Project 365: Weeks 51 & 52 "christmas combo"

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Saylor and I attended a sweet baby shower this afternoon. Saylor is such a shower girl.

The Davidson Den Wishes You a Very Merry Christmas

Two years ago I posted a video these guys did back in 1998. It was the original. This one is ten years later. Still makes me giddy with Christmas spirit. How could it not? They've changed and grown a bit--but so have we! Check out the link above. (Two years makes a lot of difference.)

For reasons that will become clear shortly, this one is dedicated to our Rackleys:

(Merry Christmas "Down in Africa," dear Rackley family.)

This. This is just astoundingly, unspeakably beautiful. Get ready for cold chills...

(Yes, I heard the one bad note. But you know what? Completely forgiveable! I adore this!!)

And last, but not least, this is our Christmas card to you:

We pray your Christmas is meaningfully focused on the One who humbled Himself to save even me, even you. May your love for Him grow with each day He gives you to live. And may you bless others because He's blessed you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

From Kampala to Gulu: An Opportunity for YOU to Serve

First...they moved from Little Rock...




to Kampala, Uganda.


And now...after almost a year, they are moving north to Gulu. You may have heard of it. If not, please click the link...and learn. Learn well.

The Rackleys are our very good friends who...


have a heart for the unreached, the orphaned, the fearful, the ashamed, and the lonely.

They have a heart for God's Kingdom.

They also have six children living with them in Africa. And a requirement to pay six months of rent in advance for their new home in Gulu. And moving, in general, is expensive. And they need your help.

They need YOU to be used by God to help them get to Gulu.



So.

Can you spare FIVE DOLLARS?

FIVE measly dollars??!?

Can you take two minutes of your time NOW to visit their blog, click the DONATE button, and give FIVE DOLLARS to this Suubi Family so they can go do God's work there?

Right now.

Because time is of the essence, as they are having a Blog-a-Thon that will only last two more days.

So--before things get too busy for you...

and before you go spend too much money on more stuff...

click and donate. (It is tax-deductible.)

Please.

And I'd love for you to comment here to let me know you did. I mean, it's FIVE DOLLARS. No big deal. Right? Tell your friends. Share or like this post on Facebook, Tweet it, share it however you can and in as many ways. (All of the required buttons are lined up and conveniently waiting for you just at the end of this post.)

Thanks, friendly blog readers across the world! And Merry CHRISTmas!!

Project 365: Week 50 "solos, snow, and sparkling lights"

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Tonight our church had a way-fun, in-house Christmas concert and party. Saylor and I both sang solos, but she was definitely the sweetest.

There was other entertainment as well. We are nothing if not a FUN church.

See what I mean?

Monday, December 5, 2011

SCHOOL SCENES:

Tricorn Hats

Jesus is our Rock

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Snowy house for sale!!

Hard-working, snowman-building boys not included.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

My children.

God love 'em.

They somehow managed to do this...

to a very nice La-z-boy recliner we've had for over seven years.

Hoping my dad can fix it.  ????????  

But in the meantime, I'm putting them to work picking off all the little balls from the slipcover that was on it.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

These two were loving on each other this morning while I cooked breakfast.

Friday, December 9, 2011

These two bonded over "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" It's a computer game.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Tonight we went to a CHRISTmas party.

How great are these little trees made with scrapbook paper? My friend Sue is the creative hand behind these cuties. I'm thinking they should totally be on Pinterest if they're not already! By the way, my Pinterest button is at the top of the screen. **sigh** Pinterest is about the funnest thing ever. Yes?

And then we drove by the Capitol building to see how well it glowed.

We thought it was doing a pretty good job. I hope you are all enjoying your CHRISTmas season! Don't forget to stop by Sara's to check on the others.

Project 365: Week 49 "catching up"

Sunday, November 27, 2011

This is a big day in Noah's life. He finally gets to watch this classic. Thank you, Poppy, for letting us crash here (and watch your cable) while we have a house showing.

Project 365: Week 48 "part 2: perpetually behind on project 365"

Okay. Fair warning: There are a lot of pictures in this post. But at least there won't be a lot of reading. ;)


Sunday, November 20, 2011

Today it was Atticus's turn to partay!

Two afternoon parties in as many days wore this little one slap out!
He was sound asleep before 7:00 tonight.
(Yes. Two. Saylor's was Saturday.)

Project 365: Week 47 "part 1: perpetually behind on project 365"

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Saylor received this book as a gift today. So special.

Project 365: Week 46 "fender, food, and fun"

Sunday, November 6, 2011

I didn't take a real picture today. We even had a friend for lunch, but as usual, I was having too good a time to remember the camera. Once it got dark, though, we went for a little stroll through the neighborhood. I had my phone with me and tried to get a shot of Saylor, because she still asks to hold my hand. Awww...

