Finally Friday.

Where this week has gone, I'm not really sure. With school winding down for the year and spring sports schedules at tournament time, our lives have been really fast-paced. The days run right into one another and soon, it's another weekend. A few happenings from our family this week:

• A rousing game of family mini-golf, which would have been really nice and relaxing if it hadn't been for the family behind us who kept rushing us. Don't you love it when people have no patience for teaching little children to do something? I made sure to take a little extra time toward the end to help the kids line up the ball with the hole, just to raise the woman's blood pressure a little more. Bad me.
• Graduation open houses.....tis the season when our grocery bill gets a bit of a break because we are making the graduate party circuit. One Monday, one tonight, 3 tomorrow....and then they really start coming.
• Lots of first grade "lasts" this week......last full Friday today, last homework packet completed and turned in, most of the work folders coming home, last Newsbook letter sent in.....I'm still having a hard time believing that next week at this time, my little girl will be finished with first grade.
• A play date with Hayden and Miss Braylin yesterday....lots of fun with a picnic and play at the park....until a huge school-bus full of kids came, which made the playground very crowded and chaotic...which meant an early exit for us.
• A quick visit with Uncle Dan today....thanks for stopping by when you were in town....good to chat a bit with you. Kennedy missed you and was very sad. We look forward to seeing them again in a couple of weeks for Samantha's first birthday party.
• Tomorrow brings our second-to-the-last t-softball game, our last Girl Scouts meeting of the year (both scheduled at exactly the same time), and then a drive for Kennedy and I up to Beal City for my niece's bridal shower.
• I am planning a luau for the first graders for their last day of school, with the help of another mom. It should be fun and fresh and wet, just like kids like the last day of school to be.
• Woo-Hoo, Table Scraps has reached Africa! It looks like I have a couple of readers in South Africa, so welcome, Friends! It is so cool and amazing that a little old blog from a little town in Michigan can be connected with readers the world through.....now, we need to reach Antarctica......does the Internet reach Antarctica??
• Happy weekend, everyone.

Mini-Album Class.

I thought that I would share a mini-album that I will be teaching on June 20th at once of my local stores, Once Upon a Memory. This chipboard house album is from Maya Road, one of my very favorite manufacturers, and the polka-dot papers and ribbons are from Bo-Bunny. These papers are super-versatile and have become one of my staples as of late because they can be paired with so many different lines and can be cute/whimsical, funky, elegant....all depending on what you pair them with.

This album, called "The Home that Love Built" chronicles my families journey from Matt and I as singles through having both the kids and to where we are in 2008 in our journey. So, if you are in the area and want to make one of your own....join us on the 20th! Leave your name and email in the comments, and I will get you more information. I think the cost will be right around 25 dollars for all of the supplies and the 4-hour class, so it is very reasonable and hopefully inspiring. If you didn't want to do your family, I think it would also be cute with photos of the details of your house that make it a home.

Weekend This and That.

This weekend has been some much-needed downtime for us. Our lives have been far too busy lately, and we are looking forward to summer and a hopefully slower pace for a while. Some highlights:

• Friday, Matt took Kennedy to his moms to pick up Hayden. They stayed the night there, meaning that I had the whole night to myself to catch up on errands (Pet Supplies Plus for bunny food and a dog tag), spend some time at a LSS, and catch a quiet dinner at Macaroni Grill (yummy Pasta Rusticus).
• Saturday, I spent the morning scrapbooking and straightening the house before the kids arrived back home. Saturday night we watched a couple of movies and relaxed.
• Sunday, we decided to sleep in...which felt amazing. We then headed off to Meijer, where Matt and I bought new mountain bikes. We decided to spend that $400.00 from our economic stimulus check (to make the government happy) and put the rest into savings.
• We took a long bike ride with the kids. Can we say....screaming thigh muscles. This is going to be good for my rededication to fitness, which is launching tomorrow.
• Last night, we had some friends and their 2 little girls over for a cook out. It was such a warm, breezy night and just a great time with great friends. The kids had fun, the food was delicious and summery, and I got to hold a sleeping 2-month old baby for a long time....what could be better?
• This morning, we were up by 8, thanks to a "Toll Free" call. We made a good breakfast of Texas French Toast and sausage, and are now relaxing.
• Later, we are planning to hit a mini-golf course and then off to a graduation open house for dinner.
• Yesterday was the deadline for the CocoaDaisy design team call.....and I didn't enter. I started to design the page for the call, and then decided that given the busyness of this last week, I didn't want the pressure. My heart wasn't in it this time.....maybe next time.
• This is my first true week of summer break. Hayden is done with school. Kennedy has 8 1/2 more days. I'm thinking about doing a garage sale at the end of the week, so we'll see how the week goes......
• Happy Memorial Day. Today, I am remembering my Grandpa Hank, who served his country, and honoring my father-in-law, who served in Vietnam in the Air Force. And I am especially aware of those families who still are separated from loved ones serving in Iraq and surrounding countries.......may they be reunited safe and soon.

