A Day of Sweet Surprises

Bumble Bees, Dear Friends and so much more...

OUTSIDERS

First Fruits from the Container Gardens...

Caution! Objects in photo appear larger than they are! :0)

INSIDERS

After much babying, I woke up to the Gardenia in bloom again!

FRIENDS, FLOWERS and CHOCOLATE

THINGS DONE

Flowers from Jan's Garden, Lunch at Wildflowers Cafe...

and a stop at the incredible Sunflower Field. 

There was a theme to our lovely afternoon! 

Such a dear lady! Thank you, Jan.

A SHOUT OUT

To Cynthia for spending hours at Starbucks with me Monday 

catching up and pouring out our hearts. Here is to Truth and Love, dear friend!

THINGS TO COME

Tricia (in the middle- a long lost friend from high school) 

is on her way for a visit! Tomorrow we drive to Indy 

to meet another HS friend, Kathryn, for lunch. 

 Sweet times call for sweet Chocolate Zucchini Bread fresh from the oven.

It's been a nice couple of days... 

good things still to come.

The Lord's blessings to you as well.

2 Gifts I Gave Myself- Christmas 2008

I gave myself the gifts of better health and better organization. I only have one body while on this earth and it isn't getting any younger. I still have so much I want to do for the Lord, but it really is more difficult when I physically struggle. So here's to good health! And the Lord has been trying to teach me the value of simplicity for almost 5 years. I struggle to get it, but I am trying! His processes are not usually what I would choose though! So on to a more disciplined home and calendar/planner.

Why do these things always involve pain? And patience? And lots of work?!

I tried Jillian's exercise DVD on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day I could not raise my arms. At all. Listen, I ride 9 miles on the bike in the basement-with hills AND hand weights. I did not expect it to be THAT bad! I started the aspirin as soon as the DVD was over, and I continued the aspirin for the next 24hrs. So on Friday I tried it again using only 1.75LBS weights. Much better-after more aspirin. I still hate that 20 minutes (did it again yesterday), but there is hope.  I know it says 30-Days, but I plan to do it every other day so I guess it will take longer?  I suppose the pain is a good sign?! Time and aspirin will tell. Thanks for the tip, Shawn!

These books (I got the three pack on the Amazon page, scroll down) by Marcia Ramsland are written very simply. I am not sure I will learn a lot of new ideas, but it is great to have it in the forefront of my mind again. She simplifies and brings clarity to the process of organization. She is also encouraging! I needed the push to get things in order again. I am amazed and disheartened about the disarray around here. Where did all the stuff come from, and who is going to dust it all?! 

Saturday Christopher helped me inventory everything in our two pantries, and then I re-shelved everything in an orderly fashion. I think I don't 

need groceries for a while!!!!!!! Good grief. 

Sunday we went through all the Christmas stuff and put a bunch of it in the Give Away pile. Yea! It will be nice to have less stuff to get out next year. Often we do not use it all anyway. Getting in the spirit of things, while I was getting a hair cut Christopher came up with the idea to have two decor categories of bins (tree stuff and hous

e stuff) for the bins of junk, I mean items. So now it is sitting on the floor waiting for me to put away. Of the fun.

Later this week I want to move on to the desk in the family room. You know, the bill paying, postage, paperwork, mail piles? We'll see. I did pick up file folders and such at Office Depot today. So, no excuses!

In the end these are gifts well worth the effort. Now on to the effort. 

What did you give yourself this year?

Oh, say. Christopher gave me something as well. It came in this box...

That is enough to get the old heart rate up!

;0) THANKS, Babe!!!

A Quiet Christmas Eve Morning

Good Morning! I sit here listening to Third Day sing Christmas songs on our new Denon system that Christopher picked out. He does not know it is here (my thanks to EBay!). I got up early to set it up as a surprise. 

It is a dark, quiet and rainy Christmas Eve morning. All the guys (and Phoebe) are asleep. I sit here contemplating our Lord and am amazed at all the fuss we mortals make at Christmas, in the Name of Christ. 

Yesterday in the car Christopher and I discussed that we feel behind and guilty about our Christmas preparations based on requirements defined by others. In the midst of it all it is so easy to lose sight of our Saviour. And isn't that really the whole point? Really? Why do we let the world define our lives and what is good? Why would we compare ourselves to what we see around us and concern ourselves with keeping up? Doesn't this just serve to distract us from a quiet & gentle heart in love with and satisfied by our Lord? 

