F.R.O.G.

Snow Day

2011-02-02T11:00:00.000-05:00

Some of my friends heard that their "cousins" in Colorado get to do storm reports on my aunt's blog when it snows there. They figured since I have a snow day, they should be able to do a snow report. The photographer was not willing yet to venture out too far, so the pictures aren't very dramatic. Both our front door and balcony are pretty sheltered, so no major drifts to show off.

This is Reggie the Penguin reporting on the Blizzard of 2011. The Blizzard Warning was downgraded to a Winter Weather Advisory and it only goes until noon instead of 7pm tonight. However you should only be out on the roads if you absolutely need to (i.e. you are doing snow removal or work for emergency services). The plows are still out working and it's not wise to get in their way. Although the picture doesn't show it well there is a LOT of snow on top of our car, at the bottom of the stairs. We got a lot in the last few hours and it's still snowing, though not as hard.

Reggie loves this weather, but cautions that if you are out playing in it, you need to dress warm and stay away from the streets. The plows are tossing a lot of snow that you don't want thrown at you. Plus it will be hard for them to see you!

Reggie's friends, Benton and Little Leopard wanted in on the snow reporting action as well. The photographer still didn't feel like venturing out, so they got a picture by our balcony. We have a nice winter scene out our living room. Although the balcony is covered in snow, it's not deep due to the wind direction and how sheltered our balcony is.

This is Reggie signing off and wishing you a safe and warm day today!

The Reason for the Season!

2010-12-24T06:21:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite Christmas decorations is the Nativity scene. My hubby and I had trouble finding one that we both liked, that wasn't real pricey. After a couple of Christmases and Birthdays my set was completed!

We didn't have a great spot for it this year, so the background of the picture is a little noisy, being it's our kitchen. I love the Nativity and I love displaying what we are celebrating this time of year. May you be blessed as you reflect on the reason for the season!

A Christmas Tradition

2010-12-20T18:42:00.002-05:00

One Christmas tradition in our home has been making Christmas cookies and delivering them to our neighbors. This will be the 4th year of our tradition! It's a fun way to meet our neighbors and the ones that live below us and to the left told us they look forward to our cookies! Usually we make 3-4 different kinds, but this year, we only made two, Red Velvet and Egg Nog cut-out.

Another tradition is the JQ99 Cookie Bake-off. This year was their second annual Christmas Cookie Traditions Bake-off and our second year to enter (Hubby always comes as my helper). This year I used a recipe from my aunt. I called them "Festive Chocolate Chunk Cookies". They had dried cherries in them and were pretty tasty.

Even though our cookie was really yummy, there were lots of good looking cookies and we didn't win the competition. It was a good time though!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

2010-12-18T18:21:00.001-05:00

Another way we prepare for Christmas (I talked about Christmas cards in my previous post) is by decorating our home. One of the largest items of Christmas decor is a Christmas tree. Hubby and I have lived in an apartment for the past few years. Although we love our apartment, it doesn't have a ton of space. For that reason and the fact that we are visiting family over Christmas (and therefore not here to enjoy it), we haven't put up our Christmas tree for a few years. Well, I did buy a small table top tree last year and our downstairs neighbors gave us a table top tree too! So we had something, but it wasn't quite the same. As you may know from an earlier post we are preparing for our own little Pumpkin come March. In doing so we have gotten rid of some furniture to make room for baby furniture and space to play! Since we have a bit more space this year, I decided we should put up our tree. I wasn't sure about taking the time to put ornaments on it, it's all ready pre-lit and trees can look nice that way. However we had some friends over for dinner last week and Hubby thought a great way to entertain the kids would be to have them decorate our tree!

