friday nights are for family

I don't know about you guys, but by the time Friday night rolls around, we are all pretty tuckered out from the busy week. I love to have lazy and low-key Friday nights. If the kids want to do sleepovers-- we save it for Saturday. If they want to have a friend over to hang out-- we save it for Saturday. We save it all for Saturday! Friday nights are about our family of four!

This week we especially needed this down-time as we were all recovering from 2 out of 2 of our children being sick! Yes, it was one of THOSE weeks. Everyone is feeling much better now. Thank goodness.

What do you do on a snowy, icy, cold January Friday night? Last night we made Chicago style hotdogs and mac n cheese. We stoked the fire as the snow kept falling! There wasn't really anything on TV, so Chris decided it was time to get creative.

We recently set up a corner of our basement with an art/drafting desk, two easels, and plenty of supplies that the artistic mind needs to get creative!

Last night became "Art time with Daddy" night! Chris started the first painting he has worked on in over 2 years! It has been way too long. His artwork had been his life and passion for most of his life. Life circumstances over the last 2 years have forced him to put it on the back burner, so it made me very happy to see him back in front of the canvas.

Karsen was so excited to have her own easel set up for her to create. You can see the subject matter that she chose to paint in the background. A pretty blue butterfly, of course. 

Halfway through the process she allowed me to take this picture (after she adorned her "smock shirt"), but she did not want me to take anymore pictures until she was done with the painting. She looks serious, just like her Daddy does when he paints.

Dylan hunkered down on his futon on the other side of the basement and decided to go with a pencil sketch. Wanna guess what he drew?  He started a scene of comic characters that look like the cast of Napoleon Dynamite (LOL one of his fave movies),  but then he decided to draw.....

 Davey Jones! From Pirates of the Carribean. I don't know about you, but I love this! I think it is great, and my favorite part has to be the key on the end of one of his many tentacles.  I can see he got some of his father's artistic talent. 

 Davey Jones (google image)

I think Dylan captured the original character.

As for what I was doing while the kids and Chris were working hard on their art in the basement? I was sitting 10 feet from the fireplace watching HGTV and the snow fall in the backyard.  It was a good night all around!

the sky is falling!!

So, everyone is in a tizzy because "the snow" is coming! It is in Dayton, Ohio as I type this and it's on the way right now!!!

I have heard repeatedly over the last month or so from all the locals that it has been "unseasonably warm" here in Columbus this Winter so far....I believe it shows that there is power in prayer. LOL. ;)

Every bit of my southern self wants to say, "It is NOT warm, y'all!" So when I hear this, I want to scream because I have been perpetually cold since Thanksgiving. I think people are either 1. LOCO OR 2. Sipping on some of their Grandpa's moonshine. But then when I really think about it, I realize that we are not in NC, so people probably do not even KNOW what moonshine is, let alone have access to any...so that takes me back to the first theory. People are just crazy. LOL.

So, the snow is coming! It should be here tonight. Happy, happy, joy, joy, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

P.S. After my first post on my IPAD I realized several things. One being that I need to use html to space and format my posts. It makes me head hurt to think about that, but I think I can do it. See spaces above in this post? Yes, even old dogs can learn to do new tricks. Now to learn how to insert pics. I think I can, I think I can...

P.S.S. Thank you all for the comments, calls, texts, and message after my last post too. You are all the best. :)

