Today I solved a great mystery: I found out what was eating my violets. Ever since the first violet began to bloom, the plants and flowers have been riddled with tiny holes. Well, today when I was tending the plants, I noticed a tiny worm at the center of one of the frayed and tattered blossoms. The first white violet had suffered a similar fate, and next to it I found a much bigger version of the same kind of worm. Hopefully now that I know what to look for, I can rid the plants of these nasty nibblers.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Please Don’t Eat the Violets!
Today I solved a great mystery: I found out what was eating my violets. Ever since the first violet began to bloom, the plants and flowers have been riddled with tiny holes. Well, today when I was tending the plants, I noticed a tiny worm at the center of one of the frayed and tattered blossoms. The first white violet had suffered a similar fate, and next to it I found a much bigger version of the same kind of worm. Hopefully now that I know what to look for, I can rid the plants of these nasty nibblers.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Spring's A-Comin'!
Tuesday afternoon Mommy and I were out taking pictures for our etsy shops, when all of a sudden, I happened to look down at the patch of newly-sprung violet plants, and to my surprise, I saw a pretty pink violet, all bloomed out! : ) Since then, it seems like every time I go outside, there's something new beginning to bud. --And you know what that means:
Spring's almost here!
Happy nearly spring, everyone!! : )
Spring's almost here!
Happy nearly spring, everyone!! : )
Friday, January 1, 2010
Pretending
Maura, this one's for you. --an episode from our childhood. : )
Once upon a time, three young girls walked along a wooded path, pretending. They walked quickly, for they were imagining that they were sisters, on the run from the wicked schoolteacher and his wife, who had persuaded the orphanage they had been left at a month before to give them custody of the three young girls, who were orphaned when their parents died tragically, --though none of the girls had decided yet what the cause of their tragic fate had been. The schoolteacher and his wife only wanted the girls because they had inherited a large mansion, and lots of money, so of course the poor sisters were sadly mistreated, forced to be servants to the terrible couple, until that fateful morning.
They had escaped the house early, before anyone was up, taking with them a small bag of provisions, which they had snatched from the kitchen on their way out of the house. As they walked, they discussed what they were to do, now that they had escaped from their dreadful guardians. The oldest, Rose, led the way through the forest, looking for some shelter where they could hide. All sorts of dangers lurked in the shadows of the forest, and it was as the girls were discussing which of those dangers they were to encounter on their journey, when something unexpected happened.
Rose was forging bravely ahead, saying, “Be careful, girls, and make sure you keep close. There are bears in these woods,” when, all of a sudden, with a great and terrifying roar, something came crashing through the woods towards them! The three young girls, being young girls, screamed loudly and ran as fast as they could. One fell over, and as the others stopped to help her up, they looked up and saw what it was that had been chasing them.
Shocked out of character, and rather upset, the three girls turned, and saw the familiar friendly face of the man they had taken for a bear, who looked somewhat embarrassed and very amused. He explained that he had thought they were trespassers, and decided to teach them a lesson by scaring them.
~And so ended the saga of the three sister’s daring and dangerous escape.
Once upon a time, three young girls walked along a wooded path, pretending. They walked quickly, for they were imagining that they were sisters, on the run from the wicked schoolteacher and his wife, who had persuaded the orphanage they had been left at a month before to give them custody of the three young girls, who were orphaned when their parents died tragically, --though none of the girls had decided yet what the cause of their tragic fate had been. The schoolteacher and his wife only wanted the girls because they had inherited a large mansion, and lots of money, so of course the poor sisters were sadly mistreated, forced to be servants to the terrible couple, until that fateful morning.
They had escaped the house early, before anyone was up, taking with them a small bag of provisions, which they had snatched from the kitchen on their way out of the house. As they walked, they discussed what they were to do, now that they had escaped from their dreadful guardians. The oldest, Rose, led the way through the forest, looking for some shelter where they could hide. All sorts of dangers lurked in the shadows of the forest, and it was as the girls were discussing which of those dangers they were to encounter on their journey, when something unexpected happened.
Rose was forging bravely ahead, saying, “Be careful, girls, and make sure you keep close. There are bears in these woods,” when, all of a sudden, with a great and terrifying roar, something came crashing through the woods towards them! The three young girls, being young girls, screamed loudly and ran as fast as they could. One fell over, and as the others stopped to help her up, they looked up and saw what it was that had been chasing them.
Shocked out of character, and rather upset, the three girls turned, and saw the familiar friendly face of the man they had taken for a bear, who looked somewhat embarrassed and very amused. He explained that he had thought they were trespassers, and decided to teach them a lesson by scaring them.
~And so ended the saga of the three sister’s daring and dangerous escape.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Christmas
May each of us find time in the midst of the busyness of the day to ponder the reality of our Savior's birth!
Merry Christmas!!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Why Fall is My Favorite Season...
~Rain!
