Choices...or how can there be so many cliches in one blog?!

In everyone's life there definitely come times of
choices....both easy and difficult.

Some are not situations of our own making,
but many, especially the most hard, are.

I have decided that I need a lifestyle change.
I eat better, not much sugar,
exercise regularly and sweat alot,
and even changed my make up....
too many tiny lines creeping up,
and eyelids moving down.

Although I have known about these changes for years,
I have finally reached the point where I cannot put them off any longer.

There are some situations, however, that are like being on the Titanic.
If you don't make a decision one way or another,
you will sink, while enjoying the violins playing on deck.


Or you will find that one life boat, get in,
and make sure no one else pushes you into the freezing water.

Sometimes we go along in our lives,
happy and content.
Happy and content never last.
EVER.
You can have peace and joy in the midst of terrible tragedy.
But status quo should never be an option.
Mainly because the longer we live in the quo,
the more heart wrenching it will be when life falls out from below you.

My advice is to take the bull by the horns and look seriously at your life.
Your daily activities.
Who do you surround yourself with?
Your quiet time, and your play time.
Is God in there somewhere?

Do you find yourself slipping back into old habits because, you just occasionally slip?
We all do that.
But, when we find ourselves constantly making excuses for ourselves or others,
taking two steps forward, two steps back...or even three steps back...
living in a fantasy land of rose colored glasses,
gingerbread houses and friendly wildlife,
we find the next thing to happen is that our world shatters around us.

We all need to make the hard choices.
Eat better and exercise or it may be too late next time.
Pray about friends and lovers who may not really be the best for us.
Love is very powerful and makes us do silly, stupid things.
Sometimes we get lucky, but not often.

In my own life, looking back many years,
it may have been better for my family if hubby and I did indeed divorce.
Lots of strife and screwed up lives because of our silliness.
However, we did not.
God has blessed our commitment to each other and to Him.
A lot of hard work, relearning how to communicate, struggles, tears and joys
are rolled up in the past 27 years.
I am sure there are a few more struggles on the horizon too.
We can talk to each other now.
We do listen to each other now.
Most times we put each other first and have each one's back in good and bad times.
God guides us now instead of us running to Him after the fact.
That makes all the difference.

SO....really look at your life.
Keep the beneficial and lovely.
Throw out the garbage...as nicely as possible.
Don't let the boat sink around you when you had the opportunity to bail!
Hang on to your dreams. 
They will all change, but a few will overpass your expectations.
Moments are only that, even if they seem to last forever.
Be brave and tell your friend you care, and that they are moving in a bad direction.
Better to have an angry ex friend who thinks about what you said in love,
than no friend at all, and so many regrets for keeping your mouth shut.
Tell loved ones you do love them.

I am blessed because I am changing!
Only by the grace of God!

Musings of a Mama

These past few days
I have wished for grandchildren.
(Not for my own selfish reasons,
which I have plenty)
but for the joy it would bring, knowing that my own two daughters
would feel the wracking of the soul they cause to me!

( I realize now that I have caused my own mother such grief...sorry mommy)

Life changes so often and many things are so short lived.
I have a friend who has a new baby.
Her recent post listed many things she one day will do again...
such as use cloth napkins, do laundry and entertain!
I remember those days.
I remember trying to entertain some friends when my first daughter was under a year.
She went to bed well, but the habit was to wake three times
for mommy and me cuddle time.
I had to pull myself away from adult time and
learned to enjoy those quiet, precious times.
Something about those sweet little eyes looking up at you with so much love.
At that moment in time,
no friendship ever came close.

There are so many mistakes I made over the past 25 years.
And I am sure I will make many more.

If I could offer any advice at all:
Know who your children really are as best you can.
Know who your children's friends are.
Pick and choose their friends until they are in high school.

