I made this cake for a baby shower a few years go, but wanted to post pics on here. It was for a couple who were from Texas and loved "all things Texas." The cake really was 3 cakes and a pan of brownies, but they were "magically" transformed into a Barn, 2 haystacks, and a hoedown dance floor...all at the "Baby C" Ranch. The barn, a 5.5 layer cake, was "decorated" with sunflowers and bluebonnets...the mom's favorite flowers. I used the same color frosting as the haystacks spread all over the tablecloth to make the barnyard, and graham cracker crumbs to make a path/dirt road. It was my first attempt at a project this "big," and it wasn't perfect, but I thought it looked pretty amazing when it was done. 7 boxes of cake mix, 1 box of brownie mix, 28 eggs, 4 cups of oil, 3 lbs of powdered sugar, 13 cans of ready-made icing, 10 graham crackers, 5 cake boards and 5 dowel rods later...It became the "Baby C Ranch." Makes me hungry. Enjoy the pics...
I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel here. I've been crying over corbels and puck lights and faucets (Oh, My!) for the past week, but it's all starting to come together now, and I can actually see that it's going to be done here soon...minus the backsplash, which I still have to pick out the tile for...but that will all work out...later..and I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
But for now, I've actually seen things come together in the last few days...and I found a wonderful faucet ...at Lowe's for more than $100 LESS than the same one anyplace online. Who says that you can always find a better deal online? And my counters go in tomorrow...and the rest of the cabinets on Friday. It's gonna be awesome!!...as long as I can get my gas oven hooked up. We've been having a little trouble finding someone to hook it up for us...at least getting them to call us back. But that's not a major thing at the moment. I had planned on adding some pics today, but I think I'll just wait until tomorrow when the granite goes in so I can do it all at once. :-) It's so pretty...and I'm seriously going to love this (once it's all over).
Here are a few pics of the remodel process. I'm excited, but slowly tiring of not having my kitchen...especially when it comes to washing dishes. I'm really thankful for paper plates and plastic cups and disposable silverware. I thought I had a few pics of the kitchen before we tore it apart...I know I took them, but I can't seem to find them now. Even though we'd already taken the "upper" bar counter off, and tore out the tile backsplash, here is a picture that I took right before they ripped all the cabinets out...
And here are a few pics from the demo and installing the base cabinets...
And few of the new cabinets going in...
Today, my dh patched the drywall, and we went out to buy new appliances...which will be here Monday..along with the granite people. I'll have more pics of that when they get here. I have been waiting 10 years for this kitchen. I guess a couple of weeks and a little inconvenience won't hurt me too much. It will be so worth it when it's done. I think I'm going to cook a big turkey dinner to celebrate when it's all togehter...or maybe I should pass on the turkey (see our Thanksgiving excitement for more on that). Speaking of which...Look what my fil gave me for Christmas...
And this too...
yep...that's a turkey-shaped cake pan and a digital meat thermometer. I guess he figures I can't start a fire with a cake,,,and may be able to stave off a fire with a thermometer...little does he know I'm a woman of many talents. (hee hee...or maybe I should do one of those evil laughs here...but I have never been able to do the "Vincent Price" thing...oh well...)
You know, when I dreamed about a beautiful new kitchen...I thought about the wonderful rich wood (that hid a great deal of the dirt that my white ones accentuate), and I thought about the lovely afternoons baking sugar cookies...rolling them out on my durable, yet beautiful, granite counter top. And the ease of opening the cabinet doors and drawers without one falling off the hinges or playing tug of war with the drawer glides just to get a spoon for my hot cocoa. Ah..it was bliss in these daydreams. Life would be wonderful. Little did I know that I would be in for a rude awakening...
