Merry Christmas!

Dear Readers, please forgive me for being away so long.  December is always such a busy month.  After taking my trip to California, I have been busy with the business of Christmas.  Cards, gifts, special meetings with dear friends, etc.  Mark took vacation this week which was a real treat.  We had a couple of dates and had so much fun.  So much fun that I neglected the duties of Christmas.  So a few things fell by the wayside.  Oh well.  I think we all will survive.  Below are some pictures of Mark and I enjoying the season.

 Me in Clear Creek Canyon with snow up to my knees.  We had fun trudging around and nearly falling down laughing.

 The beauty of snow in the mountains.  I love the peacefulness of snow.

 Here we are in downtown Golden enjoying the sunset and the beauty of the frozen world around us.

Here is Mark on the path next to Clear Creek.  The city decorated it up with tons of Christmas lights.  It was simply gorgeous! 

There's no place like home...

Tomorrow I leave for a visit with family and friends in So. Cal.  I am excited and a little nervous all rolled into one.  My last visit was in March, about 9 months ago.  So far this time around on the departure end I am feeling that I am leaving home rather than going home.  I think owning our own home has contributed to that feeling, not to mention a wonderful church family.  The Lord is definitely working in my heart.  This week we attended the new members class at our church.  I can definitely say that I am excited to become a member at Hillside Community Church. 

Update

Above is a picture of Eric's Christmas Tree stands in use at the Christmas Tree Lot.  We stopped by the lot after church a week or so ago.  It was thrilling to see.  He finally finished his paperwork and his binder was approved just yesterday.  This afternoon he has his Scout Master conference.  Slowly, but surely all is coming together.  In telling one of my girlfriends at church I started to well up with tears of joy.  I am so proud of my son.

Eagle Project

My oldest son, Eric, completed his Eagle project this past weekend.  We are so proud of him.  For his project he redesigned and built new Christmas tree stands for the Optimist Club's yearly Christmas tree lot.  He has a few more things to do before he actually gets his Eagle Scout rank.  There is not much time left as his birthday is coming up in December so please say a prayer for him.  Here below are some pictures from the project.

Project day was held at our church in the basement.  In this picture Eric is speaking to the crew.

 The crew broke down some of the old stands to harvest certain pieces to reuse in the new stands.

Here the crew is working on nearly finished pieces to the new Christmas tree stands.

The project was not without a bit of fun.  Here Eric's best friend demonstrates some dance moves.

Its Cold Outside

Well, our nice warm weather has faded away and in came the cold.  Dead leaves litter the yard and the wind picks them up and carries them.  Everything has turned golden brown, yellow and gray.  Since the leaves are no longer on the tree in our front yard more light floods into the house.  When snow is on the ground it really gets bright.  Below are some pictures of recent snows.

 This was taken during our last snow, looking down the street in front of our house.

 This one I took of the moon rising in the east.  It was such a blessing to sit in my living room and look out and see the lovely full moon through the bare branches of the tree.

 This is a snow that came in October.  Love the autumn leaves against the blue sky and white mountains.

This was taken in the morning.  The sunrise cast a pink glow on the snow.


The Lord has me busy in ways I never expected.  These days I am learning more about the heart of our Lord.  I have learned that what He sees as very precious is people.  He loves them so much.  And there are so many hurting people, some of these people are in our churches.  I have come to see that there is a very necessary need for encouragement.

The other thing that I have been trying to practice is blessing rather than cursing.  I am practicing this while I am out driving.  I was watching something on Christian TV and it really made an impact on me.  The Lord is pleased when we are loving as He is.  So if someone cuts me off on the road, etc., I ask God to bless that person.  When I do I please my Father in Heaven.  On top of that I am opening a door for the Lord to work.  It is pretty awesome that something so small on our part can move mountains.

Autumn Break

Raising two teenage boys has been a challenge, but Mark and I are making it through.  Every now and then we need to take a break.  Most of the snow has melted away, so I thought it was a good opportunity for Mark and I to sneak in some couple time.  We went to Starbucks and right next door was a small park.  We sat on a wood bench and watched a muskrat swim across the small lake and then he took a turn and swam right in front of us.  As we gazed at the lake enjoying our alone time I snapped this picture below.  Just love the reflection on the water.

