Treasures!

My girls thought I was a little nuts.  They were willing to get up early and head out the door with me.  "We'll just humor her" I can imagine them saying to each other.  Three hours later they were singing my praises!  "Why didn't you tell us how amazing flea markets were?" is what they said when we climbed into the car.  

Rows and rows of vendors.  Fresh produce.  Antiques.  Clothes.  Kettle corn.

 Beautiful antique laces and silverware.

 The most adorable puppy!  (She wasn't for sale.)

 Vintage planter filled with Chicks n Hens.

 I bought a whole bag of peppers that we sliced and froze.  They are amazing marinated and grilled!

 Two of the planters came home with me!

 As did three pieces of vintage trim including this adorable ric rac.

 This sweet painting was only $1 so it is now living on my enclosed porch!

 Vintage post cards.  They are signed and post marked on the back.

 Maybe my most favorite find.  These vintage shakers will sit on a shelf in my kitchen.

 Beautiful glass basket!  It was a steal because the seller had dropped it and cracked the handle.  She was selling it for $1.  I snatched it right quick!

Isn't the color gorgeous?

An old copy of Tom Sawyer.

 I found two great wooden boxes.  I was looking for something to put my ribbon in as I organized it.  These are similar to the plastic boxes for floss, but they are wood!  And the seller only wanted $1 a piece.  These were my first finds (first booth I came to) and I would have been happy if this was all I found!

 This is the outside.

This shelf was also $1.  I plan to paint it with crackle medium then creamy white paint and hang it in my kitchen for those shakers I showed you above.

It was such a fun day!  I can't wait to go back!

Blessings & Hugs,

Michelle

What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?  Psalm 8:4

I think of this verse often.  Who am I?  Why would God even think of me?  Why would He send His Son to die for my sins?  Why is He interested in the details of my life?  Why does He work in my life?  What does He have planned for me?  These questions have gone through my head more rapidly and more frequently the last month.  January 3, 2012 will be a day I will never forget.  At 7:30 pm my 2 young sons and a dear family friend and I were in a serious snowmobile accident. 

I do not remember anything about the accident nor do I remember much from the next 2 weeks.  Our friend, Oren, had a cut lip, and bruising.  My youngest son, Josiah, had 2 cuts and swelling on his face and his arms were very sore.  My oldest son, Ben, had a large bump on the top of his head and 7 fractures in his back which required a back brace.  I was knocked unconscious for several minutes.  When I awoke, I sat up and took off my helmet.  I was bleeding alot from my nose (which was broken) and from my right eye, which had a cut above it which required 3 stitches.  Josiah helped Ben walk the 1/2 mile back to the house and Oren assisted me the entire way.  Since Oren called 911 from the crash site emergency vehicles were already arriving at our house when we got close.  Oren was taken to the closest hospital, Josiah was sent to a large one in Rochester, Ben was sent to Syracuse and I was sent via Mercy Flight to the same hospital as Ben.  They sent me via chopper, and this is my interpretation, because I was disoriented (when asked if I knew where I was I looked at my own house and said no) and I didn't know what had happened.  After another team arrived at my home they decided I needed medical attention as quickly as possible.  That's when Mercy Flight was called.  My oldest daughter followed the ambulance that had Josiah.  My second daughter rode in the ambulance with Ben.  And after securing the animals and locking the house my husband, Joseph, drove to Syracuse, all the while praying and wondering if I would be alive when he arrived.  How scary must that have been for him?  I can't imagine.  And since I do not recall one tiny bit of the drama (and I don't mean that in a sarcastic way) it is hard for me to feel any emotion about that night.  Since my parents live in Syracuse, they arrived before Joseph.  Joseph, my mother and my best friend Donna (along with other family members and friends) took turns going back and forth between Ben and I.  Hm...I'm just thinking....let's switch to Josiah.  He was taken to Rochester.  Bekah and her boyfriend Luke were told the wrong hospital.  After figuring out exactly where Josiah was being taken they hurried there.  Joseph had been in contact with our pastor and he drove the 45 minutes to the hospital and arrived just after Josiah, much to Josiah's relief.  After x-rays and some care Josiah was released to Bekah and they arrived back home about 2am.  Back to Ben.  Sometime on Wednesday Ben was fitted with a back brace and brought down to see me. 

My face was very swollen and purple.  My eyes were nearly swollen shut.  My neck and throat were very swollen.  I spoke in nothing more than a whisper for several days.  After seeing me Ben was very upset and didn't want daddy to leave his room.  My mother spent Wednesday night with me, while Joseph stayed with Ben.  I can't remember how they discovered this, but the arteries in my neck were severely damaged.  An angiogram was done late Wednesday afternoon.  The artery on the left side was 70% blocked, the right, not quite so bad.  There was fear of a stroke, so I was put in ICU at that point and watched closely.  However, the Lord was working, the blood flow in my brain was normal despite the blockages. 

