fe fi fo, BEBO, baby!!!

actually, i like aaron shust better :))

today i am listening to BOTH bebo norman and aaron shust on itunes, in hopes of getting in to see them tomorrow night at usf.

please, please, please, PLEASE God!!

i have "will call" tickets reserved, now i just hope a few Christians get the flu or something before tomorrow night...he he he.

just kidding.

happy holiday

i almost forgot today was a holiday. phillip had to remind me and was disappointed that i forgot, because he wanted us to spend the day together. That is the crazy thing about having your own business, nobody tells you when you officially have a "day off" and sometimes, although not often, you forget to take one.

that being said, i'm trying to be more deliberate about how i spend my free time. the older i get, the more i seem to have to do! so this weekend i was a careful watchdog of my time, and it was great.

saturday was a "me" day. i cleaned house and even went shopping - my semi-annual "let's redo the house again" spree :) I bought some pumpkins for the door, a new picture to hang in the bathroom, and a great new fuzzy throw that Been claimed as his own right away. it was fun, and i didn't spend a whole lot. mostly i just moved some stuff around until it seemed "new" to me, and now i am content. i also made MORE apple butter, still have a few apples left, but did away with quite a few of them in the last couple of weeks.

yesterday, i decided, would be a true sabbath day. so, i didn't make plans to get anything specific accomplished. i went to church, and came home for lunch, then met a couple of friends for the annual Life Chain here in SF...i had never done that kind of thing before, and it was not what i expected, but more than i hoped. the idea was to stand with other believers on 41st street and hold signs dedicated to the sanctity of life. sounded pretty easy, a little weird, but not a big deal. it was raining, but i have a cute fuzzy hat and a warm jacket, so no biggie. when we got there, we ended up standing by my church, which is at the extreme west end of 41st street. luckily for me, there were instructions on the back of the signage that told us how to conduct ourselves! the main message was "don't do anything, just pray" - so i started to dialog with the Lord, pretty casually and easy. oh, forgot to mention that about 10 minutes before the chain began, the clouds parted and the sun peaked thru, it was abslutely still and peaceful....ahhhh.

so anyway, here i was, standing out on a street corner, praying like i was in my back yard. it was glorious! God reminded me of my childhood, of growing up and playing in the sunshine, and being loved and happy. he reminded me of how grateful i am for my life, for the experiences i have had and the people i have known and loved. he reminded me of how precious every life is to Him, and how much He wants us to experience life as He meant it, not the fallen world stuff, certainly not "politics" or "religion" but the true meaning of living and being in relationship with Him!!

so for that brief hour, standing in the light on 41st street, regardless of what it looked like to anybody driving by or standing around, i had a great time with the Lord...what a blessing.

i guess that is what a real holiday is all about!

mama needs a new pair o shoes

i had a bunch of meetings today. i ended up with a half hour to spare and Gordman's staring me right straight in the face...what was i to do?

i am glad i stopped, cause look what i found! these slippers are probably something only a designer could love, but i am one, and i love em. they are basically mary janes made out of yarn!!! they had lots of colors, but i got a basic black pair and a funky pink/brown combo. the best part? $3.99 a pair. looks like my shoe wardrobe for winter is pretty much taken care of, unless i do actually want to step outside!

take a designer to work day

oboy, today i have to go out of the house. i agreed to be part of a "panel" that is speaking to some college students here in town. the other three panelists all own their own agencies - including my former boss, so i am feeling kind of out of my league.

the biggest issue isn't what to say, it's what to wear. this used to be of the utmost importance to me, since it's part of my job that visual things matter. i would pore over outfits in my closet and try on clothes endlessly, searching for just the perfect look.

these days, i wipe the grape jelly off my tshirt in the morning and say "good to go."

so, on the rare occasion that i have to be with "peers" i freak out. luckily, i was busy yesterday and last night, so i just had to pull something together this morning. wha la! i hope i did okay. i still had some knee high boots and tights left over from back when i worked in an agency. i think these might still be in style?!

i'll know when i get there. the last time i spoke at this particular college campus, a student was walking into the building right ahead of me (it was late november) and she was wearing big fuzzy pink slippers. not sure what i'm in for today!

lotsa luck

this morning i found a big cat whisker on the floor by my chair. a long time ago, i heard they were a sign of "good luck" so i kept them in a little tin. after a few years, i had a couple dozen, and it started to be kind of a weird collection. so i threw em out.

now, i am just thankful to still be finding them! been is having a good day, and obviously we are both "lucky" to still be together.

He and i are a bit alike, except that he is getting skinnier all of the time and i am not. His latest habit is like a "voluntary time out." he goes and inserts his head in the space between the doors to the outside. Since he cannot speak, he does his best to try and communicate to me that he wants OUT. ha. it works for now, but in a few months it will be kinda sad.

today though, i think we'll both get our wish and go outside for a little while :)

color my world

I was reading my friend Kirsten's blog, and she had a great picture of the afghan she is knitting. i got to thinking about how some brains totally think alike.

