I do think they made a nice little prop for day two of my Valentine’s macro challenge.

To help get me into the spirit of “the month of everything love and hearts and red” I decided to join with my friends, Summer Lacey and Evie Curley who are both awesome photographers, who are doing a Valentines Macro Challenge. Basically, I’ll  we’ll be shooting a macro Valentines day shot for the first 14 days of Feb. But, since I realized so late in the day yesterday that it was Feb, I guess I’ll be doing a 13 day challenge.

Here’s my day one: Kisses

In the last few days my husband and I have watched four movies by SHERWOOD PICTURES. We re-watched Fireproof, along with watching Flywheel, Courageous and Facing the Giants. These are all Christian based movies produced on a low budget (which may or may not be noticeable in the quality). These movies are definitely “feel good” movies with powerful messages. I highly encourage everyone (especially young parents) to watch these movies.

We also attended a farewell event for Kim Clary, founder of THE CORE. The Core is a youth group of sorts for our Eastside surfing youths. It’s been a place where they can hang out, attend events and get to know the love of God in a non-religious setting. To quote Kim, “Kids come to love Christ because they see Him modeled in the life of someone they respect. Someone who takes the time to go into their world and build a relationship with them. Through time and an intimate friendship, the love of Christ shines through in a very real and contagious way. Matthew 5:16 says – In the same way, let your light shine before men so that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  Complete Awesomeness!!

Upon Kim’s retirement from the Core, HOPE CHURCH will now be leading weekly events for the Eastside “Groms.” Many thanks to Hope Church and Danny Bennet for continuing to share God’s love. Isn’t this a perfect mission statement, “Santa Cruz Hope is a new church with chill style, real faith and no perfect people allowed. We promise to love you as is!” I love it!

I’ve seen this posted on a few other blogs (I don’t know who started it) and it seemed more meaningful to me. And maybe, just maybe, I will embrace it more than I’ve embraced a resolution.

Choose one (yes, just one) word that you would like to have as your “word-theme” for the year. I saw this idea last night as I was lying in bed, blog browsing. I came up with my word and this morning I still thought this word would/could encompass my theme for this year.

Drum roll please…………..

I hope plan to be content in everything I have and do!

Now isn’t that better than a resolution?

I hope you’ll all take a moment to think about it and share with me your “word-theme” for 2012.

Blessings,

Renee

What is everyone up to?

It’s cold here in Santa Cruz and we’re expecting rain to start anytime now and last through the weekend. It’s okay though, we need the rain and I’m enjoying being at home. What’s not good about it is that the Niners play on Sunday with a home field advantage. It just might be a soggy game in San Francisco! I think it might be another soup weekend.

I’m still busy sorting and cleaning. It’s amazing the amount of stuff one gathers after raising a family. And now I’m collecting baby things again for the grand-babies. Have I told you that grand-baby #4 is due this June? Our middle daughter is having her second and they just found out yesterday that it’s another GIRL! Beckett is now the king of the cousins, with his 3 little princesses following closely behind. Four grand-babies in three years. That makes this Nana happy!

Are you afternoon snackers? What’s your favorite? My new favorite is biscotti and a cup of coffee. I’m a huge coffee drinker. Morning, noon or night, it doesn’t matter. A friend of mine has been making her biscotti for years for her own family and has recently began to share them with the world. You can find them HERE at Brevi Biscotti. Try them, they’re delicious. Crunchy, not too sweet and perfect for dipping!

I’m still busy sorting and cleaning (is that considered part of my quiet time)? I don’t know but it sure feels good to open clean closets and drawers.

I’m really enjoying cooking and baking. I tried another cookie recipe from my new cookbook and also made two huge pots of soup over the weekend. We’ve enjoyed some football. Go Niners!!

I heard this quote at church on Sunday and just love it!

“Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you can only spend it once.”  Lillian Dickson

Think about it, I mean REALLY think about it. Life is short, often shorter than it should be. What did you do today? Yesterday? Tomorrow? What kind of legacy do you want to leave? How do you want to be remembered? Are you satisfied with your life? Are you self serving or serving others? Are you cherishing and nuturing your relationships with family and friends?

