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Music to the Triplets’ Ears – Birthday Surprises

September 8, 2009 By Laura 4 Comments

There are things our kids / triplets can always count on for their birthday: birthday number pancakes, a whole day or few together, just spent having major family quality time, cake of their choice, lots of love and stories about their birth, and the flying of time.

But they don’t often ask for anything, or expect gifts that we can tell. While we’ve always told them you should never EXPECT gifts from anyone, we’ve always given them something for their birthday! So if they are expecting anything, they are good at hiding it! lol.

So they seemed excitedly surprised when we told them we had a little something for them before lunch, their cake choices, and heading out for an overnight surprise trip.

I love the expressions!

{S} guessed out loud, “A BlackBerry?”, to which I laughed out loud and spontaneously replied with,

…..”YEAH RIGHT!!”

Then {O} said, “They’re I-Pods!”

Well, MP3 players of another brand. Close enough. ; )

Then their big sister had a surprise of her own for them….

$5.00 each to I-Tunes! Cool!

We did think ahead though, to load some music on to the players, the night before, and put their initials on them as well. Because we knew they would have been persistent in asking us to do so, if they couldn’t use them right away.

I just knew these little doo-dads were going to prove to be a BRILLIANT little idea.

They were THRILLED to have one of their own. Even with the strict volume rules. ; )

And I’m telling you, it was the QUIETEST…..

….LUNCH…..

EVER!!!

There is quite a bit more on their birthday celebrations coming up here, there, and who knows when.

We feel so blessed and full of thanks, and that’s always worth celebrating. A LOT!

P.S. Do you have any song suggestions for 7 year olds? So far we’ve uploaded their VBS CD, and a few other choice songs. I’ve started a list of appropriate and positive/happy songs as I hear them. (Singles by Martina McBride, Bob Marley, and anything Christian/worship music…). Stuff with good messages, etc. If you have ANY song suggestions for them we can load on these, we’d love to hear them! When I get a longer list of ideas and suggestions, I’d be happy to share it here if everyone would like that. After all, appropriate/positive/happy songs are great for ALL ages! : )

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Un-Expectations – Serving Others and Gratitude

August 19, 2009 By Laura 7 Comments

I’ve said it a zillion times before, and at least 1/2 zillion on this blog: I believe, without question, that God gives every one of us gifts. And I believe, without question, that in discovering those gifts, one is receiving a direct message from God > ‘Use them in my Name. Use them, to serve Me, by serving others.‘

I think we all know, or most of us anyway, when God is calling us to serve Him, by serving others. It’s a feeling inside. For me, it’s not something I ponder, or decide, if it is indeed a situation I am called to serve. I just know, it is. I know I have to do it. Like a whisper of the heart, that is God’s unspoken words. There is sometimes joy, sometimes not much, but always peace, in serving Him through others. And it’s enough for me, to work by His side. For I know the love and healing He will bring those who need Him, and those who turn to Him. It’s more than enough, for me.

I don’t always talk much, about when He calls me to serve Him, or how. There’s not always a need to. These kinds of things tend to put me in quiet mode. That it itself, only verifies again, that it is not my work. It is His. I am just a tool, and even one that He created.

A couple of weeks ago, I heard the UPS truck pull up. He comes every day with supplies or orders for me, just about, so it was not unusual. But the kids love to wait until the UPS man drives away (it’s a safety rule we have), open the front door, and retrieve the package(s) off the deck.

“It’s for Mama“, I heard my oldest daughter tell the little ones. She put it on the floor beside me, at my desk, and when I looked down, I was puzzled. I was trying to remember, what on earth I had ordered, that was so big. Then I tried to remember ANYTHING I was expecting around those few days. But I couldn’t recall a thing.

I looked in the corner of the box, and saw a last name. It hit me then. The realization of who it was from, made me catch my breath, and it felt like my heart hit the floor. Such unexpectation. I froze, trying to take it all in. And then I broke down and sobbed. The tears just flowed out like a river. Right in front of my children. (Somehow, they just knew I was ok. That I was just….having a moment.)

It didn’t matter what was in the box, really. I was so filled with emotion over the surprise of it all, that it was all I could handle at the time. I did open the box at the excited urging of my children, eventually, and found this gorgeous gift basket. But It took me days to find the words to explain all I felt inside. To figure out why I was struck, with such a flood of emotions, which I hadn’t quite been able to label just yet.

But in the days to follow, I was able to sort it all out, and decipher all I was feeling.

See, it was clear that the sender’s of this beautiful gift, felt the need to thank me. But I surely did not feel they owed me one, in the least. I didn’t expect that they could even be thinking of me, at this incredibly difficult time in their lives. So it was shocking, in that way, too.

But what was difficult for me, was that I didn’t feel I deserved it. I, didn’t do anything worthy, of this. Of anything. I had only done, what I knew God was calling me to do. Using the gifts He gave me, and that He expects me to use as tools, and a means to do His work.