I had been planning the kitchen for 2 years and I thought I had it all under control knowing what cabinets/wood species/finish I wanted. I had no idea all the other choices I had to make. YIKES! After we finally decided that the pros of granite outweighed the pros (and cons) of Corian...and it would be a better fit for our family...and I finally found a good granite installer to work with...I was off to the granite yard. All I knew is that I wanted brown granite. Not golden/orange, not black mixed with brown, and not a salmon/pink mixed with brown either. Just a nice neutral brown. He sent me to two places, I decided to go to the smaller (and closer) place first. They had a few that I liked, but I wasn't "sold" on them. So I was off to the bigger granite yard. Where I was greeted by an employee that made me sign a paper that said I would be careful and stay away from the machinery, etc...basically so I wouldn't climb up on the forklifts or cranes and kill myself or someone else...as if I'd do that anyway...but I signed and then I was escorted to the warehouse where she explained that there were over 300 different species of granite/stone and the slabs weighed 800-1000 lbs. each, and don't try to move them or they will break...(again...like I'd try to do that). After about an hour there...I realized that finding the shade of brown in my mind wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I finally came up with two that I really loved... Brown Cohiba (my favorite...it was stunning) and Cafe Olinda (second choice, but beautiful as well). So they faxed my choices to my granite installer and after a few hours he called me to let me know he got the fax...and to tell me that as pretty as the Brown Cohiba was, it would be a real pain to cut it...they'd do it, but it has a tendency to shatter like glass. Which made me all the more determined to have the Brown Cohiba. So I took my husband out a few days later to show him and "make" him agree with me.
Of course when he saw it, he noticed a few things that I had failed to the first time...apparently they had the "beautiful" piece on top last time, but they'd moved it to the back...or somewhere out of plain view. The piece that we saw this time had hairline cracks in the surface and the edges were "cut" but had broken like a glass bottle breaks. Which dashed my dreams of the beautiful Brown Cohiba counters...so my dh chose the Cafe Olinda...which has grown on me since then and I am really happy with that choice now. Then...we had to decide on a sink style...undermount or drop-in...50/50, 40/60 or 70/30 (I didn't know there were so many)...and what edge style, and if we wanted a "radius" on the bar...which I am still not sure I know exactly what it's going to look like when it's done...good thing I have a bit of time to decide on that.
Whew! The hard part is over now...or so I thought...We decided to tear out the bar (upper) counter early so we could cut the wall down. I always wanted a flat counter-height "bar" so I could have more room to roll out cookies or pie crust...or do schoolwork...not to mention that I'm a bit "vertically challenged" so that tall bar height was a little too high for my liking...more like "menacing." No big deal, right? Oh no...I had to save the beautiful stone tile on the outside of the wall. So my dh bought a special blade for his saw and started to cut right through the stone...which is when we realized that there's more to a wet saw than a "clean cut"...there's also a CLEAN cut. We all "evacuated the house due to the dust that was going everywhere. It's a good thing that my cabinets and counters were all coming out in a couple of days. I didn't have to do as thorough a job of cleaning. But he finally got the tile cut down to find out that he had to re-frame the wall...which he had to do while the inner wall was exposed...i.e. NO CABINETS. So he went on to the next thing...cutting off the pipes so they could get the sink base out...no problem, right...just shut off the water to the house, cut 'em, cap 'em off, and the water comes back on...or so we thought... When my dh went to turn the water back on...the handle just spun around...no water. It had broken in the "Off" position...very late at night...and we had to go the next day (when the cabinets were being put in) without running water in the house. It's a good thing that we have a pool. We ended up carrying buckets of water to the bathroom to bucket-flush the toilets...with 9 people in the house. Thankfully, my dh came home at lunch to try to fix the water...but ended up having to call a plumber. I was never so happy to have running water in the house.
After our cabinet guy came, he had planned on taking out and re-installing ALL the base cabinets in one day and doing trim-work the next day (wow! a kitchen guy who doesn't drag his feet ...gotta like that.) Remember the wall needed to be reframed...Ugh! So we had to install half of the cabinets...and my dh would come home to frame in the wall...that was last night. At midnight, after multiple scares of the whole wall crumbling due to the vibration of the Sawzall (?...the big manly power saw), we were happy that the cabinets were finally going in...then we looked down at the tile...
