Doing the Next Thing

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!)

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!

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

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

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

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.)

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

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

another snapshot of art class: Nativity Triptych

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

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

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!

playing around with tangerine

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

Monday Morning

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

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.)

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.)

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

Party Planning gathering things for a friends' baby shower