To be able to do so…..that IS the gift, of the gift.

To be called by God.

After I had done all I knew to do to serve these people, I felt so empty inside. For I wanted SO badly to be able to do more. To give them what they truly, truly wanted. To give them what their hearts ached for, so badly. It didn’t feel like enough, and I felt lost.

I thought of the Little Drummer Boy. I feel like it seems he felt, in giving all he had to give, to the new born King. I was giving all I had, as little as it was. I hoped it was ‘something’. I prayed, in time, it would help, in any small way, to heal their broken hearts, with the grace of God.

That’s the thing. I felt helpless in not being able to do more. I was depending on Him. Our Almighty and powerful Father, who can do ALL things. It was my only consolation, because I personally couldn’t do enough.

But it was ‘something’ to these people, it seemed. I still felt unworthy of any thanks, because I wanted to give them more, and with every passing day, I thought of them, and prayed for them. Still feeling helpless. Still counting on God, to give them all they needed.

I was counting on answered prayers, with high expectations. For THEM.

I ask you to pray for them too, for whatever their needs and desires are, if it is God’s will.

I just wasn’t expecting anything, for ME. Not a thing.

But I am so very touched, by their expression of gratitude.

Thank You, Lord. Thank You, for the gifts. For working, through me. Amidst all of the swirling, worldly thoughts and deeds of my life and self, thank You for allowing my heart to hear You call. Thank You, for every opportunity to serve You, by serving others. Thank You, for using these gifts as an instrument in Your works. Thank You for considering our prayers, and for healing our hearts.

Thank You.

I have to admit….the basket itself, even EMPTY, puts a big smile on my face.

It’s a NICE basket. Isn’t it?

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The Process of Gold Leafing – A Church Steeple Cross – Part II

July 19, 2009 By Laura 2 Comments

We have been showing our readers the process of gold leafing a church steeple cross. This post is Part II, and shows the completion, of the process.
At the end of Part I, we left off at a point in the process where the cross was being completely covered in the gold layer.

Above is a photo of that step completed, and ready for the next phase.

These papers all over the floor are sheets that the gold came off of. As you can see, as little gold as possible is wasted.

But there is still a whole lot of loose bits of gold over the entire surface of the cross at this point.

So the next step is to burnish the gold. This is done by gently rubbing the surface in circle-like motions with a large wad of very, very soft cotton.

This helps adhere any gold that was not stuck by the sizing, and it also shines the gold. The loose flakes are truly as light as air. You can kind of see that by the piece hanging from the cotton in the photo above. If you were to put a piece of this gold between your fingers and rub it, it would just disappear.

Looking at the top left arm of the cross in the photo above, you can see the transformation that is taking place on the surface of the cross, from the burnishing.

When he is working quickly, there is gold floating in the air all over the place.

Remember I told you how {A} loves to help us on jobs, but that she especially has some incentive with golf-leafing jobs? Well…..maybe this will explain why…..

She catches all she can!! She’s not above picking up any bits off the floor either!

To a kid, well, this is as good as GOLD. But in this case, it literally IS. lol. Like all of the $ she makes, she’ll save some, spend some, and give some to charity. That’s just how she rolls.

She’s just about done….

The complete process of this cross too 5.5 hours. Given that Michael is 5′ 11′, you can gather it’s a pretty sizable cross, and it’s pretty heavy too!! Notice how he is holding it up with the wad of cotton. Oils from your hands will break down the gold pretty quickly, and leave dull spot in that area.

Of course, you can’t appreciate it’s true beauty until you see it mounted on that church steeple. This cross has long since been picked up, and I am waiting on a photo of it sitting upon it’s church. When I receive it, I will share it with you, for you to really see it at work. : )

In not being able to handle the cross with your bare hands, and the surface being so delicate, you might imagine how difficult it might be to install the cross on it’s steeple. Well, here’s a little chuckle for you: Just between us, I heard this steeple jack wraps the cross in toilet paper!! Then he wraps it in bubble wrap and a blanket, to safely get it securely in it’s place. Then he unwraps everything, and let’s it shine in all it’s glory in the sky.

Did you ever realize all of the work that went into the gold crosses you see at the top of church steeples? Perhaps as you see various crosses on various churches all over the world, you’ll have a new appreciation for the craft that goes into them, and be able to share with someone else the process of gilding the gold crosses they see. You’ll sound so smart. : )

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The Process of Gold Leafing – A Church Steeple Cross – Part I

July 15, 2009 By Laura 4 Comments

Did you know that many of the gold church crosses you see are actually real gold? If you did know that, have you ever wondered what the process is to apply the gold? This is called gold leafing, or gilding, and today we are going to show Part I of that process with you, on a church steeple cross.

