Zane~Senior 2011 {A Sneak Peak}

I have to admit surviving my first photography busy season during the months of November and December left me ready for a little break;  January provided just that.  It was a welcome rest but I was quickly growing anxious to start photographing again.  Zane's momma and I spoke in the fall about his senior portraits and this past Saturday was the much anticipated day.

We could not have been blessed with a more perfect afternoon.  The temperature was a perfect 67 degrees and the sunlight was absolutely glorious!  What a joy to get to photograph such an amazing young man.  He plays soccer for his school and one day hopes to be a pilot...so cool!

Although his team had just lost their soccer game only hours before our photo shoot, he was a great sport and still flashed his amazing smile...and those eyes...don't get me started.  He told me that he doesn't have a date to prom, but after these photos, I think he is going to have several offers to choose from.

Zane, thank you for spending part of your afternoon with me.  I'm praying big blessings over your life as you follow the path your Heavenly Father has prepared for you.  Enjoy your sneak peak!

Homemade Marshmallows for our Snow Day!

Yes!  Even our part of Texas got to participate in the great Snow-Fest 2011.  Delight!  We were blessed with a snow day last Tuesday. 
With my snow pajamas on, I decided to make homemade marshmallows Monday night....in hopes of having a snow day on Tuesday.  And it totally happened!  Woo hoo!  The marshmallows were a sticky mess in my mixer but oh so worth the effort.  The recipe is from Alton Brown. Click here for the link.

Here is a glimpse of the homemade marshmallow-y goodness. 

While I cut them into squares, the girls made Paula Dean's homemade hot chocolate.  Oh my merciful heaven, it is a wonderful recipe.  A warm cup of chocolate delight.  Here is Paula's fabulous recipe. 

And to top off the hot chocolate, I added one of my marshmallows.  And oh, ya'll!  It was the best hot chocolate ever!!!  Totally worth the hot mess I made in my kitchen the night before!

What goes best with hot chocolate and a snow day? Pancakes with chocolate and peanut butter chips.  Yes, it was sugar overload...but so worth it!  While my girls put the finishing touches on the pancakes,

I made bacon (you need protein to counter balance the sugar-right?) and then ventured outside on my front porch to take a few pictures of our snow.  Don't laugh!  I have snow-envy.  You northerners get your snow amounts by the foot, we are blessed to get it by the inch....or half inch.  But, it is still snow!  And our dry land seemed to soak in every bit of the moisture.  Speaking of northerners, my Uncle is and Okie (from Oklahoma) and he sent me an email asking me to please stop wearing my snowflake pajamas because they are expecting more snow~too funny!

After watching several chick-flicks with my girls....movies like the Proposal (love this movie!)....relax! don't do it.....sorry got side-tracked for a second.  We made homemade potato soup for dinner and then had a burning desire for smores!

Mr. Incredible is not a huge fan of smores...until now! I'm telling you, the homemade marshmallows are the bomb!

Hannah wore this hat all day long. I thought she was pretty cute making smores:


Look at all of the deliciousness.  Unlike store bought marshmallows, homemade marshmallows take half the time to roast and the sugar caramelizes perfectly.  They are crispy on the outside and ooey-gooey on the inside. 

Just look at this beauty:

We had fun taking a smore kit over to my parents house too.  They made their smores in the microwave and said they were just as good.  There is just something about roasting marshmallows in the fire.  It's probably the fun in trying to find the perfect balance between roasted and on fire.   What are you waiting for?  Go and make some and then let me know what you think about the recipe!

Fabulously Fourteen!

Happy birthday, sweet child of mine!  Oh, Hannah Linn, you are growing much too quickly. Please, stop it right now!!!!!    My mind is flooded with amazing memories of you.  Fourteen years ago today you entered the world and our lives have forever changed for the better.  You were the most gorgeous curly-blond-headed baby in the nursery.  I know, because every nurse told me so.  You are still the most gorgeous curly-blond-headed baby girl that I know!

I want to remember exactly how you are on your 14th birthday, so here are 14 wonderful things about wonderful you:



1. Growing much too quickly! This time last year, you were 5'10" tall.  I am now looking up to you and we are guessing that you are nearly 6 feet tall.  I can't wait to measure you tonight!

2. You finished your second official basketball season with the Junior High Buffs and wow what a season it has been! You have improved so, so much this year. We have marveled at your ability to really play the game but your humble heart as well, even when you have scored 21 points in a game.

