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!