Loving the Snow...

Warm days are on their way, so we decided

to take advantage of the snow while we

have it. Dad, Brooke, and Lauren built

a snowman while I got in some good

practice on my camera!!

The Master of Snowman Making...

Some enjoyed playing over helping...

throwing snowballs

Taking a break...

And...playing with the cat!

Lauren, on the other hand, got down

to business...

DRUMROLL.....

Our Jack Frost

The Proud Creators

Pretty much the cutest snowman,

I have ever seen! :)

Wrestle- O-Rama

A favorite annual event of mine took place

at the school yesterday....

Wrestle-O-Rama!

The evening kicks off with

intramural wrestling.

While the boys are wrestling,

all of us bystanders get to enjoy

watching and eating delicious food!

My sister and Paul.

Grandpa & Grandma Ramos

Mrs. E & Liz's parents.

Liz

My sister, Lauren, and her friend.

And then, what the whole evening builds

up to... An auctioning of delicious

desserts, unlike any you have

ever seen!

(Did you notice how amazing these

pictures looked? It's because

they were taken on my

NEW CANON REBEL XSI!!!

More to come on THAT later...)

Only at a day care...

Things I find myself saying or

hearing on a daily basis...

Don't lick your friends.

Get your hand out of there.

How come that's in it???

We didn't even eat corn today!

You are not an animal; please

refrain from growling, and scratching.

You're not invited to my birthday party either!

Please quit sniffing the markers...

I don't care if they smell good.

No, you may not share chapstick...

You cannot give piggy back rides to your friends.

Well, that is different, daddy is not you.

He bit you???

No, I am not 38. Well, I am sorry I look that

old... still doesn't make me 38.

Fine, go ahead and tell your mommy on me...

Get the toy out of your nose please.

I know you are proud that you are

wearing Spongebob; but we do

not all need to see him...

Oh, the joys of working at a day care!

The Consoler

Psalms...it has got to be one of my favorite books of the Bible;

right up there with Ecclesiastes and Lamentations.

I wanted to share this passage as well as a poem

that goes along with it...

He healeth the broken in heart,

and bindeth up their wounds.

He telleth the number of the stars;

he calleth them all by their names.

(Ps. 147:3-4)

With His healing hand on a broken heart,

And the other on a star,

Our wonderful God views the miles apart,

And they seem not very far.

O it makes us cry - then laugh - then sing,

Tho' tis all beyond our ken;

He bindeth up wounds on that poor crushed thing,

And He makes it whole again.

Was there something shone from that healed new heart

Made the Psalmist think of stars --

That bright as the sun or the lightnings' dart,

Sped away past earthly bars?

In a low place sobbing by death's lone cart,

Then a flight on whirlwind's cars;

One verse is about a poor broken heart,

And the next among the stars.

There is hope and help for our sighs and tears,

For the wound that stings and smarts;

Our God is at home with the rolling spheres,

And at home with broken hearts.

(M.P. Ferguson)

This poem is from Springs in the Valley. I first read

it 3 years ago during a very trying time in my life.

It meant alot to me then...and I never want to

forget it.

The Love of God

The pianist in church today played a beautiful

special, entitled, The Love of God.

What a fitting song for the Valentine holiday...

1. The love of God is greater far
   Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
   It goes beyond the highest star,
   And reaches to the lowest hell;
   The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
   God gave His Son to win;
   His erring child He reconciled,
   And pardoned from his sin.
   • Refrain:
     Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
     How measureless and strong!
     It shall forevermore endure—
     The saints’ and angels’ song.
2. When hoary time shall pass away,
   And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
   When men who here refuse to pray,
   On rocks and hills and mountains call,
   God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
   All measureless and strong;
   Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
   The saints’ and angels’ song.
3. Could we with ink the ocean fill,
   And were the skies of parchment made,
   Were every stalk on earth a quill,
   And every man a scribe by trade;
   To write the love of God above
   Would drain the ocean dry;
   Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
   Though stretched from sky to sky.

My Valentine Dinner

"The best thing about having a sister,

is that I always have a friend."

What's not to love about Valentines?

My littlest sister and I were able to have

our own dinner and we had a blast!

We seem to share alot of taste in foods,

so I made shrimp pasta; something

we both love.

We helped ourselves to mom's fine china!

At the end of the day...

The last couple of days at work have been pretty CRAZY! When you take a party plus lots of sugar, mixed with hyper children...CRAZY is what you get.

We had three valentine parties for our three Pre-School classes and by party #3 I really was sick and tired of explaining how to play musical chairs!! I thought it would be simple...but it really was a complicated game for 3 yearolds to grasp. Some wanted to sit in the chairs the whole time, others thought that they had assigned seating and didn't want anyone to sit in THEIR chair, and others thought it was more fun to run around the classroom.

