Spontaneity.

Football season is very fun around here. But it can also be very hectic. And I get as close to a taste of being a single parent as I ever want to have. This week has been a bit crazy. We have not seen a lot of my husband, and he has been working very long and tiring hours between 2-a-day practices and his regular job hours. So, tonight, when he came home and said, "Let's head to the beach", he didn't have to ask twice. We threW some towels, chairs, and a couple of sand buckets into the truck and off we went to our favorite Lake Michigan spot. Needless to say, the kids were thrilled...and us grown-ups were as well.
The temps were cooler than your typical beach day....it was 68 by the time we reached the lakeshore. And, as you can see on Hayden's face, the water was FREEZING.
When I was younger, going to the beach to me meant getting there by 11 am and staying until 2, because those were the prime sun hours. I never dreamed why someone would go to the beach in the evening, unless it was late at night to watch the sun set.

But there is something so peaceful and relaxing about sitting at the shore in the early evening hours, just watching the kids play, the seagulls soar, and the waves roll. My husband and I love to sit at the beach, watch the kids play, and just chat about our hopes and dreams. Tonight, we talked about our dream of one day owning a home/cottage where we can sit on the back porch in the morning and have coffee, talk or read a book while overlooking the lake.
This little guy had 2 shots today to get ready for school. So his day started off on a bad foot. It was good to see him laugh and enjoy the evening.
My three favorite people in all the world, enjoying the COLD water....well, 2 of them were enjoying it, while the biggest one was trying to dodge the cold buckets full of water.
Our evening at the beach was topped off with pizzas at our all-time favorite nostalgic pizza place, Fricano's. And that yellow-and-white striped bag means that there are left-overs for lunch tomorrow.
And, of course, no trip to the lakeshore is complete without a stop at our favorite ice cream joint.
What a great, spontaneous evening we had.

And we got home to discover that one of our bunnies, Daffodil, is missing from her cage. So if you are in the area and happen to see a bright-white bunny with pink eyes lurking around your bushes and flowers, give us a call! Kennedy is pretty sad and worried, but we prayed and asked God to watch over her and bring her home to us. After all....God watches over every sparrow, every grain of sand on the beach, and every hair on our head....He specializes in things like lost bunnies.

Night-night.

Why I Create.

Often, I find myself reflecting on the question of why I create. Is it just to fill time? NOT. As a busy mom, wife, and professor, I don't really have so much free time that I am looking for extra things to fill it (though it might be nice to be in that position just once!). Do I create to escape stress and everyday life? Well, while creative work certainly does relieve stress and change my perspective on life, it is not to escape the day-to-day.

Why? I create because I firmly believe that I was CREATED TO CREATE. One of the amazing truths of God's word is that we were created by an amazing Creator God, made in His own perfect image. I myself am a creation of the superb artist/creator, the same one who fashioned delicate flowers, powerful ocean waves, colorful fall foliage, and the seasons themselves. The Psalms say that He knit us together in our mother's womb." Actually knit us....it doesn't say that He planted us in the womb and then set in motion some sort of developmental process that was automatic; no, He actively and creatively fashioned--knit together--every little ounce of our physical and emotional being. How amazing is that? It overwhelms me whenever I really stop to think about that truth. I am a creation made in the image of the Creator; hence, it follows that I was made to create, to be a creator, to be an artist.

There are many ways to worship God....praying, singing, praising, doing good to others. And CREATING. Yes, creating is very much an act of worship that is deeply spiritual and soul-nurturing. Why are art and creative activity so nurturing to the soul? My answer: Because it is what we were created to do. We are fulfilling God's intention when we create.

When I create, I commune in a very intimate and worshipful way with God. I believe that God is pleased when I use the mind and hands He gave me to create, just as he is when I sing a praise song to Him or create music on the piano. I believe that God takes great pleasure in His child bringing something new into being in a way that hasn't been done before. Whether I am painting a canvas, or cooking a new recipe, or decorating my home's walls, or snapping photos in an innovative way, or piecing together a scrapbook layout, I am giving praise to our amazing Father and Creator. It is what I was made to do. It is within me. It wells up inside me and overflows into how I live.

I don't buy into the notion that some people are "creative" while others aren't. I believe that God gifts us all differently and uniquely, yes, but everyone--EVERY ONE--is creative because each person was created by the Creator God in His image. Some people work to develop and express their creativity, while others choose not to. But creativity is entwined within our very being.


So, the next time you are creating (whatever that means to you), try viewing your creative work as an act of worship. It might help you eliminate any guilt that you have about the time you set aside for creative work, and it may give new meaning and inspiration to your creative endeavors. At a very real level, creativity is spirit-nurturing soul work.


And that's why I create.

Let the {Games} Begin!

We've been watching the Olympics around here, and it never fails to put me into the patriotic spirit. To think how long these athletes train and to know that their dream could come true or be dashed in a split second.....it is very emotional. I especially have enjoyed watching beach volleyball and water polo, along with several swimming events.