Even though our tree didn't get properly "fluffed" before the decorating began, I think it's beautiful and the kids really enjoyed putting the ornaments on! Now if only they would come back in January and help us put the ornaments away . . . . . . :)

Preparing for Christmas

2010-12-10T19:58:00.003-05:00

We have been spending some of our time this week preparing for Christmas, the merriest time of year! One of the things we often do this time of year is to send Christmas greetings to our family and friends. It's been awhile since hubby and I have sent a picture card, we've migrated to emailing our pictures and letter. I love getting snail mail from others! Maybe we should return the favor and send some ourselves. It's so much more fun to open up an envelope than an email and what would decorate our fridge if we didn't have pictures of friends and family? This year I'm checking out Shutterfly's HUGE selection. I'm sure to find something I like. I want one that says "Merry Christmas" and not "Happy Holidays". I'm celebrating Christ's birth and I want to wish others a merry time if they chose to celebrate as well.

These are a few of my favorites, but I haven't made a final decision yet. . . . and I'll let hubby help decide.

Another Christmas tradition is giving gifts to our loved ones. Shutterfly has some great gift ideas. I've made calendars as gifts before and the recipients have loved them. It's a fun place to showcase the scenic pictures I love taking. If you are planning to give a calendar, using Shutterfly to create one is more meaningful than picking one up in the store. They have so many designs to choose from. You can make it as simple or decorative as you want. I'm planning to make at least one this year for a gift.

My sister loves their photo books. We put together a wedding album for her from Shutterfly and just recently a book celebrating her daughter's first year of life. What a beautiful keepsake and easier than traditional scrapbooking!

Hopefully later this week I'll find sometime to show you some of our other preparations to celebrate Christ's birth. What a fun and joyful time of year!

May you and yours have a very Merry Christmas!

Our Sweet Pumpkin!

2010-11-27T16:44:00.001-05:00

For those of you that are wondering, I'm still here! I've just been busy with other priorities. One of those being preparing for a new "pumpkin" that I'm expecting in March! We found out the gender of our pumpkin not too long ago and let our families know over Thanksgiving. This picture should give you a clue. We are thankful for our pumpkin and excited for the arrival!

I have lots of pictures stored up for the blog, but we'll see if I get around to using them or not. In the meantime, enjoy this one and have a good holiday weekend!

Friends

2010-07-19T01:37:00.038-04:00

After a long/tiring day at work, it's always nice to come home to friendly faces. Well, I had one such day a few weeks ago. I was delighted to come home to some really friendly faces!

. . . . and of course my sweet husband was there to greet me as well! :)

SMILE!!

2010-07-17T10:13:00.001-04:00

I work for a landscape company and one day was not going particularly well. On my way back from picking up a desperately needed mower part I saw this bed of Daylilies. I was stopped at a red light and it took me a bit to recognize the design of the bed across the intersection. For a moment I wished I had my camera with me. Then I realized that I did! I whipped it out of my lunch box (I have a lot more than just lunch in there!) and quick snapped this picture before the light turned green. I love how God gives us smiles during ordinary (or frustrating) days. May you find something to smile about today!

John Ball Zoo

2010-06-18T07:18:00.003-04:00

My husband and I took a trip to our local zoo this summer.

We saw Pelicans hanging out with ducks. Later we observed the Pelicans swimming. One of my husband's favorite animals are ducks.

Another of his favorite animals are penguins. One even went for a swim and a closer look at us!

This brown bear enjoyed observing us from the cool water.

This crow was interested in the crow sounds my husband made from a bird application on his I-Pod touch. We could tell he recognized the sound, but had trouble finding the crow making the noise! Other birds in another location were also interested in the sounds the device made.

We were able to pet some sweet and friendly baby goats.

We fed some birds. They were quite happy to perch on our sticks or a near-by branch and eat our offerings.

One of my favorite animals was this wolf. I know he looks like a fox, but it's a wolf. Unfortunately I do not remember his full name.

We also observed this recently created live wall. I'm sure it will look great once it grows in some more.

Summer Flowers

2010-06-12T16:17:00.000-04:00

A few weekends ago my husband took me to check out a local greenhouse. While there we purchased a hanging basket for our deck. Since we live in an apartment we don't have our own garden, but it is nice to have some summer color!

We also purchased this fun watering can to help me water.

