My Valentine's Day gift to Luke

This was my Valentines Day gift to Luke.

(turn off or pause the music player at the bottom of the blog)

It is only the last 7 years of our life because that's when we went digital.  Scanning the previous 7 years will be a monstrous task.  Someday maybe.

I realized Luke and I have very few pictures of just the 2 of us.  I felt a little guilty cropping our kids out of all the pictures =)

Fun in the snow

Dane had a ski lesson over New Years break, so this time he was a pro going up the rope tow and coming down the bunny slope.

Genevieve went to Ski School this time and did pretty good.  

And Zeke just made a cute snow bunny

Lynda & Danny's  Twain Harte cabin with lot's of snow.  Gotta love the generous in-laws who share their cabin with us.

The King Family came up for a couple nights after they got over the flu.

Dane & Sam sledding in front of the cabin.

Genevieve & Grace making their way up the hill.

And a little winter hot tub fun.

Valentines Fun

I love having the kids make their own valentines day cards.  I don't go crazy, but I usually get some cardstock, do something cute with a picture of them, and have them add stickers.  Simple, but homemade.

Sorry about the picture of Danes, my camera was a little flash-happy.  His preschool class is the monkey room, thus the monkey stickers.

Cute little Dane-ism-

I was getting out the stuff for the cards, and he kept telling me "mom, there are 5 gils (can't say his "r"'s still).  And I told him we were making the cards for everyone.  And he asks "for the boys too?"  Then when we were putting heart stickers on them he tells me again "I need 5 'hawts' for the gils".  He couldn't believe that we were putting heart stickers on the boys cards too (we don't address the preschool cards).  

I just think it's funny how he knows it's a kind of a "love" holiday, and wanted to just give the girls the cards.  How cute is that?

Genevieve's turned out really cute.  Hers are in spanish because she is in the dual immersion class.  They didn't have to be, but I thought it would be fun.

And these are the treats I made to go with the cards.  White chocolate dipped pretzel rods with sprinkles.  Yummy and EASY.

Cutesie cake

I made this little cake for my friend Kelli's birthday last week.  I used a tiny little round pyrex dish and it was a personal little 3"-4" cake.  

The SOLD Project

Last night I went to Cornerstone's viewing of The Sold Project.  A series of short documentaries highlighting the exploitation of children in Thailand.  

They explained how poverty and lack of education are key factors in this vicious cycle.  

The SOLD Project has focused their energy on PREVENTION.  They feel the best way to keep children from entering the sex industry, either by force, coercion or default, is by helping to provide an education.  While public education is free in Thailand, many families cannot afford the books and uniforms mandatory for attending school.

The SOLD Project has started a scholarship fund for children in poor high-risk villages.  They have an on-site case manager who assesses the local children's needs, and helps them to apply for the scholarships.  

Last night at Cornerstone ALL the children they had profiles for were sponsored!  However, that does not mean their work is done.  It just means the case manager can keep finding more kids to help.

Check them out.  Also check out the film schedule.  They are on tour, so it just might be coming to a city near you.

more water

Can't stop thinking, and talking and doing water.

At the other blog

I so need to combine these.

300 voices for water

You might have noticed the new little button on the right of my sidebar.  Water For All Seasons.  It's a spinoff of Water For Christmas.  Because there are many of us that can't stop at giving the gift of water - the gift of life, just at Christmas time.  

My friend Jody (well, we've never actually met, and I only "know" her through blogland, but she feels like a friend) is leading the way for those of us who are constantly asking ourselves "what can one person do to make a difference in Africa?"  

She is gathering a team of 300, who will do 2 things.  

1.  Commit to sending $20/month to charity: water.

2.  Share with others about water.

Okay, I guess she is only asking that you commit to #1, but is pretty confident you will just be compelled to do #2.  

This is a team effort.

300 voices going strong.

Can you imagine the power and effect God will have through THREE HUNDRED people passionate about water?  

Water is life.  

300 Voices for LIFE.

Will you join us?

Leave a comment below if you will, then go to HERE  to hear what Jody has to say.  Then go HERE to sign up to be part of the team.

I'm secretly hoping to have a little branch of the 300 right here in the tri-valley.  I am yearning for like-minded friends that will come together who want to DO SOMETHING with me.  Not with their extra time, 'cause none of us have that.  I want a group of us who will sacrifice, and carve out a chunk of our already hectic lives to do something beyond ourselves.  Beyond our families.  Beyond our comfort zones.  Where are you friends?  The ones that think BIG?  

Wow I didn't really plan on calling you all out, but since I am, I might as well do it.  Leave a comment if you're on board.  If it's too uncomfortable for you to leave a comment on my blog, then you're not the Big Thinker I'm looking for.  NO OFFENSE.  

Okay, now I'm going to be nervously watching my empty comment section all week.  You can still comment even if you are not feeling like being part of the 300 voices.  You can still send me a word of encouragement, or tell me that once again I've gone off the deep end =)  That just may very well be true.  

