Snow Flakes & Snow Angels

Who are the flakes & who are the angels? I'm not tellin'! You decide.

About 8 o'clock last night, on a whim, we loaded the entire family in the car & drove east on I-80 in search of snow. It didn't take long to find what we were looking for. About 20 miles up the road we found the white stuff, but we kept driving to Colfax, where we found a fun location to throw snowballs, make snow angels, and just be silly. It is hard to believe that a mere 30 miles from Roseville it is a winter wonderland! It was absolutely beautiful -- so quiet & picturesque -- until we disturbed the peace with laughter & messed up the perfect blanket of snow by tracking through it.

(Yes, that's right, there are no pictures of me. I'm always behind the camera!)

Not only did the Smithlings have fun playing in the snow, Mr. Smith (our BIG kid) enjoyed having the opportunity to try out the Q7's Quattro abilities on snowy & icy roads. No slip & lots o' grip. We have had our car for a year & this was its first trip to the snow. There will be many more return trips, I'm sure. We didn't get back home until 10 PM, so we all got to bed a little later than usual. (We just had to have hot chocolate before bed!)

As I am writing this entry, it's a beautiful, sunny morning in Roseville. More rain is expected in the coming days, and that means more snow in the foothills & mountains. Who knows, we may even have to have a "snow day" from school in the next week, or two, so we can go play in the snow again. Well, maybe we'd have to call it a field trip, as I'm sure it would be educational in some way!

One last comment: The photo of the snow covered tree reminds me of what Narnia (Lantern Waste) might look like. We didn't see Mr. Tumnus, but there might have been some faun tracks in the snow, or maybe they were only boot tracks. What do you think?! ;-)

Resolutions & such...

In 2008, I resolve to not make New Year's resolutions! That should be an easy one to keep, right? HA! Seriously, I would like to spend more time in the Word, and I'd like to do a better job of praying for friends, family, etc., but I didn't make those "official" resolutions. Those are just things that I need to do a better job of all of the time, and not just in 2008.

It's already the 8th day January, and I cannot believe how the new year is flying. We have already enjoyed four days of school. It's a new semester -- tabula rasa! (That's one of the few phrases I recall from my high school Latin class.) We have a clean slate, a fresh start in this new year. We needed it.

We had a family meeting last week & discussed what worked & what didn't work (regarding our homeschooling) in 2007 & how we ALL can improve in 2008. We need accountability. We need encouragement from one another. We have to function as a team. We all agreed that we needed a new beginning. Ahhh! It's refreshing & invigorating to get to start anew.

Having the opportunity to have a new beginning reminds me of our Christian walk. I'm glad that we all have the opportunity (daily, hourly, or as often as is needed!) to have our "dirty slates" erased (repeatedly) by God's grace. (I know that there are "doodles & graffiti" that shouldn't be on my slate.) Out with the old, and in with the new...

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
-2 Corinthians 5:17

Isn't that a great passage?

Speaking of new things, I just bought new file folders so I can enjoy a more organized filing cabinet this year. While this may sound like a dull & arduous chore, I have enjoyed seeing some of the things tucked away in the folders. I have spent the past couple of days shredding things that I once thought I'd want or need to keep. But then I thought again! There have had a few chuckles, and there have been a few tears throughout the process. It's all been good. It's a new beginning.

May your start to 2008 be a NEW & exciting one, too.

The presents are unwrapped...

...and the garbage can is bulging with boxes, ribbons, wrapping paper, & bows! We had a wonderful day yesterday celebrating our Savior's birth, and the trash can proves it.

We gave M. "Guitar Hero III," Lou got a jewelry box with an iPod tucked away inside, and Millie received a much-desired Playmobil mansion. (It took forever for her to put it all together, even with help from her big bro. & sis.) There were a few items tucked inside everyone's stockings to add to the merriment. "Daddy" and "Mommy" received nice gifts from the Smithlings, too!

OH! The kids certainly don't want me to forget to add that they got to open up their presents of traditional "jammies" on Christmas Eve. It may not be an exciting gift, but it is necessary, as we have some "holey" sleepwear at this house. After opening the PJs, we attended a candlelight service. No, they didn't get to wear their "comfy wear" to church! That would require "holy" sleepwear, right?! ;-)

The best gift of all was getting to spend time together. We read Luke Chapter 2 aloud (which is a family tradition) before we opened our gifts. We then spent the afternoon playing games together and assembling that mansion. (We are happy to report that "Millie Manor" is fully constructed & ready for occupancy.)

It is our prayer that you all had a wonderful celebration, too.

We are looking forward to more celebrating tomorrow, as it is our 20th wedding anniversary. And then, of course, the start of a new year is just around the corner. This truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

Merry CHRISTmas!