A Few Recent Layouts.

Listen and Pray.

As a parent, one of my deepest fears is that I would lose a child. I know many friends who have experienced this, and have walked through parts of this unimagineable valley with some of my friends, and I just cannot imagine the depths of the pain. I know that some of the Table Scraps readers have had this type of loss personally, and I know that you can relate in ways that I cannot to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman. I love Steven Curtis Chapman's music and have been deeply affected by his creativity.

And yesterday, this family lost their beautiful 5-year-old daughter in a horrible accident, wherein her older brother did not see her in the driveway and hit her with the family vehicle. The family was celebrating the engagement of their oldest daughter and soon to celebrate the high school graduation of their son. And now, for reasons unfathomable to our finite minds, they are inexplicably grieving the loss of this beautiful child, as well as the unspeakable pain and guilt that their son must be feeling. I cannot even begin to imagine.........

Please pray for this family. Steven Curtis Chapman's music has touched millions around the world for Christ, and to add to the difficulty, they are now having to live out this nightmare in front of the world. Please pray for them, and if you would like, take a look at the blog they have set up in Maria's memory. I will never listen to the song "Cinderella" in the same way again....especially the following first verse, which so vividly captures a 5-year-old princess like Maria:

She spins and she sways to whatever song plays,
Without a care in the world.
And I'm sittin' here wearin' the weight of the world on my shoulders.
It's been a long day and there's still work to do,
She's pulling at me saying "Dad I need you!
There's a ball at the castle and I've been invited and I need to practice my dancin'"
"Oh please, daddy, please!"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh I will dance with Cinderella
I don't wanna miss even one song,
Cuz all to soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

While Maria is dancing with Jesus now, and that is an amazing promise, there is incredible brokenness and despair left here on Earth. Thank you, Jesus, for promising to hold this family in their pain.

http://chapmanchannel.typepad.com/inmemoryofmaria/

Quiet Around Here.

While I am teaching summer school this week, my little guy is staying at my in-laws' to be pampered a bit by Grandpa and Grandma. It just makes it a lot easier for me to concentrate on my course, while he gets to spend important one-on-one time with them.

But I miss him. A lot.

The house is quiet. Too quiet.

Yes, it is amazing that the house has stayed much cleaner with him gone. The toys have stayed picked up. The DVDs have stayed in their cases rather than being scattered all over. I haven't tripped over his Speed Racer cars and pirate ships and baseballs.......

But I haven't hear his laugh. Haven't heard him singing the Speed Racer theme song at every possible opportunity. Haven't felt his arms and heard "I love you all my heart and soul" in his little voice in a couple of days.

I miss him.

This photo was a "mistake" when I was trying to get a photo of us together on his last day of preschool last week. And I almost deleted it but I love it. Love what it says about our connection. Boy, do I miss my little guy.

Hurry up, Friday.

Beach Grass.

For the past 5 years, I have taught an Art Therapy class at the university. Without a doubt, it is one of my very favorite courses to teach because I am passionate about living a creative life. I believe that I create because I was created. That when we create, we commune with God, our amazing Creator, in a very special and intimate way.

