Cookie Monsters at Grammer's House

Cookie baking at Grammer's tonight...76 cookies to take home to their parents.
We had a great weekend together. Holidays are now over and school starts again
on Monday. Xmas concert is this coming Wednesday..it had to be cancelled earlier due to blizzards...life is never boring, is it!

Who is she?

Early on in December Megan decided to cut her hair. She did a pretty thorough job on her right side and it really didn't look very good. She also cut some very short right in the middle of the front.

I had thought that I should do some cutting as well to try to make it better but was rather at a loss for how to do it. Well on Christmas my sisters Anna and Keren were here and thought they had figured out a plan and so I gave them the go ahead. We thought some length should come off (as it was quite thin on one side.) but I wasn't thinking quite as much as did. Oh well, she looked really strange at first but it is growing on me.

As a result of her haircut she has really been reminding us of other people. I took some pictures and I thought I would see what you thought. Here are some of our ideas:



Ramona Quimby from the book "Ramona the pest" by Beverly Clearly. (I really didn't get a picture that looks as much like that as she does a fair amount of the time!)

Maria from the "Sound of Music".

Children from the early 1900's. Also the little Jewish refuge children from the World War 2. (It reminds me of a lot of the documentary photos that I have seen.)

She also reminds us of D.W. from the Arthur books (though she isn't an animal so she does look a bit different!). She really likes D.W. and likes to quote her regularly and I think relates very well to her mischievous ways.

She also looks quite a lot like the conductor of our local Orchestra.

What do you think?

Goals for 2009

I have been thinking about some things that I want to work on for this year. They are in a variety of areas and in no particular order.

1. Organize my office in January (perhaps going into February) and keep it that way throughout the year. This includes finishing up projects that are laying around. I have already started working at this and am having fun. I am looking forward to sharing the completed projects and the end result of a fun, organized and inviting work area!
2. Live in the moment. To many times this last year I have realized I have hurried past someone at church without greeting them, had a bunch of stuff on my mind while a child was talking to me and just not enjoyed every moment as it comes because I have had so much to do. I think it is time to do some slowing down. I think this can be achieved by 2 things: Being more organized (so I am not running behind) and just plain doing less (just because it is good doesn't mean it has to be done).
3. Have a Joyful year! I think this is a very important fruit of the spirit and one that I really want people to see in me. I also want my children to live lives of Joy. I think it will help to be more conscientiously working on living joyfully.
4. Stop raising my voice or speaking in a cutting manner with my children. This is something that I have struggled with in the past year and I really want to stop. This has been something I have been praying about and God does truly help but I have to stay in tune with His Spirit. One thing that I have tried but want to work harder on is walking to wherever my children are before giving them instruction. When I try to call from another room so often they don't hear and don't respond and I just get stressed and get louder. It doesn't work for us! Also whenever I get overbooked it tends to come out on my kids with sharp instructions and getting short with them. That is why goal number 2 is very important.
5. Really having fun with my husband. Sometimes it can be so easy to get caught up in all the day to day issues of caring for a home, raising children, you know... LIFE, that I can sometimes forget about just having fun, laughing and loving together and as a family. I want to do better at that this year. Maybe I can even make myself watch a complete football game with him and enjoy it!
6. Get all my photos organized. The last couple of years I have really gotten behind (getting a digital camera did not help, which is as I suspected, but I love it anyway!) and I hope to get completely up to date.
7. Spending an average of $250 or less each month on our groceries.
8. Doing the flowers for twice as many weddings as I did in 2008.
9. Be more consistent in child training but also be patient, loving and kind.
10. Being even more concentrated on the ministry that God has given to me of reconciliation.

"Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature;
the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself,
not counting their trespasses against them,
and he has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ,
as though God were entreating through us;
we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

How about you? What are your plans and goals for this year?

Happy New Year!

Wishing each and every one of you a Wonderful New Year! May it be filled with peace, joy and love!

We do not know what will happen in this coming year, I know some people are worried either about the financial situation or the political leaders or maybe something more personal. We don't need to be worried though, we have a God who is bigger than every situation that we can possibly face. Our God is the one who created this world and everything in it. He has always been and He always will be and He can do anything!! With a God like that we can look at this year with excitement and joy and allow God to work through us to accomplish His will which is always right.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever." Hebrews 13:8

The Party is Over

The Party is over...let the New Year 2009 Begin!!!