a sneak peek...

Edited to add: Just click on the images to see them BIG. I mean really honkin' big.

I spent some time today with Amy and her family and took A TON of shots. (For those of you not already aware of this fact, her hubby is my brother.) The weather was perfect and the trees were just right. Everyone was patient and did a great job putting up with my odd requests. ("It might feel weird but it will look cool, I promise!")

It was a fun afternoon. Can't wait to do it again :-)

Happy Birthday, Grandma Lita!!!!!!

I'll be sure to post registration details here next time

Today I spoke at a crop hosted for cancer patients and survivors. (This is their second crop, the first was back in April; they hope to do it every six months at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church.) In addition to showering the ladies with scrapbooking supplies, there were prize drawings throughout the day, guest speakers, and treats (including Caribou Coffee). The ladies above worked hard to make it a very special day. As for my experience... it was deeply moving. I connected with a few of the ladies in attendance and was touched by many of their stories.

After heading home, I spent a better part of my afternoon cropping while the kids (Tilly's girls and my boys) played Rock Band:

All while the hubbies were off playing in a real rock band. We worked up quite an appetite and ended up at Mickey D's:

Because that's where rock stars hang out.

Hot Ginger Coffee

Found this recipe in a new cookbook:

6 Tablespoons ground coffee (not instant)
1 Tablespoon grated orange peel
1 Tablespoon chopped crystallized or candied ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 cups cold water

Whipped cream, cinnamon sticks and/or additional orange peel, optional

I ran into a problem with the "6 cups cold water" - six cups of water equals about 10 cups in my pot! I went with the real 6 cups but the flavor was a little weak. Next time, I'll go with the 6 cups marked on the pot and substitute "Cinnamon Sugar Cookie" flavored beans for the cinnamon. To make the coffee, just toss all of the ingredients into the filter basket and brew. (The water, of course, goes where the water usually goes!)

It made my house smell yummy.

Notice the book in the photo? My sister-in-law Amy (and a few other faithbooking ladies) traveled to Texas for the 2008 MOPS Convention. She brought me back a present! (Catchy title if I do say so myself.)

Here are a few poignant quotes from the book:

Walk through the doors that are open instead of pounding on the doors that are closed.

You can refuse the darkness and look for the pinprick of light, look for the good in a bad situation, choose to see God's hand in rock-hard times instead of turning your back on Him.

We get to choose whether the pain will shape us into someone who changes the world for the better.

Recalling past victories fuels us, moving us forward into victory.

Amen.

the kids LOVED this movie

Meeley read the book in 4th grade and had encouraged me to do the same. When we saw that City of Ember had been made into a movie, we just had to see it. (There are four books in the series - if your kids are anything like mine, they'll want to read them all.)

Speaking of book series, my 5th grader recently came home with the first in a new one. It was entitled, "Shadow Children: Among the Hidden."

Wow, talk about deep.

In the book, drastic measures are taken to deal with overpopulation. Families are only allowed to have two children - women who become pregnant again must hide or be forced to terminate their pregnancies. The "illegal" children (i.e. Shadow Children) found are killed. Government has taken control of everything. Pretty scary. It's one of the things that makes me leery of granting government too much power and responsibility. (Meeley was shocked to learn that population control is very real for the people of China. His response: That will never happen here, right? Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that far out there with everyone's fears of global warming kicking into high gear. Check out THIS ARTICLE to see what I'm talking about.)

It was a compelling book that opened the door for several big conversations. (Which is precisely why I like to read what they read - granted, this was much a much heavier conversation than usual.)

(Why I keep writing within parenthesis, I don't know.)

coffee w/sharon **1-year anniversary!!**

We met at our new usual hangout - the Good Day Cafe in Golden Valley (Sharon has a new job and we're working our coffee dates around it). Instead of touring Twin Cities coffee shops, we're now touring the Good Day menu :-) I had a delicious version of Eggs Benedict today with a mushroom sherry sauce. So good. It was also our 1-year anniversary celebration. Now I can finally share what I've been working on these last couple of weeks:

Remember those little friendship necklaces where you keep one half and give the other to your friend? These albums are kind of like that - one for her and one for me. They chronicle every coffee w/sharon date over the past year; each spread bears a number and at the center of the album is an index with details of our time together. It was such a fun project to work on; I am amazed at what God has done with our friendship. Never in a million years would I have guessed we'd be where we are today.

Talk about raising something from the dead.

Anyway, it was fun to meet despite the Education Minnesota Professional Conference break. (Whew.)

if you think prize drawings are fun...

You'll have to check out my 8th Annual Open House and Sale! Stop by for this fun event on Saturday, November 1 from 10:00 am-1:00 pm. Drop off or browse through "Albums on Parade" (receive a gift for letting me share your album), check out all of the new products, and enter your name into several prize drawings in the ever-popular Gift Buffet - some of which include: Queen of the Crop, VIP Cropper (which includes discounted product for the year), exclusive albums, software & more! EVERYTHING WILL BE ON SALE! If you are unable to make it but would like to place an order, I will honor all sale prices with phone or email orders placed that day.