Winter Wonderland from Northern Kentucky

All you need is the plan, the road map and the courage to press on to your destination.

                                                                                           -Earl Nightingale

 The following photos are were taken from a SHORT trip to Northern Kentucky.  The snow was quite a blessing as it provided the perfect amount of sparkle to create the most beautiful winter scenes.   



I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.  ~George Washington Carver







Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning








To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life.  ~John Burroughs




And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.  ~William Shakespeare



Nature is too thin a screen: the glory of the omnipresent God burst through everywhere.
                                              -Ralph Waldo Emerson



I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.  ~e.e. cummings



Pajamas and Flashing Lights Don't Mix

     It is very evident to me that I am NOT to wear pajama's outside of the home.  Now, I am not implying that I would  EVER wear them to a store, or a public place. (Note: I have seen people in places wearing pajamas....gag!!!)   I have personally found that even in the privacy of my own vehicle,  wearing pajamas is the ultimate faux pas!  I am not quite sure why others can get away with it, but the ONLY  TWO times, I have worn my stylish pj's in my vehicle, I have drawn a crowd to the scene.  Not good.  I can imagine what you may be thinking now.  Go ahead think it, it is true.  It was UGLY. 

  It leads me to wonder when I have tried to sneak out wearing my pajamas did someone place a  huge beacon on my vehicle?  Other people get away with it!!!!   I realize pajamas were invented to wear indoors and to be slept in.  However, there have been times, when an emergency CAN arise and you are wearing these soft, snuggling, and warm two pieced outfit and there is just no time to change clothes especially when you know you wont be getting out of the car. Did I mention I was only going to be travelling five minutes away???

    Well after this morning, the second and final episode of my pajama runs were put to a halt.  I no longer wish to see flashing lights behind me beckoning me to stop while people come outside  from their warm  houses to check the situations out.  No, I am finished with living the  dangerous life and have decided to keep my pajamas inside my home.  I can say one thing, "Thank God I dropped the kids off first!"

Ugly Sweaters-Spirit Day SHOCKER...

     Tonight I had to come to the realization that my daughter and her friends think my clothing tastes are out of style.  "Wha..what?" I thought to myself.  I actually stumbled upon this heart breaking moment when these  six or seven teenage hipsters were posing in their "ugly sweaters" for spirit day at our house after school.  One of these precious girls forgot her "ugly sweater" (which I am now thinking, these girls picked their sweaters from their mother's closets???)  and my lovely, kind, and oh so  sensitive daughter piped up and offered her one of mine! What? GASP?? I thought I took all of my ugly sweaters to goodwill years ago....????  I don"t have any ugly sweaters?

   "I have the perfect one for you," she said.  My daughter bebops down the stairs with a very expensive Michael Simon sweater.  Michael Simon is a famous designer.  Of course, these girls have probably  NEVER heard of Michael Simon.  His sweaters run well over a $100.00 a sweater.  Actually, anything Michael Simon puts his name on sells for a bundle.  He is known for his creativity and artsy whimsical designs. These girls need to appreciate a good artist when they see one. 

     Now I have worn this sweater to the grocery store and mind you, have received dozens of compliments.  Were these girls loopy?  There was nothing wrong with the sweater!!!!  Colorful? Yes, but in a good way.  Ugly? No!  Was the sweater torn or ripped? No.  Okay, do I think an "upper" senior citizen would wear this sweater?  I would have to answer, No!!  So it wasn't cruise wear!

    Then I started to think about the whole entire situation in an entirely different angle.  Other adults as well as teenagers  make fun of  adults who they try to "dress" like a teenagers.   So either way, as a mother of a teenager, you are "burned at the stake" no matter how you dress! 

    I decided to address the situation and tell the girl that had worn my sweater that she had superior taste in choosing my sweater. Seriously, to wear a sweater like the one she did, definitely showed, intelligence and a fine love for boutique wear!   Silence and a little bit of smirking surfaced among the girls.  I giggled too.  How could I not.  Bless their hearts.  They truly think fashion is a pair of ripped up jeans and a thin low t-shirt.

    As I walked away, I thought to myself, "oh my, I have seriously matured beyond that young girl that  I feel still exists inside of me."  Please take notice, I said matured and not aged.

Ever Feel Like Hiding Under a Table?

     Have you ever felt like hiding under a table from pure embarrassment?  Have you ever said anything in which you realized right in the middle of your sentence that you just put your foot in your mouth?  You would think it would be safe playing basketball in your own backyard from some of these humiliating situations but my son found out that these horrible situations can arise just about anywhere! 

     It was a nice autumn afternoon..  The kind you just crave to get outside and do something just to smell the autumn air.  My son had convinced his dad to shoot some baskets with him in our backyard.  He hurried and laced his shoes up and before running out the door and called out , "HURRY DAD!"
Finally the two of the are shooting baskets when they heard some digging sounds from the yard next door.  The neighbors have an  adorable dachshund  who usually comes to our fence and greets us with a bark or two.  The digging sounds ended, however, that apparently didn't stop my husband from stopping the friendly basketball game to walk over to the neighbors backyard.

     The neighbor family were all out in the backyard.  Surprisingly, even the neighbor's sons who have moved away were all huddled together standing in a group.  I think my husband could have thought they were having a family barbecue??  But what about the digging sound?  He wanted to know what that digging sound was!!! So he had to ask! "Hey there," he greeted the family,as he laughed, "I think the dog is digging some holes around!"  The family glared at my husband.  At that point, my husband looked down at their feet and saw a mound of dirt.  While the family is still looking like they could attack my husband, the neighbor's wife, with precious tears in her eyes, tells my husband,  while holding her sons back "we just buried our dog."