Part of my Art Therapy course is a one-day "at the shore experience" where I lead students on a 4-hour reflective time at the shoreline of Lake Michigan. Much of this time is spent in solitary journalling, drawing, painting, writing, praying, reading and reflecting. For me, the shore is a place where the sights and sounds immediately clear my mind of all of the "everyday stuff" that gets between me and God, and I hear God's voice the most clearly. Each of these experiences has been life-changing for me, and students report the same.

Today was no exception. I spent the day just relaxing and listening to God speak to me. Conversing with my Creator. I also spent some time sketching, something that I have not done in years. And it was so invigorating. My attention was drawn to a clump of beach grass that was so interesting in its composition. So I took an hour to draw it. As I drew, God brought several truths to mind:

• Beach grass looks as if it is flimsy and will pull easily from the sand.
• But it's not. Try to pull beach grass out, and you will soon realize that it is very firmly rooted deep beneath the sand.
• Beach grass was created uniquely for the beach environment. Even when the sands shift and blow, the beach grass remains firm.

And isn't that what God provides to us? A firm foundation wherein our roots can reach and establish their hold. And when the sands of life blow (and they will), He holds us firmly in the place where He has created us to be.

I re-read the parable of The Sower from Matthew, and was reminded that seeds can fall into many different types of soil. And only when planted in rich, fertile soil can roots take hold and grow and withstand the elements and weeds that will inevitably come.

What a refreshing day to reconnect with my soul, my creativity, and my Creator. If you are harried and hurried and overwhelmed with your busy life, I urge you to take a day, head to the beach (no cell phones or iPods or music allowed), and spend some time reflecting on the amazing creativity of God. Write or draw. Pray or just listen. Read your Bible, take photos.....it's good for my soul, and you might find it inspiring to you as well.

End-of-The-Week Highlights.

This has been quite an eventful week, I must say. Both kids are perfecting their 2-wheel riding skills and, thankfully, both are now tooling around the neighborhood independently minus training wheels.

For Hayden, it was very simple....we just held on, gave him a little push, and off he went. That was it. Biking independence.

But, the process was a bit different for Kennedy. She had a lot of fear. She didn't want to fall. Being quite a perfectionist, she didn't want to try because she knew that she wasn't very good at it. She didn't want our help, wanting to do it by herself. And, she kept working on it, hour after hour, fall after fall, frustration after frustration. And, after a couple of days, with lots of perseverance.....SHE DID IT! She is not as fast as Hayden is (he is fairly wreckless!) but she is riding and so happy about it.....she learned that not everything always comes easy (most things do come easy for her, but not this one!) and that when you work hard and keep practicing, your persistence pays off. She definitely built some character this week....Great job, Girl.

And for both kids, we went through nearly 2 boxes of large bandaids given the scraped knees and elbows, but the happiness and satisfaction from both kids (and us parents!) took a lot of the sting of the ouchies away.

Friday at school was Career Day. My little animal-lover went to school as a veterinarian, coupled with several of her stuffed friends.
And I went to first grade, too, to speak to the kids about my job. When I asked them what a professor was, here were some of their priceless responses:

• "They're the boss"
• "They own the big building, I think."
• "They tell the people what to do."

So there you have it, from the mouths of babes. It was a lot of fun spending the morning with the kids and opening their eyes to new career options. I loved that several of the little girls in the class came to Career Day with dolls, dressed as Moms.....that did my heart good. And I talked about my role as a Mom, too, in addition to my roles as psychologist and professor. After all, being is Mom is without a doubt the most challenging and rewarding career out there.

Friday afternoon, we were back at school to listen to the first graders present their research on animals. Kennedy chose to do her report on Amphibians, and she did a great job speaking clearly. The kids each learned how to put together a PowerPoint presentation, complete with clipart and special transition effects. They did such a great job. Kennedy spoke loudly, confidently, and enthusiastically. It's amazing the technology available to kids these days.....the screens that the kids presented on are called SmartBoards, and it is a touch-screen...all you have to do it touch the screen just as you would use the mouse, and you can control your presentation right on the screen itself. Amazing, and I love that the kids are becoming experts and being exposed to the edge of technology even at 6 and 7 years old. Great job, Presenters!
And, this morning brought our fourth t-ball fame. Kennedy's interest in softball has really strengthened, and she is now asking to be put in positions where she can field the ball often. She played at the pitcher position today and fielded almost every ball that came to her. Her throwing is also getting much more strong and accurate. It is fun to see the girls progress in their confidence each game.