3. I love it that after your games, you find me in the stands and always give me a hug. Please, don't ever stop! It's one of my favorite parts of the game!  But, now when you hug me, my head is on your shoulder and I'm looking up to you.

4. You can be a star athlete, who always gives her best effort, and an A honor roll student too. Your teachers always have good things to say about you and that fills me with all kinds of joy!

5. You have one of the kindest hearts I know.  The children in our Elevate class at church adore you.  Just last week Nicholas came running in the classroom and jumped in your arms.  He was so happy to see you!

6. You love the Lord with all of your heart. I love to hear you pray as you talk to your Heavenly Father about absolutely everything.

7. You are a true friend. You have the incredible wisdom to be able to tell your friends what you think about a matter, settle conflicts with ease, and still remain friends in the end. Please, tell me your secret!

8. You are so stinkin' funny!  Just last week you were dancing to Dance Central on the XBox Kinect.  You were dancing to a weird song that says something about, "Hey Mommy, you sexy!"  So about two times a day, you will sing it for me.  And you always end it in laughter. You are a funny girl!   

9. You are the best little sister in the entire world! As I drove you home from your basketball game Monday night, I told you about some issues Rachel is having with a punk boy at school and you were ready to jump into action for your sister.  Instead, you told me about a wonderful paper you wrote at school that day.  Your teacher asked you to write about someone that you admired...and you wrote about your Rachel.  You explained that it was the easiest paper you had ever written and that you would have written more than two pages but your teacher only wanted two pages.  I am so looking forward to reading this paper.  When you got home, you told your sister all about it and I quickly snapped this picture above.  I love the relationship you sisters have.

10. You are the student council president this year and you have had such a blast helping to plan the dances and organize things.  Just this week you helped sell Valentine hearts.  The hearts were 25cents each and you bought enough hearts, with your own money to spell out :  Happy Birthday Shelby and Nat. who also share your same birthday.  (Each heart contained a single letter.)  The money raised goes to support Cystic Fibrosis research.  You told me that you helped sell the 500th heart. 

11. You have an incredible voice and hope to try out for American Idol one day.  Keep dreaming big dreams for your life because your family and your Heavenly Father do too!

12. You have started wearing a bit more makeup this year.  I taught you how to line your beautiful blue eyes to really make them pop and you like to wear a little mineral makeup.  You are so beautiful with and without makeup!

13.  Your favorite foods right now are still hamburgers-plain and dry, Dr. Pepper (you just might be a Baylor girl one day), and Baby Ruth candy bars, and honey buns. You ate a King Kong double meat burger last week and finished the whole thing.  I don't know how you did it...but you loved every bite. 

14.  You can rock your cowgirl boots like no one I know. 

I have so many, many more things to write, but I'll close for now. Fourteen things for your 14th birthday. You are the heart of my heart, apple of His eye, and one of the daughters that I hoped and prayed that I would have. The Lord has blessed us indeed! Happy birthday baby girl!

Last Junior High Basketball Game!

Monday night was Hannah's last junior high basketball game...ever!  My baby will go on to high school next year.  Did you hear that?  My baby girl will be in high school next year!  While I am in shock at how quickly the time flies, I will be so thankful to have her in high school...because her sister will have graduated.  {sob!} And since I teach at the high school, I'll get to see my Hannah more often during the day.  Enough of that talk~moving on to Monday night's game!

Our girls won the district!  Yes, they were undefeated in district games again this year.  Two years in a row-awesome!

Since, this was her last junior high game, I'm sharing more pictures than normal.  Are you surprised?  I didn't think so. Ha!  Hannah got to do the jump ball again. I like the smile on her face as she shook her opponents hand.

And her sheer look of determination as she got ready to jump:

And jump she did!  Way to go Hannah! White girl can jump...when she wants to.  Ha!

She tipped the ball to her buddy and then she threw it right back to Hannah who quickly scored two points.  And then the other team's coach called a time out.  I think we had only played 5 seconds when he called a time out.  We fans made up what we thought that coach might be saying.  My dad thought the coach was saying, "I told you before the game to get on number 50.  What happened?"  And we smiled. 

Hannah rebounded the ball and looked for her team mates:

And then she ran down court and her teammates passed her the ball.  She shoots and she scores!

I love this next picture. She was focused and ready to play.  All of the girls on our team were and it was sooooo much fun to watch!