Oh no!

    As their mouths dropped in unison, slowly and ever so numb, my son, looked at his father, and said, "way to go, Dad." and dropped the basketball and walked home.  My husband scrambled for words of sympathy and excused himself.  Both boys meet our family in the kitchen and my son informed me that the neighbors are really mad at dad! 

(two weeks later...different dog...)

     Two weeks later, we go to a party for a friend.  The mood in the room is cheery.  Everyone is laughing and enjoying each other's company.  Suddenly my husband walks in and sits down and looks at a lady sitting next to me whom he hasn't seen in months.  "How's your dog?" Everyone stops their individual conversations and looks at my husband.  The room that was once full of laughs, for some odd reason, NOT, grew rather silent!   I immediately glare at him across the table.  I literally can't believe he asked this.  Just months ago, this family's son called my husband sobbing because their dog just got hit from a car and died.  My husband had totally forgot! He is the ONE who told ME!   I am sitting next to this lady and apologizing up and down, while looking at my husband in complete shock!

      "What was his name, "Crusty?" my husband asked?  Why does he put me in these situations?  Doesn't he know when you are married you are "one?"  The lady sternly looks at my husband and replies, "WHY, would I name my dog, Crusty?"  (Crusty?? Really, Crusty??? )  Her son then lets him know that when the dog was hit, his eyeball fell out. The boy is smiling because it sounded nice and disgusting.   Now this obviously was not the son who called my husband in tears. I am thankful the boy who called my son was not in attendance at the party.  Her younger child in her princess voice kept asking, "Why are they talking about my dog?"  Thankfully the people at the party know my husband's heart and know he loves their family. 

       I don't hide under tables anymore, but I must admit, I used to when I was younger. That is  another story entirely.  It is pre-elementary years and confidential!    I let God handle things now.  Although it must be interesting to watch my face go through all the shades of red during one of these episodes.   The above stories were written about my husband just because they happened within weeks of each other and they were strangely both about dogs.  He thinks and breaths dogs lately.  He has had a change of lifestyle and is doing it ever so gracefully.  I have said before, we are so blessed!

"Forgiving Can Impact the Course of History"

     I picked up a book this summer with some of the most life changing wisdom in it.  It isn't the Bible, which
is the our ultimate handbook to life, but this book was written by a man that I shared some of my life with since I was a very young girl.  It is funny, I have never met him, but it is amazing how this man has had an impact on my life.  His name his name is Fred McFeely Rogers (aka Mr. Rogers). 

  
     The book is entitled, The World According to Mister Rogers by Fred Rogers.  The book is a compilation of thoughts, quotes and songs from Mr. Rogers and  Mrs. Joanne Rogers wrote a touching foreword about her husband throughout the fifty years of their wonderful loving marriage. 
    
     There is one particular quote that stuck out to me this summer that hasn't left me.  I wanted to share it with you.  Tell me what you think:

      "A high school student wrote to ask, 'What was the greatest event in American history?'  I can't say. However, I suspect that like so many "great" events, it was something very simple and very quiet with little or no fanfare (such as someone forgiving someone else for a deep hurt that eventually changed the course of history?)  The really important "great" things are never center stage of life's dramas: they're always "in the wings."  That's why it's so essential for us to be mindful of the humble and the deep rather than the flashy and the superficial."
   
                                                   Fred Rogers, The World According to Mister Rogers


     What do you think?     

                                                            

                                          

Restoration of Desks Project

I will soon be holding  sessions in January on Wednesday nights at NCF in the Art Room.  Participants will be able to take one of our tattered worn out desks - FREE OF CHARGE . However, you must provide your own paint colors and primer.  We have stencils, coffee, tea, etc to go along with these nights!  More details will follow after you sign up!  These classes are open to the public, so feel free to contact me! (We will not begin the sign ups until January!)

Old Rusty Desks

My daughter is in process of making a monogram-not finished!

Checkerboard-Game Table Desk!

Another view!

Fish Desk

Carbonation Cravings...

     Every so often, I would say, maybe once every other month, I have found cans of pop open in our house with most of the cola remaining.  It is as if someone only had time to take on drink and then they had to run and leave the can.  What's even more peculiar is where I find these cans of pop.

     I was dusting shelves one day and low and behold, I see this can hiding behind some picture frames, opened and full of pop.  I have also found them in shelves in dark closets, and in the worst places of all, bathroom counters- eww, where people flush and tiny particles fly in the air....!!!!

     It wasn't until I was in the garage the other day when I found another one of these opened cans full of pop when I had a flashback, to a young five year old, too many years ago to count.  As hard as it is to admit
I myself used to sneak down into what we called my Grandma's cellar (basement) in her home in Michigan and took swigs of pop! GASP!

     My Grandma didn't have the type of pop that a 5 year old would normally drink, she had what I now love, Vernor's Gingerale.  Now at the time, I detested Vernors.  However, it was POP, and it was carbonated!  I would take about 2 sips and it was over.  I couldn't stand the taste any longer and that was enough.  I would then leave the evidence behind.

My older sister and I  (I am the cute one :) )

     Now, as a mother, finding these cans around my house, I can't help wonder what my Grandma thought when she would find "my hidden bottles" with only 2 sips taken ?  As I stood in the garage, I just smiled, how can I be upset?  On some days, I really miss that little 5 year old, but  apparently a part of her is living in my house now.