First I must explain that there was an "ugly cabinet" (as I like to refer to it) in a strange location so that it could be accessed from the "outside" of our island...which I never used because... 1.) The door kept falliing off the hinges every time I opened it, and 2.) it wasn't easily accesible to the kitchen so I stored miscellaneous "low-frequency use" things in there. So I decided to have it walled in and install a blind corner cabinet that was accessible from the kitchen. Nice thought, except for the fact that the "ugly cabinet" was framed in and THEN the tile was put down...around the frame...which sticks out past the new cabinets to make a 3"x3" square of UNTILED FLOOR. And at midnight...Lowe's was not open to buy the materials to pop out and re-install a new piece of tile, NOR was my dh willing to go to work today on no sleep. So we're a day behind on our kitchen re-do, but I'm glad that we're working with a nice, flexible installer..and he's not backed up at the moment.
So I decided to do what I could...look for cabiet knobs and pulls...Do you have any idea how many are available?!?!?! Eeeek! Thousands...if not more. And then you have to decide which FINISH / METAL you want on those knobs. I think I'd rather just pull one out of a hat...but knowing me, I'd probably pick the one that has the 80's "dusty blue" geese on it... And I haven't even started to think about the corbels to support the counter (had to have something other than wood b/c of the stone "exterior" wall of the island). I hope there' not too many more choice or I'm going to start just rolling dice...except I still wouldnt' be able to figure out which number goes with which choice.
I will be so glad when this is over. Right now, I'm almost thinking that the white cabinets that were falling apart (and off the hinges) would be so nice...But I know that it's just a "momentary light affliction" and it will be over soon...and when I've finally come through this "trial" I will have a nice new kitchen.
It kind of reminds me of how God works. He puts us through many things that are difficult, and seem like they will never end, but there is light at the end of the tunnel when we remember that He is doing it to 1.) make us more like Him, and 2.) so the world can see Him work and 3.) so He can be glorified through us. I had another great analogy about the cabinet installer, but I'll wait on that one. But as much as I like to describe this kitchen re-do process using Murphy's Law, I know that more than anything Proverbs 19:21 applies... "Many are the plans in a man's heart... but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Just when I think it's all going smoothly, the Lord says ...Just checking to see how your' doing with the "patience" thing.
We still have a few things to decide...and a short time to "wait" while we have cabinets but no counters...or sink, but it will be all worth it in the end. I'll try to post some pictures when I can think clearly...and not spew incoherent babblings...which is where I'm headed rapidly...
I can't believe how long it's been since I've blogged. It's been over a month...BUT it has been a nice break. I've been able to get a number of things done around the house and focus on my kids and my husband. It's been so refreshing. I can't say that I'm sorry I took the break.
If you've been wondering what we've been up to...first...our "Not-to-Be-Forgotten" Thanksgiving. Oh, the plans I had...the recipes I searched endless hours for...the ingredients I carefully chose (spending way more than any normal person should have)...just so we could have a perfect Thanksgiving dinner never to be forgotten by any one person who tasted the scrumptious delicacies. (Not to mention, my dad and I used to have contests to see who could "secure" the most turkey skin before the other one got to it...mmmm I just love perfectly baked turkey skin..I know it's kind of sick, but it's one of my quirks. )
My 14yo dd and I spent from Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday baking and cooking and mixing and whatever else you do in the kitchen to create a culinary work of art for the most special "eating" day of the year. We had 2 delicious apple pies, and a pumpkin pie baked on Wednesday, I went out to buy some last minute sewing supplies for out International Fair we were hosting (more on that later) and came home around 11:30 PM...finished a few things in the kitchen and went to bed. I woke up at 6 AM to start on the rest of the baking. My DD made our version of Boston Market cornbread. I started on the turkey (which had been thawing since Monday, but still wasn't completely thawed ...that should have given me a hint of what was to come), paying careful attention to all the hints and tips I found on how to bake the perfect turkey. When I finally got it into the oven, I started simmering the giblets for gravy (for hours...I think they were way beyond tender when they were done...mmmmm).
The day went on and the potatoes were peeled, the stuffing was prepared (a wonderful recipe using pumpernickel bread, apples, raisins and sauted onions...mmmmm it smelled so good), the green bean casserole was mixed up, the carrots were glazed, and all was going according to plan. The turkey was finally finished cooking so I took it out of the oven...it looked so good I almost didn't notice the little bit of turkey juice that spilled over the side...oh well, I'd have to clean that off later, but for now, I had to get the green bean casserole and the stuffing in the oven so it could be done by the time the turkey was ready to carve. Perfect timing!!...It was all coming together.