I know. It's hard to tell much about it. Just imagine it's a painting using pointillism in some trendy gallery.  ;)  It's all about perspective, my friends.

Operation Christmas Child

It's that time of year again.

Praise the Lord!

I pray you'll get involved, too. And be blessed by giving a blessing.

(This one deserves to be full-screened...)

Go here to see how you can help.

Project 365: Week 45 "adventures on our own"

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Today was pretty crazy. To start with, Paul left yesterday for a several-day-long trial in Dallas. (I didn't share that last week, just in case there was an axe-murderer reading my blog. Ya know?)

So I was on my own with the kiddos for church today. AND I was singing, which meant we had to be there earlier and the kids would have to sit by themselves for the music portion. Gabriel decided he'd join the band and me about half-way through.
(At least he's the quiet one. He just sat on the floor by my feet.)  ;) Wish I had a picture of that!

After church we grabbed some lunch, ran an errand, and then went to a birthday party at a local pumpkin patch.

Project 365: Week 44 "sick family and simple pleasures"

Sunday, October 23, 2011

After a very busy weekend, we found ourselves with not one, but four kiddos feeling under-the-weather this morning. So we were home in jammies having lots of vitamin C, homemade chicken broth, and echinacea all day long.

Project 365: Week 43 "close boys, camera happiness, and a concert"

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Paul captured this precious moment during church this morning. They're still "Close."

Project 365: Week 42 "fall fun"

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Atticus's Birthday!

After church and a special out-for-pizza lunch, we came home and let Little Bit open his presents. He was so excited!

Project 365: Week 41 "beautiful days and birth days"

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Enjoyed a nice lunch outdoors after church today. Beautiful day!

Project 365: Week 40 "fruit flies & time flies"

Sunday, September 25, 2011

We have had several unwanted guests in the house this week. Several really isn't the word for it, actually. "Why so many?" you might ask. Well, let me just leave you with a little piece of advice. If you have eighteen pounds (not an exaggeration) of cherries you need to pit over the weekend...and your husband surprises you with tickets to an out-of-town football game...and you decide to stay up practically all night the night before--getting said cherries all pitted, frozen in a single layer on cookie sheets, and then stored nicely in freezer bags..., WHEN...in the dead of the night you are too tired and a little too creeped-out to walk outside and around your house to dump the juicy pit-and-stem mess in the trashcan...and, therefore, decide to temporarily place the gigantic sticky box in the garage and promise yourself you'll remember to dispose of it in the morning..., DON'T expect you'll remember when you only had a few hours of sleep, you've got a lot to do to get yourself out-of-town, you'll be gone for two nights, and when you return you'll be packing like a mad woman to get your family on the road to Colorado in four days' time. 'Cause you won't remember. Whatever you do, DON'T do that. (Unless you want to see what it's like to breed fruit flies in a garage and not KNOW it until there are enough that, if they worked together, could actually fly OFF with an entire bunch of bananas...or DRIVE you bananas, whichever came first.) Just DON'T.

Project 365: Weeks 37, 38, & 39 "pre-vacation, vacation, & post-vacation"

This is my catch-up week. Back from vacation and ready to get busy with life again. I reeeeally held back and was ultra-conservative with my photo-posting. Because I care that much about your eye health. But you'll have to promise to come back later and see ALL our vacation pics. M'kay?

Sunday, September 4, 2011

If you'll remember, on this particular weekend we were in Fayetteville with friends for the game. So today was spent driving back. Between my juice fast, requiring that we drive all over town looking for a juice bar (or the equivalent), my overactive bladder (a side effect of being on said juice fast), and an impromptu stop at a Goodwill store just for the fun of it, the normally three hour drive, turned out to be more like five. But it was still fun. So much so that I forgot to take a picture. (Eh. It's just as well, considering...)

Monday, September 5, 2011

Labor Day

Thankfully, Paul was off today so we were able to drive down to my parents' house to pick up the kiddos. They were so excited when we walked in!

Concert Tonight--Don't Miss It!

Jenny and Tyler in concert tonight at Redeemer Community Church

7:30 p.m.

$10 suggested donation

Here's an idea of their style:



And here's why I love them:





Comment, email, Tweet, or message me on Facebook for complete details, directions to the church, to save you seats, etc.  :)  You have two hours to shower and grab a bite to eat. Hope to see you there!!

Lower

Yesterday we drove through New Mexico. Elevation of 700 feet. As opposed to the 9,000+ feet to which we had become "accustomed." Let's just say... my lungs are grateful.

Today it's Texas. Wide open spaces. Plenty of oxygen.

