A "Whoville" Christmas

I had the privilege of being able to work on the set/props/decor for Northside Christian Church's 2011 Christmas production of "Whoville", an original musical production telling the story of the Grinch in a new way. I had a blast creating "Whoish" style props. It's not often that you can decorate for Christmas with such bright colors, crooked lines, and tons of glitter! I'm just going to let the photos speak for themselves.

Bunco Wreath

For the past three years I have hosted Christmas Bunco. I always go "all out" to try and make it a special occasion. I saw the YouTube video below which inspired me to make my own Bunco wreath as a statement piece to hang on the front door to greet everyone as they came in. It was a huge hit!!

For my wreath I purchased an inexpensive 24" green Christmas wreath, covered it in white deco mesh, then began to build it with different textures. Hot pink deco mesh ribbon, hot pink jingle bells, hot pink tubing, silver glitter picks, hot pink sequin picks, pieces of a black feather boa, and a fabulous ribbon bow. The fuzzy dice came from a local auto parts store. The wooden letters were spray painted black, covered in black glitter glue, accented with rhinestones and then hot glued to the wreath. Voila! An over-the-top wreath that you couldn't help but notice!

Back To the Future

Last Thursday I went "Back To the Future." That is, back to studying and teaching Precept's Parts 3 & 4 of the book of Revelation. For me it is the single most fascinating book in the Bible. It lets us look into the future and get a glimpse of God's incredibly detailed plan for His creation. We see a God that is in absolute control. Not one thing happens unless it is ordained by His hand. We see unprecedented judgment in cataclysmic events never before seen nor that will ever be seen again. But we also see a holy God who in the midst of that judgment, still loves, still woos, still seeks, still desires that His creation acknowledges Him as their Lord and Savior.

He is not our Santa Claus in the sky who is merely there to cater to our whims. He is not an old, crickety Father Time figure that is too tired to listen. He is the Creator of this universe! With His breath He creates life. With His words He speaks things into existence. He is the only One who is worthy of all our praise! How do you see Him? Who do you say that He is?

Read Joel Rosenberg's message from September 11, 2011 if you have a chance.
http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/four-reasons-why-god-is-shaking-america-the-world-text-of-wake-up-call-sermon/

Grilled Pizza

Tonight we made Grilled Pizza, a favorite of the kids. I make my own dough, roll it out, grill it for a couple of minutes to firm up the dough, then let the kids "decorate" their own pizzas. Then it's back on the grill to finish cooking! It has a wonderful flavor.

Let the Games begin!

5...4...3...2...1...RELAX! I am in Texas for my annual Girls Weekend with friends that I have known for 20 years and I couldn't be happier. We get together on the same weekend every year and I always look forward to it. It's hours and hours of talking, eating, cooking, movies, reading, sleeping, photo-taking and best all, LAUGHING! I am so thankful for these women who love the Lord and faithfully serve Him. They are such an inspiration to me! My life is so very blessed for knowing them!

"I have thoughts..."

I had to play for worship team yesterday so I made chocolate covered strawberries to share with everyone in honor of Valentine's Day. Yummy!

I love the line from "Julie & Julia" where Julie is talking about starting a blog and is defending her intentions to her husband when she says, "I could write a blog. I have thoughts." Classic! So anway....the cold weather this winter is starting to wear on me. I keep hearing from the locals that this is the coldest winter they can remember. Well then, I'm so glad that I could be here for it! Yes, I grew up in North Dakota but somehow that hasn't endowed me with the super power of internal warmth. I'm ready for spring!

The Sound of Silence

I always enjoy Monday mornings because of the blanket of silence that falls over the house after the kids head off to school. The effect has only been magnified after being housebound with said kids for the entire weekend. My nerves have been stretched like rubber bands from listening to "I'm bored", "He's bothering me", "He won't let me play the Wii", and the inevitable bumps and bruises that come from rough-housing. Calgon, take me away! I'm off to drink a cup of coffee...Mommy's little helper!

Overwhelmed!

My brain hurts! I am trying to get a blog up and running but I am so overwhelmed by all the details. The longest journey begins with a single step so here goes.

Join the technology age

I thought I would join the age of technology and follow in Jeff's footsteps. However, I certainly won't be posting DAILY updates. No time for that! This will be a good way to keep everyone posted as to what we're doing. We sure do enjoy reading the stories of John and Hannah.