So, So Very Excited About This!

Karen Kingsbury is one of my favorite authors. Well, last Monday I received a signed autographed book from her. Yippee! :)

Sometimes there are Perks in Doing Laundry!

Finding change in the washer can sometimes be one of the perks of doing laundry! The other day as I was finishing up with the washer, I found this surprise in there. :)

So Ready...

For warmer weather, so I can walk the track at the gym again...I may have to start using the treadmill some until then!

A Peaceful Morning with Coffee!

Today's photography assignment/challenge is Something that Starts with the letter P, so I decided to take a photo of what a peaceful weekday morning looks like...coffee...it's a great, great thing, and it is usually a part of my morning...every single morning!  
The Lord, family, and coffee...it's a great way to wake up!  :)

Going Hands Free for the Day!

I'm unplugging...unplugging myself from electronic devices, and enjoying this Sunday with the Lord and with my family. It's going to be a great day with the ones I love most!

January 2015

January.


The weather has been cold, but there has been great memories made. I started a Photography Assignment/Challenge that helps to motivate me to take at least one photo a day. It gives me a theme each day of what I should take a photo of. It helps me to practice my photography, and it also helps me in documenting this adventure we call life!
I don't just limit my photos to this photography assignment/challenge, but it does help me to really practice my photography and capture a little bit of life in a photograph or two (and sometimes more than a few photos).  In this month's photos you can see a few different moments of life inside of these photos.
Day 1: shows how I want to really focus on my faith this (and every) year.
Day 2: shows our New Year's breakfast (cinnamon rolls).
Day 3: something I wore...a ring that is special to me (our family ring).
Day 4: something red (the placemat, and I took this photo while reading my Bible).
Day 5: breakfast (usually my breakfast is just what this shows...coffee).
Day 6: calm, (this is a photo of my sign that reads faith...my faith helps to keep me calm).
Day 7: this came from my fortune cookie when we ate Chinese food.  
Day 8: this was a day with the theme of "Simple," and I thought photographing a "simple" act of kindness would be great.  We went to Mcdonalds, and they had made an extra Frappe, and they gave it to my husband and I.
Day 9: an apple (the theme for this day was circle).
Day 10: my lunch at some point during the week...nice, warm soup.
Day 11: some of my favorite things...my faith, reading, and coffee!
Day 12: starts with the letter j...January.
Day 13: three...since I needed to photograph something with three, I took a photo of three of my daughter's colored pencils.
Day 14: kindness...this is a plate in our kitchen.
Day 15: to-do...my planner...it helps me to plan out my days each week.
Day 16: shoes...boots are appreciated in the Winter, but I am a flip-flop kind of girl!
Day 17: leading lines...another photo of my daughter's pencils.
Day 18: relax...something that we love to do on the weekend!



Day 19: in my cup...it's usually coffee!
Day 20: light.
Day 21: looking down...this is a marble from our  new property.  The property used to have a very old school house on it, so we're thinking that one of the students played with this marble as a toy.
Day 22: weather...I love sunshine, and the coffee is nice when it is cool outside!
Day 23: frame...this is a frame from the old schoolhouse that I mentioned in regards to the photography assignment/challenge on day 21.
Day 24: a selfie.
Day 25: sweet tooth.
Day 26: what inspires me...God and God's Word!
Day 27: my workspace...I was working on our church's website, and our Shih Tzu, Maisy, decided to keep me company!



Day 28: number...this is Daily Bible Verses from our church's calendar.
Day 29: a keepsake...my daughter gave this to me when she was in around the second grade...she is in the 8th grade now, and it still hangs on our fridge.
Day 30: something I made...having chips, spinach dip, and a movie at home with my husband is sometimes better than going out anywhere, so this is what we did one evening, we had chips, made spinach dip, and watched movies!
Day 31: a good Saturday definitely includes a good book! 

This is just some of the moments in my life, this January 2015, that I'm so happy that I was able to capture in a photo, so that I can look at them again and again for many, many years!

A Good Saturday Includes...

The Lord, Family, and a Good Book...

Sweet Tooth

Yummy!

