The Culinary Arts.

The girls really seem to enjoy learning new things in the kitchen.  Kendall had the privilege of joining the Nelson's for a cheese making class.  They each came home with a ball of mozzarella cheese.  Kendall thought the cheese tasted disgusting.  When I took a bite, I thought it was absolutely divine.  It was creamy and delicious and completely lacking any added sugar, which is probably why Kendall thought it tasted disgusting:).

My parents gifted the girls a cake pop maker as part of a thank you for the last six months.  Sidney was the first to give it a try and had a good time experimenting with different coatings (both melted chocolate and frosting).  I am not sure we have a clear winner yet, so we must try this one again!

The Life and Times of Sidney.

Six shooter Sidney made her debut shortly after the new year.  She had papa show her how to use her Daddy's BB gun.  This was her first attempt.  She has made quite a few adjustments to her stance and has had to take a few steps back since then. 

She has been really wanting a Comfy the past few months.  Christmas went by with no Comfy, probably because I find them a bit nutty.  Gram and Pop bought a few pieces of furniture at RC Wiley after the holiday and were able to purchase a Comfy for $7.  Sidney was the proud recipient of the Comfy.

2019 was a year of change for all of us.  Sidney decided to change schools, as most of you know.  She received her new Gem Prep t-shirt in the mail the other day and was excited to put it right on.  The school format has been super challenging for her, but she has worked hard and grown a lot through the process.  We are both super proud of how far she has come.

I love that she has decided to pull her American Girl dolls back out.  At one point, she thought she had grown out of them and wanted me to thrift them.  Fortunately, I decided to box them up instead.  I am happy to report that she has unpacked all of the boxes and has resurrected her imagination with these dolls.  She spent some of her saving to purchase matching pajamas.  Cuteness!

Kendall Birthday Interview '13'.

Here is what 13 looks like for Kendall.  We had to adapt some of the questions this year as she really could not think of her favorite 'toy'.

What is your favorite color?  Yellow and Blue
What is something that is special to you?  My ring or necklace from Dad.
What is your favorite fruit?  Pineapple
What is your favorite tv show or movie?  Hunger Games
What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?   Caesar Salad

What is your favorite game?  Sorry
What is your favorite snack?  Pretzels
What is your favorite animal?  Sloth
What is your favorite song?  Titanium - David Guetta (ft. Sia)
What is your favorite book?  Hunger Games
Who is your best friend?  Hannah, Avery, Brookelynn, Paige
What is your favorite cereal?  Cheerios
What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Run
What is your favorite drink?  Water
What is your favorite holiday?  New Years
What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  Nothing
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Carnation Instant Breakfast
What do you want for dinner on your birthday?  Orange Chicken and Rice
What do you want to be when you grow up?  Lawyer or Digital Marketer
I am very proud because…I get good grades.
I am afraid to …lose my family.
Name one thing you do really well?  Play piano
Describe what it means to be a good friend.  Loyal, honest, outgoing, spontaneous.
What is your favorite time of day?  The afternoon
Describe your best day ever?  Hanging out with friends
Describe your favorite hobby.  Playing piano
Climbing trees is…calming.
What makes you feel sad?  When people are mean.
What makes you feel happy?  Relaxing with my friends and family.
Pretend that you can fly whenever you wanted. Where would you go?  Hawaii
If I could choose a different name, I would choose…I would not change my name.
Where do you want to go on vacation?  Thailand or Spain
What is your favorite thing to do with Mom?  Play Skipbo
What is your favorite thing to do with Sidney?  Play dolls.
What is your favorite memory of Dad?  We wanted to make life size paper dolls and mom did not want to trace us, Dad came in and traced us on white paper.  We started laughing because he kept tickling us.

Kendall the 'Teenager'.

I am not sure how time went so fast, but I have an official teenager on my hands.  So far, 13 has started out well.  Honestly, I am enjoying 13 way more than I enjoyed 12.  Kendall wanted a sleepover birthday party this year.  We decorated the house in preparation for her day.

Kendall loves succulents, but has had little success remembering to water them.  She asked for a few non destructible (fake) succulents for her birthday.  We decided to use them as her table centerpiece.

The girls had an amazing time.  Dinner was orange chicken and rice, as per the birthday girl's request.

There were a number of tear provoking cards from her friends.  I remember this age.  Friends are everything.  She has been fortunate to find a good group of girls.  Yes, they have their friendship trials, but it is safe and the underlying message is 'I am here for you." 

Hannah and Kendall are so supportive of each other.  They have both been through so much this past year, as loss has occurred and family dynamics have changed.  They seem to be supportive of each other rather than pull each other down.  My friend Holly and I had a scripture that we would always go to which describes that kind of friendship.  I found a beautiful explanation of it here:  Proverbs 27:17 tells us to sharpen each other: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” When I think about this passage, I think about two iron rods rubbing together. As the friction increases, the heat between them increases, allowing them to create a spark between them. Although it may be uncomfortable for the rods to rub in that way, the spark that results, when fanned, becomes a flame that can’t be contained.

I took the girls to evening ice skating.  We stopped and got jumbo sized Dutch Bros coffees on the way home, naturally.  The girls did yoga at midnight, tried a bunch of new charcoal masks and beauty tricks and generally had a giggly good time.

Sidney had set up a photo booth for all of us to have some fun with.

Here is to a great start to a great year.  I am blessed to call this beautiful teenager my daughter!

Welcome to the New Year.

I give myself a little solace in that January is not quite over yet.  However, I am SO behind on blogging.  Here goes...

After all, I have been busy.  I had a couple of pallets from a project I am about to embark on (more to come in a few weeks), so my Dad and I decided to make something out of them.

Here is the end result a new sign to hang in my bathroom.  I love these words, as it reminds me to give myself a bit of grace.

The girls and I try to take a moment on the ride to Terrell's in the morning to enjoy the beauty of the day.  With the days being so short in the winter, sometimes that is not possible.  I caught a beautiful sunrise the other morning and sent a text to the girls to step outside and have a look.  Sidney sent the picture below.

Kendall, not to be outdone, stepped outside at middle school and snapped this gorgeous picture.

I think what I love more than anything about the pictures is that they took a second to pause and enjoy the moment.