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Tidbits Of A December Saturday at Home

Countdown to Christmas, another day to cross off.
Little one begging me to work on this with her.  
I tell her yes, after some laundry loads.
Another little one, found creating antlers…
…for her TV.
Said laundry, I have 2 more piles this size elsewhere in the house. 
 Keeping it real, people.
Simple gifts ready to go.  Can you tell I am not planning on doing my usual Christmas Cookie baking?  
An unexpected drop in by Grandma bearing Christmas treats!
My oldest, measuring the melting. 
I looked everywhere for that glass measure this morning! 
The only Christmas decor my pre-teen would allow in her room.  Makes me smile.
Thank you notes and festive art left by my youngest.
Sounds of Christmas as they practice before Saturday morning piano lessons.
Headboard wrapped in Christmas lights.  Fa-la-la-la-laa, la, oh-la-la!!
Touches of silver sparkle next to a honeymoon picture.  
Do you see me in the reflection?
__________________________
I walk around finding myself wanting to grasp on to the moments.  I am so thankful for each one.  I love our family life and our home.  Life is precious, and good.
HOME/ Homemaking/ Kids/Family

Portable Puzzles & Lazy Winter Game Playing Days

I’ve written a post about portable puzzles before, but as the weather turns cold and we spend more time indoors as a family, I thought I’d share what we have been doing.  Today we are starting our tradition of puzzle- making.  Every year during Thanksgiving break, we get a new puzzle and try to finish it by the New Year. We are able to keep it portable and move it to whatever room we want to by keeping it on a bulletin board.  The cork on the board makes it harder for pieces to slip onto the floor. It usually stays in the dining room, house central, where we can sit for a few and leisurely work on it.  I find it is a great time to chill and chat with one of my girls.  It never fails, if I sit and start working on it, one of them will join me.  I love the memories we have made and conversations we have had while making puzzles, with candles lit and Christmas music playing!

Another way I encourage busy minds and hands is with a basket of card games sitting on a shelf.  My girls are getting old enough to play each other.  It is a great thing to encourage when I hear “Mom, I’m bored!”

I brought another shelf into the Living Room to put some board games on and also house some good family reading material.  We have a ton of great games, but I find if I don’t have them upstairs on display, they just won’t get played very often, unless it is a holiday.  I will switch the games out periodically as they play them so they don’t get bored with the choices.  Boggle, anyone?

Back to the puzzles, we always take a picture of the finished product, which makes the tearing down process much easier on little ones.

This puzzle is from last year.  I have vivid, precious memories of sitting there with my family and close friends, after surgery, working on that puzzle.  It was nice to have something to do while healing that was interactive and in a central location so I could be with my family.

~Does your family do puzzles?

~What games are your favorites?

Counting Gifts/ FAMILY/ Kids/Family

The Gift Of A Vacation–One Thousand Gifts #22

holy experience

I know it is not Monday, but after such an amazing vacation with my family, I had to post about the gifts.  We spent a week in Breckenridge and had a super good time.  I am so grateful.


#536-#589

~LIFE.  I am alive.  He has brought me– carried me to this place of mountains I dreamed of when I was sick.

~standing on snow in shorts

~my youngest girl and her cousin, discussing Grandpa and Grandma’s generosity to provide this family trip

~amazing food everyday.  Nourishing.

~a smile on my face that is hard to erase.  How can I keep from singing and shouting His name?

~ a morning, 2- block walk alone to the Amazing Grace Natural Cafe

~granola w/ cranberries, bananas.  Soy milk in a small metal pitcher. A ‘just-out-of-the-oven’ scone.

~listening to the locals banter.  They are regulars here at this Amazing Grace cafe. I would be too, we would be friends, if I lived here.

~getting caught on my walk in the sprinklers

~an early morning stroll alone.  I find a church.  I stop to gaze at the cross top and thank Him for this day.

~candles burning in old church windows

~grandma bouncing grand baby

~brooks, streams and rivers

~grandpa chuckling to himself while reading from his Kindle

~energy to have FUN.

~His  BIGNESS!  He made these mountains!!

~on these mountains, my eyes seem to see the furthest east to west.  This is how far He has removed my transgressions!

~cousins playing board games

~a life that is so very blessed.

~journals and books

~a fancy dinner with my mother-in-law and sister-in-laws.  One of my favorite memories made. My heart bursts with love for them.

~the quaint shops of Breckenridge.

~my girls searching for the perfect souvenir to buy with the money Grandpa pulled from his pocket.

~listening and hearing my husband.  Putting my defenses down, caring more for his feelings than my own.  God’s grace to do so.
~my awe in a spice store.  Amazed by all the scents from nature, I again praise the Creator.

~white water rafting.  The warmth of my wetsuit (we won’t talk about how they smelled).  Safety.

~ my girls squeals of joy when rafting on white water

~Alpine slides and chair lifts

~cordless earphones in the car for our girls. A DVD player.