I turned away from the stove to get my wooden spoon to start making the gravy and when I turned back to the gravy pan, there was black smoke pouring out of the oven...I looked down and saw an orange glow in the oven window...needless to say, I started to freak, but remembered that baking soda puts out oven fires (don't ask...but I had a previous experience in high school Home Ec. where it was necessary for me to know that..and we'll leave it there). So I grabbed the box of baking soda (as I yelled frantically for my husband)...just to toss a few measly teaspoons on the fire...I was out. My husband came in (did I mention we have a gas stove)...telling me to find the phone "in case" we had to call the fire department. I'm thinking ...PHONE!!! I'm saving my PERFECTLY PLANNED AND COOKED MEAL!!!!!
So I'm trying to pull my stuffing and green bean casserole out of the oven (which I would highly NOT suggest doing if I had been in my right mind) and he's running to the garage to get the fire extinguisher....which I am happy about. The kids are running out of the house in case the whole house blows because we're dealing with gas here...while both mom & dad are inside putting the fire out (and potentially orphaning my children). They're having a party out in the front yard and my husband (turned firefighter) tells me to get out of the kitchen (which I watch from over the "bar") as he sprays the tar out of the oven with the fire extinguisher. What a HERO...the fire was out thanks to my "big strong man" and his trusty fire extinguisher. I was so happy to be able to get back to Thanksgiving dinner. That Turkey looked so good...and smelled even better. Turkey skin here I come! The kitchen was still smoky (as was the rest of the house...the smoke alarms had been blaring for at least 5 minutes...time to check the batteries. I think we may have sucked the life out of them) and funnily enough, we could see smoke coming out of the bedroom windows. so we let it air out for a few minutes before going back inside.
What I didn't realize is this... fire extinguishers have a dusty kind of stuff in them to put the fire out, and it goes EVERYWHERE when you spray it. What I thought was all smoke was partially fire extinguisher dust...and it was settling all over my kitchen and the adjoining rooms...including my turkey, my gravy, my potatoes, my green bean casserole, our apple pies, our carrots...everything except the pumpkin pie (which my husband had put into the microwave to make extra counter space), the cornbread (which I had covered to keep it from drying out), and the stuffing (covered in foil...which my husband informed me that we could not finish baking because the oven was now unusable). I was so stunned I couldn't even cry (right away..that came later))...I just went outside and sat in our lawn chairs on the driveway with my head in my hands...no "perfect" Thanksgiving meal to bless my family with. No "Oooos" and "Aaahs" over the great recipes I found. No TURKEY SKIN!!!
And then came the tears...because not only did I realize that we had nothing to eat...and nothing to cook it with...I also realized how much I had spent on what was now covered in fire extinguisher dust...and how long it had taken to do it all...and that I was REALLY HUNGRY...because even though I spent my entire morning around food...I hadn't eaten since dinner the night before and it was now 4 PM...I was starving. And the cornbread my husband brought out for my kids to eat just made my stomach hurt even worse because it reminded me of everything else that was GONE! While my kids ate cornbread and played, I sat crying because now I just wanted to feed my kids something decent...even if it wasn't the perfect Thanksgiving dinner...and I couldn't. I had let everyone down...and there was nothing I could do about it. My husband suggested that we go to over to a family from church's house since they had given an open invitation to anyone who wanted to come for Thanksgiving dinner...to which I said (and I have no idea why I said this)..."NO!!" I think I just didn't want anyone to make fun of me for burning dinner (which I didn't do...the oven caught on fire AFTER most of it was done and it was sitting perfectly cooked on the counter waiting for someone to enjoy)...and to be honest..I really didn't want to be around anyone at the moment...especially if they were having a great time.
