Emma has had a little runny nose today & is claiming to “not feel well.”  She did, however, make it to preschool for the in-house puppet show field trip.  When we got home & ate lunch I declared a “no TV” rest time.  It worked!  She & Brooke broke out some toys they haven’t played with in a bit.

This photo is of them playing with the Lite-Brite.  I fondly remember playing with this toy when I was a child.  And you’ll have to ask my mom if the pieces were as hard to keep up with then as they are to now.  (*On a tangent, the lite-brite pieces have come in handy as roads when we lose pieces to Settlers Of Catan)  I’ve been so pleased with the level of getting along & togetherness they’ve exhibited during this forced “no TV” time.  They’ve been creative, played with lots of different toys, & their imaginations have been running WILD!  I love their creativity!

I was actually kind of bummed today because I had no idea what to shoot & really didn’t feel like going on with my streak of a photo a day.  I just felt like curling up under the covers on the sofa & drifting to sleep while listening to my Augustana station on Pandora.  However, life must go on, even if we don’t feel like it.  And I was inspired by my friend & neighbor Mary’s blog post today on creativity.  She reminded me that I can be creative as much as I want to be.  I just have to want it.  Thanks, Mary.

Photos I’ve been looking at:  As many photos as I can to wrap my head around this whole Haiti thing.  It’s just devastating.  And as sad & tragic as it is, I am making sure I look for the little stories of miracles & hope in the midst of it all.

*ps – in case you’ve been waiting, I AM slowly going through my photos from the Prigel-Castillo wedding so that I can have a blog post shortly.

*pps – my sweet husband it working on my iPhone App for me – I should be revealing it soon

*ppss – I am humbled by your encouragement & donations for my trip to Ethiopia – God’s provision is amazing

So I’ve been totally inspired by all these great Christmas cards that people with mad Photoshop skills are creating (especially Amy Wenzel’s Swiss Miss Design Haus)…and I decided to try my hand at an original, funky, fun, Christmas card. It features Mike & Rachel and some not-so-traditional Christmas colors. BUT, there are snowflakes! Enjoy!

This next one is another vertical card, but 4×5.5 inches, featuring Bella. The color scheme shows various shades of red and gray.

The third card you see is a 4×5.5 inch horizontal card, featuring the Foley family. It’s much simpler, but I love the rich red & gold.