~ awesome time to bond with husband as kids watch movies in the car

~a private suite within a large family cabin.  Our own kitchen and bathroom.  Amazing.

~daughter overcoming her fear on chairlift

~alpine treetops.  Viewing them from above.

~bumping into friends I have not seen in over 24 years!!  So good to see you, Melissa & Jon!

~’fake’ Keens that worked just as well as ‘real’ Keens

~watching nephews rock climb.  Their will and determination.

~bro-in-laws. Their unique personalities.  Their love for their families.  Their wisdom.

~cousins rock collections, their discovery of textures and colors

~the swiveling, wall-mounted t.v. in our suite

~orange poppies.  Their heads dancing, pointing toward majestic mountains

~family strolls, family time

~veggie pizza, served on white and red checkered tablecloths

~a leisure afternoon of shopping, when what the clock says just does not matter

~cupcakes with my cuppy-cuppy cupcakes!  Sweets with my sweetie-pies!

~a- latte -a- day—-my vacation splurge

~a family train of twenty biking down the mountain.  Our splitting up then meeting again creates the rhythm of the day.

~feeling so alive as I coast down the mountain.  The words in my head–“The firmament shows His handiwork!!”

~forcing myself to not smile while biking, don’t want bugs in my teeth!

~baby bike buggy

~daddy taking his girls horseback riding so I can shop alone

~flowering cactus, another something to delight my girls

~kind, patient zip line instructors

~safety on all 6 zips!

~little girls with big courage

~flying across the canyon, celebrating that I can!

~safety.  Our trip ends with an ambulance and paramedics.  They give our youngest 2 thumbs up after falling onto cement from 5 feet up.  She wanted to help pack the top of the car, and proceeded to do so after being told no!! Ugh.

~a sore wrist, but not broken.  A raw knee that can still walk.  A red knot on her head but no serious head injury.  Safe.

FUN/DIY/ Kids/Family

Springtime Coloring Book Fun

Todd and I had a fun date night last night.  We ended up at a local bookstore called Indigo Bridge Books.  I had a 2 Groupons for $20.00 worth of merchandise each, so I had a blast looking & shopping around.

{See that amazing tree?  Toby Thomas is the artist.}
{If you have not signed up for Groupon, YOU MUST CLICK HERE to learn more about it.  All of our date nights have been 50-70% off, and many were even free, thanks to Groupon–I’m a big fan! If your friends sign up you get $10 free when they make their first purchase.}

Back to our date night and shopping–I found the best coloring book for my girls and had to get it!

Spring Has Sprung (Designs for Coloring)
This book is about an inch thick and full springtime beauty!
There is something so therapeutic about coloring, it is an activity I don’t mind doing with my girls, especially when my energy is low and the coloring pages look like these! 
Here are some other coloring books/art books we have used and loved:
Scribbles: A Really Giant Drawing and Coloring Book
This one has kept my girls busy in the car on several road trips.
Doodle All Year
The Second Anti-Coloring Book: Creative Activites for Ages 6 and Up (Anti-Coloring Books)
Love the creativity this one inspires
Pencil, Paper, Draw!: Flowers
This is a favorite of my youngest.  She has spent hours drawing flowers!
Melissa & Doug Jumbo Coloring Pad - Pink
Another favorite of my youngest.  It also comes in blue.
Mandalas Stained Glass Coloring Book (Dover Coloring Books)
Stained Glass Coloring Book
These end up works of art, worthy of framing
Ed Emberley's Great Thumbprint Drawing Book
This one is just silly fun!  We have made very fun thank you cards out these little characters.
AND:

Our Favorite brand of colors and art supplies:

Melissa & Doug Triangular Crayons - 24 pack
My girls love that there is no paper in the way.  They are also very strong and do not break as easily as most crayons.  The case is super convenient, the hard plastic cover swivels up…no torn boxes!!
Melissa & Doug Jumbo Triangular Crayons
Great for little fingers.
Melissa & Doug Rainbow 6 Color Stamp Pad
This one is perfect for fingerprint art.
Metallic Creamy Crayons (6 + Brush)
I saved their favorite for last.  These are awesome.  They are like jumbo chapstick containers that twist.  They are creamy, shiny and so much fun to use.  My youngest got them for Christmas, my oldest keeps sneaking in her room to use them.  They look great on black paper, but can be used on all types of 
paper.

Got any coloring/art book favorites?
How about art supplies?

Kids/Family/ Love

Dancing With My Husband In Minefields


Andrew Peterson-Dancing In The Minefields
I am heading into a surgical center today to sit with my husband.
He is having surgery to have his knee repaired.
Exactly a week from now, he will be with me as I have surgery, a double mastectomy.

I had a friend write on my face book “He will be your hands, you can be his feet

That is how we have worked these last 14 years.  Joined together.  Filling in the others weakness, and when we fail (which has been often), our Lord steps in and fills in the areas we were never meant to fill in each other.
There have been many, many bumps in the road.  Life has not always been easy, but because of our faith and goodness of our God, we have been able to stay strong and get through the minefields of life.