Here is a sneak of an ATC that I have been working on for the Month-to-Month swap that I am involved in......this is a flowering tree using the new Nature stamps from Love, Elsie and some random flower/bling embellishments.
And, this week, we are also celebrating the one-year mark that Rube has been part of our family. It was last year on Mother's Day that we picked her up from her birthhome and took her home to be ours. The year has not been without its challenges, but we love Rube and her sweet spirit. Our family would just not be the same without her....she is smart, trainable, affectionate, and loyal....and she follows me around the house like a little toddler.
So, in honor of her birthday, Rube got a brand new bed in this chic orange color.....even monogrammed with her name. And yes, I realize that "Rube" is not the typical way to spell "Ruby".....but YOU try arguing with a 6-year old who is determined that it should be R-U-B-E. I know to pick my battles!
And in closing for today, I still find this very difficult to believe:

Busy Week.

The past few days have been so busy here that it's been really hard to keep up. In addition to our anniversary yesterday, several other key happenings have taken place:

1) Mother's Day: My family did an incredible job in helping me to feel honored and special on Sunday. We started that day with church, followed by a delicious lunch out. I then was treated to gifts, including lillies to plant, gift cards, a huge bag of peanuts picked especially by my son, and other handmade gifts. Then.....a 2-hour nap just for me....heavenly! After my nap, my daughter treated me to my most favorite part of the day.....a Mother's Day Spa! She had picked out some special lotions, new lipstick, chocolates, and other goodies and converted our dining room table into a well-equipped pampering station....it was so cute how she attended to each detail. She gave me painted nails of bright red, a footrub with melon lotion, and a wonderful massage, all while nibbling on my favorite chocolates. If you know me, you probably know that I really don't like people touching my feet and am very, very ticklish....but something about her touch felt so nice and soothing. What a treat! She said that she was going to make this a Mother's Day tradition, so I'll have this to look forward to again next year! Thanks, my wonderful family, for making this such a special day.



2) Preschool: Monday was my son's very last day of preschool....forever. It was an exciting milestone but also a heart-wrenching one. Hayden, of course, was thrilled most of all because it was the day that all the summer birthdays were celebrated, so he got a special birthday crown...not THAT's special! It's hard to believe that I no longer have preschool children and that my baby will be in kindergarten next year.....now, it's time to really start working on my husband for that third baby! :)

3) Summer School: In addition to Tuesday being our anniversary, I also started teaching my 2-week intensive summer school course on Tuesday. I love teaching this course--Art Therapy--but it is a very intense course where we meet for 7 hours per day. The class is thankfully small and we will be going on lots of field trips. It is a good creative exercise and I typically do most of the activities right along with my students, so it is always a stretching and inspiring experience.

So it's been an intense week. Amazing blessings, yes. Too little sleep, yes. Yes, Yes. Goodnight.

Bottom of the 8th.

It's bottom of the eighth for us, folks. Yes, today, my wonderful husband and I are celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary. 8 years ago today, on a cold and windy May day in northern Michigan, my husband and I committed ourselves to each other for better and worse....and we've surely had a bit of both, but far much more "better"! I am so blessed to have each and every day with him.

And what more appropriate way for an athletic director and his wife to celebrate....than to head to the ball park. Yes, that's right. For our 8th anniversary, my husband bought us tickets to see my alma mater, the Michigan Wolverines, play against Notre Dame. I haven't seen UM play baseball since my days as a student in Ann Arbor, so this was quite nostalgic for me.

Many women might think that this would be a disasterous way to spend an anniversary, but not this lady. I loved it, and it is one of the most romantic things that my husband has planned for us in a while. And I love him for it.