But another season has begun today in our family........FOOTBALL SEASON! Today is the start of the 2008 high school football season. Many of you know that my husband, Matt, is the varsity head football coach at our community high school, so I have re-entered "football widowhood" for yet another football season. Seriously, our whole family loves football.....there is no place that I would rather be on Friday nights throughout the fall......well, crops would come in a close second, but I can always crop again when November hits and throughout the winter.

So, I decided to immerse myself in motherhood and wifehood today. I made homemade cinnamon pull-aparts for breakfast and then my husband's favorite meal--meatloaf and cheesy potatoes--to celebrate his first day of practice. Then he told me he has a coaches' meeting tonight so won't be home until late. Which, if you wonder, is totally par for the course for a football coach's wife in the months of August through November. So we will enjoy the meal without him and he will eat leftovers when he gets home late tonight.

90.

This weekend was all about celebrating this beautiful lady, my Grandma S. When I think back on Grandma's 90-year life, I am amazed by all that she has lived through and accomplished. The number-one attribute that comes to my mind when I think about Grandma is FAITH. She has always lived out a tremendous faith in God, through good and trying times alike. My grandma raised four children in a house without plumbing....they washed clothes and took baths in a metal washtub and had an outdoor outhouse, many years after living this way was considered antiquated. I think that she just preferred to keep it simple. I remember when we visited as kids, thinking that it was such an adventure to play in the attic and watch the old lava lamp and use the outhouse outdoors and take warm soapy baths in the back room in the old washtub. Grandma befriended a family who moved to her street from Laos to escape persecution, and these people became some of her closest friends. Grandma stood by my grandfather through multiple health problems leading up to his death. Granda worked hard. Most photos that I have of Grandma depict her with a serious, often stern expression. That is why rare photos like that above are so beautiful to me (I always have to remind her to smile before I snap a photo!).
Grandma turns 90 on August 15th, and we got to spend the weekend celebrating her life. It was heartwarming to attend her party and see her re-connect with so many from across her lifetime....friends, family, neighbors, church members, and people who she had not seen for years. At one point, when asked how she was doing, she responded "I'm just soaking it all in."
I am so thrilled that my children have gotten to know Grandma and to learn a little bit about her life. I am happy to be able to have the opportunity to snap photos like these so that they will always remember her influence.
Here are myself and my three siblings with Grandma. From left to right, my siblings are my sister Haley, my brother Mitch, and my sister Kendra. We love you, Grandma, and are thankful for God giving you the strength and faith to live a long and full life.

Grandma's moments of clarity are increasingly fleeting as she battles Alzheimer's Disease. She needs reminders about some names and especially matching her great-grandchildren to her grandchildren/parents. She often gets confused and perseverates on some topics. But we love her and are so very thankful for her. Happy 90th, Grandma, and Thank You, Lord, for her life.
And the photo above is one I shot at the party of my favorite little-one-year-old photo subject...she had on the sweet dress that accentuated her blue eyes.......could she get an sweeter?

Friday.

These weeks are running by so fast. It's hard to believe that next week is my last full week off before faculty work days begin, and then back to class the last week of August. Then, in the first week of September, my daughter will be a second grader and my son (gulp) in kindergarten. While I am excited to see how they will learn and grow, it will be a whole new world for our family as both kids are in school.

Today, I'm just going to do a little catch-up post because in all the hubbub of birthdays, vacations, etc., I have overlooked a few things that I want to highlight here.

1. Our good friends, the Smith family, are headed for a 3-week trip to Africa. We are so thrilled to see what God will do in and through them while they are there, and we are inspired by this family's faith in God through every step of this journey.

Marcy, the mom of the bunch and an amazing friend, is keeping a blog of their adventure, so if you are interested, please check it out HERE and especially be praying for this special family.

2. Happy Birthday to my Mom, Gail, who turned 58 yesterday. We are celebrating tonight with a Mexican dinner, so we will be leaving this afternoon to head north. Happy Birthday, Mom and Grandma. We love you very much!

3. Happy Belated Birthday to my sister-in-law, Meegan. Her birthday was July 5th, but given all the vacation craze, I never posted here. We love you Meegan, and love seeing you and Mitch raise little Samantha. PS--And I just realized that I don't have a recent photo of you, so next time we see you, bring your biggest smile! :)

4. Tomorrow, we are celebrating my Grandma's 90th Birthday with a party/open house. I will post more about her and what she has meant to us this weekend.

5. I am typing on a new laptop. One of the benefits of working at the university is that every 2 years, they trade my old laptop for a brand new model. I am definitly enjoying the faster processing speed and higher memory capabilities. That means that I can take more photos!

6. Just a cute tidbit from Hayden. We were sitting in the living room next to each other. All of a sudden I hear: "Dear God." I look at him, but he continues. "Dear God, please help Daddy to build me a big Mach 6 race car so that I can win all the races. Ok, God? Thanks God. Amen." I was chuckling, but oh, if only all of us could come so innocently and transparently before our Savior!

