Beware the wolves!

This week is the big dress rehearsal week for Beauty and the Beast. Annsley is one of the wolves, which, even though was a bit of a disappointment at first, has turned out to be pretty fun for her. The only problem is that she is the oldest of the wolves (she is actually the "head wolf") and so sometimes she feels a little talked down to. But, she has a fun little dance and she is having a great time.

I was at the rehearsal last night, the first one in the actual theater, and these kids are amazing. The kids that they have playing the leads are such talented young people. The kid who played Gaston had me cracking up, and there will be more than one kid crying, I'm sure, when the beast makes his first entrance! Belle is also perfect for the part! I have continued to be amazed at how well done the CYT productions are! If you live anywhere close to Spokane, make sure you get a ticket!!

Born Again

I'll shock you all by posting two days in a row....

I just finished reading Born Again by Charles Colson. He was known as the "hatchet man" in the Nixon days during the Watergate period. He was a prideful hardened man who would do whatever it took to do the job needed. The book (on my autobiography list) is an amazing story of God getting hold of his life and changing him completely. I cried though the whole book as I read of how God was glorified through his conversion.

I love the Twila Paris song that says:
But I never get used to what You do
I never get used to watching You
Take a life beyond redemption
Make it yours and make it new
I never outgrow the miracle
A heart that was empty, flowing full
I never get used to what You do

It is an old book, but the message is timeless and I would recommend it as a testimony of God's faithfulness. It is especially neat knowing all the Chuck Colson's prison ministry has done since the writing of the book to further the gospel!

Pool Duck

Well, the pool is open!!!!! For those who don't know, my dad started (not on purpose) collecting rubber duckies for the pool. For some reason, we all keep buying him different rubber ducks. Last Christmas we (my brother's family and ours) got the "mother-of-all-rubber-ducks" for my Dad for Christmas. It is kind of a family joke. Today we went over and my Dad inflated the duck with the (what he called) the annual inflation ceremony.

Then, the duck was taken on its maiden voyage.

Giddyup, ducky!!

Then the duck got cold, and decided to go in the hot tub.

That thing is scary!!!

Cousins

Off in the other room I hear the delighted giggles of my 3 year old nephew being entertained by Annsley & Seth. We worked hard to get our school done this morning so that we could keep him this afternoon so Autie Erica could enjoy a little alone time for her birthday.



My kids are so crazy about their younger cousins and it just makes me happy to hear them all in there having so much fun together. I know Annsley and Seth are having just as much fun as little Sammy is.



Life is good!

My little girl is 11 today...

Sorry about the quality of the scans below, but I wanted to show off my little smiler. These smiles reflect her personality. She is sweet and loving, and I'm crazy about her!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANNSLEY!!

I've been tagged

5 things I couldn't live without under $5
1. Carmex (or as the addicted call it, lip-crack)
2. Diet Dr. Pepper
3. Sugar-free, non-fat, extra-hot, grande cinnamon dulce latte (Well, I could live without it, but I enjoy them)
4. Cheese
5. Popcorn

5 favorite movies-For some reason I can't think of a SINGLE movie that I have seen in years!
1. Mr Holland's Opus-I'm a sucker for an inspirational teacher movies!!
2. Remember the Titans-I'm also a huge sucker for inspirational sports movies!!
3. Facing the Giants (see above)

5 Baby name you love but won't use.
1. Marietta (I wish we had use this because it is a combo of both grandma's names and I think it is cute!)
2. Bethany-I wanted to name Annsley this, it is such a sweet peaceful name, but Danny vetoed it.
3. Cole-I like the strong sound of the name
4. Ashton-I thought Annsley and Ashton would have been cute, but Danny said we would have to be missionaries if our kids had the same first initial. :-)
5. Isabella-OK, I confess this is left over from the college days when I watched Days of Our Lives and I loved how John called Isabella- Izzy-B. But, Isabella Buller sounds stupid!

5 songs you could listen to over and over again.
1. Blessed be the Name of the Lord
2. Any songs from the musical Wicked
3. Be Thou My Wisdom
4. How Deep the Father's Love for Us
5. Who am I?