Coffee Time...

I've been doing some photography assignments/challenges, to help me with my photography even more, and because I love photography.  Today's challenge was a "selfie."  I was not really comfortable with just taking a photo of myself, I don't know why...perhaps it's because I am more used to being behind the camera instead of in front of it.  I do realize though that this blog, this journal, it is for my family to remember as much of our lives as possible, and sometimes a photo of me may be necessary, so that would require me getting in front of the camera.  
I decided to do a somewhat selfie, I guess, but this photo still tells quite a bit about who I am.  In this photo you can see my coffee cup;  I am a coffee drinking girl!  You can see my wedding band, my husband is my heart...he's my best friend...he's all of that and more!  You can also barely see my short hair...(long enough to style, but not too long to be aggravating to me).  You can see a little of my dimple.  Although Bre don't have dimples, our son does.  They both have the bluest, and prettiest of eyes ever as well (something that I don't have...blue eyes).
Something that I would like a picture to show is my strong faith in the Lord.  I love Jesus a lot.  I'm very strong in my faith.
Just a few things about me, with this selfie.  Mostly because these are things I'd like to write (or type) for our kids and family to remember years and years from now.

Our Sunday

Today is planned to be a relaxing Sunday, just as it should be. Our plans for today include: church, family time, and time relaxing at home!

This Winter's Weather

The weather this Winter hasn't been terrible. There's been very little snow so far, and not too many cold days, but just enough to still have to wear my boots. I am so ready for flip flop weather!

My Photography Challenge/Assignment today was: Shoes. So, I thought I'd take a picture of the boots I've been wearing this Winter season.

January

My photography assignment today is the letter "J," so I thought I'd write (or type, rather) about my month, my year, so far. January. It's been a great year (or a great month...whichever way you want to look at it, I guess), with a challenge or two, some good times and some bad. I feel so blessed! God is SO good!

It is my goal to always have a close relationship with the Lord, and to do so I realize I must spend time with Him (and I want to!), through things like prayer, church, reading my Bible, etc. I've tried to make it a point to talk to God daily. I realize that sometimes I've failed to even speak to Him even once during my day, and I don't like that! I want to, and I need to talk to the Lord. He and I have some of the best conversations, if I just take the time to listen or see His response. Now, I try to make it a point to talk to the Lord every single day...in the mornings when I wake up and at night before I go to sleep. I want to start my day with the Lord being my guide, and end the day by thanking Him for all that He has blessed me with.

I've also started a Bible Study Reading Plan. It's awesome stuff. Just being able to read God's Word each day is great. I try my very best to read every single morning.

Something else I'm trying to do is find myself in church every Sunday that I possibly can. I want to worship God the way that I should, and the way that He deserves for me to. That is something else that I have made my goal...to be in church as much as I can...every single Sunday possible.

It's also my goal to keep dabbling in photography. This is a great hobby of mine, to capture the life before my eyes...capture the moment(s) in a photograph, and I am enjoying a photography challenge I have started taking a part of, where it assigns me something to take a photo of each day, like today is the letter "J."

This month has held some challenges. My husband was told he has Diverticulitis. It wasn't something we really expected, and other than having to slightly change his diet, we have progressed okay with this. All is still good in our household!

My brother has also landed in the hospital this month. He, too, has Diverticulitis. My brother had surgery from his; he actually has had two surgeries since September, because of his battle with Diverticulitis. He's in the hospital as I type this, due to infection from his most recent surgery. My brother has been so strong. His most recent struggle has been a high fever due to the infection, but the hospital is taking care of him, and hopefully he will get to go home in a few days. I have full faith in the Lord for His hand to touch this situation...He can take care of this better than anyone!

January has also been filled with reading books (I love reading, it's a great passtime for me, after all)! It's been filled with back to school for the kids, after their Christmas break. Busy days of work. Family time together. Time spent with friends. January has definitely shown some challenges, but already it has shown so many blessings as well. 2015 is off to a great start!

Some of My Favorite Things!

Spending time with the Lord (my faith), spending time with family, reading, and coffee. It's gonna' be a great Sunday!  Actually, Sundays are awesome!

