Friday Favorites!

MG went to her first baseball games this week & as usual drew attention from people of all ages. She only arrived in the backpack - & as usual crawled out the window for her head - & went back in for the last few minutes we were there. Love me a good adventure with MG!

Friday Favorites!

Happy Friday!

I have to say it has been a delightful couple of days away from the computer & much of technology & enjoying the holiday weekend.

Here's a favorite moment of sharing the beater from mashed potatoes with MG to celebrate having her for 1 full year.

Ever since I was a little girl I've always liked mashed potatoes & I've always enjoyed the beaters, just like you would with cake batter. Don't worry, I also like the beaters after mixing cake batter too!

I've always had a special place in my heart for small dogs too. So it's only appropriate that potatoes & puppies come together, right?!

Friday Favorites!

While it's been a rather damp week here, MG has LOVED sitting outside for hours & hours. While the rain doesn't really seem to bother her, we are thankful for a roof over our front porch. Her love for the outside has gotten me out of the house more too & that's always appreciated.

Speaking of being wet, I have officially been nominated to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. My friend AN nominated anybody who watched her video last week & that was easy to ignore. However, last night my name was called out & tagged on at least 2 social media venues by my friends that I worked with at MLC. While I accept the challenge & donate to ALS research for better treatments etc., I simply want to acknowledge the numerous & diverse needs out there for donations to research for all diseases.

As the first child in the USA to have gone through treatment for 2 types - ALL & EHE - of cancer at the same time, I cannot ignore this need. I also cannot ignore this need because of stories like this one from my friend KJ. Whatever the cause may be, share your story!

Share your story. Your voice matters.

...and if ya want, dump a bucket of ice water over your head too.

Friday Favorites!

This little furball is my favorite. She is full of p&v & keeps our hearts growing & our feet moving.

Friday Favorites!

I know I know, most of you who follow me have prolly seeen enough Michi photos to last a life time. This past week though there was so much good that fit into Fridays I had to include this photo simply because it says "Happy Day!"

The first day of Spring, the slightly warmer temps, the adventure back to MI from hoosierland, the delicious turkey burgers we made last night, the changing ministry opportunities, & the connections I continue to make with friends new & old. All are favorites!

May your Friday be filled with many favorites too!

Tuesday Tea Time!

Credit given to Miss Voodoo's Tattoos

Tuesday Tea Time!

Today Tea Time comes with a snoring puppy pressed against my side. She's taken to her morning nap being on my lap or as close to me as she can get. Thankfully, I'm able to get a few things done despite the puppy's closeness.

It's so fun when I Google "Tea Time" for an image & up comes something I've never seen before! While I do have a couple of tattoos & have thought about getting another, I have NEVER thought about having a Tea Time tattoo.

This tattoo is rather impressive simply knowing how hard it is to keep hand/finger tattoos looking fresh. Each tattoo has a story & I would love to know more about this tattoo or the plethora of other tea time tattoos that show up on Google images.

Frown at the idea of marking up one's body permanently or embrace it, either way it's a piece of art that's not going anywhere.

That's a splash with Tuesday Tea Time! What's in your mug?

Tuesday Tea Time!

HAPPY TUESDAY TEA TIME!

  

It's another cold cold day appropriate for thick scarves, fleeced lined leggings, two pairs of socks, leg warmers, 3 top layers, & a cuddly puppy in your lap.

And of course on this negative degree day, the sun is shining & making me think I should go outside.

My tea today is Paris from Harney & Sons.

Yes, I have blogged more than once about how I don't drink caffeine very often. Well I now have gone to drinking one caffeinated tea drink in the morning. However, this is also influenced by the fact that none of my gifted teas this past holiday season are caffeine free. 

This rich vanilla flavored tea takes me on that adventure I wrote about last week for Friday Favorites. This is an adventure that gets me through my day. An adventure that allows me to listen to the still small voice & dream & sometimes escape life's present realities. This is sacred time.

