Books I Am Attempting to Read this Week

In the spirit of the New Year, and resolutions and all that stuff, I am striving to be a better person and enrich my horizons. The titles look great-hopefully I will actually find time to get to read these.....(Please note the parent's guide to understanding your pre-teen); my oldest is turning twelve this week and I am scared to death. Its not that she is a bad kid, (quite the contrary!) I am incredibly blessed with my children. I just want so much to do right by M and make being a teenager something that she and I can both look back on and say, "Wow, we had alot of fun!"
As if I wasn't trying to be ambitious enough just trying to survive parenthood, I am also preparing for my new position this Spring as a trail guide (on horseback) on the Gettysburg Battlefield. This is my dream job and I want to be the very best I can be at this. I am pretty confident I won't be able to compete with all those amazing guys who are doing this now, (after all, most of them have made the Civil War their lifelong passion); however, horses are my lifelong passion and this is an incredible opportunity of a lifetime. I figured if I learned about all the little known "obscure" facts of the Civil War here in Gettysburg I could hold a smidgen of credibility and possible respect for the guests even if for only a short time.

Winter Wonderland

Some icy images from around town this week:

I think this poor guy could use a hot cup of coffee......

One little apple that didn't make it to market:

The Domino Effect

(This must be read in a fake english accent for added impact-please indulge me, we just finished watching "Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events")


Once upon a time there was a mom who went out to run her daily errands. It was New Year's Eve, 2008, and she was preoccupied with many things. It was frigid outside; the temperature had dipped into the twenties, and the wind chill made it seem much colder; the whipping wind gusts at thirty miles an hour made her anxious to get things done.

When she arrived back at the house, she noticed with mild concern that she had forgotten to bring in her purse. Annoyed at herself, she rushed back out into the wintry weather to fetch it from her car. With a sickening feeling, she realized it was not there. She ran back inside to check again. No purse. She then frantically decided to retrace her steps everywhere she had been that day.

One after the other each place turned up nothing. She finally returned home and made the necessary calls to cancel things. Angry at herself for being so careless, she contacted the local police department and filed the necessary report. She then proceeded to get her family ready for a night out at a friends' house for dinner, trying to be cheerful and positive and putting the frustrating event behind her.

Everyone piled into the car, and as she climbed in, she remembered she had forgotten something in the house. She ran back up the steps, put her key in the lock, and, as she turned it, IT BROKE OFF! She stood there for a moment, her mind not comprehending what had just happened, while almost simultaneously realizing she had no extra key.

Her husband came up behind her and asked if everything was okay. Needless to say, it wasn't. After a half an hour of botched tries-climbing through the basement window which the husband was able to pry open,and the wife gleefully climbing up the steps with relief only to find there was so much stuff piled on the other side of that door that she couldn't have gotten through it even if she wanted to; futile attempts at jimmying a window open like a real live burglar, and then finally just violently shaking on the door knob screaming hysterically "Why me, Lord?", the husband had to resort to carefully breaking a window pane.

After a quick cleaning up of the scene,the husband gathered the family for a second time into the car and FINALLY motored off to their destination.

In the end, it all had a positive influence, really. The next day, the mom decided to clear out the space behind the door where she couldn't get in the night before, which in turn prompted her to throw out alot of unnecessary things that had just been adding to the clutter, which caused her to go through her filing cabinets and update all important papers which then allowed her and her family to become more organized for the New Year.

So, to quote Lemony Snicket, "Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like."

Happy New Year Everyone! May you have all the right keys to open all the right doors and may they never break in the lock!

I am adding new things to my Etsy Shop

I will be putting some things on Etsy and Ebay in the next few days. Yes, I had plans to do this a while ago, but the time got away from me. You can visit my store here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5838356 (cut and paste this into your browser if it doesn't link-sorry still trying to figure out all this stuff!)



I also made some badges and horseshoes-now I just have to figure out my camera because these pics are kind of out of focus and not very good, but you get the general idea.



I am thinking I will go to some horse shows in the Spring and set up a booth and see how it goes. I would like to have enough sales that I can start donating a portion to our local therapeutic riding program. It has always been my wish to be able to help others out the way people have always blessed me.

I have spent alot of time on these pieces. I love that slightly whimsical look and like splashes of color and combining the rustic with the unexpected glitz of a rhinestone. I have really enjoyed sorting through my vintage buttons to find just the right ones for each bracelet and horse shoe. Its been even more fun because my children enjoy helping, too. It doesn't get much better than this! Horses, crafting and spending time with the kids!

Unicorn Girl and the Cosmic Journey

This would be the title of my book if I were writing one. Its been a couple of months now since we brought this sweet girl home, and our lives have changed immensely. Definitely for the better! Dancer has been enjoying her time off the track, outside, instead of in a stall 24/7. As you can see, she has discovered lots of fun things in the field. "Look, Mom! I'm a unicorn!" The creativity with the burrs is amazing, don't you agree? (You wouldn't think I brush that forelock every day, but I really do!)


I would like to add most of this lovely experience would not have been possible if it weren't for my good friends, John and Alice. They graciously extended their gorgeous 100 acre farm to Dancer and I. John has been teaching Dancer how to be a real horse, and he has been teaching me how to handle one. Its pretty one- sided so far-I think I have been learning way more than she has. There have been many times in the round pen where Dancer and I have been facing each other and she is just standing there, and she lets out a huge sigh-sort of like, "Will she ever get it?"

Yes, I have a looooong way to go in that department. (Remind me to tell you sometime about my on-going rope tying saga.)

Things to Be Happy About

My 85 year old grandmother lives about an hour and half from us, on the outskirts of D.C., and with my crazy schedule we don't get to see her very much. We finally decided it had been long overdue and packed up the kids and made the trek to spend an afternoon with her.

It was lovely; we decided to take her out to lunch and afterwards she insisted on getting sneakers for the girls for school-(Nanas are great for this sort of thing-they always want to help out with all those unavoidable expenses associated with back-to-school.)

Nana invited us back to her place for a rest before our journey back home. We sipped lemonade and talked about all sorts of things. It was one of those days I secretly wished would go on for a while-I didn't want it to end. For a short time, I was transported back to a time before kids and husbands-I was a younger version of myself.

As a special treat, Nana always had something fun to share with the girls-usually it was old photographs-a reminder of days gone by. My girls always enjoyed looking at these and trying to recognize who was who. Today, Nana had something different. "I think you'll get a kick out of this," she gave me a little wink and a smile as she handed me something.



I took the hand made book from her hand and started reading. Honestly, I didn't even remember making it. But, it was clearly in my handwriting, and was obviously compiled during my "Calligraphy" period. There are five pages:












I got the biggest kick out of the fact that I listed "Queen Size Beds" twice. What was that all about? All I can say is that my grandmother is always so wise and seems to have the best timing in the world. How did she know that I needed to be reminded of what makes me happy? It seems that I, like everyone else, can fall prey to the blur of everyday activities. So, don't forget to enjoy something special today; it could be your grandmother, an indian summer day, or whatever makes you happy in your life! Cheers!

A Definite Must-See!

(Entrance)

Recently, my husband took me over to check out the new Gettysburg Visitor's Center, and boy, was I ever impressed! A Washington, D.C. transplant, I will tell you that this place can compete with the best of them. The museum is thoughtfully laid out, with loads of interactive displays and tons of interesting information.


(Inside Front Entrance)

This is the perfect day trip for school-age children.....



(mural of the battle displayed at the beginning of the exhibit)

Who knew history could be so much fun?


(one of the many interactive displays)