And ALWAYS check up on your children
by physically going to where they are supposed to be!
Do this at least three times, so your kids are so freaked out at getting caught,
that they think twice about doing something they should not.
Offering advice and wisdom when your offspring are in their twenties however,
is more difficult.
I keep reminding my husband and myself, that we were the same way at the same age.
Twenty somethings know everything, no harm can ever come to them
and everyone else is always wrong.

SO, these days, when I can see around the corner of their lives,
my opinions of their life choices are mostly known to them,
even without being spoken aloud by me all of  the time.
Most times I feel really stupid offering advice because of the looks I get from my girls.
I have learned to just listen and not offer advice unless asked.
Even when asked, I am usually scoffed at, and a week of isolation is the end result.
One mistake I made early on was to trust and keep quiet.
It is hard to do the same now, even though this is what my heart is telling me to do.
I believe my girls know that I am always here for them no matter what.

I am trusting in God, that He has it all under control.
Even if I am so fearful of their decisions at times,
I can barely move.

They are  both adults now.
They get to make the life mistakes that I did.
Hopefully they learn more quickly.

I pray that their consequences are not heartbreaking nor devastating,
although I know that is bound to happen.
I pray that their first reactions are to go to the Lord.
And then to me.
Maybe.
Let them go, Parents.
It's the only way they will come back.
Or so I am told.
And this is also a very short time in the scheme of things,
even though it is seeming to take centuries.

Blessed with wonderful daughters and a very supportive hubby!

COOKIES!

Chocolate chocolate chip

so good, you need a swig of milk with each bite!

Orange cookies....

a Ballard family favorite

I lead a team at my church.
The CARE ministry makes meals for
new mommies,
folks just out of the hospital,
new adoptive or foster families,
folks getting sucker punched.

However, not many members know that we offer this service.
It used to be that the church was the first place
you went for announcements, help and information.
Everyone jumped right in to make a meal,
send a card or offer services
like sitting with a member before surgery,
visiting a shut in,
inviting someone who was far from home
to share a holiday dinner with your family.

I remember very well,
when I lived in Alabama and the girls were small,
James Tilley, one of our elders at church
would bring us a watermelon, or offer to fix plumbing
basically help with anything I needed.
I suppose, because my husband worked in New York,
I was considered a widow with orphans....!
Whatever the motivation,
I will always be so thankful to James and Doris Tilley.

This old timey custom is what the CARE ministry is trying to uphold.
I have an AWESOME team, and many ladies I can call upon
in a moment's notice for a meal delivered, or card sent.

This Sunday...the day after tomorrow,
my team will be stuffing 500 bags with 1000 cookies
to give to our members at the end of every service.
We will include a card stating the purpose
and explaining our ministry.
I expect to get a bit busier...not that folks need to
get busier on the baby front...
and we don't want anyone in the hospital!
Just a little more aware, and to again, know that
the church family is the first place to go!

So today I am baking and making
taco soup and fruit salad for my team.
I am so very blessed.

Girly Girl Batchelorette Party

Julie is getting married!

I have known these and a few who couldn't be here

for over ten years.

The Bestest friends anyone could ever have!

Celebrating Julie and Dale's engagement at Hana Yori

Dave the Chef Extraordinaire

He put up with a lot that night!

Julie - bride to be

Karen a few umbrellas in!

Kimberly...who knew?

Ingrid...the next party is for her

Betty - she may be quiet on the outside...

Dave's tribute, thump thump

After dinner, before the party!

What happened at the batchelorette party

stays at the batchelorette party!

October 8?

Cheers with ice wine and champagne

Dale is one lucky fella!

Love you Julie!

Good luck!

Just keep spinning, spinning, spinning!

Chilly, but very sunny day today.

Had way too much fun yesterday:

Celebration lunch with K....hooo boy!

Way too much good food,

Way too much laughter,

a nap in between,

Closed down Aladdins with the church ladies,

with more laughter and growing friendships!

So today I am spinning.

Miles and miles of Polworth wool roving

auto wrapped with shiny multicolored thread.

First time trying this and so far, I love it.