But I'll be honest, I'm gonna miss my lung-crushing mountains down here on lower ground.

Silence

It may seem as though I've been ignoring my blog. Well, I suppose you could say that. But I have good reasons.

1) We started school several weeks ago, and all that new curriculum had me eating, sleeping, and breathing school.

2) My husband is crazy spontaneous and his equally spontaneous boss gave him tickets and a hotel room for the Razorback game a couple of Saturdays ago (at the last minute), which we couldn't refuse! But coordinating that last minute trip with child care and all that goes along with it was a bit of a doozy for me.

3) And last but certainly not least, we left for a very unorganized, no-idea-what-we-are-going-to-do-when-we-get-there trip to Durango, Colorado...on Friday the 9th. And that's where we are right. now.

I am blogging on my phone. (Thank you 3G network.) We have no Internet at the mountain cabin where we are staying. And as it's going to be several more days before we get back home, the silence is going to continue for a bit longer.

But just so you know, I'm okay with the silence...'cuz at this very moment I happen to be surrounded by snow-capped peaks, deepest valleys, river-cut canyons, dark green spruces, softly-passing deer, and ancient Aspen groves. And this environment? Well, it demands silence. And awe. And thankfulness to the One who created such magnificence as this.

Project 365: Week 36 "baptisms, a bumped tooth, & a ballgame"

"Week 7" without a real camera. This is so hard for me... 

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Our church family celebrated six baptisms this afternoon! And then we picnicked and swam and just had a lovely time together. 

Atticus made friends with the cute doggie. (He LOVES animals.)

Project 365: Week 35 "first week of school"

"Week Six" with no camera. Boo hoo!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Sittin' around this afternoon watching old circa 1967 episodes of Spiderman on Daddy's Netflix app. By the way, what a dumb show!

Project 365: Week 34 "helpers, learners, and players"

"Week Five" without a camera. (And counting...)

Sunday, August 14, 2011

This is a common scene on Sundays right after church. The kids love seeing their little friends and "hanging out" while the parents catch up.

Back to School "Portraits"

Y'all, I would have given anything to have my camera back this week if only for this post. *sigh* But I don't. The cell phone will just have to do. Editing software? I'm counting on you here. (Please. Help. Me.)

So school is starting up all across the nation. But not for us. We never stopped. (Truly.) It's just easier that way. We take off so many days during the year, we more than make for it, don't worry. This year, though, we sort of do have an official start date, thanks to the new curriculum that just. came in! (I'm so excited!!!)

Now. The students...what my every day is all about.

Project 365: Week 33 "celebrating and sweet surprises"

"Week Four" without a camera.  Boo! Hiss!

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Today Paul and I celebrated our 12th anniversary. We literally had to cram it in, but we are so thankful to Paul's cousin who came and stayed with the kids. To celebrate, we had a 12-course progressive meal all over town. We shared and only ordered one thing between us at every stop, but we were still stuffed!

Where We Learn

Without a camera, there's not a whole lot I can show. At least not in the way of current "classroom" photos. Our classroom is constantly changing, as I "monitor and adjust" (old public school teacher terminology there) to the needs of our family. Last year at this time, the schoolroom was mostly downstairs in the kitchen! This spring it all got moved back upstairs once again. And even since that move, things have been rearranged several times. Regardless, where we learn is not always at a desk, and it's not always in our schoolroom. In fact, it's not always in our home, though the term "homeschool" might suggest otherwise. One of the many wonderful, freeing things about homeschooling is that we can learn wherever we go! And we go lots of places.

 

Reflection

"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."                                                    1 Corinthians 13:12

I Still Do

You need never search far to see my face, for my commitment and love for you will bind me always to your side.

When your steadfast ship begins to toss and turn in life's storms, I will be there holding your hand.

When your sails become heavy with rain, I will be there, offering you strength in companionship.

And when the seas are calm and you are sailing smoothly, I will be there to celebrate with you the beauty of our life together.

On this most cherished of days, I give to you my heart, full of love for only you.

I give to you my name and my past, as I am joined today by God to a new family and a new future.

I give to you my solemn promise to forever honor and treasure you, the man God has given to me for life.

                                                                                             -----my wedding vows made twelve years ago today to the love of my life.

I still do.

Happy Anniversary, Babe!

Project 365: Week 32 "major leaguers and major accomplishments"

(This is "Week Three" without a camera. Good thing we have cellphones!)

Saturday, July 30, 2011 (continued from here)

Well, you'll be happy to know we didn't just climb the walls (literally--really, follow the link) at home all day. After spending most of the day trying to decide what to do, we finally headed out to Conway to go swimming at Poppy's house late, late that afternoon.