We have spent many of our anniversaries celebrating in more "fancy" ways, with weekends at quaint hotels or resorts, or refined dinners out. But tonight was all about being under the lights, on a gorgeous spring night with the breezes blowing, sitting on the first base line in row one right behind the Notre Dame dugout, sharing not a fancy dinner of steak or seafood but rather a paper dish of messy nachos and a couple of hotdogs....cheering on the Wolverines.

And it was wonderfully romantic in a strangly beautiful sort of way. We talked and laughed and cheered and relaxed and just enjoyed having fun together. And sometimes, when you have young kids, that is as refreshing and romantic as any expensive dinner out. And quite frankly, sometimes fountain Diet Mountain Dew in refillable ballpark cups wins out over champagne in glass flutes.

And, as we were sitting there.....the announcer said "And happy 8th anniversary to Matt and Nicole M....." Yes, my sneaky husband even called ahead to have them announce it over the loudspeaker. What a man....and I am so happy that God has blessed us with 8 years of time together and many countless blessings.

So, Happy Anniversary, Honey. I love you more and more each day and am happy that God has called us to this awesome journey together. I can't wait to see what the 9th inning brings....and I even pray for many, many, many extra innings!

And the RAK winner is........

Ladies, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for all of the beautiful things that you shared on my last post regarding motherhood. That seriously enriched my day so much to read each of your thoughts about this amazing role and the amazing people that mothers are. Some of you are moms, some of you have amazing moms, some of you learned so much from having moms who didn't quite "measure up" and some of you hope and dream about being a mom some day......a truly beautiful collection of reflections that I plan to use on a scrapbook page if you all are OK with that!

I WISH that I could buy a stamp set to give to each one of you......but I'm not sure how I would explain that $500.00 plus scrapbooking bill to my hubby! SO..........I did a random drawing and the winner is...................MELISSA! Which I think is really cool because Melissa has a really amazing story about becoming a mother to her sweet little boy, Carsyn. So, Melissa, email me your new address at nmcdonald@cornerstone.edu, and these little gems will be on their way at the end of the week. I can't wait to see what you create with them, Girl!

melissa said...
hope i'm not too late...just reading my blogs for the day.i'm so privileged and happy to be a mom! steve and i waited 10 years to become a family and carsyn certainly has filled that role. so here's what i love about being a mom:*i love looking in the rearview mirror and seeing carsyn's sweet face and knowing he's ours.*i love every time he says "mom" that he's talking to me.*i love when Carsyn runs up to me, wraps his little arms around my neck and gives me a great big hug.*i love watching Carsyn grow and change...especially love watching his imagination develop.*i love the sound of Noggin in the background as i go through my day.*i love Carsyn's birthmom for giving me the privilege of raising him and being his forever mom.*i love it that on Mother's Day when they ask all the mothers to stand up at church, i get to stand up too!*i just love being a mom!hope your day was great, nicole!hugs,melissa

Happy Mother's Day RAK

After graduation today, I ran into my local scrapbook store to get a couple of yards of velvet trim to finish up my Fashion ATCs. Well.....I came out with a FEW more things, including these sweet new I Love Nature stamps from Love, Elsie. That little tree and owl are so cute, and it is a set that makes me think of my daughter, who is a true animal and nature lover.

I love being a mom. Specifically, here are just a few little things that I love about motherhood:

• Art projects that the kids make just for me.
• The special ways that my kids and I have developed ways to say "I love you" that are only between me and them. With my daughter, it's a series of special hand signals, and with my son, it's the words "All my heart and soul."
• When my kids crawl into bed with me and just have to lay on my arm.
• The way my son says "You're so cozy, Mommy."
• Watching my kids face challenges and learn new things, like riding a 2-wheeler bike.
• That ache in my heart that I get when my kids fail, or get hurt, or are scared. It's like I've been directly hurt, and it's a strangely beautiful thing.
• Being involved in my kids' schools as they learn about our amazing world.
• Leading each of my children to Christ in the months leading up to their 5th birthday.
• Making snacks for them, and adding creative touches just because.
• Sneaking notes and a Hersey's kiss into my daughter's lunch box every day.
• Seeing the man that I love be a Daddy.
• The way the motherhood experience allows you to connect with other mothers on a different level.
• Special notes and drawings left just for me.
• How being a mother yourself helps you relate to your own mother in a new and more intimate way.