Despite my serious injuries, I was released from the hospital at 11 am Thursday.  While I am thankful for the care I received, I still have some questions about the way some things were handled at the hospital.  I was, however, very relieved to get home.  I was very dizzy and in alot of pain.  (Also, Ben was released on Thursday as well and my folks brought him home as I had to see an eye Dr before Joseph brought me home.)  I slept nearly all the time for about 2 weeks.  And when I wasn't sleeping I do not remember 99% of what I said or did.  I don't remember people that came to see me.  I don't remember texting my "kids".  Nothing.  I am slowly healing. The headaches and dizziness are almost completely gone.  My right arm, which was not broken, but severely sprained, still hurts alot.  Many of the bruises on my right side (that must have been the side I landed on as I had not one mark on my left side) have mostly faded but they still are very tender.  The biggest thing is my energy.  I get tired very easily.  Going out of the house, even for a short time wears me out.  After church this past Sunday I came home and took a 2 1/2 hour nap.  I had a couple errands yesterday and slept 10 1/2 hours last night.  I am being very careful.  I am not pushing myself.  When I get tired I lie down.  And I am thankful for what I can do.

Why did God spare me?  I don't know.  Why did the accident happen?  I don't know that either.  I have seen things that God is doing in our family and in other people as a result of the accident.  I am blown away with the out-pouring of love from the body of Christ.  It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that so many people would pray for us and do all the things they have been doing.  I am thankful for each and every one of them.  I am also thankful to my Lord for being able to stay here and continue raising my children.  I love being a wife and a mom and I take that job very seriously.  I pray the Lord would show me how I need to improve and then enable me to do what He shows me.  And I am very thankful that Ben, Josiah and Oren were not hurt nearly as badly as I was, although I wish they didn't have to see me the way I looked when I took my helmet off. 

This is not the end of my story.  I have things to do.  God has a plan and a purpose for me.  I intend to continue raising my children and loving my husband.  I have new kids that need me, and honestly, I need them too.  They are precious to me.  I pray that the rest of my story glorifies the Lord more than anything I have ever done.

Blessings & Hugs

Michelle

Hebrews 12:1-2

"Lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Running the race.  Looking ahead.  Endurance.  Staying the course.  It's a new year.  It's a time when many people make resolutions.  People make great plans to make huge changes in their lives.  I've been thinking about that lately.  I'm not great at making resolutions.  Probably because I know that statistically there's a pretty good chance I won't keep them.  But I do want to know that I am on track, that I'm on the right course.  Jesus knew His end at the beginning.  He ran His race.  He finished well, very well, and He's sitting at the right hand of the throne of God.  I want to run well.  So, what is my race?  What is my course?  I'm a stay-at-home, home-schooling mom.  That's not going to change for a long time, not until I graduate my youngest son.  So that race looms ahead.  We will just keep running, completing our goals, enduring the long hours, days and weeks.  We can see the end, but its a long way off.  No major changes here.

Raising my children.  I'm learning there is no real end.  Even at 21, they still need me.  Sometimes I think they need me more as they get older.  Becoming an adult is hard.  Finding your wings, but keeping your roots.  It's a challenging idea.  The fact they they need me so much keeps me on my knees and in the Word.  It is a great responsibility to raise them up in the Lord.  I want to run this race well.  I don't want to misrepresent the Lord in anyway.  I don't want to lead them astray.  I take this appointment from the Lord very seriously.  I realize He has entrusted His precious children to me.  He has given me four children of my own.  He has also blessed me with other beautiful children who call me "mom".  I love each of them and strive to meet each of their needs and know them for who they are.  I love getting to know them and seeing who it is that God has made them to be.  They are each precious, precious jewels and I am humbled that God would allow me to be part of their lives.

My art.  It's a huge part of who I am.  My hands, my heart, need to create.  It's who God made me.  I have come to really enjoy paper-crafting.  My arms and hands can't do the knitting, crocheting, quilting and stitching so much anymore.  I still try, but it is limited.  Paper-crafting doesn't hurt.  Yet.  And I'm glad for that.  I'm starting to find my style.  I'd like to be more creative.  I'd like to do my own thing rather than trying to fit some mold.  It's my art.  It should always be fun.  And I want it to bless others somehow.  That's what I want to discover this year.  Who am I as an artist?  Where am I going?  How can I bring honor to my Lord with the gifts He has given me?  I want to know I am on the right track.  I want my art to grow.  And in all honesty, I want to be on a design team.  I want the quality of my work to grow to a level that I am asked to be on a design team.  I want to meet other creative women.  Not just follow their amazing blogs, but truly know them.  Home-schooling and raising my children are just part of who I am.  I want to stretch and grow and learn artistically.

