Confessions of a Pitiful Poster

I'll admit that I've been a pitiful poster here for the last...well, just look at the date on the last post. Pitiful! We have so much going on in our little world right now that my head is literally spinning. And, it's all happening so fast!

Here's the brief: no more homeschooling, so we needed to find a school for the boy who will be in 9th grade, the girl was graduating (if you've ever filled out fafsa - nuff said), and we needed to find the right house and get him registered for school. Well, God has truly brought it all together better than I ever anticipated. There are so many small details that I'd love to share, and this whole experience has led me to a greater awareness of His impeccable timing and my need to not fret and to just trust Him!

We are now in the throws of post- graduation (the graduation ceremony was beautiful, she was radiant and now she's looking forward to attending Watkins College of Art & Design). We are packing up and moving out June 30th to our new little country-style house and Sean will be attending the high school he was hoping for. I can't wait to share pics of the house with you, but I need to get moved in and settled first, I think. Or, just drive on out and visit us!

I do have pics of the graduation ceremony(LOTS of em, but I could only put 5 on here?). I have to say that I am so proud of our little girl...

I'm hoping to be a better blogger as soon as the dust settles - of course, dust never truly settles...hmmm.

Remember to Praise!

So much sadness and heartache in the lives of dear ones around me; struggles in my own life that sometimes seem larger than life...
This is for when I tend to forget that God IS in control and rather than worry and mope, I should praise Him!

Are you with me?

Psalm 47

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

¹ Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.

² How awesome is the LORD Most High,
the great King over all the earth!

³ He subdued nations under us,
peoples under our feet.

⁴ He chose our inheritance for us,
the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.
Selah

⁵ God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets.

⁶ Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.

⁷ For God is the King of all the earth;
sing to him a psalm of praise.

⁸ God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.

⁹ The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings of the earth belong to God;
he is greatly exalted.

Check out Suzanne's great stationery line and enter to win her giveaway!!

Growing...

Someone please tell me where has the time gone?? 18 years ago a tiny, helpless baby girl came into the world. She was needy and looked to me to make everything okay. As she grew, she talked incessantly, followed my every move and couldn't get enough of being in my presence.

That precious baby is now a precious young adult who would rather die than give in to neediness. She must have used up all of her words. My presence is not such a necessity.

But, I wouldn't trade the blessing of watching her grow for anything. I'm so proud of her self-confidence, quiet grace and independent spirit. She knows who makes her world secure and seeing her grow in her faith and love for her maker is more than I could ever ask.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Alyssa!

Handmade in the Arcade Craft Show

I'll be participating in Handmade in the Arcade, this Saturday, November 7, 1-9pm--sponsored by Twist Gallery. This will be a fun, free event that you don't want to miss! Can you believe there are just 50 shopping days until Christmas? Stop by the Nashville Artisans booth and say HI while you're there!

Don't Miss This One...

I love a good giveaway and urban hen has a lovely one--or choose from three! Sharon's vintage wares are just beautiful. Don't miss out on this one--it ends Thursday, drawing is on Friday!

We Have A Winner!

And, the winner of the Teardrop Guitar String Earrings Giveaway is.....KT!

Thanks to all of you for answering honestly about what influences your jewelry purchases. Your comments are a great source of "what women want." I really appreciate you taking the time...

I wish you all could've won:( I plan on doing more giveaways in the future, so please check back!

Congratulations, Katie!
xox -Robin

It's Time for a Giveaway!

For the 3 or so of you who read my blog, I'm having a giveaway!

That's right...in honor of a new business venture, see here: nashvilleartisans.com, I'm giving away a pair of my Teardrop Guitar String Earrings... All you have to do to enter is tell me what influences your jewelry buying - positively or negatively. Is it price, materials used, one of a kind, availability...? This is for gals and guys!

I will draw a winner randomly on Friday, October 8, so get those responses to me by 10/7 midnight CST. I can't wait to hear what you have to say! Let your friends/family know about it! xox-Robin

Oh, and the winner has a choice of pierced or clip-on.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

So excited to be part of this! Please visit to see or purchase my work!

::Nashville Artisans Gallery::

nashvilleartisans.com
created by Joel Anderson of the award-winning Spirit of Nashville collection and Anderson Design Group:

And, to celebrate the cool, crisp days of Autumn:

I call it Autumn Breeze Bracelet

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Check It Out!

Look at my new banner - compliments of my sweet and talented daughter, Alyssa. She totally surprised me with this and I love it!

Thanks, Daughter. You're the best!

Happy Birthday Sean

Actually, he turned 14 yesterday and I would have posted then, but this weekend was the busiest we've had in a while, part of that due to his birthday. His party was on Friday night, celebrated with his best buds, and consisted of a giant slip-n-slide down the slope in our backyard (they really go fast with baby shampoo!) and a night out on the town. They stayed up all night playing flashlight tag (we're talkin 3:00 in the morning!) I think they passed out around 6:00 am. So, his actual birthday was spend resting up. Later that night, Dad was playing w/ Paul Bogart at Puckett's, so the whole family celebrated there, too. Barbecue and pecan pie for a birthday meal is better than I could do at home!

So, how do I begin to explain the complexities of this incredible young man? He's funny, easy-going, kind-hearted, creative, sure of himself, athletic, musically gifted...a joy to be around, even as a teenager. The best part is seeing his faith in God grow as he grows. We look at each other on a new level, literally - he's as tall as I am! It just happened overnight!