So I suggested we go to Cracker Barrel...the only place I could think of that might be open...Apparently, everyone else in town who wasn't cooking their own dinner decided to got to Cracker Barrel too. So much for not being around anyone. At least no one here knew what happened or was going to ask me why we were there. We waited for over an hour for a table...and they were so busy that we actually waited almost another hour to get our food, but I really didn't care. Normally I'd be watching the clock, but then I was just happy to be able to get something to eat. I would have waited 5 hours for it. The lady who brought our food out to the table (not the waitress) was so sweet and she asked us how our day was...and before I could say my normal "fine" (which it wasn't)...my husband spilled the whole story out (being in a good mood and all...taking it in stride)...The server actually turned out to be a Christian and she (out of nowhere) said "you all seem like Christians. Do you love just Jesus?"...then we started talking about how the Lord was good...and she went along and we ate our food.
Then we waited what seemed like forever to get our check. (Did I mention the place was REALLY busy?) But again, I didn't care because I was just happy to have something in my stomach besides a low rumble. Finally our waitress came out and told us that the server told the manager what happened and he wanted to buy our dinner and we weren't even allowed to leave her a tip!!! So I started to cry again...and she started to cry...so I had to stop so she could stop...then the manager came out and talked to us...turned out he was a Christian too...and apparently 4 or 5 other people there were Christians because they stopped us on our way out to encourage us.
You know...I think God had that planned all along. I'm reminded of Psalm 19:21 "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." I am so thankful for the staff of that Cracker Barrel. On the way there, my husband said, "I think this will go down on record as the worst Thanksgiving," but it turned out to be one of the best. God is so good...even in the midst of the "fire." He always has a plan that is for our ultimate good in the end. Here are a few pictures of the "Not-to-be-Forgotten" Thanksgiving (and even though you can hardly see it, there was a fine layer of fire extinguisher dust on the turkey and the water in the pan on potatoes, but you can see the black residue on the stove and the dust all over the inside of the oven and the stuffing pan--covered in foil-- and the "festivities" outside after the fire was safely out)...
I think that will do it for now. I had planned on telling about our International Fair project, but that will have to wait...just to give you a "teaser" though...someone got "shot." But I'll leave you with these tow things I learned...1.) Keep a fire extinguisher in your house. You may never have to use it, but that one time you do, you'll be glad you have it. And 2.) Never put your turkey in a pan that "just fits" or you may be needing that fire extinguisher sooner than you think. My FIL (who used to be a volunteer firefighter) told us afterwards that the cause of the majority of house fires is grease fires in the oven. (OK...I'm done with my community service announcement)...and 3.) (I know I only said 2....but I must reiterate)...God is good...all the time. Even when you think all is lost, He has another plan that is better than MY "perfect" plan. And after a week of the oven not working because we had to clean every square inch on it...I am VERY GRATEFUL to be able to use my oven to cook again.
Who'd have though that God would send me THREE funny moments all in one day. Usually He spaces them out, but apparently He figured I needed a good ab workout today caused by excessive laughter.
Moment #1
Yesterday, I was reading the Huber HoF Academy Blog post on something fun she did with her kids. It involved filling a large clear bag with water (zipper-type), closing it off then poking sharpened pencils all the way through it. It looked like so much fun, I thought I'd let my kids do it today. We almost had the same results...here's what happened...
That is water you see leaking out. Apparently, one of my children was trying to pull one back out because it didnt' go through where they "meant it to." Big mistake! Before I could stop them...well...let's just say we lost some water from the bag, and had to run for a beach towel. When we were finally done, we had 33 pencils stuck through the bag. The trick is to make sure that you push the pencils firmly through in a SMOOTH motion without stopping until the entire pencil is all the way through both layers of the bag....and also not to try to take the pencils back out...not even move them back a LITTLE or you'll spring a leak like us.
Moment #2
Later, I was making dinner. I went with Chicken Noodle soup because Wednesday is always "crazy" trying to get kids fed and out the door to church. What can go wrong with Chicken Noodle soup you ask? Well...as I was busy with many tasks at once, I was obviously distracted and, the Chicken Noodle soup started boiling "rapidly" and I knew it was done. I went to get the melamine bowls out for the little ones and started dipping the soup in...and this is what happened...
