...things that make me smile!

G's friends t.p.'d our house for her birthday. We only have one small tree and a basketball hoop worthy of toilet papering. The boys rang the doorbell and "hid"...the thrill of it all was getting caught! Our neighbor boy felt so sad they we had been "vandalized". We assured him this was truly an act of affection! We (another Mom, myself, and our tweenage girls) had actually t.p.'d one friends house for his birthday the month prior. What have we started?

Not very green, eh?

Stir fry nights also make me smile...except when my family picks out the stuff they hate. Don't they have to eat something 20 times before they will like it?

And my adorable hubby who dresses up as a "current event" for Halloween each year. Last year he went as Todd Palin, and I was Sarah Palin. Do you remember this post? Do you know who he was this year? If you could only hear him talk... "Have you seen my son? I think he's up in our experimental ballon?"

...new hair and family picture!

I have new hair color. I wanted a shock of blonde in the front, but got a bit of caramel instead. Next time...blonde blonde... why not? Of course, this picture was taken right after my hairdresser styled my hair, so it will never look this good again.

This is our new family picture taken for our school directory. Our photographer , Aaron Zieschang is great! We kept missing the photo session appointment, so we had to go during a really windy day. I guess that makes us look glamorous!

I orginally titled this entry "sick day". I have been sick with a terrible sore throat since Monday night. It's not Strep or H1N1...just a virus. Dang. I am ready to be well. I am missing really fun stuff, like G's volleyball practice tonight, and my friend Lisa's art show. waa waa waa. Okay, enough whinging. Tomorrow is a new day!

...he makes me grin.

I have the biggest CRUSH on my husband.

He brings laughter into our home, stability into our life, spirituality into my soul, and joy into my heart! I am blessed to be his wife.

...the big 11

My oldest turns 11 today. I am not sure whether to shout for joy or cry. She is the most amazing 11 year old. She is poised, articulate, beautiful inside and out, insightful and full of love! I feel so blessed to her mother.




















Happy Birthday G!!!
I love you!

...technical difficulties.

So, we are having some technical difficulties in our life lately. We spent a day without cell phone service. It's amazing how scary that felt. I rely on constant communication...or at least the option of constant communication.

My sweet hubby has done such a great job getting us set up to have free TV. Cable has been gone for awhile. With our new digital antennae and DVR, there are so many extra channels...we have been living the good life. Until, this weekend. The DVR quit working. We now have to sit through commercials, we have to watch our shows right when they are airing...life is rough. What was that I said about loving the option of "constant communication"?

To top it off, I have given up facebook, cold turkey. My sister-in-law was my inspiration. She likes her privacy and thought it took up too much time. I, on the other hand, don't mind revealing the minutia of my day-to-day, constantly communicating! But...facebook was becoming an all consuming project. I tend to go all out when I do something. (Hmmm...perhaps I could address that in a separate post someday.) Anyway, I am done. Will I miss connecting with all those people? Maybe some of them. Will I miss out on some big news or juicy gossip? Probably.

I sense a theme in my life. I am constantly communicating...but to whom? I haven't missed TV, honestly. I am glad my cell phone is working again, although I like to turn the ringer off more and more. I hear I can just log back in to facebook, like I was never gone. But at the end of the day, my real desire is to sit and talk with my family face-to-face. I want to pick up the phone and hear my sister's voice. What's better than sitting down and writing a letter to someone with a pen and paper? And, to be still and feel God's presence?
I guess constant communication isn't so bad after all.

My little one...

My little one decided to be a Secret Service Special Agent for Halloween. We made her this cool badge and she found all sorts of gadgets to attach to her ear and waist. Her cousin was also a "spy". She was impressed that her uncle used to be an "agent" years ago.

Prior to Halloween, she and I took a trip to the pumpkin patch with her class. This is truly one of my favorite field trips. As a class, they make a real scarecrow and take home good size pumpkins and other treats. I was thrilled to find peach syrup, pumpkin butter and cherry juice in the little store.

We had a little snow!

We had a little snowstorm last week! School was closed for two days. P didn't go to work, except to pick up some files from the office, early in the storm...he wanted to be prepared. We had a great time sitting by the fire, sledding, eating at our neighborhood pizzeria. We played games, cuddled, crafted. I thought I would get so much done at home; cleaning my desk, the craft table, maybe even scrapbooking. No, I got very little done. I guess snowdays are not for catching up on tasks, but for catching up on living.