God's Orchestra

When I was a young child, I played the clarinet. For the greatest portion of that time, I was first chair. But no matter how good I might have been, I could not have effectively played it if the instrument was not working properly. In psalms, we are told to make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Imagine you are an instrument...who's playing you? Is it God or someone else? How much sweeter a sound you would make if you are played by the master. Grow weary out of use. Don't waste away from apathy. Play in harmony. Are you in working order? Life has a way of bumping us around knock us out of tune, but that doesn't mean that we can never be in one accord. Sometimes we need an adjustment. We can be repaired through forgiveness. Are you producing a joyful noise unto the Lord or is God having to assign your task to someone else because you refuse to be an instrument for Him?

September Workshop on the Go

Close to my Heart has improved the Workshops on the Go program. These workshops not only have paper, but they now include a stamp set and a unique layout recipes and embellishments. For only a few dollars more you can get the 'best' deal upgrade that includes even more. These will be available September 1, 2009. Every month a new one will be featured! Make plans today to create these beautiful pages.

Learn New Technique -long distance

I am starting a long distance technique class. This is the perfect way to satisfy that dying curiosity and answer that burning question "How did you do that?" I need 6 ladies to commit to spending $25 each month for 6 months. The $25 (before tax and shipping) is for product of your choice. In return, you will learn 1 or 2 techniques each month and for 1 of the 6 months you will receive the $25 hostess rewards. If you are interested, please contact me.

Scrapbooking Technique Class

Many ladies I know have expressed an interest in establishing a scrapbooking group. Some of you were part of one in the past and are ready to get back up and running and I am here to help you do that. Before I set any dates, I would like to get a little feedback from you all. I would like to know if a Friday night from 6p-12a or if a Saturday 9a-? is better for you?

I would also like to know if you are interested in a technique class. Among many techniques, we will learn how to use a baby wipe to embellish a scrapbook layout or card. This class is the perfect opportunity to satisfy that curiosity about "How did they do that?" We will get together once a month (likely a weeknight) for 2-3 hours to learn 2 techniques. There is no charge for the techniques. However, We do need at least 6 ladies to commit for 6 months to monthly purchase $25 in product (before shipping and handling) of your choice. We will rotate the $25 hostess credits to insure that each of the ladies in the group will be rewarded. If we have more than 6 ladies, we will continue the number of months for the number of ladies in the group, for example 7 ladies = 7 months, 9 ladies = 9 months...you get the idea, or we can create a second group to meet at another time. You will need to bring paper, adhesive, trimmer, scissors, and a 6x6 album (available through CTMH).

I've attached the specials for this month. Close to my Heart has decided to do something special for you. This Thanks-a-bration only lasts until August 17, so act now before it's too late! See the attachment for more details.

3,976.7 miles later

Nothing says welcome to Texas like 3-digit weather. After spending nearly 2 weeks at more that 5,000 feet above sea level, I find myself having to get acclimated to our weather again. The temperature wasn't as cool as we had expected in Colorado, but it felt so much better than this TX heat. As is always the case though, all good things must come to an end, and so here we find ourselves back home, thankfully safe and sound. All in all we had a great time. We arrive home at 5:00 am this morning just under 4,000 miles in 14 days. I think we have become road-trip warriors.

serenity

Last night, we drove back to Chasm Falls. The first time we visited, we didn't go all the way to the top of the waterfall; so last night, we went back, when there were less people and I go to some awesome shots. We saw similar images in town for sale by a local photographer for as much as $85 for a 5x7 print. I doubt I will sell mine, but I wanted it for my own collection.

Today, we drove to Wild Basin to look at Copeland Falls. It was an easy trail to climb, so Pop was able to come with us. He usually sits out because of his knees, but when we can find one, we look for trails that he can particpate in. We picnicked in the area and as we began to leave we got pulled over by a park ranger. He stopped us because Gary wasn't wearing his seatbelt, but he let us go with only a warning. We are very thankful.

