Travel...sigh

Alan and I have been watching HG-TV home improvement shows online, and I decided to see if any were taking applications. I didn't find any, but I did find an application for a new travel show, so I applied. We LOVE traveling, but after two years in a row of going to San Fran w/our parents, we're laying low this year, traveling via Rick Steves' DVDs. This is the picture of us I submitted for the travel show. I doubt we'll get selected--if my many attempts at applying for the Amazing Race are any indication, I am not television material. :)

winter princess party pics.........Jody

The "Before" Picture

Our downstairs bathroom is going to get a little facelift. That big gray block on the wall is us testing out a color (we're actually going to go for an even darker charcoal color--yikes!! Word on the street was that painting a small bathroom a DARK color would make it seem bigger. I'll let you know when it's all done.) We're going to get a smaller sink/vanity to make the space larger. Fortunately, the room has a huge window & lots of natural light. We were going to start painting tonight after the girls went to bed but we were too pooped and watched a couple HG-TV shows online instead. :)

Sushi

We had a couple guys from school come over to make sushi for some of our friends from church.We all had a really good time :)

We love stores with "Car Carts!"

We're doing a very modest bathroom re-do, and last Saturday the whole family headed to both Lowe's and Home Depot to look at new sinks & vanities and pick out paint. Lowe's was the favorite because we scored this cart!

Snow day

This is the only 3 inches of snow we will probably get this year......Today was Nanae's first time to play in the snow.I baked cinnamon rolls and we roasted hot dogs in the fireplace :)Ray is on the far right.It was a great day :)

Life's a little crazy...

...but full of fun! Sorry I've missed a few days, friends! This is the view my girls often have of me in the morning as they sit at our breakfast bar while I get ready (although I don't always make this face. Often, but not always.)

Coffee and friends

I've been meeting for coffee every Tuesday for at least 13 years with varies friends from church.There are 3 of us that are almost always there and then about 10 part-timers......That is Lucciano that I am holding :)

archery arm.......Jody

Avery's arm after archery...ouch!!

Another beach day

spent the day at the beach with my niece and daughters :)

Mess! Jody

this is my crazy work/school work place! When I am done with school in the spring and am going to redo this whole end of my bedroom...I was going to keep going for my PhD but I just don't have it in me! so I will have a MA plus 1 and that will just have to be enough for now!

Game Night......Jody

It's so much fun now that the kids are old enough to play extended board games.  My niece send this Bibleopoly game as a joke a few years ago ...we love it!

Please Pray for Ray

This is the wild teenage kid I am trying to reach out to.Please keep him in your prayers he is making some really dumb decisions that will ruin his life.......Thanks.

My cool jazz guy

I opened the "pictures" file and the photos from his CD session were there--so I just decided to put up one of them. Alan recently won a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, so I'm feeling pretty proud of him. :)

an oldie...Jody

Here is an oldie...about 5 years ago when I went to work full time and Gene began to stay home.  Here he is trying to get Avery out the door...he has some  help!

Beach Day

I pulled the girls out of school because a friend of mine came to spend the night tonight so we all went to the beach today.....this is Destiny pointing out the dangers.....

Lisa

Our church threw my friend Lisa Bowling a surprise 40th birthday party the past October. (I know--she doesn't look 40!) Lisa has cerebral palsy and is a pretty amazing woman. If you friend her on FB she'd be delighted! The stickers we're wearing are from a game--each person had the name of a Biblical character or place stuck to his or her back. You had to find your "mate" by asking yes/no questions to first figure out who YOU were, then find your partner. (Such as Adam & Eve, Sodom & Gomorrah, David & Goliath, etc. Then, once all partners were paired, each "couple" was given a balloon to hold between them as they stood back to back. Finally, on the count of three, the couples had to pop their balloons by pushing against one anothers' backs. First couple to pop won! It was really fun!)

gettin' some air....Jody

We have a very unsafe yard! that is so much fun...here's avery getting some air...

Skits....

Clint and Rainey are both on the skit team at church.This is Clint in a skit with his brother Joe.

I'm a copycat

Jody's picture of Gene with their adorable Amelia inspired me to post this one of Alan with Evelyn. I love fathers and daughters together. We were waiting in the vestibule of the church with which Amelia's school is associated. Amelia's class was singing in the chapel service. :)

Daddy's Girl

Gene and Amelia!

