Hockey Night

I was at the game but no proof. I'm always on the wrong side of the camera.

This hockey thing has become a weekly event for my family. To be more specific, 2 out of 2 weeks...first the Mavs and tonight the Lancers. Strangely enough the most exciting part of the night for Emma was the fight. Reagan was a little disturbed by it and Olivia was completely oblivious that there was even a hockey game going on.

Friday Night

It's a quiet night in the house. Just me and "The Green Mile". What a story!

Tonight presents the perfect opportunity to get some scrapbooking done. The girls are going to bed and Chris is at a movie with the guys. However, I've gotta admit it's nice to just hang out with a good movie and a warm blanket.

Her Happy Place

Today Olivia's dream came true.

Mommy and Livie hung out at the Happiest Place on Earth, affectionately known as "Pizza Fachine". Just a warning to all parents, if you have not taken your children to the Pizza Machine...DON'T!!! It's one of those places that you spend WAY too much for a not so good pizza buffet. Then you spend even more on tokens for games that earn you tickets and if you manage to collect 10,000 tickets you may take home a bouncy ball.

We shared our fun filled day with friends Brewer and Wesley.

Girls Scrappy Weekend

Did you know PF Chang's has happy hour? This was news to me but certainly helped out with the food budget for the weekend. Yummy Lettuce Wraps!! I believe we celebrated our 10th semi-annual scrapbook weekend in Omaha. Not only do I get to hang out with my dear friends Kimberly and Susan but we enjoy all our favorite restaurants... PF Changs, Cheesecake Factory, Hu Hot, Chipolte and Newman's Pasta. With a line up like that we should have also hit the treadmill.
This year we "camped" out at the Raabe Hotel. The hubby and girls went to Nana & Papa's house so we were free to scrap, eat cheesecake and laugh until the wee hours of the night.

I started strong, got my first layout done before Kimberly even got her paper out but as always she kicked my butt in the final count on Sunday afternoon. Susan was running on low energy thanks to a cold and an infected computer (mine).

Today I got back to work at the scrapbook table. The first 8 client layouts of 2010 have been created. Whew! I'm on a roll.

On a very serious note, I want to draw your attention to Haiti. By now you all should be aware of the disaster that small country has undergone. Two things... 1. please pray for everyone over there. 2. do something to help. Be careful to give only to reputable organizations, we want to be good stewards of every dollar spent. Below you will find a site and blog for an orphanage in Haiti. You can send items to the Colorado address or donate money via the site. It's safe and in great need. Just $5 or $10 from EACH of us will help save a life.
Interesting I just noticed the scripture of the day starts out like this...
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
Be generous!

http://glahaiti.org

http://godslittlestangelsinhaiti.org

God’s Littlest Angels

2085 Crystal River Dr.

Colorado Springs, CO 80915

Be A Blessing!

Taking A Leap

My first scrapbook was created about 25 years ago, yes that was before scrapbooking was an industry. Most people stuck 3x5 pictures in an album (the kind that ruin your photos), I went beyond that. My bedroom floor was full of cut out words, phrases and pictures from magazines and the local newspaper, all the while being careful to keep special documents to help me remember the event. Now, I don't want to brag but I've gotta say I was way beyond my time and only 12 years old. I didn't know anything about acid free products or safety in preserving memories but then, neither did anyone else.

Today my scrapbook room is knee deep in every scrappy item available, except for a great cutting machine such as a Cricut Expression. I read magazines, surf the web and chat with my buddies at ScrapLove.com in hopes to find my inspiration for a new layout. In the last week I have managed to complete 14 layouts. Two more to go and they will be ready to be shipped to a client in Kansas.

What started out as a hobby has now turned into a business. In 2010 my goal is to take my business to the next level. Maybe I'm not at the "leaping" stage but certainly I have started the "baby steps." Parents today are over worked, over scheduled and in desperate need of some help. My baby book is rather empty, so sad...I'm the 3rd child and who had time to record first steps, first tooth, first time on a bike or that family vacation back in 1979. Scrapbooking is very time consuming and I am willing to take on the responsibility of preserving memories for busy families in personalized unique photo layouts.

What can you do? You can encourage me. You can keep me accountable (don't let me chicken out). And don't forget to pray for me to have wisdom, success and balance with my own family.

I will keep you posted on my baby steps and hope to have a website full of information soon.

It's Cold!!!

I am so sick of weather conversations. "Look at all that snow!" "Can you believe how cold it is?" "I wonder if we'll have school today." Really people, I think the sub-zero temps have frozen your brain cells leaving you unable to communicate about ANYTHING else.

Next week when the Lord blesses us with 33 degree days, my husband says he is going to wear shorts. See the freezing winds have messed with his mind as well.

Have a blessed day no matter where you live. If it happens to be under the snow drifts of Nebraska then be sure to bundle up and stay in the house.

