Christmas Mystery

Puzzles. 

Just pieces. 

Or are they?

The days.

Stressful days, long days, hard days, good days.

Just days? 

Or could they be more?

Together in form the pieces of a puzzle make a picture. 

As designed by the designer.

Together the days become years and the years form a lifetime. 

A picture. Your picture.

I do not see the complete picture for my years are not done. 

I see the pieces. I see days. I see seasons. 

Mysterious, they are.

There is a picture. The Designer has written it. He makes beautiful designs.  

That's His job not mine. 

Mine is to trust Him.

The big red box...another idea for Christmas

Last year this big red box held a puppy.

And we know what that led too....

Yes he succeeded, it's completely gone, the net that is.

Well this year I am loading the same box up with a family night activities...

I'll bring it out Christmas Day and tell them it'll sit in the living room.

The kids are always wanting to have family night and we usually end up playing a game or watching tv, (boring....)

So I put together so family night ideas.

I'm out of time so I must make this quick ( I'll add links later)  but totally take the idea and revamp it to fit your family!

1. Science night- chemicals galore...directions off the internet, we are doing a mountain dew glow in the dark experiment, coal crystals and slime.

2. Art Night- 64 crayolas, a white canvas and add the hair dryer...this'll be cool looking

3. A new lego game.

4. Popcorn and a new movie

5. A new lego book with all kinds of ideas with regular blocks

6. A box of brownie mix to make and then take to a shut in in our community

7. A gift card for Cherry Berry (a late night totally unprepared for run to Duncan w/o going to Walmart with conversation along the way)

8. The new spot it game.

9. And my favorite- my grandfather's book of poetry for a poetry reading, I do think we'll add props and have to learn a little about him before we do the reading...

Christmas Partay

Words really can't express how much I love these girls....

I've alluded to them before.... click here

I love that they laugh....

 I love their stories....

 I love their histories....

I love their style!

I love their children....

I love their smiles...

I love their beauty....

I love their diversity

      

                        and depth 

                                                                              and desire to impact their worlds.....

I love that these feet hit the floor each day spreading the gospel to toddlers, patients, students, foster kids, co-workers, brothers, sisters, neighbors, schoolmates, roommates, husbands, & boyfriends

There is power in doing life together.....

Gonna be a Pinteresting Christmas...

If you have yet to visit pinterest.com you must at once go....if you are female.

Do not go if you are male, people will make fun of you...

A week ago I decided I wanted to try and search for ornaments for my students that are performing their first recital this season, I had several.

I found something online  but wanted to use their pictures so I opted for these and LOVE them...wanted to share, since I destroyed the house trying to make them....

They come from this original site and I made them fit my need. And of course I found the website on pinterest :)

I took their music and scanned it and made it itty bitty!! So they'll know what they performed that year!

Played around with some different colors and papers , so many options but I mainly used what I had.

Those that had their first recital I added that on there (silver sharpie) and the year.

Lovin my students,
the totegirl

If you give a woman a passion....

If you give a woman a passion for music, chances are she'll always love music

And if she's passionate about music she'll likely be passionate about other things...

Like people...

And if she's passionate about a particular person she'll likely marry him and have babies....

That she'll occasionally want to leave at home to spend time making music (and  money)

And if she leaves home for a few hours she'll put a roast in the crock pot for those hungry babies....

And when she comes home she'll want to talk to those people she's passionate about....

And they'll probably ask her to make cookies....

And when they are thinking about cookies they'll ask for cookie monsters with ice cream on top...

And when she goes to get the ice cream you'll have to remove all the stuff from the deep freeze...

The littlest "person"in that house will decide to don the scarves and hats.....

And then the other not-so-little-anymore "people" will remember the crafts she need to make for the school party....

And she'll have to get the paints out and get to crafting...

And if she gets to painting she'll remember other projects that need painting....

And then she'll remember she only has 2 days to make something for all those precious people she teaches....

And she'll keep on painting even when 3 friends come knocking at the door....

And when the friends leave the little people will beg for something more to do and they may want some presents under the tree.....