And, cleaning out my closets reminded me of some yearly tasks: don’t forget to replace your smoke detector batteries and are you well stocked with supplies in case of an emergency (as simple as batteries & candles).

And a little photo to go with my quote….

We rung in the New Year with great friends. We ate, laughed, played games and sipped Champagne till midnight!

I did a quick trip to Sun Valley, Idaho, spending a few days at my son-in-laws parents snow house. It is such a quaint little town and even though there isn’t much snow this year, the mountain views from their home are GORGEOUS. I just adore my daughter’s mother-in-law and always love spending time with her. The highlight of the trip was definitely getting to see Beckett on skis!

Back at home it was time to take down Christmas.

I got a cold

I’m glad to share that over the holidays I’ve been able to maintain my weight loss. I’ve recently gotten rid of all my “fat” pants and just bought a pair of jeans in a size 8. I honestly think they run a little big, but I’m comfortably wearing a 10 and I haven’t done that in years (and years and years). I still hope to lose another 10 pounds.

I’ve been busy busy busy trying to organize and clean my house. I feel overwhelmed by the amount of “stuff” we have. I guess that’s what happens when you raise your family and truly live and enjoy life in your home. I’ve sorted, organized and cleaned, not to mention a couple of runs to Goodwill and tossing out (too many to count) trash bags. I hope by posting this here and on FaceBook that I’ve encouraged a few of you to do the same.

This week I’ve been living by the motto………if in doubt, toss it out. I hope you’ll do the same.

And because a post isn’t a post without a photo, here’s the Sun Valley Barn (taken at dusk).

Sweet potato chili in the crock pot.

My new boots arrived.

Just realized that in our family there are 5 new Christmas babies this year.

I started my Christmas shopping.

And, the sun is shining!

My inspiration for this photo came from a Photo Challenge that I saw on Project Alicia’s Blog. Shades of Autumn. Living on the coast in CA, we don’t see many of the autumn/fall colors, but I thought I’d participate anyways……California Style! This weeks color is GREEN.

Table for Two  This is where I’ll share what dinner looks like at my house. Cooking for two. I love cooking and look forward to sharing either a tried and true recipe, a simple meal or maybe I’ll be testing out a new recipe. As an empty nester and  being 50+, my cooking has changed. I no longer need to cook in abundance for the entire family but I still strive to cook healthy meals and sit down with my husband at the table. I believe that dinner time, whether you’re a table of two, or ten, should be family time. Turn off the TV, set the table pretty and pull up some good old fashioned family time!

Travel  We travel occasionally, mostly geared around my husbands work trips and more often than not, we travel within the U.S. It might be a quick weekend trip or we might be gone for two weeks, but our travels are always fun! We make the best of all opportunities and locations. You never know where I might end up, but I can almost guarantee that I’ll be sharing it with you!

 Parties  I love hosting parties! I love doing the food, the flowers and  the decorating!  I think that says it all! I also love attending parties that I didn’t help host. Stay tuned for Party Time!

DIY/Crafts  You never know what might pop up in this category! I do a little of this and a little of that!

My Town  This is where I’ll be showing off “my town.” Either Santa Cruz (my permanent home) or Santa Barbara (it’s where the grand-babies are, so it’s home away from home). I’ll be featuring some local businesses in the near future!

Fun with Nana  I love quiet story time, but I also believe that kids should get dirty! I love little helpers in the kitchen and bubbles at bathtime! I have three little grand-babies and can’t wait for them to get a little bigger, so they can “help” Nana have some fun!

Photography  I’ll still be taking an occasional session, please see the Photography tab for details. Sneak peeks as usual will be posted here!

I think that about explains it all. I hope you enjoy the changes and will check back often!

And because, a post isn’t a post without a photo………………

How cute is my new logo and all the little added elements? A huge thanks to Jessica Dittmer Designs for helping me get my ideas onto paper!!