Birthday Fun!

Birthdays are a big deal in our family.  We love to celebrate.  Usually we do something fun with just each other.  We don't often have really big parties or involve a lot of people.  We're kind of a weird family, in that we really like being together!
Yesterday was Josh's 19th birthday, and while I'm not happy with him getting so old (read:  me getting so old), we had a great day.  He wanted all of us to go to the range and shoot , so that's exactly what we did.  
Here are just a few pictures of our adventures.  We had a blast (no pun intended)!  I am so thankful for Josh and the man he's turned out to be.  I give God all the glory and heartfelt thanks for the gift of this son.  Happy Birthday, Josh!

Most of these pictures are taken from the side or the back.

It's not a great idea to stand in front of someone with a loaded gun.  LOL!

Josh, Chris, & Christopher

Here is  Josh with his shotgun.

Here is Christopher after he shot Josh's shotgun:)

Here's Katie 

...and Talia

...and me

Things That Make Me Smile

Here is a list of just a few things that make me smile:)
I may keep adding to the list as I think of more.  Feel free to comment and tell me what makes you smile!


1.  Hugs from my kids
2.  The smell of pine trees
3.  Tulips (especially red and yellow ones that match my kitchen)  
4.  Fires in the fireplace
5.  Finishing school for the day
6.  Tea
7.  A good workout
8.  A shower after a great workout
9.  A clean house
10. Fishing
11. The smell of freshly baked bread
12. Pancakes smothered in butter and syrup
13. The voices of my family praying
14. Early morning walks
15. Watching hummingbirds
16. Discovering something "new" in Scripture
17. Playing piano
18. Keith Green music
19. Visits from friends
20. Going to the hairdresser
21. The silence of night-time when camping
22. Christmas movies
23. Lipstick
24. Wood floors
25. Snow in the desert
26. Cowgirl boots
27. Cookbooks
28. Sheets dried on the clothesline
29. Comments on my blog ;)
30. Fuzzy socks
31. Classical music
32. Cooking on a 100 year old stove
33. Roasting marshmallows
34. Coffee
35. Chocolate
36. Spy novels
37. Grocery shopping
38. Homemade ice cream
39. Disneyland
40. New books
41. My son's laughter
42. My puppy
43. Having my hand held by my hubby
44. Messy, baby kisses
45. Ironed clothes
46. Violins
47. The Blues (New Orleans style)
48. The ocean during a storm
49. Scented candles
50. Friends that have remained true


What makes you smile???

Puzzle Mania

We have gone puzzle crazy at our house.  When we were taking school vacation last month, we started doing puzzles for something fun to do and we became a bit obsessed. Do you have any idea how great it feels to watch something come together and put that last piece in?  I'm not an artist, so I can't draw, but I feel very creative when a puzzle comes together.  Talia is the best of all of us.  She can sit down and start putting pieces in that we've spent half and hour just looking at.

We have 12 finished, glued, puzzles laid out on the guest room bed, one unfinished puzzle on the dining room table, and one unfinished puzzle on the coffee table.  The most difficult one so far has been a Kincaid 3-D puzzle.  It's the one sitting in the dining room.  It's making us a little nutty.  Hopefully, we will get it done.