To My Joy

Happy Birthday Joy!--My bestest friend and sister. We've come a long way since being dressing in matching outfits and thought of as twins, since the little sibling fights and spats, since you grew taller than me, since we had our first boyfriends...(and much, much more..) But through it all we've always been friends. Now you're gone and grown up and having a baby! I miss you, and I miss living with you so much.
I hope this new year brings lots of excitement and change. I pray for you all the time lil' sis! Stay as wonderful, fun, crazy, beautiful, smart 'n sassy as you are...don't change any of that! I love you.

Back to Painting

It's back and I'm so happy! I finally got the inspiration to start painting again. The past two or three months I haven't been able to pick up a brush. I've wanted to paint but I couldn't make myself sit down and just do it. Yesterday I plucked up the courage and began painting...Oh it was so amazing! I had forgotten how happy it made me to paint. Doesn't matter what I paint, I just paint and it makes me happy. Here's what turned out.--African Lily

Inspiration from a picture I took.

Friday Blues

Ok, I owe it to you to tell you the truth...As you know yesterday, the 18th, I was scheduled to take my Learners test. Truth is--I failed! Yes, it's a sad truth, at least for me. I thought maybe I could get away with not telling you, but sooner or later you'd ask and I'd have to tell you. I guess the person who is most disappointed is myself. I really, really thought I'd pass. I studied the book as best as I could, did their little tests over and over again. I memorized all the rules and "this means that", I read it front to back and back to front. But no! It was my "knowledge of the road signs" that was a bit lacking. I just needed two more right answers to pass.
I've been upset and discouraged about it. Everyone has been sweet and encouraging though, I guess it helps a little. A friend even told me about someone she knew who failed the test four times! (I'm not sure if that makes me happy for myself, or sad for the person..?) I'm trying to see this whole failure in a more positive light. Learn from my mistakes and do better next time....I hope!

For Mr.Phileas

HAPPPY BIRTHDAY PHIL! I know your birthday was yesterday, but I was sick in bed for most of it then I've been sick all day today...sigh I have to post this now before the sick molecules take complete control.
Thank you for always being my friend, for understanding me, and being there for me. They say a true friend is someone who loves you even when he knows everything about you.--That's you! Remember all the fun and crazy times, like when we were lying in the middle of the road? Good thing we didn't get squished. :) Anyway, I hope that this coming year will be better than all the others put together. And I'm praying that Jesus will give you the desires of your heart, even the ones you never tell anyone about! I love you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Check out the crazy huge smiles!

A Bientot

Sunday we took Gina to the airport to say our good-byes. I already miss my sister but I'm hopping to see my family again soon.

A close-up with Gina and her teddy.

"I love him and I want to keep him!"

Gina walking away...at least she has a big smile. Good-byes are not easy for me, sniff..sob, sniff.
I love you Gina, thank you for coming to stay with me. I shall see you soon!

Last Day With Gina

First we went looking for a present to get for Joy so we tried the toy store. "Hit her on the head with this and take her money!"

"All right you may take your people.--But you two stay with me!!

Gina getting a little tripped off.
Foolishness in the mall, I'm trying to roll my tongue...
"I want to share my pizza with you...."
I love you Gina! We had lots of fun together.

"Here Maurice, have a nibble."
"Snuggly, wuggly, cuddly"
Gina trying unsuccessfully to count her money,and me succeeding in annoying her!!

"Error, error.." I love that look, it's priceless. Gina's card didn't work so I ended up paying the meal.
"Bye-bye now."

...

Mike took his flight back to Kenya on Tuesday. It was fun having him here and we all miss him. Of course Gina misses him most of all....

Mike, Gina, and Me

Widdle Ones

Helping Hands

Jim has been involved with a prison ministry for the last few months and this month they were organizing something special for the inmates. The organizers wanted cookies, paper chains with verses, letters for the inmates, and place mats with drawings. So one evening we all got to work, some people wrote letters, others verses, and the rest of us did what we did best--drawing and coloring. They did want kiddie pictures but we don't have many kids in our home so we had to draw the pictures ourselves. It was actually lots of fun.
Everyone hard at work around the coffee table.

Gina making another beautiful stick-figure drawing.

Celly writing out verses for the "prayer chain".

Mike and Jed competing for the "best sunset between the hills" place mat.

Mike drawing an alien spaceship.

A sample of some of the artwork! These will be turned into place mats.

If you'd like to place an order for a lovely stick-figure drawing, don't delay call today!!!

Pink...?

Today was laundry day and as usual Steve and I had an overflowing laundry basket. We finished most of the laundry by the afternoon and there were only a few odd bits of clothing. Steve added them all together to make one last load for the machine. (What he didn't realize was that he had added a red scarf to the clothes pile.) When it was done I went to hang up the clothes, but a something pick caught my attention. I pulled it out and discovered it was once Steve's very nice, white button-up shirt.--Now it had turned into a very pink and girly looking thing! We had a good laugh about it. Someone suggested that I might be able to get the pink out with more washings and some bleach. I continued hanging up the laundry and I found another pink article. I didn't recognize it at first, it looked like little pink shorts....? Then I realized they were Steve's white boxers! I went to him with the bad news and asked, "Will you still wear these?". Of course I expected his answer: Absolutely not!
Moral of story,(I'm sure you've guessed it): don't put red and white clothes in the machine.