Animal Friends

2010-03-20T16:55:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week I saw this guy peeking out. He wasn't shy and let me get several pictures. These were taken from inside my work truck and I zoomed in, but I was relatively close. He started out hiding in his "home", but it didn't take long at all for him to venture out. He never really left his "door", so he could still run to safety, should I pose a threat!

Last night my husband and I took a walk downtown so that we could enjoy the last day of warm spring-like weather before the snow came. We saw these two on a date. I think they are looking for a good spot for their nest.

Pasadena

2010-03-01T20:17:00.000-05:00

While visiting my sister in sunny CA, it was suggested that we take a trip to Pasadena. We viewed the beautiful City Hall while we were there. The building has a neat courtyard, but I didn't get any pictures of it. I'm sure it looks better in the summer when the roses are blooming!

We caught a glimpse of this lovely couple getting some wedding photographs taken at the scenic location.

This couple had a unique limo waiting for them!

Winterfest Fun!

2010-02-09T18:07:00.001-05:00

One of my very first posts was about the cardboard sled race that Grand Haven has during their Winterfest every year. This top picture is a collage of several of the sleds that participated this year (click on it to see the full collage). This time we decided to be a part of the race! My hubby's friend came up for a visit and joined in on the fun. We didn't want to spend much time or money on our sled, so we built the "Dutch Wonder". (We live in Dutch Country and the Dutch are known for thriftiness.) We didn't win our heat, but we had a good time, despite the cold weather!

Later we took our friend out to the pier; it's a must-see when you come to visit us! It was a sunny day but the temps started out in the single digits and got up to the mid 20's by the afternoon. We wore lots of layers and managed to keep from freezing. I actually got warm, hiking over all the ice at the pier! The week prior to this had seen strong winds, and freezing temperatures, so waves from the lake created an ice spectacle on the pier. Here you can see Tim having fun rolling a big ice ball into the lake. He likes to say that he "created a glacier" (albeit a small one)!

Winter in Michigan

2010-01-12T19:02:00.001-05:00

My friend came to visit last weekend. It was a sunny, but cold day. Sunny days are a rare winter occurrence for us this close to the lake. We took advantage of it by taking a walk. We bundled up and bravely made our way out onto the ice covered pier. I hope you enjoy these photos from our adventure.

Happy 2010 and F.R.O.G. Anniversary!

2010-01-01T17:04:00.000-05:00

Today marks the second anniversary of when I started my blog. Unfortunately this past year I posted even less than the year before. Other things were just more important and urgent I guess. Maybe I’ll do better this year. My husband finished his MBA degree, so I might have more access to our computer, we’ll see. I hope you enjoy this picture I took on the way home from a New Year's Eve party last night. A home in our neighborhood has done this for a couple of years, but this was the first time we were able to get a good picture of it. I love the tree and their sculpture work is great! As you can see, it was snowing out, we had a white New Year's Eve and Day. May your 2010 be a blessed year!

I'm still here!

2009-08-29T14:37:00.003-04:00

It's been awhile since I've had time to post anything. I don't have much to say, but I thought you might enjoy this picture. It's a Monarch Butterfly on a Butterfly Bush. How appropriate! I captured it last Sunday as my husband and I took an evening walk.

Happy Birthday!!

2009-05-01T16:23:00.006-04:00

Today is my husband’s birthday! I think he’s had a good one so far. Here’s a sweet birthday tribute from my aunt, “Gratefully Grammy”J

Happy Birthday to the one I love!!

Cherry Blossoms Welcome in Spring

2009-04-30T19:51:00.006-04:00

A few weeks ago I went to visit my brother in the land of Cherry Blossoms. Spring comes much earlier there than here. Our Cherry trees are just beginning to bloom now. Here are a couple of pictures from my trip. EnjoyJ

The Cat's Drinking Water

2009-03-28T11:44:00.012-04:00

Do you remember the "Kitty Cat Buffet"? At the same vet visit we were advised to give Bert distilled water to drink. Apparently he had crystals in his urine and it can be a very serious thing and distilled water should eliminate them from forming. So we bought him some distilled water. Bert often liked to change things up a bit and had generally been interested in drinking water from places other than his water bowl, even if the water came from the same place! Any puddle he could find was fair game, even water from the dish under house plants! He felt he must have a water dish in the bathroom (since we refused to let him drink toilet water!). We gave him a soap dish and he would let us know when it was empty, even if his other dish in the kitchen had plenty of clean water. Here is a picture of him drinking out of his "fish bowl" water bowl his grandparents got him. It was a pretty exciting bowl to drink out of! This other pic is the dish he insisted on in the bathroom!