In case you were wondering...When a melamine bowl has a hairline fracture, it's not a good idea to put 200+ degree (F) liquid into it. It exploded in my hand, and there were noodles hanging out the bottom and chicken broth running down my arm as I yelled for the kids to bring me yet one MORE towel to clean up the mess. (You can still see noodle "residue" in the cracks.) I hadn't noticed the cracks...needless to say, I'll be examining the bowls BEFORE placing boiling liquid into them again.
Moment #3
Last...today I had bought a new shower curtain for my bathroom, but one of the shower hooks fell apart as I was trying to hang it. Now, these are my favorite hooks because they perfectly match my bathroom...PERFECT. I couldn't throw them away. So I tried to fix them with some new glue I had bought at the store today (for another project). It said that it was permanent and it would adhere to anything. What I failed to read was that it took 24 hours to cure. Realizing this...I grabbed the 3 closest things I could find that would hold the hook in place...
Yep...You saw that right...I had to put it in my camera's battery charger and Han Solo and Greedo are holding it up. It works perfect...but I can just hear Han Solo saying... "Hey, Greedo, can you give me a hand with this thing. It's heavy!" I could go into a whole dialogue from there...but I'm sure if you know anything about Star Wars, you can probably come up with a good one yourself....ending with the sound of laser fire, of course. LOL Let's just hope Han's strength doesn't give out before tomorrow night. ...Oh, I crack myself up!!!! Which probably means it's way too late for me to be awake.
Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor?...
[Note: When I woke up the next morning, both Han and Greedo were gone. Either, they were exhausted, and couldn't hold the weight of the hook...or my 3yo found them. I tend to go with the "3yo" explanation.]
I hate to admit that there is a country song that I love...mainly because I'm not a big country music fan. But my dh is...and I hear plenty of country just driving in the car with him. One song that came out a few years ago by Rascal Flatts is one that I just fell in love with. I have always been a big Andy Griffith fan, so when I first heard the song "I Miss Mayberry", I couldn't stop singing it. It didn't hurt that one of the lines also talks about Cherry Coke...my personal weakness.
Anyway, we drove through Andy Griffith's hometown on the way home from vacation, which the town of Mayberry was based on...Mount Airy, N.C. (it even rhymes with Mayberry...should I mention that there is a nearby town that is named after a natural landmark...Pilot Mountain...remember the nearby town in the show...Mount Pilot? hmmm.....)
Back from the rabbit trail....we came through on a Sunday morning. The first thing I noticed...and the most interesting...the churches were packed!! Very few people were on the roads. When we got to the little downtown area, nothing was open...NOTHING! One store opened as we were walking past...near noon. I started noticing the store hours signs...and I found something rather refreshing...only a handful of the stores were open on Sunday. One that said it was open Sunday, still wasn't open a hour past the time posted on the door when we left. It was so nice that there is still someplace in America where people still take Sunday off. Here are a few of the many signs I took pictures of...
This one wasn't open well after the time it said it would be open...Maybe they're only open on "some" Sundays. hee hee
Then there was Floyd's Barber Shop... (note the store hours in the lower left of the window)
And we even got a picture in front of the old Patrol Car... in which you can tour the town...but not on Sunday.
Don't you just love seeing that "old" downtown area in the background? It was so pretty.
And do you remember the service station where Goober and Gomer worked?...Well here is the inspiration...
That was a nice nostalgic walk through yesteryear. Now that I'm back to reality...I really do miss "Mayberry" ...Time to break out the Andy Griffith Show DVD's...
"I miss Mayberry
Sittin' on the porch drinkin' ice cold Cherry...Coke
Where everything is black and white
Pickin' on your six-string
People pass by and they call you by your first name
Watching the clouds roll by...by...by..."
[sung by Rascal Flatts]
OK...that's all the country music I want to admit that I know the lyrics to. LOL
It's been a week since my dad's funeral. It's been a week of ups and downs. The uncertainty if my father knew the Lord. Realizing that I was now "fatherless" and my Heavenly Father was there to be my "father." Knowing that I was not the only one who lost a loved one, but being the only one who had the unique relationship with my dad. Wondering if I could make it through "Amazing Grace" at the funeral...
