the creek, the clem, and coyotes

I love date night with my hubby. The girls stayed at Grandma and Grandpa Kelly's last night, so we were able to go out on the town.
We went to Partridge Creek mall, which was beautifully decoarted and lit up and it was refreshing to walk around in the brisk air ducking into stores to check out clearance racks. We left empty handed, which is no surprise. We were just enjoying the ambiance.
We headed to Mt. Clemens for a drink and I finally saw the "feather bowling" place. We didn't play, but it was neat.
On the way home, we decided to be adventurous and stop at a place we have always driven by and speculated what exactly took place within the walls. It used to be called "sneakers' but is now called "coyotes". Timm was afraid he might get beat up for asking if they have wine. But, he was courageous enough to ask. Yep, they had some. They poured him a full glass of zinfindel in a beer glass and it tasted like it had been sour for a couple of years! ha.
So, we played some pool and a few tunes on the jukebox. They even had "autentic mexican food" (that is exactly how it was spelled on the table top menu.). It also featured "fasitas". Yah, I don't know what that is? And, I must admit that I was tempted to order some of it, just to see what it looked like.
We talked, we laughed, we played, we sang along to good tunes....I love date night.

give me neither poverty nor riches

My prayer for the new year.
Proverbs 30:8-9
8Keep falsehood and lies far from me,
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread
9Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say "Who is Lord?"
Or I may become poor and steal
and so dishonor the name of my God.
It's a tough prayer to truly give to God. Because I'd love to pray for prosperity and security, and comfort. But, I know that when I have all of those things, I find myself drifting along feeling pretty good about MYSELF and how well I'VE done. So, I need to be humbled. Yet, I do pray to be spared from poverty. Because that scares me. And I fear that I would be tempted to horde and not put my faith in his provisions.....
Happy New Year.

traditions continued...

Hanging out with the Carlson family Christmas day, always taking group photos like this one that has all the grandkids with Grandma and Grandpa.
Opening MORE presents from Grandma and Grandpa. Watching them open their surprise. And finally heading to the Kelly's where we finish off the night with some cards. Ahh, it's a wonderful life.

CHristmas traditions

Some of our annual Christmas traditions....aunt Katie spending the night. Hanging out at Aunt Liz's Christmas eve. Hanging out at home Christmas morning, this year Liv felt wiped out and sick, other years it's Alli. Reading the Christmas story together before exchanging gifts, the last two years Grandma and Grandpa Kelly have been able to join us.
I guess this will only let me include 4 pics at a time. I'll have to add one more post to share a couple more pics !!

Tis the season to ham it up!

Timm starred as the grinch in the Kensington Kids performance at church, which was both funny and meaningful! It was a great message for the kids, and a great time had by all.
So, it should be no surprise that the girls starred in the Christmas performance at Kensington. Surely they get that interest from Daddy!
They had an awesome time with their buddies. Here's a pic of them backstage in the green room having way too much fun before the four performances on Christmas eve.

Once upon a time, I made a rhyme

There once was a time when I enjoyed writing, just for the sake of writing. Poetry, reflections, letters to friends, anything. It never occurred to me to give a rip who read the things I wrote, or if they liked it. I miss that. So, today I will jot down some thoughts. Poems I guess. Why? Becuase I like it. I like words. I like reading them, writing them, disecting them, and especially hearing them used in a creative fashion. So, why not.

Round and round we go
where is the clock?
Nobody knows.

Stop! Did you hear that?
a snowflake just fell.
Through the tick and the tock,
I hardly could tell.

Another...another...
does white carry sound?
Perfect stillness rests.
I hear it clanging all around.

The morning has broken
the morning is mine.
The tick tock, the stillness
the gift of time.

It's there. Or is it?
It surrounds us, and yet...
With tight fists I grab hold
and with open hands I get.

Ahhh, that felt pretty good. So, perhaps I'll jot another......

It's the law you know.
When you stop you stop.
When you go, you go.

Stop. Go. Stop. Go.
In motion tremors thrill
but in the ring stands fighting
the desire to be still.

Who will be the victor?
Who will win the prize?
Can you measure these opponents?
Will they score based on their size?

Run. Accomplish. Fight. Win.
Then worthy you will be.
But, Stop. Reflect. Surrender. Lose.
And the victory you might see.

Princess and the kiss...

This is my little princess. At the risk of embarrassing her, I had to share this. First of all, I have to say how much I am cherishing our time together during our days of home schooling. We have the opportunity to share so much. Each morning we begin the day with devotional and journal time. Alli is using the "Princess and the Kiss" devotional that accompanies a great book we've read together. (By the way, if you have your own little princess, you need this book!).
During our discussion yesterday, the subject arose about what a woman should look for in a man when seeking a husband. Alli shared that she has thought about this, and has a pretty good idea of what she hopes to find in a boy. She shared with me. (Later, I asked her to share with Daddy too, which just confirmed that she really had thought about this, because the list remained the same).
Here is what she shared: "Mom, I already have an idea of what I want to look for in a boy to be my husband.....I would like him to be sensitive.....but not too sensitive. Cute. That he'd love me so much he'd give his life for me. And that he'd love God and turn to him. Because when we have hard times or argue or disagree, I want us to be able to both turn to God together for help to figure things out."
Hmmmm, she's nine. Let's hope she can hold on to these convictions. Thank you God for my little princess!

yay snow

I know most people hate the dreaded white stuff, but seriously, wouldn't you rather see sparkling white crystals shimmering in the cloudy haze of Michigan winter....rather than simply gray, brown, and a couple shades of blick.
Driving in it isn't really fun. But, again, it's all perspective. That, along with the fact that I don't have a daily commute to work.
Anyways, we enjoyed sledding today! Grabbed my nieces and nephews and hit the hill. Pretty fun stuff. The kids were pooped out after about 45 minutes, then we discovered that the back side of the hill not only sent you sailing into trees and brush, but it also had a ramp! A wooden ramp covered in snow. What kind of mom (or aunt) would not only let the kids try it, but give scores on the ramp jumpage, just to encourage it??!!! I personally value my tailbone way too much to give it a try myself.

