creativity and sunshine

I'm absolutely loving this sunny fall weather! Blue skies, perfectly colorful leaves, and the warmth - but with that crisp, autumn scent. Bliss.

I had some fun today packaging up a gift for my husband's cousin, who will have a baby girl in December. I made some cute pink booties for her, and bought a 1963 vintage copy of a Little Golden Book to use for the "card." But the book should have a bookmark, so I made one. Then I got a little more inspired, and wrote a poem about learning to read. And then it had to be on a scrapbook page... you know how this goes!

First, the booties. Pink acrylic yarn, Mary Jane strap, pink flower button. Cute!
And the book, with the bookmark:
Inspiration - there must be a poem! Enter the scrapbook page, ready for a photo of the new baby princess when she arrives.
Here's the text of the poem that I wrote on her scrapbook page:
---
As you learn and grow and play
finding wonder in each day,
may letters and words unlock for you
stories, dreams and questions new,
leading you at last to find
that you're a treasure in God's mind.

In the Bible, words for you,
words of love, strong and true:
Jesus died to make you free;
lives again, your Friend to be.

--- Linnea L. Burr, 2011

today's creative hours

I realized that I'll be rather busy this summer, and I took the time today to make the greeting cards I needed for the rest of the summer (yay for saving some cash and being creative). Three anniversary cards and four birthday cards later, here are the results:
All of the cards use origami paper. Some use textured cardstock, cut with decorative edges. I used gold poster paint to embellish some, and added floral die-cuts and brads for dimension. A few also use glittery sticker letters. I love how they turned out!

four part time jobs? and grad school apps.

even weeds look pretty when they're frosted with snowflakes!

a berry - bearing plant beside our deck

lacy goldenrod plants

snow-sugared pine cones

more of the berries

My parents came to visit this past weekend! It was so nice to see them - it has been a while! They only came for Friday night and Saturday, but we packed it full of fun, nonetheless. These pictures are from Saturday morning, when everything was frosted in white. It was a beautifully sunny day, and warm! Well, warm for January in central New York.

I was really thrilled to finally have work when I started nannying in December. I'm working for a family with twin boys, born on December 3rd, a 2-year-old boy, and a 4-year-old girl. It's busy, but I love it! It's nice to be taking care of the kids, and I like feeling needed.

I also just picked up some more piano students from a friend who needs some time off from teaching. This is excellent, as all the parents are pleased that I'm traveling to their homes to teach their kids, and they pay me more for that. Cool. It's okay with me.

While I was working out early this month, I got a call from the director of the local high school's musical, asking me to accompany. Wow! Okay. It's nice to play piano professionally.

I am still working at church as the Worship and Music Coordinator, and I love that job. Things are busy at the moment, though; we're having three distinctly different Sunday services in the next four weeks, and they all involve musicians and personnel that don't usually serve at our church. It has been complicated to coordinate, but I'm working on it. I keep reminding myself that I love being in music.

As if that wasn't enough to keep me busy, I'm also applying for grad school in the Fall. I have an audition on the 13th of February, as well as the 12th-13th of March. I am auditioning for Vocal Music Education and for Choral Conducting, so the preparation work will be extensive. I haven't sung in a while, and I feel a bit frustrated with how I sound right now. I hope to take lessons with a professor at the local college to brush up before my audition. So soon - yikes!

My husband started school again yesterday after a very long break. It will be good for us to both have a set routine again, after both losing our primary jobs and not having much to do! Tomorrow is his longest day - I will kiss him "goodbye" at 8:15am, and not see him until about 8:00pm. Crazy...

Tomorrow night is also our couples' bible study. This is such a nice break in our week, and it's great to focus on what really matters. I love being able to share that time with my husband, and to talk openly with other people about what we're learning from the scriptures.

I volunteered this morning at MOPS (that's Moms Of Pre Schoolers - a parenting support group) in the baby room (ages 0-1 year). I took care of the twins that I usually watch, as their mom usually comes to MOPS. They're adorable, and it was fun to share that with the other caretakers in the infant room. One of the twins, though, showered himself as I was changing his diaper...talk about dramatic. It was all better after a new outfit and extensive "washing" with baby wipes. lol. poor little guy!

My husband and I went out tonight for a quick trip to the mall and a stop at Dunkin' - I had forgotten, I guess, how greasy those doughnuts are. But they're yummy! I also picked up a couple of cute things at the mall. Valentine's Day, here we come :o) I can't wait.

Speaking of Valentine's Day, there's a card-making party coming up! All of us girls will pool our scrapbooking and card-making supplies for a girly night next Saturday. So excited! I could use a girls' night...

All this is to say that I'm very blessed. I have jobs that will pay our bills, a husband who loves me so much more than I deserve and more than I'll ever understand, and a God who provides for my every need. I have the opportunity to continue my studies, to work in the field I was trained for, and to care for children, as I've always dreamed. I do hope that, one day, God will see fit to give us our own children. But for now, I am grateful. And content.

feelings are not good at telling the truth

sometimes I feel like my career so far - if you can call it that - has been a blip on the radar or a shooting star. I feel like the things that I've done are good, and that I have been successful, but that I was brilliant for a short time and then disappeared from the sky.

will I have the chance to make a difference like that again? will i have a long term career? do I want that?

it's a good thing that feelings are not (always) truth.

this is an interim time, a dry spell, a cloud across the horizon. I will have the chance to shine again, and it will be good. I will have the opportunity to use my music skills and to teach what I love. but this time is necessary, too.

my husband will finish his degree soon, and then I hope to complete a masters' program, too. (this is slightly scary, since I have not been practicing, and since I am unsure of what program I want to pursue, at all!)
after that, I may teach a couple years, but we want to start a family. I think it's really important that children have their mother or father at home to nurture them, to teach them, and to provide a stable, consistent environment.I don't want to be working at a job other than mothering if I can help it at that point in time.

side note: I love chocolate. one of the realtors here at work gave me a recipe for 5-minute chocolate cake in a mug... I can't wait to try it! maybe tonight. and this dove chocolate square is melting in my mouth. mmmmmmm!

I may be able to teach some private lessons. it does take a lot of work and contacts to build a private studio, but hopefully that will be easier to accomplish through the church that we will be attending at that point. I do think I can balance that and mothering, especially if I can teach during naps. anyone think that's unrealistic? perhaps. or we can put the little one in a play area nearby and begin to teach the baby music, too. oh, yes.

all of my future dreams involve a little bit of fear for me. I suppose that is a normal feeling. Ipray that it won't get in the way of my courage to try! I know the sting of rejection, and hope that I don't have to face that again. iI pray that I have the courage, persistence, and will to build up my skills again to an audition-worthy level, and that I will not be too critical of myself.

I have started to put together a scrapbook to celebrate our first year of marriage. so far, I've done four 8x8 pages - moving day, some pictures of our little apartment, and pictures of the beautiful surrounding area. I need to get some more prints, though. the book is turning out really cute! I would like some more scrapbook papers, too, but we'll see what comes of that. sometimes I am more creative when i don't have exactly what I need, or rather, what I want.

maybe that's what God is getting at in my life. I do have everything I need, but not everything I want. I may need to be more creative with my life at this point, and I know I need to be a good steward of the gifts I have been given (hence the need to practice).

may the Lord grant me the strength to daily accomplish His will for my life, the patience to wait for His timing, and the joy and ability to do all things well.