December Photo Shoot

The girls decided to capture the beauty of the winter wonderland (and themselves) in some outdoor photos. They came in and showed us their handiwork and we commented that they looked like a Limited Too advertisement. Apparently they were preparing to shoot the summer edition of the "catazine" because the next time we looked out the window, they were dressed in tank tops in 35 degree weather! At the end of the day, they got some great pics!

Merry Christmas!

We started out this morning opening gifts. It didn't look like much under the tree...definitely not the piles that it's been in the past. The girls seemed unphased...enjoying every single thing that they opened...showing each other every bobbie pin and lip gloss as if it was the very best one in the entire free world. I'm so thankful to have thankful kids. The big winner of the day, of course, was RockBand. They ran screaming to where it was set up in the basement and have been playing it every second that we've been home. In fact, Mackenzie and Chris are down there playing right now.

We did take time to read out of Luke 2 this morning about Christ's birth and discussed how Mary and Joseph must've felt that day so many years ago, and why God sent Jesus to Earth in the form of a baby. I pray that we all take time to think not just of Jesus' birth, but the plan God laid out for Him here. Spend some time putting ourselves in God's shoes...thinking of more than just the story of the baby in the manger, but the sacrifice of God sending His Son and how it's affected our lives and changed us forever.

May this Christmas bring you the peace that comes with understanding the great plans our Creator has for us. May your family be wrapped in the kind of love that comes from knowing that Jesus came for us and died for us. Happy Birthday Jesus. Merry Christmas all.

My goal in life #3

I don't know about you, but every day I see grown adults who live their life caring about no one but themselves. They get up in the morning, drive to work in the left lane(which is reserved for passing-just thought I'd take this opportunity to share that with everyone!), work their job making sure they do just enough not to get fired, drive home in the left lane, think only of themselves as they sit in front of the tv at night and let the media fill their brains with what they think is the truth. They are programmed to believe what they see on the news and have come to depend on the government or other groups to defend the rights of the individual...so much so that the individual no longer exists. They believe that they need someone to do their talking for them, that someone else should fill the gap and defend them, should they ever need to be defended. In essence, they become dependent just as they once were on their parents-not able to take care of themselves, think for themselves or speak for themselves.

I say all that to say this...my goal in life is to raise kids that don't need anyone to do their thinking, speaking or acting for them.

My goal in life is to put my girls in enough situations where they're made to suffer the consequences to learn the lesson. My goal is to teach them that they can have their own opinion, as long as it's substantiated by THINKING! Not just a regurgitation of what they saw someone else say on tv. That there are places to learn, understand and grow in ideas. That it's possible to have a conversation where there is a difference of opinion and still respect one another. My goal in life is to raise kids that understand that their world-view is rooted in the Bible and that it's the basis for all of the ideas that they hold true. My goal is to see my children become adults that don't just follow the crowd because it's the easy, non-confrontational thing to do, but that they become the people that the crowd is following...in the right direction, doing the right thing, for the right reason.

I pray that my girls are schooled in good thinking, good conversation and good sense...man will they stick out like sore thumbs, or what? :)

Installment #2

Though finding and wearing the proper bra may seem unimportant, the basis for making this suggestion really does come from a place of goodness. My "goals in life", most of them anyway, revolve around raising the self-esteem of those around me. I believe that when people feel good about themselves and their homes, it frees them up to think about someone other than themselves and begin serving others. It may seem like spending time and $ on our appearances and the appearance of our home is entirely self-serving...I disagree. When a person feels like they're putting their best foot forward- they look put-together, their home is welcoming and feels like a haven for themselves and for others- they are able to stop thinking about how they wish they were better or different, and they can focus on others. This brings us to My Goal in Life #2-accessories. (I promise, that the meatier stuff will find it's way onto this blog, this was just on my mind!)

