Archive for the 'Pure Sunshine' Category
March 11, 2009 @ 7:25 am | Filed under: Family,Pure Sunshine
Kenzie Kate loses another tooth!
March 4, 2009 @ 7:24 am | Filed under: Family,Pure Sunshine
February 18, 2009 @ 2:22 pm | Filed under: Family,Pure Sunshine
February 7, 2009 @ 5:57 pm | Filed under: Family,It's funny!,Pure Sunshine
Kendall and her Pops
Before Carter was born, Mike and I had several fun conversations as we “tried on” all the various names for grandparents.
We ultimately tossed most all of them out on their ear, since at least one of us (sorry, honey!) was way too young to be called grand anything yet…
We would find out soon enough that those two kids could very well call us anything and we’d answer.
Yep – grandkids really do have just that kind of power over you.
We finally decided on “Pops” and “Nana” since these seemed to best define, both, the traditional and the fun side of how we saw our cute little grandparenting selves. From the first time that Carter first uttered “Pots,” (the precursor to Pops) these names have been indelibly engraved on our hearts since.
It’s no doubt that Carter and Kendall have very firmly established our roles as Pops and Nana. I promise, you’ve never seen a big strapping man like my husband melt like hot butter the way he does when one of the grandkids says, “Pops, will you…”
So imagine his joy when Amy informed him a few days ago that Paul had an important meeting and would be unable to attend Donuts for Dads at Kendall’s school, and would he like to go instead…?
Would he? Are you kidding me?
And imagine my laughter when he returned home a few hours later and was telling me all about his time at the school. Kendall had marched him right up to her teacher and in her very best, big-girl way she has about her right now, she’d introduced him.
“This,” she indicated Mike, “is my grandfather.”
February 6, 2009 @ 11:38 am | Filed under: Family,Pure Sunshine
My niece, Andi (10 months)
January 19, 2009 @ 5:03 pm | Filed under: Family,Pure Sunshine
We just had to share this clip!
September 20, 2008 @ 4:35 pm | Filed under: Family,Pure Sunshine
It’s no secret that Mike and I both like to cook.
Our favorite weekend eating place is our very own kitchen. That’s generally how we unwind from the week and get our weekend off to a relaxing start; meet in the kitchen and work side-by-side to prepare our Friday night dinners in.
Last night we decided to shake things up a bit. Let our competitive spirits come out and play for a bit.
We did the Wilder version of Throwdown with Bobby Flay.
Our challenge: to take our choice of fish and prepare an entre and a side.
Mike chose halibut and created a fabulous southwestern-style halibut filet with an unbelievably delicious pineapple/orange relish to go on top. He paired this with grilled corn-on-the-cob and it was…amazing! Of course, I’m a spicy girl who loves all things tangy and HOT! And this southwest dish provided lots of BOTH!
I chose salmon and let it soak in kosher salt and a heavy pepper marinade before cooking. With it, I made a smashed new potato dish that had english peas, pearl onions, and lemon zest.
The two dishes, though vastly different, came together so nicely in our kitchen. The aroma was amazing, and the end result – SO good!
We’ve decided to make this a monthly event. We’ll keep you posted on our next ‘challenge!’
August 26, 2008 @ 5:49 pm | Filed under: It's a Girl Thing,Pure Sunshine,Soul Food
Madie on Thunder
Bailey on Cowboy
“The true way to render ourselves happy is to love our work and find in it our pleasure.” – Francoise de Motteville
They say that when you love what you do, it’s not really work. At least it doesn’t feel like work. Instead there is a deep satisfaction that comes from diving head first into our passions, overlooking the hours of hard work, the occasional “dirty” job, and the huge learning curves we sometimes have to navigate.
I began to think about this several weeks ago when Madie, age 8, and – a few weeks later, Bailey, age 10, attended horse camp. Both girls have loved horses…well, since forever. They chose books about horses. They like t-shirts with horses printed on them. They played “horses” while other little girls played Barbies.
They really, really claimed to love horses.
What sets these two apart from many other kids their age who also make the same claim is that they have now proven that they truly DO love horses. While other kids love the idea of horses, these two love the horses.
They’ve proven it.
They have learned to feed the horses. (Who knew horses like peppermints?) They’ve tirelessly brushed the manes and rubbed a cool down after a ride. And while the other kids at horse camp enjoyed an hour of free play after lunch, Madie and Bailey both elected to remain behind and muck the stalls.
They really love horses.
Not just the idea. They love the reality.
As I think about my life and the things that I am passionate about, I can’t help but think about this horse camp. I think as long as I have these pictures handy, they may always serve as a reminder to me to only carefully pursue the things that are worth all the hard work to bring to reality.
I don’t want to merely love the idea of something.
I want to really, really love that something.
July 21, 2008 @ 3:03 pm | Filed under: Family,Pure Sunshine
My niece, Madie, has loved horses just about all her life. She likes play horses, movies about horses, clothing with pictures of horses on them…You name it. If a horse is involved, Madie is sure to be interested.
So it was so much fun to go to the Capricorn Equestrian center on Friday and watch her ride an actual horse! She attended a day camp here all week long and loved it.
The grand finale of the Friday afternoon event was seeing Madie win a blue ribbon for FIRST PLACE in her equestrian class!
I think it’s official now. We now have our first horsewoman in the family.
And what a cute one she is!
June 27, 2008 @ 4:53 pm | Filed under: Family,Pure Sunshine
A smile is worth a million dreams,
And laughter a thousand heartbeats
Lifting the spirits and chasing the blues away
With every smile a chance to open doors to laughter
An elevator ride up through the clouds
Where dreams can come true
and heartbeats erase the blues.
–JoJo Bean
