Now That Christmas is Past.

The boxes are all packed for another year. The paper and ribbon and tape have all gone out to the cans at the road. The new year is looming closer and closer. My new calendars are waiting to replace the tired ones of 2017. I didn't know that in 2017 my life would change so radically. I know I say that every year. It was a good year I think. Some of the highlights were these.

Ron started a new job with a commute of of 100 miles each day. Not as bad as some people. It was a change for us. We are up every morning at 4:30. He is on call 24 hours a day. He had to learn how a 200 million dollar water plant works. He is still learning. We became members of a church. That was big. We had not attended a local body of believers in 20 years. We did home church when the kids were all at home. Now we are in a building. I am still going to my Bible Study which I still love, its all so different though.

Ben and Megan are going on their adventure in 2018. I spent a whole lot of 2017 trying to let go and be content with the way God is leading not only us, but each and everyone of our children and their families. Ryan and Kessie ended up relocating to Tucson so he could begin a new job. It has ended up being a huge blessing and I realized that my plans and hopes are not always the best idea so its better for God to be the one who directs their lives and I need to not only keep my mouth shut and my hands open, but to just mind my own business and get out of the way. That was a hard lesson. Still one I will learn the rest of my life.

I think William and Makenzie spent more time in airports and airplanes than they did on the ground in good ole Bakersfield. They did some amazing things this year. They even published a wonderful magazine. I still need to show you pictures of that.

Emilie and Nik are just as busy with Nik being the high school pastor at Church. They are both in full time service. It boggles my mind to see how they have grown as a couple and continue to love their jobs and the place they are at now.

The two young men I still have at home will be flying the coop soon. They both have lovely girl friends that I hope they will become my daughter in laws. Do you know that when the last two get married I will have six sons and six daughters? Isn't that incredible? Hopefully, more grand babies too. Wink, wink. So my plate is full, my blessings overflowing in my lap. I end 2017 feeling so thankful and grateful so in awe of the life Ron and I began in 1980. Ron had a quote for me this morning. "Easy choices: Hard life. Hard choices: Easy life."  As I think about our choices, nothing is easy. But its all been worth it. Every Single One.

Ron was telling me about how he read that people's failings changed their lives the most. I sat there pierced through my soul as he said that. I started crying and I have still never told him why. It was because of the biggest failure of my life. One of the darkest days of my whole life. One that haunts me and dogs my steps every single day. As he said that, I realized, if not for that huge failure, none of my life would be possible today. Not anything. I realized for the first time. My failure was the first step in changing my life for the good. Brokenness became for me the crumbs God could change into something for good.

I think this will be my last post for 2017. It has been a good year. I will still be walking each day and every hour. That has brought the biggest personal change to my life. I will have to give you a final total next week. But it has showed me that a single goal every day can change my life in big ways by the end of the year.
Thank you for staying with me this year. You have been a blessing to my life. I never dreamed I could make such wonderful friends that live in this great world of ours.
I wish you the best 2018

Happy New Year!
Welcome 2018

~Kim~

Not here ever!

  This my song though endless ages,
Jesus led me all the way.
And again they said, Hallelujah!
(Rev. 19:3
He leads us on by paths we did not know;
Upward He leads us, through our steps be slow,
Though oft we faint and falter on the way,
Through storms and darkness oft obscure the day;
Yet when the clouds are gone,
We know He leads us on.

Today's Projects

We have a hard freeze in the forecast so this will be gone by the end of the week.  Finally it will be winter. Snow in the mountains. Maybe some rain. How are you this last week before Christmas? Is everything clicking along. We wrapped our final presents this weekend. I am making jam today.

These berries smell like sunshine. They smell wonderful. I really need some more bare root boysenberries this winter. It will be so nice to have these turn into jam.

I wanted to show you some of my other projects. I hope to finish by the end of December but you know how that goes.

First. This project. Hopefully I have photographed it so you can see the blood.

I bought this lovely pattern from Rose. She has this lovely website called Three Sheep Studio. I admire her work and she had this cute pattern. I thought since I have wanted to get back into punch needle again, I purchased it. She has lovely patterns as well with lovely directions. I am on the other hand a mess. I have stabbed myself repeatedly. That punch needle is sharp. There are somedays, I can't work on it because I have so many holes in my limbs occasionally I even hit my leg. Or I loose the needle threader. Its a good thing I have so many. I had lost my I pod this morning and I pulled my cushion off of my sewing chair, and yes, my I pod was down in the side of the chair as were scissors, needles, needle threaders, pens, and worms from rug hooking projects. I stopped because I was afraid of finding more lost needles. I have continued to work on it and I hope to finish it up.
This is what Rose's Santa looks like.