If you were to ask me what the one thing that I make sure I do every day is...the list would be long. But one of the things would be the use of accessories. Now, in my opinion, earrings are a MUST! No questions asked. Stand in front of the mirror in your favorite outfit without earrings...then put on earrings...which one's better? It always feels like "something's missing" if I forget to put them in. I'm trying to teach my girls this phenomenon as well. Take any old outfit, add a bracelet, ring, necklace and earrings, a hat or scarf, and you've completely taken it from ok to fantastic! When that happens, you feel so much better about how you look! People assume you take care of yourself and treat you better. I'd like to sit here and tell you that it doesn't matter what other people think (and ultimately, it doesn't! I only care what God thinks of me!), but I'd be lying if I told you that people will not treat you differently when you make an effort to give a good impression. (I hope you all know that I don't believe for a second that the only way you can make a good impression is to look good...it's the way you act as well.)

I say all of that to say this...put on a pair of earrings for the love of pete! I'm just kidding! Seriously though, consider looking into a pair of silver hoops (they go with everything), a black pair of earrings and a brown pair of earrings...you don't have to spend a lot of money. Get a silver bracelet that will go with casual gear, as well as with dressier stuff. We are at an all-time high as far as bracelets go in the stores...the choices are endless! Get a silver necklace that you can wear for casual and dressy. Maybe just a circle on a chain...these things will make a huge difference! You'll be on your way to looking and feeling your best in no time.

Next up...shoes?

My Goals in Life...a series

The clutter that fills up my mind and prevents me from remembering really important things is begging to get out...this is what's in there today.

My goal in life is...

...to get every woman I know to wear the right bra. I know! It sounds too personal, and is really hard to bring up in conversation... so I figured if I wrote it here, and you asked me about it, then I might be able to help. Now, this is not to say that my I'm always having a good bra day, or that there aren't times when you can look at me and think I need to take some of my own advice. It's difficult to get it right every day. I only have so many of the good ones and when they're in the laundry...well, they're in the laundry.

The key is to try on a bunch of them. I know that when I wear the right one...the one that's got enough muscle for the job...I look 10 lbs lighter. I'll take that! For those of us who are well-endowed (well -endowed...that sounds more like we have excess money versus excess tatas! :)), I prefer a minimizer, and not just any one will do. I have, through a series of trial and error (a LOT of error!), found one that's up for the challenge of hoisting these bad-boys up. And that is what this world needs! For the girls to be hoisted up!

I encourage you all to evaluate your bra drawer and discard the ones that don't do the trick. Ask for them for Christmas (ok, you might not want people picking out your bras...that would be counter-productive if you're following my above-mentioned suggestions, so ask for gc's!), or save your Christmas money. Move it to the top of the priority list. Everything you wear will look better when you nip this one in the bud...I promise!

Good luck, ladies. Happy bra hunting!

Life is Good

Do you ever have those surreal moments in your life, when everything seems to slow down enough for you to appreciate it? This morning was one of those moments. Chris got up early and let the dog out so I didn't have to peel myself out of bed and bundle up to do it. He left for Bible Study and I began my search for the best cookie recipe ever (that I had the ingredients for...that hindered the process a LOT, I must say!) I decided on a pumpkin cookie whose name escapes me right now, and went into the cold kitchen to bake. (@ 8 am!)
Now, if you know me, you know baking's not my thing. But this morning, there was something about the quiet...I don't know what it was. Usually, the first thing I do is turn on some music, but I didn't at first. I proceeded to measure and mix, bake, frost, and top with pecans. The methodical process, uninterrupted, was something I don't experience often, and it made me appreciate why other people like to do it.
Now the Christmas tree is on, I'm listening to Erin O'Donnell sing my favorite Christmas carols, the house smells like warm sugar, snow is falling outside, and I'm not in a hurry...maybe that's it...maybe that's why I enjoyed this morning so much...I wasn't in a hurry. I should try it more often.

I know this is a little late in the year to be posting Halloween pics, but they just came off the camera (shock!) and it's a cute picture...this Halloween was the first one that the girls weren't really that interested in staying out for as long as they could to get as much candy as they could. They're getting so old!