Looking Back

Can I just tell you how thankful I am for photographs? Really. I just downloaded a boatload of photos from my camera, and believe it or not, I had forgotten some of the events already! So, I thought I'd add a few pictures as a way of catching up here at the ol' blog. (Facebook has changed my blogging habits as I'm sure you've noticed. I just don't have time for EVERYTHING!)

Anyway, I'll start with some of those strange, random photos that showed up on my camera. I can usually figure out who took the picture based on what it is. Let's see how you do at guessing who was behind the lens.

Picture 1

Yes, I think Pete must have taken this shot. To be honest, there were about 90 photos of stop-motion photography. When I scan through the iPhotos quickly, I can see the action take place! It was pretty cool, but photo by photo, it's not so interesting and it sure takes up a lot of room in iPhoto!

Picture 2 - Can you guess who took this one?

Yes, I'm sure the girliness of this picture helped you figure out that it was taken by Kari. She had created this masterpiece after doing the dishes one evening. She's a little artist, anyway, so I guess it was just natural for her to find something to create out of the dishtowels. It was fun to find this on the camera. I love the suckers for the mouth, the bubble gum for the nose, and tootsie rolls for the eyes. :)

There were many other photos, too, but I'll spare you the randomness of them all. I then found photos of the Cousin Christmas Sleepover. The Tuesday before Christmas, we had all the cousins spend the night (well, one had to leave early because of her job; that's what happens when the kids start getting older), and we had a great time. Between myself and my two sisters, we have ten kiddos, and I happen to have the oldest two kids and the youngest two kids. My sisters were busy during those four years between Eric and Peter! :) They had six kids in four years! I guess that must seem ridiculous until you learn that my youngest sister had triplets. We are all so blessed! Anyway, I digress. Here's some photos of those crazy cousins.

*Pic Removed per K's request.

The white elephant gift exchange was quite fun. The kids had to bring something that they already had around their house that they weren't using. Kari shows off her sunglasses.

*Pic Removed per K's request.

I'm not sure which gift the kids are laughing about here.

My nephew received a lovely dishtowel that had a painted girl on it with a crocheted dress sewn on. This happened to be something we had (I can't imagine why I didn't use it!), and it was from Brazil. You know how crazy those Brazilians are! The funny thing is, when you lift up the crocheted dress, they had painted panties on the girl! Quite interesting (and funny if you are a teenage boy)!

*Pic Removed per K's request.

And then, my niece received a grass skirt and maracas; you can never have too many maracas, you know!

*Pic Removed per K's request.

The cousins had fun playing Apples to Apples.

Sssshhhhh.....don't tell anyone that two high school boys had fun coloring some fuzzy posters from the white elephant exchange.

The living room becomes one big bed with wall to wall cousins. My older two are getting more finicky though; they decided to sleep in their own beds. :)

Yes, it's hard to wake up the kids after they've been up having fun most of the night!

Yes, cousin sleepover provides fun times and great memories. I feel so blessed that our kids get to grow up together. I realize that not everyone has that luxury, and I don't take it for granted. I'll never regret the effort and HUGE amount of food it takes to have everyone over.

Project Day

Many of you know that I became a demonstrator with Uppercase Living almost two years ago. Never in a million years did I think that I'd be part of a direct-selling company, but I just loved all the possibilities that Uppercase Living makes possible. And I have an easy outlet for my creativity. Anyway, if you are interested in participating in my next Project Day, go to my Uppercase Living blog (glexpressions.blogspot.com) to see the projects available for this time. Contact me ASAP if you'd like to sign up!

Health Handbook - Good Thoughts

Today I am posting something that I copied from a site on the internet a while ago.  I had pasted it into a Word document, but for the life of me, I can't figure out the original source for it, so if someone knows, I'd be more than happy to give credit where credit is due.  I googled several of the phrases, but never found the original site.  Take a few minutes and read through the following list.  What would our lives be like if we truly lived by these suggestions?

Health Handbook

HEALTH

1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a beggar.

3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food manufactured in plants.

