Making this puzzle-loving heart proud!

If Aunt Teresa is the puzzle master.  And John is the puzzle apprentice.  What does that make Michael?  Mom says he is the puzzle grasshopper! :)

Two Red Heads, a Bear, and a Dog

The pictures pretty much speak for themselves, but as usual, my brain doesn't work without captions.  Michael climbed into the chair with John to watch him play on his DS.  I had to run upstairs for the camera and change the battery and come back down so I didn't think I would capture the picture, but they were both captivated.  They didn't even know I took the pictures.  Michael eventually got down because he decided they needed a bear to join them in the chair.  And I couldn't resist the urge to take a picture of ZuZu's cute little ears.

Say it ain't so!

How can this kid...
a) not be an infant that I can hold in one arm?
b) not be a baby learning to crawl?
c) not be a toddler learning new words all the time?
d) be old enough to start kindergarten?
e) be turning 6 (yes, 6!) today?

John--You are an amazing boy who I love being able to call my nephew!  I love your smiles.  And your hugs.  And that I get to hear you call me Aunt Teresa.  And that you like doing puzzles.  And that you like snuggling on the couch with me.  I love you so much!

A day for Ramblings...

I was driving to a wedding reception yesterday, listening to the radio. It cracks me up when songs play that speak "directly" to your life in that moment (sort of). For instance, when I was driving to my high school graduation many moons ago, I heard the song "It's the End of the World as You Know It." Isn't that so fitting? I thought it was and it's something I've remembered for si(cough, cough)n years now. Anyway, back to yesterday and driving to the wedding reception. I heard the new Hunter Hayes/Jason Mraz song "Everybody's Got Somebody But Me." This is not me being all "woe is me." Honestly, I thought it was hilarious. Emily was in the car with me and we just laughed and rolled our eyes. Music is such an interesting phenomenon. And now some randomness in pictures:

Last night I went to close my shades and it popped out of my hand and went spinning out of control.  And apparently ripped.  Sigh.  Luckily, the apartment supplies blinds now.  These were installed by Emily's former roommate before I moved in.  Back then, the apartment did not supply any window coverings.

And I changed out my comforter today.  I never got around to doing this last year.  So it has been two falls since I have seen this comforter.  It was kind of fun. :)  See, I do like change. 

And now I shall go clean my bathroom.  Because that is what I was really supposed to be doing when I decided to take a few pictures...

God's Beautiful Creation Take Two

This weekend, I had the privilege of going to Great Oaks Camp for a singles retreat with about 40 other people. It was a great weekend with great messages, great fellowship, and a great view.  Here are some of the pictures I took of the beautiful fall colors:

I shared a picnic table with this guy and about a gazillion Japanese beetles.  I think this poor guy was missing a leg.

It was the perfect weather to sit outside and study God's Word for about an hour.  The views were a little distracting, I'll admit.

I love the contrast of the green with the red.

Don't you just want to sit on this bench for awhile?

The above picture is currently my computer background.

A road less traveled...

Leaf-covered ground.

Looking up.  This was the perfect time of evening when the sun was setting and making everything look like it was on fire.

I was kicking piles and piles of leaves :)

Crossing the bridge.

Oh, and I had Kim take this picture with me, just to prove that there were other people on the retreat with me.  Well, and I took some other pictures of Kayla and Brittany, but they are super secret pictures.  What happens on our walk stays on our walk! :)

God's beautiful creation.

Wednesday was a day that God reminded me that He makes beautiful things. I know it seems kind of odd to say that, but sometimes I just get going in my everyday stuff and I don't stop and look.  Here is my blessings card for Wednesday:

1.  On a gloomy day, the vibrant fall leaves were amazing!
2.  Saw a fox on crossing the road.
3.  The sun came out just in time for a gorgeous sunset.
4.  Led a 4th grader to Christ! (Obviously not about creation, per se, but definitely the most exciting thing that happened in my day!)

And then tonight, I was "busy" doing stuff on my computer and almost missed this sunset.  My camera doesn't even do it justice!

A nice cozy corner

This chair sits in the corner of my bedroom.  There probably isn't really enough space in my room for the chair, but I love having it there.  It is where I cuddle up most every morning to read my Bible.  Sometimes I end up there in the middle of the day on Saturday or Sunday to read a book.

For those of you who are fairly new to the blog, this is one chair in a set of two that have lots of sentimental value to me.  I "inherited" them from my Grandma and she didn't even make me wait to get them after she died!  My grandpa had them made special for him and my grandma.  They are shorter than most chairs, so the feet of shorter people touch the ground when sitting in them. 

Another thing you might not know about me...I struggle to make big decisions in my life.  If you notice the arms of the chair are really worn, it's because the chairs have needed to be recovered since before I "inherited" them.  And I've had them for 5 years.  The fabric color for the new chairs is a big decision.  The other problem is that the chairs are in two different rooms right now, but may not always be in different rooms.  And the two rooms have very different color schemes.  So, for now, the chairs just sit needing to be recovered.