a new "do"

I've been cleaning all morning. Piles of laundry folded and put away. And hours worth of ironing...oh, the joy! Then there was the sweeping, dusting, and vacuuming that had to be done. Just call me Cinderella. I honestly don't mind doing it because in the end, I know my house will look better. It will feel better.

So, I've also decided to spiff things up around my blogger home as well. Since I'm putting forth my extra effort to keep things going here, I feel like it might as well have a cleaner, fresher look. Imagine the scent of fresh squeezed lemons with a hint of lavendar as you read and relax. Okay, so I'm being a little silly. Hope you enjoy the new look (and smell)!

"I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me." Jeremiah 33:8

let the courses begin...

Stuffed ever so carelessly in my mailbox was the parcel I had been waiting for. As I was trying to wrestle my package free, I was immediately bombarded with questions.

"Is that for me, Momma?" cackled the Gooser at least five times from the back seat.
"No, babe," I answered.
"Is it for me?" joined in Bigness.
"It's for me," I announced, silencing the masses. "Mama's going back to school."

Sadly, I am one of "those" teachers, one of the few left on the planet who has not gotten an advanced degree. Most of my colleagues, including my 26 year old team mate, are entirely more educated (if you haven't already figured that out) than I. So, now...finally, I have found the right time and the right place to pursue more knowledge.

Because I'm not so great with multi-tasking, I've decided to start with only one class this semester, so my advisor recommended Creativity: Instructional Procedure and Problem Solving. Yeah, it sounds pretty deep to me too. Anyway, part of the course requirements is to develop a creative skill, and naturally, getting back into a regular groove again on the blog was my first thought.

But then the course syllabus goes on to say to challenge yourself and push into new territory. So, is just the blog going to be enough? I don't really know, and yes, I'm a little too chicken to ask. Therefore, to make extra sure I challenge myself, I have joined Project 365...as of today. I love taking photos, but a photo each day will be a stretch. I got the idea from the Queen Phenom of Creativity, Stephanie Roberts. I won't be any where near her level of artistry, but this definitely seems like just the right push for me. Thanks, Stephanie, for your inspiration!

Wish me luck and check out my first pic post: http://www.photoblog.com/dgirl/.

"Be strong and brave. The Lord your God will go with you. He will never leave you. He'll never desert you." Deuteronomy 31: 6

another football fan...

While out snapping a few shots of the one flower I have left in my drought-dried landscape, something caught my eye. Moving quickly across my front step was this gargantuan critter (for lack of the scientific term) dressed in no less than his Saturday-best red and black.

Could it be that God is a Dawg fan too?

"Lift your eyes and look to the heavens; Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing." Isaiah 40:26

article for all of you soon-to-be football widows

reality sinks in...

Gooser, 1st Day of Kindergarten, 6:30 a.m.

As the school year came to its end in May, so did, so it seemed, my blogging days. Yeah, the ideas came and went, but the motivation to actually sit down and type never even registered. I questioned why I was doing it, the amount of time I spent doing it, and did anyone really even care.

Now with school back in and some inspiration from friends and family, I'm feeling a little blogish. We'll see how long it lasts.

So back to reality...Beginning the day after school let out, the Gooser began asking, "Is it time to go to kindergarten?" This lasted pretty much every day until I decided that she needed a visual count down...and I needed a moment to not have to think about school.

The night before school started she was so wired that she could barely go to sleep; it was 10:00 p.m. at best, which is scary-late for my five-year-old. The dreaded alarm sounded around 5:20 a.m. Thursday morning. Usually Gooser sleeps right through, but not this day. Up she popped, donned her lucky lavendar dress, grabbed her gear, and was waiting at the door by 6:00 a.m. Mornings could not get any easier than this!

The all-time high lasted for the first two days, going totally non-stop until she finally crashed Friday night sometime around 7:15 p.m. The little booger was just plum worn out. Needless to say, mornings for the past two weeks have not been quite so easy.

So tonight Goose asks, "Momma, what's tomorrow?"
I reply with much enthusiasm, "Friday!"
"Yea! No more school!" she adds.


"He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart:
He gently leads those that have young." Isaiah 40:11

...how comforting!

...would you care for a lemon-aahd?

If you have seen High School Musical 2 twenty-five bazillion times as I have, you will recognize that line as how the high schoolers were to address the obnoxious Ms. Sharpay Evans. The spelling of the word lemonade is to reflect the sophisticated tone in which it was spoken.

I jokingly ask my HSM devotee that same question once or twice a week when we are preparing a snack or a meal. We typically repeat it several times and laugh, but today that line popped into my head for a totally different reason.

Around 9:30 I received a work-related email that made my heart sink. It involved a situation that I would be placed in for next year. After confiding in one of my super Christian friends...and taking a few Advil, I sent up one of those "arrow" prayers around noon-ish, "Okay, Lord. This is not a good situation. Please take this lemon and help make it into lemonade." I promptly went on with my day and planned to not think about again.

By 1:30 my friend referenced above stopped by to let me know that the situation had been resolved. Not only had it been resolved, but this new solution will create a better scenario for my students and me. I literally fell to my knees in the I'm-not-worthy pose, so thankful to God and my friend to be releaved of the possible nightmare.

It wasn't until later, when all of the students were gone and all was quiet, that I remembered the arrow prayer and the quote from HSM2. Don't tell me there's no God.

My daughter learned a song last year:

My God is so big
So strong and so mighty
There's nothing my God cannot do.
He made the trees,
He made the seas,
He made the elephants too (envision cute arm motions with this)

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." Ephesians 6:18

imagination...

A long time ago, I told my son that God likes to paint pictures in the clouds. He's been seeing things ever since.

Toward the right on the top, he saw a baby bird flying away from his momma (aww!). On the bottom I see an Oriental man with a heavy five o'clock shadow.

What has God painted for you?

"Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds. His name is the LORD and rejoice before him." Psalm 68:4

over the river and through the woods...

Literally, that’s how we go to Nana’s house. It’s a Sunday afternoon thing to spend time with the family. The kids love playing with their cousins and catching up with their grandmother. I wouldn’t trade it for anything that money can buy.

While there, I captured several close-ups of the Gooser thrumming away on the piano, then I realized I was missing the better, big picture.

I love the intricate detail from the macro shot, but it only shares part of the story. Going wide incorporates the entire feeling of relaxing at Nana’s. The sentimentality of those sweet hands on the ivory keys holds meaning for me, but twenty years from now I'm sure the kids will want to see more.

My hope is that one day they will stumble across this random shot of being at Nana’s and be filled with thoughts of love, joy, and nostalgia.

“LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” Psalm 16: 5-6