Ode to St. Valentine...

... SANS the candy hearts & glitter.

Here's how the acclaimed Valentine's Day went down with us here:

I started off by finding a beautiful, hand-made [with impeccably smooth fondant!!] cake in the passenger seat of my car. It was red velvet, too, which is awesome. I'm happy to report that it was a smash hit both aesthetically and functionally; that sucker is gone. Haha.


deeeeeelicous.

I got to work to find some sweet little lillies on my desk from my bosses. Calla lillies are my favorite flower, and so these itty bitty darlins, with pink highlights, proved to be quite the soothing touch to an otherwise mildly chaotic Tuesday. 

sweet little lillies

Over the span of the past few days, I happened across a single-disc compilation of three Tom Hanks films. It actually came about while I was searching all over the sun and half of Georgia for a movie Joe mentioned he wanted to own oh so badly, that, as it turned out, isn't even out on DVD yet. Figures. Haha. Anyway, this was a suitable 2nd place, and earned three checkmarks on our running list of must-haves on the Tom Hanks filmography list on our fridge. 

oh tom. thank you for endorsing compilations.

Sydni and I also took some time yesterday while Joe and Jarod were on their movie date to craft up a very special card for Daddy. She was so proud of her work, and kept spilling the beans all evening about her card. Haha. 

card for daddy

PLUS: I have the best of the best when it comes to best friends. Kalyn sent me a little Valentine's Day goodie package, stamped with love and a cartoon Saguaro, straight from the heart of Phoenix. She included a compactible little bag made from recycled material, a journal, an adorable little bird sketch, some knee high socks, an EOS chapstick, a CD with some delicious tunes, and of course, a handmade card. I surely do miss you, KP! :(

After I'd finished opening up Kalyn's little care package, Joe surprised me with sushi by candlelight in our living room before we headed off to the theater for a late evening showing of Rachel McAdams & Channing Tatum's The Vow. I won't be a total spoiler; it really was a cute little flick, just had a bit of an open ending.

rachel & channing
[great onscreen couple, yeah?]

After the movie, we headed back home, where I was once again surprised to find every candle in the house lined up around a bathtub overflowing with bubbles, and some Alison Krauss floating out into the room. I lounged in complete serenity there, with the box of hand-dipped Godiva strawberries he'd also bought.

Happy Valentine's Day, to all.

xo | cmd

Micah 6:8

Since we started our 40 Days in the Word study two weeks ago, one of our core purposes as a group has been to develop an idea encompassing of what Micah 6:8 instructs us to do. I shared in yesterday's entry exactly what our initial thoughts are at this point, but I thought it would be fitting to share the actual verse with those of you who haven't yet seen it, or simply need a refresher.

This particular inscribing is pretty cool because it's on a dog tag given to Joe by our pastor. I've said it before and I'll say it another hundred times: We have landed in a church living out loud for God. I am so excited to be a part of this place, its body, and its work. It pains to realize that some of our friends we've made here are military, and so by default will eventually receive orders to pack up and relocate; we've met some of the most incredible people through Towerview. [Thank you, Lord; YOU ARE GOOD!]

In other random and entirely unrelated news: 



keyloid remedy?
we'll see :)



I heard via the store cashier today that apply the gel contained within regular vitamin C&E capsules directly onto keyloid scars such as mine is a rather effective remedy for their sometimes garrish appearance. I'll have to be frank on this one: I very rarely notice them anymore, but apparently other people do, and for the first time in a while, I didn't mind when the gal started up a conversation regarding my scars. I think I'm gonna give it a run, though. I really don't care much about the existence of these things, but it would be nice if the one on my should disappeared, as it seems to always be an issue with seatbelts, shirt straps, and purses. [First world problem, I know.] I'll keep ya posted.

Tomorrow's the Hallmark of all Hallmark holidays. Get some sleep, Cupid.

xo | cmd

"Mommy! Sydni done take a shower!"

So here's the part I'm sure every parent can understand: The issue of having what seems to be a perpetually sticky, icky, slimy, smudged, gooey, dusty, muddy, or otherwise unclean version of a child running your life :).

No? Well, you're either delusional, in denial, or child-less.


shower time!

Anywho, it happened by chance this morning that I was up and moving at an earlier time than what's usual for Sunday morning. I'm not sure if there was an usual crispness in the air this morning or not, but Sydni was up and rearing around the same time, and so insisted on helping Mama take a shower. By helping, I mean joining, so I let her hop in with me. She danced in the rain for a bit and then got down to the actual shower part; we're making some serious progress in that regard, as she's just now coming to terms with the fact that the water from the shower head is not a threatening force. Hah. It was adorable. The best part of my day was probably contained in this morning, post-shower as she paraded around the house with her cape of a towel exclaiming, "Mommy! Sydni done take a shower!" She was so proud. It was hilarious.