Christ Community Church - News Feed - Personal growth plan

Christ Community Church - News Feed - Personal growth plan

Personal Evaluation

Since I quit working, in a professional sense, I also quit setting goals and taking a serious/realistic look at what I am doing and what I want to do. Sunday our pastor gave out Personal Growth Plan 2010 sheets. I am ready to fill it out, won't you join me? How else will I know if my life has changed for the better between now and December 2010. I sure hope I have spiritually grown in the last year but I don't have anything to look back on to check myself.

Because I feel strong about this I am going to list the categories and I hope you all take a look at this and do it yourself. If you don't hold a spiritual belief, this still can be a great tool to use. Consider making yourself a better person, whatever that statement means to you.

I have included some examples:

Name: (should be easy for you)

Personal mission statement: (I have no idea what I'll write here)

Broad goals for this year:
Increase personal health & vitality
Practice intentionality for spiritual growth

Spiritual disciplines:
study the bible 5 days a week
memorize one verse a month

Influencing relationship:
Peers:
Mentors: I need one of these
Seekers:
Disciples: my most important...the 3 girls.

Ministry goals:
Pray with the girls every night. Read from the bible 4 times a week with the girls.

Reading: (I've heard 15 min per day = 15 books a year) Leaders are readers!

Experiences:

Personal habits, skills, goals:
work out 4 days a week
turn my scrapbooking into a real business


Tweek this anyway you want to but I strongly suggest you do this. In December we'll look back at what worked, what didn't and what you'll add to your 2011 growth plan.

Now trade your plan with a friend, spouse or anyone who will love you and hold you accountable. This is not an unrealistic list of things that will look good. Rome wasn't built in a day.

You can find this form at www.cccomaha.org



On a different note, thought I'd share a picture of the girls outside today. In case you are wondering, Reagan is standing on the sidewalk. The snow by the street is almost as talk as I am and the snow in our yard is 3-4 feet high depending where you are. It warmed up to 10 degrees so I let the girls play in the snow for about 20 minutes today. Crazy girls!

That is an icicle that Emma is holding, now it's in the deep freeze.

Family Matters

Spending time with my brother and his family was the perfect way to finish up this year. We don't get to see our Arizona family all that often so we jumped at the chance to have some quality time together. Thanks to Mother Nature we missed the Family Christmas at mom and dad's.

Family does matter! We don't get to pick our family but God did. What we choose to do with all those relationships is up to us. When we knew that we couldn't make it "home" we made the choice to do whatever it would take to see Eric, Karen and Regina. I am so glad we did!

Happy New Year! Many Blessings in 2009

Not a Holiday

Back to the grindstone, I think!
Christmas is over, New Years Eve is several days away and I'm not really sure what to do. The girls and Chris are home for Christmas Break but still the laundry needs to get done and everyone thinks they need to eat. It is an odd week. Honestly I thrive with a schedule. It is 1pm, only 2 loads of laundry have been started and my morning began about 2 hours late...which I did enjoy.

Chris is helping a friend of a friend move today, apparently they didn't know you are suppose to have everything (or almost everything) packed before the movers get there. The 2 older girls are jamming out on Rock Band...I think we need to find something with better words. The "baby" has a friend over to play. And I am gearing myself up to babysit 2 evenings a week. Yes, you heard that right.

Some of the Christmas decorations will come down this week. I love having my house filled with Christmas but ditching some of the clutter is much needed.

In the last few weeks I have heard several friends and family members comment on money issues. Let me plug Dave Ramsey for a second. If you live like no one else one day you will be able to live like no one else. Learning to live on a cash budget that you review every month is not a bad thing, just tell your money where to go don't let it control you.

You can catch Dave on tv and radio. Go to his site listed below and see if you really want to change the way you live or if you just want to complain about the stresses of your finances.

http://www.daveramsey.com/

Enjoy your family while they are home this week because before you know it they will be grown up and out of the house. (I might be talking to myself right now!)

A Very Merry Christmas

Never mind the terribly snowy day we are currently having which has us all cuddled up in blankets playing games and watching new movies. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't have it any other way. Chris may not share my thoughts since he is outside (as I am typing) trying to clear the driveway. Uncle John and Aunt Angie are the heros with my girls. our faily will be rocking out with the Wii for months to come. And Livie was "bought" with new lipgloss. :)
Anyone who knows my mother-in-law very well will be surprised to read this...she has been cooking for 2 days straight. Yes, here it is in print and it is the truth. I am so glad to see her rest for a little bit. Nana made our family Christmas very special. Some how she always knows just the right gifs to buy and the right food to have ready. We all really do love you nana!

Signs of Christmas

Emma's 5th grade sang, danced, played guitars, played recorders and threw candy. It was quite the program.

Since I was sitting on the wrong side of the gym all I could get was this picture of my little blondie. The second graders sang with beautiful smiles and proud voices. We even got to see Reagan do a little dance.

