Wet Felting

I thought I would do some wet felting the other day. I love the results but don't love the process as much. I'm not sure why-maybe the standing and getting wet?

I'm loving the colors-I will post pictures of the finished product later.

Nana Time

Our oldest daughter Sarah and her two small children came for a visit last week. It was a wonderful week together but my favorite moments were taking my grandkids to the beach. They loved it so much  and it gave me a lot of joy watching and playing with them. I got wet:)

Pumpkins and Crows

Even though I am enjoying this summer so much, my thoughts and my crafting is jumping ahead to Fall.

I have started making needle felted pumpkins and of course there has to be a crow or two.

I just dyed a batch of orange wool in anticipation of more fallish fun stuff. 

I love the smell of wet wool and vinegar.

                                           

Not enough time in the day for all that I would like to make. ACORNS-I love acorns too!

When We Grow Old...

We have been friends for thirty years, we met when our husbands were Air Force pilots stationed at George AFB, they let us stay in their house while we looked for a house to buy, their two daughters were the same age as ours, we started to go to the same Bible study together, we pledged our #4 children to marry each other when they grew up (the kids didn't cooperate:), we had play dates together and struggled to finish a sentence let alone a subject, we had deep discussions, we each chose to homeschool and then after three years when our husbands moved on to other assignments, we said "When we grow old someday we will sit together on the porch in rocking chairs and talk." Well, all through the years we have stayed in touch with long talks on the phone, visits, weddings, and then this summer we got to sit together on Nancy's porch in her rocking chairs and talk. We thought we were old enough now and we agreed ... we need a new goal.

What I did for summer vacation.

Okay, I can no longer say I am taking a short break. Truthfully, I think I have writer's block or maybe I am just trying to find myself :)  I am slowly letting go of a job I have loved and been totally immersed in for the last seven years. So where normally my summer would have been consumed with preparations for our church's VBS and then gearing up for AWANA in the fall, I am instead crocheting and felting. I trust God's leading me to step down from Children's Ministry and onto a completely different path.  I have had more time to do some things this summer that I would not have felt free to do while working-so that is a GOOD thing.  Which means my title for this little blog should be instead-   

                                     'WHY I HAVE HAD A SUMMER VACATION'

At the lake TOGETHER

Our summer began with us all together for a week at the lake. We enjoyed a wonderful house, great weather and lots of swimming and boating.

It was wonderful of course! Having just looked through over 1000 pictures that we took, I will just share with you the most important ones, the ones of us all together.

                                                                 All our Children

                                                The whole gang-17 and counting

Family

Tomorrow night my daughter Rachel, her husband Brandon and their three very precious kids are arriving for a visit. What makes this so extra special is that they are here in the States on furlough and are heading back to their home in July to Papua New Guinea. They have been missionaries in PNG for the last five years. Even though we have been together several times this last year this will be their first visit to NH since they went over seas. So the next few weeks are going to be FAMILY TIME because after a week together we are joining ALL the kids for a big reunion at a lake house that we have rented.  RELAXING (and maybe a little noisy)!!!


It is hard for me to describe all the feelings that go with having a part of my family so far away. It is FULL of  bittersweet emotions.  So sad to miss out on so much time with them, BUT so proud of what they are doing to share the Good News with others, so sad at how hard it is to have a relationship with my grandkids, BUT so thankful for email and the ability to visit them occasionally. In the end I have to trust God with my up and down emotions and thank Him for His abundant goodness in giving me such a wonderful family.