5 People who influenced your life in a positive way.
1. my mom
2. my dad
3. my grandmothers
4. Danny
5. my kids

5 things that stay in your purse at all times.
1. lip-crack
2. calendar
3. wallet
4. pen
5. glasses

5 moments that changed your life forever.
1. becoming a Christian
2. getting married
3. becoming a mom
4. homeschooling my children
5. turning 40?!? :-)

5 Obsessions you have right now
1. The music from Wicked
2. Hanging on the internet with my friends
3. Reading (working on my book lists)
4. Digital scrapbooking is not yet an obsession, but I want it to become one.
5. Homeschooling and planning/researching stuff. I love doing that.
5 places you would like to go.
1. Italy
2. Greece
3. Ireland
4. Africa
5. Russia

5 people I would like to see their top five:
Anyone who wants, let me know you have done it so I can read them!

It's official....

I'm 40!!


I had a wonderful birthday and felt very loved by family and friends. My Dad took our family to play laser tag, which was a total blast! I haven't done that for years and all three generations had a great time.

I have no negative feelings about being 40, I say bring it on!! :-) It is going to be a great decade.

My kids...

are downstairs making their lunch. Instead of the normal silly-ness or bickering I hear them singing.....in harmony. It sounds so beautiful. They are learning this song in their music class and it is really pretty. (It's a Wonderful Thing to be Me) They are getting really good at holding their parts and it is just making me smile. The other day they asked me to play it on the piano and all 3 of us sang it together. My dream come true! This is normal for Annsley, but Seth is a little more hesitant to join in and share his gift. He actually has a very pretty, sweet boy voice.

Happy day, people!

I've been reading

The Pursuit of God by A.W.Tozer. It is actually a re-read since I read the book when I was in college at Biola for a class. For some reason at that time I found the book boring. Huh?! Boring?! Was I really in a place then to not respond to Tozer's amazing, simple and convicting message?

The subtitle is The Human Thirst for the Divine and I find myself thirsty for more of God. If I quoted all the passages that have moved me, I would be quoting a good portion of the book, so I will settle for just a few favorite parts. I would encourage you to read the book. It isn't anything new, just the simple truths of our relationship with a holy God.

Failure to see this (our receptivity to God) is the cause of a very serious breakdown in modern evangelicalism. The idea of cultivation and exercise, so dear to the saints of old, has now no place in our total religious picture. It is too slow, too common. We now demand glamour and fast-flowing dramatic action. A generation of Christians raised among push buttons and automatic machines is impatient of slower and less direct methods of reaching their goals...We read our chapter, have our short devotions and rush away, hoping to make up for our deep inward bankruptcy by attending another gospel meeting....

The tragic results of this spirit are all about us: shallow lives, hollow religious philosophies, the preponderance of the element of fun in gospel meetings, the glorification of men, trust in religious externalities, quasi-religious fellowships, the mistaking of dynamic personalities for the power of the Spirit.

Tozer published this book in 1948. It is interesting that he so clearly diagnosed a problem then that would only grow worse as our society developed more "automatic machines." I am convinted by the part that I bolded (emphasis mine). "Too slow, too common." I am praying that God would change this about me!

Is anyone out there?

HELLO?!!!! (echo....echo)

I don't really know why I haven't blogged in so long, but I just haven't had much to say. Life is good, really good.

Do y'all know that I only have 14 days left of being in my 30's?!? There is still time to get the gifts in the mail.

Americal Idol talk, anyone?
I was happy to see David go. I was a bit surprised because I thought it would be Kristy Lee to leave last night. She definitely had the worst of the performances, in my opinion. My favorites are Brooke and darling little David Archeletta. He had a hard night on Tuesday, but hopefully he will learn from that. There were some good performances on Tuesday, but none that motivated me to pick up the phone and vote. For the first time this year there is no-one in the top twelve that I just can't wait until they go. I don't love them all, and I don't prefer the rock of Amanda, but I still like her. Thankfully, there is no "Sanjaya" this year!

My Grandma Verna

Last night we celebrated my Grandma's 88th birthday and we all (from my 2 years old nephew to my parents and grandpa) told my Grandma what we love and appreciate about her. I really could go on and on about how wonderful she is, but I've done that here. But, what struck me about last night was how healthy it was for our kids to see us honoring the elderly.