I think the hardest part of losing my dad is not knowing for sure whether he was saved or not. He had always gone to church, and made sure that we were there too. He sent my brother and I to a Christian school. He loved to hear his little girl sing in church. He was a really "nice guy" on the outside (as the pastor said in the funeral service). I had talked with him in years past about what it meant to be saved and how you could know, but I never really got the impression that he was...nor did I get the impression that he disagreed with me. Both my husband and I had talked with him in the past, but really weren't convinced...but everyone lives the Christian life in their own way...but we kept praying that someone would share with him. (You have no idea how hard it is to share with your parents about salvation and Christ's payment for our sins...especially if they have spent all their lives in church).
I got a phone call from my dad a month or so ago when he was leaving the hospital and he wanted to make sure that me, my husband and my kids would be in heaven with him. As much as it thrilled me that he was thinking about that...I still wondered deep down if he really knew...but there was something "different" about how he said it. (And just like Mary...I pondered it and "treasured it in my heart.")
Even when my mom called to tell me he had passed away, I still wondered. I really wanted to think that he was saved...but God was saving a special moment for us later. The pastor asked me to sing for the funeral...but no song really was "right." I was having trouble with songs that specifically said something like, "I'm in heaven" or "I'll see you again one day." Even "It Is Well" was hard. I certainly didn't think that I would do "Amazing Grace" (Chris Tomlin version)...."My chains are gone...I've been set free...My God, My Savior has ransomed me..." How could I possibly sing that not knowing for sure? My husband said that "Amazing Grace" was his choice...then I emailed my Top 3 to the pastor...and HE said that it was his top choice too...later a friend sent me an e-card...which played that song. It was like the Lord was saying, "Please listen to me." I brought "It Is Well" with me just in case...which I ended up singing Sunday Morning at my mom's church.
At the viewing the pastor asked me if I would be OK to sing the next day. I said I would, but I really hoped that I wouldn't lose it. The last verse of Chris Tomlin's version wasn't "sitting well" with me so I changed it to another verse that John Newton wrote. It was originally the 5th verse which is not in any hymnal I own...and honestly God led me to it because I had never heard it before. It was the "perfect" verse. It seemed like it fit my dad so well...
"And when this flesh and heart shall fail
And mortal life shall cease
I shall possess within the veil
A life of joy and peace."
His heart just gave out on him. He lived for over 30 years (that I know of) with heart trouble....probably longer. He tried to take care of himself so that he could be healthier and live longer. And at almost 76, he lived years longer than any doctor thought he should have lived.
During the funeral, I still didn't know about my dad's salvation, but the more I talked to the pastor, the more at peace I was. When it was time for me to sing...Oh goodness...I don't think I have had more joy in the midst of "grief." I love the song, and I hated the fact that a song I loved so much would be what I remembered about my dad's funeral. I also had listened to the "normal" version so much...I was hoping that I would remember the last verse was different. But God was right there all along the way and He sang through me.
When I sat down...The pastor got up and unfolded everything that happened in the past few weeks before my dad died. How he went back 3 times to talk to my dad, knowing that he was getting through to him...but not satisfied to leave it at just "telling him." He wanted to know for sure too. The my husband and I started crying tears of joy knowing that we would see him again some day. Also knowing now one reason why he lived years longer than any doctor thought he should have.
After the service the pastor thanked me for singing...but I had to make sure that he knew that my singing was nothing compared to what he had done a few weeks earlier, and it was me who should be thanking him. I didn't really get a chance to talk to him in depth, but my husband did and I wish I could have been there to hear it. But maybe it's a good thing I wasn't...I may have bubbled over so much that my husband and the pastor couldn't have gotten a word in edgewise.
I know that not all stories end like this. And that many lose loved ones who don't know the Lord. And there is great grief in that...or in even in the uncertainty of not knowing for sure. Which is why I also thought of "It Is Well With My Soul"...not because I was OK with someone dying without the Lord, but that it is God's plan that it happened...we may never know why...but God is good and righteous and just. Because it is God's plan, I can say "When sorrows like sea billows roll...It is well with my soul."
Well...here is one last thing from the funeral. My mom wanted to get a video of the funeral so she could have it. This is a small clip from it...
