What Our Week Looks Like.

I am sitting at the kitchen table, having just sent my daughter off to school. The calendar is sitting in front of me, and I am totally amazed at how quickly the next 6 months are filling up in terms of activities, outing, meetings, obligations, etc. As I think about this, I need to really take one week and maybe even one day at a time. For this week, it is our last week before my kids' and husband's spring break......every day before school for the last 2 weeks, my daughter has said "I need a break!" when I wake her up in the morning, so she will thankfully be getting it soon! For this week, it's looking like:

• Dentist appointments and hair cuts for both kiddos today.
• Regular day of teaching for me tomorrow......I have some major catch-up to do in my office.
• Karate on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
• Finish a mini-album that I am hoping to teach at a LSS.
• Sort through my kids' closets to box up outgrown clothes and get the closet ready for spring/summer; bring box to Byron Ministries.
• Order bathing suits for our upcoming Family Retreat Weekend that begins on Friday. Yikes! Is it really time to get into a bathing suit already???
• Work on taxes. Pray for a refund....preferably a large one.
• Write 2 exams for my classes on Thursday.
• Plan spring break. I am doing a "Spring Break Without Leaving Home" for us, since we are not going anywhere this year (with the exception of our weekend at a hotel for 3 of the days). I am planning on setting up our basement as a campground......tents and air mattresses.......with our portable firepit just outside the door.......and have a campout followed by a PJ/movie day on Wednesday. I am also probably going to plan a few days trips to the zoo and a little photo scavenger hunt around town, so that should be fun for the kids and us, too.
• March appears to be going out like a lion here.......we are supposed to get thunderstorms this afternoon, in the 60's, followed by weather in the 30's tomorrow. Crazy Michigan weather, I'm sick of you!
• Buy a birthday gift for one of my daugher's friends, whose party is on Saturday.

So that's what our week looks like at this point, at least as much as I can plan it out......what will you week bring?

Scrappy Friday.

I was up bright and early this morning and drove the 100 miles to Brighton, MI, where I have been scrapping at a store called Scrap Tales all day. I worked a bit on a mini-album, finished a layout, and did a few organizing things. I enjoyed a Greek salad and delectable breadsticks for lunch, and am now settling in for a quiet night's sleep in the hotel. I just finished some......and don't knock it before you try it.......hot buttered popcorn ICE CREAM. Yes, it sounds like some kind of freaky Harry-Potteresque jelly bean flavor, but it is actually very delicious. I got it at a fun place here called Maggie Moo's, which is similar to ColdStone Creamery. Tomorrow brings another day of scrapping with my SIS sisters....should be a fun and inspiring day. Night-night.

Cardboard Cars and the 3 Piggy Opera.

What do you get when you take a Pottery Barn shipping box, add some red spray paint, a few plastic plates, a couple of flashlights, and nearly a whole roll of duct tape....oh, and a few Heidi Swapp brads? A pretty cool little car for my son's drive-in movie day at preschool. Each child had to bring a cardboard-box car with them to preschool to sit in while watching their movie and munching popcorn today. So, my husband, son, daugther and I all pulled together to make this sweet little ride for him. I put the finishing touches on at 6 a.m. this morning.....never try to paint over duct tape, because it just falls off....but nothing that a roll of clear packing tape can't fix! Hayden was just thrilled with the turning steering wheel, the working flashlight headlights, and the personalized license plate on the back......and the Tranformers that we taped on as hood ornaments sent it over-the-top for my little guy! I think he was the envy of all of the preschool boys today, this car was just that cool! Tonight, he sat in it pretty much all night reading books and watching a movie. Oh, the simple joys of little boy lives!



















This afternoon, my daughter's first grade class performed their rendition of "The 3 Piggy Opera." It didn't surprise me that my daughter came home with the part of the Big Bad Wolf because she is always pretending that she's a wolf or a lion or some other kind of wild critter! What a joy it was to watch these kids perform. Mrs. Hill, her teacher, attended to every detail perfectly and made sure that the kids were very well-prepared. Here is what the scenery looked like.....so cute and colorful!


















Kennedy knew each of her parts perfectly and her singing voice just brought me to tears. She has evidence of a natural vibrato and has quite a vocal range for her age, too, and she was confident and smiled and just seemed to really enjoy performing. In the photo below, she was singing "I want a big.....fat.....pig to eat....I want a big.....fat......pig to eat..........yummy, yummy, yummy, yummy...mmmmmmmmmm." We have all been singing and humming these catchy little tunes all night! The arrangement was just so cute and perfect for 6-year-old performers. It was hard to snap photos with tears of pride running down my face! We are so proud of her and of all the kids....each of them did an amazing job, knew their singing parts, and just did a really fantastic job.