Tonight we dove back in the Rick Warren 40 Days in the Word study, and decided that as a collective group, we're going to launch into a few different outreach projects:

1. Church Garage Sale: This one needs no description. Everyone wins. Haha.

our 40 ditw small group [+ mini's]



2. Laundry Mat Ministry: This would basically consist of a group of us going out to a local laundry mat on say, a Saturday morning, take some donuts and quarters, and essentially feed the folks coming through as we also pay for their laundry [with funds from the garage sale].

3. Pick a family in need, be it within or outside of our church family, identify their strongest need, and do whatever we can to cater to providing for them either in a full capacity, or in efforts to aide them through whatever situation they may be facing.

4. Relay for Life, Belleville! : More info to come, but we are gearing up to enter that as a church team, as well!

Outreach, folks. That's what we're called to do. 

It's been a busy day, but I loved every minute of it. 

xo | cmd     

Whitney: 1963-2012

Today we all say a final farewell to a music icon.

whitney | 1963 - 2012

I’m not one for paying homage to every celebrity once they’ve passed, but Whitney Houston is one of those personalities I admired for a long time. It wasn’t necessarily because of her personal trials, but because of her undeniable talent and impact she had on the musical industry and artists that have appreciated her work over the past few decades. She was a musical genius. I of course never knew her personally, but my heart goes out to those affected by today’s event.



decorative skills.. thanks, husband ;)



raiding the stickers

In a lighter regard, aside from that disappointing news, today was the epitome of a full-on laaaazy, bum day. I love it. We started it off with cereal, and that was about as far as it got. The rest of the day was spent lazing around the house and soaking up the agenda of absolutely nothing. It certainly wouldn’t qualify as exciting, but it’s a refreshing break from the revolving guest door that is our house most weekends. I love visitors, so I think the frequency of preparing the house, food, and entertainment makes the down weekends that much sweeter.

Time to hang with the fam.

Adios!

xo | cmd

Small Group Breakfast

I LOVE SMALL GROUP FRIDAYS!



wishes for a sweeter friday, from the sweetest husband



Seriously, they are definitely among my favorites. There is something to be said about spending an evening immersed in fellowship with people who have become your friends, eating, laughing, and digging into the Bible together. There are the couples, the kids, and the teenagers who are sacrificing their Friday nights to come and babysit. It's my favorite event every other week.

Let me start off by rewinding to this morning, when I hopped in my car to head in to work, and I found this little gem waiting for me on my center console. I'm a blessed girl, that much is true.



breakfast, galore!

We'd decided early in the week that our meal theme would be breakfast foods, because after all, who doesn't love french toast? It was a smash hit whenever we tested the waters with it at the large group gathering at the Woods', so we weren't worried. I shouldn't have even bothered fretting over it, because it's a rarity in itself to find a Baptist woman who can't cook, let alone in our small group. I rushed straight home to put the finishing touches on some gorilla bread and a quiche, just in time for the group to start straggling in. Julie was the first arrival, ready to do some work on some french toast [which was delicious]. The rest filtered in, and by the time the house was full, so was the kitchen: gorilla bread, a quiche, fresh french toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, orange juice, and dessert. It's been proven that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why not do it twice? J


our version of b.y.o.B. ;)

 Once the eating was underway, we picked back up where we'd left off in the book of James. This is definitely one of my favorite books of the Bible, so it was refreshing to get some new perspective both by re-studying the chapters, and from the feedback of our group on passage interpretation. The other two small groups, at the Page and Werner homes are also doing the same study course, so I'm really looking forward to when we join forces for our big gathering at the Woods at the end of our divided studies.


It's been a good day. I'm feeling much better, but it's definitely time for bed.
See ya bright 'n early!


xo | cmd

Emotional Detachment

I wrote a little diddy to describe the essential bulk of my day. It goes a little something like so:

WHAT. IN. THE. WORLD. IS. GOING. ON. HERE. ?!?!.

I’ll let that stand as it is. The rest you can just infer for yourselves.

As for me, I’ve had just had just about enough of staring at computer screens for the day.

We’ll give it another shot tomorrow, yeah?

Yeah.

xo | cmd

Words With Friends [Is Ruining Me!]

Facebook. TFLN. Pinterest. Blogspot [tee hee].  

Q: What do they all have in common?
A: They are all quite capable of and accomplished at thwarting my time in multiple hour increments.

Well kids, meet your newest addition: Words With Friends.



[obviously] i am not missbiscuit, but
thanks google for the screenshot!



I first met this smart phone app on the cross-country road trip with Kalyn & Sam, but never had it installed on my Pre. Howeeever, now that I’m on the Android wagon, I’ve got that puppy up and rolling, and have quickly realized what an impact that’s going to have on my time management. Ha.

As it stands now, I think I’ve currently engaged against the literary prowess of 9 people, and it’s proven to be both a learning experience [i.e., zi, ti, ci, and ni are not acceptable words, but QI will get you mega points], and a colossal time thief.

Oh, and if you’re on there and we’ve not yet had the chance to beat me at this addictive version of e-Scrabble, my name on there is cmdills.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a few vowels I need to play… J

xo | cmd