(The sound is really low at the beginning...It does get louder, but you may want to turn it up anyway. Don't forget to stop the playlist to the right.)
I started to write this a 2 days ago but it's taken this long to really get my thoughts down....
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My mom called earlier tonight and told me that my father had passed away. Man, was that hard to hear. He was not in good health so we really expected it "anytime," but you're never really "ready" to hear it. All I can do now is thank God for the time I did have...and thank Him for his influence on my life.
Honestly, my mind is not really focused right now...but I wanted to jot a few things down that the Lord has given me...
I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills His purpose for me. (Ps. 57:2)
Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.
(Ps. 61:2-3)
Be still and know that I am God (Ps. 46:10a)
I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. (Ps. 40:1-2)
The LORD gives strength to His people,
and blesses His people with peace. (Ps. 29:11)
My soul finds rest in God alone;
My salvation comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (Ps. 62:1-2)
Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life. (Ps. 39:4)
The LORD giveth and the LORD taketh away...blessed be the name of the LORD. (Job 1:21b)
When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say
"It is well...It is well with my soul"
~Horatio Spafford
This is one of my favorite interpretations of "I Can Only Imagine." I've always wanted to embed it on my blog...I thought this was a perfect time. (Pause the playlist to the right.)
We just got back from EPCOT. We went to listen to the holiday storytellers. We don't get to do it every year, but when we do, it's really fun to hear all the stories of how Christmas is celebrated around the world. I'm just disappointed that we didn't get to do the Candlelight Processional... Steven Curtis Chapman was reading the Christmas story the night we went and the line was sooooooooo long. We waited for about a half hour before we realized that we were probably going to be standing there for another 3+ hours to "maybe" get into the last show. I really didn't feel like standing in line with a 2- & 5-year-old for 4 hours so we could sit for another hour to watch the show. So we decided that as much as we would have liked to see Steven Curtis Chapman...he'd understand.
The kids had a great time too. I made them each a little booklet that they could write down how Christmas was celebrated in each of the 11 countries. China didn't really have a celebration...instead it was the story about the Monkey King. Japan and Morocco had other holidays they celebrated, but the rest of the countries had wonderful Christmas stories. My favorite was Norway...or maybe Mexico...then there was Germany...and of course La Befana in Italy...But I also loved the United Kingdom too. Oh it's so hard to choose. But once again, we were not disappointed. The kids loved hearing about where all the different Christmas traditions we have came from.
Welcome to my blog...Why "gidget"? Well...my husband tried to teach me how to surf before we were married. I was lousy at it, but he called me his "gidget" and the name stuck.
Why "Treasure Trove"? I love sharing about my sweet little "treasures"...and God has blessed me beyond measure....and no, I didn't mean that to rhyme.
The barn, a 5.5 layer cake, was "decorated" with sunflowers and bluebonnets...the mom's favorite flowers. I used the same color frosting as the haystacks spread all over the tablecloth to make the barnyard, and graham cracker crumbs to make a path/dirt road. It was my first attempt at a project this "big," and it wasn't perfect, but I thought it looked pretty amazing when it was done. 7 boxes of cake mix, 1 box of brownie mix, 28 eggs, 4 cups of oil, 3 lbs of powdered sugar, 13 cans of ready-made icing, 10 graham crackers, 5 cake boards and 5 dowel rods later...It became the "Baby C Ranch." Makes me hungry. 
Enjoy the pics...
But that's not a major thing at the moment. I had planned on adding some pics today, but I think I'll just wait until tomorrow when the granite goes in so I can do it all at once. :-) It's so pretty...and I'm seriously going to love this (once it's all over). 
So I tried to fix them with some new glue I had bought at the store today (for another project). It said that it was permanent and it would adhere to anything. What I failed to read was that it took 24 hours to cure. Realizing this...I grabbed the 3 closest things I could find that would hold the hook in place...
LOL
I really didn't feel like standing in line with a 2- & 5-year-old for 4 hours so we could sit for another hour to watch the show. So we decided that as much as we would have liked to see Steven Curtis Chapman...he'd understand. 
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