Back at our campsite, the chipmunks and squirrels have been working overtime. I accidentally left a chocolate bar on the table part of my chair and when I looked for it again, it was gone. My first thought of course was my own 2 legged animals, but alas, they were innocent. It really was a squirrely critter. One thing that I noticed for the first time this year is how beautiful the flowers are around here. I have been photographing some of them and I have impressed myself. Here is a few of the ones I thought were pretty.

This evening, we are planning on returning to Bear Lake to watch the sunset. If I can get some good shots, I will share those.

Vacation Journaling

It's Friday morning and we just finished breakfast. We had pigs in a blanket and oatmeal. I'm not sure what we will find ourselves doing today, but I'm sure we will have fun. Wednesday, we took a stroll around Sprague Lake. We also went to the Moraine Park Museum. The kids also earned their Junior Ranger Badges. In order to obtain one, they had to complete a program book and attend a Ranger led program. On Tuesday evening they participated in a program about mountain lions. The ranger asked for volunteers to help complete an illustration. Macy was a deer and Mason was a mountain lion on the prowl.

On Thursday, we drove completely through the park and had a picnic on the banks of Grand Lake. We saw hundreds of elk. On our way back, we saw several mountain goats. We stopped at a little snowfield and used our sleds. We all learned that seeing it done on television was much easier that doing it in person. The sled sank down in the snow and wouldn't hardly budge. We concluded that the snow was too soft, but made the most of our experience anyway. I shot more video that I did pictures, but I did promise that I would upload some.After we got back to our campsite, we realized we had new neighbors. Some of the other kids camping here came over and all the kids played ball. I think there were about 7 or 8 kids here at one time. One of our new friends are visiting from Switzerland and she is learning English still, but I think all the kids realized that playing ball was something they all had fun doing. Later in the evening we attended another ranger program about wildflowers. We learned more than we could possibly want to know about flowers, but it was an entertaining program to say the least. Dakota is looking forward to tonights program, which is all about rocks.

We made it!

Today is Wednesday, July 8th, and we have been here in Rocky Mountain National Park since Monday evening. After setting up camp, we didn't have much time to do anything so we just hung around the campsite. Yesterday, we started up Old Fall River Rd. It's a nine mile long, one way, dirt road here in the park that is only open for about 2 months out of the year. It's the only way to get to Chasm Falls, which is the parks biggest waterfall. While viewing such beauty, I lost all track of time. We loaded back up to return to the campsite and 3 hours had passed. When we got back to the campsite, we ate lunch and then we went into Estes Park (local town) to do laundry.



We went through so much rain on our journey here that a lot of our stuff was wet when we arrived. When we got back to the campsite again, we unpacked the laundry and then loaded up and went to see the other campgrounds here in the park. We normally stay in Glacier Basin campground, which hosts a beautiful view of the snow-capped mountains and has an open field where the kids can run and play. That campground was closed this year for tree removal and should be open again next year. We went to see just how different it looked with all the trees down. We also check out another campsite called Morane Park. We had never stayed in that campground, but we have heard that there are lots of park animals spotted there. We are currently staying in Aspen Glen campground which is barely inside the park boundries. There are more people around us than we hoped would be. There is nothing wrong with this campground, but we prefer Glacier Basin. Last year when we were here at the park, there was tons of snow everywhere; this year, most of it has melted away. We did locate a spot that we might be able to use our sleds for though. If we do, you can be sure I will be taking and posting photos.

God's promise

We left Cody, Wyoming yesterday after a worship time complete with music at our hotel and went into Yellowstone National Park. We arrived at the East park entrance around noon and left the South entrance and went right into the Grand Tetons. As usual, I took many, many photos. While in Yellowstone, we saw one of God's most unique creations. As neat as it was, it was equally disgusting. It was a mud volcano. It amazed me that of all the stories I have heard or read, nothing ever mentions how awful it smells. If you have ever smelled sulfur, then you understand.

We also saw some amazing waterfalls, one over 300 feet tall. I'll never comprehend how anyone can look at such beautiful scenery and not see the hand of God. If ever anyone had a doubt, that alone could seal the deal. As I looked out over the top of Upper Falls, I felt as if God smiled down at me as he graced me with the presence of a rainbow.