It was so cute to hear my 2 year old nephew tell Grandma Great that what he loves about her is that she gives him "ama crackers." (animal crackers) We started with the youngest and went all the way up the line. Even Danny and Erica (my brother's wife) told what they love about my Grandma. My Grandpa (who married my Grandma about 20 years ago) also shared what he loved about her. It was so sweet!

I was glad to get a chance to tell Grandma what she means to me, but I was even more glad that my kids got a chance to hear us all telling her. I mean, if they don't see it modeled, who is going to tell me how wonderful I am when I'm 88!!!

Fellowship Questions

I love this post at girl talk. You might not have an accountability partner, but what great questions to ask yourself regularly. I found myself challenged to answer several of them.

• Describe your current practice of the spiritual disciplines.
• What is a passage of Scripture you have been meditating on recently?
• What fruit of the Spirit are you cultivating?
• What sin are you seeking to weaken?
• How can I pray for you?
• Here is an evidence of grace that I observe in your life.
• How are you seeking to grow in expressing biblical femininity?

Good stuff!!

Superbowl

Oh boy was this a sweet, sweet victory! You just gotta love those Manning boys, eh? I watched a post-game show on NFL.com and they showed the most priceless conversation between Eli and Peton. They were like two little boys talking about the game. I loved the footage that they showed during the game of Peton. He was so intense watching his brother and so happy for his victory. I love it when the nice guy wins. And, yes....I also love it when the not-so-nice-guy doesn't win. Nuff' said!

I can't wait to see the commercials those brothers will make now, eh?

Congrats to the Giants on a great game!!

Wordless Wednesday

Snowed in!

I haven't missed church for anything other than illness or vacation since I was in college. But, this morning we awoke to about a foot of snow and I got stuck twice just trying to get out of our driveway. So, we opted for worshipping God in his amazingly gorgeous creation. We bundled up and headed for the park. We had to help about five different people who had gotten stuck. I have never seen so many neighbors out shoveling and snow blowing and trying to get out of their driveways. The roads are a mess, but everyone seemed in such good spirits and willing to help each other get the cars moving.

We walked (trudged would be a better word) to the park where we could barely find the swings. We made a snowman and just enjoyed the amazing beauty that God has given us!

I have included a few pictures of the day.

Have my kids been reading too much?

Annsley and Seth told me tonight that they had a plan but they couldn't tell me what it was until after Tuesday. I prodded a little and they finally confessed that they were going to run away to the mall on Tuesday. They didn't tell me *which* mall however so I wouldn't be able to find them right away. They said that they were going to get their money out of the bank so they would have something to live off of. When I asked them how they were going to do that, they replied, "We need you to help us with that." I said, "OK. When you ask me to do it I'll try not to ask too many questions so I don't discover your plan." They were thankful. I told them I thought it would be good for them and help them with their independence skills. I promised not to tell Daddy until after Tuesday.

Um.....do you think my kids have been reading a little to much Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler? I remember loving this book as a kid and planning a few adventures of my own after reading it. However, they decided that our local museum just didn't have what they needed to survive, but the mall certainly does. Seth did let it slip that I would probably find them in the bedroom section of one of the stores. They also assured me it was nothing I had done! Phew!

Love/ Hate Meme

I love to eat: brie cheese
I hate to eat: raisins
I love to go: on vacation
I hate to go: to Walmart
I love it when: I have a lazy Saturday to sleep in and read in bed
I hate it when: I hurt someone's feelings
I love to see: my kids do something well
I hate to see: anyone I love in pain
I love to hear: my kids laughing
I hate to hear: anything out of pitch

For you: Miz Booshay

Tuesday Ten (I mean Seven)

1. Riverdance was great. I can only imagine long, wispy legs gracefully moving across the floor. I am not long-limbed.
2. I learned how to make a ribbon on photoshop. It looks cool, but I'll post it later. (Yah, I know Cathy, you could just curl a real ribbon in much less time!)
3. We have been doing our meals-on-wheels this month, and I can not tell you how much I like having meals delivered to my house on the nights that I work.
4. There is no football this weekend! I will be having withdrawals.
5. It is very cold here today!! I'm so thankful for a house and a heater...and my electric blanket.
6. American Idol has started, but I gotta say, I like it a lot better when they get to Hollywood. Danny and the kids enjoy this tryout part.
7. I really don't have much to say, but I really like you all....my imaginary friends, and I really haven't posted much substantial lately.

