I just found out that my college piano professor died last Thanksgiving Day. This picture is of us the night of my senior recital. John Rosfeld was probably the most influential professor I had. It got me to thinking. Last week I got a survey from my college and one of the questions it asked was why I picked a Christian university and if it was worth the cost. People like Professor Rosfeld made it worth it. I sat a lot of hours with him during my four years in college. And while I was just supposed to learn how to better play the piano, you learn a lot more than that when you spend 200+ hours with a person. He was a good man. When bad things happened to him, he rose above them and responded in a quintessentially Christian manner. During lessons, he would often speak about his faith and how church was done. He thought a lot about what it meant to be a Christian church musician (and it didn't mean playing a lot of music!). He was a quiet unassuming man. So many musicians are performers. He wasn't. He was a teacher, a composer, a philosopher. It was a blessing in my life to sit under him. He inspired and taught me to be a better Christian, not just a better pianist. Rest in peace, John Rosfeld.

Still more hats!

So this is my favorite hat so far. Isn't the fuzzy brim the best?! Very soon, I hope to have some obsession besides crocheted hats to talk about! On another note, Jane Eyre was on Masterpiece Theatre last night. Brilliant! I have to read it again.

Hats, Hats, Hats

So I know I said I was done with hats. I wanted to be finished with hats. I tried to make a dishcloth, but I got bored before I finished. I guess I'm just not finished with hats. I made another this morning - a black one with a blue furry rim. It's adorable.

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

So I'm officially a really bad blogger! It's been 2 months! yikes!

Ben and I had a great holiday season. Went to Lincoln to see his family before Christmas. Went to Texas to see my family after New Years. Had a great time both places. I spent most of December finishing a sweater I crocheted my mother for Christmas. Hardest thing I've made yet! But it turned out wonderfully! I was very happy with it. But now I'm taking a break from hard things! I made a scarf, and now I'm on a hat craze. I've made 4. They're so fast and easy! And they're a great way to finish up yarn left over from other projects.

Because of Ben's job, we've spent several Christmases by ourselves, but I think maybe this was the best one. First we had some friends over for a formal Christmas lunch. Then I had a party for "orphans." It turns out that quite a few of our friends couldn't go home to family this year either. So I had a party! We watched Christmas movies, did crafts, and ate lots of food. It was great fun!

And now it's been sleeting and snowing for 3 days. So I'm home crocheting hats. I'm moving on to dishcloths tonight. I've decided. I'm done with hats. And hopefully I'm done with being such a blogger slouch. :)

Nishnabotna!

The high point of every trip to see Ben's family's (the traveling part, not the whole trip - this is NOT an insult!) is passing the Nishnabotna River. It's one of the most fun words I've ever heard of! Go ahead - say it out loud. LOL Doesn't it just make you smile?! I was even asleep on the way home yesterday and Ben woke me up to see the sign. I just love it. It makes me happy! Nishnabotna! Nishnabotna! Nishnabotna!

Cake Decorating

I've recently rediscovered the fun of cake decorating. Mom used to decorate cakes for our birthdays and things like that. So that's how I learned. But I hadn't done it for years. Anyway, I decided to make one for a friend's birthday last month. Then a friend last week said she liked decorated cakes. So I made one for her birthday. It was the first time I'd tried the lace pattern. I thought it turned out nice. It was fun! I'm excited to start doing it again.

Monday catch up

So, this last week was busy! Ben was sick the beginning of the week (and even he admits that he's a bad sick person :) ), so I had to take care of him. Then the church retreat was this weekend. Pretty hectic beforehand, but it turned out really good. The speaker talked about the Sermon on the Mount. Said things differently than usual. Lot of people attended. It was a great weekend. But thinking back on it, one of the nicest things about the retreat was going early (cause I did the food) with Ben and sitting outside with him. We don't get away very often by ourselves. It was great. And we actually are getting away this week. A friend gave me a gift certificate to a bed and breakfast for helping in her wedding, so Ben and I are going to Fort Scott, KS, this Thursday. The place is an old Victorian house. Supposed to be very cool. And the downtown is antique-y. And there's a museum/historical site about the fort. We thought that sounded fun. Then on Friday, we head up to Lincoln to see Ben's family and go to the wedding of a high school friend. Which just reminded me that I have to get a wedding present! yikes! better go! stuff to do!

Roses

So we had community group at our house last night. Not a lot of people, but it was a lot of fun. As Ben and I were cleaning, I happened to go out on the front porch and found that my rose bush had 4 beautiful blooms. I of course, cut them to enjoy inside. :) And so I experimented with my closeup photo skills last night and this afternoon. I was very pleased. Of course it helps that the rose bush I inherited has the most beautiful roses I've ever seen (and since I don't like roses at all, that's sayin something!). Anyway, all that to say - here's a couple of pictures to enjoy.

Catching up

So my parents where here last week. Dad was in meetings, but Mom and I had a lot of fun. We rearranged the furniture in my living room and spare bedroom. I like it so much better now! We finished several projects and started recovering a platform rocker I had in my living room. It's going to take a while! But it's started now.

Ben and I went to the zoo today to take advantage of the last day of really nice weather. And it was perfect! There were so many strollers there! You could definitely tell that school started - almost all the kids were really young. But it was a great day.

Married!

My sister, Julie, and Marlin are officially married now. Well, they have been since last Saturday, I'm just late in writing this. I was in Mt. Pleasant for 8 days before the wedding to help. It was busy! I've spent this week catching up on my sleep. But I had a good time. It just reaffirms my belief that you should only get married once. Besides the God thing (just a little, thing, right? :) ), no one should have to plan two weddings! But Julie was beautiful. Everything went smoothly. We forgot a few things, but nothing that anyone would have noticed. So we count it a success! yea!

And in the midst of the planning, we went to a plant nursery that was going out of business and I got 4 houseplants, spearmint, and a hibiscus bush. I planted them yesterday. I'm so excited about them! Now I just have to remember to water them. My (probably naive) thought is that since I have more plants now, I'll remember to water more often than I did the three I had before.

And I'm going to the city market tomorrow with Tam and the boys. It's so good to be home! And my mom and dad are coming into town Monday for the whole week. Dad's in meetings during regular work hours, but Mom and I will have plenty of time to do all sorts of things. We'll have a great time.