We made our way slowly through the park, and it seemed to catch up to us in the end. We stopped to view Old Faithful and we didn't have time to wait for the next eruption. Our plan was to be in Laramie, Wy by last night, but the best laid plans of mice and men often come to no good end. We covered about 250 miles in the dark through territory that would we the appetite of any game hunter. We made it in to Rawlins, Wy at 2:30 am Tx time. We decided it would be best to stop for the night and not tempt fate. God blessed us with watchful eyes as we saw one deer or antelope after another.

We are going to check in to Rocky Mountain National Park sometime today. Our reservation lasts until July 13th. Unless we make a trip into town, I won't be able to update you on our vacation. In the event that I am not able to stay in touch, please continue to pray for our safety.

Cody, Wyoming

Yesterday we left Gillette, Wyoming (if you look on the map, it is north of Casper, Wyoming). Our drive took us through Powder River Pass where there was still snow on the ground. It was 41 degrees at 2:30 Texas time. We saw two moose with antlers. We saw lots of antelope along the way as well. We made it to Cody, Wyoming somewhere around 5ish Texas time. It looked like they had had a parade earlier in the day and that there was some kind of fair on the square equivalent going on here, but we missed most of that. We decided to hang around here in Cody and watch the fireworks show...it just wouldn't seem like Independence day if we didn't get to see fireworks right? Once I finally found the right setting on my camera, I took tons of pictures of the fireworks.

What we found out after we decided to stick around was that there were very few vacancies for hotels, but we landed in a beautiful room that had space enough for the kids to move around in. Here is a picture of it:

Our plans today are to go into Yellowstone, see some bears and bison, and take lots more pictures. We are planning on being in Laramie, Wyoming by this evening and then traveling on to the Rockies tomorrow.

the silver lining

Well, we were rained out at Mt. Rushmore. The fireworks show was cancelled due to inclement weather and we managed to get out ahead of most of the traffic, all of the 20,000 people that came to see it. It didn’t take long for us to find the silver lining in our gloomy day. As we drove through the rain, lightning sprayed the sky and thunder clapped. Dakota sitting in the front between Gary and me, began twisting in the seat. She had that smile on her face that I’ve seen almost every time she poses for a photo. I asked her, “Baby, why are you wiggling so?” Her reply was straight from the voice of God. She said, “I’m posing for God, He’s taking my picture!” It’s moments like these that erase the many miles of “she hit me” and “he pooted again” or the two questions that if I’ve heard them once, I’ve heard them a million times….”have we been here before?” and “are we there yet?” All in all we are doing well. I write this as we are crossing the border between South Dakota and Wyoming. It’s about 12:30am Texas time and the ride is quiet, admittedly another answered prayer.

One thing we did was drive all through Mt. Rushmore area, so I was able to get a few good pictures of the mountain itself and we drove into the town of Keystone. It was a traffic nightmare, but we weren’t in any hurry, so we muddled along and eventually found a parking spot. We dined at a family restaurant, a little on the pricy side, but it did the trick. We stopped in a place called Professor Samuel’s and had our annual family portrait made. Any of you who know me very well, you know that I am always looking for something different and this was just the thing that called my name. Papa decided he didn’t want to go through all the costume change so he sat this one out, just taking in the scenery. (no we didn’t leave him unattended, lol, although I’m sure he don’t mind the break once in a while). For our photo, we stepped back in time. Gary became Marshal Dillon and I was Ms. Kitty. I think we can all safely guess who Festus was. As for the girls, well they filled their part as supporting actresses. Now, before any of you have a conniption fit, the bottles were already empty. This not only made for a fun family picture, but it also gave us the chance to explain the character of such individuals as well as giving them an edited lecture about alcohol. As a homeschool family it is important that we teach and learn lessons when the opportunity allows. After looking back at the picture, I giggled as I thought about what a conversation piece this would be on the wall of a future parsonage….one must enjoy the irony in it.

A little creativity on a long journey

I did a little digital scrapbooking when I wasn't navigating and this is what I came up with. Just a little something to hold on to my sanity while crossing the 1,200 miles we've been so far.