Tomorrow I get to go....

to this!

It almost makes up for the fact that the Seahawks will be home tomorrow. The only problem is that I will miss most of the early game (Go Chargers!) and part of the second game (Go Packers!) It sounds like it is going to be just a little chilly in Green Bay.

What are you reading right now?

I am reading All Rivers Run to the Sea by Elie Wiesel. I have always had a fascination with reading about Holocaust survivors, but this may be one of the most amazing books I have read in this genre. Wiesel weaves the tale of his fascinating life, adding his personal reflections on God, faith, love and forgiveness.

"To write is to plumb the unfathomable depths of being. Writing lies within the domain of mystery. The space between any two words is vaster than the distance between heaven and earth. To bridge it you must close your eyes and leap. A Hasidic tradition tells us that in the Torah the white spaces, too, are God-given. Ultimately, to write is an act of faith."

What's in *your* book pile?

Go Hawks!!

We have on our blue and green. We are heading to my parents to watch the big screen.

Can you imagine how the players must all feel right now?

Miz Booshay, all morning your phrase, "May the team with the best bloggers win" has been making me smile. That one really cracked me up. If I didn't have Crissy on my side I would give the Packers the advantage on that one. You are one of the few people I know (besides me, of course) who would have a picture of knitting and football in the same post! I hope your boys have a wonderful time at the game and could you ask them to say a little Seahawk cheer just for me?

I didn't mention yesterday that I am now officially married to a 40 year old! We celebrated last night at our favorite Mexican restaurant with my family and tonight we will celebrate with his family. He insisted that I NOT give him a party. He does not like to be the center of attention. This whole turning 40 gig has been made more difficult due to the fact that he found out last week he needs two crowns on his teeth. He has begun the downward slide. :-)

Like you really care....

I know I'm a bit PSE obsessed, but I really love my folded paper that I made! I just gotta show you. I added the shading, shadows, etc. I followed a tutorial, but I think it is cute. The picture on this page was just another technique I was learning and won't stay on this page. I'm having fun.

Wednesday morning

Happy Wednesday, everyone. We have amazingly beautiful snow outside and it makes me SO happy!! I love the snow. The kids should be awake now so we can start on our "schedule" but Annsley was out late at a basketball game last night and.....I'm enjoying the quiet right now.

This afternoon Annsley starts her next CYT class. She auditioned for a class called Star Spangled Kids that will tour to schools, but did not get in. She was the youngest to audition, and although she sang beautifully, she could not get the dance routine they taught at the audition. It was not an easy jazz routine and Annsley has not had much jazz, so she couldn't learn it fast enough for the audition. She felt bad right after the audition. But, when I told her she didn't get it, she seemed fine with it. She is taking a different fun class (which will mean less work and time). It was a good lesson for her. Confession time. I sort of felt like *I* didn't make it, and I found that *I* was disappointed by the whole thing. Very, very silly!! But, don't worry, I'm over it....for the most part. ;-)

Please be patient

If you are seeing a giant blog banner....sorry about that. I'm trying to make some changes, but I have to go to bed and I won't get back to it for a while. If you are seeing a tiny blog banner could you let me know, please. Thanks! I'm going to fix the colors too.

Can you stand another scrapbooking page?

This is what I'm spending my evening time doing lately. And....I gotta show someone!

My Photoshop Elements lesson

The lesson for the month was making "grunge" borders. Along with this I learned how to take the color out of a picture and then add it back in in certain spots.

This looks so simple. Why did it take me so long to do it? :-)

First Digital Scrapbooking page

I found this website, which has proved to be the easiest site for learning new things. I even subscribed to their newsletter where they send you new techniques to learn each month. The problem is that I am following the tutorials and trying to do some advanced techniques without having a great understanding of the basics.