This ice is beautiful but kept us home instead of traveling down to Kansas to see mom, dad, Eric, Karen and Regina.

I love cordinating wrapping paper and big bows under my christmas tree. Last year I bought some cheap paper and can't wait to get it all used up...I have even tried to waste it this year. :) All that said, I still tried to make it beautiful and fun for the girls.


I love this wreath made by my cousin Kelly.


My last picture tells the real story of Christmas. There is no christmas without Jesus Christ coming to this Earth in the most humble of circumstances, born to a virgin teenage girl. If you don't know this story I would love to go into great detail with you about the truth of unconditional love that came down 2000 years ago.

Merry Christmas from my family!

It's That Time Again

As you can see, Vincent is quite calm and despite the fact that cats don't like water he really doesn't mind bath time. He loves the attention!

This morning Olivia said, "He (Vincent) stinks, I think it's time for a bath."

The key to this event is LOTS OF KITTY TREATS!!

Learning to Give

Giving to others does not always come naturally so I want to do everything I can to teach my daughters to consider others and their needs as well as their own.

Olivia has been asking to get her hair cut for a few months. All it took was a little research into Locks of Love and found out that she needed a 10 inch ponytail to donate. Finally this week she had enough length.

Here it goes....

And the final product....oh how cute.

Olivia has been excited all evening to show as many people as possible. According to Liv, she and Reagan are twins.

Heard His Message Today

Atheist-turned-Christian Lee Strobel, the former award-winning legal editor of The Chicago Tribune, is a New York Times best-selling author of nearly twenty books and has been interviewed on numerous national television programs, including ABC’s 20/20, Fox News, and CNN.

Described by the Washington Post as “one of the evangelical community’s most popular apologists,” Lee shared the prestigious Charles “Kip” Jordon Christian Book of the Year award in 2005 for a curriculum he co-authored about the movie The Passion of the Christ. He also has won awards for his books The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, The Case for a Creator, and Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary.

Lee was educated at the University of Missouri (Bachelor of Journalism degree, 1974) and Yale Law School (Master of Studies in Law degree, 1979). He was a professional journalist for 14 years at The Chicago Tribune and other newspapers, winning Illinois’ top honors for investigative reporting (which he shared with a team he led) and public service journalism from United Press International.

After a nearly two-year investigation of the evidence for Jesus, Lee received Christ as his forgiver and leader in 1981. He joined the staff of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL, in 1987, and later became a teaching pastor there. He joined Saddleback Valley Community Church in Lake Forest, CA, as a teaching pastor in 2000. He left Saddleback’s staff in mid-2002 to focus on writing. He is also a contributing editor and columnist for Outreach magazine.

I took notes as fast as I could this morning but still my head was spinning with great information. If Lee comes to your area take the time to listen to what he has to say. If you already believe that Jesus Christ is your personal savior he will challenge you to know more about why you believe. If you don't know Christ as your savior he will challenge you to do some investigative work. Know the truth!

Lots of Snow

We all got outside to play in the snow. Chris was almost giddy to just break out the snowblower. Unfortunately, within a few minutes the ground was totally covered again.


Love this picture of Liv. I was surprised how long she was able to stay out in the cold. At her very first complaint I offered to take her inside. It's rough being the mommy.

Love Must Be Sincere

I saw this on my friend's blog today and had to share it with you. Everyday is a struggle and yet everyday is a blessing. I pray to become more like Jesus in action, thought and words. The scripture below is an incredible message for all of us. You may or may not name Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior but you certainly can try to be a better person tomorrow than today. This verse encourages me to be the person I was created to be.

Romans 12:6-21
We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

SNOW DAY

My girls will be so excited when they wake up tomorrow morning and find out that mom and dad are still in bed. No, it's not even snowing yet but will be, a big nasty blizzard is suppose to hit at noon. Guess we'll be hanging out at home all day. Hope it's not overly cold so the girls can play outside for a few minutes. They are so excited to finally have some snow on the ground.

Tawa...Four...Vier...Quattuor...Sayi

No matter how you say it...my baby is four years old.



cake colors picked by Livie herself

All Glory to Him

I'm busting at the seams, just gotta tell someone. Today Chris was notified that his book will be published by Write Life Publishing. You need to know this so sometime around fall 2010 you can be ready to run to the bookstore and purchase as many copies as you can. This is going to be a fast seller, one you will want to get your hands on ASAP!! Remember the Cabbage Patch Kids craze? What about Tickle Me Elmo? Even this year's Disney Princess Keyboard Vanity? Here it is a few days after Black Friday and I can't possibly get my hands on one. That will be the case for the new Chris Raabe book, right now titled Phenomenon (likely to change).

Regardless of the chart topping sales, I want to be the first one to publically say that I am so proud of my husband. Goal accomplished! Now my prayer is that we glorify God in every aspect of this deal.