The Head Curtain

For the last month or so, the 6-year-old has been sleeping under an open umbrella, draped with blankets.  I figured it was just a phase. But when Christmas shopping adventures found our family in the local Bed, Bath and Beyond store, she made sure that I understood that she wanted a head curtain.  She was ecstatic when she opened a gift from her grandparents to find one with feathers...and thrilled when she arrived home today to find it in its proper place.  I love that she calls it a head curtain...that's way more descriptive than "canopy".

January in Michigan

Check out that temp...on January 6, 2012...in Michigan. Pure happiness...and I was hanging with my mom as the cherry on top!

She stole my spot

Any amount of sunshine in Michigan is something worth pursuing.

WE GOT SPIRIT!!..

YES, WE DO!...WE GOT SPIRIT!...HOW 'BOUT YOU?!
This week kicks off 11 weeks of cheerleading practice with Upward!!

Good-byes...Ugh!

The day started out wonderfully...bellied up to my parents' dining room table where you could pick your poison...biscuits with gravy or biscuits and chocolate syrup (I confess that I had one of each!). This was my sister's final exam after being schooled by my dad on making the gravy and my mom on creating the syrup. She passed with flying colors, launching us into some sisterly shopping time...getting her Haloburger check mark before leaving town...and hanging in my kitchen as I made potato and leek soup, the Pioneer Woman's macaroni and cheese recipe (my nephew's request) and buttermilk pie (just because my sister was curious after I had mentioned it). We ended our day just as we had begun them...with full bellies and the warm, fuzzy feelings of good times spent with loved ones...but also with the heartache of farewell. As my sister (visit her here) and nephew return to California, I'll begin counting down the days until our next visit. Adios, Falula!!

What Do They See?

I'm sitting at the 11-year-old's first Upward cheerleading practice, reading "The Help" on my Nook.  As practice approaches its end, I started to close my reader down when I see the drawing below.  It was composed by our 6-year-old and given to me as a gift...a portrait of her dad and I. As we look forward to celebrating our twentieth wedding anniversary this year, I am thankful that this is how my daughters see us.
P.S. Never mind the big panda staring from behind us.

Starting 2012 the Right Way

It's not every year that January 1 lands on a Sunday. What a blessing that it did so this morning...the kickoff for 2012. Our pastor highlighted the verse Phillipians 1:21 in which Paul wrote "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." He explained that Paul lived passionately to please God rather than man, seeking to glorify God rather than himself, and sharing the Gospel with as many as possible.  I have to confess that this is a verse that I have probably skimmed over many times, never taking the time to consider its message.  Today, as I consider so many of my failings and opportunities to get better, I am thrilled to launch my 2012 and any efforts to drop bad habits and develp good ones on the foundation of Paul's words.
An unrelated side note...in an effort to get the creative juices flowing and spend more time here, I've decided to tackle the lofty goal of sharing one picture per day for 2012.  Some may be meaningful...some may be mundane...and I'm sure many will be last minute panic-driven snapshots just before I hit the pillow. But today, I will feature the verse I shared above.