2012

Happy 2012!

My oh my where did 2011 go?

I feel like it came and went in the blink of an eye.

I'm not sure if that's because I'm older, because I'm a mom or because so much happened in our lives this past year.  Great things, hard things, challenging things, surprising things, and the like. Either way I am hoping 2012 proves to come and go at a much slower pace. 

Do you have any favorite moments of 2011?

Ours:

Our trip to Florida and Tennessee

Thanksgiving in Spokane with family

Grace: Starting Kindergarten, watching fire works for the first time without having a panic attack, dance performance for Moment's to Remember ....

(there were lots of 1st this year and lots of fears overcome.  It was a spectacular year of achievements for her)...

Loren's career change, becoming the Human Resource Manager at Lowes in Union Gap.

Melissa teaching dance over the summer, doing more photography and starting to work again in the fall

Melissa's dads visit to the Burg.

etc.

This is the first year we have done resolutions.

We have done goals in the past but like most people, never end up sticking to them.

So this year we decided to change things up a bit.  

And, we have such a strong desire this year to make changes that I know through prayer and God's help we can do it.

Loren's Resolutions: 

Get Healthy!

Eat treats only one day a week

Exercise 3 times per week

He's going to lose 20 pounds by July 1st and 40 by January 1st 2013

He signed on with Lowe's "Weigh Smart" program

He's heading up a team of 7+ people at his Lowes and they will all work on becoming healthier as a team, being accountable to one another

Melissa's Goals:

Exercise at least 3 times per week

Double my veggie/fruit in take each day

Eat treats only one day a week

Get more sleep at night

Removing things in my life that cause or have the potential to cause anxiety

Stay on top of the dishes so they don't pile up (we don't have a dish washer)

Spend at least one hour of uninterrupted quality time with Grace each day

And, blog more.  

Grace goals:

Stop interrupting 

Be quieter

Eat treats only 3 times a week 

What are you goals/resolutions?  

A little December 2011 Update:

December 19th we headed for Puyallup to celebrate an early Christmas with Loren's parents.  

It was a really lovely visit. 

Grace and her Grandpa Statema

Harris loving his Nascar Gifts

The Statemas are gardeners so Grace wanted to decorate a pot for them

Grace entertaining Grandma

After our visit with the Statema's we headed to the Turners

G & G  

Oh boy, the silliness that takes place at meals when these two are together
Mine forgets all her manners and all our meal-time rules
They just never want to stop having fun

My amazing friend!!!

A great Puyallup Trip!  Grateful the snow ceased this year and we were able to make it over the mountain pass to celebrate with family and friends. Not photoed is our lunch date with Shannon, Matt and Kai.  It was the most fun I've ever had at Red Robin.  I lost my voice from laughing to much.  It was hard going home.  Grace cried for quite some time.  We really miss our friends in Ptown.  They are irreplaceable.  

Grace T. made Grace S this gorgeous scarf.
She could not wait to open it so we let her open one gift early (hope you don't mind Jennifer) 

Favorite Christmas Moment 2011:

Christmas caroling on December 23rd with all these wonderful people.

A night of Christmas Caroling at Nursing Homes

Brought back memories of when I use to perform with Children Around the World

Walking the halls at the nursing homes singing songs of Praise 

Christmas Eve:

Baking

Baking

Baking......

Then Christmas Eve Service, grilled cheese and soup dinner, and preparations for Santa!

Making Cake Pops

Making Peppermint Bark

cake pops

Putting Reindeer Food out for the Reindeer of course

Cookies for Santa and Carrots for the Reindeer

A Christmas/Birthday card for Jesus

Someone gave us used Zhu Zhu pets.
So put together a letter from King Moonracer (the lion with wings from the Rudolph movie)
asking Grace to care for these toys from the Land of Misfit Toys.
She LOVED it and could not believe the movie is actually real.
 I love imagination 

Gifts for us from many people.
So blessed.

Gifts from Santa for Grace.
She got one Zhu Zhu pet and two things for them to go in.
He also filled her stocking with some socks and hair accessories oh yes and a thing of candy.

Frist thing Christmas morning.
Girlfriend slept in!!!....probably the only kid to ever sleep in on Christmas morning.

The candy from Santa

All the stuff from Santa and King Moonracer....and yes, that is a whoopee cushion 

She was so full of gratitude.

Thanks Tyler

Gifts from Grandpa Guibert amongst which is her new favorite movie: Horton Hears a Who

Grandma got us fun matching songs amongst many other things

So happy that IT'S CHRISTMAS 

Thanks Spokane Statemas

Thanks Dad/Papabear

Grandma got Grace the doll she wanted: A Bitty Baby

Grace so happy she got an Easy Bake Oven

The treats we made for the guards at the Jail

At the Jail in Ellensburg 
Our church encouraged the congregation to go out and do something for someone on Christmas day.  We chose to bring treats to the guards at the jail. We initially wanted to bring them to the inmates but we weren't allowed

Then home for some R&R and a little Disney Christmas  

And, Christmas Dinner, just the three of us.

So, we pretty much stayed in our PJ's Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day.  Our first year EVER that we both had all four of those days off.  We loved every minute of it.  Relaxing at home spending quality time together is one of our favorite things to do so we are grateful we got to do just that while reflecting on God's amazing sacrifice for us.  