~The scent of woodsmoke in the air
~Bundling up for a walk
~Rustling through the leaves
~Sitting by the fireplace drying off after a wonderfully wet walk
~Baking bread
~Looking out my window at the vibrant leaves
~Watching the seasons change
~Rejoicing in the goodness of the Lord that spreads such beauty throughout the world!
Happy Fall Everyone!!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Thunderstorm!!
I love thunderstorms! They’re probably my favorite part of fall. That’s why I was so excited this morning when my attention was turned away from doing dishes by the distant rumbling of thunder. Our house is great for storm watching, but with all the trees around, lightning is harder to spot than at my old house, where I could stand at my upstairs window and see above the trees. I watched as the storm grew closer and closer, the rumbling louder and louder, until it seemed it had passed.
Then the rain started. This wasn’t ordinary drizzly fall rain, this was RAIN. It poured from the sky like a waterfall, and from the sound of it, I thought it must have been hail. When I put my hand out to see, it was just very large raindrops falling very fast.
Usually rain seems to signal the end of such a storm, so imagine my surprise when, just as I stepped outside our sliding door to watch the rain, lightning flashed not fifteen feet away from me, followed immediately by the loudest peal of thunder I had ever heard right over our house! (I stepped back in very quickly after that!) : )
That was fifteen minutes ago, and now the rain has lessoned to a steady shower punctuated occasionally by the faint rumble of thunder in the distance.
I love fall!! : )
Then the rain started. This wasn’t ordinary drizzly fall rain, this was RAIN. It poured from the sky like a waterfall, and from the sound of it, I thought it must have been hail. When I put my hand out to see, it was just very large raindrops falling very fast.
Usually rain seems to signal the end of such a storm, so imagine my surprise when, just as I stepped outside our sliding door to watch the rain, lightning flashed not fifteen feet away from me, followed immediately by the loudest peal of thunder I had ever heard right over our house! (I stepped back in very quickly after that!) : )
That was fifteen minutes ago, and now the rain has lessoned to a steady shower punctuated occasionally by the faint rumble of thunder in the distance.
I love fall!! : )
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Miss Gwendolyn: the Budding Businesswoman?
The past few weeks I have been working harder than I have ever worked before to build my business. Fall quarter is about to start, and I find myself with only two students signed up --a very small amount compared to the eight students I had last fall. Unfortunately, I am pretty hopeless at matters of business, so this has all been a new adventure for me.
So far I have learned:
~How to design and publish a web site (Check it out! www.mgpianostudio.com)
~How to design business cards and flyers
~How to write a craigslist ad
~How to bypass my “phonaphobia” when having to call someone.
~That being strategic and sneaky is critically necessary in business-building.
~That I am not very good at being strategic and sneaky. : (
But one of the most difficult things I have had to do thus far (besides the many, many phone calls) is distributing flyers. Going up to someone’s door on visitation or door-knocking is one thing, but going into a store to ask if I can put up a flyer is totally different! I am comfortable with the former, but the latter is still hard, even after a week of intensive flyer-distribution. I am sure the various clerks in the stores I went to felt sorry for me, probably thinking something like “Oh, look at the little girl trying to get piano students! Isn’t it cute the way she tries to be all professional and polite!” I really did try to look my age, but from the questions I have gotten at some of the music stores I have visited, I don’t think it worked very well. Often, when I am asked how long I have been teaching, my answer of 5 years is met with a stifled look of surprise or puzzlement. “If she’s as young as I think she is, that means she started teaching when she was…!” ; )
But, I suppose all that works to my advantage sometimes, since folks usually want to encourage young musicians and teachers. Unfortunately, that encouragement comes more often as advice, rather than new students or referrals. Oh, well! --Maybe I’ll post some of the advice sometime, once I have had a chance to try it out. : )
So far I have learned:
~How to design and publish a web site (Check it out! www.mgpianostudio.com)
~How to design business cards and flyers
~How to write a craigslist ad
~How to bypass my “phonaphobia” when having to call someone.
~That being strategic and sneaky is critically necessary in business-building.
~That I am not very good at being strategic and sneaky. : (
But one of the most difficult things I have had to do thus far (besides the many, many phone calls) is distributing flyers. Going up to someone’s door on visitation or door-knocking is one thing, but going into a store to ask if I can put up a flyer is totally different! I am comfortable with the former, but the latter is still hard, even after a week of intensive flyer-distribution. I am sure the various clerks in the stores I went to felt sorry for me, probably thinking something like “Oh, look at the little girl trying to get piano students! Isn’t it cute the way she tries to be all professional and polite!” I really did try to look my age, but from the questions I have gotten at some of the music stores I have visited, I don’t think it worked very well. Often, when I am asked how long I have been teaching, my answer of 5 years is met with a stifled look of surprise or puzzlement. “If she’s as young as I think she is, that means she started teaching when she was…!” ; )
But, I suppose all that works to my advantage sometimes, since folks usually want to encourage young musicians and teachers. Unfortunately, that encouragement comes more often as advice, rather than new students or referrals. Oh, well! --Maybe I’ll post some of the advice sometime, once I have had a chance to try it out. : )
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