White as Snow

My photo challenge is over. I missed a few days, but it did challenge me to take pictures of the everyday, not just the special moments. 

The year's first snow. Now there really is nothing spectacular about it, but it is something that makes me love to take pictures. This snow was so pretty. Everything had an inch or two blanket of fluffy snow. The air was crisp and it felt so fresh. 

That morning we got the kids out of bed and got them into their snowsuits so that they could experience the first snow! Grace couldn't wait! Justice had no idea what was going on.

Outside Grace exclaimed, "Ohhh, SNOWMAN!"

We had just watched Frosty The Snowman so she equated all the snow with snowman. She loved walking through it and trying to make a ball out of it. 

Justice couldn't move in his snowsuit and was less than impressed. We wanted to touch it, but his hands had mittens on it. When Daddy gave him some fresh snow he finally cracked a smile, but it didn't last too long.

Of course, the white snow and cold air brings along the Christmas feeling. I baked goodies that day and played Christmas music that I had on my computer. 

But the best part was not the holiday spirit, but what snow truly reminds me of. 

"Your hands are full of blood;

wash and make yourselves clean. 

       Take your evil deeds 

       out of my sight! 

       Stop doing wrong,

learn to do right! 

       Seek justice, 

       encourage the oppressed.

       Defend the cause of the fatherless, 

       plead the case of the widow.

 "Come now, let us reason together," 

       says the LORD. 

       "Though your sins are like scarlet, 

       they shall be as white as snow; 

       though they are red as crimson, 

       they shall be like wool."

Isaiah 1:15b-18

When I see the snow, I honestly think of this. My hands are full of blood, red... My God tells me to stop doing what is wrong, but to learn to do right! (It's not just the cessation of doing wrong, but learning and doing the right thing!) 

Seek justice. Encourage the oppressed. Defend the fatherless and Plead the case of the widow. Those are such STRONG verbs for doing! By following after Him and believing in Him, he sees my scarlet hands...and he makes them white as snow. What a gracious God.  (Notice both words of grace and justice were in this paragraph...hmmm)

The first snow. It's such a reminder for me, that my Jesus has taken my bloody hands and cleaned them to be as white as snow.

President Elect Barack Obama

I have really enjoyed this year's political/religious debate. 

Please read Walt Mueller's Blog about the President-Elect. I think it provides some good insight.

President-Elect Barack Obama

Midnight Grocery Shopping

Yesterday I spent the day cleaning the apartment from top to bottom. I made a menu for two weeks, a shopping list that would fit our budget, and worked on youth group. Last night, after youth group, and still pumped up on adrenaline, I went grocery shopping.

I've been grocery shopping late before, but it was when I was in college or needed one or two things. This time, it was full-fledged grocery shopping. They were restocking the shelves as I was there, so I had to maneuver my heaping cart around mountains of boxed food. But, I didn't have lines, crabby people around me, or my children ripping food off of the shelves or crying. I was tired, but I was out of the house and relaxed. I didn't get to bed until long after 1 AM. How's that for overtime?!

Sometimes I feel like my job as homemaker doesn't make sense to anybody (except my husband). Then, if I put it into job terms...this IS what I do:

• Community Skills Trainer
  
• Event Coordinator
• Fiscal Manager
• Menu Planner
• Chef/Nutritionist
• Home Health
• Sanitation Specialist
• Counselor for Youth & Family
• Teacher
• Spiritual Advisor/Pastor
• Graphic Arts Designer
• Curriculum Developer
• Bible Scholar

Okay, that's a self-booster for me. All that plus overtime, nights and weekends expected. 

But, I love what I do. I get to create play out of normal activities for my children, and teach them how to live in this culture. I wouldn't trade that in for the world.

{Day 26}

Justice plays in the winter coats tub.

I have been so impressed with how Grace and Justice have been learning and growing up. Yesterday, out of the blue, Grace said, "1, 2, 3, 5"

"No, Grace, 4," I said.

"Yeah, 5, 6, 8"

"7."

"7, 8, 9, 10."

I have not been working exclusively with learning how to count, but just doing it in passing. My, how she soaks everything in! She knows her colors, and lately she's been learning the alphabet.

Justice has now learned to pull himself up into the standing position, finger-walk (in fact, he prefers it over crawling), wave and say "buh-bye" and "hi." Now he learned how to throw his cup over his high chair tray and exclaim, "uh-oh!"

And I can't take the credit (though I wish I could)! First, I give God the glory for the amazing love and gifts that He's given my children. Then, I think about the loving people they are around all the time. Daddy, Grandmas and Grandpas, aunts and uncles that work with my children, teaching and playing with them. They learn the alphabet when they are babysat, and get books read to them. They get to play and learn with people who love them. There is never a dull moment. What a BLESSING!

{Day 27}

Grace playing with her Alphabet flash cards that daddy got her, 

and Justice staring intently at the camera, knowing that it will flash.

Happy Halloween!

The last week has been mostly swelling and pain management, so I haven't been so sauve with the camera. I got some pictures of the swelling and how beat up I look, but... those don't need to be posted. They are for my memory, not yours. :-)

So... I'm up to day 25 of the challenge. I am a bit disappointed that I missed a couple of days, but that's okay. I got some very cute pics of Halloween to make up for it.