A Simple Act of Kindness

That moment when someone goes through McDonalds Drive-Thru. They already have a coffee made in their to go cup, but the girl at McDonalds asks if they can give them a Caramel Frappé because they had made an extra one...that just totally happened to me. A total act of kindness for me from the McDonalds crew today.

Here's to kindness and extra frappés! It's the simple things that make me happy!

I do realize it's 3 degrees out right now, but I couldn't pass this one up!

My Monday Morning Breakfast!

I have a busy Monday planned at work.  It is a busy Monday, period.  Today is the day that the kids return to school from Christmas break, and it is Monday...need I say more?  I don't think further explanation is required!  Haha  It will be a busy day!  Plus, in addition to all of the work and school stuff there is laundry to finish, and a house to try and keep clean, or at least livable.  
So...this will be my breakfast today (and maybe or maybe not a piece or two of toast or something).  :)

New Year's Breakfast!

Cinnamon Rolls.

My Day...

Has been filled with errands, and I am happy that I did get the Christmas cards mailed out!



It has been filled with time with my kids, as they had a day off from school, and I was off from work today (as I start my new job this Friday).

My day has included warm chili (with cheese) for lunch.



My day has even included a phone call to my Mom's Sister (also known as my Aunt).  We talked of Mom and how we miss her.  As we talked today, we even shared memories we have of Mom.  Talking to my Mom's Sister reminds me of Mom so much...they look so much alike, and in a way, they even sound alike.  It's days like today that I wish that I had more than just memories and photos of Mom, I wish she were here to share the day with us.  Perhaps this is why I love photography as much as I do.  Once a moment passes you by, you still have photographs and memories...and oh, how dear they are!
I've enjoyed the day.  Even though I miss Mom, I enjoyed the time I've had checking off things to do on my list for Christmas (hey, I even got the Christmas cards mailed out).  I've enjoyed time with my kids today.  It was great to talk with my Aunt.  The warm chili on a cold day was an added bonus!  :)

Our Sunday

Today started out with cinnamon rolls for breakfast.


Our Sunday morning breakfast, before church: Cinnamon rolls!

We then had a great Sunday Worship Service at church. Troy also made this adorable snowman Christmas ornament during Children's Church at church today.


Christmas ornament that Troy made during Children's Church. 
Then we chose a photo for Mom's Christmas ornament and hung it next to Dad's ornament on our Christmas tree.
The front of Dad's Christmas ornament and the back of Mom's Christmas ornament (the front of Mom's ornament has a poem).


The front of Mom's Christmas ornament (the back has a picture of me and her).

My Friday Night Happiness!

My Friday Night Happiness=reading by the Christmas tree tonight! :) 

Some Welcomed Time Off!

Sometimes a vacation doesn't involve sandy beaches and blue oceans. Sometimes a vacation doesn't even involve long road trips. Sometimes a vacation is a vacation right at home, and it is still just as great!



Cheesecake we had!

This week I've had some time off from work, as I've been on vacation and I'm making the transition to a new job as well, and we've had a great week at our home! Sometimes the best vacations are had by staying at home (no long road trips), relaxing, and just doing whatever the heck you want to do!

The week has consisted of being crafty and sign building (my husband is so great to help me with these signs!), cheesecake (and it was delicious!), hunting trips for Justin and Troy, and Mother/Daughter days for Bre and I (we even went and saw a movie that Breann has been waiting on to come out for a very long time...The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part1),



A sign we made for Christmas!

This week has also consisted of some pretty neat artwork by Troy (he made this at Church on Sunday, and it fit right in with our Thanksgiving decorations).  I also took a trip to the library this week, I have a clean house, there has been time with family, and I have a happy heart!
Then it was Thanksgiving Eve when we started preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday.  We have so much to be thankful for and we are, our family is so thankful!  God has blessed us so very tremendously.  My heart is full with the love for the Lord and our family and friends!  Thanksgiving consisted of that...the Lord, family, and food!  We're blessed, and I'm thankful!




It's been a great week!