Maybe a pair of socks

or a lightweight sweater for Spring.

Earlier in the week I spun some singles with trash batts

made from left overs off of the carder,

and singles of the same above mentioned Polworth.

Then auto wrapped with thread

while plying the two together.

I like the barber shop ply.

Looking forward to knitting that up too!

and Chuck keeping an eye on the garden and squirrels!

frilly farms

http://www.thefancyfarmgirl.com/heres-the-coop/
http://www.thefancyfarmgirl.com/silly-boys-trucks-are-for-girls-2/

Just some frilly, pastel, cotton candy kind of dreaming today.
Found this site while looking for fancy chicken coop designs.
Then surfed her site a bit more.
Really very girly, but some of you may like her.

Somedays seem too far away today,
but dreaming always picks me up!
Not that I'm down,
just really dreaming of a small farm,
some Maya Angelo chickens,
and a few sheep and angora goats to keep me in fiber!

Spinning spinning spinning today!  Trying some thread hurricanes today!
Then out with the church girls!

Thanks God.
I am blessed.....
even without a chandelier in the chicken house!

In the mood for.....spring changes!

Went to BN yesterday for quite a long while,
as V studied, I looked through landscaping
gardening ideas.
Here are a few.....
Best get busy!

Terry.....starting with the next three,

and possibly incorporating to deck and

front porch??!!

:)

Skiing/snow boarding

Skiing in Pagosa Springs Colorado,

and V and Jamie took on snowboarding.

Terry and I played camera crew, errand runners,

spirit lifters and hand warmers.

The first day, we chose equipment,

and later that day tired out our skills.

Wolf Creek Ski Resort was the next day!

Crazy hat on Brittany

Happy snowboarders...now

What a TALL skier!

facebook photo from the deck

Not so happy student

especially when I yelled out to her,

if she ripped her pants again....

bad mommy.

Wolf pups waiting for lessons

Sure doesn't look like they are having fun.,

waiting for lessons....still

Ski lessons for Joe

Apparently, as we heard the story later,

he needed rescue lessons more.

As Hil and Andrew passed overhead on the lift,

they noticed Joe in the snowbank below them.

He had been there for 15 minute, trying to escape.

His retelling had us all laughing so hard that night,

we had sore abs the next day!

A visual act not to be missed!

Andrew landed in the same bank later,

and described how difficult it truly was to get the skis free,

in only the way Andrew can describe!

Hil getting it!

The faster the better was her plan

Andrew having a great time in the snow!

He got the instructor's award for Best Fall of the Day

when he flipped forward head over heels  into the snow

when Joe cut in front of him!

Sweet Bridgette

Who because of bad knees, after a few trips down the hill,

decided to take an emergency sled

pulled by a real cutie, for her last trip down.

She got great videos of all out group as she flew past!

Girl after my own heart!

She and Papa Terry held court in the lodge

for the rest of the afternoon!

Jamie, the snowboarder

V lessons going sideways.....not forward :(

Brittany, the one who out skied everyone!

After lunch, she wanted to go with the big people,

and did she ever!

She was so relaxed, and confident!

It was impossible for Andrew to keep up with her!

At the bottom of the hill,

she just jumped on the next chair lift to go again!

At lunch break, V had a melt down.

Not only were there way too many people in the lodge,

but she was not getting the whole boarding experience.

Her confidence had been up the day before, while moving forward,

but the instructor today had them going sideways,

which she just could not get.

Folks in her class were, in a nice word,

Selfish idiots.....

And the way down the first hill was made on her butt.

She was in tears and was in no mood to tackle the afternoon.

She, Beau who also hated skiing, and I

went home, had ice cream, and had a fun afternoon at the cabin.

V did homework, which was on heavy on her mind,

Beau and I played dominoes, read stories and watched cartoons.

We made homemade pizza and salad for the crew when they got home!

Over all...a great time and most of the skiers will be tackling the hills next year!