Snapshot of the Month

On the 28th (ish) of the month I try to get out my camera and snap pictures of Little Britches so we can see how much she grows from month to month.  I have done this since she was 2 months old.  In the early days she would sit still and I could prop a cute sign behind her.  Those days are long gone.  My little girl is 18 months old.  She loves to be outside and she loves to write.  Here is some of the proof.

I have my cool glasses "Aunt" Jackie gave me. 

I love my glasses and chalk!

Oh and I love my Aunt Brooke

I love to write

Nothing to look at here...move on

Play, Play, Play

Little Britches here, showing you some of the fun things I got for Christmas. 

I got this great kitchen and this cute shopping basket.  I like them both a lot.

My kitchen is full of all sorts of great stuff like food, pots, pans, trays, plates, cups, and water bottles.  I love it all!

I got this nifty pot that sings about eating yummy veggies.  I also got this cute pot holder and a apron that matches one of my mommy's!

Look at this great hat I got from my Aunt.  I like it!  It is cute, as I like to say.

Toys are so much fun, but when I am done playing with my toys I still want to play, so Mommy says, "Stick your arms up."  Every time I obey her she tickles me!  Silly Mommy!

The 25 Days of Christmas Day 25

First there were no gifts under our tree, then there were gifts placed there on the 24th, then by 10am on the 25th this is what was left



It hit me.  He was there before the presents and he is there after the presents.  That is fitting, I think, since he is THE present we are celebrating.  And one of the greatest things about the gift of Jesus is He is there.  He is there when life seems empty, like our tree seemed empty when there were no gifts.  He is there when our life seems full, like on the 24th when there were more gifts than could fit under the tree.  He is there when life is crazy, though we may not see him, like when we opened gifts and there was wrapping paper everywhere, even coving up Jesus.  He is there, in our hearts, in our homes, and in our lives, loving us, teaching us, calling us, and making us into his image, if we have chosen to follow him.  What a gift!

The25 Days of Christmas Day 24

The play kitchen makeover is (mostly) complete. 

Like all great house projects there are always a few more little touches you would like to add and might or might not get around to them, but the makeover is complete for now. 

The before:

The after:

Tell me what you think! 



The 25 Days of Christmas Day 23

Making progress!

Remember the kitchen MGM is getting for Christmas and our desire to make it look more like "us"?  (The 25 Days of Christmas Day 10)  Well we A R E making progress.  Check my husband's blog for his take on the project.  As for my part.  I am currently doing something fabulous to give it that little extra touch.  Here is a sneak peak at the scraps I had after cutting my fabric.  Are you curious?

Don't worry!  You won't have to wait long to find out!

The 25 Days of Christmas Day 21

Gift of Words




When I was teaching school there was always a dilemma at Christmas time. How do you celebrate Christmas with a classroom full of kids? Do they exchange gifts? How do you keep it fair? Some classrooms do a book exchange, some do an ornament exchange, and others just decorate cookies and call it good. But another option is "Gift of Words". To have students give "Gift of Words" each student must be assigned the name of another student and then write a nice note to them. This works best if you give the students lots of guidelines like: it must be at least 7 sentences and include at least one thing you like about the person with a specific example...etc. Teacher's names were not entered into the mix of names to be assigned during "Gift of Words" but my first year teaching at the school that did "Gift of Words" I had a family who took the time to write me a "Gift of Words". And what a gift it was! It was so encouraging to see in print what I meant to a family. As I thought about giving to my family who has most everything they want and need I decided to include a "Gift of Words" along with a small gift I got for each of them. I have done this for several years now. I don't remember what I got my mom last year, but I do remember what I wrote about in my "Gift of Words" to her, and I venture to guess she might say the same thing. So over the next few days I will be sitting down to wrap pretty packages and tie pretty bows, but that seems like a "todo" I MUST get done. But I will also be sitting down to pen a few "Gift of Words" and that is something I can't wait to do!

The 25 Days of Christmas Day 20

Tonight we went to see Trail of Lights in Buda.  We usually go see the Trail of Lights in Austin, but sadly they are no more due to budet cuts.  We loved the smaller, more local Trail of Lights.  It was easier for us to take Little Britches and still get home in time for bedtime.  Here are a few pictures from our fun-filled night.  For those of you local or visiting, the trail is open until the 22nd, so hurry!