When we made the transition to distilled water he was not pleased. It took Bert a while to get used to it and he was still under the assumption that the water in the bathroom was better, even though it came from the same jug as the water in the kitchen. He did eventually get better at drinking his water. One of his favorite times of night was when we would add water to our humidifier. When the water tank was removed it left a reservoir of non-distilled water for him to drink from and it wasn’t in a kitty cat bowl (so of course it tasted better). He would be in the other room and hear us remove the water tank and begin filling it in the bathroom. This would cause him to bolt into the bedroom and drink as much as he could until we came back and shooed him away by replacing the water tank. We attempted to video him doing this, since it was so cute and funny. He seemed to know that something was up and was not as quick to come running, but here is the best one we shot.

Remembering Bert

2009-02-21T22:21:00.003-05:00

A little over a week ago our beloved kitty cat, Bert, unexpectedly and suddenly passed away. We do not know the cause of his untimely death, he was only about five years old. I believe that he was the best cat ever! He is sorely missed as he provided a lot of joy in our home. I plan to post some pictures and stories to remember him by. He was a “people cat”. He loved being around people and was very friendly. As I said, he was the “best cat ever”! He loved us and we loved him!

This is one of the most recent pictures taken of him. He was unusually patient with us as we tried to get a good “Valentine” shot of him. I think he was finally getting used to the camera since I take so many pictures.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

This post is dedicated to my family who recently had to say goodbye to a beloved puppy dog. A special shout out to my mom who has always had a special place in her heart for Bassett Hounds:) Happy Valentine's Day with Love!

Bert and the Bible

2009-01-28T13:38:00.006-05:00

One of my husband’s Christmas gifts was this ESV (English Standard Version) Study Bible. Most mornings our cat, Bert, will sit on my lap as I pray and read my Bible. He’s a pretty spiritual cat, remember the nativity! That being said, Bert also liked this gift. Although it seems his favorite part of the new Bible was the ribbon bookmark . . .
Can you see the teeth marks?

The Nativity

2008-12-31T15:20:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite gifts this year was the Willow Tree Nativity (I actually received it twice!). I don’t have the whole collection yet, but I’m well on my way. Here is a picture of my cat reflecting on the Christmas story behind my Mother-in-law’s nativity (really, he just likes the view out the window, but it’s a nice thought, right?). As we move on from our Christmas celebrations and into the new year, may we remember Christ and His sacrifice the whole year through. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Kitty Cat's Buffet

2008-11-27T10:04:00.010-05:00

A couple of Saturdays ago, we took our cat, Bert, to the vet for his yearly check-up. When we left, the clinic gave us several samples of cat food to try. The next day we set out a ‘kitty cat buffet’ to see which food Bert prefers. Apparently, he prefers his regular food. By Tuesday afternoon, he had eaten up every last bit of his ‘regular’ food from his buffet and wanted more. He would repeatedly walk in to the kitchen and meow as if to say ‘please feed me!’

I pointed out to him several times that he had a buffet of food and plenty of water. Eventually he did start to eat the other foods. Here are his preferences based on which food he cleaned up first:
1. Regular Purina
2. Complete Health - Chicken
3. Healthy Weight - Chicken
4. Complete Health - Salmon
5. Dental Health
6. High Protein - Fish & Fowl
7. Indoor Health
He is visiting relatives this Thanksgiving and is happy that his parents brought only his regular food for him to eat. He’s excited about the possibility of some turkey too!

