My New Hobby

My new hobby is quilling, also known as paper filigree,
or in the simplest terms, paper curling...and is it ever fun!

A few months ago I didn't even know what quilling was.
Now I'm practically addicted.

It's rather interesting how this all came about.

Here. Let me tell you about it.

It started back on January 9th, 2011 with this "Pay it Forward"
post I copied from one I had received.

Two friends responded to my facebook post, Kate and Lynnda.

For the next 10 months I wondered what sort of homemade item
I could make for them. I could make stepping stones,
(See my October Blog, Creating a Stepping Stone.)
but those are expensive and tricky to make.
Something smaller would be better...
like a crocheted bookmark
or a quilted pillow.

But I don't crochet or sew.

I could bake them some of my famous sugar cookies,
but Lynnda is one of the best cooks I know,
and Kate is really into health and nutrition.


Soon winter, spring, and summer had passed
and I still hadn't figured out what I would give them.

Then I saw this article in the Oct. 30th issue of our local paper.

It was all about a 82 year old woman in the nursing home
who has been quilling for years and still loves it.
Her projects look pretty, and not too hard.

So a few weeks later I googled quilling.
I couldn't believe all the web sites, how-to videos,
and images of quilling I found! Some of them
(especially those created by iron-maiden-art)
were simply breathtaking.
I couldn't wait to give it a try.

So I took a few pieces of card stock scraps,
sliced them into thin strips, wound them, and made this flower.

It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either, for my first try.

I kept practicing and soon I made my first quilled greeting card:
a Birthday card for my mother.

(I spent just as much time on the card as I did
writing the special poem I printed on the back.
You'll find that at the end of this blog post.)

The next thing I made was a Thanksgiving card for my boss.
She was quite impressed.

(She's easily impressed.)

Next I made some snowflakes, using regular white paper
and some patterns I found online.

Then I made a housewarming gift for Jeff's sister.

I spent most of December working on Christmas and thank you cards.

Finally it was time to get to my "Pay it Forward" promise
that started it all. I emailed Lynnda and Kate to ask
if they had a favorite Bible Passage. Lynnda gave me Philippians 4:19.
Kate told me her favorite Bible passages change from day to day.
So I decided to keep it simple and use Philippians 4:19 for both.

Then I cut all different colored strips of paper using my new
Fiskars paper trimmer Jeff got me for Christmas,
and yesterday I finished their pictures...just in the nick of time.
I don't know if I'll get them delivered before the end of the year,
but at least they're done.

Here's Kate's

And here's Lynnda's.

And here's the poem I told you about.

I put it on the back of many of my projects now.


I expect I'll spend much of 2012 the same way I ended 2011,
watching movies on my daughter's old laptop,
as I cut and curl paper to my heart's content.

And I owe it all to that little "Pay it Forward" facebook post.
Who'd of guessed.

I wonder what surprises 2012 will bring...

Happy New Year, everyone!

May your lives be filled with all sorts of
wonderful surprises in the new year.

Then and Now

Back in June I posted pictures from a walk I took through the park.

A few hours ago I went on that same walk.
I thought it might be fun to compare
how things looked then to how they look now.
(Remember, you can click on a picture to see it close up.)

As I was heading home, it began to snow.

Here's how our deck looks now...two hours later.

Maybe I need to go out again in a couple of hours?

Nah.

I'll stay in here where it's nice and warm.

Christmas Music 24/7

What’s your favorite Christmas Song?


Here’s another question for you...

What’s your dad’s favorite Christmas Song?

If you ask any of our kids that question they’ll know the answer. Jeff loves the tune, O Come O Come Emmanuel. I think he likes it because it’s based on an old Gregorian chant, and Jeff’s always been a fan of the Gregorian chant.

Next question...

What’s your mom’s favorite Christmas song?

If you ask my kids that, they aren’t likely to know. That’s because I don’t really have a favorite. I love them all! From The Bell that Couldn’t Jingle, to Gardner’s Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day I’ve never heard a Christmas Song I didn’t like. However, I will admit, I prefer Classical Christmas Music. It’s rich and bright, and usually tells the story of the real reason for the season, as they say.