It's Friday morning and we are in Alliance, Nebraska. We stayed in a quaint little motel here, nice but the A/C went out 1/2 way thru the night. Thankfully the weather is cooler here, so we were able to tolerate it. We stopped last night in the town of Ogallala, Nebraska and ate dinner. Let's just say, we won't eat at that place again. We stayed in Wichita, Kansas on Wednesday night. We really haven't done much but ride so far.

Today, we will continue on into South Dakota and stay the day and night there. We will look around for things to do. On our list so far is to stop at Bear Country and watch the fireworks over Mount Rushmore tonight. I will post picures when I can.

Tomorrow, we will head to Yellowstone National Park. We plan to visit Old Faithful and Canyon Valley. Next we will head south through the Grand Tetons and then on to Laramie, Whyoming. Wherever we are on Sunday morning, we will be stopping to take time for worship.

On one of our restroom stops in Kansas, we took time to strecth out and walk around a little. We stopped at a nice rest area and I found the perfect photo opportunity! So this is a photo from our journey so far.

Can I borrow your specs?

After looking, it hasn't been as long as I thought it had since I last posted. At this point, I am finished with this semester as college, although I didn't do as well as I had hoped, I have a 3.5 GPA overall. Considering that a good friend of mine passed away, I started homeschooling the kids again, I did a few photo shoots, and I was going to school full time myself, it's a wonder I haven't pulled out all my hair yet. By the last day of class, I was like a pressure cooker, I had to let off the steam somewhere, and it just so happened that it took place during one of my final exams. All my hard work this semester went down the drain with that bad test grade.
Because of all this stress, I have been seriously thinking about wether or not I should continue my own education. I am struggling to find the balance I need and it seems to be the one thing that doesn't fit into my life right now. I am studying to become a sign language interpreter, and the further I go in the program, the more I find myself asking when will things get any easier, or when will they smooth out a little. I drive 50 miles to class and then 50 miles back home. Living outside of the big city has its many advantages, but after I finish school, I will then be seeking employment, which will also be in the big city. Even with financial aid, there is a hardship on my family when I am going back and forth to school. I know that once I get a job, the fiscal burden will change a little, but will it really make that much of a difference? And then, what about the kids. Even though it is a labor of love, homeschooling is our best option. I find myself then asking, "if I am struggling with balance now with college and a somewhat regular schedule, how will I ever manage a full time job and homeschooling." Some people say, "Just put them in public school." They have been in the past, and it is just not a sacrafice that our family is willing to make. They are only small for a short time. Before long, they will be grown up and they will leave the nest, but until that time, I want to enjoy them. Mom used to say to me, "you can't have your cake and eat it too!" I understand that all to well now.
Maybe I am just having a pity party, but I feel like I am capable of so much more; but nothing ever seems to turn out as good as I had hoped. Maybe my expectations are set to high, thus I am doomed to fail. I don't feel like the things I want in life are so unobtainable. I think part of the lesson I need to learn is that it's ok not to be perfect. I know that I am not perfect by any means. I do think that I am an intelligent individual, and I feel like I am a failure when I am not the best. I don't like the I am overweight, but I don't have the drive or ambition to change it. I know that there are many beautiful people in this world and that God created us all different. The talents and assest he has given me did not include worldly beauty, and for the most part I am ok with that. He also didn't bless me with an abundance of money, and becuase of that, I have developed my creativity and can use it for him. How then can I view my life through His eyes so that I can appreciate what he has given me.
Many people have told me in the past that I am very blessed, and that I am so talented. I just wish I could see my life from their perspective sometimes. It's like that old saying 'You are your worst critic.' I'm sure I am, but I don't know how to see it from another point of view. Its like my lenses are scratched or damaged some how because I don't see the same picture of me that others see. Can I borrow you specs?

I'm so Dizzy

Ever felt like you were in quicksand trying to figure out how you were going to make it out unscathed? It's already the middle of April and I haven't figured out where the New Year went yet! I sometimes feel like I am caught in a revolving door, waiting for it to stop spinning so I can get out. That's where I find myself this semester. I need to blog more often, but it's going to have to be later. I am still to busy to slow down much.

