A prayer request & a thank you...

Merry Christmas!!!

  There is so much to be thankful for!

 

Thank you for sharing in the prayers for my dad who suffered 

a serious fall from heights a week and a half ago.

That is why it has been quiet around here.

It was so sudden, unexpected, and serious.

I sent out messages but did not make it on here.

I am so humbled by the out-pouring of prayers, thoughts, and love sent our way from those we know and those whom we've never even met.

From my whole heart...

Thank You....

 

Prayers were answered and he was sent home from the hospital on Friday

after being there since Monday.

There is still a long road ahead.

Would you please still pray?

Pray that God would touch him and heal his 5 broken ribs, his lungs, his intestines, and anything else we cannot see. 

 

Pray that we have wisdom to know how to help him.

I am so thankful to be with my family, my dad, for Christmas.

I've not forgotten about this series on, Running for the Prize.

The next one will come soon, but for now,

we are counting our blessings and spending these next few days together as a family, at home, not in the hospital. 

 

I wish each of you a Merry Christmas!!!

I pray that you are filled with joy and know the love of Christ.

I pray that where ever you are,

you know you are *loved*.

Loved by the most perfect gift sent from above.

-------

Excerpt below from an earlier post, "Gifts." 

A perfect gift sent to earth...

by humble means...

full of love, grace, and light.

weheartit

The gift of Jesus to each one of us.

A gift given to each of us to accept.

To know how much we are loved, known, and cared about.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,

and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only

begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14 NKJV

Merry Christmas!

Cole

 

I will see you soon friends...

For the Love of Reading...

One of my fondest family memories is reading with my mom when I was little.

Mom...

lovingly sketching out and coloring 3x5 blank index cards

 of shapes, colors, and the alphabet before school age was even near. 

Covering them in clear contact paper,

sitting down, and going through them with us.

Mom...

letting my sister and I spend our summer days at the library.

Bringing home bags full of books.

Ones that she would sit down and read with us.

Mom...

who on our summer vacation road trips,

would let us take a box of 40+ picture books to read on the way.

Always finding a place in the suburban for them to fit.

It is because of my mom that I learned the love of reading.

It is because of her that I still love reading today and teaching it to my students,

and by God's grace...

one day teaching my own children to read they way she taught me.

From flickr.com via Simply Created by Cole on Pinterest

Thank You Mom,

for the gift that lasts a lifetime and 

for the beautiful memories of time spent with you that I'll keep forever.

Love Your Daughter,

Cole

What is one of your fondest memories?

Do you love to read? Have any good books to share?

Have a Beautiful Day,
Cole

  

For a recent family memory full of adventure go here 

or..

if you prefer one with a recipe try here

Inspiration Workshop {Week 7}

Hello!

It is time for another Inspiration Workshop with the lovely Maggie of Gussy Sews.

Here is this week's prompt:

THE PROMPT
This week's prompt is SUNSHINE. Can I share something silly with you? One of my favorite summer smells is the smell of SUNSHINE. You know what I'm talking about -- it's in your hair, on your puppy's fur, on your baby's skin. It smells refreshing and warm, and it's a great reminder of the super fun day you just had outside. SUNSHINE always reminds me of family & friend time, too. Chatting, playing, enjoying a meal together outside in the sun. -Gussy

This week's prompt was perfect because I just finished spending 5 days in...

the beautiful Colorado mountains with my family.

It had been at least 14 years since all of us have been able to go together, at the same time.

I love being outside!

And on this trip I couldn't get enough of the sunshine.

Sunshine without the 105+ degree temperatures.

Wa-Hoo!

Here is a peek...

Time spent at a beautiful lake.
{See that tall mountain in the background? We're headed there.}

A drive up Pike's Peak

An hour later...we reached the summit.

A cog rail you could take, but we drove. Much better views in my opinion.

It was a cool 45 degrees at the top.

My brother, sister, and I didn't mind.

View from the summit. 

{Right behind me was a straight drop down. Yikes!}

14,110 feet up.

It was B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L.

Sunshine, amazing.

The green and blue, un-real.

You were in the clouds.

A peace was everywhere.

Have you traveled lately?
If so, where?

Have a Beautiful Day,

Cole

Linking up with:

Weekend Thoughts...{Sisters and Birthdays}

From galadarling.com via Simply Created by Cole on Pinterest

......................

I choose this sign with a very specific thought in mind...

Happy Birthday to my sister!!!

Today is her 27th Birthday!

Wishing her and you a beautiful day!

Cole

Are you celebrating anything today?

{Bliss}

Hello there...

How is your week going?

We enjoyed a great Father's Day this past weekend.

It started with our annual Church picnic at the zoo.

I just love being outside and worshiping God in song and truth.

I then headed to my parents to join my family in just being.

...enjoying some scrumptious BBQ by my grill master dad...

...mother/daughters talk...

...catching up with my brother and dad...

and

an impromptu water fight.

Seriously...

It started out innocent enough.

My sister pouring her bottle of water over my head as she walks by...

Her thinking I would not chase her,

down the street,

in flip-flops,

only to get her back with my bottle of water.

{free entertainment for the neighbors right?}

But it did not end there...

Me standing in the back door of my parents house,

{with a large container of water}

Waiting for her to come around the corner of the house...

But this is where it gets good...

She had grabbed a large cup from somewhere outside,

filled it up with the garden hose,

and wait for it...

We both came around the corner of the house and...

we were both soaked.

Like, wring your clothes out soaked.

It was all in good fun.

Something her and I have not done for awhile.

Just reliving our childhood days of water fights.

~BLISS~

Somehow...

the rest of the family managed to stay dry. ;0)

What did you do this weekend?!

I'll see you tomorrow afternoon for What I love Wednesday!

{Pictures are courtesy of my sister and our parent's backyard. It is a beautiful backyard...I might just have to give you a tour soon...}

Blessings,

Cole

Homemade Salsa {Easy Recipe}

One of the fondest memories I have of growing up is...

helping my mom in the kitchen.

Learning to wash dishes standing on the dinning room chair...

Stirring the pot as it shimmered on the stove...

Learning all her cooking and baking secrets...

My mom loves to cook and bake.

It is something that brings her JOY.

She also loves to serve others by cooking/baking for them.

To this day...

she prepares a meal for a family in need,

bakes Christmas goodies for neighbors, work, and the people in her life.

This Christmas my sister and I received something from my mom that is so...

Meaningful...

Thoughtful...

A treasure...

She carefully picked for each of us a recipe book to fit our personalities...

Wrote a special message in the inside cover...

And filled it with some of her and our favorite recipes in her handwriting.

Words don't express what it means to me...

The memories that it holds...

So...

Since I can't really send a meal or goodies through the snail mail...

I want to share with you a simple and quick recipe for Homemade Non-Chunky Salsa.

{Homemade Salsa}

Ingredients:

3 Cans of Diced Tomatoes or equivalent amount of fresh tomatoes

1 tsp. Cumin

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

1 Jalapeno (finely chopped)

Steps:

*Blend all ingredients together and refrigerate overnight.

*You can add more or less of each ingredient to get the desired taste or heat you like.

What is one of your favorite recipes?

Have a Lovely, Simply Created, Day!

Cole

P.S.

I'll be sharing my word for 2011 this week.

To read about my 2010 word, click here.