Friday, May 30, 2008

Banner

See what my sweetie made for me today? Chad made banners for the top of my blog and Etsy shop using a photo of the stained glass window in our stairwell. He is as smart and helpful as he is handsome!

Monday, May 26, 2008

Trying something new

Lately I've taken an interest in old toy patterns. Remember, the fabric ones that were stuffed with dried beans or panty hose or something and you could find them at church bazaars and the like?

I've also made a lot of vintage-inspired baby gifts in the last year or so, and they turned out REALLY cute, if I do say so myself.

So as if I needed something else to do, I've opened an Etsy shop to start making and selling some of those things that have been rattling around in my head. Right now my shop only has one lonely item, but hopefully soon it will have more. If you'd like to see, it's KimPayne.etsy.com. I am hesitant to do this, because I have failed miserably many times at endeavors like craft shows and such. But this time around, I'm just going to make what I love, and if anyone likes it they can buy it. And if worse comes to worst, I just won't have to buy a baby gift for the next 15 years.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

One year ago

On this day a year ago, we took our first trek into this piece of land we now call home. We put on our old tennis shoes, work clothes and lots of bug spray and waded through the poison oak to try and decide if this was "the place". It was an exciting time, and completely uncharted territory for us.

When we arrived home, on this day a year ago, there were several messages on the answering machine from my daddy. He had been trying to call to tell us that his twin brother Ronald had committed suicide. A happy day turned into a day of horror and grief.

My uncle was an extraordinary person. He took care of his family, including me. He also saw to the needs of just about everyone else, even complete strangers. He did not hesitate to step in when someone was in trouble, and saved many lives because of it. He was well educated and one of the most intelligent people I have ever known. But in the last few years, he suffered from mental illness, and it proved to be a terminal illness.

My first reaction to the news was anger - not so much at Ron, but that he would be remembered for how he died rather than how he lived. But once the shock had passed, and with the help of family, I find that what I remember most are the funny stories and good deeds and all the things Ron loved. I can only hope that it's the same way for all who knew him.

I wish I had something more profound to say about such a profound life. Unfortunately, I don't have the same grasp on the English language that Ron had. It will have to suffice to say that I love and miss him very much.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Stick a fork in it


It's done!! If you're wondering why I haven't written so much this week, we've been finishing up homeschool for the year. I was exceedingly behind on grading, so I had a lot of work to do. But finally, the report card is ready to mail and we are out for the summer!

I know a lot of homeschooling moms have issues with public schools or teachers, but I have acquired a greater respect for them. For example, as much trouble as I have keeping up with grading for one student, I cannot imagine having a class of 30!

Friday, May 9, 2008

My favorite word

I suppose my family has a thing for favorite words. My uncle Ron once told me his favorite word was "eleemosynary", which means charitable. How fitting, because he took care of everyone who crossed his path, from his wife and daughters to complete strangers. And a long time ago my aunt Martha told me her favorite word was "pebble"; it's just fun to say.

I think my favorite word is "bizarre". It is fun to say, and always amusing when misused - I once saw a classified ad for a 'Christmas bizarre' at a church, and thought, yes, I've lived through a few of those. But besides that, there are so many things in life that are truly bizarre, and we either fail to, or are afraid to, call them as they are.

So click the green word "comments" below, and tell me your favorite word!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Still TRYING the blogging thing

Since I'm a newbie at this, I still have some bugs to work out here. I have changed some settings on the blog that hopefully will help on the comments (because I want your comments!) I found that I could change it so that anyone could comment, even if you don't have a Google account, so hopefully that will be easier now. Also, there are some comments I have missed, so I found that I could have comments Emailed to me. Hopefully I won't miss any more.

Let me know, please, how the changes work. And thanks for reading!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Trip


Forgive the lousy photo. You'll see in a minute.

Chad and I went on a wonderful marriage retreat with some couples in our church the end of last week. It was at Desoto State Park in Fort Payne. I had never been there before, but it is a beautiful place - mountains, waterfalls, quaint little towns around it. We thoroughly enjoyed it. You can see photos on Chad's blog here. Our moms and dads graciously took care of the girls for us.

It's funny how you get away from home and all the demands on your time and see your life with more clarity. And it always messes with my head when I get away and there, on the beach, or perched on the side of a mountain, or wherever, is somebody selling some sort of handcrafts and doing exactly what they were made to do. In this case, it was a potter. It just reminds me of all the things I want to accomplish in my life, as a wife and mother, as an artist (if I may be so bold), and just as a human being. Things I put off till "later". I was inspired on this trip to come up with a new motto:

It's later.


So now I'm off to drink one more cup of coffee out of the beautiful mug my dear husband bought me. Then I'm going to sort through that pile of stuff that has accumulated on the kitchen table so I can get on to bigger and better things.