Adorable Sophronia

She was busy playing and keeping her bears in line... usually it's a baby doll... but today with the construction hat and her bears - it was too cute a pose to pass up. She'll be 2 next month... oh where has the time gone?

I love fall... it's a little nippy outside today

No one ever mentions that when a child goes to school the other's need to make adjustments to their day too. I caught the kids playing outside by the empty pear tree a few days ago... they love being together so much. There has been some debate (between them) as to whether or not they can continue to be each other's "Bus Gus" but for the moment it is settled that they are! I love my kids.

The Pink Bunk's

OK - The long awaited unveiling of the girls bunk beds is happening today... I seized the moment... so without further ado... the bunks!

More finishing touches...

3 weeks ago... with Steve in class (BTW he finishes up in May!) and me with 3 kids for the weekend there was a lot of time and space to fill. Olivia has outgrown the hand-me-downs for a little while... so we were in need of some clothes. Joann's was having an incredible clearance sale... so we invested. My mom taught me how to sew and I have her old "worn out" Viking Sewing machine.

Her machine and sewing talents have put together almost countless beautiful gowns for various occassions - not excluding wedding dresses and prom dresses as well as Easter dresses! So, I figured there might be enough get up and go in the machine for a few more dresses for my girls. To date we have made 3 jumpers (one for me too) a skirt and a fleece (for me!) Pictures will be posted soon .... umm... just like the one of the bunk beds that are still holding up beautifully!

It's been fun to create and do the mom kinds of things that my mom used to do for us. Thanks Mom!

Finishing touches required...

This is the place where questions like the ones that I posted a few minutes ago can be answered. Talking Points Cafe' is a great little room in the middle of Livonia where a person can stop and think and reflect... maybe you should spend a few minutes or hours here. Join me?

Cider Mill '07

We went to the Cider Mill after a day of touring the west side of the state. It was a great time to get another 1/2 bushel of apples and some of their great apple cheese! The kids got to see (1st time) how the apples were sorted for cider or for sale. If you look close, they are eating the gala apples that were too small for bagging ... the lady "Granny Smith" told us that they would become cider... so she would share with their little fingers! What she didn't know was that my kids often can polish off an apple or 2 in a day... "keeps the doctor away!"

What have you been doing lately?

Our church is just finishing a study of the Purpose Driven Life... it's been a great experience for me... one that has been very life changing... as it's intended to be. One that I didn't think would be as life changing or challenging as it has been. Good - but challenging. The last 2 weeks have been great. I have been able to do a lot of thinking.

Here are some of the questions I am stewing on now:

• What has God taught me from failure?
• What has God taught me from a lack of money?
• What has God taught me from pain or sorrow or depression?
• What has God taught me through waiting?
• What has God taught me through disappointments?

Phewie... not easy ones to sit and think through - but as I wrote the questions in my journal... all of them have an answer. How about you?

This is the funniest Mom thing I've seen in a while...

A friend of mine sent this video of Anita Renfroe (Women of Faith Speaker and writer) doing a version of the William Tell Overature. Pretty funny! Enjoy! And be encouraged that you aren't the only mom who says these things!

http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1197846&fr=&cache=1

Church

wiring the church for new sound, projector, av stuff that i can't even name - cuz I don't know!
The Blue Zone in Kidz Own - good thing these picts don't register the time they were taken...
The finishing touches to the cafe' - stay tuned for the most recent changes...
Pastor Joe doin' blinds in the Blue Zone... yes he's got the color right!
Evelyn, my fearless, un-ending amounts of energy to share with God for His Glory, kind of Friend - who also happens to be Pastor Joe's wife!
"Sarah, did you remember those puppet cabinet keys?! ...." Thanks Evelyn, my friend, and keeper of Girl Twanda! Read the book by Joanna Weaver, called Having a Mary Spirit, and you'll learn all about Twanda!



OK HERE'S THE BRIEF SYNOPSIS!
A few weeks ago my sister in law blogged me and asked if there were more updates... since I hadn't posted since the first day of school... I have been trying to post for weeks... I'm not sure if that is an adequate response, but it will have to work... OK, T?


So, what have I been doing? Well... We launched the "new" education wing at church... that's a cafe' and 2 classsrooms re-decorated for Kidz Own... plus the programming to go with these new ministries and re-arranging the rooms to coinside with the kick-off (oh, yes of which I was a major part of being the planner of...) for the 40 Days of Purpose. I didn't do it alone, and hopefully these pictures do justice to the major amounts of time and energy and ... did I mention time that lots of other people gave to make this work. So far in the past 3 weeks our numbers have grown by one in Kidz Own... and the Cafe' has had in-numerable cups of coffee and great conversations shared in it already. "Look what God is doing, all across the Land... " and I'm sure that if someone were to ask you what God is doing in your life, you'd be able to list numerous things too. If not, just ask Him to show you!