I must admit that my patience was really running thin with them; something I try hard not to let happen. I found myself being a little too short with my sugar-high children and I couldn't wait until my work day was OVER! I kept looking at the clock; longing for that little hand to reach the four...I just couldn't wait for the end of the day to come.

I was sitting on the ground helping a four year old girl with her puzzle when she stopped and looked intently at me. I looked up into her big green eyes. "What?" I said, a wee bit harshly.

She looked back at me and a smile lit up her face, "I love you, Miss Nicole."

My voice caught in my throat and I hugged her and replied in a soft tone, "I love you too..."

The end of the day came and I left somewhat reluctantly...my heart touched by a child.

True Happiness

What makes you happy???

What makes me happy???

Green lights all the way to work.

New shoes.

Talking with my mom.

Eating pie.

Going on a shopping spree.

Bubble baths.

Reading a good book.

A new purse.

A raise at work.

Being complimented for a job well done.

Kids behaving at work.

Is there anything wrong with my list... I would say no.

Yet, do all those things bring me true happiness?

They may make me happy for a few hours, or maybe even a whole day; but, not one of them provide me with true happiness.

I have been reading through the book of Psalms for my devotions and recently came across this verse in chapter 16, verse 11:

Thou wilt shew me the path of life:

in thy presence is fulness of joy;

at thy right hand there are

pleasures for evermore.

We live in a very unhappy world; a very materialistic world. A world that when they are unhappy with their spouse they get a new one. If they are tired of their home they look for a bigger and better one. A world that complains about the economy, complains about their boss, complains about their children, complains about their parents, complains about the weather, complains about their appearance... We live in a world that will go to all measures to be happy for one moment. Whether it be drugs, alcohol, another individual, they will do all they can to attain happiness.

Sometimes I find myself guilty of being the same way. Of only being happy when my life is a bed of roses. Complaining about things that God has put in. This verse reminded me that I as a Christian should not be living this way. I have true happiness in Jesus Christ... fullness of joy from his presence and pleasure for evermore.

GO TEAM GO!

The most beautiful discovery true friends make...

...is that they can grow separately without growing apart.

Today I am grateful for my friends.

Especially the ones in the above picture.

I have had friends come and go in my life

but EJ, Tab, and Liz are my "forever friends."

The friendship we share is one that spans

the miles between us and reaches beyond time and distance.

Many would find themself fortunate to have

ONE, good, solid friend; but God has blessed me with THREE!

Is everything always hunky-dory and smooth sailing?

No, but that is what makes our friendship special.

That is what true friendship consists of.

Giving of yourself entirely and risking getting hurt,

but knowing that if you want to have a friend you must be one.

We are living our own lives, making our places in the world,

and still managing to keep in touch.

So, today I want to publicly express my gratitude

to the dearest friends in the world...

Love and miss you all!

What I Love About Winter...

To name just a few:

1. Scarves
2. Coffee from DD's
3. Waking up to a pitch black house
4. Fresh dusting of snow on the trees
5. Attending the Mother-Daughter Banquet at my church
6. Being the first to put my tracks in the snow
7. Shopping holiday clearance
8. Savoring Mom's homemade chili
9. Watching College Basketball games
10. Snow days = school cancellation!!!
11. Laughing at the little boy's wrestling attempts at the school's annual Wrestle-O-Rama
12. Slippers and robe
13. Girl Scout cookies
14. The smell of Christmas Wreath by Yankee Candle
15. Renewed appreciation for heat

Charles Martin Infatuation!

So, I have this teeny-tiny small infatuation with ...

Charles Martin.

Who exactly is this man who consumes many of my thoughts???

Charles Martin is an author that I became acquainted with about 9 months ago. He is an author unlike any other. This is from a girl {ME} who feels as though she has read every good book that the public library contains; and she has felt this way since age 17. So imagine her delight when she discovered a "new" author!

Okay, enough of my third person... I do highly recommend books by Charles Martin; you can read about his works on his website here. So far he has written six:

When Crickets Cry

I recommend reading this one first.

If you like his style and find you can't

put it down, you'll also enjoy his others.

Wrapped in Rain

Chasing Fireflies

The Dead Don't Dance

& it's sequel

Maggie

Where the River Ends

And coming in June, 2010!!!

The Mountain Between Us

Not only does Charles write in a very descriptive manner, but each one of his books teaches a lesson. Whether it be forgiveness, not living in the past, discovering who you are, living each day as it is your last, or taking chances. I am a proud owner of all of his works and I even have gotten my mom hooked on them. In the last two weeks she has read 4!!

So, if you are looking for a good read...read Charles Martin and perhaps you will share my infatuation!