Evening out

Last night I went to a women's dessert night at our church about Becoming Alive Inside. We had an interior designer talk about basic design principles (which I was happy to find I knew most of them) and then we had a talk from Debbie Fortnum. What a wonderful woman. She talked of how many (most?) women are dead inside (spiritually), and what we haven't realized is that we have lost hope. We need to connect or reconnect to God, who is the source of hope. (She put it much better than me.)

Of course, I had to buy a couple of her music CDs...she wrote a song based on Jeremiah 29:11 which happens to be my favorite verse. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I had heard this song on our 'local' Christian radio station but had never realized she lived here in the Lower Mainland.

She also has talks on CD available from her website and check out her biography.

Mmmmmm....Cinnamon Buns

I'm making cinnamon buns, and pan buns and a loaf of bread. Yay me!

I love home-made cinnamon buns. Almost all the 'bought' ones I have had are way too sweet. The exception to this is the IKEA ones. Those are heavenly with their cream cheese icing.

My favorite ones are just like my mom made when I was growing up. Regular bread dough (she used to make all our bread and buns by hand each week as her mom did), rolled out, buttered, brown-sugared, cinnamoned, rolled-up, cut and placed in 9x13 dish to rise and then bake.

We used to unroll them and put a little extra butter along the cinnamon part as we ate them.

Mmmmmmm....I can't wait until these ones are done!

Another beautiful painting...

at Anywhere But Here.

I might have to buy this one too!

Finished Objects (FOs) - Updated

Update - here's a picture with bad lighting.

Yesterday was a day of finishing stuff...

I finished a doll dress I had been (putting off) working on for quite a while. I made the doll, too, so she's been nekkid for too long. I still need to add the ribbons and buttons.

I finished the back of my wrap sweater (Yay me!), so now I can start the fronts (Yay!).

Ummmm.....

I finished sweeping the floor (does that count?)

I finished the fringe on the shawl for my Gramma....it's more like an extra wide scarf than a shawl...(okay, I finished that today, not yesterday, but I started finishing it yesterday)

I'll have to take some pictures and then update this later.

The sun is shining!

Quick!
Go outside!
Jump up and down!

(We've had 25 consecutive days of rain here...we're a little stir crazy.)

We're going to Disneyland!

Yay!

I have to admit, I love Disneyland. The first time I went was 10 years ago as part of our honeymoon. It truly is a happy place. :)

TKHubband is booking our holiday with the travel agent as I type!

Wheeee!

I just bought some art!

I bought an original watercolour painting from Kris at Anywhere But Here. She's trying to make some money to buy herself some music equipment.

Go, look!

Grief and music

This evening at worship practice, we did the song, "Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt Redman. This song always makes me think of my good friends' mom who passed away a little over a year ago. We started singing this song in church and small group while she was sick with cancer. I found it very difficult for quite a while to sing the bridge, "You give and take away, You give and take away, my heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be Your name". It was hard to sing it before she passed away, and it was impossible for me to sing that part after she passed away. Not because I didn't trust that God knows what He is doing and His timing is perfect, but because it hurt to think of her not being here with us anymore.

Over the last year, it has gradually become easier to sing. I still think of her every time.

Oh! That's my hand!

TKHubband and I love this story. It makes me giggle every time I think about it.

Last year in the summer, TKHubband heard the following through the baby monitor in the kids room.

monkey-boy: Aaaaaaaa! It's a spider!
monkey-girl: Where? Where's the spider?
monkey-boy: Right there! There's a spider!
monkey-girl: Where?
monkey-boy: Right there!
monkey-girl: Where?
monkey-boy: Right there!

(pause as monkey-girl gets out of bed and goes over to monkey-boy's bed)

monkey-girl: Show me. Show me where the spider is.
monkey-boy: Right there! Right there!

(pause)

monkey- girl: Monkey-boy. That's not a spider. That's your hand.

(pause)

monkey-boy: ...ooooh! That's my hand!