The last goal I have been thinking about is for me physically.  I started exercising seriously again in August.  I'm proud to say my "old-lady" arms are gone.  I have worked my arms hard.  I have some muscles.  And I want more.  In the last 3 years I have lost 40 pounds.  I want to lose 5 more.  I want a flat stomach.  I want to be strong and healthy.  I don't want physical limitations to what I can do.  I want to be in control of my body and health.

So, those are my thoughts.  I am chronicling then here for...accountability?  Maybe.  I know when God has spoken so extensively to me that my heart will follow.  These will be my focus.

Lord, I pray that You would help me persevere.  Help me run the race this year.  Help me to diligently seek Your face and be led by your Spirit so I can arrive at the end of this year victorious, glorying in You and what You have done in my life.

May you be blessed this year in all that you set out to do.

Blessings & Hugs

Michelle

Happy Birthday, Luke!

It is finally finished!  This quilt was supposed to be ready for Luke's Christmas present.  Unfortunately the kit was on backorder forever and by the time it came in I didn't have enough time to make it for Christmas.  And then, true to form, I put it off for too long!  Luke's birthday was yesterday and thankfully I finished it at 8:00 yesterday morning!  Talk about cutting it way too close!

I decided to not wrap his presents, but I went to his house while he was at work and made his bed with the enew sheets I bought and the quilt.  I left his card next to the pillow.  He was pretty surprised when he finally discovered it.!

Happy Birthday, my dear boy!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday.  A milestone people keep telling me.  I suppose.  But does it matter?  The important thing is how I run the race.  Everyday.  When I get to the end will I hear "Well done, good and faithful servant"?  Will my legacy be that my children all follow hard after the Lord?  Will they tell their children and their grand-children how much I loved them and more importantly how much I loved the Lord? 

Yes, it's my birthday.  But the race is far from over.  I intend to pick up the pace and run better than ever.

Valentines Day done pink and brown

My daughter and I decided to host a Valentine luncheon for 2 friends.  We planned a delicious menu, had a great time preparing the decorations and tried to make everything perfect.  We knew we had scored the jackpot when our one friend exclaimed upon entering the kitchen, "This looks like something out of Better Homes and Gardens!"  I'm not sure I would go that far, but we were pretty happy with how it turned out.

Our inspiration came from this adorable "china" we found at Dollar General before Christmas.  We bought plates, bowls and tall coffee mugs.  (actually they may be called latte mugs.... I don't know)  We loved the pink and chocolate brown color scheme and we took it from there.

This was the card we made to display our menu.  We had a Fettucini Alfredo dish for our main course.  It was outstanding!  With that we had homemade bread.  For dessert Bekah made an amazing chocolate cake with chocolate frosting which she decorated with pink silk flowers.  And, if that weren't enough chocolate, she made caramel hot cocoa made with Ghiradelli caramel chocolate squares.  The whipped cream on top made in heavenly!

For our centerpiece we used 3 glass domed cupcake holders which we filled with more pink silk flowers.  We put a brown beaded garland around the base of them and nestled the menu in between!  So fun!

I even decorated my antique dry sink in the corner of the kitchen.  I used my heart quilt I made several years ago, my red candle lamp Joseph gave me one Christmas, a serving tray I painted and Bekah's beautiful cake.  It looked amazing!

One last picture of the plate that inspired our color scheme and our menu. 

We had so much fun planning and preparing everything, but the best part was the afternoon of fellowship with two wonderful women.  They happen to be sister-in-laws and told many stories of their adventures over the years.  This was our third tea and I hope to blog each one after this, now that I'm learning a little more about blogging.  Stay tuned for the March tea.  The wheels are already turning to make this one just as beautiful and special. 

On My Knees

"I have been driven many times upon my knees

 by the overwhelming conviction

 that I had nowhere else to go."

Abraham Lincoln

What a blessing to have a Godly heritage.  Our country was founded by Christians who had a desire to serve our great God.  Oh, that we had that same testimony today!

This quote by Abraham Lincoln is what that inspires me frequently.  I try so hard to make things work.  It is so hard for me to sit and wait on the Lord.  Why do I think I can do better than God?  And why is He so patient with me?  My goal for today?  To sit before the Lord and try not to get ahead of Him.