Curly Girlie

So far through the six years of my little Freida's life, I have rolled her hair on sponge rollers .... drum roll .... get ready for it .... ONE TIME! Now one would think when you have a little girl with hair that closely resembles Goldilocks you would find yourself curling that hair over and over and over again with pink sponge rollers. You know the ones I'm talking about...

One of the fondest childhood memories I have of my mother was her Saturday night ritual of rolling my hair with those sponge rollers! There I would sit in the middle of the den floor surrounded by a sea of pink sponge rollers of various sizes! My mom was like wonder woman when she rolled my hair! The hairspray was never far from sight much less reach. Of course my job was to hand the rollers to her one by one. As any trusty sidekick, I soon became so in tune with her timing and motions the next roller was ready anxiously waiting before the one prior was tightly secured to my head! It would seem like an eternity for her to finish. Yet her timing was impeccable! I can still hear JR in the background fighting over who would run South Fork all the while my mom and dad tried to figure out who actually shot Bobby! And then it was done. The last curler would be safely fastened with one last snap as the clock struck nine o'clock. And off to bed I went only to wake to a head full of curls just in time for Sunday morning church! 

Now how in the world could I ever deprive my little Freida of developing her own sponge roller memory? 

Sweet Saturday Surprises

They say it's the small things in life that matter most! I couldn't agree more. Especially when they are covered in chocolate icing. There is nothing like waking up on a Saturday morning to your husband holding a box of fresh chocolate iced donuts.

Blog Skies Ahead

Is it just me? Or does it seem that every time you muster up the energy much less the creative juices to blog, other pressing matters such as cleaning the house, doing laundry, watching DVR'd episodes of your favorite reality trash show always seems to step in the way and re-route your attention and focus? The "organized" person that I am has bucketed all of these pressing matters into what I like to call the Kill Joy cloud! This lingering gloomy cloud has rained on my blog leaving it neglected for almost a year now. Almost a year of memories and pictures have been left un-blogged and nearly forgotten. I have crossed my arms and stomped my rain boots in the puddles. I have thrown my childish tantrum in my polka dotted rain coat! Where does that leave me? It leaves me with the realization that grey skies are going to clear up and I'm going to put on a blogging face! After all there is a year's worth of sunshine to post ....

a FUSION filled Christmas

With all the hustle and bustle of Christmas time surrounding us, Casey and I took a night off from shopping, wrapping and going here there and yonder and enjoyed hanging with all our precious FUSION peeps. We had the privilege of hosting our Singles' FUSION Christmas Party at our house! It was a crazy fun time. We played a massive Dirty Santa Gift Exchange. There was food to feed a small army and we walked away from it all with only ONE ornament casualty. At the last count we had fifty-three people in our house! Yep I just said fifty-three people. But I must say they are fifty-three of the most AMAZING people you could ever meet. They have blessed our lives in so many ways both corporately and individually.

This night was a great reminder of how we are living the life God has called us to live. And loving every minute of it! It brings us no greater joy than to serve, to love and to minister to those around us. Casey and I thank Him each and everyday for allowing us to be a part of their lives. I don't think they will ever fully know what an impact they have made on each of us personally and spiritually. Words will never be able to express the love we have for them!

Merry Christmas FUSION!

one enchanting visit

If there is one thing I loved during the Christmas season as a child, it was visiting Santa at the Enchanted Forrest! There was something so magical about the Enchanted Forrest. I can remember as if it were yesterday the butterflies that would form in my stomach as I twisted through the cotton snow trail anticipating my upcoming visit with Santa himself. The glitter, sprayed, iced trees were so marvelous and the moving characters seemed to come to life as I slowly make my way through the forrest. My eyes fixed on every sparkle and wonder that surrounded me. I can still remember my hand reaching up and grasping the soft red velvet rope that lead me to Jolly Old Saint Nick. The line ahead of me seemed miles in length. Patiently as I waited, I would catch just a glimpse of his bright, red coat as another child slid off his lap. I clutched my wish list tighter with each glance. The closer each step took me the more clear his voice could be heard. The chuckle so deep yet so gentle. Finally, with what seemed like an eternity, my moment had come and there I stood facing the Santa Claus. I could feel the words slowly slipping from my memory as I frantically tried to think of all the things I wanted to tell him. The sight of him was so grand. My eyes were not deceiving me and no I was not dreaming. I was seeing Santa up close and in person. WIth all the children he had seen that day would he remember my list of wishes and wants?

As I gazed at him each feature from the Twas the Night Before Christmas replayed in my head. "His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, and the beard of his chin was as white as the snow. He had a broad face and a little round belly, that shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly! He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, and I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself! A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread." In a flash it was over and we said our goodbyes. A timid but bright smile flashed once more towards him as I took my candy cane and slipped off his lap. Would the next child in line that now occupied my spot feel the same excitement I had just experienced?

Indeed, she did .....

christmas time is here

Christmas time is here! And where there is Christmas, there are Christmas programs. Anna-Claire took part in two Christmas programs this year. Her first program was the the school's Christmas program and the second was our church's Christmas Eve program. Both were such a joy to watch!

my little sugar plum

As we all know with Christmas comes traditions. If there is one tradition I love it is getting the chance to see the Nutcracker Ballet! Over the years I have had the opportunity to see many different versions of this beloved ballet. I have seen the Memphis Ballet Nutcracker, I have seen the Russian Ballet Nutcracker and a few years back I got the chance to see a Very Brady Nutcracker performed by a local dance company.

This year, I was privileged to see the best Nutcracker performance I believe I have ever seen. The performance was performed by the Briarcrest Performing Arts Dance Class. Now it being considered the best rendition I have ever seen could be partly (ok mostly) because my sweet Anna-Claire was one of the star performers! This year she was a Sugar Plum! And a very sweet sugar plum at that. Her butterfly turns were perfect. Her plies were full of grace. And her smile radiated across the stage. I don't think I have been more proud than I was in that moment!

As the finale to the stage, bows were taken and standing ovations were cheered I caught a glimpse of my little sugar plum and in that moment saw a prima ballerina!