Its very cute isn't it?

Now my next project is a wool project. Do you know, I never thought freezer paper would work. In fact, I would scorn it well I finally decided I would buy freezer paper to cut out wool. It has changed my life. Gosh, I might even become a quilter again. But here is my latest wool project.

Just Be Claus by Bird brain design

This is fun too. I really do like wool.

I wanted to show you a picture of His Eye is on The Sparrow. I have been working on this and I am pretty happy with my progress for 2017.

Its getting so big, its really hard to find a way to take a picture of it. I have finally got into this wonderful pace with it. I feel like doing a project has really helped me with my cross stitching. I love it so much. Mistakes and all.

I had to get a new phone. Now I am learning how to use this camera. Windows has told me that it won't use my little Cannon point and shoot camera any more.

Its a beautiful cold crisp day today. I need to get to my jam making. I might need to make some bread too so the jam can be put on fresh bread. Just pleasant days.

Have a lovely day,
~Kim~

That kitty was watching me walk. 

“Why does anybody tell a story? It does indeed have something to do with faith. Faith that the universe has meaning, that our little human lives are not irrelevant, that what we choose or say or do matters, matters cosmically.” Madeline L'Engle

December is racing by again

I walked this morning, The trees in the pasture are turning into gold. I thought as I walked that gold now litters my path. Just a week or so and all of the trees will be free of the leaves and then they will sleep.
Some years, I love seeing the reds and golds. This year it has been the orange and the browns. I just can't keep my eyes off of them. Well, except now as the cottonwoods are shimmering and the gold is falling, I just have to be out there.

Are you ready for Christmas? I went to the post office and got the packages to Arizona mailed. I wrapped and put things under the tree yesterday. My next thing is to bake, make mustard and make jam. Very pleasant tasks are ahead of me. You know, I have never considered myself a foodie. I am finding out though, I might just have a thing about cooking and reading recipes and baking. I don't take very good pictures of food that is why I never post pictures of this stuff I make in the kitchen. Last week, I sent a couple of huge pans of cinnamon rolls with Ron to his work. They turned out prettier than any I have ever made before. Did I remember to take a picture? No, not until they were gone.

I have been on a Michael Card kick. I haven't listened to him in years. His music about Christmas is really good to me and I just listen to it over and over. I had to dig though old boxes where I have put my CDs. I had to buy some but now my I Pod is full of music. It makes me really want to walk and walk. I guess I am at that place I was when I was young and watching the kids grow up so much faster than I was ready for and I knew I could only focus my eyes on God and His plan, not mine.
In a way I am there again, I know the last two boys will be leaving for their own homes and families.  I see the signs. Ben and Megan will be leaving in 2018 for their adventure in finding a place of their dreams. Changes all around. I find that I had closed my hands and tried to hold them again. Now, its time to open my hands and let the changes come. So as in the times past, I must rely on God to get me through.

Its all good, but it is always a challenge to give up my will and say, Not my will Lord but thine. Blessings always come in sweet packages.

 Ron and I were in Target and we were waiting behind a little girl in a basket with her Mommy. She stared at me a bit to see if I was safe. Then she told me to see the ribbon that was on the ceiling. I hadn't of course noticed it. I told her so. Then she showed me that she didn't have shoes on, and that her feet were cold. Her Mommy said, it was because her tiny little boots kept falling off. Then as she sat, she stared intently at me and out of the blue she said, " Don't be sad." I was standing there fighting tears, because I missed my grand children and knowing that this Christmas will be the last with Ben's kids. Kessie's are already gone and happily living in Arizona. Well, I almost lost it and I had to turn my attention to my own purchases. I watched as her Mommy put on her tiny socks as they were going out in the cold. She looked at me once more and waved, and said, "Bye, bye. don't be sad anymore."  She couldn't have been three. I thought, that Mommy spends all of her time with that little girl. We were  in our car driving away, and she even waved at me as we left the parking lot.

I am truly blessed and I am very proud that all of these young adults They have done what We trained them to do. To follow God and nothing else. To do what He calls them to be and the direction He continues to take them in life.

These two were in Israel. Life has been so busy that I still haven't got to hear about their trip. Isn't that sad?
I can't figure out how to show you the picture of William getting baptized in the Jordan river with Makenzie by his side. So really, all that God has done in my life, really does take away my breath. I just need to remember to keep my hands open and Let God be God because His plans are always best.

So here is a long post, I have been thinking about it but not knowing how to go about it.

Here is my latest sign, pretty much how I plan on living my life in 2018.