Thanks, Mrs. Hill, for all of your hard work and dedication to getting the kids ready for today and helping them to be confident and assured. It was such an enjoyable performance, one that I will remember for a very long time. Amazing job, first graders!

This has been ONE LONG WEEK! Tomorrow, I am leaving for some much-needed creative time with some friends. I will be gone for most of the weekend scrapbooking and creating and resting and hopefully being recharged. We got more snow here today, so I need to do something to lift my spirits, and creating will be just what I need. Matt and the kids will spend some time together and may catch "Horton Hears a Who." We are also waiting with some friends who are expecting their second baby any day now....so it could be an exciting few days. Happy weekend!

I've Got Music....All Over Me!

Kennedy and her classmates gave a wonderful music performance this evening, entitled "I've Got Music All Over ME!". Every last detail was well-thought out, from how the brightly colored t-shirts would look on stage to all of the energy-filled choreography that the kids performed. We are blessed in our district to have amazing fine arts facilities and to have a community that values quality arts programs. We are blessed in our school to have a wonderful, passionate, energetic music teacher (Thanks, Mrs. F.) and amazing teachers and principal who support the kids beyond what any parent could expect.

Kennedy is up in the top row (my tall, tall girl!) and knew pretty much every word and motion. She has been singing bits and pieces of these songs for weeks, but was very serious about keeping the songs secret so we would be surprised for tonight.

After work, I stopped by my favorite floral shop, Honeystone Floral, and the girls hand-tied me a sweet little bouquet of pink and white spring flowers to give Kennedy after the performance. She thought they were so cool, and I was pleased to see her smile. My little guy, Hayden, pouted the whole time because he wanted flowers, too. Sometimes, you just have to wait until you're in first grade, Sweet Boy. Your time will come all too soon.

Great job tonight, 1st and 2nd graders! I am so proud of you and your friends, Kennedy, and hope to see many more years of your musical talent. I'm sure I'll be humming and singing these jazzy little tunes for many days to come!

Tomorrow is all about constructing a car out of a cardboard box. Hayden's preschool class is having a "drive-in movie" day on Thursday, so thankfully, I saved a big Pottery Barn box and have a few cans of spraypaint.....stay tuned tomorrow to see what we come up with!

Best Wishes.

This past weekend, we attended the wedding of one of my husband's former football players. Daniel was one of the kids that we knew, even from a very young age, that he was special. He is a very, very hard worker and extremely humble. Daniel went from an extremely stand-out high school career to an exceptional collegiate football career at CMU. After graduation, he was drafted by the Chicago Bears where he signed a multi-million dollar contract. He was placed on Injured Reserve for his first season, but we are really hoping to be able to drive to Chicago to see him in action next season.

The wedding was very enjoyable. Dan and Candice seem very happy and make a very handsome, fun-loving couple. The meal was delicious and I must say that I have never seen so many large bodies in my life. Obviously, a lot of the attendees were football players. We sat at a table with Dan's agent/his wife, along with 2 other pro players-one free agent and one player for the Miami Dolphins. I joked with my husband that this was probably the ONLY time in his life that he was one of the smallest people sitting at the our table!! All in all, we had a very nice time and wish this young couple the very best as they begin their marriage journey.....And, GO BEARS!

He Is Risen.....Just as He Said!!

EAster is a special celebration around here for our family. We enjoy coloring eggs and making lots of creative designs (Friday night), and we love to search for filled eggs in the soggy outdoor grass (Sunday). I love to purchase a beautiful Easter dress for my little girl and some new pants and a shirt for my little guy (did this at the Gap on Friday afternoon). I love to stuff Easter baskets full of little gifts and games and toys and chocolate, and to see my kids enjoy their new goodies.

But, that is not what Easter is about. Not even close. Easter is about the ultimate life and hope. Can you imagine what it was like? To be walking solemnly to Jesus' grave, expecting to be visiting a sealed tomb.....and to find that impossibly heavy stone rolled away......to enter the tomb to see only grave clothes remaining. They must have been very confused. Worried that someone had stolen Jesus' body.......afraid.......deeply saddened. Shocked. And when did the questions start to set in? Could it be......could Jesus.....could He.....?? And then to be among those to whom Jesus appeared......could they believe their eyes? And then, the realization that it was Jesus.....ALIVE! Breathing......speaking......alive again. He had risen, just as He said he would.

Jesus rose from the grave and conquered death. In three short days, He went from the cruelest and most humiliating death on a cross to the cold grave and then......He rose again and, in that moment, sealed sin and Satan's fate forever. In those days, He fulfilled the plan that makes eternal life possible for me and for you and for all who believe in His name. He lived to die......and He died that we might live.......simple as that.

