Power of Observation:

A quiz of things you see everyday.

This one's for you AD. Are you brave enough to take the quiz? And then post your score?

http://www.oldjoeblack.0nyx.com/thinktst.htm

Revel in the Mundane

Trying to take some time to appreciate the little things. A recap of the minor, but beautiful, from last week.

Monday: 30 extra minutes in my workout thanks to the guy who walked in an took the bike next to mine.

Tuesday: A picture, even if only for me employee id!, that I thought truly looked like me, and I found "acceptable," and it only took one take!

Wednesday: The realization that I really do want to go back to school - it just felt right!

Thursday: A surprise lunch invitation from Matt, and he offered to pay! It was so nice to see him excited about school - even if it was chemistry, botany, and some plant imaging thing!

Friday: Slippers under my desk at work that made my day just a little more comfortable.

Saturday: Clean sheets and a new, warm blanket on my bed made me fall asleep feeling like I was floating on a cloud.

Sunday: A hug goodbye from one of my four year-olds at Sunday school.

In the midst of the busy-ness and stress that comes with everyday life, I'm taking some time to revel in the stuff that really matters.

I believe, help me in my unbelief!

"I don't think you believe you deserve to be happy."

***********************************************

"Scattered words and empty thoughts...
Seem to pour from my heart.
I've never felt so torn before...
Seems I don't know where to start.
But it's now....
that I feel Your grace fall like rain.
From every fingertip, washing away my pain.
'Cause I still believe in Your faithfulness
'Cause I still believe in Your truth'
Cause I still believe in Your Holy Word
Even when I don't see, I still believe."

***********************************************

"Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in pace and be freed from your suffering." Mark 5:34

Snowed In

With the storm we're getting hit with, and the amount of snow expected between this evening and tomorrow night, I'm not going anywhere. Which makes it the perfect night for writing out some Christmas cards. This year, I've decided to abandon my usual tradition of making my own cards, which often keeps me up 'til the wee hours of the morning a few nights in December, in favor of sending out store-bought cards. I'm making an effort to at least write a personal note in each one to make up for it, but the extra sleep this will allow me is worth it. (One lucky blog reader may even see their name in this picture if they look close enough!)

Accompanying the cards it a nice glass of vino. Don't worry, not enough to effect the notes being written!

Also on tap, I'm hoping to do a little vampire reading!

If you're anywhere in the path of this storm, please stay safe, and enjoy a little down time as you're literally buried in the house.

Easy Christmas Makeover

Somehow, decorating for Christmas always becomes more of an ordeal than I originally think it will be.

As soon as I hung my huge ornament star (that I redid this summer to get replace the gold frame with silver) over my fireplace, I knew the three circle prints on the wall next to it would have to go.

But new artwork wasn't exactly in the budget. What's a girl to do?

With a few sheets of mat-board, some fun pink card stock, chipboard letters, silver glitter, and hot glue, and after glitter was spread all over my counters, table, and floor....

I came up with this. Glittered chipboard letters mounted on pink card stock mounted on white mat-board, which I hot glued to the glass of the original pictures.

About $15 and an hour later, I have some fun, easy, reuseable Christmas decorations.

And just because this sweet little cat is providing me some much needed comfort and cuddlin' lately, I thought she deserved a spot on the blog. Love you Lucy.

This post is linked to DIY Day at A Soft Place To Land. I haven't participated before, but have looked at and got ideas several times. For more DIY fun, check out all the cool stuff here!

Broken and Waiting

This is what life has been feeling like lately.

I'm trying desperately to hold on to the fact that my broken-ness is only a small part, and sometimes a necessary part, of a much bigger, much more beautiful picture. (If I'm honest, I'm more desperately trying to remind myself to hold on to that fact.)

We CAN pick up the pieces. We CAN move forward trusting that that one broken piece does not define the entirety of the story. We CAN trust that the bigger picture is good and true and beautiful. We WILL be able to understand. Eventually.

...

Waiting on peace, hoping for patience, and knowing it will all make sense sometime.

Christmas Tree Lights: 1. Katrina: 0.

It's 1:25. In the AM.

And I'm fighting the good fight.

Hopefully there'll be a well-lit tree for you to "ooh" and "ahh" at by the end of this weekend. Wish me luck.

Tears rush in.

Life was shaken up recently.

Not mine directly, but life of one of the people closest to me.

My brother Matt was in a car accident two and a half weeks ago, and, being the worrier of the family, it's hit me pretty hard. Not as hard as the car that hit him while he was on his bike. He's a blog reader, and I'm not sure how ok he is with me sharing much here (Matt - don't worry, the readership of this thing isn't huge), and I know this isn't his "method of coping" - something we discussed in some detail at an impromptu family meeting earlier tonight, but... for those of you out there who are on the same page as me, tonight I'm asking for prayer. For healing for him, for patience for all of us, for compassion, and really just a sense of peace that everything is going to work out.

I need this boy to be ok.

And I'm thankful that he understands that tears rolling down my face aren't all bad, and they don't scare him away.

