Another Tía Day!

Getting to watch my niece and nephew is the highlight of my week!  We finally, had a weekend without rain and so I rallied the troop to help me rake the leaves in my backyard.  15 bags later my Cutie Patooties deserved a much needed reward.

Meet Sally

 Found some Salamanders in the backyard

Meet San

We built up an appetite.  So we got some grub and headed to the kiddos first basketball game.  This was a fifth grade girl's team so it got my Sabrina thinking that she might be able to play next year.  Though she thinks soccer will be her sport of choice.

A very exciting game where my school's girl basketball team pulled out a terrific win.  And my Sabrino got to practice his math skills by paying attention to the score board.

Go Wildcats!

Afterwards, they got to play a little basketball on their own.

Two points!  Can't believe I took the shot were the ball went in!

A little dribbling and defense action.

Then it was time for desert.  I fun trip to the Frozen Yogurt Shop where it is a sweet tooth's dream come true.

We had a few minutes to kill so we drooled over arts and crafts at a nearby store.  Plus, got in some clothes shopping at another nearby store.  I know how to make the minutes count.

Next it was movie time!  Can Tía make things happen or what!   To end a night where we got to sing with the movie was right up Tía alley!

And off to home where I had two very tired but extremely grateful kiddos.

Twelve Tribes of Israel

Got to teach Children's Church and it was a blast.  Decided to teach the twelve tribes of Israel with each kid getting a paper plate, glue, tissue paper, scissors, and a marker.

We talked about each tribe having a symbol and what the symbol meant according to the blessing they received from their father.

They drew an outline of the symbol and started gluing the tissue paper to the plates.

Then I taped a popsicle stick to the back to make the plate stand up.

Lastly, we put them accordingly on the floor map and I couldn't be happier! 

Tía Gets to Watch the Lovlies

They found some boxes and let their imagination do the rest.

Oh no!  She is cut in two!

She is the amazing stretchy girl.

Wait!  How did her head get down to the floor?

I don't know how she is going to make it in life with one leg so much longer than the other!

All body parts working according to national standards.  Now it is time for dinner.  Pizza by scratch.

Here we are rolling the dough.  I wish I had gotten pictures of them kneading the dough...it was quite cute with their doughy fingers.

Would do this one again!

Love Letter to My Sister

Love how you gracefully bring your smile to the table.
Love how you snuggle with your kids and drink in their beauty.
Love how you dance and intertwine their tiny fingers with yours.
Love the Lemonade you are making with Lemons.
Drink up, pucker, and add more sugar.

Love You More

The snow has gone so go out and check something off your bucket list.  While we are doing our thing this is your chance to make your thing crazy.  Now is the time.  I love you.  The roads are clear the ice is no more.  Run in the rain and let the water wash away your eye boogers.  As it brings nourishment to the seeds in the ground let it mess up your hair and turn your fingertip to raisins. 

Dance in the middle of your walks and stick out your tongue to taste the goodness coming from the heavens.  This is your time.  I love you.  Make it your time.  I love you.  Your gifts need to be shared in a world craving for grace and mercy.  This time, your time is going to make a difference and be prepared to get a little wet.

I know you have the strength.  When you think it is gone, the spark has not left.  It is in you and I love it.  Read about it and do it.  Hear about it and try it.  See it and drink it up.  This is one of the many things I love about you.  Then we dance, hug, and giggle.  The world is in such need of your spark.  This is the time to share it.  I love you.

Come on.  That spark is alive.  It has so much love to give; your heart is going to explode.  And I love you more.

A Recipe for My Sister

1 Cup Giggles
3 Hand fulls of Kisses
1/2 Cup of Snuggling
1 Tbsp. of Stubbornness

Mix together till thoroughly combined.

Knead in 2 Cup of Wisdom slowly till smooth.

Let sit till one complete read through of In Style Magazine.

Put in oven at 400 degrees for an hour in God's Word.

Pull out of oven and let it rest during a lip sync to Sweet Child of Mine.

Ready to be enjoyed during a perfect day with my sister.
(Best with a side of Spicy Niece and Sweet Nephew)

Igloo Complete!

I can now check this one off my Bucket list.  6 inches of snow I needed to take off my driveway and sidewalk.  That much snow and a week's worth of freezing temps.....didn't have to ask me twice.

I used a large plastic bin.

Kept building and packing.

But then it was getting too heavy to lift them up higher than my waist.  I am also a little out of shape.

Came back out at night to finish but I didn't have enough hands.

I was using a shoe box size plastic bin.  I could hold the mold up above my head but I needed a third hand to pack the snow around it so it would stay up.

A sky light in my igloo

Quiet peaceful!

But then the sides started coming inward.

And I tried to make them connect.

I'm thinking this is do-able.

Tea party time.

Little Chai Tea

Enough room for the three of us

Cheers

Yummy!  Nice break from sledding and playing in the snow.

Then I couldn't stand it any longer.

I took advantage of the cold weather and untouched snow from the backyard and finished this sucker!  I just started throwing chunks of snow on the top till it plugged up all the holes.

Inside looking up.

The next day...Hoping it was still standing!

Looks more like a snow fort than an igloo.

A look inside.

I'm curious to how long it will take to melt.

I hear there might be freezing rain tomorrow morning.  Mother Nature must really like my work!  Bring on the cold.

I Love Living Near a Grocery Store!

Fresh air!
Exercise!
Reflecting time!
Great View!

I need to walk to the grocery store more often.

Used my cat carrying case to carry the groceries home.

View of Mount Hood!

Snow Days

Well 2017 you sure don't disappoint!  2016 gave us some last minute snow days to give us a head start to a restful Holiday Vacation.  But 2017 brought us a foot of snow with cold weather to make the streets into ice skating rinks.
So I lift up my glass of Martinellis and toast to a year that has allowed me to sleep in, be a kid in the snow, wake up muscles that have been dormant for a year, and complete a few things on my bucket list.

A new game that our family played to get in a few laughs.

Working on an AWANA banner.

This one was a Sunday night surprise!  Yay for a Monday day off!

It was like driving in a snow globe.

However, I didn't get much in my neck of the woods.

The strangest looking icicle.

And then more came!  People were trying to be prepared for this one.  I have never stood in such long lines at the grocery store!  I choose the candy aisle so I could escape to my happy place.

And it came.

And more came!

And woke up to a white wonderland.

Made a sledding ramp for the kids.

Had a tea party in my igloo

My igloo on day 3.  The caving in worked in my favor since I wasn't able to complete the top on the first day.

Going to the chapel and I'm going to get shovelin'.