So today is about celebrating. Jesus is alive. He lives not just removed in a faraway place, but He lives inside of me and all who believe in Him. And He calls us BY NAME to himself, that we might also claim victory over sin and death.

Happy Easter! But, even so, this is not the end of the story. For you see, Jesus is Alive and He has planned out an amazing eternity for us with Him in paradise. And that is what we are celebrating today....the story isn't over!!!

So, I hope that you enjoyed all of the eggs and candy and bunnies and baskets and ham dinners.....we sure did! But even more, I hope that hope and gratitude fill your heart, and that you claim personally the truth of Jesus' death, Jesus' resurrection, and an eternity with Jesus!!! That is the never-ending story!!

It is Finished.

The skies must have been dark and gray and hanging thick with dread. There must have been a mysterious, ominous air in the surrounding city. The psychological tone must have been a dreadful mix of horror and anticipation and curiosity. Some knew that an innocent man was going to be put to death, and they were in mourning. Others knew that an innocent man was going to be put to death....and they were smirking and proud and anxious. But I can't help but feel that even those who were actively convicting Jesus and putting him to death must have felt, deep down, a sense of dread....was this really the Savior? After all, I believe that every human soul has within it a deep yearning to find and be connected to our Creator God. At some level, they knew.

Only hours earlier, Jesus had gone to the mount to pray and had pleaded with His Heavenly Father to save him. To let the cup of death pass from him. I have always appreciated this portrait of Jesus pleading before His death, because I can relate to his humanity here. In his heart of hearts, Jesus knew that this was what he was sent to earth to walk in human shoes to do. He knew that his death on the cross was imminent. Yet He knew that it would be agonizing and immensely lonely and brutal. If only there was another way? But there wasn't.

Often times, we tell the story of Jesus' death and skip over the brutal truth of it. But, the stark truth is, it was torturous. I cannot fathom the sheer weight of that cross, both physically and emotionally. The pain of the sharp rocks digging into Jesus' bare feet as he walked half-naked. The physical challenge of dragging that cross up a rugged path and then a steep hill--even being unable to bare it alone and needing help in taking up the cross--having nothing to drink and likely very little to eat in the hours leading up to His torture. And remember that Jesus had been whipped repeatedly, with sharp bones and pieces of glass, so his flesh was already ripped open and gaping and bleeding. How weak He already must have been and how overcome with physical pain, likely almost to the point of passing out. The sharp long woody thorns roughly stabbed into his head and brow, piercing sensitive skin and bleeding profusely. Somehow, as a child, I envisioned that the soldiers just set the little thorns on his head and whipped him a bit, but I don't think that's how it was....I think they pressed and stabbed as hard as they could, making sure that the thorns thrust deeply into his skull and forehead. I think they whipped him so hard so as to rip his skin and muscles wide open. The mockery. The unending scourning and hateful words thrust at Him. And that was only the beginning. The ripping flesh and cracking bones that must have occurred when he was nailed to the cross. The thirst and dehydration that undoubtedly ensued. The piercing and the mocking and the knowledge that your loved ones were in the crowd, watching this torturous death. Yes, it is gross and it is sickening and it brings burning tears to my eyes, but it is real. And I believe that we need to know, as much as we can, what the cross and Jesus' death was like so that we can fully grasp the lengths to which He would go for me and for you. I know that one day I will sit with Jesus, see and feel his scars, and hear Him tell this story in His own voice from His own heart. And I will sit mesmerized by His voice and His words and His sacrifice and His love.

And the worst part, something that we cannot even humanly fathom......Jesus was alone and apart from His Father for the first time. By taking all of our filthy disgusting sin upon himself, Jesus knew that He would be separating himself temporarily from God. Our sins were so black and dreadful and filthy and revolting that the Holy Father could not even look upon His son. And that, we are told in the Bible, was the most excruciating pain of all.

And then, after many torturous hours hanging with flesh tearing and blood flowing and organs gradually shutting down and hate being spewed from the crowd and the psychological turmoil that must have been stirring in Jesus' mind.....he said those words. Those words that resonate in my mind today: It is finished.

No, Jesus did not mean that His life was over. He knew that he would live again. It is finished. His calling in this world, God's plan for redeeming his sinful children and offering to them eternal life in paradise, was accomplished. It is finished.

And through that act, every single sinful act and thought that I, you, and every human through history committed was put to death. IT IS FINISHED. And Jesus gave up His spirit.

But, gloriously, that is not the end of the story of Good Friday. This does not end with torture and pain and death and separation and mourning. Stay tuned....the journey doesn't end here........