Because I do like to swim.  

need to combine blogs

So it's apparent that I can't keep up 2 blogs.  If I'm updating one, the other stands stagnant.  I'm thinking there's a way to marry the two, but not sure what that is. 

Any ideas?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Bueller?

Computer & Mexico

Update on the crashed computer:

I found a guy via a friend of a friend who was able to retrieve all my data off the hard-drive. It cost $125, which I felt was a great deal considering my quote from Drive Savers for $2500. I then took my computer to apple so they could replace the hard-drive. Just got a call from apple, that it appears my hard-drive is working, and that something else was wrong with the computer to make it impossible to access the hard-drive. Ummmmmm, it would have been nice if they figured that out and told me BEFORE I went and PAID MONEY to have my data retrieved. THANK GOD we did not go to Drive Savers. Could you imagine if I paid $2500 to retrieve my data only to find out that it was never "lost" in the first place???? Apple just lost a few points in my book. They are the ones who told me that my HD was bad and to retrieve my data before I turned it over to them. 

I will up the computer tonight or tomorrow and will know for sure what the scoop is. I am also learning that "backing up" my data gets a bit more confusing and involved because I am running Parallels and Windows. The only reason I am running these programs is because Quickbooks Mac is a crappy program, and won't do everything we need it to do, so I am forced to use the Windows version. 

Way more than you ever wanted to know I'm sure.

Mexico! I realize from the different comments and e-mails that I never really explained WHY I took Genevieve to Mexico. Our elementary school has a Dual Immersion Program where students are taught in spanish starting in Kindergarten. It is a highly sought after program, and only half the school participates in this program. Priority is given by how many years you have lived in our town, and is open to the whole district, not just those who are supposed to go to our school. 

We have had Genevieve on the waiting list since Kindergarten, and she JUST got a placement half-way through first grade. We got the call right before Christmas Break. So I had this crazy idea of taking her to Mexico to give her a little boost in spanish before throwing her into her new class. You know, since she will be A YEAR AND A HALF behind the other kids. Well my crazy husband supported my crazy idea, and it became our crazy reality. Our business is technically closed between Christmas and New Years, so Luke was able to be home with the boys while us girls went on our little mother-daughter adventure.

It was a great trip. The town of San Miguel de Allende was beautiful. The language school was top-notch. But the best part was seeing Genevieve in a new element. Wow, the difference without siblings to bicker with! It was great. I'm secretly planning our next mother-daughter get-away, because I truly enjoyed our time together like no other. 

So Genevieve has been back in school for 2 weeks and she's doing great! The transition is going much smoother than I (or her new teacher) anticipated. I'm hoping that we can go somewhere this summer as a family to help keep up the spanish over the break.

This is why

This is why I can't be complacent.
This is why I can't sleep at night.
This is why I have to DO SOMETHING.
This is why you do too.

(first turn down the music player at the bottom of my blog)

A plug for the 'ol biz

Back it up!

Now.  

Stop what you are doing, hook up your computer to an external drive (if you don't have one, go out and buy one), and BACK UP YOUR STUFF.

I'm the queen of reading these messages, and saying to myself "yah, I gotta do that....later".

Well later never came and my hard drive CRASHED.

NO WARNING.  9 month old computer.

ALL of our business information & customer accounts are on that hard drive.  Our LIVELIHOOD.

All my pictures from the last  9 months.  

I am a self-proclaimed IDIOT for not backing-up.  

Right now I don't know what (if anything) will be salvaged.  To send it to a professional data-retrieval place is between $2000-$3000.  We MAY have to go that route.  And we still MAY not get anything back.  

Trying to have peace.  These things throw me into such a tailspin.  I have to remember that God CAN fix this problem.  So if He chooses not to, I'm supposed to learn something from this ordeal.  I'm pretty sure it is not supposed to be "panic" or "stress".  I have to keep my eye on the bigger picture.  Our lives may get really difficult for a while because of this, but they will not end.  

One more lesson in PERSPECTIVE, that's for sure.  

So why are you still reading this?

GO BACK UP YOUR PRECIOUS FILES!!!!!

Is it Lupus?

My friend Danika has a new blog.  Well, she's been blogging for a little while now, but her husband designed a new blog for her with different sections, and it's really cool.  She talks about her journey with Lupus (which she is currently battling right now), and how that journey has affected her drive toward healthy eating, a healthy lifestyle, her parenting, her marriage, and her relationship with God.  You should definitely check it out.

Is It Lupus?

need to update!

Hopefully tonight!

Remember these?

My stork and (other signs) business has been plugging along ever so slowly, which I have been content with considering our crazy pace of life these days.

But it's time to kick this business into gear!  Luke's painting business is quite slow right now, and the pool business isn't generating quite enough.  So it's time to get serious about this business again.  

Special Deliveries is back in the game baby!