4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

5. Make time to pray.

6. Play more games.

7. Read more books than you did in 2008.

8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

9. Sleep for 7-8 hours.

10. Take a 10-30 minutes’ walk every day. And while you walk, smile.

PERSONALITY

11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

13. Don't overdo. Keep your limits.

14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

16. Dream more while you are awake.

17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness. 

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.

20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the  curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you earn will last a life time.

23. Smile and laugh more.

24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

SOCIETY

25. Call your family often.

26. Each day give something good to others.

27. Forgive everyone for everything.

28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

30. What other people think of you is none of your business.

31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

LIFE

32. Do the right thing!

33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

34. GOD heals everything.

35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

37. The best is yet to come.

38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.

39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

40. Don’t just read this; apply it to your life! 

Telegraph Fire Update

Last post, I shared that my youngest kiddo likes to take pictures, and truthfully, it's a good thing.  I often forget to photograph things or events because, well, I'm just like that - forgetful!  Anyway, as I shared here and here this summer, the Telegraph Fire was burning furiously through the area of my family's property.  The CDF saved our structures and the hilltop where our trailers are located, so when we were there on Thanksgiving, it was hard to believe that there was ever a fire.  However, just about everywhere else was massive evidence of the destructive fire that came through.  And........our young family photographer snapped some pictures of the aftermath including the areas where the CDF just plowed over everything to make fire breaks.  I thought I'd share some of those with you today.

The one thing that she didn't get a picture of was the manzanita bushes at the top of the hill that are blackened and stripped bare by the fire.  They are beautiful in an eery sort of way.  Their black, bare, up-reaching arms were silhouetted against the gorgeous blue sky.  

One upside of the fire?  We are able to see Half Dome from the top of our property.  Beautiful!

I pray that in the midst of this holy season you are able to take a few quiet moments to focus on the wonder of the season - God of the universe coming to us in flesh and blood - to be with us.  God with us.   GOD WITH US.  I thought about that phrase over and over this morning as I sat looking at our Christmas tree during my quiet time.  God with us!  Wow, if that doesn't cause us to stop, ponder, and be thankful, not much will.

Blessings. 

Random Pictures

My husband continually assures me that digital photos are great, and I'm sure he's right. I'm just an old fashioned kind of girl in this respect and I love having actual photos to put my hands on. It makes me less afraid that I'm going to lose (or more realistically forget) what pictures we have. But there are a couple of things I enjoy about digital photos - the ability to delete photos that don't turn out rather than paying to have them developed and seeing the unexpected random pictures that someone (most often my youngest daughter who wants to be a photographer when she grows up) has snapped.

I just downloaded some photos from Thanksgiving weekend, and here a few of the unexpected photos I discovered:

A picture of the centerpiece, which was a great idea!

A artistic level view of the centerpiece and table.

A great close-up if you ask me!

And we mustn't forget about the salt and pepper! 

The little details, such as a golden ribbon around the sparkling cider, make for a beautiful fall table.

By the way, one of the blogs that I enjoy reading is "The Reluctant Entertainer."  Sandy (the author of the RE blog which is celebrating its 300th post) photographs some of her dinner parties, so perhaps my youngest daughter is taking after her.  I read Reluctant Entertainer because one of my yearly resolutions is to have more people over to our home, and Sandy helps to remind me that it's not about having the perfectly clean house and table settings, but about opening your heart to others and loving them where they are.  A great goal for all of us, don't you think?

Ananlogy Back Knots?

Once a week, I get an update telling me how many people have visited my blog each day. One of the features shows me what people type into a Google search box that brought them to my blog. I run across some funny things sometimes, like the following that brought someone to my blog just this week:

"tapestry ananlogy back knots God."

Now what in the world do those words even have in common and why did Google link to my blog based on these words? And what the heck is an "ananlogy?" I think it must be a typo for "analogy."

Anyway, the other searches that brought people to my blog this week are much more run of the mill. I've listed the most common searches for this week (just because I know how curious you are about this):

traveling together
servolution
poems about traveling together
gena larson
jesus protected me
it's all because of jesus i'm alive
Uppercase Living Modesto
"before he speaks" pastors wives

Isn't your life complete now? :-) Just doing my job passing on interesting (and useless) information. You can thank me later!

