I hate change!!!!

This has been a year of change on every level - vocationally, personally, familially and ecclesiastically.

The thing about transition is, that it is painful. It is that transient time between conflict and resolution, that point of no-return, that time when it seems we are caught in a vortex, and being drawn inexorably to some conclusion or other. God does not leave us in that time. He allows us to experience the pain, the confusion, the sense of doubt, that He may work something of Himself into our hearts. He allows us to undergo turmoil for our greater good. If we let Him do the deep work in us, oh, how beautiful the fragrance of Him that exudes from our spirits.

The thing is, if we resist, as I SO want to do, we will just come round the mountain again, some other way, through some other circumstance. He desires to do a good work in us to completion, and He cares more about the outcome than the process, though He bore our pain, carried our sorrows on the Cross. I believe He grieves when we are grieving, but He can see the manifest blessing, the splendid work that is done in our hearts through the journey of pain.

My mama never gave lessons like this!

The name of this quilt is "Lessons from Mama." It was a project I started last year and then finished this summer. I just love it and can't wait to do yet another one in a different color scheme! Okay, it's not quite done - it needs quilting yet. I need to get the customer quilts out of the way before I can start

Christmas should be white this year.

Well, my computer is on speaking terms with my camera again. It's just in time for the snow to start flying.

Gene's Christmas present is out and running - as much as I didn't want him to get it early! There's supposedly 12 inches of the white stuff coming. He will be out playing quite a bit this weekend, I am sure.

The oil companies are gonna love me.

Well, last Friday I said goodbye to Bugsy. She is up for adoption in Princeton. I loved that car and hated to give her up but the two doors mixed with three children were driving me nuts. Maybe someday I can have another bug.

In Bugsy's place is my new (to me) Jeep Liberty. She is a year older (actually, two years older) than Bugsy and has 25,000 more miles on her but she's great. She doesn't have a name yet. Nice bells and whistles - leather interior, overhead console, power seats - all add to the fun. Watching the fuel consumption is interesting but painful. I am committed to not letting her go under three quarters of a tank. I would rather fill up three times for $20 than to fill up once for $60!

Grandkids - Ain't They Great!

Anna before she started walking.

Ryan, the cool dude at Thanksgiving.

Noelle with Auntie Becky at Thanksgiving.

Spring Fever

Christmas is over. I am ready for spring!!!! I quilted this quilt right before Christmas for a friend. She did a lovely job on the quilt!

I know that the snowmobilers out there are wanting to have fun in the white stuff, but personally, I would be just as happy to skip the whole snow season.

Christmas shots

Susannah had fun making her gingerbread tree - she can try all she wants to deny taste testing but her upper lip gives her away.

There's no Christmas wonder on Zach's face - his nose is too stuck into his computer game.

The wonder of the Christmas tree is written all over Noelle's face. This picture was actually taken Thanksgiving weekend at Jeremy's after the kids put up his Christmas tree. Noelle was SO excited!

Miss November 2007

Well, I know I have lost a bit of weight but not enough to win any beauty contests!

Quilting Through Life was published in January, 2006. There is a quilt in it that I pieced and quilted. That quilt was picked by the publishers to be in their annual calendar. So, kinda sorta *I* am Miss November, 2007. Well, the quilt on the left is, technically, Miss November.

Sam the Bear

I didn't think to introduce Sam in my last posting.

This is Sam. He is our camper mascot. We bought him when we went out to the Black Hills not long after we purchased the camper. It was our first trip with the camper that Gene got to go on.

When we travel with the camper, he comes along. When we arrive at our campsite, we find a suitable place in the campsite for Sam to watch over the festivities. He gets smiles from most everyone that walks by our site. Pranksters have been known to turn his flag upsidedown, but he has come to no harm from any.

When the camper was "gone with the wind" in September of 2005, Sam (along with other things) was trapped inside. It was over a week before we could flip the camper back up on its wheels and see what the damage was to the contents of the camper. We were ever so happy to see that he made it through his week of forced hibernation. Even his flag came out unscathed

He lives in the camper, ever ready to go on a camping trip. We all wish that we could take him more often.