Monday, December 29, 2008
I love all things ironic...
I think well-intentioned misspellings fall into that category...especially when the object that has been misspelled is for sale to the general public. This is why I think the Cake Wreck blog is so hilarious. So, for those of you that would prefer seeing pictures on my blog rather than going to the Wreck blog...here is a particularly amusing 'holiday' wreck on their site...
Monday, December 15, 2008
Our new lamp
This is a lantern Chad and I found at a junk store on our way hiking one day. I thought it looked so interesting, and thought it had some potential.
Then, this past Saturday, Chad and I exchanged Christmas presents (b/c we'll be traveling with family for the next week and a half) and Chad gave me a couple of components, which at first, I had no idea what they were....and then I realized, he'd given me what we needed to make our lamp! hooray! So, here are some pictures of the process and finished product. We simply added a wooden base, the lamp mechanism, and a flicker light bulb. We had a little trouble at first...trying to route the original base and shape it to size. After that base broke, we made a trip to Hobby Lobby and bought some replacement parts and whipped the lamp together in a matter of a few minutes! The best part is, that we didn't have to compromise the lamp's original structure at all to make the new lamp!
We looked it up on the internet and found out it was a carriage lamp for a horse drawn carriage. It probably housed a candle, or a kerosene lamp, but there's obvious marks that show where they tried to convert it to DC power. The rusted wires were still inside. So, we brainstormed about it and decided to try and get it back to its origin and turn it into a lamp. Then, it sat in our garage for a while, and I then 
moved it to the ledge in our kitchen.
moved it to the ledge in our kitchen. 
Then, this past Saturday, Chad and I exchanged Christmas presents (b/c we'll be traveling with family for the next week and a half) and Chad gave me a couple of components, which at first, I had no idea what they were....and then I realized, he'd given me what we needed to make our lamp! hooray! So, here are some pictures of the process and finished product. We simply added a wooden base, the lamp mechanism, and a flicker light bulb. We had a little trouble at first...trying to route the original base and shape it to size. After that base broke, we made a trip to Hobby Lobby and bought some replacement parts and whipped the lamp together in a matter of a few minutes! The best part is, that we didn't have to compromise the lamp's original structure at all to make the new lamp!
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Ultimate praises....
In high school, if you didn't know me then, I was in chorus. Well, I wasn't in only one chorus, but by my senior year, I had worked my schedule to be in ALL of them. There were 3; Concert Choir, Golden Blues (showchoir), and the Chamber Choir.
I LOVE to sing. I sing most all of the time. Even when people talk, I take their words and relate them to a song...I can't seem to help it.
That year, my senior year, I worked very very hard at sight reading, picking pitches, hitting notes, combining voices with my alto neighbor etc. in preparation for All-State Choir try-outs. Our teacher gave us hymnals and we learned to sightread from those hymnals. It was tough, but I absolutely loved every minute of it. After our months of practicing, it was time, and I made the All-State chorus...the mixed chorus...the highest honor! It was amazing.
This past weekend, I joined our church choir as we prepare to sing a few songs during the holiday. As I slid to the front of the pew for good singing posture, opened the hymnal to a song I did not know, the sweet conductor made a comment that made my heart drop, and tears flow freely and uncontrollably. She said, "Let's worship together just as my dear friend is worshipping God in heaven now because she just left us and she had a beautiful voice." I tried to dry my eyes, but everything that happened from that point on only magnified my angst. I attempted to sing and got a few notes out and recognized the sound when 2 alto voices sound so similar that it almost sounds like one...
You see, while all of those beautiful memories were being made in high school...I was also making a beautiful friendship with my sweet sweet Carla. I sat next to her. We were fellow altos. We learned together. We sightread together. We danced together in show choir. And we were always trying to help each other...and worked toward the ultimate goal of making our voices sound as one...But what brought tears to my eyes the most, was imagining Carla, now, in heaven with our Comforter, Counselor, Mighty God...singing His praises.
I finished choir practice and made it to my car where I just cried out to God...and in my pain from having lost this incredible friend, I was comforted in the confidence I have knowing she is singing with my Father, and that one day, I can sit next to her again, and sing with her again...Ultimate Praises to Him.
I LOVE to sing. I sing most all of the time. Even when people talk, I take their words and relate them to a song...I can't seem to help it.
That year, my senior year, I worked very very hard at sight reading, picking pitches, hitting notes, combining voices with my alto neighbor etc. in preparation for All-State Choir try-outs. Our teacher gave us hymnals and we learned to sightread from those hymnals. It was tough, but I absolutely loved every minute of it. After our months of practicing, it was time, and I made the All-State chorus...the mixed chorus...the highest honor! It was amazing.
This past weekend, I joined our church choir as we prepare to sing a few songs during the holiday. As I slid to the front of the pew for good singing posture, opened the hymnal to a song I did not know, the sweet conductor made a comment that made my heart drop, and tears flow freely and uncontrollably. She said, "Let's worship together just as my dear friend is worshipping God in heaven now because she just left us and she had a beautiful voice." I tried to dry my eyes, but everything that happened from that point on only magnified my angst. I attempted to sing and got a few notes out and recognized the sound when 2 alto voices sound so similar that it almost sounds like one...
You see, while all of those beautiful memories were being made in high school...I was also making a beautiful friendship with my sweet sweet Carla. I sat next to her. We were fellow altos. We learned together. We sightread together. We danced together in show choir. And we were always trying to help each other...and worked toward the ultimate goal of making our voices sound as one...But what brought tears to my eyes the most, was imagining Carla, now, in heaven with our Comforter, Counselor, Mighty God...singing His praises.
I finished choir practice and made it to my car where I just cried out to God...and in my pain from having lost this incredible friend, I was comforted in the confidence I have knowing she is singing with my Father, and that one day, I can sit next to her again, and sing with her again...Ultimate Praises to Him.
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