JenIg is having a great contest.

Rosetta Stone has been the #1 foreign language curriculum among homeschoolers for a while -- next week they are unleashing a brand new curriculum, and you can WIN the *all new* Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3… FOR FREE!

This is a $219 program (and believe me it's worth every penny!) and the winner gets to pick from any of these 14 languages: Spanish (Spain or Latin America), English (American or British), Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Irish, Hebrew, or Russian.

This will also include a headset with microphone, and students will participate in lifelike conversations and actually produce language to advance through the program. Rosetta Stone still incorporates listening, reading and writing as well, in addition to speaking. Many homeschoolers requested grammar and vocabulary exercises, and with Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3, they're included! For parents, the new Parent Administrative Tools are integrated into the program and allow parents to easily enroll students in any of 12 predetermined lesson plans, monitor student progress, and view and print reports.

The time since I last made an entry has been a busy time.  I thought that after the first of the year, my schedule would be lighter.  Not so!  My calendar for 2008 already has a lot of entries.  I am excited about the things on my schedule.  I have 2, and possibly 3, porcelain portrait painting workshops scheduled.  One painting I will do will be from the portrait of me in my student nurse uniform when I was a junior, about 20 years of age.

I have wanted to take classes or workshops in watercolors and acrylics.  I especially want to learn to do watercolors.  Helga Flower from Michigan will be here in April for a watercolor workshop and I am privileged to be scheduled as a participant. 

Another event on my calendar is the 50 year reunion of my nursing graduating class.  Most of the girls I have not seen since the day of our graduation.  I married one year after graduation and have always lived in a different state.    

The temperature yesterday was 68 F and today it got up to 74 F.  Of course, that means that with a cold front moving in tonight, we have tornado warnings.

Easter comes early this year – March 23.  I must get some porcelain Easter eggs painted.  Here is a picture of the top view of one that I painted last year.

Here is a picture of the side view.

This was a wonderful day with the children and their families.  There were two members who could not join us today.  Our son-in-law could not get off from work to be here.  Our grandson-in-law is in Iraq for his second tour of duty.  Pleas pray for our military personnel who are serving around the world so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have in this wonderful country.  Thank You, Lord, and may Your name be praised.

6 days of Christmas!  Can that be real?  That means that there are 4 more shopping days till Christmas since most all of the stores are now open on Sunday.  I hope I am done shopping except for a few food items.

The Christmas card has been designed and made.  My husband composed the annual newsletter.  Most of the cards and letters ore now in the mail box.  Decorations are up.  Most of the gifts have been wrapped.  Just a few more to go.  

I have painted quite a few ornaments.  I hope to be able to paint a few more yet.  They can be done in only 2 firings.  That really helps.  I have done most of them with pen silhouettes this year.  I have enjoyed doing the pen work.  I recently did my first pen work on a salad plate.  Here it is.

This time of the year is one of excitement, anticipation, festivities, families getting together, and exchanging of gifts.  Let us remember the greatest gift this world has ever know which is why we have this day to celebrate - the gift God gave us when He gave His Son to be our salvation.  Remember to give Him praise and thanks.

If I hurry, I can get my 7 days of Christmas posted before day 7 ends.  Two of the grandchildren and I went shopping for a while with me and then I painted on ornaments.  I fired them and was going to put the platinum trim on, the scripture verse I chose for this Christmas, and sign them.  I guess it is a good thing my luster supplies are in one of the rooms the guests (who are in bed) are in because I seem to keep "burning the candle at both ends" and I need to likewise get to bed.  I have also been working on our Christmas cards.  I know it is late but they will at least get mailed before Christmas.  They should be ready to go out tomorrow.

Here is a picture of the ornaments I am painting this year.  This shows all four sides.  The trim is supposed to be platinum but looks more like black luster which has really worked out well.

The 8t^h day of Christmas – a very good day.  My friend, Joyce, and I did a little shopping and exchanged gifts.  She gave me some really unique pieces of old china that are very lovely.  Maybe I will post a picture of them before Christmas day.

Our daughter and her children arrived this evening after a long drive – 13 hours!  It is so good to have them here again even for a few days.

I have just prepared our Christmas card this evening.  Maybe we will get them out in the mail tomorrow.

