60 Beaded Bells

Well, look at this!

Twenty red bells. Twenty white bells. Twenty green bells.

Sixty beaded bells! Wahoo!

And along with the bells comes a full year of blogging. Such stick-to-it-tiveness is rarely seen in my somewhat ADD personality and I must admit I jingled that last completed bell with a bit of bravado.

They say if you successfully blog on a topic for a year, you become an expert on that particular topic (although I can’t remember who said it). The point being that successful blogging requires frequent entries, which in turn requires extensive research. Whatever knowledge the blogger initially lacks is supplemented by the comments.

Whether Beaded Bells is successful is certainly subjective, but the concept of expertise applies nonetheless. In the 12 months since I’ve started this blog, I’ve become an expert bell beader (surely this refined skill will land me a six figure job somewhere, don’t you think?). I’ve also learned a lot about our family.

I’ve learned factual things, like my grandmother’s first name, Ruth, was chosen by her mother. And her three middle names are family names: Esther, after her maternal Uncle Edward Hornburg; Eliza, after her fraternal grandmother Eliza Hooge; and Bertha, after her maternal Aunt Bertha.

I’ve also picked up many insightful things. Things like children, as perceptive as they are, may or may not view things in a completely accurate sense. Or, family lore, as we historically know it, may differ from family to family.

Throughout the year, however, one thought has continually awed me. It’s the idea of fate. Or, as we Christians know it—God’s plan. How God uses one sometimes seemingly simple event in our lives to fulfill a huge, master plan, not only for ourselves, but for generations to come. Like, say, my brother Joel and his wife Cindy, who both had to work in Wisconsin for a time so they could meet each other. Now today they’re married, living in Michigan and have two beautiful daughters.

Or think about George and Ruth. Think how their impulsive decision to buy a grocery store in Henderson, MI, determined the lives of generations and generations beyond them.

That idea is a bit scary, isn’t it? It certainly puts a lot of responsibility on the things we do and the decisions we make. I guess that’s where using God as a guide comes in handy.

Each of us has great life stories and to wrap up this 1-year blogging odyssey, we’re going to hear from two guest writers who are willing to share theirs. Stay tuned!

As for me, folks, this is it. It’s been so-o-o much fun! Thanks to all who faithfully followed and commented—hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

God’s blessings,
Di

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” Jer 29:11.

Maggie and Paige 2010

New Year: New Updates

So, here it is the new year and already I’m a bit behind. Already. And I know you’re on the edge of your seats wondering if I finished my bells.

Well, yes and no.

Yes, I finished the sets of 12 bells for each of my kids. That’s 48 bells. And yes, I also made the grape vine trees (since the solderer-welder-whatever dudes in my family didn’t get around to fabricating the wire trees I wanted—understandably so since my design was a bit complicated). The grape vines appeal to the naturalists in our family and next year I’ll buy a couple wire trees for the more haute couture among us.

But, no, I didn’t finish my own bells.

Not to worry! I have only a few to go and after a year of this tedium, I can bead bells as fast as I can scarf holiday treats and gain ten pounds—which is really fast!

In the meantime, I’ve updated several posts with pictures sent to me by Judith (my grandmother’s daughter). They’re fun shots; like the one above, taken in the 1950s in the kitchen over the store. That’s my mom, Carol, delighting in her own holiday treat. Do you think this was a special occasion? Or do you think she always wore a dress and pearls to frost cakes?

Check out more updates here!

George and Ruth’s lineup of grandchildren, 1968, plus more grandchildren photos. If you’re not included, it’s because I don’t have your picture. Please do send!

George Larson family photo, circa 1950s, taken in the apartment above their store.

And lastly, it was getting too hard to go back and find specific posts, so I added a search button at the top of the right column. Much, much easier.

Now, back to beading…