And chances are they'll want to go to mom store and pick out what to get their siblings....

And presents under the tree means she can't see her pinterest worthy tree skirt so she takes pictures for a post....

And with all that excitement about presents under the tree one may just fall and bust her lip....

But she won't be sad long because they want to wrap the gifts they've choosen....

And chances are if the littlest "person" picks the sister's frame she'll need a picture of her sister to go in it...

So she'll have to dig in her closet for the scrapbook pictures...

And if she's digging out the pictures might as well dig out the wrapping paper...

And if she starts wrapping she may not want to stop till all the gifts are wrapped...

And she may remember ways to wrap your crap from late night pinterest searches....

And if she is going to use jeans to wrap her presents chances are she'll need to find the jeans...

And when she finds the jeans she may decide her nephew may want a worn out pair of Abercrombie's....

But maybe not....

If she finds more jeans chances are she'll want to start the hot glue to be ready when she knows what she's doing....

And chances are that hot glue may never be used...

If she gets the jeans out....

Chances are she won't really remember what to do....

So she'll wonder around the house and pick up a scarf that littlest "person" left on the floor, cause it's cold...

And she'll probably head back to pinterest to recall what to do with the jeans....

And if she gets on the internet she may accidentally click facebook and have to reply to a message...

And if she gets on facebook it may be a few minutes till she's off....

And her husband may just come home early and see all the mess....

And chances are he won't understand the way she works....

Or why she's so passionate....

But he'll laugh and smile at her and remember love is patient....

And help her clean it all up....

And chances are she may just stay passionate....




Or blog about it....

Chocolate Goodness

Oh the decadence. 

White chocolate covered Oreo dipped in my morning java. 

It was a good afternoon treat!

I get lonely in self employment. I needed motivation.

To do lists just weren't cutting it. 

I should be on a plane to Israel today with my father and these two...

  

I will pour over 1 Chronicles (in pursuit of finishing the Bible by the end of the year!!) and conjure up places in my mind that I won't be seeing with my family in the next 10 days.

In honor of dad I am posting my favorite dessert memory of him...

Dad has always loved sweets. 

I remember him fixing this often in a coffee cup. 

When Wendy's came out with the frosty it was very similar but this version has a ice milk crunch that is distinct and oh so nostalgic to me :)

Start with a cup, not a bowl, this is very essential. 

Any ceramic coffee cup will do, or a plastic pooh cup? 

You need some plain chocolate ice cream. 

Scoop it up, as much as you need or keep it moderate...

then pour milk over the ice cream, I don't measure it but if I was guessing I'd say about 1/4 cup.

Obviously the more milk the thinner it'll be, the less milk the thicker your treat will be. 

And whole milk would be more rich but this is what we had.

You can stir it immediately. It will resemble this texture and is oh so delicious. Something magical happens when the milk hits the cold ice cream and little ice crystals form. So simple yet so good.

Please disregard that it's currently 32 degrees in Oklahoma, things this good should not wait for summer. You could always imagine you were in Florida or Hawaii like I am gonna imagine I'm touring Israel or you could dip Oreos in coffee. 

Happy Wednesday!

First Band Concert

My son. 

The one who made me a momma. 

Oh how I love this kid. 

I love when I say, "Let's take pictures" he shows up with a koolaid mustache and says, 

"What's wrong with that?"

I love it when he says, "Come take a picture of this..."

It means something has been formed in creative hours spent with legos. 

I love his enthusiasm for life.

I love that his daddy is teaching him to be a good man.

To be a Christ follower.

To be honest and hardworking.

What we haven't had to teach him is this....

He's in white on the left...

keep watching...

sorry Ms. Pruitt....

He was so excited about this concert!

And we never had to teach him that he should wave when the spotlight comes on him...

I love how they all look to the conductor...

Reminds me to look intently at THE CONDUCTOR of all of life for the rhythm to which I should live.

YWHW, the breathe of life.

Breathed into this instrument of flesh each day.

May all our songs of advent bring HIM praise!

I want a life that makes music — not just practices the piano. -Ann Voskamp