Tonight, there may be more tears. Hopefully in the morning they'll stop for awhile.

Tonight, I'm thankful.

Tonight, I'm thankful for a quiet Thanksgiving Eve.

Tonight, I'm thankful that I don't have to worry about cooking a turkey just right for a houseful of guests.

Tonight, I'm thankful that I won't spend the night cleaning every last corner of the house worried that someone will find the dust I missed.

Tonight, I'm thankful that some Thanksgiving Eve in the future there will be a family of my own here with me. Who I'll have to clean up after and cook for.

Tonight, I'm thankful for a family right down the road, where I can go tomorrow to watch the Packer game, eat turkey, and not be asked if I'm sure that I don't want mashed potatoes, because they already know I can't stand them.

Tonight, I'm thankful that I really don't have much to worry about, but confessing the fact that I still do.

Tonight, I'm thankful for all the crazy good things I've been given, but confessing the fact that many days I still want more.

Tonight, I'm thankful for a God who loves me in an immeasurable way, enough that I don't have to change for Him, but so much that He makes me want to.

Tonight, I'm thankful.

Baby Reese

While I haven't okayed it with her parents, I'm calling myself an honorary Aunt to this sweet baby girl. I got to spend about an hour holding her a mere 6 hours after she was born - sweet smelling, soft baby skin. It was wonderful!

Welcome to the world Baby Reese - your mom and dad love you tons, and so does your "aunt"!

Blue Ribbon Coming Soon!

You saw it here first folks. The prize-winning, purple, painted pumpkin! This baby, it all it's bejeweled and glittered splendor, is going into competition tomorrow.

Wish her luck, and I'll let you know the results soon.


By the way, if you're thinking to yourself, "Gee, Katrina, that's a mighty small pumpkin." You're right. It's barely the size of a baseball. This is all I was given to work with people. I do what I can.

The Rock-ster

I made myself a fall to-do list, and one item was to actually carve a pumpkin this Halloween. It's been several years since I've done this, and decided I needed a little bit of the nostalgic, traditional October stuff this year. Don't get me wrong, my life right now is really too busy to devote a night to cutting up a pumpkin, but I'm working on this whole "hurry" thing, and gave myself a break tonight.

Check out the finished product.... if you've ever visited the L's house, you'll recognize this little face.

Hurry

The fact that I've been absent from here (and it hasn't been for lack of things going on or opinions to voice) should tell you a little about why this quote rings so true for me tonight.

"We need to ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives."

Amen sister (or more accurately, brother).

Need to go let that one sink in a little.

Hopefully you'll see me around here soon.

Here's to you Pail and Shovel Party

30 years ago this morning, 1,008 plastic pink flamingos greeted the UW Madison campus on Bascom Hill in a prank organized by the Pail and Shovel party.

3 days ago the Madison City Council sealed their place in history by naming the flamingo Madison's Official City Bird.

The Pail & Shovelers didn't pass health care reform, and they didn't do anything about the war on terrorism or global warming, but they knew how to draw attention and pull off a fairly harmless prank. And I'm smiling about it 30 years later.

A weekend of wedding fun

Congrats Ty and Amanda - love you guys!

My mom on Brett Favre becoming a Viking:

"Oh, I still like him. He's cute and sweet, just a little misguided."

Couldn't agree more! Well, not sure about the "sweet," or "little," part. More like kind of a jerk, and very misguided.

Waiting on a Whisper

"... Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." 1 Kings 19:11-12

I just need to learn to be quiet enough to hear it.

8 pounds of love

These two tiny cats, weighing it at about four pounds a piece, have turned my life upside down lately. From waking up to four eyes staring at me (or two sandpaper tongues licking my face), to finding my favorite purple chair covered in gray hair. But also having two creatures who adore me waiting at the door when I come home at night.

10 points to the first person (commenter) who can identify the real names of the pop culture duo Lucy (left) and Ethel (right)are named after!

Grandma Bea Update

Good news! Grandma's surgery today went as well as could be expected! The long recovery process is started now, but we made it over one big hurdle. Apparently late last night she and "the girls" (my aunts) had the nurses cracking up. When my aunt brought my grandma a balloon (after taking it from the gift shop that was closed at the time, but looking straight into the camera saying "I'm buying this balloon. I'll be back tomorrow to pay for it,") grandma replied by saying "I'm so glad I'm here so I can get this balloon!" So glad she was upbeat right up until the surgery. Here's hoping she keeps it up over the next days, weeks, and months.

Prayer please.

I realize I've been a bad blogger and left you all hanging waiting for word on the car (there is a new one, and pictures and all the details are coming soon - I promise!), but there are more pressing things on my mind right now.

I'm coming to you (all 5 readers I have out there) asking for prayer.

My grandmother had a heart attack early this morning, and is scheduled for open-heart surgery on Monday. Likely quadruple bypass. Please cover her, the people at the hospital taking care of her, my dad who is dealing with a lot of it, and my whole family, in prayer.

I'll try to do a better job of keeping you posted.

In Him.
Katrina