Kirsten and i are both addicted to color. we like to wander around craft stores, and just look at all the pretty color combinations. we like to think up new combos in our heads, and then look at them. we apply these color combos to everything we can, from our betta fish to our gardens and houses to our craft projects.

And then i started thinking about Heaven, since it's sunday and it would be nice to dedicate some time to the Lord. WHAT IF there are more colors than the ones we see? WHAT IF God has a whole new "palette" waiting just for us? Wouldn't that be just fantastic?

As much as I love all of the colors here on earth, I am secretly waiting for the day when there will be more :_)

happy sunday!
b

good day planned

yesterday was a good day (a good week, actually!))

i went home - my mom and i visited my aunt in brookings all afternoon. my cousin stopped by after work, and i figured out that the four of us are pretty good together. it was fun.

i also got a chance to pick apples with the family. um, should i say, i got to WATCH my family pick apples. boy oh boy, those apples were up there pretty high. i don't really like heights. so as my dad lifted my mom and i up in the tractor bucket to pick, i pretty much decided to hang onto the side of the tractor, while my mom bravely picked the apples for me to take home. I probably have a bushel or so of them, they look SO AWESOME! apple butter, here i come!

and then, as i headed out the driveway for home, i got to see the reason why we all like living here in SD, another beautiful sunset.

have a great weekend everybody!

what am i going to do when i'm not doing this?

I went outside this morning for a trip around the yard, these little guys are the most striking flowers right now. i am going to "redo" my pots on the steps this weekend, get a couple of pumpkins and maybe another aster like this.

i am kind of nervous about the upcoming months though. every year older i am, winter is longer and harder. this year, i've tried to battle it early on. i have a crock pot now, and grow lights in the basement and i have taken up knitting again.

but for the life of me, i cannot figure out what i'm going to blog about for the next six months, if i cannot go outside!!

does this mean i'm an addict?

so i have been pretty busy lately. about all i have really had time for in the past 2 or 3 weeks is eating, sleeping and making brochures. it's all good, but what does a girl do when she's got a little free time?

meanwhile, my friend kirsten asked me for a favor. when she was in rapid city earlier this month, she bought some cross stitch bookmark templates for $1.87 (set of 2). since they don't have hobby lobby's in minnesota (i know, that is crazy!!) i told her i would go pick some up for her this week, it would be fun.

well, that little errand WAS fun. $113 worth of fun to be exact. it was like i had never been let loose in a store before! not only hobby lobby, but also shopko which is practically in the same building :)

ha ha ha. i guess maybe it IS a good thing that i don't leave the house much anymore :)

recipe for relaxation

Ahhhh. finally, a good relaxing day. yeah, i know. it's a tuesday. i guess that just goes to show you (or me) that relaxation is not necessarily about weekends, or vacation, or down time. it is a tuesday, and a normal workday at that, but it was so good for me deep down inside. i figured out some essential ingredients for the kind of day we all need more of - thought it might be good to share.

1) beautiful scenery - yep. had that. it was nearly 80 degrees today, there was alot of gorgeous fall weather and landscape. i got to take a short roadtrip, it feels good to hit the open road. my destination? where else but SIOUX CITY...yep, you heard me right. sioux city is dang pretty this time of year folks, they have rolling hills and pretty neighborhoods and peaceful sounds. i like it there, who knew?

2) great community - i spent the day with a diverse group of midwesterners. well, let me rephrase that. i spent the day with alot of nice white people of all ages, and both sexes. it was sioux city after all. but seriously, this was just a great group, very kind and willing to pitch in and a couple of the cutest kids you ever saw thrown in the mix. good stuff.

3) loved ones - well, loved ONE. i spent the day with one of my bestest friends. you can't beat spending the day with one of your favorite people in the world, if you want it to be a great day. we talked, and worked some, and wolfed down a happy meal at lunchtime, and just you know...it was easy. thanks, c!

4) okay, also had the ABSENCE OF AN INGREDIENT OR TWO. no cell phones. no email. no voice mail. ahhhhhhhhh. i'm sure somewhere those things existed, but not in my world. not on this day. i liked that.

5) most important element? GOD hanging out with us. He had to be there, the day was perfect. the people were great. the work seemed effortless. the feeling i am left with is .... peace.

That's it. Five great ingredients to a wonderful day. Serves one.

:)

Alive and Well

I had a friend email me yesterday and ask if i was okay, because i have skipped a few days blogging (thanks for checking, D!)

