Viva Opera!

Andrea Bocelli's Viaggio Italiano is playing on our system in the living room and Sarah is sweetly playing with her Little People barn and singing to herself between statements of: Cow - pen, Horse ride cart... I don't normally have opera on as my first choice of genre for music, but that has changed in the past month. Todd's uncle emailed us the YouTube clip of Paul Potts auditioning and then singing the winning performance of Britain's Got Talent. Ever since she saw it, Sarah's been requesting "Man singing - 'gain..." in her very deliberate 21 month old speech. I have to admit that I really like Bocelli playing when I get tired of replaying Potts' version of Nessun Dorma. And so I usher in the holiday time with an Italian twist to the traditional holiday tunes...

i LOVE this season...

Rich, Chocolaty Cocoa
Frosty Grass that CRUNCHES as You Walk on it
Seeing my Breath Come out in little PUFFS as I laugh
Scarves
Clapping with Mittens on
Snowboarding
Down Comforters
Examining intricate ICE crystals
Fires
Curling up with a cozy blanket to read
Candles
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Hearing the first Carols of the season

More Painting than Posting...

Besides the fact that Sarah is sick and has decided to not nap for the past three days, I've been trying to get our bathroom vanities painted/transformed from this:


To this:

We're trying to go from an 80's/early 90's look in oak cabinetry to a more updated look of, well, darn it all, the Pottery Barn furniture vanity look... I'm not a huge fan of cookie cutter magazine decorating - I like having some quirky individuality/creativity thrown in, but it is a cleaner look. So after many coats of Branchport Brown oil based enamel, we now have what is shaping up to be much better looking bathrooms. Not quite finished (still have the counter top, tile edging, sink, faucet, lighting, and wall color to do), but two big things are checked off (Todd installed the new floor too)!

Todd is the sander and I am the painter - not easy for a person who thrives on the gratification of quick results, but this project (and house renovation in general) is stretching me, growing me into someone who can patiently wait for an eventual outcome. Teaching me that with each thin coat of paint (because more is certainly not always better), I'm approaching the final product. Times of growth are often messy, but I desire to be someone who is able to wait graciously - to have the fruit of God's patience be a defining characteristic in my life. The Lord is so good to not give us everything we want (or even need) immediately. How would I depend on Him if I was swimming in money (or unwisely charged everything)? Where would my faith be if I saw exactly how He would provide in all circumstances? Patience and trust go hand in hand - this is a theme I have found coming up again and again in the growth spurt times in my life - not the easiest of times - but truly rich in so many ways...

Turning two has apparently come early for Sarah. I am seeing evidence of it every day in her new found screeches, tantrums, fake crying, and little girl bossy drama. I find it essential to remind myself moment by moment, that I must be the adult/parent in the situation and not react in kind... I'm so glad that God is a holy Father and never has anything but our good in mind in everything that He does and allows in our lives. He never merely reacts to our yowls for things just out of reach, our whines for comfort, our pouts for our way - He purposes all things for our good, the development of our character (Oh, how I cling to Romans 8:28!).

I am further humbled to hear myself parent Sarah. Here are a few "rules" that have flown out of Todd's and my mouth that have given us pause:

1. We don't kick arks.
2. Don't throw elephants.
3. Don't sit on your cousin.
4. Be careful, you're in reverse again.

Silly, yes, but simple. Yet even the simplest commands that God has set for us to follow for a long, healthy life I can disregard/forget so easily. I pray that God gives me the humility to see how desperate for Him I am in ALL things so that I can also extend that grace to Sarah for the rest of her life - especially during her two's - however long they last...

Oh, it's been too long!

You Are a Powdered Devil's Food Donut

A total sweetheart on the outside, you love to fool people with your innocent image. On the inside you're a little darker, richer, and more complex. You're a hedonist who demands more than one pleasure at a time. Decadent and daring, you test the limits of human indulgence.

What Donut Are You?

I certainly don't eat donuts enough (so say my cholesterol numbers...) This inspires me to go indulge without guilt...although I DON'T think I'm a hedonist! And to dig the deeper thoughts and publish more of what I'm thinking/doing/dreaming these days... Stay tuned.

I don't know why I hesitated in taking Sarah Trick or Treating this year. Maybe it was I thought that she was just too young, it was too cold, she wouldn't eat the candy anyway etc... Au contrer mon frere! She was absolutely beside herself giddy to be

#1: outside after dinner
#2: with both Todd and me
#3 dressed up in her tutu
#4, 5 &6: walking up steps/knocking on doors, talking to people...

Unbelievable how much she was squealing as she ran down the sidewalk... I never imagined how amazing it would be to share in the joy of my child enjoying herself! Bliss! Not to mention the fact she was the most adorable Princess/Ballerina 20-month-old ever!