I worry about not having enough traditions. I worry about not making it meaningful enough. I worry about not enough special memories. I worry about the boys not seeing a Saviour in the mass of preparations and events. 

Then last year we found Behold the Lamb. Andrew Peterson has been doing this concert for about 10 years. He always ends the circuit here in Cincinnati. We went again this year and were able to share it with special friends as well. This is a night of worship and laughter. It is a night of music and also of the whole story of Jesus in songs. It always reminds me of the awesome majesty of our Lord. 

I don't know what traditions you hold. I don't know if right now you are on the road, in the air, or preparing for guests. But I pray that you find some quiet moments to praise our Lord and to rejoice in His gifts to you: His gifts of forgiveness and life; His gifts of grace and mercy; His gifts of everything you could ever imagine to ask for- that really matters anyway.

All praise and glory to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!

Merry Christmas and a Blessed 2009, from our hearts to yours!

Merry ECard 2008 (No mailings this year-saving a tree!)

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Where do they go...?

Merry Christmas from the Corcorans

Click on the above link for a fun greeting from us!

Time, days, weeks, years, money, expectations and so on?! They just seem to vaporize before our eyes! Mine anyway! The Lord tells us to be mindful of every thought and word and yet I find they flit about me without nearly enough intentionality.  I MEAN to pay attention. I really do. I have Very Good Intentions, and then I find another week, month, year has gone by and I am still playing catch up.

The Lord keeps telling me to simplify, and I keep muddying up life with many good things that are detracting from the great, the best. Here is an example: the above link to the fun elf dance should have taken me what 15-20 minutes? It took 40 minutes. In that time I could have cleaned the bathrooms, gotten dinner ready for tonight, planned Isaac's 6th grade curriculum for January (at least gotten a good start) or many other fine choices. There is nothing wrong with the fun elf dance. It just took longer than expected and all this small stuff adds up to a full day of not really anything. Ya know?

Another example: I was watching Larry Kudlow last night (I tend to watch him when I am brain dead and ill-as I had the stomach flu yesterday, odd I know) and they were talking about the need for Americans to SAVE MONEY right now during this time of economic breakdown. But we just signed a contract on Tuesday for thousands of dollars of new window and doors. Now we did not plan to do this now, but a brick was thrown through our window while we were in Indiana for Thanksgiving-and we don't live anywhere near the hood! So, rather than replace one 16 yo builder's grade window in the front of our house we are replacing them all. Sure we will save on utilities, but that is not what we had planned.  When will the debt end?! We also got to replace all 4 tires on my car last month, oh the fun.

I keep meaning to teach the boys how to study the Bible well & journal, how to cook, Dave Ramsey's tools for finances, manners, the rest of Young Peacemakers, etc and yet another week goes by, another month, another year and soon they will be gone. No pressure, huh?! I really want to prepare them well for their futures.

Expectations, well, I am glad that the Lord is constantly disillusioning those!  However I do want to have goals, and make decisions that actually move me toward these goals rather than mucking up time, talents, treasures and keeping me from those goals. It just seems as time goes on I am more distracted and busy and unclear than ever. I cannot stand this. I really want 2009 to be about the things that matter most, and not find that yet another year has gone by without seeing the best pursued. 

How about you? For what do you yearn? What do you constantly find on your mind as you begin a new year soon?

I am trying to really really get that the small things add up quickly to something big. That could be in your favor or against it. Be careful. Be intentional!

And then he was 12...

Isaac turned 12 on the 26th!!! I almost have two full blown teenagers!Grandma's homemade cakes. Always a hit. Alex & Colleen got their pie as well. Sans butter. Ask Colleen. ;0)That is Shandy the new addition at the grandparents' home. I think he wore her out! I know she wore out our dog, Phoebe. Isaac is a sweet and precious fella...and a big pest (a dominant Corcoran trait). That is Shandy again-going into Colleen's hair.

Is it genetic or environmental? Age old quandary. A more serene moment in the week.

Honorable mentions!

My Dad turned 79 on the 24th! For his birthday he got to go to the hospital with a blood clot in his lung. Oh the fun.

Breanna turned 18 on the 22nd! She is like family so she gets to go in the blog. :0)

A fine time was had by all.

I do hope you all had a LOVELY Thanksgiving. Don't we have much for which to thank our Lord?! Even if your holiday did not look like a Norman Rockwell painting- the Lord has offered you eternal life thru His Son's death for you on the cross. It doesn't get any better, friends.