Good-bye 2008, Hello 2009

Seriously, where has the time gone. It's already 2009 and I look back and see what a blur 2008 was. It all happened so fast. I noticed my last post was in August. So much has happened since my last post. I completed a full college semester of 17 credit hours with a 3.9gpa. I worked so incredibly hard at my studies, I am so glad it paid off. I'll be going back next week to start another 17 hour semester. Somewhere toward the end of October, we began visiting Pleasant Grove Baptist Church and participated in thier holiday festivities including the Christmas play. For now, we are back at New Hope, waiting direction from God. Sometimes waiting is so hard. For Dakota's birthday, we went to the Monster Truck Show. I learned that my sister has cancer just a few days before Christmas. She has chronic myeloid luekemia. The Dr. says she is in the early stages and with treatment, she should be fine. She just had a baby at the end of October as well, and I know she is anxious about being a new mother, and now it's increasingly difficult because of the cancer. She is stronger than she knows though. Another big deal for me was getting my van paid off. Finally, being out from under the burden of that debt is such a blessing. As far as scrapbooking goes, I haven't really done much, but I have been taking lots of pictures still. I handmade calendars this year for all the grandparents for Christmas. I even included all the birthdays and anniversaries. I did at least 4 family photo shoots for others. I decided to do a photo card for our Christmas cards this year. I loved the response I received when people opened it. "I saw mommy kissing santa claus" was a big hit around here. It was so easy to put together. I didn't have to do all the hair and makeup and outfits for a change. It was pj's for everyone but santa.

As for New Year's resolutions, I don't really make any. I would like to enjoy more time with my family, serve our Lord, and do well in my classes this year. Another thing that I would like is to have a bigger abode. I don't know if it will happen this year, but it would be nice if somehow we could get it started.

God on the mountain

Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

To everything there is a season:

If there is one thing life has taught me, it's that to everything there is a season. Although hard at times, if I hang on to that thought, it reminds me that this (whatever this is) to, shall pass. The change of seasons can be a good thing and that's just the case this time for me. After 10 years, I am finally going back to school. I can't say that I've ever really seen myself here, but it's happening. In 4 short days, I start classes to become a sign language interpreter. If you would have told me that as little as two months ago, I doubt I would have believed it. I tried once about 8 years ago to go back to school, but baby number 2 was born on the first day of school, so that didn't happen. Since that time, I have been busy running the rat race of life just trying to survive. One night about 5 weeks ago, I stumbled across a website that got me to thinking about going back to school. So in a fluke, I applied for financial aid, and registered for my classes. The whole time I had this sense of hesitation, like I really shouldn't get my hopes up, but I just went on through the process anyway. Figuring that I wasn't going to get enough grant money to cover my classes, let alone my books or fuel (how ridiculously high they both are). Then one afternoon, everything seem to fall into place. My financial aid went through. That was the first sign that this might actually happen. Then reality set in and dh began to ask me how I planned on making it back and forth. We already live from paycheck to paycheck. In that moment a calmness came over me that can only be described as God himself. I explained to my husband that I didn't know, that I honestly didn't have a clue; but that I felt that God would provide. And if He didn't, then perhaps it wasn't time yet. My husband left it at that. The next day, I received a notice in the mail stating that I had unemployment income available for a certain number of weeks. Now you have to understand, I haven't been receiving unemployment since last year sometime and the amount that I will be getting will exactly cover my fuel expenses until my vehicle note is paid in full. But it gets better. A dear friend learned that my printer was not working anymore and she gave me one to replace mine with. She said she had just bought a new one and she no longer needed them both. I am not a cryer, but I wept with joy.

FALL KICK-OFF SCRAPBOOKING CROP

It's the time of year again for football. While I am not big on all the hype about Pro football, I love to watch a hearty high school game in person. For ten years now, our family has hardly missed a game. I don't expect any less from this season. So, as I am so in the spirit of this season, I decided I would host a football themed crop. A crop where you can tackle those photos and score a touchdown as you cross the goal line with finished pages.

