Merry Christmas from our family to yours! May you know the love of Christ this blessed season!

A little trip to Cali...

Catalina Island

Disneyland

California Adventure

The Aquarium of the Pacific

& Seaworld

I've been busy thinking...

G with her art at a district show. This piece was purchased by the district HR director for their administrative offices!
Here is A with the spirit award at Kids Camp at church this summer!

I am so embarrassed by my inability to keep from drowning in piles of paper. I found this blog and am very motivated to learn more and implement what I learn.

I am interested in the Ransomed Heart Ministry after reading their book Captivating. My heart has been opened to God's desire for healing in my life! I am amazed at how many great concepts I underlined in that book (that means I liked it a lot!!!).

School starts Friday. I have mixed emotions. This is my oldest daughters last year of elementary school. Somehow that freaks me out and brings me joy at the same time. She is incredible!!! I am wild about her! We feel so blessed that she is with her best friend in class again.

My youngest is in 3rd grade and in an Upstairs classroom for the first time. This feels really cool to her! She is a ray of sunshine and full of passion!!! It is fun to watch her grow and embrace every moment of each day.

...camping

This was the best part of camping...the sitting and reading my new Country Home magazine. I enjoyed smores, the light rain, the flowers, the chipmunks, and playing games with my hubby and kids. I did not enjoy all the baggage, bug bites, and bears. More later...

...family rocks!

...we have one more set of cousins back in town. Another set will be here in two weeks. Not only do we love the cousins, we love their parents, too! God has blessed us with such amazing brothers and sisters and their spouses. And everyone will be in the same state. These little ones in the picture are absolutely scrumptious!!!

...Vail again!

Though we only visited for a few days, Vail proved to be quite a relaxing spot for our family...even amidst a legal conference. I know P was relaxed...he fell asleep at the pool. I read several chapters of my book. The girls both devoured their books. We spent at least 3 or 4 hours by the pool (and in the pool, of course!).

G and A enjoyed taking pictures at Ford park. We even took in watched a few volleyball games at the King of the Mountain tournament. It's been a nutty summer and we needed this wonderful getaway!

...a garden to be loved

On a recent trip to Vail, we visited the Betty Ford Garden. We were impressed with the many flowers that grow at the this climate. We went away inspired to try some in our garden!

Two weeks away from my sister arriving and my 20 year highschool reunion!

The time is drawing near...

My nephews will soon be here...along with my dear sister and her sweet hubby. I feel so blessed to finally have them living close to me. Joelle and I are thrilled to be able to cook and bake and sew and craft together on a regular basis. We will get to have Sunday dinners and early morning walks and camping trips and garage sale runs!

Words can not explain the joy I feel. Years of longing for my best friend to be right around the corner. I cannot wait 6 more weeks. I need her here now!!!

I am blue. I shouldn't be. It is summer. The rain stopped and the sun is out. Swimming, bike riding, and frolicking can resume. Yet, I sit here overwhelmed by obligations and lists and conflict.

My small group is reading through Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge. I am embracing who God created me to be...what it means to a woman...how to know my heart's desires. And the journey is sometimes painful. I am faced with realities about myself that are uncomfortable at times. What a blessing to know that Christ is loving me every step of the way, unconditionally.

"Then the time came when the risk it took to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." -Anais Nin

I am reclaiming the rainbow.

I saw it from beginning to end.

It was surreal. The spot it ended was right past that tree.

Rainbows are always fascinating to me.

A promise...a gift.

Claimed by some.

Really only One purpose.

It will never be anything else.

Summer is here...

After a very busy May we are excited to be done with school and sports so we can move on to summer play!!! Here are just a few of the activities from May..

Biography Convention - Margaret Tobin Brown

AKA Molly Brown

Gymnastics Show!!!

Father Daughter Dance
Volleyball Tournament

...change.

The next year of our life will be full of change...family moving back, new grades for the girls, neighbors moving, our house is changing shape, just to mention a few things.


My little one is struggling with the change. It becomes even more intense with the close of the school year. She is so sick of her friends and the school grind, yet is so sad to leave it all. I remember the feeling. I am sometimes overwhelmed by the thought of change. This morning we talked about all the good that comes from change...new friendships, being close to family, new neighbors, new adventures, more people to love you!



I am thankful that throughout all this change, God remains consistent! I cannot imagine not knowing Him.

Summer is just around the corner...

It's almost time to head to the hills for hikes around the lake. We may even venture out on our bikes. This particular hike near Frasier, Colorado was a favorite.

