New Life

"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls a butterfly." Richard Bach

Friday, December 30, 2011

Saying Goodbye to 2011.... A Year in Pictures

"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot." Michael Altshuler
Love that dog!
My Big Brother the Sky Diver
Handmade flowers for residents of The Little Flower

The Linus Project

Love cookies

Williamsburg, VA with friends



Our Easter snake found while hunting eggs


Homeschool experiments

New life

No Complaints

Rising Above

Meeting Ann Voskamp

Summer flooding

Mom Retreat

Library volunteer

Beach Jewels


Biology

Balloon Fest

Love Notes

The power of one


Picture Study

Gavel Club

Ellie's masterpiece

CHRISTmas bells
YMCA Dance Team Talent Show

He is the man!

 "We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called “Opportunity” and its first chapter is New Year’s Day."  Edith L. Pierce

 Shalom 2012!


Tuesday, December 27, 2011

My Favorite Things...

 Inspired by Robin at Pensieve...

Sung to the tune of My Favorite Things from the Sound of Music...

(I got carried away and added two extra verses)
If you know me, personally, you know these really are my favorite things :)

My Favorite Things...

♪ Soft fuzzy socks and a hot cup of tea
children decorating the Christmas tree
Fridays with friends and the laughter it brings
These are a few of my favorite things.♫


♪ Books for a deal at 25 cents
Blankets and sheets to build forts and tents
A day of yard sales and the treasures it brings
These are a few of my favorite things.♫


 
♪ Drinking Coke icees and time at the beach
Homemade ice-cream, blackberry and peach
Tic tacs and chocolate and birds in the Spring,
These are a few of my favorite things!♫

♪ The scent of a baby and warm skin hugs
Flying the girls on my feet on the rug
Blessed to stay home with kids under my wings
These are a few of my favorite things!♫

♪ Snuggling close for our school read a louds
On our backs looking up at the clouds
Salvation Army and the bells that they ring
These are a few of my favorite things!♫


♪ When I stumble, when there’s bad news
When I'm feeling sad.
I simply remember all of God’s gifts
And then I don’t feel so bad. ♫

Okay,  now it is your turn!  You have at least one verse in you :)

Saturday, December 17, 2011

CHRISTmas bells....

Some people hide their eyes and look down when they slip money in the red bucket, like they don't want to be noticed.
Some nod and tell you they will get you on the way out, and they do.
Some cheerfully smile and return your Merry Christmas with an even merrier one.
Some avoid eye contact all together and make a wide arc to get into the store's door.  These are the ones who seem sad to me.   It isn't that they don't give, it is their expressions.
We smile anyway.

The children have the most fun of all.

My girls have always loved to fold the money or plunk the coins one by one into the small hole in the red kettle.  Gabrielle tried to get her eyeball into the hole to see the money.

One year, it was freezing, we bought a hot chocolate for a bell ringer who shivered in front of a Wal-mart.  It was bitter cold meets icy wind.  We brought it back for him and he paid us with a big smile.

This year it was nearly 70 degrees! 

With no bells last year, we thought we had hit the jackpot! 
.... 3 bells and 2 aprons!  We even got the bells in rhythm. 
.....And shortly discovered that hand bell ringers, we are not.
But we sure can make some noise!
We had a blast.


 Consider the bell ringers this CHRISTmas!  Consider Salvation Army too :)

Psalm 41

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
 1 Blessed is he who considers the poor;
         The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
 2 The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive,
         And he will be blessed on the earth;
         You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.