I love this song.  I love the idea of “Dancing in the minefields.”  We are.  We are holding tight to each other and getting through them, many times stumbling, but more often, we are, actually, dancing.

Todd, I love you.  

Well I was 19 you were 21 

The year we got engaged
Everyone said we were much to young
But we did it anyway
We got the rings for 40 each from a pawnshop down the road 
We said our vows and took the leap now 15 years ago

Chorus:
We went dancing in the minefields
We went sailing in the storm
And it was harder than we dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise is for

Well ‘I do’ are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another I’ve heard is a good place to begin
Cause the only way to find your life is to lay your own life down
And I believe it’s an easy price for the life that we have found

Chorus:
And we’re dancing in the minefields
We’re sailing in the storm
This is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise is for
That’s what the promise is for

Bridge:
So when I lose my way, find me
When I lose loves chains, bind me
At the end of all my faith
to the end of all my days
when I forget my name, remind me

Cause we bear the light of the son of man
So there’s nothing left to fear
So I’ll walk with you in the shadow lands
Till the shadows disappear
Cause he promised not to leave us
And his promises are true
So in the face of all this chaos baby
I can dance with you

Chorus:
So lets go dancing in the minefields
Lets go sailing in the storms
Oh lets go dancing in the minefields
And kicking down the doors
Oh lets go dancing in the minefields
And sailing in the storms
Oh this is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise is for
That’s what the promise is for

Kids/Family

Making Puzzles Portable

The girls fall break from school is usually when we break out the puzzles here in our household.  We usually finish 2, one for the Thanksgiving season, one for Christmastime.  It is fun to see one of my girls just stop and sit for a few minutes and work on it, they love seeing it come together slowly but surely!  This year, I have found it very therapeutic through the highs and lows of sickness, to just sit a bit either by myself or with one (or all) of my girls and work on it while listening to Christmas music.  
We use a cork bulletin board to make our puzzles portable.  The cork is great for keeping pieces from sliding around when moving it from place to place.  We usually keep it at the dining room table, but move it out of the way for family dinners.  Sometimes one of my girls want to lay in front of the t.v. and work on the floor while watching a show.  They also will carry it into the basement to join the rest of us if that is where we are hanging out.  
We have a tradition of taking a photo of the puzzle when finished, which makes breaking them down much less painful for my girls. 🙂  This candy puzzle is the one we worked on in November.
Progress!!  My family is coming to celebrate Christmas on Thursday.  I know this will get finished that day, my sister, Kathy, is a pro and once she starts, she has a hard time stopping until it is finished!
Can’t wait…so fun!!

Kids/Family/ Seasonal

Fall Break Fun

**This is a repost from last year.  This week is my girls fall break, and we just found out I don’t have to do chemo until next week, so I get to enjoy my girls this week!!  This motivated me pull out this “Fall Break List Of Things To Do” post.  I will be eager to see what my girls want to add to it this year…

My girls have a week off of school for fall break.  Today was the first day, and after chores were done this morning, it only took about an hour until I heard the words “Mom…I’m bored!” When I think of all the awesome things my sweet but spoiled girls have to keep them busy, I was pretty surprised to hear those words so soon into our break!

I know a list helps keep me focused and on track with the flow of my day, so I thought maybe it would help them, too.  I grabbed a pen and paper, called my girls into the living room and made them pop- a- squat on the living room floor right in front of my feet.  Then I asked them to help make a list of all the fun things they can do to keep themselves busy during break.  They really got into it, and we were able to come up with a whole bunch of fun stuff to do!  As we brain- stormed, it was neat how they were able to think of things they have not done in awhile, like Lincoln Logs and making paper snowflakes.

When we were done, I copied the list onto a large piece of paper and hung it on our dining room wall.  I made a place for each of them to initial beside each idea, so they can keep track of what they have done.
They played with Play-doh for the first time in a very long time today, it kept them quite busy!  They are all excited to wake up tomorrow and decide what they are going to do next. I think we were able to come up with enough things to make this fall break very fun!

Here is what we came up with:
Legos, Art, Twister Dance, Karaoke, Sidewalk Chalk, Play-Doh, Nintendo DSi, Pop Beads, Computer, Hullabaloo, Puzzibits, KEVA Planks, Pop Beads, Beads, Paper Snowflakes, Doll House, Babies, Dress-Up, Barbies, Marker Board(Dry Erase Board), Hullabaloo, Scooters/Bikes, Lincoln Logs, Sticks, Crossword Puzzles, Piano, Basketball, Hide n Seek, Sardines, Trace Cookie Cutters, Bake/Cook, Doctor/Nurse, Beauty Shop, Lite Brit, Puppets, Puzzles, Tea Party, Tinker Toy, School, Play Food, Coloring Pages, Polish Nails/Toes, Boochie, Life, Battleship, Circus Game, Drawing Game, Parcheesi, Visit Library, Play At Park, Go For A Hike!  Whew!

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