Owls

I love Owls. 

Over the last few weeks I have picked up my crochet hook again and have been teaching myself some different stitches. Through learning different crochet techniques I decided to make some owls for my kids. They love them and I learned a lot about what I will do for future projects.

Owls

Fall

Here are a few pictures of the kids as they played outside this afternoon. The leaves were out and they had a great time jumping in them, covering each other and hiding.

Fall

She's Got Issues DVD/Book Review

Review: DVD/Book Curriculum "She's got issues"

I was given the chance to review the DVD/Book "She's Got Issues" from Tyndale House Publishing.

There are a lot of Women's bible study video curriculum's out there, and many of them are fine for a group that mainly wants to just spend time with each other and have fun. But if there is genuine desire to grow spiritually, then it is a bit harder to find a good group study for you. It is a balance of real life questions and looking at uncomfortable realities of who we are but doing it in a way that feels safe for those in it. That is the target of Nicole Unice's book and DVD, and I think that it was a success.
Right from the introduction, she acknowledges the fact that this does not have a simple self-help formula of "do these five things and this will happen in your life", but instead seeks to look into the things in our life that hinder us from experiencing the kind of faith life God intends us.  It is encouraging us to face the issues we have that we don't like to admit to, even to ourselves.

Maybe you are a planner (control freak), you get to look at how there are some things we are supposed to take charge of, and some things that we are not, all from a solid scriptural base. And then there are some practical outflow of how to move in the right direction. The following studies flow out of this first one in the same way, looking at our insecurity, comparison, fear, anger and unforgiveness. I would be surprised if there are any of us who do not need to look at some of these issues, and the way they are gone through is very helpful.

Some highlights in this study are the following: there is a lot of very powerful scripture that deals with these issues; the way the DVD studies are created, it is laid out very clearly for groups and builds in times for prayer, journaling and even doing some of the background work in the group if your group is not able to do the work beforehand; I like that there is a pdf on the dvd that can be printed off for all who are working through this study; the heart that comes through the study that speaks of a genuine desire to see people grow.


I was given a free copy of this study in exchange for my review. The views expressed in this review are my own.

She's Got Issues DVD/Book Review

My Rock Stars

For months we have had our Rock Band Wii game in our living room corner and both of the kids have been wanting to play with it. So on the day that we set up the game for them to play they were so excited. They each picked an instrument, David the guitar and Jaclyn on drums. Once they started playing they became comfortable with the game, really getting into the music and the "proper" Rock and Roll stance. 

We set it up so that no matter how good or bad you played the game would play through the song.

The music that they both loved to play the most was 70's rock, which made me smile after all that's one of my favorite genres of music.

Pictures taken April 9, 2012

Both claim to be rock stars, and now they can get an early start on their music careers, even if it is the Wii version of it.

My Rock Stars

Yoga Time

The other day Jaclyn showed me some yoga exercises that David had showed her. I guess David had done some yoga as part of gym class this last year in school and has taught his sister what he knows.
Here she is demonstrating them for me. (Sorry the pictures are blurry I didn't have my camera so these were taken on my iPad.)

Yoga Time

Art Wall

Today the kids and I decided that we needed a mellow Saturday hanging out in our pajamas. One of our activities was coloring. Both David and Jaclyn love to color and do crafts so this ends up being a regular activity around our house.

As the pile of finished projects and coloring pages has continued to get higher I decided that it was time that we have a craft wall.

Both the kids loved helping me design our craft wall and picking out their favorite pictures to display. Our craft wall ended up spreading to cover our freezer as well. The kids are looking forward to rotating the pictures as new ones are finished and are ready for display.

Art Wall

Review: Stuck

Stuck By JennieAllen

A review by Katherine Heimsoth

We are often so stuckin invisible struggles in our hearts and minds, we barely have space for God.These deep struggles, these stuck places, are familiar to every one of us:brokenness, anger, discontentment, fear, and sadness. "Stuck" takes onthese struggles within us so that we can encounter God. Because until werecognize that we are stuck and in need of God, we will miss what He has forus.

I was very excited to have the chance to review the DVD/Bookstudy “Stuck”. There seems to be a lack of women’s bible studies for groupsthat are actually engaging the struggles of Christian women. Jennie Allen goesright into the practical, past the “right answer” remarks, to address the sortof things that hold us back in our lives of faith.

This kind of study can be intimidating for small groupleaders to lead, but the leaders guide really does a great job of equipping youwith not only the topics, but how different people can best be lead to a placewhere they can engage with hard topics. This is the kind of teaching that canhelp not only lead this study, but every other study, and all the more as youlearn more about the people in your group.

The session dealing with “discontent” was a great highlight.Addressing how we naturally get into patterns of discontent in our lives,wanting...something (sometimes not even knowing what it is we think we want). Itfocuses on the biblical truth of how God is calling us to something muchgreater. When we get free of this desire for more, no matter if it is for more “stuff”,a different body image, or whatever else, we start becoming ready for God’slarger purposes that he desires for us.

No matter who you are, there is something that seems toengage with where you are in this study, with issues of fear, anger,overloaded, dealing with sadness and more. It does not condemn you, but pointsyou towards something far greater, God and his promises. And it does it in away that isn’t just pretending one easy answer will fix everything. This studywill not fix everyone’s problems, but it will certainly help you get on theright path for getting unstuck with God’s help.

