My family! L to R: me, my little (tall - 6 ft. 5!) brother Geoff, Dad, Mom, and older brother Eric
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Christmas Joy
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Digital Christmas Card

Saturday, December 20, 2008
Christmas Decor At Our House

The tree adorned with hand made and blown glass ornaments, and birds. I hand made the metal star topping it.
Sarah and Justin's ever growing nut cracker collection.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
T'was the Night Before Christmas Ballet

For those of you who didn't get to see the show, the ballet is based on the "Twas the Night Before Christmas" poem. Ron and I were in the first act which follows the poem story line. We got to sneak around on stage watching Santa bring presents and eat his cookies and milk! The second act is a depiction of "what really happened on Christmas night." A pirate king and ballerina doll come to life. The ballerina doll emerges from a ballerina music box, and the pirate king comes out of a treasure chest. Other characters come to life, such as Ginger Snap, a cookie. There are also ornaments that come to life: Tinsellina, Silverbella, Poinsettia, Icicelle and Misteltonia. Sarah's modern class did a dance to the moon light sonata. They were the moon light beams in the first act. She was one of the pirate king's pirates in the second act. Sarah's teacher Erin did a fabulous job with the show choreographing for 120 plus students! Here are some pics from the big event.
Our beautiful pirate - she did a great job!

Sarah's class doing their pirate dance. Sarah is in the front on the far right.

Friday, December 12, 2008
It's Almost Show Time!

Thursday, December 11, 2008
Mom's Night Out Cookie Exchange
Monday, December 8, 2008
Busy, Busy, Busy!



I added this pic because I thought it turned out so cool! You can't use flash when people are dancing because it can throw their balance off and cause injury. So, I took this pic without the flash on slow shutter speed. It is the prima ballerina doing a pa de deux with the pirate king. I can actually see both of their faces in the pic.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Name This Dancer
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Mosaic for Niger

It's That Time Of Year Again!

It's that time of year again! I get the chance to work on the production crew for Sarah's ballet performances. Right now I'm working on the "T'was the Night Before Christmas" production. I love that I get to create and paint props, design and sew costumes and be my creative self! My first project was to hand sew a beaded applique onto the prima ballerina's leotard. Since the lace had to be sewed onto the bodice while the bodice was stretched I found the perfect model in Mr. Monkey. I stuffed his chest with a pillow falsie and he was the perfect model! Isn't he adorable?
"T'was the Night Before Christmas" shows at the Van Duzer December 14th at 4 and 6. It is an amazing professional production and kids love it because most of the performers are kids. This year Ron and I are making a cameo appearance, so you don't want to miss it!
A Visit From Old Friends
Friday, November 21, 2008
A Father's Sorrow
After I left the store I suddenly felt so sad inside. I couldn't even imagine how a parent must feel when they lose a child like that. Even 35 years later the sorrow is still present, right at the surface. This man is so desperate to find his sons still that he is willing to stop a total stranger in a store and ask her who her husband is, in hopes that it could be his son...after 35 years. I wonder if he feels it was his fault somehow...maybe if he hadn't sung in the choir that day...maybe if he had done something different they would still be with him. The sorrow of that blame must be indescribable. It made me appreciate my kids all the more, realizing what an incredible blessing they are to me. I can't imagine them being gone, stolen, lost. I prayed for this man, that he would find his sons...that his sorrow would end.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Espresso Machine!
Ron loves red....and coffee!

