happy kansas day

I wish I could say I woke up this morning excited to celebrate our wonderful state.
But I didn't.
I didn't even remember today was Kansas Day.
What kind of Kansas resident am I?!

My sweet friend, Gina, didn't forget to celebrate today.
She showed up at school this morning with these adorable homemade goodies...

How cute and yummy are these sunflower seed cookies?!
This is the happiest and yummiest way to start the day.
This is the best way to celebrate Kansas Day.
I love this wonderful state I've called home my entire life.
I love my sweet and wonderful friends.
I love this little life God has given me.

Happy Kansas Day!

you might be ghetto if...

You might be ghetto if...

you use hot pink duct tape to repair the hole in your shoes.

And you're willing to model them in public.

(not sure which is cheesier - the nachos or the look)

You might also be ghetto if...

you wear fuzzy boots with your basketball uniform.

And you lead cheers for the entire crowd dressed this way.

And my kids think I might embarrass them.
REALLY?!
I'm pretty sure they don't need to worry about me :)

crafting super star

I am not a crafting super star.
I love being creative and crafty but it really doesn't come very naturally.
I decided to try my hand at a little project - decoupage.
I know, that's so yesterday for most of you.
But a girl has to start somewhere.

My, oh my!  Mod Podge, where have you been all my life?!

I mod podged (such a fun term!) some old scrapbooking paper onto the front and back of a couple of clipboards.  Wha la!  Boring old brown clipboards are now bright, happy and cheery!

(front and back views)

A little ribbon tied on the clip and - ta da! - so very, very happy!!

Ok, here's where my real talent comes screaming through.
Check out this close up...

Notice anything funny?
Yep, all those cherries are hanging upside down.
I REALLY am that smart and creative.
I mod podged late last night and didn't notice that the paper was upside down.
I tied the ribbons on this afternoon and those happy cherries looked a little funny in the daylight.
Oh well!
I still love my happy clipboards.  They remind me of how creative I am :)

14

My oldest baby turns 14 today.
I can't believe I'm old enough to have a 14 year old daughter.
I can't believe she's old enough to get her learner's permit and start driving.
I can't believe God has blessed us with such a wonderful, beautiful daughter.
I can't believe how much she can make me crazy some days.
I can't believe how much she's just like me...which may be why she pushes my buttons so much :)

I'm so proud of the young woman she is becoming.
I'm so proud of most of the decisions she makes.
I love her compassion and her drive.
I love the special connection she has with her Grandma Susan.  (Hannah is named after Grandma and they share the same middle name - Joy.)
I love how she wears the "oldest, over-achieving, most responsible" kid hat.
I love it that she has known what she wants to be when she grows up since she was 5 and she has never waivered.
I love it that she bleeds Shocker black and gold.

But, most of all, I love it that she is MY daughter and that she loves Jesus with all of her precious little heart.

Happy, happy birthday sweet Hannah!

proud to be a shocker

It's no secret we bleed Shocker black and gold at our house.
We're so proud of our Shocker heritage.
Both of my parents, my step daddy, and I are all WSU alums.
I'm pretty sure Hannah signed a letter of intent to attend WSU when she was 2.

I've never been so proud to be a Shocker as I have been the last few weeks.
We've been impressed with Gregg Marshall as the men's basketball coach for many reasons.
He's a phenomenal coach.
He's a man of character and integrity.
He is as compassionate as he is competitive.
That's just the way we Shockers are made :)

We have a dear friend who has been battling cancer for just over a year.
It's been a long and hard battle.
Gregg Marshall and his wife have taken time out of their crazy and busy schedule to spend time with our sweet Larry...

Not only did they go see him in the hospital but they gave him season tickets 7 rows off the floor for this season.
When they heard that Larry wasn't able to use the tickets much because he was confined to a wheelchair, they gave him a spot on the floor, right behind the team.

(this is Larry with his sweet wife, Cheryl, and their daughters, Kimberly and Aspen)

WSU played Creighton on New Year's Eve.  Huge rivalry.  HUGE RIVALRY.

We had nose bleed seats for the game.

Larry and Cheryl had front row seats.  We were just crazy a little jealous.

Larry still had his sense of humor a week ago.  At half time, he asked "did you see my seat?!"

How could we not see your seat, Larry?!  You're right behind the bench!  You lucky dog!



Larry's 50th birthday would be this Thursday, January 12th.
He gets to celebrate with Jesus this year.
We miss him so much but we're celebrating his life this week.
His life as a loving husband, phenomenal daddy, incredible friend, compassionate Christian and proud Shocker fan.

joy

JOY - my word for 2012.
I didn't want to choose a word of the year because it is the trendy thing to do.
I have spent some time in God's Word, seeking His will.
My prayer has been to seek His will for me in 2012.
I kept getting the word "joy".

Initially, that's a fun and exciting word.  And then I began to meditate.
Joy.  That doesn't equate to "happy".
Happiness is dependent on a situation, my mood, my hormones, my finances, my kids' behavior.  You get it.
Joy, on the other hand, is the contentment found in salvation.  The knowledge that I will spend eternity with Jesus.  The heart knowledge that God has everything under control when my situation, mood, hormones, finances, etc don't "feel happy".
As a Christian, I should experience joy regardless of what's going on around me.
Ouch.
I must admit, I let a whole lot of other things cloud my mind and my heart.  I look to people, things, money, even the weather, to give me joy.  You see, I was mistaking happiness for joy.

The Lord reminded me of David's words in Psalm 51 - "restore to me the JOY of my salvation."  That's it!  It is the salvation God has provided me that is the source of my joy.  And He will restore it if I seek after Him, if I cry out to Him.

I'm super, duper excited for 2012.
I must admit, the first week of 2012 left me with a whole lot of trepidation as I thought about joy versus happiness.  Does this mean I have to learn to experience joy when things around me aren't good?  Maybe.
But I want the refiner's fire to purify me.
I want the joy of my salvation restored.
I want to experience true joy and not situational happiness.

There are well over 200 scriptures containing the word "joy". 
That means I can do all sorts of studying and memorizing.
I'm excited for the new heart knowledge God will give me through His word!