So, in honor of Mother's Day tomorrow, I am giving this Love, Elsie stamp set away! All you have to do is leave a comment below, sharing a few things that you love and appreciate about motherhood. If you are not a mother, you can still enter.....leave a few things that you love or have learned about your relationship with your own mother.

Leave comments through Sunday night, and I will draw a winner first thing on Monday morning.

Grandparents are Blessings.

Today, Kennedy got to take both sets of grandparents to first grade with her (along with over 900 other grandparents...the school was bursting at the seams!). The kids prepared a few musical numbers for their grandparents, and also got to show them around the room and do some of their typical first grade activities together. Then, they went to the book fair to pick out some new books for summer reading (smart move of the librarian to send the grandparents there with their grandkids....seems really good for sales!).

Kennedy loves her Grandma and Grandpa S. She loves to go to their house and jump in the leaves in the fall, to help Grandma cook, to eat Grandma's homemade soups, and to let Grandma teach her how to crochet. She loves to read with and to Grandma and Grandpa, to go to their church with them, and to just spend time at their house. Thanks, Grandpa and Grandma S., for who you are and all that you do for us!

Kennedy loves her Grandma and Grandpa M. She loves to go to their house to help in the garden, learn how to sew, and play with her MANY cousins on that side of the family. Kennedy loves to carve pumpkins there at Halloween, to help Grandma bake cookies, to take walks to the playground, and to scrapbook with Grandma. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa M., for being special people and for always loving and supporting us!

After the festivities, we enjoyed a nice lunch together to celebrate Mother's Day a bit early, since we are staying around here this year as opposed to traveling to our mothers' homes. It was a blessed day, but a tiring one, so we are going to settle in with a few movies, do a little scrapbooking, and just hang out at home tonight.....sounds heavenly, if you ask me!

Where a Kid Can Be a Kid.

Yep, you guessed it. Today brought Hayden's field trip to Chuck E. Cheese, which, I must admit up front, is not my favorite place in the world. But, as Hayden reminded me today, "But Mom, it's where a kid can be a kid!" Score for the advertising executives who have targeted the age 3-10 population to sway their parents' buying decisions! Anyway, we did enjoy some fun games, won a zillion tickets which translated into 11 cheap trinkets (which, by the way, might just as well have been gold to my son), and met Chuck E. Cheese in "person"....So, while Chuck E. Cheese is definitely not my idea of an ideal educational field trip....it did fit the bill for a four-year-old's idea of a great morning. Highlights included:

The stomping on spiders game.....

The shooting up deer game.......

The shooting baskets game.....

The roller-coaster simulator.......

The monster truck ride...........

The crush-the-car game...........

Hmmmmm.......I'm just realizing how different it is to take a little boy to Chuck E.Cheese, as opposed to my daughter, who tends more toward the milder games like the popcorn bucket game and the throw-a-ball-in-a-basket game.......interesting.

Tomorrow brings the excitement of grandparents' day at Kennedy's school, after which we are taking our moms out to lunch to celebrate Mothers' Day a bit early. I also hope to get all of my grades finalized and scrapbook a bit, so Friday should be an all-in-all good day.

First Slide!

For my kids, one of their favorite activities of the summer are the countless trips down our backyard waterslide. We have a wooden playscape with a wooden 2-story house, and there is a waterslide attachment that slides down from the house, with a hose that sprays water on it. It's quite a ride! Today, with the temperatures nearing 80 degrees, the kids begged to play on the slide, so my good husband hooked it up and...here it is, the first slide of 2008!

Women on My Mind.

With Mother's Day quickly approaching, I have found myself with several different women on my mind and heart as it relates to motherhood and childrearing and this painfully wonderful and mysterious journey of bearing and raising little people. People like:

My sister, Kendra, who feels God's deep calling to be a mother, but who just experienced a miscarriage last week after going through the emotional valleys and peaks of invitro. Her heart, along with her husband's, is broken and this Mother's Day will be a bittersweet day for her, I'm sure. Pray for peace and emotional healing and God's perfect hope.