He'll probably never read this, but I hope he knows how proud he makes me. It's been a delight and blessing to see him mature from the little boy that he was into the young man that I see now. I look forward to looking up to him. Happy 14th, Sean!

Gone Are the Lazy Days of Summer

Whew! Back in school mode. The first week has gone really smoothly, but I feel like I'm missing out on something. Oh yeah - sleeping in...lazy morning cups of coffee...that feeling of the day looming ahead with no important agenda.

I did have time to create a few more trinkets before the madness hit. I'm anxiously looking forward to a new business venture...can't wait to share it with you! I'll keep you posted;)

Joy

Just a simple reminder that, although happiness is fleeting, joy is eternal.

My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you; I whom you have redeemed.
-Psalm 71:23

Repurposed

Steve was recently playing a gig with a friend who was changing out his bass strings. I almost had a conniption (that's a southern fit) when he said he was going to throw that wad of bendable, malleable, silver stuff away! Oh, the possibilities! So, what you see is one, actually two, of the finished results made from repurposed guitar string. More repurposed goodies coming soon...

Wired and Stoned

No, not me! I have long thought of naming my shop that simply because it reflects what I love to do (umm...create jewelry pieces using wire wrapping with stones!) This is one of the newest pieces I've been working on and I'll be posting others soon. Just wanted you to know I have been busy doing something since my last post in February!! Yikes, time flies when you're having fun!

Eating Crow...or Buzzard

Yesterday started off really well. I had my to-do list and was feeling up to the challenge. The top of the list was to visit my local library to politely argue over a missing DVD. The said DVD was showing up on my account info. and I knew I had returned it. I even remembered looking in the case to make sure the disc was there. So, I walked up to the front desk cocked and loaded - polite, mind you. Of course, I got the one librarian who I knew to be rather brusque. She actually handled the situation really well, asking me to double check back at home, in my car, etc. I'm sure I was oozing sarcasm as I patiently explained that I had looked everywhere - and, don't forget, I even checked the case! After asking for the worst case scenario and being told it would cost $25, I lost a little of the patience declaring that I would NOT be paying for something I had returned. But, I dutifully agreed to check at home again and thanked her - politely.

I let the incident fade throughout the day and had totally forgotten about it. Well, after I vented my frustration to my loving husband after his long day at work, I forgot about it. And, then, what do you know?? My son comes over to me with a ..."So, you returned this to the library, huh?" (obviously, I had mentioned it in his presence, too.) He was looking for a movie to watch last night and found the *#@ DVD by the side of the TV- the same spot I remember taking it from and then returning it to the library!

So, today I'm off to the library again to apologize for my mistake yesterday and to sincerely beg forgiveness.

Confession is good for the soul....thanks for listening.

I Dare You NOT to Try These

I was having a chocolate attack yesterday and needed a quick fix. I came across this recipe on allrecipes.com and it really, I mean really, did the trick. And, so easy! These are dense, chewy brownies that just melt in your mouth. Go ahead, you know you want some. Let me know what you think.

Best Darn Brownies
2 sticks butter
4T good cocoa powder
2 c white sugar
4 eggs
1 c all purpose flour
2 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter in heavy pot on stove.
Add the cocoa and stir until smooth - just a minute or two.
Take off heat and beat in rest of ingredients.
(I beat the eggs separately and gradually added small amounts so as not to scramble them in the hot cocoa.)
Pour into an 8x8 inch square pan.
Bake @ 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until the old toothpick in the center comes out clean!
YUM!

He's not getting older...he's getting better

To the incredible man in my life- who happened to turn 46 today! I've been blessed to spend 30 of his birthdays with him (we were high school hearts :) Through all of these years he's taught me so much about faithfulness, unconditional love and perseverance (without complaining). I pray this day would be filled with all he holds dear: the presence of God, loved ones and sweet memories.

Happy Birthday, Old Man!

I love you!

It's Beginning to Look A Little More Like Christmas

What a great weekend. We finally got our tree up -which was pretty painless this year. The lights cooperated, no ornaments were broken. I got lots of shopping done, Alyssa has the cards under control, and to round out the weekend... a beautiful time of worship at church with Christmas carols and time to just sit in awe of God and His incredible plan. At one point, during one of my favorite carols, I looked around and saw the familiar faces of church family and just had an ahhhh moment. I'm striving to find the balance of focusing on the simple joy and beauty of this season and taking care of the not so simple tasks that go along with it. God is so good to provide just what we need at just the right time. And, thank you, God, that's all year long.

Going Home

I was away during Thanksgiving so I missed being able to blog all that I am thankful for. Thankfully, I can do that every day! And, being away, visiting with family, definitely made me more grateful and aware of the blessings that abound in my life.

I always love going "home". I love the familiar smell of my mom's house, playing the annual Scrabble game with my brother(who rarely ever loses), visiting the local Zesto(it's a burger drive-in place that has the best ice cream cones that all the locals call "a custard"), riding through the park to see the light display and just having down time to sit and talk about the cousin of my former Sunday School teacher who married so and so once removed... There's nothing quite like it- it's so simple- and that's just how it's supposed to be. And, I'm thankful for that.

How fitting that Advent should fall just after Thanksgiving. I'm ready to rejoice in the true reason for this season - and every day of the year. Somehow, going home helped me realize that.