Air It Is!

My husband is at the BIG MacWorld convention in S.F., and I just know he's envying (oops! I mean looking at) all of the new products, especially the new MacBook Air. (I know those pictures are really small, but they're the only ones I could find!) I just know he's spent time trying it out, thinking it's the coolest thing ever. He tends to think every new Apple product is the coolest thing ever. He left on Tuesday afternoon for the S.F. airport to pick up a friend of ours from Colorado who flew out just for MacWorld. It's their yearly ritual to meet up for MacWorld, and I'm glad they get to do that. He'll get home tomorrow night, and I'll have to (oops! I mean get to) hear all about it, look at all the free gizmos, keychains, t-shirts, notepads, frisbees, and such that they give away, and try to bring him back to his everyday world. :-D

I must say, being home without him has its challenges, especially since Hannah's car was stolen. (By the way, prayers for its recovery in good condition would be appreciated. I didn't post about it when it happened (Sunday night) because I was hoping it would be found right away, and we would just go on our happy way!) Boy, I have taken for granted that Hannah has been able to drive herself to school at 7:00 AM this year! This morning, I was going to have to get Hannah to her school and drive for two different school carpools that Dave and I do on Wednesday mornings. Crazy! Thank goodness for good friends who help out. Tomorrow morning, since I work and leave early, I'll again be relying on my neighborhood friends to help out. Just another reason I'm glad I live in such a great neighborhood!

Oops! I Lied.

Well now, I had no idea you people read my blog so closely!  It's been brought to my attention that I actually only posted 99 things that I am thankful for in the last post.  And sure enough, I listed "country drives" twice it has been discovered (you can tell I REALLY like them, right?)  So, I guess I lied to you all, even though most unintentionally, by saying I was posting 100 things when there were only 99.  

Hhhmmm....how can I fix this mess?  I just don't know if I can think of one more thing I'm thankful for; I have so few to choose from.....NOT!  Now in at # 42 - the beautiful, pink blooms I love to place around my home from an old camellia bush in my front yard.

Post 100 - My Little Random List of Thankfulness

Well, I'm officially at my 100th post, although I have several drafts still waiting to be edited, thought through, or finished.  In honor of my actual 100th "posted" post, I thought I would share some of the things I am grateful for and love.  This is by no means an exhaustive list, and just as sure has I hit the "publish" button, I'll think of other, worthier things I could have listed, but it is what it is. :-D

I am thankful for:

1. A God who loves me enough to have sacrificed his very own son to provide a way for me to be with Him forever.

2. Dave, a husband who is more than I deserve

3. Hannah, my joy

4. Eric, my laughter and hugs

5. Peter, my musical encourager

6. Kari, my precious gift

7. skittles - really!

8. friends who love me, put up with me, and challenge me

9. a mom who set a wonderful example for me of tithing, prayer, and exercise 

10. two very dear sisters - Paula and Tracy 

11. down comforters in duvet covers

12. rainy days

13. mint chocolate chip ice cream

14. five nieces-Sarah, Emily, Alyssa, Kristen, and Abigail

15. two nephews-Aaron and Hugo

16. a dad who loves sunsets as much as I do

17. quietly floating in the pool in the stillness of a warm night

18. comfy shoes, although I don't have too many pairs of those :-{

19. a sister-in-law, Wendy, who takes me to great restaurants in the city and is a great cook

20. flickering candles

21. an artistic sister-in-law, Nancy, whose artwork graces my walls and reminds me to look for beauty

22. the ocean

23. some great Bible studies: Lord, Calm my Anxious Heart;  Strong Women, Soft Hearts; Experiencing God; Breaking Free; Wisdom for Mothers.

24. a quilt my grandmother made me for my 18th birthday

25. Texas cake

26. tissues (truly, what a marvelous convenience!)