If you’re not sure what I mean by Classical Christmas Music, (or if you’d love to hear some right now) I invite you to visit my favorite place for Christmas music, MPR’s online stream. Just copy and paste this link to your browser and it will take you to MPR's home page. Then click where it says "HOLIDAY CLASSICS" and you'll be enjoying Christmas Music with me in no time.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/services/cms/


Too much work?

Okay.

Then just listen to this one.

December

Scroll down for Lyrics

December

I walked down to the frozen river.

I knew what I was gonna see.

In this deep dark cold December

There’s a gray cloud hanging over me.

There were no birds singing in the branches

of the old weepin’ willow tree.

No fish were jumping in the water.

Only ice as far as I could see.

As I walked along this frozen river,

my heart so tempted to despair,

I heard a far off church bell chiming

and took it to the Lord in prayer.

Let it snow, let it snow, December,

aint gonna let it bother me,

cuz winter doesn’t last forever.

Spring comes around eventually.

Yeah, I know that winter doesn’t last forever.

Spring comes around eventually.

Deck the Halls

I'm a little late with my blog this week. I got lazy, celebrating Thanksgiving.
And then I got busy, decorating the house for Christmas.

I thought it might be fun to show you some of my favorite decorations.

This is my nativity.

I think I only paid $2 for it at the Thrift Store,
and I think it is the sweetest thing ever.


Here's my snowman shelf.

See the one in the back with a red pom pom on its hat?
It's actually a sock filled with rice. Mandie made it in grade school,
and I love it. I also love the green paper Christmas trees.
Mandie and JJ made those.
The funny looking snowman tree in the center was a thrift store find.
If you wind it up, it spins and plays "Let it Snow." Too cute!


Our angel tree topper has been around quite awhile.

I made her the first year we were married.
I had always figured I'd just use her until I could afford something nicer.
But then when I did finally replace her, Mandie complained
and said I should put the other one back.
Good thing I hadn't thrown her away.



These are my Christmas salt and pepper shakers.


Usually this shelf is full of my other salt and pepper shaker collection,
my animal salt and pepper shaker collection.
But at Christmastime I pack all those away and put out these.
I think my favorites are the S'more snowmen way down on the right.
I bought those for myself one year,
from a regular store, and they weren't even on sale!


Here's a fun one.

That's JJ back when he was a pre-schooler.
This spring he'll graduate from college. How time flies.

Speaking of which, I've gotta go make supper.

Happy decorating!

That Glorious Day - Amen!

NOTE: I refer to many wonderful individuals, events, etc in this week's blog. If you want to learn more, you'll find additional information about them at the end of this post.

There’s an episode of StarTrek – The Next Generation where Captain Picard and his crew get caught in a loop on the time-space continuum. Eventually they come to realize they have been reliving the same day over and over again…perhaps for years.

If I had to relive one day in my life over and over again, I’d hope it would be yesterday. What a glorious day that was!

I spent most of the day at our church, attending a Women’s Retreat. Our opening devotion was an hour long, but it was an hour of God’s Word, recited by Daniel Dexter from El Paso Texas (an amazing young man who brings God's Word to life with his amazing storytelling abilities), music led by my friend and Christian artist Susan Ann, and reflections by our own Pastor Sutton on our unchanging God in an ever changing world. It was an incredibly uplifting hour…and we were just getting started!

The rest of the morning and afternoon we listened with rapt attention to presenters who talked about their personal experiences and how God has guided them faithfully though this unpredictable life. A women, and former Mormon, spoke to us about her journey to the Lord. With tears in her eyes she explained how amazing it is to know Jesus as her Savior.

I heard Pastor Stelljes tell us how a scary looking man he met one day as he was going door to door looking for prospects, not only took the time to talk to him, but eventually became one of his mission congregation’s most enthusiastic and vocal members, happy to share his story of the lifesaving power of God’s Word in his life.