She was a beast on defense.  I think she scared the girl that she was guarding...which made us a bit tickled.  I don't mean to sound prideful...I'm just proud of how she played.  Her whole team played so well!

Here she is waiting to rebound the ball after a free throw:

And a few minutes later, she was fouled while sinking two more points.  She got to shoot a free throw for another point.

She posted up and even stuck her hand out, as her father often hollers from the stands, to, "Give them a target!" 

She did and ended up scoring 10 of her team's 30 points.

Half time pep talk:

A little more defense:

Guarding the other team:

And blocking shots.  We think she had at least three blocks.  Hannah's first instinct is to try to hack at the ball to keep them from scoring...and she did that a few times.  I think she had two fouls, and that's okay.  But, Hannah is rather intimidating when she stands straight up to guard the other team.  So, keep standing up tall, baby girl! 

Our girls won 30-17!!!  What a fun season!  While I can't believe it's over, I'm thankful that she ended the season healthy.  At one point in the game we though the other team had caused her to roll her ankle.  Thankfully, she didn't.  If my stats are correct, and I use the word stats very loosely because my stats only consisted of having Rachel or I enter a check mark in our phones every time she scored during the games while taking pictures and talking, Hannah averaged 10.64 points per game. I played basketball and volleyball for a 5-A high school (a huge school) and I never had an average like Hannah's.   

What a blessing to be able to play the sport she adores with her favorite teammates in the whole world.  I wish I could give you her friend's stats too because they are just as impressive. This is quite a group of young ladies both on and off the court.  We are all dreaming of watching them playing in a state championship game one day.  Wouldn't that be amazing?!

Heavy Hearts

There seems to be a lot of heavy hearts these days.  I'm thankful that He somehow is All-Sufficient!

There is a lot of bad news and turmoil.  I'm thankful that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

There is so much sickness.  I'm thankful that He is the Great Physician and nothing is too difficult for Him!

There is so much uncertainty~even in the teaching profession that I adore.  I'm thankful that He is our One, sure foundation!

There is so much sadness.  I'm thankful that He sees each tear that falls and He knows our sorrow.  (Psalm 56:8).

It's been a terribly tragic weekend for so many in our community.  Our young neighbor and her unborn baby went to be with Jesus Saturday afternoon.    She and her husband along with his dad and step-mother were in an awful boating accident.  Somehow, the men managed to survive, but our neighbor's young bride and step-mother did not.  And we all weep for the families but especially for our neighbor and their precious young son.

It's impossible to find the words to express to them our sadness and our sorrow...so we continue to pray and offer meals and whatever else they might need.  And somehow in the midst of great sadness, we all are struck with the reality that our very next breath is not guaranteed, so why do we act like it is?  We all take life for granted, don't we? 

I think we are all hugging our loved ones even tighter and telling them more often that we love them and deeply longing for Jesus to return.  Because we know that when He returns and His children are all Home...there will be no more sadness...no more sickness...no more pain....no more suffering....and our hearts cry, "Come!  Lord, Jesus, come!" What a blessed day that will be!

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

"Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge."  Psalm 62:8

A Super-Super Bowl Commercial

I watch the super bowl for two reasons: 

1.  I love my man.  And he enjoys football...a lot!
2.  The commercials~duh!

Much to my delight there is an awesome Super Bowl commercial that has already previewed and I adore this one.  It is so adorable.  Did you play with star wars action figures when you were a kid?  I did.  I wanted to be Princess Leah with the cool honey-bun hair style and the flowing white dress.  Fun memories.

This commercial is awesome. Enjoy (And if you happen to be at school, where youtube is blocked, you can always check your phone.  Look for Volkswagon The Force).


Happy Friday ya'll! Now check out Kim's blog for more Friday funnies:

Late Starts and Snow Days!

Wearing my snowflake pajamas totally worked!  We had a SNOW day yesterday~no school!  Woo hoo! And today we had a late start.  Delight!  Okay, okay so it totally wasn't due to wearing my snowflake pajamas but I wore them anyway and dreamed dreams of glorious snow all night long.  I know, how old am I?

The girls and I had the BEST snow day ever.  But, I was too busy sipping homemade hot chocolate and keeping the fire in the fireplace roaring to post my pictures.  I made homemade marshmallows that rocked!  They were,in the words of my girls,  the "best ever!"  And I have pictures and a recipe to post maybe tomorrow.

In the mean time, I better get focused on my day with my students.  Are ya'll snowed in?