So i guess i'll break a vow to not talk about work much, and tell you about what i have been up to!

i have been doing a few things for the pro-life camp as God leads. and He has been leading! some interesting things have come my way. This is the first thing, a campaign to go on every reservation in south dakota declaring that children are sacred. this is a commonly held belief in native american culture, so this stuff is just a "reminder." I liked it better before they removed the scripture associated with the artwork - “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.” Psalm 127:4-5
anyway, i am so pleased and honored i got to do this, especially since i cannot draw a stick man, so my honey did the drawing for me and i think it's beautiful :))

now off to a great weekend everyone!

happiness in a tube

Nope, i haven't been eating cookie dough straight from the fridge again. this time, i'm talking fluorescent tubes. this weekend, i decided i wasn't willing that all of my summertime plants should perish.

so, i went to menards and bought a big grow light. i installed it in the basement, which was a double-edged sword, because that means i have to CLEAN the basement. I have no idea if these things even work, i spent alot less $$ than greenhouse lights cost, but these 48 inchers are called "grow lux" lights.

I think i'm going to buy one more. no, i am not really needing to save that many plants. but i am thinking that it might be nice to have a nice warm spot to plant MYSELF in a couple of months!!

happy tuesday.

soup and sweaters

I met a dear friend for coffee yesterday, she is moving to another state and we needed to catch up and keep up our friendship before she leaves.

i am so lucky to have such wonderful girlfriends. some of them are fellow designers, some are longtime, "knew you when" friends, some are church friends, some are friends of friend friends, but they are all very special to me.

this friend and i "play barbies" when we get together...see, we are both designers and that is a very different kind of friendship. mostly we talk about things that are pretty and sparkly and visual. we can do this for hours. husbands and boyfriends don't seem to get this kind of stuff, but that doesn't stop us for one minute.

yesterday, as the late afternoon sun came streaming into the coffee shop, and we both had shared all kinds of creative and yet to be created projects, we looked out the window at the Lord's glory, the pretty fall weather. My friend smiled and said "oh, sweaters!" and i chimed in with "oh yes, and soup!"

lucky for us, beautiful things can be found almost everywhere. i went home and made soup while wearing my turtleneck, dear, in honor of us :)) have a beautiful week!

mystery solved

okay, i had to dig around on the internet, but i was successful in finding out about my moth. he's a white-lined sphinx moth, also called a hummingbird moth! I guess they are found in lots of different habitats, and usually seen after a lot of rain! See my august 28th post for my first sighting.

these photos (not mine!) show what all the excitement is about. beautiful!

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4

fall friends

I wish that fall lasted alot longer than it does. it's an odd thing for a gardener to admit, but i feel like it's just a time to enjoy the yard, not necessarily work in it.

plus, there is a bunch of activity. it seems like creatures abound, from squirrels going crazy getting ready for winter, to cats on watch for birds and bunnies in the back yard.

plus, there are the smaller creatures. i bent down to pull a weed and came out with this little furry moth. i think he's the same one i photographed a while ago, that i thought was a bird at first! i wish i could have shown his wingspan, he is a very modern color palette! pink and brown, very very pretty. the thing was, he was afraid and sort of "froze up" and would not let go of my hand! i even brought him inside while i grabbed my camera. I gently sat him down in a flower pot to snap this shot, and noticed he was making a curious little "crying" sound...

then, suddenly, off he went! very neat.

the bees have been here all along, but are REALLY rocking on the sedum plants! yesterday i counted eight of them on one plant! must be good stuff :)

happy weekend all.

what kind of writer are you?

http://www.blogthings.com/whattypeofwritershouldyoubequiz/

ps, i'm a poet, but i don't write poetry. hmmmm.

happy thursday!

wow, it's been a busy busy time! that's why i need photos like this, to remind me that i still have a lot of things to experience in this life yet. i will not consider life complete til i hold one of these little dudes and get a really close look :)

hope that everyone can get outside for a bit today and enjoy our glorious fall!

can you see me now?

look what i just saw hanging (literally!) in the sunshine of my garden.

guess i'm not the only one who is happy that the sun is back again :))

LCDs are for sissies

So, i had a little trouble with the clock by my bed this morning. it's a cool vintage model called "big ben." i rarely use the alarm part, because #1 i rarely need to get up early and #2 i have always had an internal clock that tells me when i absolutely need to get up.

it was still dark out when i awoke to the sound of Been wretching right below my bed (getting to be a 17+ year old cat doesn't come without issues) and i grabbed ole ben, held him to my nose and saw that it was 6:10. time to get up anyway, so i took care of been, made coffee and sat down for my morning computer ritual.

i was sailing right along, til i looked at my computer clock and it says 3:10. that's AM, my friends. what the heck am i doing at 3:10 am drinking coffee and surfing the net, i asked myself?

after a bit of brilliant sherlock holmes-style thinking, i figured it out. ben said it was 6:10, or maybe it said 2:30 and i just got the hands mixed up...and it only took me 40 minutes to figure it out!

still, i am not willing to admit that digital clocks have anything on ben and i. only thing is, i hope he tells me i can take a nap pretty soon.

thought for the day

i need to work on my humility some, so this made me laugh.