Happy Autumn

2008-11-14T17:22:00.004-05:00

To celebrate the changing seasons and hang on to autumn as long as I can I'm posting a pic of my fall decor. The large ‘jack-o-lantern’ (can you really call it that, since it’s not a face and there’s no actual holes?) was contributed by our neighbor. I think he did a great job with his design. His pumpkin is no longer displayed though. His door is the one on the left and ours is on the right. My parents gave me the small pumpkins and the Indian corn from their garden. How fun to have decorations grown by your own family!

Forbidden Apple

2008-10-26T16:46:00.004-04:00

For our fifth Anniversary, my husband and I enjoyed dinner at the 1913 Room in Grand Rapids, MI. It is the only restaurant in Michigan to have received the AAA five diamond rating. We had a wonderful time. Pictured here is our dessert, the “Forbidden Apple”. It is chocolate ice cream with a red candy coating and chocolate liquor inside, served with a small candied apple. This dessert is a special of the restaurant and quite tasty! As a special treat, the restaurant included an edible anniversary plaque (and complimentary champagne!).

West Shore Symphony Orchestra

2008-09-30T20:25:00.004-04:00

This summer I was able to attend a performance of the West Shore Symphony Orchestra (for free)!! I arrived early and got front row seats. I enjoyed the performance quite a bit. At one point the conductor taught us a little bit about conducting and then let some volunteers try it out. This short video is just one of the 'contestants'. Enjoy!!

Labor Day Bridge Walk

2008-09-30T20:15:00.003-04:00

One of my pics from my Labor Day activity: the 51st Annual Mackinaw Bridge Walk! It was my first time. My husband and I did it in under two hours (even though I stopped to take a bunch of pictures)!

Can't they read?

2008-08-30T06:37:00.004-04:00

It is almost the last day of August and if I want to keep up my pattern of posting, I need to post! Since I’m short on time; I’m leaving for the weekend soon, here’s an interesting picture I took this summer (interesting to me anyway). Enjoy!

Cardboard Testimonies

2008-07-27T14:31:00.004-04:00

My small group Bible study has been discussing passages from the book Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard, a book on the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew. Last week we discussed Matthew 5:22 “22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother [1] will be liable to judgment; whoever insults [2] his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell [3] of fire.” (ESV) According to Willard, “Filthy language and name calling are always an expression of contempt. The current swarm of filthy language floats upon the sea of contempt in which our society is now adrift.” Discussing these things made me realize how often I judge people on superficial levels, I don’t see people the way that God sees them. I saw this video on the blog of a friend of a friend later in the week and it caused me to think even more about how judgmental I can be, without even realizing it. God works in the lives of all sorts of people, who am I to judge those around me, especially those I don’t even know. I hope this video touches you in some way, for HIS glory.

American

2008-07-18T14:51:00.004-04:00

“I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free” is a line from a song that brings out the patriotism in me. Generally speaking, we have it pretty easy here in America. Our faith is rarely tested as it is in countries that don’t know freedom as we do. As we reflect on our independence let’s get out of our comfort zone and stretch our faith to see what God will do when His people believe. Here’s a video of some fireworks I watched to celebrate the independence of the United States of America.

Feast of the Strawberry Moon

2008-06-22T17:32:00.003-04:00

Last weekend my husband and I went to the Feast of the Strawberry Moon. It was held on Harbor Island in Grand Haven, MI. We have no idea why it is called the Feast of the Strawberry Moon. There was not enough food to call it a feast, we didn’t see any strawberries, and the event was during the day, so we didn’t see the moon either. What we do know is that it was a reenactment of life in the 1700s. People portrayed Native Americans, voyagers, crafts people, fur traders, and merchants. The most exciting part for us was one of the entertainment acts, a couple of juggling brothers. If you were a kid the candy cannon was pretty cool too. They had a small canon that they loaded down with candy and at appointed times kids would gather in the middle of the camp. A couple of men would shoot it off and candy went flying! Here's a video of the candy cannon. Unfortunately I shot it sideways and don't know how to edit it, so I guess you'll just have to tilt your head.

