Edge of the Forest...

MY MOTHER AND I

Oh how good it feels to sit down and look through blogs and let my mind just go...........

I want to thank those who have prayed for my mother and I.  Thank you so much.  She is in ICU still after having  surgery on October 27th.   I thought many times she was not going to make it but she has.  She should've only been in the hospital for a relatively short stay but had one complication after another with pneumonia and respiratory failiure and her body becoming septic and blood clots and the list goes on.  She had a tracheotomy and peg tube yesterday put in and will move from ICU to a long term critical care unit and then on to a rehabilitation home for a year the doctor said today.  This all has been horrifying.  My mother was a well person before all this and got around great with no serious health issues and was very active and happy.   She had just had new flooring put down in her house and had gotten new furniture for her den and sun room.  She was enjoying her new car and loved wearing stylish clothes and was in Church every Sunday to give you an idea of how Mama is and of how shocking this has been for us.

As for me?  I stayed with her constantly for 17 days and then a sister came from another state and has been with her while I came home and got some much needed rest.  I believe I have been at my breaking point and have been just teetering on the edge of somewhere I've never been before.  I covet your prayers for my mother and myself and my entire family.  

I hope, as time allows between trips back and forth, to blog about other things again.  I love my blog and I miss it.  I think it would be good for me to do so and it would help me get my mind off of things if I'm able to.  So come back and visit. 

Exciting News and a giveaway for you.

Baby Steps

Family Fun Times

What happens when you mix a bunch of different candies, royal icing, gingerbread and lots of sticky fingers?

A family masterpiece. :)
And a bunch of happy kids.
Here's wishing you a fun and sometimes sticky icky day.
My Cup Runneth Over...

A Sweet Morning

I hope your day is full of sweetness.
My Cup Runneth Over...

Recent Random Photos...

Happy Birthday to Eli... Oct. 30th.
Carlie Jean... her first time on skates, Nov. 2nd.
Shannon and Abram at the Skating Rink, pretending to play a game... shhh, don't tell Abram. :)
Lovely Cameo...
My Beautiful Pregnant Sister... at her shower Nov. 9th.
My Sister, My Mom and My Two Girls! :)
Have a wonderful weekend friends... I hope you all enjoy your day.
Blessings to each of you.
My Cup Runneth Over...

Rainy Thursday... can it get any better?

Rainy.
Chilly.
Thursday.
Feety Pajamas.
Hot Coffee.
Cozy Quilts.
Books.
Soft Music.
Twinkling Lights.
Pure Bliss...

Life is so good... God is so great.  We are so thankful for this little haven we have on Earth. 
For those of you who prayed and are now curious... the interview did not go like we had hoped.  There was some criteria for the job that we felt was in direct violation with God's commands... so for us, that was God closing that door. 
We are not sure what is ahead, but we know that God will make His way visible to us when He is ready. 
So for now, we will continue to pray, seek and be glad with what God has given. 
Shannon worked 3rd again last night, so while he sleeps this morning we will school and do chores and after he awakes, we will have our 'Saturday' (he will have to work 2nd this Saturday).
Today's agenda...
Fun times, games, probably a big bowl of popcorn and maybe a movie tonight. So yes, today looks wonderful!
Take the time to enjoy whatever your day has in store.  Rain or Shine, God's way is perfect!
My Cup Runneth Over...

Let it Snow with 3D Snowflakes...

Yesterday after school time, I had plans for us to decorate the schoolroom with some crafts.  We made the ever popular paper chain for the tree... and then we made something pretty nifty I wanted to share.  3D Snowflakes.

