Praises from a Songbird

Calleigh is my little songbird.  She constantly sings.  Her playtime is surrounded in song - sometimes a wonderfully creative made-up tune of her own and sometimes a song from church or God Rocks.  She even sings her conversations and prayers.  I guess she gets that last one from me.  I am always singing around the house and I firmly believe that simple conversation sounds so much more fun when it is said in song.  Regardless, she is my songbird and tonight she wanted to sing a song for me.  I couldn't resist pulling out the video camera simply for her outfit (notice the little pink tutu) and for the performance.  Little did I know what song she would choose.  Sweet, simple, praises.  Words of truth.  Words that are frequently sung by children yet are often lost in the fullness of their meaning by adulthood.  Thank you, Calleigh, for singing a song for me.  Thank you, God, for your sweet reminders through the innocence of a child.  

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Today was a glorious day at the beach.  It was an abundantly sunny, 80 degree day in Malibu.  The beach was not crowded.  The waves were mild.  The sea weed was minimal.  It was a great way to spend our day off from school relaxing with Celeste and Colin.  In the midst of playing in the sand and surf, several humorous things were said by the kids.  I want to pass along these sayings in hopes that you will smile as much as Celeste and I smiled.

Andi - You went out a little too far in the waves last time.  Please don't go out so far this time.

Carson - I go farther than that with Asher!  I've been to the next layer of the ocean!

Colin - I hear the Ice Cream Truck!  Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da (to the tune of Pop Goes the Weasel)

Calleigh - Mom!  There's a sand crab in the bucket!  Wanna come see how whooje (huge in Calleigh-ese) it is?

Calleigh - Mom!  Colin shared his N and N's with me.  (that would be M&M's, my love)

Carson - I know a good joke if we were on a pirate ship.

Andi - Okay.  What is it?

Carson - If someone asks how things are on the ship, we'd say "ship shape!"  Isn't that funny?!

Andi - Yeah.  That would be a great joke.  IF you are on a pirate ship.

Colin - I know how to speak Spanish.  K comprendo!

Thank you Memi

Today the kids came home from a Monday at school and I knew they did not need to jump right into homework.  So, I thought we would do one of my favorite pastimes - bake!  

A little while back the kids each received from Memi a themed bag of cookie mix complete with cookie cutters and icing and sprinkles.  Carson's bag makes a couple dozen cookies resembling baseballs.  Calleigh's bag makes a couple dozen Princess cookies in the shape of stars and sprinkled with fairy dust.  The kids enjoyed baking, but mostly enjoyed eating the fruits of their labor.  So, Memi, this post is for you to say thank you for the afternoon fun.

Busy at work - rolling and cutting

 

The final result. . .pink cookies with pink icing, and shiny sprinkles.  Lots of laughs and tummies full of icing.  Yummy!

Thank You Nana

Carson and Calleigh wanted to send a special thank you to Nana for their new costumes.  I hope you will enjoy the video performances of one ballerina (in a "part" swimsuit with tutu and frilly gloves) and one superhero on the hunt for the enemy.  Thank you Nana for thinking of us!  We love you!

Call Me Crazy

In June I am going to hike Half Dome in Yosemite National Park with a group of friends from church.  Yeah, you heard me right.  Little ol' prissy Andi is going to HIKE.  Funny, I know.  But I am up for the challenge, there are 8 months to train, and at least two of the friends going have accomplished this very hike at least once.

This is Half Dome

According to the Internet, the large granite dome known as Half Dome is possible one of Yosemite's most familiar sights.  The granite crest rises more than 4,737 feet above the valley floor.  Thousands of hikers reach the top of the dome each year by following a trail that is just over 8 miles long.  The final 400 foot steep ascent is completed by using steel cables as handholds.  The cables are fixed with bolts into the granite and raised onto a series of metal poles.  Take a look at the cable route:

The people look like ants, don't they?!?

Are you calling me crazy yet?  It's okay.  I think I am crazy, too.  Keep checking back for updates on the training and stuff.  It will definitely be an adventure!

Newly Made

How often do you invest in significant decorative touches to your home?  Are you one of those who frequents the home decor stores and brings home little treasures to add here and there around the house?  Or does the thought of purchasing home decor completely bore you and seem pointless?  Well, if you know me well, you know that I do not often purchase home decor of any type.  Most of what we have to decorate (furniture, knickknacks, etc) are wonderful hand-me-downs, pieces of furniture that have been in the family for years, or gifts from family and friends.  To be quite honest, I find buying new clothes much more exciting than home decor!

Two Christmases ago, one of my very dear friends surprised me with a truly incredible present - new bedding for our master bed!  She knew me.  She knew how I felt about spending money on decorations.  She also knew that I desperately wanted new bedding, but was having a hard time picking out new bedding.  So when she came across a bedding that fit the colors of our home perfectly, she bought it and blessed us with it at Christmas time.  I told her repeatedly that I felt like royalty sleeping under such wonderful bedding each night.  :-)  The bedding was a great decorative touch to our home in Texas.

Now that we have moved to the perpetually sunny state of California, we've made changes to the feel of our home (downsizing 1000 square feet will help you in that process).  Everything about the house we live in now says light and bright and welcome to sunny California.  One of the major changes we made was to invest in new bedding that also says light and bright and welcome to sunny California.  Although it was sad to part with our royal bedding, we are thoroughly excited about our new California bedding.  Thank you, IKEA, for making decorating a sensible option for people like me.  Now I am California dreamin' in a new way.

Road Tested

I've been waiting for the kids to start school so I can complete a few "to-do's" that would be easier to complete sans children.  One of the "to-do's" at the top of my list was to get my California driver's license.  Of course this meant a trip to the DMV, taking a test over the driving laws in California, and having the dreaded driver's license picture taken.  Needless to say, I did not jump at the chance to visit the DMV on the first day of school.  The second day of school brought eight wonderful members of my family in town to visit for a week.  After another week passed, I decided to bite the bullet and check this "to-do" off my list.  I drive to the DMV, explain to the attendant that I recently moved from TX and need to obtain a CA license (then listen to her snicker. . .talk about how most people move the other direction. . .blah, blah, blah), and grab the driver's license application out of her hand.  Whew!  As I complete the application, it asks for my TX DL number.  I have to admit I have never memorized this number.  There are way too many things floating around in my brain, so I dedicated that little space of memory for something more worthy than a DL number.  I reach in my purse, pull out my TX DL, write down the number and expiration date. . .WAIT!  My TX DL expired on September 1st!  My TX DL is EXPIRED!  I am totally driving around town (and have been for almost two weeks now) with a completely invalid license.  Oops!  No pressure now, huh?  The only thing I could think of now was that I HAD to pass the test today, or else I would continue to drive illegally (but extremely carefully) until I could take the test again.  When it was all said and done, I passed the California test and received a temporary license.   Hopefully next time I'll pay more attention to the expiration date.  I have until 2013.