27. wonderful neighbors

28. Gingko biloba trees in the fall

29. Godly in-laws

30. a much loved foster daughter

31. continual forgiveness because of God's unconditional love and mercy

32. a car that is reliable

33.  three fabulous brothers-in-law: Dan, Ritch, and Todd

34. neighborhood walks

35. old family photographs

36. yellowed, clipped out, precious Ann Lander's columns 

37. country drives

38. Em Le's waffles

39. reading magazines

40. a stepmom who makes the best pomegranate jelly and has the patience of a saint

41. swinging at the park

42. country drives 

43. naps on Sundays

44. playing football in the street with my family

45. my underlined, highlighted, note-riddled, date-filled Bibles and devotional books

46. a father-in-law who "surprises" me with poinsettas every Christmas

47. my dining room hutch

48. mosaics

49. laughing till I cry

50. lip gloss

51. potatoes-any way you want to cook them

52. summer evening breezes

53. eyelid kisses when I'm not feeling well

54. good spinach dip

55. fresh water to drink

56. my New Life family

57. fun dancing songs

58. notes and cards from Dave - saved from when we were dating until now (I've gots LOTS of them!)

59. Tylenol sinus medication

60. unexpected blessings - that note in the mail, a middle-of-the-night time with God, the "I love you's" from my husband or one of my kids.

61. sleeping in

62. notes in my children's handwriting filled with phonetically correct spellings

63. my laptop computer

64. my students

65. walking along the beach

66. a mom and step-dad who pray for me and my family daily - and specifically

67. hot baths

68. Tide-To-Go pens - what a life-saver!  :-D

69. paper supply and stationery stores

70. Neutrogena Rainbath shower gel - the blue one only

71. sugar-free Hazelnut creamer

72. journals

73. leisurely trips to the bookstore

74. times away with my husband

75. my "hundreds" of cousins :-)

76. Lucy, our dog

77. Fun movies - The Princess Bride, That Thing You Do, the original Yours, Mine, and Ours

78. reading with my children

79. hearing squeaky, out-of-tune instrument practicing

80. Santa Barbara-my favorite California spot

81. homemade citrus ice cream

82. camping with my family

83. birthday lunches with my mom and sisters

84. lunch and coffee dates with friends- chatting the time away

85. being silly with my kids

86. having friends over for summertime bbq's

87. meaningful collages

88. reading before I go to sleep

89. the smell of the road after the first rain

90. eating tomatoes right off the vine

91. hearing my children laugh with one another

92. having Dave sit by me during church, a funeral, or a wedding because he's not speaking

93. hot coffee in the right shaped mug (one that fits perfectly in cold, cupped hands)

94. picnics with plenty of cheese, fresh fruit, and crackers

95. pottery

96. post-it notes (another lifesaver!)

97. irises and tulips

98. a healthy family

99. 4th of July with my extended family

and now for number 100..........

the way David squeezes my fingertips when he's holding my hand. ;-D

Fabulous Friday and a Winner

Even though I've just completed two in-service days at my school site, today has been a great day! I was able to complete the work assigned to us much more quickly than I thought possible. We are revising and updating our course of study curriculum guides for each class, and of course, English covers a lot of territory in different areas: literature, writing, grammar, and vocabulary development. After finishing my course of study guides, I realized again just how much we cover in one year. Sometimes I feel as if we're not making much progress, but over time, we continue to add to our base of knowledge in many areas. I am continually praying that the Lord will miraculously fill in all the gaps, as it is impossible to accommodate all the various learning levels when there are 32 students in a class.

This morning, I spoke with a colleague as we poured ourselves a cup of coffee (always a necessity on in-service days!). This humble young woman oozes the love and spirit of Jesus, and I find myself wanting to be more like Him when I am around her. It was just the two of us in the teacher's room, and as we were finishing up, she suggested we pray for one another. We shared such a sweet time of connecting with God and one another, and I was blessed. It can sometimes seem as if we are all working independently with no real support, but this morning we were supporting one another in prayer, and it made a difference in the rest of my work day. Thank you, dear one, for being a blessing in my life.

Well, my post about leaving a comment so I would know who is reading didn't go so well. There are those of you who have told me you are out there, but you don't want to leave a comment. That's fine, but you weren't entered in the drawing, thus making the odds better for those who did leave a comment. :-) (You know that's a joke, right?!) I wrote down everyone's name who emailed, left a comment, or sent a snail-mail card, and I had my daughter, Hannah, draw one for me. I know there are many fancy bloggers who use a random number generator for their drawings, but I'm not that technically savvy, so I used the old fashioned method of drawing out of a hat (well, make that a bowl).

