Sneaky!!

Have you ever seen an advertisement like this?

As I mentioned in my last post, we recently headed to the zoo on a very busy day and there was very little parking available.  We saw a spot open with this sign and was going to pass on the spot (since all I could read were the big words!) when a gentleman flagged us down and told us we could park there.  It was just an advertisement and anyone could park there even if we didn't drive a Chevy (like us....).  Upon further inspection, this is what it said.  It worked out great for us because we ended up with an awesome parking spot!  However, I still think it was rather sneaky!

A Little Outing

 Took this fun-loving Trio

 Ah, winter has left me rather uninspired in the blog writing department.  Each day seems to look very similar to the day before leaving me rather unmotivated.  Today, I was looking back through some recent pictures and ran across our day at the zoo.  Martin Luther King Jr. Day was a beautiful, nearly 60 degree day here.  We took advantage of it by taking the kids out to lunch and then to the zoo.  Well, a lot of other people had the same idea.  Nonetheless, we had a very enjoyable afternoon.  I really enjoy going when the weather is cooler because the animals seem much more active.  Here are a few from our fun day.

Some sort of cute looking monkey

 Boa constrictor - the last time we were there, it had just eaten - interestingly gross!

 My attempt at being creative....

 Hippo - I think this is the first time I'd seen them not sleeping in a heap in the corner of their pool

 Some beautiful grass

 I spied this cotton plant in the butterfly exhibit - just a taste of our Oklahoma home

Love these people!!

Steadfast Heart - A Book Review

I am a big Tracie Peterson fan.  She often does a wonderful job of developing the characters, making you feel a part of the story and they are quite historical.  However, this particular book did not hold true to her typical style.  I found the character development lacking except for just a few characters.  I did not feel a part of the story.  In fact, I found it hard to relate to a bridal school although it did pique my interest.  It more left me wondering how much of that part of the story was truly historical.  There was also a bit of a mystery presented that never was solved.  She may be planning more books in the series, though, and want to revisit that part of the story. 

All in all, it was a fun and easy read, but it didn't hold my attention as much as her books generally do and I felt like there was a lack of closure at the end of the book definitely leaving room for additional books in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of Steadfast Heart by Tracie Peterson from Bethany House Publishers.

THE Project

Whenever we move, there are usually a few projects that we like to take on to make the house our own or to just improve it for resale value.  Plus, Chris just likes a good house improvement project.  Anyway, in this house, we've been working on exchanging out nearly all of the brass fixtures.  Some of them we've just out right replaced, but many of them Chris has re-painted (it's a fraction of the cost).  Rustoleum has some great paint that makes light fixtures look like that was their original color.  Chris had done the light fixtures in the master bath, bedrooms, dining room and kitchen.  Then, there was the entry light!  This has been in the thinking stages for about six months and seems the most daunting project he's taken on.  The ceiling in our entry is around 18 feet and it hung directly in the center - nowhere near anything on which to lean a ladder.  It definitely took some engineering, but it is done!  There were no fatalities and it didn't take nearly as long as one would think.  When I asked him if he was scared, he just said it was high and that it was.  He did a great job!

 This is the closest thing I have to an original picture.  Also, you can't really see how he engineered it, but he built a railing for the bottom of the ladder to rest on that was about 5 feet off the ground.  Then, the upper portion rested on the opposite wall putting Chris right where he needed to be to get to the light.  You can also see a 2x4 at the top of this picture.  It was attached to our upper landing and a hook held the light and supported its weight while Chris took it down and put it back up.

 Our outside painting booth.  You couldn't have asked for better weather to paint in - especially in January.  I honestly didn't think this project would be done until spring for this very reason.

The final product.  I love it!  This thing doesn't look as large when it was on the ground, but it sports 20 (!) light bulbs and weighs 50-60 pounds with all those glass globes in it.

Sewing Lessons

 Hannah received a couple of sewing kits for Christmas.  She is my crafty/cooking girl!  She loves anything along those lines.  Anyway, she quickly and easily sewed up the two little dog stuffed animals above.  Then, she had a kit to make two little owls.  Luke was especially interested in getting in on the sewing action.  I told him that I could show him how to sew on a button, but for some reason, a hot pink owl was much more enticing!  He stuck with it and Hannah did all the teaching and threading of the needles.  He got it together and was pretty proud of his work.  Just for the record, Andrew got to sew on a couple of wings. 

 Lessons!

Final Product
(Just for the record, I have no idea why Andrew's shirt is wrong side out and backwards.  He did go to school with it on correctly that day.)

She's Eight!

So, this little lady celebrated her eighth birthday earlier this week (by going back to school...I might add).  She was so excited and ready.  The night before, she told me that she was done being seven and when you turn eight, she would no longer be a lady, but a woman.  Eight was a stretch for me, but a woman, I was not ready for!  Thankfully, she's still my little girl and I think she really enjoyed her birthday.  She didn't seem to mind returning to school since she got to take treats to help celebrate.  Plus, she liked her "horse" cake and the gifts she also received.  It's always nice to have this special birthday time together as a family. 

Luke's New Skill

I must admit that when it comes to the kitchen, I'd just rather be left alone.  However, the other part of me strongly wants all my children to be able to fend for themselves if needed.  They don't need to be gourmet cooks, but I do want them to be able to follow instructions for a box of mac and cheese.  So, thinking along those lines, I've been teaching Luke how to boil eggs.  He can do it all by himself now despite the fact that I feel the need to supervise.  He does it all.  I think he likes this new responsibility since I haven't let the others do it yet (they need to get a bit taller).  Plus, I'm pretty sure he likes eating the end product!

Reminiscing

New Year's Eve we were blessed to visit with friends from our pre-marriage/early marriage years.  It's now been 10 years (nearly to the day) since we've lived in Indianapolis - where Chris and I met and had our first home and lived out the long Air Force wait.  I still remember leaving and thinking that I would never again have friends such as the ones that I had just said farewell to.  I cried more than once over having to leave our beloved life in Indianapolis.  However, looking back, I'm so thankful for it all.  God has taken us each to so many different places.  Plus, God did give me additional friendships that were just as meaningful as these.  The icing on the cake is that I can still get together with them today and be deeply blessed by our time together.  God is the tie that binds and for that I am thankful.

Christmas Catch-Up

So, I got rather behind in blog posting over the last nearly month.  We had a good break with family in our home, with family away from our home, friends. There is too much to capture here, but I thought I'd share just a few snippets.  What a gift it is for us to be closer to family that allows us the freedom to see them a bit more often.

 Our Family Christmas Picture 

 Andrew with my youngest nephew.  For some reason, Andrew felt that it was his goal to personally tackle him and we wouldn't give up despite the fact that he weighs nearly twice as much as he does and is obviously taller.  

 Snow Family - It looks like we'll need to stand differently in the future.  Kids are growing and it won't be much longer until you can't see some of the adults.

 Hannah riding on two scooters because she needed to keep up with her Daddy

 First time use of the band saw.  I'm sure it won't be the last.

 Hannah enjoying a ride on the "gator"

 Robey Grandkids