Great Lakes Kite Festival

2008-05-20T18:45:00.007-04:00

This weekend I went to a portion of the Great Lakes Kite Festival in Grand Haven, MI. It was a really cool event. I never realized that you could choreograph kite flying to music! This picture is of one of the kites that flew to a song. My husband took this video during the ‘mega flight’. Fifteen kites flew together. This choreography was not practiced beforehand as everyone with this type of kite was invited to join in. Everyone of course was experienced in flying kites.

Tulip Time!

2008-05-11T14:40:00.002-04:00

Every year Holland, MI has a tulip festival called Tulip Time. If you are interested in seeing lots of tulips, of all different varieties, you should definitely come! It’s a great way to welcome in spring. Last weekend I went with my friend Nichole, her mom, and her aunt. We visited all of the regular tourist locations. I had a lot of fun! This picture is from Windmill Island. You can visit the island throughout the year and get a tour of the windmill. If you are lucky it will even be in use when you are there!

Kingdom Kids

2008-04-13T15:36:00.008-04:00

The kids Sunday morning program at our church is called Kingdom Kids. My husband and I work with the four and five year olds on a rotating basis. Last week the story during our worship time was about Jesus ascending into heaven from Acts 1:1-11. "And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, ‘men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’’’ (Acts 1:10-11, ESV) After the story, the kids have a response time where they pray and reflect on what they learned by doing a craft or drawing a picture. Most of the pictures and crafts that week depicted Jesus rising through the clouds into heaven. We had many cotton ball clouds glued to the drawings! I took this picture at the beach last Friday. When I loaded it onto my computer and looked at it, it made me wonder if this is what it will look like when Jesus returns. I’m sure it will be more glorious than this, but what an awesome thought. He will come in the same way he left. What a sight it will be!!

Till We Meet Again

2008-03-22T14:54:00.005-04:00

This past week I found out that my best friend from college, Jennifer Lynn Noonan, passed away. She was a dear friend of mine and I will miss her terribly. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding along with my sisters. We were college roomates for two years and went throught a lot together. We shared a love of horticulture. I don't think I would have survivied the woodies class without Jen. I called her Noonan and she called me "G". She was always giggling and smiling. She had a real servant's heart. I know that she is in heaven and rejoicing there. Knowing that she must be so much happier in heaven than here on earth is a comfort to me. Who can imagine the wonders of heaven? Noonan visited me for a few days in January. When she was leaving she signed my guest book "Till we meet again". Little did either of us know when that would be. She also added "P.S. When you coming to see me?" Lord willing it will be quite some time before I 'come to see her'. When I do we'll have all of eternity to praise our Lord God together! May she rejoice in His glory and marvel at His love forevermore. Till we meet again.

Luge Races

2008-03-04T20:38:00.002-05:00

My husband and I went to a luge race on Sunday. Yes, that is right, luge. Muskegon, MI has one of the few luge tracks in the United States and it is open to the public. We didn't race, we've never been on a luge, you need training to go down it without injury. Watching them though made it look like we could do it too. I mean if a sled can go down on its own with no problems, can't we? Maybe next year we'll try. This is a picture of one of the racers.

Dreaming of Spring

2008-02-27T22:17:00.002-05:00

Triplets & Cardboard Sled Races

2008-01-28T12:04:00.007-05:00

Saturday my husband and I were watching the cardboard sled races during the Grand Haven Winterfest. It was very cold, but a lot of fun! We saw a set of triplets there. I am a triplet, so I thought I would go up an talk to the parents. Unfortunately I waited too long and they must have decided that it was too cold for the babies and left. Anyway, here's a picture. My mom never had a stroller like this! Of course I think you need a narrower one to get through doorways. Wouldn't it be fun to see someone jogging with this? Clear the sidewalk!

The New Year

2008-01-01T15:10:00.001-05:00

Well today I'm sitting around, not sure what to occupy my time with. I'm waiting for the Rose Bowl to start. My alma matter, the Fighting Illini, are playing in the game today. The first time since 1984! Anyway, I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and start my own blog. This year I hope to focus on fully relying on God (FROG). That's a hard thing to do in my opinion. Have a good 2008!