CHRISTmas 2007

The BEARD is gone...

"Dr. Stahlbaum" is back to being clean-shaven! Hooray! Now that the Nutcracker is over and done with, Mr. Smith has returned to his normal look -- no beard, no mutton chops, no goatee, no soul patch. (We did have to experiment with some of these looks as we took off the facial hair, but we opted to go with the minimalist approach.) See photo...

We are looking forward to a low-key weekend, as there are no rehearsals and no performances. I certainly hope that we can find something to do. Oh, yes! We have Christmas shopping to do, but not too much. Our Christmas cards have been signed, sealed, and delivered. (It's in the hands of the USPS now...) There is baking to do -- and sampling of the baked goods. That's the best part! This promises to be a fun and relaxing weekend. May you enjoy your weekend, too!

Nutcracker 2007

  

Thanksgiving, Family, and Nutcracker

There has been a whirlwind of activity the past weeks, so I have not had time to sit & compose my thoughts. Whew!

This morning, Mom & Dad left for Indiana, & Mr. Smith's mom left for Oklahoma. (The word is that all of the "parentals" have now returned to their respective homes safely!)

Let's see... what have we been up to? We had such a nice Thanksgiving Day in Vancouver, Washington, at "AJ's" home. Flying certainly beats driving for 10 hours on I-5 any day! The weather was ideal, the food was fantastic, and the company was the best. We returned late Friday evening so we would be back in time for (you guessed it) Nutcracker rehearsal on Saturday. After rehearsing on both Saturday and Sunday, we got back into the work & school weekly routine for a few days. All of the grandparents arrived in Roseville mid-week. UJ & AJ both "flew" into town, too. (One by air, the other by car... UJ makes really good time behind the wheel of the Green Machine, so it's almost as good as air travel!)

Mr. Smith is having a great time with his role of Dr. Stahlbaum (Clara's father) this year. Despite the fact that no one in the "civilian world" really loves his new facial "hairdo," the beard really fits well with his stage persona. (He will be shaving after the final performance.) Miss Millie is a "party girl," Lou is in the Chinese & Waltz of the Flowers dances, and M. is taking part in his 4th N-cracker as the official fog man. He has many other backstage responsibilities, but operating the fog machine is his favorite task. M. "learned the ropes" a couple of years ago, so he spends part of his time on the catwalk high above the stage raising & lowering various backdrops, scrims, and curtains. There are other chores he takes care of, too, like making it snow at just the right time in the "Snowflake" scene. It's all fun...

AJ, UJ, Cousin L., all three grandparents, and I attended the Saturday matinee performance of the N-cracker. In a word... WONDERFUL! (I'll post a few photos for your viewing pleasure.) After the show, we enjoyed a wonderful (not-so-healthy!) meal from Claim Jumper -- prime rib, chicken fried steak, ribs, fried chicken, etc. -- and we also had birthday cake to help Grandma Smith celebrate her 86th b-day a little on the belated side. (Better late than never?)

For now, everything's back to "normal" until Friday night when we get to do it all over again. (There are four shows this weekend. Wheee!) We do enjoy doing this production together, but it can make for a hectic few weeks. Thankfully, Christmas vacation is just around the corner!

INOKWACA?!!!

Indiana, Oklahoma, Washington, & California are all the states that the 5 members of the Smithling clan claim as their home states, so we thought that we should combine the abbreviations of each state name to create a new name that represents our family. It's unique. It's silly. It's INOKWACA, the name of our blog. :-)

A long time ago, I stated (quite emphatically!) that I'd never homeschool; however, this is our 8th year of doing just that. I also once said that I'd never ever scrapbook, and now I have countless albums bulging with memories, whether creative, or not. I also said that I'd never blog -- I don't have time for that! Soooooo, here I am sitting at the computer ready to share my random ramblings. I guess I'm going to have to stop saying that there are things I will not do or try.

Today's entry will have to be brief, as there is "factoring" to be done -- I just love 4th grade math! We are trying to cram as much school work in before Thursday gets here. The Hoosier grandparents are due to arrive Thursday afternoon. We will be taking a few days off, here & there, to enjoy our company. (G-ma & G-pa T. will be in CA & WA for about 18 days. Yippee!) In the coming weeks, there will be busyness with Nutcracker rehearsals & performances, regularly scheduled dance classes, Thanksgiving, & other day-to-day activities, so we are excited about taking some well-deserved time off from the books. Education can come in other more "creative" forms, right?!

One last comment... I chose to include our family's all-time favorite Scripture passage, Philippians 4:4-9, to share with you on this site. Over the years, these verses have encouraged, strengthened, and carried us through many a trial. These words apply in almost every situation. May you, too, be encouraged by these words!

I'll yackatcha later...