First... start with 6 equal size squares
Fold each square into a triangle
Ok, now on the triangle, cut slits... 3 on each side, but NOT touching in the middle, and obviously getting shorter as you get closer to the middle.
Now open up your triangle and lay it in front of you, so it looks like a diamond.
See, it isn't perfect, but it will still turn out really pretty. :)
Take that middle section and pull each side up and tape, it makes a little loop. See what I mean?
Turn it over so this side is down and pull up the next two sides and tape.
They are beginning to look like figure 8's. 
Flip it again and tape the next and again for the last. 
You will have something that looks like this...
Side view
Make each of your triangles the same way, until all six are finished.
Hold the tip of 3 of your pieces in your hand and then staple together
Do the same for the other 3
Take both sides of three, bring together in the middle and staple again.
You can also tape/staple each of the touching edges to give a little extra stability.  We did that.  Then I took a piece of yarn and hung them from our ceiling.  We made them out of printer paper which we have an abundance of, but you could make them a bit nicer if you had card stock or some heavy weight paper.  A variety of sizes makes a nice little display, like the one in our schoolroom. :)
Have fun!
My Cup Runneth Over...

Invisible Mom

This was sent to me by a wonderful and dear Sister. It spoke volumes and I wanted to share it with you all:) I'm sure some of you've already seen this in the past but for those who haven't I pray this will encourage you and for those that have I pray it is a blessed reminder:)

God be with thee!

Sister Lori

THE INVISIBLE MOTHER

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of
response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room
while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.
Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on
the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on
the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even
standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me
at all.

I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a
pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie
this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of
hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to
ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to
answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm
a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held
books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that
graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared
into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's
going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating
the return of a friend from England .. Janice had just
gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and
on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there,
looking around at the others all put together so well. It
was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was
feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a
beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you
this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe .

I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me
until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with
admiration for the greatness of what you are building when
no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And
I would discover what would become for me, four
life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
No one can say who built the great cathedrals
we have no record of their names.

These builders gave their whole lives
for a work they would never see finished. They made great
sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their
building was fueled by their faith that the
eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came
to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw
a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He
was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so
much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered
by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman
replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into
place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me,
'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make
every day, even when no one around you does. No act of
kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no
cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and
smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you
can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction But it
is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for
the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote
to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective
when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people
who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to
work on something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no
cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there
are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my child to
tell the friend he's bringing home from college for
Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and
bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for
three hours and presses all the linens for the table.'
That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to
myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if
there is anything more to say to his friend, to add,
'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be
seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very
possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we
have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the
world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!

Little Homestead on the Mountain

Good Morning! I hope you are all having a fantastic day thus far. It certainly looks to be a gorgeous day around here.  Chilly and clear... perfect for slippers, and blankets and mugs of hot cocoa. Christmas lights are twinkling. Hooray... it just tickles me.

School is going well around here.  One of the nice things about Shannon working odd shifts is, much of the time he is here for school.  He helps out and is so good about making sure we stick to our schedule. :) I sometimes wander down bunny trails... hee hee. :)

The kids are great... rambunctious and wonderful.  They are loving the decorating and are such precious kids.  Cameo 'worked' last week and made a little money.  She has contemplated what she wanted to use it for after her tithe... she considered a late birthday present for me, or buying something for herself... but now she has it set in her mind that she wants to  make an extra shoe box and send it.  Now tell me how precious is that?  She was looking through the Operation Christmas Child booklet that came (we are the coordinators at our church) and was saying... Mom, we could buy a goat for a family for $xx dollars... OH, MOM! If we do this we could help them by buying part of a cow for $xx dollars!  I was so touched my eyes just began to well up. 
~Lord, do I have a missionary in my home?~
I have been stressing the importance of helping out with shoe boxes to the children here at home, and they have heard me speak about it at church also... so this is something dear to their heart as well as mine.

If you are looking for some great Christmas gifts Vision Forum has a REALLY good deal going on!
They have wonderful gifts...  Check them out.  My Eli is TOTALLY in love with the Amphibious Tank... he wants to see the demo at least once a day. :)
I love that they are all about being who God made you to be... Helping boys to become men and helping girls to become women of GOD! 

Have a wonderful day my friends! May God bless each and every one!!
And if you don't mind, send up a prayer for my beloved... Shannon is on his way to an interview this morning. Lord, I pray for YOU to open doors if this is Your will... not ours!!
My Cup Runneth Over..