More Apple Pictures...

Scrapping & Apples

I'm thrilled because I got to scrapbook today with a friend from the crop club I'm in, and we had a great time! It was just nice to focus on a project other than a home task or a child task for several hours. I'm working on a book for my daddy, in honor of his 70th birthday, which was last year...I know, I know...last year you say, but you see, life has been so busy (I don't think it will ever be not busy) and I had to set the project aside. For the last few weeks I have been able to take some time to work on Dad's book and it has been lot of fun. I asked a bunch of friends & family to send me letters & photos of Dad for the book and now I'm compiling all of those things plus pictures that my mom helped me dig out. It has been a blast!

I leave you with photos from a day picking apples at our nearby apple orchard this November...the last day of the season. My mom is friends with the lady who owns the orchard and that sweet lady let us come and pick apples for FREE...as many as we wanted! We were so blessed to walk away with many bushels of beautiful Haralson apples! It was a glorious, beautiful day and we all had fun! The apple pickers were me and my dad, and Erik helped to watch Kristiana.

Minivan Opinions Wanted!

Hey there, we're thinking about getting a minivan sometime this spring...because we're expecting our second baby this summer! I'm currently 15 weeks pregnant. :) Is there anyone out there who has a minivan who could lend their opinions? What make & model is good?

Thanks for the insight!

Pictures Finally!!!

Well, after not posting photos for a very long time, I am finally putting up some photos on this blog! These ones are from Christmas time. Enjoy! Garr...I can't figure out how to rotate them...sorry!

Happy New Year!

Yippee! 2008 is here, and I can hardly believe it. We had a fun New Years Eve party in our new house with a bunch of friends. I made homemade macaroni & cheese, a huge Italian pasta salad, sweet & sour meatballs thanks to a recipe from my dear friend, and spinach & artichoke dip. Then people brought the rest of the food: salads, appetizers, desserts, beverages...it was great! We really enjoyed having such a group in our home and found it to be a nice way to make our home feel more "homey." Now this weekend we'll have my family over and next weekend Erik's family, so more entertaining is on the way. I really do enjoy having company. We also were able to get TONS of things put away before the company arrived for our New Years party which made a huge difference and lifted such a weight from my shoulders. There were boxes and stuff everywhere, and now most of it is at least more organized or else in its new home. I LOVE IKEA!!! We found some great bookshelves there to go with a stereo shelf we already had, and that really works well along a wall in our "music" room. It is fun to finally have a library spot set up!

I need to find some inspiration to write a Christmas/New Years letter. It seems that we always send ours in January, but that's fine with me. Christmas, well December, is such a busy time of year that I don't feel like I get to calm down until January comes.

I had the privilege of leading worship at church this past Sunday for "youth" week. It was really fun to help them learn their vocal parts and to play piano again for the service. I haven't played for a service in such a long time because I was recovering from some pretty yucky tendinitis. Thank GOD that it is healed now and I can play and do all my normal activities that my wimpy thumb wasn't able to do for over a year.

This is a really random post, but I'm just writing what comes to mind...

So take care, and have a wonderful start to your new year! I really want to post photos soon...

O my darlin...

"O my darlin', o my darlin', o my darlin' Clementine." Our little Kristiana says these words EVERY day lately, as she has completely fallen in love with Clementines. She has to eat one every day, and asks all day long to have one. When we first introduced Kristi to Clemmies earlier this month, we sang the song for her, and now she often asks for the fruit by just saying the words to the song. Or else she says, "Clementine. Want clementine. I like clementines." It is so funny and makes us giggle every time!

Kristiana has also been saying "thank you" very often, and it is so endearing. It melts my heart and I feel like all this etiquette I am trying to instill in her is starting to pay off!

I am off to grade final exams for my class...

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, friends and family! I hope that you have had a blessed Christmas time, indeed. We certainly have enjoyed being with our families, and we're grateful to live not far from them. That makes traveling to and from gatherings so much easier. It was so much fun to have Kristiana be more involved in Christmas this year. She has loved seeing Christmas trees and lights, reindeer, snowmen, Christmas stockings, presents, ribbons & bows. And we have been reading to her the Christmas story from various story books. She keeps talking about Baby Jesus, Mama Mary and Daddy Joseph. It is precious.

I sang at church on the 23rd - the Angel Recitatives from Handel's "Messiah" and a neat piece called "Rose of Bethlehem." It really helped me to begin to experience the true meaning of Christmas to have that chance to sing about my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. When I was in college, we had a Messiah sing-along every Christmas season. The students would audition and sing the solo portions, and the audience would sing-along. It was fantastic! My first solos for the Messiah sing-along were those Angel Recitatives, so anytime I get to sing them, I get really excited, as I have such fond memories of singing them in college. And for me, I really can visualize the whole scene layed out before me...I see the shepherds...I see the fields...and I see the angels! It is really awesome.

The text of the recits is as follows...may it help to bring you into the true meaning of Christmas...

"There were shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them. And they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'fear not! For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ, the Lord.' And suddenly, there was with the angels, a multitude of the heavenly hosts, praising God, and saying..."

And then the choir bursts in with this most amazing angelic moment, "Glory to God! Glory to God in the highest! And peace on earth."

What I think I love most about all of that music is that it is so scripturally based, and God makes the words new every time. It is as though they jump off of that score and come alive in the minds and mouths of those singing, and hopefully in those listening to. Handel was so brilliant. I'm glad that God blessed him with such gifts, and that his works are still being performed all over the world today.