Community friends, Lisa and Mrs. G, who lost their 2 young teen daughters in a tragic car accident nearly one year ago. This will be their first Mother's Day, since the death of these girls, and I'm sure that their hearts are aching with loss and sweet memories and so many other emotions that I can't begin to comprehend. They will be on my mind in a special way this Sunday.

Several friends of mine who have lost children very young (as infants and preschoolers)---I am in prayer by name for Rachel who lost baby Levi days after his birth; and Melanie whose infant daughter died in the womb just days before delivery; and Jody who lost sweet Teagan in a tragic accident; and another Jodi whose infant son died from SIDS in his first few months of life.

For so many friends who have relationships with their own mothers that are fraught was pain and fragmentation and mistrust and confusion. I pray for healing and reconciliation for these relationships.

God created mothers for a very special role, and while the pain and death and mourning of this present world often distort our views of this relationship and how it was intended to be.....I think that the mother-child role gives us a glimpse, if only faint, of the depth of His love for each of us. What will you do to show appreciation for the mothers and special women in your life this year?

Saturday Review.

Saturday was a pleasant day all-around. It all started out with t-ball.....it is just a total "hoot" to coach these little 4-, 5-and 6-year old girls.....all decked out in their perfectly-coordinated outfits right down to the hair foo-foos, wearing their bright pink ball gloves, waving at their parents and grandparents in the stands while the ball goes right past them....gotta' love it!

After the game and a yummy breakfast out with my family, I headed to GR for a bit of scrapbooking for National Scrapbooking Day. I know....you non-scrap readers are probably thinking it's crazy to set aside a day to honor scrapbooking......but any reason to get together to create is all good in my book! I met up with some friends I've know for awhile (another great time, Julie, Sonja and Jody) and met some wonderful new friends (so nice to meet you, Tracy and Hillary), all of whom share the passion that I have for documenting life through words and pictures and colors and, of course, embellishments!

We shared a lot of laughs, a great meal, some fun chatter, and lots of creative energy. Sonja and her "baby" (as labeled such in the above photograph) kept us all rolling with laughter. We capped off the night with a bowl/cone of Coldstone Creamery creations coupled with Sonja's rendition of the Kung Fu Panda.......trust me, you just had to be there! Let's just say that I'll never watch that movie the same way again!

Enjoy your Sunday. Rest a little. Praise Our God. Enjoy your Family. Create something unique. And just enjoy another day of being alive.

Friday Fun.

I read back over my blogging for the week and realized....yikes, I have been heavy and a downer. So, today is all about fun, despite the fact that it is gloomy and dark and rainy outside and my dog just decided to "drop a load" on the rug in front of the door, a mere 5 steps from his outside poop spot.

Anyway, it's Friday! My semester's classes are done, so I just have to administer final exams on Tuesday, get the grading finished, teach 2 weeks of Art Therapy....and then summer! I am still amazed at how quickly this month has flew, let alone the whole 4 months that has elapsed since Christmas.

• Do you realize that we are almost halfway to Christmas 2008? Has anyone out there started their shopping yet?
• My dandelion jar is filled with the kids' findings from the week. I always keep a vintage jar filled with water, because my kids love to bring me fistfuls of flowers (usually daisies). Warms my heart and brightens the kitchen.
• I'll be throwing my hat into the ring for a couple of design team calls that have deadlines in May. I think I'm ready to take the next step, and I have some projects as of late that I am really proud of.....so we'll just see if it leads anywhere.
• I love rain. I love rainy days. I love listening to the rain. I lose the sound of thunder. I love watching lightening. I love the touch of melancholy that comes with rainy days. It's good for reflection and pondering.
• My son has 4 more days of preschool left. Then I am officially a mom of 2 elementary school students.....yikes! I'm not quite ready to say I'm all done with preschool, as I'm still open to another child....but we'll see what God's will is for us in that area.
• Fridays have an amazing feel to me. The possibility of the weekend looms beautifully, and the workweek is done. I just like to stay paused at Friday for as long as possible.

I hope your Friday is filled with fun.