{pretty, happy, funny.real} short and sweet

                                             

I am trying to get used to taking pictures with my camera but am having trouble remembering to bring it along when I am out and about,


                                                        LAST WEEK'S VERSE

A quick cap of this past week :

~ I continued with my project The Artist Way and am finding it a wonderful experiment.    

~watched 2 of John's bowling matches and he bowled a 202 

~baked bread, an apple pie and made fruit salad

~forgot about a haircut appointment and sweet Meagan was forgiving and rescheduled me

         ~prepped for day retreat at Resurrection and spent all day there getting ready, participating and  cleaning up
         ~put together a little valentine package for Elle and put it in the mail

I am really enjoying my chalkboard verse and have taken to asking family members what verse from the Sunday readings they remembered...Thomas came up with this week's.

                                                           THIS WEEK'S VERSE                
                             

                                 In the past I have dabbled in pintrest but this week I dove in.
                                             
                                                               oh my!
                                   
                                             Some of my boards
                               ~around the house     ~ create
                               ~purple                      ~inspiring quotes
                                ~white                       ~learning
                                ~at the beach

                                                                 A NEW WEEK
                                                           AND A BLANK PAGE

         

 I love my new desk planner...it is so beautiful!

Pretty, Happy Funny, Real...We Begin Another New Year!

As I was putting away the Christmas decorations last weekend it occurred to me I have been blessed to have celebrated 25 Christmas's with children. Now granted they are all big children at this point but they will always be my children. 25 Christmas's...how can that be? I would love to put together a collage of those 25 Christmas...another project for the list!

                                              END OF THE CHRISTMAS SEASON 2014

                                                            BEGINNINGS 2015
                                               
                                        Prayer, planning, and more prayer to begin the year!

my chalkboard...my goal is to pick a verse from the Sunday readings and display it for the week...hopefully it will become part of my {p,h,f,r} posts

my new planner and purse calendar...I still enjoy paper planning!

a lovely little votive holder from my dear friend Mary Jo

BEGINNINGS...

OFF TO MARINE BOOT CAMP

The first Friday in January we were invited to come spend the evening with the Starrs family on Michaels' last Friday night before he left for Boot Camp at Paris Island SC. I was honored that we were invited. We had a wonderful evening playing a game, praying and choosing a virtue for 2015, and of course lots fellowship, good food and drinks. 

May God bless and protect Michael and keep him strong in his body, mind and soul!

Thomas kept asking if we could go to the art museum over break. We were blessed to have a free day with good weather and he and I spent the day at the Toledo Art Museum. It was such a special day and I was so grateful we were able to have a day to enjoy the museum at our leisure. In a couple of galleries they had special things to do. Thomas and I took time in the Great Gallery to take advantage of their set up to sketch. I sketched a still life and Thomas' sketch was of a bust he admired.  It was the first time I can remember drawing (with no eraser mind you) where I was not critical of my talent. I just enjoyed the process. 

This painting is the museums's newest acquisition and our new Bishop Daniel Thomas did the unveiling and spoke on it at the unveiling. 

And last but not least Gary and I were able to spend an evening with Keith, Courtney and precious little Edison. We are so blessed to have this little one in our lives and I am so grateful to Courtney for sharing her first year with us via text pictures!

Remembering Advent and Christmas 2014

ZOO LIGHTS!

When Elle came home for the girls NY trip we managed an evening at the Columbus Zoo! 

It was Colleen's boyfriend Tommy's first time at the zoo which amazed me. I had to keep saying oh you have to see the polar bars, and the monster bats, and the aquarium and the manatees and the elephants and the.....

BOWLING!

A TRIP TO INDIANAPOLIS

to visit with Bev, Debbie, and Doug Maginn and families!

COOKIE DAY!

CHRISTMAS AT GRANNY AND PAPA'S

                                               Elle spent the evening with us via Skype!

Ben's new puppy!

STOCKING TIME...

CHRISTMAS AT HOME

Elle was not able to make it home this year for Christmas. It was a bit of a struggle for me to have her that far away especially knowing her roomate was going back to Virginia and she would be all alone. What a blessing skype was...Christmas Eve we connected with her and she spent the night on Colleens ipad in the living room joining in on the fun and games, teasing, enjoying the puppy and lots of laughter. Christmas morning we followed our tradition of opening stockings with Granny and once again Elle joined us via skype.  I had mailed her stocking package and present package separately and she received her stocking package but not her present one. It really made me sad and I prayed at Mass Christmas morning to help me offer that up. I also said a little prayer that somehow she would get that package at just the right time. Well a little Christmas miracle occured and a knock on the door Christmas morning was a neighbor who had received the package by mistake the day before! So Christmas day we came home and our four blessings opened their presents together. Thank you God for coming to us as a baby and thank you God for answering prayers!