I hope your day is filled with a miracle. Blessings from my heart to yours.

~Kim~

A sign shall be given
A virgin will conceive
A human baby bearing
Undiminished deity
The glory of the nations
A light for all to see
That hope for all who will embrace
His warm reality
Immanuel
Our God is with us
And if God is with us
Who could stand against us
Our God is with us
Immanuel
For all those who live in the shadow of death
A glorious light has dawned
For all those who stumble in the darkness
Behold your light has come

Michael Card---Immanuel, Joy in the Journey, 1994

Making Signs

You know I am kind of glad that its still November. I still have time to make things before the race begins. Even though, I am not stressed out yet about shopping. Ron has already done a big portion of it. I am happy to just set back and let him take over. I do like this age. It was like Thanksgiving. The girls cooked and I cooked and Nik's Mom cooked so it was about the easiest Thanksgiving ever. I expect Christmas to be about the same as this year it will be at William and Makenzie's. So what have I been doing? Making signs.

Here are a few.

The signs that look like gift tags will be on the front door. I will add some greenery and a bow. The other two will be on my Hoosier cabinet and my other hutch. I have a giant sign that I will show you after I finish it. Its really my favorite. I hope to get to it soon as I have been staring at it for days. Its like that line from that movie Searching for Bobbie Fisher, " Don't move until you see it." That is what I have to do sometimes.

Anyway I had to tell you about this stuff I found for perfect signs. Also being married to a computer programmer helps lots.

I bought this years ago I think, in fact I might not even have remembered that I had it if I had not ran out of printer paper when I was Ron was printing out words for my signs.

Its clear and I just tape the word down where I want it to be and use a dull pencil to trace the words onto the sign and then either use paint to paint the words or a handy-dandy Sharpie. I love Sharpies because I use them for so many things. Namely drawing out rugs and  I do love that. But this is about signs and not rugs today.

I went and took a picture of one of the signs on the Hoosier. Gosh, I love that piece of furniture.

I haven't decorated anything yet. I just thought you might like to see it in the house. It still smells like paint so it will have to go outside, it gives me a headache. Simple.

Maybe just a glimpse of the one I hope to work on soon.

There are so many things that I want to do and make and still find time to hook and sew. I miss working with wool. I think though its nice to work with wood again. Working with wood gives my brain a new kind of challenge.

I hope you have a lovely week, this last week in November.

~Kim~

But unless we are creators, we are not fully alive. (Madeleine L'Engle)

Ramblings in My Mind

This morning as I walked. My mind was all over the place. It felt like an unruly horse with the bit in its teeth.
As I yanked the reins back mentally, trying to make some sense of what was racing through my mind. Before I went outside this morning I checked the weather to see what kind of coat I needed. The forecast was for haze.
As I walked and I could see the colors, the clouds and I was reminded how three years ago, haze in the forecast meant hiding all day behind the blinds. Trapped because haze with someone who has cataracts is just horrible. Those days, I would pray, I wouldn't have to drive. So as I walked, I thought about how thankful I am to live in this place, right now. A place where I can see and rejoice in pain free place today.

 As I looked out this morning, I saw that winter is almost here. When the sun rises just perfectly over Bear Mountain, winter will be here. The sun is almost there. The front tree, is all naked. When I lived in town, I would have to climb to the top of the kids fort to see the sun rise. So I asked the Lord if He would let me live in a place where I could see the sun rise and the sun set. When we moved here, it was such a gift and still remains a huge gift in my life. I never miss sunrises or sunsets, and each one is just as precious as it was when that first morning, and the sun rose over Bear Mountain flooding my new house with sunlight.

I was thinking about when we moved here it was basically blank slate. No trees except the front one. No fences, no out buildings and no water anywhere.  As I look around at all of the work Ron has done, it really is amazing. All of the trees we have planted. This morning though, what I thought about was that Ron planted all of these trees that are full of color. The reds, orange and yellow, are what he planted so I could have colored leaves without ever leaving home. Not to mention putting that split rail fence in for me. I think it would be so hard to leave here because of all of the dreams I have had fulfilled living here.

 I have really had the joy of living at the foot of my rainbow. I am so thankful for this life I have been given. When we were newly married and Ron came home as I sat with a baby on my lap and his face was alight with joy. He said, " Kim, I found a verse God gave me for our life, Look its right here! " Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full--pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back." (Luke 6:38)
I scoffed at the time, but Ron has always had more faith than me.
So now almost 38 years later, God has been faithful and so mind blowing. I am so thankful. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving,  1979 I was working in the grocery store. My brother who worked there called me to the back room to ask me a question. I went back and the phone rang in the back room. I went to answer it and it was Ron, (he was supposed to be in Santa Barbara at school.) I thought he was between classes. He said, he had to do something. While I waited on the phone, who should come around the corner, but Ron with the biggest smile. I was so shocked as he dropped on his knees right there with my engagement ring in his hand, and asked me to marry him. I of course said yes, I have no idea how I worked the rest of the day, I floated I think.