We had a blast on our vacation, my only regret is that it was over way to soon. We were gone nine days in all, but when you are blessed with the goodness of God's hand, you just don't want to leave it.
As soon as we returned I began working on VBS stuff. I'll save that for another entry. For now I want to share a little from my travel journal with you.

We made it to the park about 5:30 pm CST. We stopped at Wal-mart in Broomfield on our way to the park to buy food and other things that we needed for our stay. We got the tent and the canopy set up shortly after arrival. Upon entrance to the campsites, we saw 2 bull elk drinking from the brook. While the tent and canopy were being set up, an elk was close enough to our campsite that the kids and I walked up to it within 20 feet. It was the first of many elk and other animals that we saw while here at the park. While driving down the road, we had to stop to allow 3 mountain goats to clear the roadway, and another time we just missed some elk that had crossed the road ahead of us. We have seen mule deer, and been close enough to feed a chipmunk. We have enjoyed seeing the various wildlife that are indigenous to this area.
I think my favorite part though has been the view. It is amazing and breathtaking. I try to capture it's beauty with my camera, but I just don't think a picture can really do justice to what the eye can see in this case. I love the sound of the nearby rushing water. While in the tent at night, it is especially soothing to fall asleep by.
On the first full day we were here, we went for a drive around the park. Last time, we only drove to the hiking trail heads. But this year, we decided we would see what else was around here. As you drive along the road, you gradually increase in elevation. You get to a point where you are atop the mountains and you can look down into the valleys. It can be a scary drive if you let it. There are no room for driving mistakes. Most of the roads are on the edges of the mountains, yielding a wonderful view, but dangerous drive. There are several areas along the roads that you can pull off, park, and just take it all in. We stopped on the side of the road in one place where the snow was higher than the van on one side of the road and the terrain was green on the other side.
Continuing on a little further, we pulled off at Forest Canyon and we were able to play in the snow. The kids built a tiny snowman. They had snowball fights, and we all enjoyed a little laugh at papa's expense. He stepped out into the snow, lost his balance, and went down face first up to his shoulders into the snow. It was only funny because he wasn't hurt, and his reaction would have even made a humorless person laugh.
After enjoying some of the scenery, we came back to the campsite and ate. The kids were out playing in the empty field area next to the campsite when the Park Rangers asked them if they wanted to be Junior Rangers. They gave the kids an information booklet that includes the instructions for obtaining a Junior Ranger badge. I went over the park rules and some of the things they had to do in order to earn their badge.
Needing to do a little laundry and to take a shower, we decided to drive down into Estes Park to a laundromat. We washed clothes and took showers (at the same place). Then we went into Loveland, to Wal-mart, for some things that we had forgotten. We made it back to the campsite at nearly dark. The kids had just enough time to write about the events of the day in there trip journals.
On Wednesday, we had pigs in a blanket for breakfast. A little charred on the bottom, but still edible. As soon as breakfast was over, Gary put on a stew in the dutch oven. Papa sat with it while Gary, the kids and I played. We tried to teach them to jump rope. They lack a good bit of coordination. I'm still not sure that they ever figured it out really. Then we got the flyer (fancy frisbee) out and tossed it back and forth to each other. At one point, I took the kite out and put it together and then flew it for a little while. I guess the kids are still a little to young to grasp just how to fly a kite. It was the first time I had ever flown one, and I really didn't know how to teach them to fly it. One of the kids went and got the ball so that we could play kick ball, but it started raining. That's when I decided to take this moment and record some of the memories from the trip so far. Currently, I have taken 420 photographs since we crossed the Colorado border.
This is only a portion of our trip. There was no internet connection there, so I just saved it into a file and added to it as I could. I ended up with over 1,000 photos in all for the whole trip. Some of them are very similar to each other. I have decided that I am going to have to create a book for this trip alone, and just take a few of the highlights and add them to our annual scrapbook album. I may post a photo here periodically from our vacation, so check back often.