We were all moved as we heard the amazing love story of two Christians on opposite ends of the globe, who came together through an internet dating service. To ponder all God can do, even in today’s mixed up world, once again moved us to tears and awe-filled wonder.

Best of all, I was able to attend this retreat with my mom, and several other woman who hold a special place in my heart. My time visiting with them during our delicious lunch and between speakers was also a delight.

After the retreat I only had an hour to go home, say Good-bye to Mom, and grab a quick snack before heading out to my next event, a singing clinic with the United Voices of Praise Gospel Choir.

I knew they would teach us a song to sing with them in their concert that evening. I did not know we would be asked to learn the song without music and by heart! I hadn’t learned a song that way since I was a kid singing songs my mom taught me. If it hadn’t been for the peace still lingering in my heart from the retreat, I think I would have become extremely frustrated, but soon I began to feel the beat, and the harmonies, and in less than a half hour I was standing, swaying, singing and clapping my hands with a huge smile on my face. Amen!

The evening ended with the concert, and what a concert it was! We Minnesota Lutherans aren’t in the habit of shouting, swaying and clapping our praise, but we learned quickly. What a joy to stand among my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and sing “Jesus made the difference!” and mean it with all my heart and soul! Again I say, Amen!

And here’s the neatest thing. One day, when God brings me home, I'll be able to celebrate His power and sing His praises day after day after day, to all eternity. That’s a loop in the time-space continuum I can’t wait to hop aboard.

I'll met you there!

Here's a very poor quality video clip from the concert. To see a better version look at my last footnote. Anyways, that's Mark Jeske from "Time of Grace" on the piano. Who knew he could play like that! You'll also notice the sound is a bit off. Sorry about that. Just think of it as another glitch in the time-space continuum.

Daniel Dexter: www.word4wordgospel.com

Susan Ann: www.susanann.net

Pastor Mark Jeske and Time of Grace: www.timeofgrace.org

To view the entire concert go to: www.mlc-wels.edu/home
Then click on "MLC TV" in the upper right-hand corner.
Then scroll down until you find the box labeled "St. Marcus' United Voices of Praise 11-19-11."
The 3 songs we got to do with the choir are found at 30:15, 52:45, and 55:10.
The last one is my favorite. It was the easiest to sing, and it was acapella.

Jeff

My husband celebrated a birthday yesterday. He turned 48.

We met when he was 20.

Sometimes it amazes me how much I love my husband.

Sometimes it amazes me that he loves me back.

He loves other things too.

Trees

Tolkien

Cashews

Fantasy Football

Yardwork

(though he would say he only loves the yard, not the work to maintain it)

And days off

He likes those a lot.

And me.

Did I mention that?

He loves me too.

And I him.

Happy Birthday, Jeff.

wonder how

If you like poetry, then scroll down and read the one I wrote this week. You can come back up here and read this foreword afterward if you're interested in the how and why of what I wrote.

Foreword

It seems a reoccurring question posed by the leaders of several Bible classes I’ve attended recently is why God no longer speaks to his people through signs and wonders. I tend to disagree with the presumption of this question. Has God stopped performing miracles? Are signs and wonders a thing of the past? I think not. And it bewilders me how anyone can experience life on this earth and not see God’s great wisdom, power, and love in everything from gravity to goose bumps. That is what motivated me to write this poem. I hope it motivates you to wonder how...

wonder how

signs and wonders

theologians say

are a thing of the past

unneeded today

and that is why

or so they say

miraculous things

are not seen today

but I wonder how

when wonders abound

these scholars say

they can’t be found

have they never

watched the sky

and wondered as

the clouds rolled by

wondered

how

wondered

why

is it not a

miraculous thing

when winter days

give way to spring

and all of nature

starts to sing

what do the great

and learned feel

when cuts and sores

and bruises heal

do they think

it’s no big deal

are they too wise

to truly see

the simple things

that marvel me

a thousand ants

that work as one

earth’s perfect distance

from the sun

a mother as she holds her son

how can they say

they understand

the ways of God

and all He’s planned

and not see God’s almighty hand

still at work

still in command

signs and wonders

even now

signs and wonders

wonder

how