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Showing posts from 2012

Experiment

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View the world through my lens here . https://windowsaphotojournal.blogspot.com/

Easter Pizza

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I planned a really yummy Easter menu: boneless leg of lamb with mint balsamic drizzle, roast chicken (for the non-lamb-eaters), sweet potatoes, asparagus, fancy green salad, and homemade lemon meringue pie. But we didn't eat that - not one bit of it. Instead we had pizza. In the photo above, the caprese skewers represent the only homemade item we had at our entire Easter feast! And it was GREAT! It's been a busy few weeks, and even Spring Break was filled with things like taxes & doctors' appointments. So when the Saturday before Easter came and I started making my little "to do" list ... I also started to panic. My quick-thinking (and awesome) husband decided that the remedy was to skip it all, have pizza for Easter, and take the kids to a carnival Saturday night instead of staying up all hours to finish deviled eggs. We had a blast at the carnival -- I wish you could have seen K's reaction to the thrill of her first fun house, first ferris wheel.

25/30

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I don't really love myself in this photo - that shirt is so much cuter in person, and I have strange unflattering shadows across my face. But there are so few pics of all seven of us ... and we worked so hard to get this family shot of our spring break getaway. (You should have seen the camera -- self-timer all set -- propped on a book-on top of a pillow-on top of a barstool. That's a fast 10 seconds, let me tell ya!)

24/30

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Sunrise in the Blue Ridge Mountains We enjoyed a quick getaway at the beginning of Spring Break. Found a good deal on 2 nights at a cabin with a hot tub, pool table, and this amazing view! It was SO GOOD to just slow down and spend a couple days just hanging out as a family!

23/30

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daughter, M (almost 13), took this photo on the way to school. it was a very gloomy, yucky day and then, all of a sudden - a rainbow and a patch of sunlight! the phone camera just doesn't do it justice! The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. - Psalm 19:1

22/30

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my sweet hubby built me this table! i'm in LOVE! (with the table AND the man ;-)

21/30

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terrarium we made for my brother-in-law's birthday. i love the way it turned out

20/30

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Chocolate-dipped S'mores. I made these for youth group snacks and they were a big hit! (though it was kind of tedious, made a big mess i still haven't cleaned up, and didn't turn out AT ALL like what i pictured in my mind. but i think the teens felt loved, and that's all that matters.)

19/30

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we took our Durer-inspired animal drawings and made "woodcuts" out of them (carved styrofoam plates and practiced making prints.)

18/30

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a student's interpretation of me. much thinner and cuter than the original. ;)

17/30

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another snapshot of art class: Nativity Triptych

16/30

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owl sketch by one of my art students. we studied Albrecht Durer's animal drawings as inspiration.

15/30

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Note from my sweet hubby. Found in my lunchbox one day at art class.

14/30

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In a little over a month, she'll be a teenager. Every now and then I get a glimpse of that. It happened in a blink!

13/30

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playing around with tangerine

12/30

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Homework (about 90 seconds before a battle royale erupted with nerf darts and paper airplanes)

11/30

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Monday Morning

10/30

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Beautiful sky on my Thursday run. So many shades of blue - the photo just doesn't do it justice. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork - Psalm 19:1

9/30

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Post-run breakfast (ran 3 miles in 32 degrees. brrrr!) (egg scramble {b/c i stink at omlettes} with shallots, tomatoes, and crumbled goat cheese - cooked in coconut oil and real butter; green tea with coconut oil and raw local honey. yummy.)

8/30

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Finished Product. Cost: Free - DIY'd from objects around the house! Now, to find some other white plates (or maybe empty white frames...?) and hang them on the wall with the turkey platter for a nice collage effect. I think. Any ideas? (Look here and here to see where I got inspiration / instruction. Then I just googled a lot and got creative.)

7/30

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Sock Monkey Shower (sick kids + forgetful mom + running late = not-so-fantastic photos taken with my phone instead of my Nikon. /)

The Sick Room

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We've had a stomach virus moving through the family for about a week now. Anytime children are ill, mothering can be a challenge. But in large families, when the illness lasts 5-7 days per person, and no one gets sick at the same time ... it can drag on for what seems like eternity and a mom can grow very weary by the end. The first couple of days, when only my littlest K (5) and the hubby were sick, kind of felt like a mini vacation. I was rested and cheerful, and in between checking on and helping out the two sickies, I worked on my wreath from Pinterest. But as the days went on, K became sicker and one by one the other children joined in. We haven't slept through the night since last Friday. The laundry has been going round the clock, and the house I got in order before the start of school is now a disaster area. I'm pleased to report (and very grateful) that we've turned the corner and everyone is improving. However, as even more time passes, the little ones

6/30

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Party Planning gathering things for a friends' baby shower

5/30

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sick day

4/30

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Christus Mansionem Benedicat - "May Christ Bless This House" Happy Epiphany Sunday!

3/30

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2/30

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"Real Food" Fried Chicken & Waffles with Mashed Taters & Gravy

1/30

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It's January, so that means it's time for the 3rd Annual " Thirty Pictures " series. a work in progress ... trying to actually *use* some of the great ideas on Pinterest.

Christmas Books

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I'm excitedly making my way through the books I received this Christmas: Large Family Logistics by Kim Brenneman -- I used to read a blog by that name - now Brenneman has gathered her ideas into a book full of practical tips on being a faithful home manager. I've already read about half the book, and most of the suggestions here would work for any size family. Nikon D40/D40x Digital Field Guide -- I'm ever-determined to exercise dominion over my camera and learn to take better photos! Running With Joy by Ryan Hall -- I continue to be impressed with Hall, a US Olympic marathoner and committed Christian. Hoping to gain inspiration and motivation from this easy read. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - I bought this one for myself, to tell the truth. Merry Christmas to me! It's just that I read The Hunger Games so quickly, and loved it .... I couldn't wait to get my hands on book 2. Looking forward to the movie in March. The Bible or the Axe by William O. Levi