Keep on adventuring more.

Spend time in the sacred places of your life.

Let the still small voice be heard.

Friday Favorites!

Meet MG!

I know, you're thinking, haven't you had her for a couple of months now? Well it took a couple of months & one of the coldest days of the Winter for us to call the groomer who naturally could squeeze her in on that sub-arctic temperature day.

AND NOW WE CAN SEE HER EYES!

Her fur was masking her true size & now we're reminded how truly little & young she is.

How were your eyes opened to a new light this week?

Sunday Snippits: Good, Bad, & Ugly!

Happy Sunday!

GOOD: Meet Michi Gander Nelson! We finally bought a puppy. We'd been wanting to for nearly two years, but didn't want to spend the money. We also thought we'd get a miniature schnauzer, but here's our sweet little shih tzu who will grow to be 10-12 pounds (maybe 15-20). This is definitely the highlight of the last week, but overall it was simply great. We traveled to IN & surprised Ma & Pa P, bought a dog, celebrated Thanksgiving with family & friends, did a little black Friday shopping (for the dog mostly) & got sent home with 8 pounds of butter. Yes, 8 pounds of butter, which currently totals 12.5 pounds of butter in our house. We better get to baking some holiday treats! AND today starts my favorite part of the church calendar - Advent!

BAD: Playing catch up after a few days away. Organizing e-mails because somewhere down the line people have gotten my personal, shared, & work e-mails confused, not to mention my former school e-mail which gets forwarded to my personal.

UGLY: Knowing people are hurting because of illness & poverty & hunger & there's not much one can do to help. This is more specifically for my good friend BMG who has dengue fever & a slew of other complications & is across the world with her husband of nearly 5 months & they're supposed to be there till next August. Prayers for healing are greatly appreciated.

WORD: Do you ever stop & wonder how God is at work in the world or in your life? Today we used the Old Testament reading as the Gospel reading & will be doing the same thing for all the Sundays in Advent & man o man it confused the readers. The Gospel is present through all of scripture. God is at work through all of us & all of creation.

Coming up:  Work, decorating, maybe some baking with all that butter! And of course some play time & snuggling with Michi!

Tuesday Tea Time!

So teacups are something I've collected for years. Seriously, since I was a little girl, possibly starting even in the late '80s. But my new fetish is teacup pigs! SO CUTE!

If they weren't so darn expensive I would've purchased one by now. However, Z & I are truly wanting to get a puppy & most likely a miniature schnauzer because they melt our hearts a little bit each time we see one. Plus, one of our first ever bonding points 4 years ago was that we both grew up with miniature schnauzers.
Ok, that's enough about the cuteness of these little piggys. But darn! They are C-U-T-E!

While my tea time this morning was a good travel mug full of goji berry tea & shared with these guys:

My afternoon tea was a mixture of Oregon Chai Sugar Free & Great Value Light Soy Milk, topped with a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice. While it's somewhat obviously the taste of sugar free & light, it's still delicious & just a bit healthier than the usual.

Tuesday Tea Time is always bringing fun things to my life. I hope it's the same for you! Even if you're one of those non-tea drinking people. I respect this, but I don't get it. Tea is such a thing of community, history, & connection to the larger world that I've been blessed to travel, that I can't help but love it!

One other thing I want to mention in this Tuesday Tea Time, so that I don't forget, is that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. I shared this photo on instagram a week or so ago:

As a 2x childhood cancer survivor, I remember all that this has meant for my life & my family. It's crazy to be alive to tell the story! Having cancer, not only once, but twice, & two separate kinds - one very rare & commonly found in elderly men - is a huge part of the reason I daily count my blessings. Even when my blessings are as small as encountering begging ducks in the Big Boy parking lot.

So Tuesday Tea Time: teacup pigs, begging ducks, & childhood cancer. There ya have it!

How'd you spend your Tuesday Tea Time?!