7. And a few of Kennedy's words. "Mom, do you mean that some people actually have to WORK in the summer?" With both myself and Matt being in the field of education, we have nearly 4 months off in the summer. She was amazed that some people (most people) actually have to continue working in the summer. And when she found out that we still get paid all summer, she thought that that was a pretty good deal!

8. This week, I discovered COSTCO photo processing and LOVE IT! I especially love their collage feature, where I got an 11x14 collage for only $2.99! They also print 12x12 photos for scrapbooks (great for layouts where you use a photo as your background paper-I ordered a couple of those to play with) as well as stretched canvas and any size you could need. The best thing: They offer a finish called "lustre" which is a bit more satiny than matte but not glossy. I am not a big fan of glossy finish, so I like the lustre finish a lot. Mainly, I print my 4x6 photos as I scrap with my little Epson PictureMate, but I will definitely be using the Costco service for large projects and enlargaments. If you're looking for a good service, check it out. They offer one-hour service where you upload to their site and then pick it up at Costco one hour later. Perfect! HERE is their site if you want to check it out.

Happy Friday!

Local Gem.

Sometimes, I find that we travel other places for relaxation and vacation, while overlooking some of the gems that are right in our own local area. Such is the case with Millenium Park, where we spent our day today. The park is less than 15 miles from our home, and I have heard about it several times before. But today was the first time we actually drove over there to check it out. And we were not disappointed! The park is basically a man-made lake/beach, splash pad, playground, and fishing ponds, along with a rope playground, trails, concession stand, lots of pavillions, and several other attractions.

For my kids, the favorite was the splashpad. There were lots of fun sprayers, fountains, and, of course, buckets of water to be dumped over heads.....very, very fun.

Here are Kennedy, Hayden, and Samantha (my niece) enjoying a huge twisty popsicle after lunch...MMMMM.
Several times throughout the day, it appeared as if we would be rained out. But all in all, it was a sunny day and, while a bit chilly in the shade, a great day for the park. We will certainly be visiting again before school starts. Thanks, Meegan and Samantha, for the invitation and for such a fun day!
So today, I challenge you to find a "gem" in your local area and check it out. If you are in the GR area, be sure to check out Millenium Park. It's cheap ($5.00 admission for all three of us total), it wasn't too busy, and there was lots of fun to be had for all ages.

Laundry Room Makeover.

Given that birthday craze is over at our house (whew), or at least until September, I thought that I would use this week to share some of the home projects that I have been working with over the past few weeks and, in some cases months. First up.......the laundry room.

In our previous house, the washer and dryer were housed in a closet in the hallway, meaning that whenever I did laundry, the hallway was overtaken with sorted piles of dirty laundry. Not an ideal design plan, if you ask me. So I was thrilled when our new house had a small, but nonetheless separate, laundry room. But it was a very white and boring room with no personality.

Last fall, when I was down in Detroit for a scrap weekend, I took a side trip to IKEA and picked up a few things for the laundry room. I have had these things in the closet for nearly a half-year as other projects took precedence. But, this week was the laundry room's turn, and I am really pleased with how it turned out.

I am so thankful for our High Efficiency washer and dryer....I don't know what I would do without it (probably drown in laundry!).

The striped rug is from IKEA:
An old washboard that I found at an antique store cheap a few years ago:
I love these curtains....they just said fresh and natural to me, just what I wanted this laundry room to be about. I was drawn to the abstract leaf pattern and simple color scheme:

Here is what the room looks like from the hallway:
I am not a big fan of closet doors, especially when they are close to the entry door, so I took off the closet door and hung a matching curtain over it, with a tie-back attached to the door. I really like how it turned out, more of a casual look.

I designed this wall rub-on and purchased it from Uppercase Living last year, and have been saving it until I got the time for the laundry room upgrades. It went on so easily, like butter, and adds some personality to the room in a sarcastic sort of way! I just saw another one that said "Sorting out Life, one load at a time"......so fun.
I purchased these letters from Hobby Lobby. At first, I was planning to put them on straight, but them decided to give a bit of a funky letterplacement as I might on a scrapbook layout title.
The "laundry" definition sign above FRESH is something I picked up at a local store called Country Needleworks. They always have such a fun selection of signs like this, and I thought it would again add a splash of fun to an otherwise laborious space.

Paint="Rain" from Sherwin Williams (kind of a dusty aqua).

So, that is my laundry room makeover....(I hope it was worth the wait, Camille(edited)...so sorry for the OOPS!). Be;ieve it or not, I didn't snap a "before" photo....but I will search my archives to see if I by chance have one. During the rest of the week, I will share what I have been doing in my daughter's room and the master bedroom/bathroom. Next stop: Scrap studio reorganization.

Almost makes me want to do laundry. ALMOST.