Just a few thoughts...

We have been working so hard pouring through costume books. Holding fundraisers to ease our parents wallets, collecting costume fees and then came January. We have spent hours ordering costumes, double checking sizes...it has been quite an undertaking. As a new business owner my Brittany feels the stress and so do I. Have we forgotten anything? We have to be on the ball every single day. There is so much riding in my 19 year old daughter's shoulders. This is the week where it all comes together. Every month, during the last week of class, Brittany has parent observation. She hands out a progress report for every child. This is that week, also the week where parents see a sneak peek of their costumes and see the beginning of their showcase dances. Also, we are handing out packets of information about what is going on and what to expect. I am so thankful that during all of this we have a Lord who is there and very present at every turn. Asking Him daily for wisdom is like breathing to us now. We have had a few minor situations but at every turn we are learning. I came home last night feeling completely blessed that our hard work is paying off. People are happy and excited! This is such a change for those who were completely frustrated last year. Our motto is we need to look like we've been doing this for a hundred years. In this day an age my 19 year old daughter has had to compete with the way the world thinks. Despite the fact that she has devoted her entire education to dance unless it has a college degree attached to it many will look down their nose at her. God is blessing her abilities and people are starting to forget about her age and see her for what she can do. What a wild roller coaster of emotions I deal with each and every day. I am more convinced than ever that without being called to homeschool she never would have had the strength to accept the challenges ahead. Often times we had to defend our reason. I have no doubt that making that stand to exercise our freedoms builds great strength in all of us. We have many mountains to climb but God keeps on giving us those perfect God crumbs as we go.

Blessing,
Joyce Marie

This is our 4&5 year olds with the beginning of their ballet dance Thank Heaven for Little Girls...I actually cut off the beginning...they start on their tummies with their heads on their hands and their little feet kicking behind them.  It amazes me how they are all in their line at this age!

New "really new" project

Ok, well, I had to tear out my sock. My plan was to work on it when things were slow on my end...but I got excited and kept working, lost count and needless to day I have placed my lovely sock on the back burner but I have not given up. Instead I found a simple scarf pattern and it is working up quite nicely. I am trying Stitch Nation yarn in Bamboo Ewe. My beautiful color is Beach Glass. I'm enjoying it so very much and have to keep reminding myself that I'm still learning.

Simple pattern cast on 39 stitches. I am using the needles recommended by my yarn. Knit 2, Purl 2 to the last 3 stitches...Knit 2, Purl 1 and turn and follow this same pattern throughout.

Check out the lovely color...

Today we ventured out early, we had an appointment with a videographer.  A recital video is a main staple for kids and parents.  We found a very nice older gentleman who is going to record our show for us.  This is another biggie off of our list of must do's.  He was such a nice man and quite impressed with my Brittany, being a young business woman (smile).  He even threw a compliment my way which I appreciate very much.  He was one of those business owners of old that appreciates doing business over a hand shake.  Very rare indeed for these times.  She does have a contract however and now we can move on to the next big thing on our list. Ordering the last of our costumes and show order)

Next, we went to our most favorite bargain store.  We wandered the isles in search of Performance Team costume items.  Brittany has decided to build herself a little costume wardrobe in which the costumes belong to her and she can choose from as she sees fit.  We had fun looking and actually found some really cute things.  A little dazzle of gems and sparkles here and there and they will be adorable.  We really were excited when we found 4 large child costume all in red with sparkle for her Christmas performance next year.  These were true dance costumes from one of our vendors...we have know idea how they ended up in this store but low and behold they were on clearance for $7 each.  Woot!

Blessings!

Joyce Marie

A new project

I've been a little out if sorts and adjusting to all this new "busy"ness. I have decided to return back to knitting after giving up on it for more than a year. I bought a booklet of socks and pretty slippers and I plan to leave it at the studio where on a night when I am not busy I can pull it out and master it. I picked a lovely dark blue-gray for my first pair and after 3 tries have managed to finish my first 1//2 inch. I feel so accomplished and cannot wait to get back to it this evening. I love starting new projects it fills me with such anticipation. I really want to master this art. I love the stitches but I need to learn a few things like how to fix a dropped stitch just in case because in the past I have just had to rip out the whole thing which gets old very,very fast and which made me give up in the first place. Someday I am going to be good enough to knit a sweater, until then I'll stick with socks and dish rags. I'll leave this post with my first picture of my progress so far. Lord willing I won't have to tear it out and start over tonight!

Happy New Year!

I know I'm a little late but that's ok right?  Oh what a year we have had in our house.  A year chock full of firsts.  A year, often terrifying.  But watching God move has been so amazing.  As I reflect back on the year past (2011, that is)I am speechless.  It started off much like any other new year. By SPRING our daughter was faced with a huge decision...by SUMMER she was a small business owner, by FALL she had about 70 students and by WINTER she was dancing down Main Street with a group of about 35 kids in our small city's "Welcome Santa" parade.  This past year we completely renovated her dance studio, created a summer schedule and had about a dozen students to pull her through the summer.  Had a small dance camp where all the little girls put on a daily five minute show for their parents.  Things are happening so fast that it is all we can do but hold on tight and watch God work.  All the glory goes to Him. 

Flash forward (that is how it feels to us) and now we have ordered costumes and they are coming in almost every day.  Boxes of sparkling, glittering costumes are sitting waiting for our spring showcase which we are in the process of planning.  We have our theater.  It's a beautiful theater.  We have many, many ideas and it's exciting and scary all at the same time.  Dances have begun,  plans are being made our new year is full of more firsts.

Our Bible tells us that God will give us wisdom if we ask Him.  Oh how very often I have prayed for this wisdom.  Oh how He has worked out the details.  Sure we'll make some mistakes, but like I always told my daughter in school...mistakes are how we learn.  We'll just learn from them and continue to pray and allow God to lead. 


If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.   James 1:5-6

Blessings! 
Joyce Marie