Busy Bee

This was my first photo of SB since late November when I took her Christmas pictures.  She's growing up and if not for my mom, I wouldn't have much of a record of the past few months because I have taken no pictures.  Mom takes pictures of her every Friday when she stays with her for the day.  Because I'm fairly confident that she takes pictures every week, I haven't worried about it.  Mom's photos are great for the most part.  SB doesn't make it easy.          

Work has kept me entirely too busy lately.  Our student art show is fast approaching and my students are never ready early.  I blame myself.  I have a hard time saying "no" to any student who wants to try to do something better days before things are due.  I end up staying after school every day until the very last minute urging them to work faster.  They tend to take the pressure as well as I do.

The word "yes" seems to fall out of my mouth freely for any reason whatsoever.  I have trouble turning anything down.  It's not so much that I feel pressured into doing some task, it's just that I like a challenge.  

Some of those "yesses" include:

-making a beauty pageant costume look like a head of cotton; I couldn't resist. 

-making a 4 tier wedding cake.  (I will never make another wedding cake again if I have any say in the matter.)

-have another exhibit of my artwork with no current pieces to speak of.

-exhibit my students work when it isn't required.

...and now I will abruptly end this typing spree because I'm really

t i  r   e   d  .  .  .

 

Brevity

Life is short which is why I never have time to post. So here's a picture my mom took of SB so I'm posting it because I haven't had time to take any myself. I plan to do it soon though.

I love the entire chapter of Psalm 103. We tried to make SB memorize some of it, but she prefers to make a joke out of it so we gave up. Instead of saying, "Bless the Lord, oh my soul." She says, "Bless the Lord... OH MY GOODNESS!!!" and laughs histerically. Here's a verse for you from that chapter:

Psalm 103:15-16 "As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.

The brevity of life really hits home when someone you love looks death in the eyes. God has reminded me of it all week. My pregnant sister's husband had a massive heart attack at 31 years of age.

It's a good time for us to examine what we believe when we are faced with the fact that we are not guaranteed our next heartbeat. It's been a bittersweet experience. While tragedy is never enjoyable, Jesus has been very present to my family and very kind to my sister and her husband. My dad was admitted to the same hospital this morning with an illness he's been facing. It's been hard to be so far away from them during this time, but I will make a trip tomorrow in hopes that I can bring some comfort to them as they continue to battle the aftermath of his heart attack and my dad's illness.

Psalm 103:17 "But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children"

A Great Chair and a Sweet Girl

What can I say...she is the sweetest child alive.

SB and PawPaw. She doesn't like many men. He's won her heart though.



An old chair, a red velvet reupholstry job, a roll of green tapestry from the thrift store and the sunlight streaming through the front door = the perfect setting for a great Christmas picture.

My not-so-secret secret - the photo below was taken outside.

Oh, the sweetness she oozes.

A Visit from Lilly Mae

Skirts and dresses ONLY!!! That's Lilly Mae's rule to live by.

For her birthday in October, I found this dress and thought she would love it since she refuses to wear anything that resembles something a boy would wear. Until our post-Thanksgiving visit, she refused to wear her "Ni Hao, Kai-Lan" dress. Yes, it's girly, shiny, Kai-Lan...ish, satiny smooth. Somehow, it hasn't met her strict standards. Katee, her mom/my sister, has tried to offer it to her as an option many times, but it's always been, "No, not today." But...Today was that day. She wore it for the low low price of some small candies. I'm satisfied.

---

It's hard to ask a 3 year old to smile.
You NEVER get what you ask for.

Isn't she a beauty?

Lilly Mae, You look beautiful in your Kai-Lan dress! I'm glad you came to visit me at my house. Thank you for a great picture. Sarah Beth misses you and I do too!

Monkey Cake

Here's a cake I made in June - a good learning experience. I've been asked to post it even though it's an older one. This happens to be the second cake I've ever decorated. The design is copied from the birthday party invitation. The mom/party planner wanted the cake to go with the theme of the party so I figured I'd do well to make the cake look like the card. Happy birthday again, Allie.

Family Pictures

There's this place near my house that has a really beautiful gazebo. Very picturesque. We decided to try it out as a location for some family photos. My photo partner and I took turns taking each other's family pictures. These are the best we could get with SB. She doesn't like the camera these days...or the time change for that matter.

Pumpkin Patch

Today we visited the pumpkin patch - 'tis the season, you know. Here are some pics we took during our visit there. Sarah Beth's SO SO hard to photograph these days. She hates the camera.

SB is sporting my latest sewing experiment. I am sporting "3 days without a wash" hair. Todd is sporting a pink and yellow polkadot diaper bag that he's not afraid to carry. That sun was blinding today, but lovely compared to all the rain we've gotten lately. And that chilly breeze was a nice touch too. Thank you, Lord, what a perfect day.

Who wouldn't want their picture with this human-sized black crow?

Down the hill and facing the sun.

Todd, SB, and Mr. Chicken. She was a little apprehensive about him. (I think it was the comb on top or maybe the size.)

SB and Daddy, my treasures.

She got to pick her own pumpkin which is now sitting at home with the rest of her toys on the shelf.

A "Beep" in the flesh/wool. There was a great petting zoo there. She loved them all but was a little less timid around the bunnies and pigs.

These days it's VERY hard to get any good pictures of her. ANY good pictures. She sees the camera and runs the other way. I took 151 pictures today. I think I really like 2 of them.

Nana taught her to stop and smell the flowers - a good rule to live by.

I like this one. She's really THIS sweet. So sweet that the crows want to lean in and get in the picture with her. I don't blame them.

Now I'm sad those old crows are in the picture. She's cute and sweet without them.

A marvelous pick. She later used her chosen pumpkin as a telephone to call whomever she was conversing with on the way home. I wish I had that picture.