Love, Me

just words

I have writers block. I used to approach my blog like it was my personal journal, just writing this and that and random thoughts punctuated with pictures. Tonight, I don't have any pictures. Just words. We had a virus attack one of our laptops this week. FUN. Um, totally not something that I can even pretend to know how to fix. Ugh. Chris took care of it, or so it seems. We can now get online, but I think it is a matter of time before that circa de 2006 laptop just self-implodes in one giant puff of smoke. *POOF* So, I gave myself permission to go ahead and purchase my Valentine's Day present. Thanks, Chris! Happy early Heart Day! <3 I got the new IPAD 2! This is my first Apple product. It is very user-friendly, but SOOOO different than what I am used to. The first thing I asked the salesperson was "can I blog on this high-tech-doo-hickie?" LOL So, here I am, giving it a shot. I got the convertible keyboard that goes with it. So it feels like a special little laptop, but way more fun! It is what all the Moms at gymnastics have. I realized that after I took it out of the box. I had been wondering what those nifty lil toys they tapped on during their son/daughter's 90 minute long class were...now I know. Now I am a happy owner. Now I may even be able to blog more! YAY Karsen had a friend over last night, and I have never ever heard so much giggling in all of my life. Who woulda thunk that hearing other people's children laugh could wear you out so? ;) Chris and Dylan had a boys' night last night and went to see a movie Chris knows I would not care to see. LOL They saw Sherlock Holmes and grabbed Pei Wei TO GO on the way home. Dylan's fave! Dylan gave the movie 4/4 stars.....a top 5 movie EVER for him. Dylan is quite fickle when it comes to movie, however. They had a great time and were not subjected to 5 hours of straight giggling. I don't think they could have taken it. We made it church this morning for the first time since before all the holiday travels. I really can sincerely say that it was such a blesssing to be there. This particular message really touched my heart. Our church is doing a 8 week long series on "Healing Your Heart". This morning's message was about "Do you carry a twig of bitterness in your heart?" In the message a little girl named, Sally, bore the twig of bitterness in her heart when her parents got divorced when she was 7 years old. She carried this twig with her for years and years and this twig turned into a big, prickly tree that surrounded her heart. As she grew up, the tree suffocated good things that tried to enter her heart. It robbed nutrients and light that kept anything else from growing there. It starved out good things that may have started taking root into her life and heart. It made me cry because I realized that old hurts still lived in my heart. By allowing those old hurts to take up space I was preventing healthy, happy things from starting to grow there. Do you have old hurts that take up unnecessary room in your heart? I do. Chris is so sweet because he knows this shook me to the core. He is waiting to talk to me about it when the kids go to bed. He knows he can't heal all those hurts, but by being there to listen, it helps. To just say things out loud. Just get the words out. Thanks for listening too.

merry christmas and a happy new year!

I sit here in disbelief that I must return back to work tomorrow! It is snowing sideways here right now, and I am so thankful that I did not have to get out there in the snow and cold today. One more day of cozy, snuggle time....then back to reality.

Christmas was an absolute whirlwind for us as we made the long drive back to NC for a four day weekend.  We spent time with both sides of our families, but when we left I think we all felt like there was just not enough time spent with any of them.
We brought in the New Year nice and quiet-like. I still can not believe that it is 2012! 2011 was such a big year for us . Here is a rewind of the year in pictures.

The first Ohio winter for us. We adjusted nicely and managed to have some fun along the way.

We thought about pursuing new dreams and spent time reflecting on everything we had been through to realize other dreams that we had been working on for a while.  

The kids continued to thrive and grow where they were planted.

They love Ohio!

In April I spent one last week with my Pharmacy School friends. Saying goodbye was tough, and I miss them all so much already. What a wild and crazy journey we shared together; 5 years. I was so proud of them all! I will never forget them or more importantly the strength, encouragement and love we gave each other along the way.

Spring brought goodbyes but also brought promise of new things, new hopes, and a new beginning.

In the Spring, I interviewed for and got the one job that I really, really wanted but thought I had no real chance of getting!  Talk about being blessed. I bid farewell to being a student and hello to the world of being a working Mom!

All work and no play makes me grumpy, so we spent the Summer having some fun too!
Sunset Beach was a wonderful week with friends and family.

And because we are beach bums at heart, we also had  wonderful week spent at Harbor Island, SC and Savannah, GA in August.

After that we made our way back up I-77 North to start a new school year.

We welcome Fall with open arms and BOO at the ZOO!

My sister fought for her life at Johns Hopkins Hospital for over two months...and now is at home with a long road ahead of her. Most of my New Years' prayers and wishes were for her. Praying that 2012 is a year of complete healing and growth for her. We miss her visits here to Ohio and this was the first Christmas morning in 5 years that she did not spend the morning at our house. I miss her dearly. We all miss her smile, laugh and spirit. We love you, Aunt Suzy.

We had a wonderful year, full of many blessings. We are excited about 2012 and everything it may bring our way. I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for Chris, who really does take care of all of us. I am so thankful.

 I want to end this post with my three favorite pics of this year. 

I pray that we have a happy and healthy 2012.

And I wish the same for you all too!

Happy New Year from our family to your's!

Love,

Us