Next snow storm is due to hit on Wednesday (same day as last week).  With Brandon's help we were able to cut down the broken branch on the tree in the backyard.  It was a pretty daring task, but the guys got it done.  Then they got on the roof and cleaned out the gutters.  We also have our sprinkler system winterized, so we are ready for the snow.

Snow

It snowed this week on Wednesday.  Since the autumn leaves were still on the trees, many branches were weighed down.  We went in our backyard and shook the snow off the branches we could reach.  We are blessed that only one branch broke out of the 3 big trees in our backyard.

Wednesday night we went to a potluck in honor of one of our pastors.  October is pastor appreciation month at our church.  It was great to be able to show our love and support.

It has been two months that we have lived in our new house.  I am slowly adjusting to the sounds of the house and the neighborhood.  How the light comes through the windows at different seasons and times of day.  Where to shop and then how the store is arranged so I can find everything I need.  Where I get my gas, etc.  Right now, I miss Golden.  I miss the small town feel as opposed to living in Lakewood where it is more big city.  As Eric told me, "Mom, you have to give it more time."  He's right.

Speaking of Eric, he is going for his Eagle Scout award.  It has been a bit of a challenge as he has less than two months to get it all done.  We are down to the wire.  It has me frazzled, but I am mostly letting his Dad manage it.  He doesn't need panic stricken Mom on his case.  Eek!  I will just be waiting in the wings for when he needs me.

Otherwise, I have been busy visiting with friends, going to Bible study, meeting with another woman to pray for our children, etc.  Oh, hubby got a new cell phone supplied by the company he works for since he got a promotion.  So with the extra money toward our cell phone budget he bought me one of those new android phones.  It seems in my old age I hate change, but I am learning this new phone.  Maybe I can be a hip Grandma after all.  ;-)  (BTW the picture above was taken with my new phone.  I even emailed to myself so I could post it on my blog.)

Autumn

We have all been so busy.  Both boys are on the Ultimate Frisbee team, so 3 days a week I am driving the freeway.  Then throw in having been sick, company, Mark's 11-day business trip, etc.  Well, I lost my momentum.  I have been trying to catch up and keep up.  Even so, I have realized that I need some "me" time, to refresh.  One day after dropping the boys off at practice, I went to my favorite park to do my annual Autumn walk through the park.  The colors are not as spectacular this year, but still was able to get some pretty shots.  Enjoy!

 This is a shot of the autumn colors in Golden, where I drop the boys off for practice.

 Here is a shot of Crown Hill Park.

 Here is a little bird I spotted down by the lake.  Don't know what kind it is, but I love birds.

 Here is a pretty shot of the nature center in the park.

Always love this path through the thick grove of trees.

Trying to Adjust

Do you ever have those times where you feel that life is in fast forward?  Well, I've been in one of those times.  Finally, I feel like life is slowing down, but I have to switch gears.  Sometimes we can get addicted to going fast.  Have you noticed that?  Okay, so here I am trying to slow down.  I know I really need it.  Why?  Well, I feel I really need time to connect with my new home.  In being busy I haven't really allowed that.  Lately, I've been feeling disconnected.  I keep thinking about how I felt at my Little Blue Cottage.  It felt like home, a haven from the nasty world.  So far Big Yellow Cottage doesn't feel that way for me.

My in-laws came for a visit.  They loved Big Yellow Cottage and felt immediately at home here.  I was so glad that they came, their visit helped me feel more at home here.  Having friends over has helped make it feel more homey also.  One of my girlfriends came over and she helped me decorate the "red" room in preparation for the arrival of my in-laws.  Here below are some recent pictures of the Big Yellow Cottage.

 Autumn is beginning to show its color.

 Took this one while sitting on the sofa in our living room.

 An Autumn sunset from our backyard.

 This is our master bedroom.

 This is the front entryway.

