Sunrise on New Year's Eve

There is something about being awake at daybreak that is soul-restoring.  

Just watching all the potential and hope peeking over the horizon, hearing the birds wake up, listening to the sounds of the morning - it makes me feel that today, JUST for today, ANYthing is possible. 

Java Builds Fence

Right now, I'm having the pasture fences reworked.  

When I was raising appaloosas, I needed several smaller pastures.  I needed a separate paddock for the stallion, for the in-foal mares, for mares and babies, and for the sale prospects.  But now that I've closed the business, there's no reason to have so many pasture spaces.  

So my handyman is ripping out old posts, restringing fencelines to square, and clearing out the last of the trees and brush on the north end of the property.   The final plan will be three big pastures - two that make a rough U around the house and a third at the back of the property.  It's a huge project, and I'm thankful that I've found a handyman who is willing to do it - but more importantly, willing to do it right.  It should be done by this spring!

Java thought she would help John build the fence.  Mostly she just got in the way.  

Little Girls

This layout was for a color challenge on Scrapbook Dot Com. 

 The rule was "all white."  It sounds not too hard, doesn't it.  It was INCREDIBLY hard. 

I kept wanting to add some blue or some red or some -- ANYthing -- just to give it some color.  Instead I resorted to lace, and feathers, and painted wooden flourishes.  I'm really proud of how it turned out, but trying to get it to photograph was a challenge in itself.  All that white just kept reflecting back the light and all the shimmer, and bling, and shine, and glow just doesn't show up in the picture.  

When you come to visit, ask me to see it in real life.   That way, you can really appreciate it! 

Bee Sweet

I almost titled this layout, "Life In A Box."

Last Christmas, Mom and Dad gave us a big screen television.  I'm not sure who was more excited - Amy or Tom, but both of them got busy with getting it installed on the wall.  True to her nature, Amy had as much fun with the box, and at one point actually crawled into it, sat down, and said,"Mom, take my picture."  It's not often you get an opportunity like that handed to you, so I happily snapped away.  She's so photogenic! 

I participate in a challenge on Scrapbook dot com called, "Ugly Papers."  It's hilarious fun.  

Basically you choose the ugliest two papers you can find from your stash, and you send them to the person whose name you receive from the hostess.  Then you forget you were so mean.  A few days later, you get a package in the mail, and you're all excited because - well, duh, it's MAIL.  And you open it and you find two of the ugliest papers someone ELSE could find in THEIR stash and they sent them to YOU.  Then you get to create a layout using both of the papers.  

My uglies this time were the grey and orange polka dot, which I cut into a big label die, and this horrible floral print, which I turned into the two flowers in the lower left corner.  I think it turned out pretty ok! 

Journey Toward Wellness

On September 18, 2011, I will be 53 years old. As my birthday present to myself, I want to ride my 2008 filly, Mocha Java Cheer.

But it's just not fair to her to ask her to carry my overweight, under shape, lazy butt around, so I'm going to commit to her that by that date, I will be:

1. Lighter by 40 pounds

2. In physical shape to ride

So - there it is. Posted in public for anyone to view. But mostly just for myself.  And I'll see what I can do about keeping up with my progress on this blog.

Sunrise

Sunrise 12-4-2010

This is the day which the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118:24

Abraham Lincoln once said, "People are generally about as happy as they make up their minds to be."   Rejoicing and being glad are both choices. While I cannot choose or change any of the events of the coming day, I CAN choose my response to them. It's not always easy, but the choices I make are in my control.  So today when things go wrong, I will choose to remember the Psalm and the sunrise, and I will choose to be happy. I will choose to be positive. And I will I choose to praise God for this - and every - new day.

Here We Go!

Gentlewood Farms is back up and running - sort of.  

I don't think I'll put the website back up for now, but at least I have a way to communicate with the world through this blogger thing.

I guess we'll see how it goes.