Monday, January 31, 2011

A First: Piano recital

Ah, First Experiences. This weekend Julia had a first, a piano recital!! I recall my own piano recitals so vividly that I WAS nervous as i sat in the pew awaiting my - i mean - HER turn at the keys... :) She did beautifully, as I knew she would. We were able to sit with her teacher, who also played a piece (since it was her recital as well). FUN!


below: Julia counting how many kids had to go up and play before her turn.... :)

Monday, January 17, 2011

I am thankful for these words:

“Maybe you have thought of the glory that Christ receives from brilliant genius and profound talent, from splendid gifts and glowing zeal, from costly sacrifices, and even extensive usefulness. But have you ever thought of the glory, the far greater, richer glory, that flows to Him from a contrite spirit, a broken heart, a lowly mind, a humble walk; from the tear of godly repentance that falls when seen by no human eye, and the sigh of godly sorrow that is breathed when heard by no human ear; from the abhorrence of sin and loathing of self, the deep sense of vileness, poverty, and infirmity that takes you to Jesus with the prayer, ‘Lord, here I am. I have brought to Thee my rebellious will, my wandering heart, my worldly affections, my peculiar infirmity, my besetting and constantly overpowering sin. Receive me graciously; put forth the mighty power of Thy grace in my soul, subdue all, rule all, and subjugate all to Thyself. Will it not be for Thy glory and the glory of Thy great name if this powerful sin were nailed to Thy cross; if this temper so sensitive, this heart so impure, these affections so truant, this mind so dark, these desires so earthly, these pursuits so carnal, and these aims so selfish, were all entirely renewed by Thy Spirit, sanctified by Thy grace, and made each to reflect Thine image? Yes, Lord, it would be for Thy glory, through time and through eternity.’”

Octavius Winslow

Morning Thoughts, 451-452

((found on my online devotional page)) www.adisciplesnotebook.com

Sunday, January 16, 2011

snowy walks.



My little outdoors girl fell asleep half way through our trek. It was so sweet, that she was comfortable enough in the snow and cold to lay herself down in the sled and fall asleep. My heart was warmed.






The colors of winter are stunning. I did not think my camera would capture them, however i find this photo a suitable substitute for the real thing. :) As suitable as a photo can be, you know, nothing is as wonderful as being shin deep in the snow, lungs full of fresh winter air. *sigh*





We brought hot chocolate and cinnamon buns for a mid-trek snack . YUM!!! The tee-pee made a lovely shelter for our stop.



I stumbled upon Sam teaching Mercy "how to play the piano", and crept up to capture it on camera!




Here are some photographs for our walk a couple of days ago. Hot Chocolate in the snow, that seems to be our signature hike grub. :)



Monday, January 10, 2011

ARTFUL day. :)



The hike this morning was lovely. Crisp, clear, quiet. we were the only people in the entire habitat area. hot chocolate and chocolate bar in bag, we followed a trail never taken before, fell through some ice (doesn't that sound dramatic? it was only a couple inches deep! haha) and now we are all sleepy.







I'd write more about the above craft photos...

but meltdowns have begun, which means mommy is needed for the bedtime preparation time...

whew.

here goes! :)

and here is a lovely picture of....

NOTHING!!

I am having a camera problem, and my napping husband will be able to fix it when he is more conscious. So, you will need to use your imagination to see the lovely royal purple felted bag that i FINALLY got around to felting today, after a week or so of staring at it! :) hahaha. I LOVE IT. it has a few imperfections, but i still love it a lot a lot a lot.

pictures soon to follow!

love him.




my favorite picture from today's hike in the snow.

Saturday, January 08, 2011

Soft, fluffy, cold, lovely!



*Ah* An hour and a half of clear skies, white trails, peaceful conversations, crisp air, and the occasional friendly hikers/skiers makes for a terrific way to start my saturday. *sigh* Talk about boosting the "happy" and the "energetic" factors of my brain... a great walk in the woods certainly remedies my dullness of spirit. I have always been this way, but i guess i forgot for a little while and let other priorities take the place of woodsy walks. Here is my mental note, a little reminder to myself that i need to get out in the beauty of God's creation a lot more than i have of late!

*sigh* isn't it LOVELY? These photos do not do justice to the glorious view of snow on conifer trees, silhouetted against a blue winter sky. The photos cannot convey the children in their excitement as they find tracks in the snow and then discuss what critter could have left them. Then of course there is the excessive snow eating, which i did not photograph because I try to discourage it when we are too close to public places or dog-walking areas... The older two can pick clean snow, but Mercy has NO CONCEPT of clean or dirty... I discovered her eating a chunk of snow from the schoolyard yesterday, it was laced with leaves and dirt... ik.

three cheers for snow walking!! And maybe someday soon... cross country skiing! (we passed a lady and her daughter skiing on the trail we had just completed, and after talking with them for a while I left with a great excitement to do some family skiing in our future. The mom said that they started with their kids all over the age of 4, and now that they have grown older, she has wonderful skiing companions. how lovely!)




Sunday, January 02, 2011

More of Christmas 2010...



So, I have been attempting to learn something new. Crocheting. Yep. Here is the beginning stage of what should soon, or not so soon, be a bag. Slit-topped, felted, and all! :) We'll see.... And i suppose you will see too, since i will post my progress here on my blog. Janet, a dear friend of mine, is working on the same project along with me so we can keep each other accountable right to the end... (...of our yarn, or our patience... whichever comes first i suppose.)



A sweet Christmas blessing: this innovative gift has created many interesting things in the short time we've had it... This is the "Rocket Ship"... yep. Taking all three of my munchkins to the moon...



SleepOverParty!!!

Five children between the ages of 3 and 7 enjoyed sleeping together in this cozy place for three nights during our V.O. Family get together! :) Maybe next year the two little girls will get to join the others... but this year they shared a bedroom to themselves. :) What fun! We are so happy to provide a place for our kids to create meaningful memories.

Here the kids prepare for "movienight".




I love sunshine and snow... *sigh* can't wait to figure out how to get the fam. out on some cross country skis.... *love to dream*



More of the Homemade Christmas:
Sam playing with his monsters and machines.. hahaha. Sooooo adorable. man. i love this kid.





Beautiful Big Kid. and her precious dolly.