photo junkie

OK, I realize I am a photo junkie. I only want to post if I can attach a photo to go with it. But, I don't always have the time to upload the pic, attach it, etc. So, today I just say hello.
The snow is falling, my kids are singing Christmas carols, my kitchen in a wreck, but house cleaning is next on the to-do list! I love this stuff. We're having our friends over tonight for a Christmas celebration. We're putting on a "mystery dinner" as well as games and stuff. I got rid of so many Christmas decorations last year, yet somehow I still managed to throw out a fairly festive looking spread of hospitality for the evening.
What a fun week. Very busy though.
Monday gymnastics.
Tuesday excel. Tuesday night the girls had their open house for excel (home school coop). Wednesday we spent a good chunk of time shoppping as a family for warm clothes to donate to homeless, and other things for those in need. That night my nephew babysat and Timm and I went out with the RMS gang for dinner at El Charros.
Thursday night I had girl's club while Timm and the girl's went to Troy. Lots of trips to Troy since the girls are in the Christmas production this year.
ANYWAYS, all the while I am trying to do full days of school here at the homestead, plan games and food for our gathering tonight, get shopping done, cook, clean, do laundry....you know. The usual. I had a few frenzied moments, but for the most part, I love the social gathering part of the season, and I don't mind shopping and planning for that stuff at all. And shopping for needy people is so much more fun than shopping for people who already have everything they need!
We might have a ridiculous schedule for the holiday season, but it is all good. And we are trying to keep our focus on Jesus. I know we don't do a great job of it all the time, but we are trying to honor HIM during this time of joy and celebration.
Speaking of focusing on Jesus, check out the video on Wings as eagles
Aha! That just nails it for me!
OK, gotta get back to my crazy day. I really wish all of our friends who are in NYC could join us tonight to celebrate! We will be missing them

A new attitude

My mom started talking about a Christmas gathering with her family quite a few months ago. I know we were still sitting by the pool when she mentioned it, so it was late summer! In the past, I have had an attitude problem with family gatherings such as these. But, this time, I approached it with an attitude adjustment. And, what do you know? It made all the difference.
We enjoyed a day visiting with Great Grandma Beatty, and almost EVERY one of her 13 kids' families! Yes, we had to rent a hall to accommodate. And, thank you Mom for securing a non-smoking hall! I heard a few complaints from the smokers (not to mention those who blatantly ignored the rule) , but the rest of us were elated! In the past, it would be hard to visit if you wanted to due to the impenetrable smoke screen established after 10 minutes!
And, I am so excited that my girls will have fun memories of sitting on Santa's lap, playing games, and winning prizes. It was very fun for them.
I saw cousins that I haven't seen in over 10 years! Remember, we're talking about 13 siblings in my Mom's family. So, some of our time was spent conferring with each other about WHO a person was, what their name was, who they belonged to or with....etc. And, I think we may have ended up with one or two unidentified in the end. But, for the most part, it was cool to see everyone (again).

10 minute threshold

I just realized that I have about a 10 minute threshold for tolerating technological difficulties. Beyond 10 minutes, I throw my hands up and give up entirely on whatever I am trying to do. I just lack the problem solving skills in the technical arena.
I was attempting to throw a couple of photos on here of our FUN night on the town last night. But, for some reason, I can't get the photos to load. WHATEVER!
Let me just say, we had such a GREAT time. First we dropped the girls off and Grandma and Grandpa Carlson's, which was cool because they haven't stayed overnight with them in a long time and they were excited to do that...and go to a birthday party for their cousin too! Unfortunately we had to miss our nephew's party.
But, we headed down to Detroit for Timm's staff Christmas party. Snacks and dinner provided. And a DJ spinning some tunes. It was nice to meet the people Timm works with every day. From there, we ventured downtown to the Milner Hotel. We checked in, then promptly grabbed a cab and headed to the Motor City Casino to meet up with our friends the Bermans to celebrate Jim's birthday. They had a suite at the casino, which was just that....SWEET! We had a great time dancing, visiting, and even winning some money! Timm and Jim played some slots and split some winnings. We were able to do everything from dinner, drinks, hotel stay, cab, breakfast today, and we still ended up $25 ahead! That is factoring in the gift card Timm got from his work. So, of course, that made the evening all the more fun for me. Oh, I think I just figured out the pics. What would I do without my husband????
Did I mention we were out until 3:30am? Ugh. I'm tired.

I'm one of those?

Well, I think I discovered that i am "one of those moms". Last night was wonderful. The girls were a part of the New Community Kids Christmas Production at our church. They were beaming! And they worked hard and had a great time on stage. However, during the rehearsals, a couple of hours before the "show", the decision was made to cut one section that the 1st graders were originally planning to perform. WHAT? That means my cute little Livvy won't get as much stage time? What is UP with THAT???? I wasn't happy about it. And, I felt compelled to open my big mouth and express that I was disappointed with that decision. Oops. That's when I realized I am "one of those mom's". I'm sure that is JUST what the director needs to hear when she is trying to bring 75 kids together for this big old production. Like my opinion really matters :) Oh well, it ended up being beautiful. It was singing and dancing and the overall ludicrous-ness that represents current Christmas traditions. We were blessed to have the whole family come out and watch the girls shine. It was a very fun time.

first things first

Had to add a few pics from our trip to Georgia, as I promised. But, some of the better pics are on Timm's camera. So, this is the best I can do. A fun time had by all!