Christmas lights are up, a recipe has been picked out for this year’s 2nd Annual Holiday Bake-Off, Basil’s birthday celebrations have been planned out, I’m slowly chipping away at my end-of-the year to-do list! Still overwhelmed but overall very grateful for the many blessings of 2010 and looking forward to what 2011 holds.

As some of you already know, Basil and I have challenged each other not to buy any new clothes until 2011. To even out the playing field, Basil is also restricted from purchasing any new camera gear. To sweeten the deal, if one of us cracks and gives in, they owe the other $250 from their personal fund money. This challenge has been going on now since March and strangely enough I haven’t had any real urges to shop. Except for shoes. I could definitely use a new pair of shoes. I own lots of tall boots and as the weather gets warmer it’s becoming impractical to don these heat-trappers each morning. All I can say is thank goodness for air-conditioning, but I digress.

One of my all-time favorite hymns is “It Is Well With My Soul” by Horatio Spafford. Not too long ago, Pastor Eric shared with us the story behind this song and though I have a sneaking suspicion I’ve heard it before, it’s brought about a renewed appreciation for this long-loved hymn. Through the good and the bad bumps in life, this is just a nice reminder that ultimately peace is found outside of our circumstances, and in this journey called life, “the sky, not the grave, is our …

What a rare moment. I am up at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday and can’t fall back to asleep. Which is weird because my favorite thing about waking up early when I don’t need to is that sweet realization that I have more slumber time right around the corner! Grrr. Might as well squeeze in the blog entry for the month before March passes me by. Random early-morning thoughts:

Breakfast of Champions: Oatmeal + Brown Sugar + Crumbled Bacon

Believe it or not, taking a painting class was Basil’s idea – but I was more than happy to sign up! This was not my first attempt at painting, but it is my first finished piece! My first attempt (years and years ago) was a bit ambitious. I bought a huge 4ft x 4ft canvas and envisioned creating a beautiful cityscape masterpiece that I would present to my dad – but I never got around to finishing it. I would carry this huge square canvas and my …

I was sick over the holidays, suffering from a pretty typical flu complete with cough, sinus issues, green phlegm, the whole nine yards. I mentioned this to my mom in passing and received the following advice:

I was able to twist Lynn’s arm to receive her very generous permission to post her award-winning Almond Cake recipe! I was going to wait until I found the time to make the cake myself so that I could post some snazzy moody pictures along with the recipe but obviously that hasn’t happened. And where has January gone!???!
To remind you, this was the cake that won Lynn first place in our First Annual Holiday Bake-Off and the coveted iPod Shuffle.. lucky girl. Can you smell …