This Halloween we were going to have a party to get to know people in our community. However, management had to veto the party idea last minute, so we moved on to plan B. We went Trick or Treating at the great-grandparents' homes. 

Grace was a dragon and Justice was a tiger. For the animals they really can be...they were such troopers! We traveled a lot in the car.

"Grace...what does a dragon say?!"

"GRRRRAaaaaarrrrr!"

It was hilarious. Grace really got the "trick or treat" and receiving candy. She didn't ever want to part with her pumpkin with her candy in it. Even at night we were trying to go to bed and she didn't want to leave that pumpkin! We had to convince her to put it in a "safe place" for tomorrow.

{Day 25}

Mr. Mom

{Day 19}

I haven't recovered very well from getting my wisdom teeth out. Though I haven't experienced the horrors of dry socket, I did swell up terribly. A lot of my pain wasn't only from my teeth, but from the swelling on the side of my face.

After it swelled up, it also bruised up. Bruised, swollen, can't eat a thing; and I can barely open my mouth wide enough to let a spoon with jello go through! (I had ice cream and jello all over my desk.) 

I haven't been out. I look freakish. I like to say to people when they call and ask, "How do you look?" 

"Like I got into an ally fight with a dentist and insurance company."

They won.

Anyway, Brian has been so wonderful in taking care of me, housework, and the kids while I've been "out."  He's been quite the Mr. Mom.

He's made is very easy for me to eat. He's made me:

• Split Pea Soup
• Shiitake Mushroom & Tomato Bisque
• Broccoli & Cheese Soup.
• Between him, and others, I have eaten my fill of ice cream, jello, fruit freezies, and soup. 
  

So, I have eaten well, the little that I can eat. Maybe he thinks of it as a challenge... "I can do her job too!" I don't know. Probably not. But it is nice the very few times when both kids are screaming and something is about to burn on the stove and the phone rings. Hehehe, I think, It isn't so easy.

Brian's helped so much, I actually finished a book and read through another! Amazing. Part of it was Justice waking up so often in the night for some reason, and I couldn't fall asleep from the pain. But even then, Brian was checking the time and making sure I got my meds at the right time. He lined them up and printed out a sheet of dates and times, so I could keep on track. What an organized guy!

{Day 20}

Hopefully I'll be able to take over more tomorrow. I've been to embarrassed to leave the house. How would I explain my face? "Uh, I see you looking at me bewildered or concerned. I just wanted to let you know I had my wisdom teeth taken out, nothing more." I could just see their response.... "yeah...right."

This isn't how I wanted to spend my "vacation," but hey, I got the best Mr. Mom around. 

{Days 15-18 of Photo Challenge}

I'm still taking pictures. Sometimes, it seems like there is nothing in the day worth taking a picture of. But then, I look around and see the beauty of everyday life. I have been taking pictures of the ordinary... and trying to remember how special that time is.

What is special about today?

{Day 15}

Grace, Justice, and I went to visit Great-Grandpa Herman! Justice really liked it right away. There was so many interesting things to see! Grace...she was a bit more timid. She didn't want to do anything...but slowly she warmed up to Grandpa and gave him some of her Cheerios.  Of course, Grandpa proudly introduced us to everyone that walked by.  

{Day 16}

Let me learn how to use a tripod! I have noticed that my husband and I are hardly in our photographs. It's so much easier just to point and click, and forget about handing over the camera to someone else...or use that nifty tripod!

{Day 17}

I am so excited to have this picture!

I presented to a class yesterday, and when I was putting the presentation together I was looking through 3 year old photos. I couldn't believe my eyes! I knew I was heavier, but I was so happy to see the difference now! I have lost 37 pounds on WeightWatchers and Brian has lost 55. Woo Hoo!  Shortly I'll try to get some before and after pictures.

I never thought I'd be able to lose weight. I had tried before and wasn't able to. But, here it is a photograph of me 37 pounds lighter. In fact, I weigh less now than I did in Junior High. Woot Woot!

{Day 18}

Wouldn't you like to see! I got my wisdom teeth out today. And yes, I took a photo of my chipmunk face. However, just because I kept my deal of taking the picture, didn't mean I had to post it! Sorry folks! Day 18 is done.

Life+Art

I love things being simple. Things don't have to be complicated and tough, but instead, there is beauty in the everyday things that often go unnoticed.

One of my favorite scrappers is Ali Edwards. I read her articles in Creating Keepsakes and read her blog online. 

Her motto is: capture. create.

Simple. And exactly how I like it. I love simplicity and the beauty in it.

Her photography wouldn't win awards. But for scrapping, and remembering the moments... it's what is important. She take pictures of her son doing normal things: eating, playing, walking, riding in the car. She sets up her tripod and takes pictures of herself, not looking into the camera or smiling, but working on her computer, cooking, whatever. She takes pictures of things that you don't even think about: her closet, decor, utensils...

Normal.

Everyday.

How we live life.

Life isn't a bunch of special occasions. EVERYDAY is what we live life in. EVERYDAY, the things that the camera stays put away for. Why? Shouldn't we remember the everyday? What seems boring, but it is how we live life?

{ Day 10 }

{ Day 14 }

Inspired by Ali's art and scrapbooking, I quickly put together a page. I have adopted a method of just doing a page, and not thinking and tweeking so much as to just getting the page done.