We hope your 2012 is full of hope and joy.  

30 Things to Stop Doing To Yourself

This was floating around Facebook and I couldn't help but share.  It's amazing. I recommend taking the time to really read this.  

Marc and Angel Hack Life

Practical Tips for Productive Living

DECEMBER 11TH, 2011 @ 4:30 PM  BY: MARC

30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself

When you stop chasing the wrong things you give
the right things a chance to catch you.

As Maria Robinson once said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”  Nothing could be closer to the truth.  But before you can begin this process of transformation you have to stop doing the things that have been holding you back.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you.  You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth.  And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.
2. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on.  No, it won’t be easy.  There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them.  We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems.  That’s not how we’re made.  In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall.  Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
3. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself.  Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves.  Read The Road Less Traveled.
4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.  Yes, help others; but help yourself too.  If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you likeeveryone else.  Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you.  Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
6. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.  Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.  You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us.  We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past.  But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future.  Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
9. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive.  But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.
10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either.  You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else.  Read Stumbling on Happiness.
11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.  Evaluate situations and take decisive action.  You cannot change what you refuse to confront.  Making progress involves risk.  Period!  You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises.  Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.
13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely.  It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company.  There’s no need to rush.  If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet.  Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you.  But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.
15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others doing better than you.  Concentrate on beating your own records every day.  Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.  Ask yourself this:  “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you.  You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough.  But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation.  So smile!  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart.  You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.  Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.”  It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.”  Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself!  And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too.  If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway.  Just do what you know in your heart is right.
21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it.  If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.  Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things.  The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done.  Read Getting Things Done.
24. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile.  Don’t take the easy way out.  Do something extraordinary.
25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while.  You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well.  You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears.  The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.
26. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life.  When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.
27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out.  But making one person smile CAN change the world.  Maybe not the whole world, but their world.  So narrow your focus.
28. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy.  One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time?  Three years?  Five years?”  If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.
29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen.  Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story.  If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.
30. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life.  Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs.  Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

Photo by: Rob Brucker

Here is a link to Marc Blog: http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/12/11/30-things-to-stop-doing-to-yourself/

Gearing Up for Christmas

Homemade Christmas Gifts

Every year Grace makes a gift for our immediate family.

This year she decided on homemade Christmas ornaments.  

Cinnamon + Apple Sauce = a whole lot of fun and mess

Rolling out the "dough"

Poking the holes for the ribbon

Our brood of ornaments

After baking for 6 hours they were ready to be painted

This was her favorite part 

Sadly a few of our ornaments got destroyed in the mail and arrived all crumbled up.
My apologies if that happened to yours.  Next year we will try again and use bubble wrap this time!
My great friend Anni's arrived in pieces but she kept the piece, put them in a mesh bag and hung it on her tree.  So resourceful!  Thank you Anni the great idea.

The finished star

Our first Christmas Wreath
Grace begged us for a wreath this year.
Well, we don't have a ton of money to spend on things like wreaths so we got resourceful.
We bought a simple wreath at the Dollar Store and then hot glued on old ornaments that we weren't using anymore to spruce it up.  For a $1 wreath--I think it looks pretty good especially since my sweet 5 year old made it.

Build and Grow
Loren works for Lowe's now and since it's pretty far away we can't make it to their Saturday Build And Grow Workshops so Daddy brings the work shop home.

I love watching the two of them do things together.  He has so much to teach her, things I know nothing about and he does with such care and love.  He's so patient with her and is so great about letting her be a kid--no pressure for perfection. She feels at such ease when she's with him.

Loren wore his Lowe's vest and Grace wore her apron.
He even brought her home a teeny hammer.

And, you can't have Christmas with out biscuits shaped like Gingerbread men and Christmas trees, right?

Soup and Bread in the dead of winter...a perfect way to end a day.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE this time of year.
Getting kind of sad that Christmas is only 3 days away.
It sorta kind of snuck up on us this year.

Grace ready for her 1st Kindergarten Holiday Concert

Walking to her spot.  She was so excited.

Lincoln Elementary Kindergartners.
Grace is right in the middle on the front row

Sorry for the terrible lighting.
I was so far away.
They had red glittery noses on while they sang Rudolph

Grace & her teacher, Mrs. Foley

Her favorite Kindergarten buddy

And another friend from PM kinder who's in her dance class

And, she got to sing at church.
Although she was much more nervous this go round.
I was lucky to get this shot as the rest of the time she had her hands covering her eyes/face.

And, what's Christmas with out MILK AND COOKIES.
I can't help myself.  I just love throwing themed play dates especially for a bunch of little girlies.
Such joy this brought to my heart.

Goody bags Grace made 

They made Reindeer Food

The Reindeer Food

Thank you Johnny Cakes for the scrumptious cup cakes

craft time

game time

Flower won!

Grace put together a Reindeer Obstacle Course.
Amazingly cute

Cookie Decorating Time

Dance Party Time

Such a sweet group of girls

Gift exchange Time (Secret Santa)

And, Loren ended the party with a Christmas Story
Twas The Night Before Christmas

I think we *might* be ready for Christmas now.

I am going to be writing up a Christmas "Letter" and will post by way of my blog.
Be back on Christmas Day