I received this Set free from the publisher through theBookSneeze®.com book reviewbloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions Ihave expressed here are my own.

Review: Stuck

sick kids + fevers = lots of sleep

Yesturday afternoon both of my kids came down with fevers. At 5:20pm they started to ask about going to bed and they were both in bed by 5:30pm last night. Then this morning they didn't get out of bed until 11:30am. Thats 18 hours of sleep.
Now they both did wake several times thoughout the night and morning for a drink of water or to use the bathroom but for the most part they were sleeping. You know your kids are sick and need their rest when they sleep like that.
This afternoon was spent laying on the couch watching movies or reading books. Poor kids.
I felt bad when two of the neighbor families came by and asked if we would join them at the park. Both of my kids were sad they we couldn't but then said "mom, I like the park but were to sick to leave the couch, maybe next time". This statement made me smile, they are so sensible even when their sick.

sick kids + fevers = lots of sleep

So Sweet

They hug each other often and this is just one of the times I was able to catch it on film.

So Sweet

Jaclyn's Birthday

Between moving into a smaller place that is more suitable for our family and Jaclyn's birthday, last week was busy around our house.  Because of that craziness, this is the first time I have had a chance to post anything about Jaclyn's 4th birthday.

I plan on posting more pictures from her birthday later this week, but for know I wanted to share some pictures of Jaclyn and her Daddy on her actual birthday. Chris came home at lunch to surprise her with her first bunch of flowers. He gave her one chocolate rose and six red roses. 

As you can see she was very excited!

 

 Happy 4th Birthday Little Lady!

Jaclyn's Birthday

My Captain

I was looking through some pictures from last year when I came across this one from Christmas.

My Captain

Thoughtful

Thoughtful

Playtime

End of the day playtime with my two favorite little people.

Playtime

Weekend Plans

Tomorrow is a inservice day at Davids school, which of course means no school.

This evening as the kids and I started to plan what we would do tomorrow one of the suggestions that David had was "cleaning". Yup you read that right cleaning!

David loves to clean, he always has. I have had both my kids a part of my daily cleaning their whole lives. David has always loved it and get energized by cleaning and organizing. Which I understand because I am the same way. Where as Jaclyn is more like her daddy in were they will clean when it's needed but they won't go looking for something to organize just for fun.
It made me giggle that out of all the things that David talks about missing when he is at school such as playing with his sister, staying in pjs for the day or even watching a movie the one thing he wants to make sure we do on his extra day off is clean.

So it looks like our day tomorrow will include things like, a picnic in the living room, puzzles, reading books together, a movie and cleaning!

Weekend Plans

Valentines Day

Every year since David was a baby I have done something little for my kids on Valentines day. Most years the kids wake up to a little surprise waiting for them. There are always something pink or red, hearts and balloons involved. 

This year with Valentines day being on a Tuesday and David in school now I didn't have it ready for them in the morning, instead it was in the afternoon.

 Chris had this wonderful idea to have a treasure hunt for the kids.

He made two maps for them to follow.  The first map was in the living room and it lead them through the house to the bathroom under the sink and then the second one lead them back through the house to the living room to find a box with more little goodies in them. 

 Both kids had a lot of fun and Chris and I really enjoyed watching them.

After the treasure hunt was over and the kids were off playing with their new treasures I made a Valentines dinner for the kids. 

Heart cookies for dessert.

I enjoy doing these fun little suprises for them, I think it makes for great memories.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentines Day.

Valentines Day

Just Like Auntie

Last week when I was doing Jaclyn's hair I was reminded of Emma my younger sister. When Emma was a little girl my mom and I would do her hair in braids or this fun style that looked like a spiderweb.
I asked Jaclyn if she wanted her hair styled like Auntie Emma use to have it when she was a little girl. The excitement in her voice and the patients that she had was amazing and the end result was beautiful.

Just Like Auntie

Pirates

Arr....it looks like I may have myself a couple of pirates here.

Pirates

Waiting for Summer.

I was just going through some old pictures on our computer and found these that I took with my phone outside of Starbucks one windy day last summer. 

 These pictures make me long for summer to come even if this winter hasn't been too cold.

Almost every time we go into the city both David and Jaclyn ask to make two different stops. One is Starbucks and the other is Toys R Us.

We don't always say yes, but it certainly makes there day when they can go to either of them. And since I have a soft spot for Starbucks, that one has a bit more chance of happening.

I love my little Starbucks junkies!

Waiting for Summer.

Hockey Hair No More

For the last month I have been wanting to cut David's hair. For one reason or another it never seemed to fit into the days, so his hair cut kept getting put off. So Yesterday I decided I just needed to force it into the schedule no matter how many of us were sick and what else we were doing. So David finally had his hair cut. He was happy to have it done and even wanted me to take some pictures of his hair so we could have a set of before and after shots for him.

I always find that when David gets a new hair cut he looks so much older.

Also, much less like a hockey player in the 80's...which is a good thing.

Now to see if I can keep it a little more consistent.

Hockey Hair No More