everything a good singe before the really true spring weather sets in….

Well that was my week.

That was a good 30 minute distraction while I typed up this post. Now all I have to do is make it another two hours until the Girlchild get on the road heading home…..

 

For more P365 y’all head over to Amy’s and link up to see everyone's pictures.

Blessings

R

Project 365 ~ Week 6: It’s a Miracle…I have all seven days!

This rarely happens, I actually have a picture for each day this week. Don’t hold your breath because it will probably not happen again for quite some time!

Sunday. February 3

Something happened during the Youth Worship that I thought would never ever happen… the Girlchild did a violin performance with three other members of her youth group. They did great y’all! I am hoping that this will be the first of many performances!

Monday, February 4

Muffinhead always has a unique take on how to watch television. She would pop her head out of the tub and then pop back down for a few seconds. She had a great time, however the dog was a bit confused!

Tuesday, February 5

Tuesday the cupboards were so bare that Muffinhead and I had to go out for lunch. We went to Chick-Fil-A. I tried their new Chicken Tortilla soup, it was very good!

After lunch Muffinhead had a great time in the play place. It was like bowling with pre-schooler’s. They would ALL climb up and then ALL come down the slide at the same time ending up in a heap of bodies at the end!

It was an eventful day as the Girlchild got her long awaited Drivers License!

  

Wednesday, February 6

I finished another prayer shawl. I will share that of all the ones I have done this color combination is not one of my favorites. This is a very simple knitted shawl and easy to come together. The yarn is the Hobby Lobby’s version of Homespun. I like the yarn, just not the color combo. It was a self striping yarn. Kind of ho hum in my opinion, but I am sure it will find the right home!

Thursday, February 7

Restrain is not one of Muffinhead strong suits. One of her jobs that she has elected to do on the mornings she is at my house is feed the dog. After she feeds him, Buster gets an after breakfast treat. Well if one chew toy is good then six is even better. She does this every morning that she feeds him. We then have to have a lengthy conversation as she picks up all the chew toys and puts them back in the bag that he really only needs one! One day I hope that she will actually remember this lesson….

Friday, February 8

Skoots1mom came to try her hand on the potters wheel. She totally reamed me out for posting her picture on facebook. She was not happy with the photograph. Don't get me on my soapbox about how we as women are conditioned to think we have to look a certain way due to the expectations that society places on us, unrealistic expectation if you ask me…but then I think I just went where I said I wasn't going to go. In any event this is her first successful pot, she can’t complain with the face, it’s her girl and if you look at pictures of Skoots when she was younger this is exactly how she looked back then…….

Saturday, February 9

We had a full house on Saturday at the pottery studio. This is a mother daughter session on how to throw a pot. I have tried to get my girl over there but she has no interest in learning something new. I think it might mess up her nails…but I still offer from time to time. One day she may take me up on it!

This is Skoot’s back at the wheel cleaning up her little pot!

Me finishing up on a carved kitchen crock!

That was my week! Y’all head over to Momma Fran’s and link up for more P365.

Blessings for a great week in pictures y’all!

R