pumpkins, chipmunks and boy scouts.

Howdy, all you blog friends.

October has already been a busy month for the Far Studios crowd. With the cooler weather comes long hikes, campfires and camping trips. It's also conference month at school and inventory building at the studio.

Evie is working hard on a special order table that is in a style new to Far Studios. We can't wait to see the finished product. She's also crafting small and smaller pumpkins that are sure to grace many a mantle or flower pot this fall.

We have been hiking the Arabian mountain and Panola trails this week. Such beauty made so accessible by the good folks in Dekalb county, Georgia. We've seen deer, tons of vocal chipmunks, squirrels, snakes, and bugs. We even ran in to signs of a beaver population today.

God's creation is so varied and beautiful that we find ourselves thanking and praising Him every minute of every day. What a great and glorious God we are privileged to serve!

The Boy Scouts have been busy these last two months with many projects including the wonderful Weebloree at Burt Evans Scout Reservation. It does our hearts good to see how the older scouts teach and look after their young Cub brothers. Scouting has had 100 years of growing boys into responsible, productive and giving men. Our thanks to all who have given their time, energy, finances and caring to this worthwhile endeavor.

Does anyone know how many different sounds a chipmunk can make?

Bye 'til next time!

Another Saturday

Hi, folks!

Well another Saturday has come and is half gone. What have you done with your day?

Mowed the grass, cleaned the garage, did the laundry, shuttled the kids to practice, studied your Bible lesson?

Saturday's are seldom restful and always unpredictable. Some Saturdays are so busy you think blissfully of Monday coming. Some Saturdays are so numbingly boring you wonder why you bothered to get out of bed.

But still they come. Every week without fail. We spend every Friday looking forward to Saturday and every Monday praying for its return. We spend the week following last Saturday in reviewing the weekend and planning the next Saturday. Saturday is special. Not beautifully wonderful - just special, different from every other day.

Some folks feel they don't really live the rest of the week. They only exist until the weekend. Some people feel their real life is during the week and Saturday is just an unwelcome interruption.

Where do you stand? Are you on Saturday's side or are you a weekend martyr? Are you somewhere in the middle?

Just a Saturday-thinking blog. Don't think too hard. It is Saturday, after all.

wedding march

Hello, again. We (the Georgia contingent) made it back home from the Ohio wedding. As most weddings are, this one was lovely and both bride and groom were everything they should have been - lovely (handsome), sweet, happy (and relieved, I'm sure, that it's all over). Hope to post some pictures soon as I figure out how.

Lena, our ribbon artist and the bride, did most of the decorating herself. The wonderful ladies at Pat Catan's in North Canton (Canton) made beautiful bouquets for bride and attendants. The guys flowers and the mothers/grandmothers flowers were just beautiful. A big thank you to Lena's boss who became the much needed wedding coordinator! It wouldn't have been the same without you!

The groom's father walked Lena down the aisle as Lena's dad left for Heaven a few years ago. Mr. Holl also spoke a lovely bit in honor of Allen (Lena's dad) at the reception.
He also acted as best man. What a busy guy!

Audrey, our jewelry artist, was maid of honor and was just beautiful. Jordan, Audrey's daughter was also an attendant and did a great job. Mindy, the groom's sister, was absolutely lovely and did her duty despite not feeling well. (Here's hoping you've been able to rest and recuperate, Mindy!)

You would have all gotten a kick out of the ringbearer, Morgan. His mom, Jennifer, was another beautiful attendant to the bride. She had difficulty staying up front when it looked like Morgie wouldn't be able to complete his trip down the aisle. He was so brave, though, and stared at the ceiling the whole way down so he wouldn't be scared. He made it all the way without any trouble and we are all so proud of him.

The groomsmen, Chris and Joe, were real pros and did a fantastic job. Chris, a professional (and very talented) artist (and Mindy's husband) really knew his stuff and was such fun to talk with at the reception. Good luck at the Cleveland showing Chris.

Coming home for we Georgians was a real experience. We hit some storms in Kentucky and had a bit of trouble. We didn't realize how bad our back tires were. We did the classic spinout across two lanes and into a 10 foot deep ditch. But God is good and saved us from being hit by traffic or turning over in the ditch which was filling quickly with water! What an adventure! No one was hurt and there was only minor damage to the car. It got us the rest of the way home after Ray's expert driving got us out of the ditch.