The strawberry plants are basking in the sun and taking over the garden again. I think they need to be moved to a bed of their own this year. I can just taste the red red red berries!

...how does your garden grow?

We planted our garden...sunflowers, radishes, beans, chives, tomatoes, basil, watermelon, squash, carrots, zucchini, flowers and a bunch of other stuff I cannot remember. The strawberries and mint came back beautifully. I planted the week before Mother's Day and then came two weeks of uncertain weather...including sNoW! Needless to say, after much hovering and covering, most of what I planted is sprouting. It brings joy to my heart to see the hearty little leaves push through the dirt. I can close my eyes and envision it in full bloom. I can taste the warm red tomato fresh off the vine. I can smell the fresh lime basil rubbed between my fingers (and then made into one of Tina's famous basil martini's...). I am off to give it all a drink of water. I feel so blessed by the gifts from Above. God is so good! Have a blessed day of your own...

I was challenged...

I have been going to "boot camp" in my neighborhood for about 5 weeks now...it's an intensive workout that includes cardio and strength training. I love it and hate it at the same time. I keep going back so it can't be too bad. I am trying to make exercise a habit. It seems to be working! I can't say I have lost any weight, but I am feeling much better, in general.

I feel like this has been an obedience issue. My God is so patient with me. It has been challenging. I can always think of something pressing so I have an excuse not to exercise. God blesses me with energy and a pleasant disposition every time I obey. Wow!

(I am still having picture uploading problems. I cannot see a "thumbnail" of what I want to upload, so I am uploading random pictures for your enjoyment. This one is at the Brown Palace after we had tea!)

Random picture

I still cannot really upload pictures to this blog. It's complicted, but I did get this picture to load. (See the cute little doggy paw in the corner...silly Ty.) The only comment I will make is - I am excited for garage sale season. I think I got these at Goodwill, but it reminds me of all the treasures people are digging out of their closets as we speak!

I also cannot wait for A Paris Street Market. I missed the first one this month, and I will miss the June market because of my community garage sale. First Saturdays in July, Aug, Sept, and Oct are on the calendar~ anyone want to come along?

...I got the entire scoop!!!

Wow! My eleven year old started talking tonight...and she just couldn't stop. I heard all about who likes who in her class. I heard all about who the nice boys are. I heard about which ones smell good!!! I am so glad she talks to me. I wonder if she knows I posted this...the talking might stop. Hmmm? To post or not to post...

By the way, I cannot upload pics again. Argh.

The Villa on Lava Lane

I feel so blessed to have spent a weekend away with four amazing friends! Joanne so graciously shared her "villa" in Haxtun (northeastern Colorado) for a much needed getaway. We ate so incredibly well... oaty pancakes with carmalized bananas and pecans, garlic rosemary chicken, pastries from Das Mayer and this simple plate of brie, blueberries and crackers was a perfect match with our wine selection (or rum and coke...whichever you prefer!).
This is from my favorite little store The Oak Tree in the little town of Holyoke.
An oasis in the plains! I always come away with little treasures and good snacks.

It wouldn't be a trip to the Villa without a stop at Walmart in Sterling.

No, are not playing Rook... but instead, "Tough 14" or "Rough 13" or "totally frustrating huge stack of cards in my hand at the end of each round and I am going to lose because it is really late at night and we finished a bottle of wine" card game...watch out Jill - I have...well, nothing.

Jessica, Joanne and Laura

No, not my sister...but Cheryl (close enough!).

a new favorite book

I really love this new book I found at the library, Cooking with Whole Foods by Nicola Graimes. We are not completely vegetarian, nor do we eat all organic... so this book really seems to be a nice healthy balance. I could add meat to many of the recipes if I feel so inclined. My daughter G is excited to try out some of these recipes before it is due back to the library. We just might have to break down and buy a copy...

We are going to a dinner party on Sunday night and I am in charge of bringing an appetizer. I think the Courgette Fritters with Chili Jam sound great! (Courgette's are zucchini...I didn't know this until I read this recipe.)

I had a great picture, but once again, my computer doesn't want to upload photos. Time to call in the guru...

The Princess and the Pea

The girls took part in a production of The Princess and the Pea with Missoula Children's Theatre. Sweet A was a Dust Bunny (you know...there need to be dust bunnies under the princess's bed!) and G was the Pea. It was a full week of rehearsals and two performances on Saturday. They had a blast!!!

out-of-order

My blog is currently out-of-order. I am not able to upload photos for some reason. I will consult with the computer guru and be back soon, I hope.