And the winner is....................Cindi!!! :-)

Yes, she will be receiving a Starbucks gift card, and I think I'll surprise her by dropping it by her classroom today when I pick my youngest daughter up from school! That will be a delightful end to a Friday, don't you think?

Anyway, thanks for reading and responding. I still wonder why I feel the Lord is wanting me to do this. I've stayed away all week because I simply haven't had the time, and I realize I run the risk of losing those of you who get tired of there not being something new posted. But really, I'm doing this blog in response to the leading of the Lord, not because I need a huge readership kind of thing. If this blog helps me to connect with the few of you the Lord desires me to connect with, then that's enough for me. I don't have any desires for being well known in blogland or anywhere else for that matter. I read a few blogs regularly, and I click around to other blogs that I see listed on those sites, and really......I think some women (people) must have nothing other to do than sit around writing posts. Even if I wasn't working, I probably wouldn't post more often because I have a husband and four children who are higher on my priority list than blogging.

Well, I'm off to pick up Cindi's gift card! My blessings to each and every one of us on this beautiful fall day!

Good Stuff

I've had a great couple of days! Yesterday, I was able to go out to lunch with a friend and catch up with what's been going on in her life. The chicken gargonzola salad was good, too! :-)

In the afternoon, I handed fence boards to Dave as he was finishing up the new fencing around our pool equipment. It looks great; now I just need to get some plant planted around the outside so it doesn't look so barren!

Last night, I went with a friend, who happens to be a teacher, out to celebrate her last day of school. I had celebrated my last day of school last week, so since she was going to be home alone, I didn't feel like that was an appropriate way to end another school year. She came by to pick me up, and we caught up with one another while enjoying a diet rootbeer float at the park.

Today, I am getting things ready to leave for Disneyland in the morning, and I am headed out to a cousin's baby shower late this afternoon. I'm taking dinner to a friend who just had a baby (a sweet baby girl named Hailey Rose) this afternoon, so I'd best be going so that I can get everything together in time to make it to the shower.

When I look at all that I've been blessed to do the last two days, I realize just how many good things God gives into my life each and everyday. No, everything isn't perfect with myself, my family, or my friends, but the fact that I have those relationships in my life is a blessing in itself, no matter what all is going on around us. That realization ties back to the title of this blog; we're traveling together on this journey called Life, and there is joy in the process if we are not alone.

Thank you to my friends and family for being there for me, for loving me, teaching me, encouraging me, and strengthening me. You are at the top of the list of things that I thank God for.

Early Morning....Missing

Well, I'm new to the whole blogging thing and find that my post from yesterday is missing. I don't know what happened, but it was my first entry, and I had shared why I even had time to post it. In brief, my daughter, Kari, was up at 5:00 AM with our dog, Lucy, and wanted me to go with her to take Lucy outside. I tried not to wake up too much, and to go right back to sleep, but my mind just starting going, and I couldn't turn it off. Thoughts of: I need to do this....I can't forget to do that.....We need to.....etc.... The list went on and on, and I realized I might as well get up and write it all down because I was so worried that I would forget them that I couldn't go back to sleep. So, I brought my laptop into the living room with me, and jotted down my "To Do" list. After that, I was still wide awake, so I thought I would work on this blog page that I had started a couple of weeks ago, but never got around to finishing. So, that's how it started.

I titled my blog, "Traveling Together," because that's what I believe life is. We are all on this journey called Life, and it's much more enjoyable and possible if we are doing it in relationship with others. I will tell you right now that the biggest thing required to travel on this journey in relationship with others is GRACE! I have seen many opt to travel alone because they didn't want to mess with, or grow in, grace. A part of my personal life mission statement is, "To experience God's grace and extend that grace to others." Sometimes that comes very easily, and sometimes it takes the Holy Spirit working in me for that to be possible, but it is something that I believe in passionately. So, if your grace is in place, let's get going!