Here are two salad plated I painted for Christmas. 

This is truely a day to rejoice.   " For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."  Isaiah 9:6

The 9t^h day of Christmas – today was my china painting day.  We painted some and had our Christmas luncheon.  The food was delicious and the fellowship was great.  My husband joined us for lunch so there were 8 of us.

I had the table set with the Christmas china that I painted this year.  I painted sixteen 5-piece place settings.  I am still working on ornaments.  I think I will post a picture of them tomorrow.  I do need to start them earlier next year!, perhaps in February.

We lift our hearts and voices in praise to our Lord for doming to become our salvation.  “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”  Luke 2:7  Have you made room in your heart and life for Him?

This is the Christmas china I painted and we are enjoying using it when we have company.

The 10^th day of Christmas was a day to assemble for worship and praise to our Lord.  It was a wonderful time of adoration of God and a time to be fed by His word.  It was a day to say, “we have come to worship Him.”  Matthew 2:2

I am speechless except to say, I stand amazed in His presence and in His love.. 

Today we were blessed with the visit of our former neighbors - my dear friend and prayer partner.  I sure miss our weekly visits and prayer times.

The 11^th day of Christmas was a busy day.  My husband and I are the hosts for our small group from our church.  Tonight was our meeting.  We had our Christmas dinnert  It was lovely.  I had the camera out and then forgot to make any pictures.

We read some of the prophesies concerning our Lord in the Old Testament and then read the fulfillment of those prophesies in the New Testament.  We had some very good participation and good discussion of the prophesies and the fulfillments.  How wonderful, how marvelous is our God and our Redeemer.  I am overwhelmed by His love and His goodness.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  John 3:16

This is a very small dish – 3 ½ X 5 ½ inches.  The larger fruits were painted using an ear plug to put the the paint onto the dish.  My, but there are all kinds of tools available to use in our arts.

12 days till Christmas.  Wow!  Am I ready?  No way!  But progress is being made. 

Two trees are up.  The smaller one is decorated.  The family one has the lights on.

We like to have the grandchildren over to put the ornaments on that tree, followed with pizza and hot chocolate.  The age range of our grandchildren spans 13 years so the oldest ones hang the ornaments on the top.  The youngest hang the ones on the bottom.  There was a time when we had a lot of ornaments on the very bottom branches.  And I always left them there. 

This year we will have only two to help hang.  A 13 year old and a 10 year old.  The pizza and hot chocolate may be history.  They each have parties this evening so will be here about 2 hours to hang ornaments.  This is a very busy time for everyone, but let's not forget why we are having this celebration. 

It is not a celebration of getting together with family and friends.  It is a celebration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  John 3:16  "For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

To summarize, on day 12:

            Most of the shopping is done

            Most of the gifts are wrapped

            2 trees are up

            1 tree is decorated and the second one will be done tonight

            5 luncheons/dinners are past

            4 luncheons/dinners to go

            Family get together planned and menu planned

How are you doing with your Christmas celebration plans?

Here is another Christmas holly dish I painted.  This is a soup plate.

Records have been set all year here in Alabama.  Record number of consecutive days of high temperatures.  Record hight temperatures for December.  Record drought conditions.  This year will probably go down as the driest year on record. 

In two weeks, Christmas day 2007 will be history.  It seems like it should be 2 months until Christmas, not less than two weeks.  I think the 74-80 degree temperatures just do not help to get us (me at least) into the mood for Christmas shopping and decorating.

This is a holly torte plate painted by the wipe-out method with raised paste.

November has been a very busy month.  Several of the members of the family had birthdays including my dh.  I had a 3 day china painting workshop locally. 

The middle of this month I had the opportunity for a workshop on portrait painting on porcelain with a wonderful teacher.  It was a great week!  Our teacher, Jane Marcks, is a great teacher and a very gracious, kind lady.

Thanksgiving day found us in KY celebrating Thanksgiving with my mother and some of my family. 

Vetran's Day also is celebrated in November.  My husband is a USS Navy retiree so here is a picture of my special vetran.  I painted the porcelain tile from this picture he had made in November, 1955 - age 19.

This is the original photograph.

This is the porcelain tile I painted.