 This is the kitchen and laundry.

 The master bathroom.

And here is the "red" room.

Blogging Slump & Hubby Home!

Well, with Mark being gone, I have not had the time nor the desire to blog.  Plus I am still unpacking boxes and arranging where everything should go.  Next weekend my in-laws will be coming.  I've been working on the guest room trying to decorate.  It has been a challenge since the room is painted a deep red.  Eventually, I will paint, but for now red will have to do.  

Mark is finally home from his business trip.  Eleven days without hubby seems like a long time.  But then I remember those who serve in our county's armed forces.  Okay, from that view eleven days is not bad.  Yes, with the Lord's help, I made it through and I am amazed.  Believe me, He really worked a miracle...I barely complained.  Okay, so I grumbled and whined a bit when hubby got to see the amazing Niagara Falls and I didn't.  I've been wanting to see those falls since I saw them in an old View Master when I was 5 years old.  Sigh.  Someday I will get there (Lord willing).

No I missed my hubby, that is for sure, especially so when my two sons were quite the challenge.  But something about this whole trial was different this time.  I am trying to think...hmm.  Okay, I think maybe I can say that I have grown in the Lord.  I trusted Him to see me through.  I chose to see it differently.  Of course when our husbands leave we worry that something will happen, but this time I chose to let go of the worry.  I chose to see it as a time to see how the Lord would provide for me each day.  All I can say is that it was an amazing time, but I am very glad to have my hubby back.

Sunrise and Single Parenting

Okay, did the title of this post grab you?  Mark is away on business until next week.  Let me tell you, being a single parent is rough, I am so exhausted.  Especially since I came down ill last week.  I am not back to my usual self yet so juggling everything on my own is taking a toll.  I miss my dear husband so much.

Mark is the one that takes the boys to school and lets me sleep in.  Well, since he isn't here I of course have to wake up early.  On Monday that turned out to be a blessing.  Big Yellow Cottage sits east/west, so I got to see the beautiful sunrise and the moon set in the back.  I was so thrilled.  Hope you enjoy the photos I took.

Eric's room is upstairs and faces east toward the plains.

Little Daisy likes to follow me around.  She and I watched the sun come up.

Here is the full moon setting over the mountains in the west.

Daisy wanted her picture taken with the moon.

Settling In

Well, we are completely moved over.  It took a while for us to get House on the Hill emptied and cleaned.  The Lord was so gracious and sent two girlfriends to help me clean.  Cleaning a house with nearly 3000 sq. ft. is a big job.  The Lord blessed our cleaning day.  We actually had fun!  Anyway, House on the Hill is now empty, despite some items in the garage.  I have given away so much stuff and will be giving away more as I go through unpacking here at Big Yellow Cottage.

I love our new home.  Just this week the former owner of Big Yellow Cottage stopped by.  She and her husband are Christians.  She said that they prayed over the house and I was so thrilled.  She pointed out some of our neighbors and said that we have many Christian neighbors.  Also, one of the neighbors came to visit with us.  She welcomed us to the neighborhood.  All of this has made me feel that this is where the Lord wants us to be.

Welcome!

Welcome to Big Yellow Cottage!  I could not come up with an original name for my new house.  Big Yellow Cottage was the only thing that seemed to fit.  The picture in the header is a picture of the back of our Big Yellow Cottage.  I think the back of the house looks cozy.  Right now we are in the process of moving in.  We are making trips back and forth everyday.  So much work to do, but it is joyful. 

Our Little Blue Cottage in California was 1300 sq. ft., but it had a lot of storage space.  House on the Hill is nearly 3000 sq. ft. and we had no problem fitting into it.  We have enjoyed living in a big house.  Big Yellow Cottage is 2388 sq. ft.  Even so it doesn't have the storage space that our Little Blue Cottage had.  We are having to let go of things.

When we are settled I will take pictures of the inside.  For now these are the only pictures I have of  our new cottage.

  The front of our Big Yellow Cottage.

The evening view from the back deck.

Mark and I have been enjoying having lunch in our backyard.  The view is such a blessing.