The Awards Ceremony

(I'm still laughing at my friends' valentine pictures from yesterday! Alan posted mine for me while I was at rehearsal--so I could come home and have nothing to do but take the bubble bath he made for me and read my book while drinking a pot of spiked tea. Very nice.) Here's Evelyn at the awards ceremony last week, receiving her award for her health & nutrition project last quarter. :)

completing the series...Jody

Ummm....my Valentine...Jody

Once I clicked on this picture I couldn't change it! this is so funny! Not the picture I had planned to post but this picture does make me smile so very much!

My Valentine

My sweet Valentine :)

Valentine's Day

Vancouver WA

Justus for All played in Vancouver at my brother in law's church last night.8 people answered the altar call to give their lives to Jesus.

Princess Party.........Jody

Amelia was invited to a Princess Party....she had no princess clothes so we headed to the local thrift store and found this for $3.00~   adorable! 

Rainey

Rainey with her attitude glasses,we all got some a while ago so we can all have an attitude :)

Etch A Sketch skills.........Jody

Today I entertained a 3 year old in the hosptial waiting room while her baby sister had a swallow study...here is an example of my 3 year old entertaining skills.

Winter Walk Near Our House

I was inspired by Becky's picture of her house and Jody's picture of the gorgeous walking trail near hers. I love living where I can walk to get pretty much anything we need. This plow-made snowbank was behind the CVS pharmacy, on the loop we walked from the grocery store to the Dunkin' Donuts and home again.

My house

This is my current house......

Winter Walk.........Jody

 This is the river walk trail near our place....I'm embarrassed that we don't use it more often!

School Days

Today I'll be  heading to Evelyn's school for her 2nd quarter achievement awards ceremony. Hopefully they'll have improved it a bit. Last quarter the music teacher stood up and said, for each class, "And the winner is..." and I about fell out of my chair. (Am I just being overly sensitive?) Of course Evelyn got no awards for anything, which would have been fine if they'd prepared the children better for NOT getting awards. And one particular boy in her class won the awards for all the resource classes: art, music, drama, Spanish, and dance. Nothing like an award ceremony where gradually more and more kindergarteners are in tears!

BTW, above is Evelyn posing in front of the playground in the very cool courtyard of her school. It is housed in what used to be an old Catholic school and convent.

This time last year....Jody

this is where we were around this time last year...Crested Butte, CO...this is the church where my niece was married...and she just had her 1st baby! Lain Michael...that picture will be next!

Sisters

This is me and my sister Keri that just moved 3 hours away from me......

Friday....at the Capitol...of Colorado that is!

I'm going to have to back track some posts here...busy weekend!

My personal chef

Rainey has been cooking and baking quite often lately.....makes my life easier :)

Rainbow Cake

My cousins visited overnight this past weekend and one of them baked this amazing cake--we could not believe it! My girls were very impressed with how the colors were all in correct rainbow order, but even more impressed with how one slice took up a whole dinner plate!

A Kid's View

Amelia (my lover of small spaces and corners) took the camera with her when playing behind one of the sofa end tables in the living room. I kind of like knowing the kids' perspectives on our life here.

Destiny the driver

Destiny has been driving 6 months so now she can take her friends in the car.........here comes more gray hairs.....

cheap fun........Jody

Boxes and pets...keeps Amelia busy all evening! our little neighborhood store has boxes our front often and I grab one for Amelia....she loves making the pets houses, cars, garages etc.

Jody....a cool place to keep warm

This is the Irish Pub, The Irish Snug, where we espaped the freezing temperatures of Denver...such a nice fun pub. I love a good Pub! Not a fan of bars, but a good pub or coffee house is like a 2nd home!

Shared Work Space

My Bob Cratchit attic office is also my husband's home recording studio, and these are spitting distance from my desk (not that I would spit on Alan's drums!) If I laugh out loud the snares buzz. :)

Jody on the road again!

Home from Denver...the drive was much better than I had hoped, but at the top of Monument pass, with my defrost on high, my side windows were covered with ice on the inside. Glad to be home and in my own bed!

my backyard-Oregon

There are several deer in the area that hang out in my backyard....I love it :)

RVR in Winter

Figured I'd stick with the family ministry theme. Last week I got to leave my Bob Cratchit office to actually work from River Valley Ranch, the camp my grandfather started in 1952. It is so beautiful in snow! While non-summer months are always open for retreats, for six weekends in Jan/Feb they host Winter Meltdowns, which are all-inclusive retreats designed so youth leaders can come and spend all their time with their youth group kids and in sessions specifically for them. The speakers, worship music, activities, and games are all taken care of by the RVR staff. And it goes without saying that the tubing is spectacular.