They have a great beginning tutorial video, but it is Photoshop Elements 5. I am trying to decide if I should wait for the Elements 6 beginning training video (not sure when it is coming out..."soon" is what they say) or get the Elements 5 training to learn the basics. It doesn't make sense to use an outdated program, but.....well.....I'm kinda impatient!

My first Photoshop Creation

I followed a tutorial to make this cute Christmas ornament with Photoshop. I don't really know what I'll do with it yet, but I thought it was kinda cute.

2008 Project Challenge

Kelli came up with the 2008 Project Challenge. Each month choose a project that you would like to tackle. Pretty simple. Does anyone want to join me? My project for January is to get my recipes organized again. The paper seems to have multiplied. I'll let you know how this goes. If you would like to join me (and Kelli) let me know your project in my comments or post it on your blog and send me the link.

Year in Review

as inspired by the amazing Miz. Booshay

January:

OK, I can hardly remember back to January, but I took a very spur of the moment work trip to Rhode Island and stayed in an amazing hotel and had the best Italian food I have ever tasted in my life. Now THAT is a memory I can't forget. The company that paid for us (not our school tax dollars, you will be happy to know) is very generous to their guests!!

February:

I got glasses. I don't wear them all the time, mostly as a fashion accessory, but I find I'm needing them a little more as I approach 40!

March-April: We started our South trip in Dallas at the end of March and into April. This trip was one of the highlights of our year. It was so fun seeing the country and some old friends along the way. (Old in longevity not age, of course!) Here we are in a amazingly gorgeous place in Mississippi along the Natchez Trace. This trip brought our grand total up to 35 states that we have been in. I turned 39 in March and Annsley turned double digits in April.

May-The weekends in May were mostly dedicated to putting in our irrigation system at our property. This was a LOT of work and the kids did a ton of work. At the time I remember thinking that there was NO WAY this was going to be worth it, but I have sure been enjoying the produce in my freezer from all our work! OK, this picture wasn't from May, but you get the idea.

June: We took a short trip over to Seattle and had a great time staying with family and seeing some fun things. I also passed the oral defense for my masters degree. That was exciting!

July:

I finished my masters degree!!! Every July we head to the Oregon coast for a week with my family. This is always a yearly highlight for everyone. This year we extended our vacation a week and toured around Oregon with Danny's parents before we headed to Cannon Beach.

August:

LaNae (Danny's sister) and kids returned to Spokane from California. The kids have been so happy to be back together again!! There was lots of swimming and a visit from our wonderful Chicago friends (time to start a blog, Bets!!)

September:

We started back officially to school.

October: Seth turned 9 this month and had soccer games and practice and Annsley was rehearsing for Little Women, the Musical. October seems a bit of a blur.

November: Annsely was in her first play and loved it! See this post for pictures.

December: There are many Christmas highlights this year. One highlight is always the Christmas play that the cousing literally spend all year planning and practicing. The older the get, the sweeter it is.

12th Man Bracelet

This bracelet makes me smile. You can't see the little football charm, but it is there. Thanks Andie for letting me know about it.

Just in time for the playoffs.

Those Redskins looked tough today!

Go SEAHAWKS!

Santa Came Last Night....

I think he was heading south for a post-Christmas vacation, but he made an appearance last night. Or, maybe he just knows when people are celebrating. Somehow Grandpa managed to miss Santa again this year. He always seems to be gone when Santa makes his appearance!

Bets, does this look terrifyingly familiar?

Santa has been known to surprise (and frighten) people by appearing outside their window without warning.

No crying children here this year.

Wordless Wednesday

I'm so excited....

about this....









I used to be a scrapbooker, but the reality is that I haven't even printed off pictures for about three years now, so I don't think I can call myself a scrapbooker anymore. I've got supplies and paper galore, but I don't seem to make anymore to do it. So, I'm switching teams. I'm going to try my hand at digital scrapbooking. I really love the whole notion of NO MESS. I also like that I can skip that pesky step of printing off the pictures. We'll see what comes of it, but I'm excited to try. Wish me luck!

Merry Christmas

I miss my family. My parents (and brother/sil, and Grandparents) are in Seattle with extended family this year. I really enjoy being with Danny's family but, honestly, I just kinda miss my parents. It heightens my awareness of how blessed I am to have a great relationship with them. We'll celebrate when they get back but tonight I am feeling a twinge of sadness.