Isn't God good. This whole trip could have been so different. Bless God from Whom all blessings flow. Bless Him all creatures here below. Bless Father, Son and Holy Ghost!

Well, gotta go. Be watching the Far Studios Etsy site for new items coming soon!

Big Yellow Bus

Well, we made it through the first two days of Rockdale County's school year. Had good weather but still managed a school bus accident on the very first day! How does one justify rear-ending a big yellow school bus with flashing lights? God was watching over the kids and no one on the bus was harmed. They all were shaken but went home with an exciting story to tell of the first day of school.

Let's hope the rest of the year is more boring.

Evie has been really busy on Etsy setting up treasuries. She has made some fantastic finds and has shown a real gift for curating.

Jordy completed her first High School Band camp with flying colors. She did confess to Gramma that she was a little homesick by the second night. She did get to room with one of her good friends. She loved the college campus and the dorm rooms. She even had fun on the field though she was exhausted and sore. Oh, what memories she's making!

Well, the wedding is only a few weeks away. Mom is trying hard not to worry about what isn't getting done. We're determined to enjoy the day. We, the Georgia contingent, will have only that - one day - with our Ohio crowd. The boys will have to miss one day of school (boo hoo). Please be praying for our safety on the road.

Evie has finished another fantastic shroom table. Even Ray likes it so we know it's worth consideration by her loyal fans. The wedding has kept our jewelry and ribbon artists from adding anything new to the shop but we anticipate wonderful things when the excitement has died down and everyone's schedules are back to normal.

I'm taking our friend, Michael, to church today. Let's hope he finds a church home at last. Heritage has some problems with some things but the people are loving and kind and trying to grow up in Christ. In the end, I think that is all Christ requires of us - To put God first in our lives and, secondly, to love each other as He commanded.

Well, have a wonderful Sunday and a safe week. We'll talk again later.

in laws

Had a wonderful week with Evie's in-laws. Wonderful people. We had great weather and a great time. Will miss them now as they've left for home.

Still, now we'll concentrate on FAR Studios ...oops, guess not. Wedding in a couple of weeks. School starts in one week. Our resident service man will leave for a short-term training assignment soon. Oh, well. We'll find some time somewhere for FAR Studios business. Stay tuned and keep checking the Etsy site.

Happy Tuesday!!

Well, Facebook hasn't hired me yet - surprise surprise! How many apps do you suppose they got on their question? A million? A billion? Two? But seriously, folks, who wouldn't want to hire a brilliant writer such as myself? Hmm?

Anyva, it's a new day. Thank you, Lord.

We had some major thunder storms yesterday. No big deal except we had family coming in by plane. Their flight was delayed for more than two hours and they actually flew through lightening when approaching ATL. Scary. But then some people feel Atlanta is scary even in good weather.

Anyway, they made it in safe and sound even if very weary. This week should be fun. FAR studios won't get much work done but family is far more important than dollars or even creative expression!

Speaking of FAR studios, we've had work featured in many treasuries on ETSY.com this past week. How exciting! People are beginning to notice us and we are very grateful.

Well, gotta go and mingle with the in-laws. Have a great Tuesday and a wonderful week. Adios!!

Facebook

Howdy, folks. How was your 4th?

Had an interesting experience on Facebook today. They asked if I wanted to be a "Beta tester". Does that sound safe? Would I be exposed to radiation? Are aquarium fish involved? Do I get paid? Well, we'll see. I submitted a sample question and my brilliant answer. I'll let you know later if my life is in danger!

I also found out that I apparently made an error when I posted a supposed link to this blog on my own Facebook page. I wondered why so few people are interested in my wonderful writing and my wry wit. Now I know!

I almost caused one of our Ohio artists to have a nervous breakdown this week. I proposed to her the possibility of becoming her permanent house guest. Wow! What fireworks. Burning telephone wires. Tearful Email. A trip to the counselor. I guess no one wants a short, fat, ugly gramma hanging around for an extended period of time.

Have any of you viewed the FAR Studios sponsored treasuries on Etsy this week? Evie did a beautiful job of gathering amazing art from many Etsy sources. Her newest compilation is "Functional Art" with something for everyone represented. Have fun with that!

Have a wonderful rest of the week. Remember church on Sunday. It's the cool place to be on a hot day!