all over the place

* boys' basketball was better today, still intense but cooler calmer parents, wish jm could coach both boys teams but that would be a lot!  one of the coaches was rather rough in my opinion ~ it's the Y!!

*  this post, this gal, her family, makes me smile, makes me cry, reminds me of hope.  love their promise & re-promises to God & one another, as their children watched.  what a gift!

*  the last week, i've really had a hunch to hunker down & focus on some challenging words in 1 peter ~

      "be holy, because I am holy"

i did say challenging!

* just now getting around to using the chika chika boom boom activity bag that i made over the summer. i can't find where i got the print out of the tree & alphabet.  if you happen to know, please tell me so i can give credit.

*  i've had fun making more since.  the snowy day, laura numeroff's books, etc.  love making reading fun for the kiddos.  i put objects that relate to the story in a bag along with counting, sorting, phonics, matching games & props they can retell the story with.  i'm on a roll!

* it's cold . . . maybe a night to bake something warm & cozy.  chocolate chip cookies, cake balls?  decisions decisions!  maybe even some of that tasty cinnamon tea

Five Friday Favs

* * * * * 

trader joes three layer hummus

with triscuits 

or your friend/coworker's pretzel chips

* * * * * 

s is for
snowmen, snow, snowflakes, stone soup,
Samuel, Snowmen at Night, The Snowy Day,
snow play dough, All You Need for a Snowman,
 SO much fun with the letter "s" this week at nrpre k

* * * * *

book bags, enrichment activities, & literacy fun
for my pre k kiddos
i've had a blast pulling ideas

* * * * *

cinnamon tea
thanks to a surprise on my porch
thanks mb!
it was a warm & tasty treat each night

five friday favs

a great Christmas present

a great start to the new year

and a great way to end our days

we have this time each night together

*most nights*

* * * * * 

got a CRAZY deal on this amazing calendar

i mean a really good deal

(i'm talking less than $20 shipped)

only hoping it's available again next year

i couldn't have made it for that price

* * * * * 

another great Christmas present

~ joy ~

was my word for 2011

and in just 1 week of "studying" more on joy

i long for even more of it!

another great book to kick off the year

* * * * * 

 my new favorite way to eat

cereal

soup

chili

oatmeal

etc.

in some pretties from the thrift store

* * * * * 

reading 1 peter

encouraged to memorize

right now i'm reading & rereading

so random

~ loved today, first day of the year, basketball & football with the boys, fabulous weather, brunch w/ a friend, pics of a girlie, squeezed in a book report, ended it w/ new years eve leftovers

~ my ben has recently started initiating butterfly kisses . . . ssshhh don't tell anyone.  i love it!

~ jacob just had a sincere concern ~ since it's a leap year, shouldn't they (hcps) take off 1 day of school?!
     *i think he should run for school board don't you?!

~ really had a thoughtful time with the boys over romans 12:2 ~ i long for our boys to wear that verse on their hearts . . . . * HIS good, pleasing, & perfect will * . . . . how incredibly reassuring

~ i'm really sad to see Christmas break come to an end.  the ONLY annoyance to the break was the bickering b/w the boys.  however, that happens w/ school or w/out school.  so i'd rather have more home days!

~ i'm pretty sure we have never had so many consecutive cuddling movie nights . . . really loved that time . . . precious treasure

~ mixed feelings over the fact that skamfam christmas cards did not go out yet another year.  i took the pic, had the cards picked out, then just stopped the process!  it did feel good to simply cross that off my to do list.  but o how i love christmas cards

~ i'm really excited about the new season of the bach . . . i know, stupid!  it's a silly guilty pleasure and i'm not even a ben fan

~ i have quite a stack of mail to go out . . . i keep forgetting to buy stamps

~ having a good ole time w/ the instagram app on my old school i touch.  could even become a tad more obsessed w/ the app sb told me about picframe ~ fun stuff

happy new year friends

You crown the year with a bountiful harvest;

even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.

psalm 65:11

fav gift . . .

that i received ~

sweet thoughtful jacob told my mom that i needed a new recipe box

i didn't realized how right on he was!

it was a perfect gift

i should have taken a before shot!

it was even better when he saw me organizing, sorting, copying 

all those papers into this nice concise box

that we gave ~

a yearly memory box

my inspiration . . . or should i say pinspiration ;)

a sort of journal

but not a journal!

a card for each day of the year

add the year and

jot down an idea, thought, note, 

just one line about the day

year after year do it again

next year and the following years it will be a treasure to read

happy new year!

in this way they will lay up treasure for themselves 

as a firm foundation for the coming age,

so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

1 timothy 6:19

the most wonderful time of the year