Tonight I am praying for the military families who are separated for a lot more than four nights. What an amazing sacrifice!! Tonight I am thankful for the Father who sent his Son away from his side to be with us for a short time and become our Savior.

Merry Christmas, friends!!

Proud knitter

I thought I'd show off what I made for Annsley.

Thanks Ree

I thought we'd try something new this year, so we made Ree's sugar cookies. I like them because they look kind of cool-in a vintagey kinda way! We haven't added the white piping to them yet.

Then, I got a couple of hours ON MY OWN to go to do some shopping. I'm almost done with my shopping. Did I mention that I got to be ON MY OWN? :-)

May all your cookies remain unbroken this season!

Popcorn balls

Here we are for the annual popcorn ball making party. I am typing this live as the event is unfolding. I'm hoping to give a flavor and taste (so to speak) of the event. Grandma Great is slaving over the hot stove trying to make sure that we don't cross over from "hard ball" to "soft crack." There is a fine line between ball and crack, as you well know.

Grandpa Great has his hands buttered and stands ready to mix and form when the moment arrives.

The kids (and mostly Grandpa Larry) are playing Christmas carols on the piano. He misses few notes but he adds great flourish and flair to the songs. You might ask him for a performance over in Seattle. He *might* be willing to perform. (He sings too-ask him about Do You Know What I Know)

The moment is approaching. The tension mounts. Will it be right? Will it be too hard or too soft? Here is comes. We have contact! Erica and GG stir like mad. Grandma Great is certain, as she is with EVERY single batch that *this* will be the batch that does not work. In the years we have been doing this, I have not know a batch to not work, but the tradition continues.

Verdict: THEY STICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas time is here....

Here's what I did tonight.... I *love* these old classics.









Here are the fine young people who celebrated the event.....The Sanchez kids are staying with us for a few days and the Klock kids came to join us for the evening.

Sign Language Class

Annsley and Seth have been taking a sign language class since last year and their teacher is just wonderful. She has really given both the kids a love and passion for sign language. I have been so impressed with all that they know after a relatively short time. All trimester they have been working on a report of a prominent deaf person. Annsley chose Laura Bridgeman and Seth chose Laurant Clerc. They wrote an essay and made a poster. Their final project was to sign their report for the class. It was so cute how excited/nervous they were last night. They practiced, oh boy did they practice!!

Seth literally raced into my classroom after his performance and showed me that he had received 100/100 points on his project. I wish I could have captured his sweet face with a picture. I wanted to kiss his teacher for giving him that grade, but more than that, I wanted to kiss his teacher for giving him the opportunity to get in front of others and show what he has learned. This doesn't come easily for this boy and I was so proud I wanted to burst. Annsley came down a little later to show me her 100 as well. But, she enjoys being in front of others and so it wasn't quite as hard for her. Her presentation was about nine minutes long (Seth's was about 5 minutes). Annsley has a beautiful stage presence when she signs and she really enjoys it.

Their teacher recorded them and I am hoping that I will be able to figure out how to upload a clip of them signing. I wish I could post a video of Annsley signing Silent Night, but I don't have a digital video camera yet.

This is one of the reasons that I love TEC. It gives the kids a chance to work with other teachers who will inspire them to do things that I can not teach. I was also happy that they are diligent about their deadlines and due dates without me pushing them. They did this all on their own. They were the only two students in the class who were ready to go with their reports today.

Also today in their science class their final project is to wire a little cardboard box house. They have been studying electricity and circuits in the class. They have been having so much fun and learning so much.

In their writing class they are putting their finishing touches on their expository essays and getting ready for their writer's celebration next week. This is where they read a selection that they have read in front of the class and parents.

In their music class next week they are putting on a little performance for the parents. They will be playing autoharps and doing some other cool things.

These are some of the reasons that I am so thankful for TEC!!

Wordless Wednesday

Quiet Strength

OK, maybe you don't like football as much as I do, but this book was amazing and it touched me in many ways. I was full of tears throughout the whole book, moved by his God honoring attitudes in difficult circumstances. The Colts were already my 2nd favorite team because of Dungy but now I am officially and whole-heartedly a Dungy fan.