It really has been a breath taking adventure. I am so thankful for all of the gifts I have had but I am the most thankful that through these years, I have so many ways to be thankful to God, who took my life and changed it and gave me Ron to walk with every single day to see the sun rise and the sun sets.

May God richly bless you today,

~Kim~

Happy Thanksgiving!

Almost Thanksgiving

My Favorite color Mums

Here we are the week before Thanksgiving. I feel much smarter this year. Everyone is bringing something if they want to and what doesn't get here we will still have more than enough food. I hope you and your friends and family will have a wonderful day. We are doing the turkey of course.

That top picture on my blog was the last of my pumpkins. I had no idea there were still that many left. I wish I remembered what kind those Cinderella pumpkins are for sure. I cut one, it really reminded me of banana squash. It smelled so good that I think I will be using them like banana squash. Thinking about how good they smelled makes my mouth water. They are very meaty. My chickens went crazy for them.

 

I just wanted to wish you a very happy and wonderful Thanksgiving. Have a lovely week,

~Kim~

 When we believe in the impossible, it becomes possible, and we can do all kinds of extraordinary things.
Madeleine L'Engle

Just A Finish

 

As we get closer to Thanksgiving, I get more scatter brained. I have though, managed to think of what people are going to bring this year. A week ahead of time rather than just days.

 I have a funny story to tell you.

 I went to the grocery store this morning. I was just picking up some things for Thanksgiving but not all of it. You know just odds and ends that are gone when I want them. I think other people were thinking the same thing as the store was packed for 9:00 A.M. on a Friday morning.

 

Of course that early, they never have enough help. I wasn't in a hurry so I was just looking around and watching people. There was a Chinese man buying soft drinks in front of me. He is there every Friday morning buying the sodas for his restaurant. He doesn't speak English very well, but I always smile and nod and he always smiles and nods back. Its funny the people you see on a routine basis.

 

The young man who was checking groceries was harried. I always have a ton of stuff and I was thinking about other things and just putting my things on the belt. In California you have to bring your own grocery bags. If you forget you have to pay 10 cents a bag. Not a big deal. I think its the principal of the thing. If you go to say Home Depot or Michaels or Hobby Lobby, they give them to you.

Back to my story. I gave him my bags and there wasn't a bag person, so I just walked to the end and started bagging my own groceries. Which really made the guy upset.  He told me he was sorry, then he got on the loud speaker and called all courtesy clerks to the front. I noticed someone had been messing with their loud speaker because it echoed through the store like Elvis in Love Me Tender. No one came.

 

I used up all of my bags I had brought and I said to him, " You need to charge me for extra bags because I used up what I brought." He looked at me, and said, " You are not buying a single bag, you can have all you want!" I smiled and said thank you and a gal showed up about then and finished up. Out of the blue he said,
" Come on to the back with me, I am giving you a turkey! I said what? He said, Yep, I am giving you turkey!
I pointed at the register because I hadn't paid yet and he said, " Never mind I am getting you the biggest turkey I can find!" He came back to the register with a 20 pound turkey and put it in my basket. I just laughed and went out to the car. Isn't that funny! I have chuckled to myself all day. He was still very grumpy that no one had come to help with all of the people in line.

I finished my last old project from two years ago. Well, not all of them of course. I could stitch for years and not finish them all. I think I have done all of the Fancey Blacketts by Pineberry Lane now.

I just love those patterns.

I wanted to show you the tiny bit I have left on my crow rug. I just need to get to it and stop procrastinating.

 See that tiny little square? That's it.

I had to get back to His Eye is on the Sparrow today. I really wanted to finish it this year and I know I won't. But here it is.

I thought I was further along. I am doing the bird now so I feel like I got over my mental block. It really will be lovely if I ever get it finished. I am glad I stopped and finished the other projects. My mind wasn't yelling at me so much to hurry.

Two of our kids are in Israel this week. The pictures have been wonderful. I am sure they will have all kinds of stories to tell when they get back. I hope you have a lovely weekend. Thank you so much for stopping by today.

~Kim~

 We have to be braver than we think we can be, because God is constantly calling us to be more than we are.
Madeleine L'Engle