In Michael’s business of truck lettering and sign making, he often does gilding. Gilding is the process of applying a fine, thin layer of real gold, to a prepped surface. Often times, letters or graphics are done on flat surfaces in gold on truck doors, boats, signs or storefront windows. 3D letters can also be gilded, to be applied to a building side, sign, etc. Michael has done gilding for all of those lettering purposes.

But he also does weather vanes, and church steeple crosses! He is often-subcontracted by Christopher Burgess, of The Burgess Company Steeple Jacks from Pembroke, MA. As a steeple and tower specialist, Chris often removes (if possible), repairs and replaces these structures for refinishing. Chris strips them and preps the surface for finishing, and often hands off the piece to Michael for gilding.
So while Michael had this church cross in to be gilded, we thought some of you might be interested in seeing the process.

This cross is 5 feet 10 inches tall, and needs to be gilded, picked up and replaced on the steeple as soon as possible.

So Michael starts with these 2 mediums….

Slow-Set Gilding Size, and Yellow Lettering Enamel. The sizing is the medium applied to the surface first, to make the gold adhere. Because the sizing is a clear oil, about a tablesp0on of yellow paint to 1/4 cup of sizing is added, to tint the oil. This way Michael can see where the oil has been applied already as he works.

He also had a weather vane to be done, but for this post we are going to focus on the cross.

Here, for this piece, he is able to roll out the mixed medium on the entire cross.

Then it needs to be left alone for awhile. For slow-size, it takes anywhere from 12-16 hours, depending on humidity, to reach a desired tack. Quick size can be ready in 2-3 hours, but is preferred for truck doors, boats and windows, when it would receive a clear coat over the surface. But slow-size is used for gilded pieces that will not be handled, touched, or washed. In these instances, the gold by itself will stand up to the elements for a number of years. In any case, the desired tackiness Michael waits for is when he can drag his knuckle on the surface and it squeaks.

Once the surface is at the appropriate tackiness, it is ready for gold.

This is how the gold comes – in a box that holds 25 books with 25 leaves per book. This is patent gold, which means that it is adhered to sheets of tissue.

A sheet of gold looks like this. This is very fine, thin gold layer.

It’s applied very carefully, to the surface, as you see above. The sheet is gently laid down, and then rubbed with a finger or thumb.

You can see how very soft and light as air the gold is.

This method, of precisely laying sheets of gold, and rubbing down to apply it, is continued over the entire surface of the cross, until it is covered completely.

The goal is to use every bit of gold off of every sheet. What’s left on the sheets like above, are used for filling in seams, cracks and missed spots.

As we’ve mentioned before, {A} is often a voluntary apprentice on our jobs. She loves to gild with Daddy-Boy. Not to say she doesn’t have an ulterior motive or 2 as well. ; ) More on that later…

This post would just be way too big and long to explain the entire process with all of the photos, so stay tuned to see how this church cross is finished, and how beautiful it looks when it is all done!

Check out PART II HERE.

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A Simple Pentecost Sunday with Kids

June 6, 2009 By Laura 4 Comments

Our Pentecost Sunday this year was really quite simple. Not quite the more elaborate occasion we made it last year. But it was nice anyway. Acknowledging it was the most important thing to us, starting with Mass. But the kids (6, 6, 6, 11) spent the morning, before leaving for Mass, trying to remember and name all 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit, the 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit, and the 12 apostles.

But when we got home, we did decide to make some Holy Spirit cupcakes.

We added orange and yellow food coloring and attempted to make the frosting into peaks, to resemble the fire of the Holy Spirit that descended upon the apostles, of course. Our technique and the outcome may have been a little lacking, but the kids had fun, and thought it all was awesome!

They wasted no time taste-testing one themselves, and you can bet Daddy and I joined them! They were indeed delicious! Such a light frosting that we whipped up.

We spent a good part of the day outdoors. But later on in the day, as I came out from my computer cubby, I found {J} right there in his chair, intensely reading a Bible story. Guess which one?

I just love these signs, that they truly are listening, and taking it all in. : ) When we discuss a Bible story, or get home from Mass, one or other of the little ones often go grab one of their Bibles, knowing just where to find that story in the pages, to read again. So, as if seeing him do this wasn’t enough to please a mother, I look up, and just look at what I see happening across the room……….

{O} giving {S} a foot rub! He looked quite relaxed, reading some Bible stories himself. It almost brought a tear to my eye. Not only because it was an incredibly loving sight to see, but because I was jealous!! ; ) I love foot rubs. Or foot squeezes. Probably much more than the average person, and my kids are really good at giving them.

I’m wondering: Are you actually still thinking about the cupcakes as you’ve been reading along here, wishing you could have one right now? Be truthful now!! It’s o.k. – I understand! I would be doing the same thing!

Well, your in luck! Because we saved you one!!

ENJOY!!

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ENJOY!!

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