A Cup of Tea and Thee

A cup of tea. A moment with you, and then a book. What a perfect moment.

This week I have had the privilege of teaching arts to 3rd-6th grade kids at Camp Harmony. While exhausting, it really has been a fun time. I have enjoyed doing the sculpting, grouting, baking, painting etc. with them, and their creativity astounds me. Not to mention their energy! Usually the evenings this week have found me seeking quiet after the melee of the days. :0) Tomorrow we will work with metal, and then wrap up the week on Friday with some sewing. These kiddos are adorable- and talented!

Isaac has not been in my classes, but I hear he is good at washing dishes! Alex has been helping the cooking classes and the music classes. They are also tired, but happy. Yesterday they went to Laser Craze with the Hinners, Beesons, and a Crull  and a Botkin, and had a buddy sleep over. Today they hung out at the Farmers all afternoon. What a busy and fun week we have had! All this after Alex JUST got back from the mission trip. More on that later.

Today, after camp, I have cleaned out the guest room and closet in anticipation of our dear friends and their 4 children visiting Sat/Sun. I had stored a lot of future yard sale stuff in the room, and the furniture was not put back after the new carpet installation. Needless to say I have spend the last few hours cleaning and straightening. 

Off to finish up some laundry and then the book. Hope YOU are having a fun and creative week as well! 

More Vacay Picts and a Video...

Again, guns & cannons. Sorry no video, the sound was amazing.





















Decorating ideas for me at the Rockefeller house- Bassett Hall- I have lots of picts (some for you, Susan-and a wood shop for Wayne, they will come to you shortly).






Some Cool Characters...

Period (and REAL) pastors who act and testify!
Isn't this how it should be?! Men, Women, Nations and Tongues praising the Lord! A beautiful pict. Fabulous men of God too!!!






Thomas Jefferson- interesting views and answers. We spoke on the Constitution and his view of slavery. Did you know that he was constantly told to sit down and shut up when contiunously asking for freedom for the slaves?! I didn't.













Then there was Patrick Henry. Such vigor, such passion. LOVED listening to him speak!!! If my camera battery hadn't died there would be a pict of us together, just so you know. :0)













And Fred. He walked us through Williamsburg at night for 2 hours telling us ghost stories, history and just plain tall tales. What a sweet guy. Could have happily gone two more hours.




The NOT so cool Benedict Arnold. Isn't it creepy that he looked right into my camera? Good actor. Beautiful horse!










Then there were the gardens. So Gorgeous. I took lots of picts. Lots. Trees. Birds. Flowers. Lots of picts. I won't bore you. I'll just share the one. :0)















Ummm, the future?! Wouldn't THAT be great. Somehow I don't think it fits with his current plan to play professional soccer for Germany, the country of his people. But God could have other plans?!











So stirring I cried!!! To think that Children led the men in battle with their songs. So moving.

America in the 1900's...
Fast forward about 300 years. It was difficult for me to do after a week in the 1600-1700's. This is the Wisconsin. Some type of battleship. The guys could tell you. I have a picture of the sign. Aboard was a man that actually sailed on it. Huge. Like a city. Carries over 2000 men! Yet the massive guns can shoot every 30 seconds! Amazing in a sad-wish-it-didn't-have-to-exist kind of way. Writes a mother. The boys all loved it.




















It was a fantastic week (thanks T & W for your part in this) of a lifetime of memories and lessons.


But, then, there's no place like home....

The Vacay- Virginia 2008

Ok, finally! I will just put in a bunch of photos for your enjoyment.
Deep Thoughts will have to wait.


Beautiful Scenery!










Jamestown, 400 years ago...
Well, in the year 2008 Pocahantas is metal. It was 110 degrees and full sun. :0)


















We managed to see lots of guns, hear lots of guns and even buy two muskets. Boys.














Yorktown, 300 years ago...





Mr. Nelson's house- has a cannon ball in the side!


So many BEAUTIFUL houses, I spared you all the pictuers. :0)





The Boys IN the Nelson house.














Yorktown was instrumental
in gaining our freedom.










Ah, Williamsburg a good 300 years ago...


THAT was not easy to pull off.
Do you see the looks of venom on their faces? They are there, trust me.

Getting Started

This is my first post, a trial run. Hopefully they will get more interesting soon!

Obviously I have no tude to deal with at home. :0)

I am playing around with embedding things.

Our wedding song that I sang to Christopher almost 15 years ago: