Sunday Night

This has been a great weekend.

Hazel has been loads of fun! She makes us laugh.

Her pretending entertains me to no end. She can also be a very independent little girl and I appreciate this too.

Merit had two basketball games yesterday and a team pizza party. I love watching his team play and they have improved a lot. The games were fun. They won one lost one. Then yesterday afternoon I had a photo shoot. The weather was really nice, the lighting was great. I plan to post several of those pictures on my photography blog soon.

Last night Vance got to some projects in the shop, and he and Merit had a couple of games of darts while Hazel, Willem and I watched a Christmas movie. Quiet nights, snuggled up, drinking hot tea... oh these are some of my favorite times.

Church was wonderful this morning. I have so enjoyed studying some of the "moms of the Bible" with a group of sincere, kind women. Caryn, a good friend and our pastor's wife, leads the study. It has just been really neat to learn about these women on a deeper level. Now, Pastor Jody's  December messages will include sharing the lives of some of these women. So, I feel like I am able to make lots of connections and understand and appreciate the history even more, along with seeing God's love in a deeper way. 

This afternoon I took Marianne and Alan's family pictures. I love where they live, so we had some fun backdrops in their yard. Then the boys and I enjoyed expressing our creative side at Art Garden Pottery! The time with just the boys was good and I know Vance and Hazel enjoyed their daddy/daughter time. Hazel is crazy about her dad.

I have been re-examining my old treasures... crates, old chairs, blankets, empty frames... two of my friends have headed up decorating the church for Christmas with some of these old, rustic, vintage pieces. (thank you Shannon and Marianne!) Vance saw me load some old pieces into the car today. He is great with the church just keeping them! My "collecting" has gotten a bit out of control I will admit.

I love the thrift stores... but it is time to sort of cut back and also share what I already have. Simplifying is good.

Tomorrow's to do list: find some good dinner recipes for the week, gather more old treasures for the church, read some good Christmas books with Hazel, listen to my FFH (Far From Home) Christmas CD, it is a favorite. oh and I want to buy ink for my printer.  The Graphics Fairy has some of the cutest vintage, printable graphics... GREAT for Christmas tags. But, if I plan to take on a project like that, I need to get going on it soon.

I am so thankful to be expecting!

I have a little more of an appetite now and I sleep good most nights which is a switch from a month or two ago when rest was not coming easy! The miracle of being pregnant is something I want to treasure each day!