Sarah loves hot chocolate!
Justin drinking his "hot chocat"
Danger...mocha addiction eminent!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Thirteen Years Of Wedded Bliss
He loves God with all his heart.
He is a good provider and very hard worker.
He is an amazing and very involved father to our two kids.
He has a way of finding the good out of life and hanging on to it, no matter what.
He has deep character.
He is tenacious, has over come a lot in his life, and has made something of himself and that is no small feat! (i.e. he's my hero!)
He'll tell me the truth even when it hurts him, but he does it in love.
He is intelligent and innovative - some have called him a Renaissance man.
He brings change for the better wherever he goes.
He isn't a people pleaser - I love that.
He has a gift for making people feel special and unique.
He is genuine, you see what you get.
He loves me for who I am and doesn't try to change me.
He knows how to make me laugh, (and laugh, and laugh, and laugh...) and can get me out of my tree when needed.
He is good at helping me change, look at things differently, and be the best person I can be.
He encourages me to fulfill my dreams, and helps make them a reality.
He is willing to sacrifice for me, (for example he was willing to have another kid even though at first he felt one was fine...now he admits now that Justin has won his heart.)
He still finds ways to surprise me in unexpected ways.
He is a superb cook, (that's one of the reasons he stole my heart!)
He is a wonderful and talented gardener and brings beauty to our yard all seasons of the year.
Happy Anniversary Honey!! I LOVE YOU!! XOXO ~ April
Monday, November 10, 2008
I Love This Man!!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
"Orange Blossom"


"Orange Blossom" Size 2T Made from repro. vintage prints and vintage button.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Great Truths
Great truths are dearly bought,
the common truths,
Such as we give and take from day to day,
Come in the walk of easy life,
Blown by the careless wind across our way.
Great truths are greatly won,
not found by chance,
Nor wafted on the breath of summer dream;
But grasped in the great struggle of our soul,
Hard buffeting with adverse wind and stream.
But in the day of conflict, fear, and grief,
When the strong hand of God, put forth in might,
Plows up the subsoil of our stagnant heart,
And brings the imprisoned truth seed to the light.
Wrung from the troubled spirit,
in hard hours Of weakness, solitude, and times of pain,
Truth springs like harvest from the well-plowed field,
And our soul feels it has not wept in vain.
From Streams in the Desert
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
April Diane Designs Are In Shipwreck!

Monday, November 3, 2008
Caps to Cap Hatien Project

Just 1 in 5 women receives skilled medical care during childbirth.
Haiti has the highest maternal mortality ratio in the Western Hemisphere.
1 in 40 women will die as a result of pregnancy complications, unsafe abortion, or obstetrical emergency.
Twelve percent of children die before the age of 5.
Konbit Sande is assembling safe birthing kits to be donated to birthing women in this area. These kits - consisting of plastic sheeting, hand sanitizer, a sterile piece of string and razor blade, and these newborn baby caps - have the potential to reduce infant and maternal mortality, and give babies a safer, healthier start.
http://www.soulemama.com/mama_to_mama/
Saturday, November 1, 2008
New Fence!
The Princess and Her Triceratops
Friday, October 31, 2008
Finally Finished!
Close up shot of the tags
Thursday, October 30, 2008
My Daughter is a Genius!
Dear Parent,
We would like to invite you and your child to participate in our Gifted and Talented Education Program (GATE.) Your child has been identified using a series of assessment tools. We use the Exercise in Divergent Thinking and the Exercise in Divergent Feeling tests and we look at STAR test results for students that score in the advanced level in English/Language Arts, Math or Science. We are confident that your child will benefit from participating in our multi-level program...and on and on it goes.
So, it appears that Sarah is very smart, just as we suspected of course! I want to find out what these "divergent thinking and feeling tests" are though...I went to college and I have no earthly idea of what that even remotely means! I was involved in GATE when I went to school and I remember loving the language/English side of things, but since I was mathematically challenged they kicked me out of the program. It seems unfair, but it sounds like they have changed things since then and hopefully Sarah will love it. She excels in all subjects, (lucky her), so I'm sure she will do fine. She gets to go on an all day field trip up to HSU for special workshops in Math, Science and Language Arts in November. She's thrilled about it and can't wait to do the dry ice experiments class. Who knows, we could have a future scientist on our hands!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Fire and Light

We also got the large Zen bowl the pumpkin is sitting in (see post below), at the sale.