Twenty Five is Nice

Last week, I celebrated a quarter of a century of life! It was a lovely day, March 24th, full of sunshine and warm breezes...and presents! :) My parents have put this sign out in the front yard for me every year for as long as I can remember - I have pictures in front of it with teeth missing, with bangs, and with the fabulous perm of 1995 (10 was an "off" year). But all of them have been special because I've been so blessed!

The Marballi's - some dear friends of our from our church- took Kenny and I out to dinner last week (just before my birthday) and to the Cincinnati Symphony - which was breathtaking - and gave me this fabulous traditional Indian Saree because we all share a love of Indian Food! (Her husband is from India, where the dress came from.) In any case, I couldn't wait to wear it and decided my birthday would be the perfect time! Dad picked up my traditional birthday request - Indian Food - and I was arrived ready for the event!! Isn't it fabulous?! :-)
Yes, I did wear it most of the evening...complete with the Bindi (dot on forehead) which signified that I was married :-)
Papa and Nana got me a bird watching book! Woot!
Mom and Dad bought me this adorable birdcage necklace from fossil - which I have worn 3 out of 4 days since I received it ;) (Can you sense a theme?)
My hubby and I enjoying the Springy outdoors...
Mom made my favorite dessert...CREAM PUFFS. And they were decadent. And I had two. hehe.


Sweet Poppy and Nana...I love them! (Note the beginning of the necklace obsession.)

Twenty five years. God is so good :)

The Toy that Lasted a Day

I passed this delightful toy perusing the pet aisles at Target and found I could not, in fact, go home without it. The abdomen has a squeaker, the wings are stuffed with some sort of crinkly plastic that makes noise, and the head and bottom of the bug have a rope toy to chew on. It was a hit...for 4 full hours. Currently, it's in 4 pieces, but all in all, it was totally worth it, and made my girls quite happy for its short-lived existence here in the Sinclair household. Thank you, darling colorful bug!

Leona gnawing in ecstasy...

They share so well ;)

Happy Spring, to all!

Honoring Mom

Many of you have been praying for my mom since she discovered in November, after an annual mammogram, that she had breast cancer. What a journey these past 4 months have been - and what a faithful God we serve! After two lumpectomy surgeries, mom began radiation treatment therapy two weeks ago. She will have 6 weeks total, and is doing beautifully. (We praise God she does not need chemotherapy!) Not only does she look radiant, but the Joy of the Lord is her strength - and it shows through and through. What a legacy.

During mom's two surgeries, we were overwhelmed by the cloud of witnesses that surrounded us with support in tangible ways. Both times, we filled up the waiting room with upwards of 25 visitors each time! Friends brought coffee, bagels, doughnuts and warm hugs - showering us with love and support. They helped the time pass quickly and went before the throne of grace with us as we prayed for mercy, and healing.

After the surgery, when we told mom who had come to visit (i.e. after the vicodin wore off...), she joked that she was sorry to miss out on the party. This gave our good friend, Mary Dudrow, the idea to have a Brunch in mom's honor - it would include all the women who had visited her in the hospital - and mom wouldn't miss the fun this time! Mary has the most incredible, historic, Victorian home (which she and her husband re-habbed to perfection), and was so kind to open it to our family and friends. Here are some pictures from the grand event!


Mary and Mom

Reflecing on God's promises...

Leisel - the photogenic pooch :)




Seriously...how cute is she?


Delicious roasted tomato basil soup, pizza, and salad!

I want to marry this Viking stove...


Joy!



"The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." - Psalm 126:3

Birdwatching & Corned Beef

I've always loved birds.

The day I came to know Christ personally - the day I asked Him into my heart - I was 4 years old and I had found a dead sparrow in the backyard. As I prodded it with a stick, I asked mom in earnest if this bird was in Heaven; she kindly told me it wasn't, and explained that birds did not have souls. She went on to explain how humans are different from birds or animals in that they have eternal souls - and the mystery of reconciliation. That warm spring day in 1989, my heart found God to be very real, and very present; I invited Him to be Lord of my life. Of course, it has looked different for me as I have matured from the precocious age of 4 to the age of 24. But the Lord has used the idea of a Sparrow to minister to me throughout my walk with Him. Specifically, verses in Matthew 10 when Jesus is sending out His disciples, who were afraid:

²⁶"So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. ²⁸Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a penny^d]">[d]? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. ³⁰And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

I matter to the Creator of the Universe. He has counted my hairs, and created my inmost being. He has bought me at the highest cost, and has called me His own. Hallelujah!

And on that note...we have invested in bird feeders! :) They are are new source of entertainment...and are enjoyed by us almost as much as they are relished by Emma and Leona. Especially Leona, whose current soul delight in life is to make us aware of any squirrel that should intrude on our feeders.


Kenny and I bought the feeder above first, but Squirrels were mooching all-to-easily, and we bought our second feeder: THE SQUIRREL BUSTER! Which worked for 3 uneventful days, until Fatty McButterpants went all "Mission Impossible" on our feeder...*sigh*
I carry the torch now for a Sinclair family tradition: St. Patrick's day Dinner! Traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage, potatoes, carrots and Irish Soda Bread! Sinclair is an Irish name, and Jeanette (Kenny's mom) cooked this most March 17ths :) We had my parents, grandparents, Jon and Abigail over and it was a great night!




65 degrees here today! It's pansy time here in Cincinnati and I potted some arrangements for our home in the beautiful Spring sunshine. Kenny was tearing down the rotted fence in the back to make room for the new Kentucky Board Fence we have going in soon! (Thank you, tax return.) I figured I'd make myself useful around the house as well...perhaps I have a green thumb??? (to be continued...)



"Y'all come back now...Ya hear?" :)

Paper-cutters & Photographs

Happy March to you! Our forecast promises abundant sunshine and 50 degree weather this weekend...and I am ever-so-hopeful :) Kenny is working a 64 hour work week and I'm keeping busy at work and with some additional freelance design work. I've been doing a lot of that recently, and, after spending way too much time mooching off of Kinko's and the church, I finally talked myself into purchasing a decent paper-cutter! I'm probably more excited than I should be about office equipment, but I'm okay with that :) Here she is:

...and I got the cutter just in time to finish up these Baby Shower invitations for my dear friend, Kim (Greer) Barker who is having her first in May! She is decorating the nursery in a woodland animal theme, and came up with this cute idea!

Other than paper-cutters (chuckle), another thing that brings me joy is shopping at Trader Joe's! I always set aside lots of time when I shop there because I enjoy meandering around, tasting their coffee samples, and checking out their new products and packaging! One item they had two weeks ago was this Weeping Pussy-willow, which I plopped right into the cart with little arm-twisting ;) Kenny and I have enjoying watching it bloom over the weeks and here it is today...almost through blooming, but still whimsical!

I've also been enjoying the Scentsy plug-ins given to me by Kenny's family and friends from the west coast! They are the coolest inventions...and have saved us a lot of money on candles! They come in plug in or table-top warmers and you can buy packets of various scents to go in them. Currently we have Holiday Chai in our bathroom and Mochadoodle in the kitchen! Visit their site here for a list of their products: www.scentsy.net. If you're interested in purchasing any, let me know, and I'll direct you to a sweet friend of mine who is a seller!! (kind of like Mary Kay.)

Kenny gave me an early birthday present today, too: a "Life is Good" tire cover! Now I'm really representing the West Coast with my LIG gear, Human Bean and Multnomah Falls bumper stickers ;) (Please disregard my disgusting winter-beaten SUV)...

And of course...here are my girls - they are getting tired of me following them around with a camera - they wonder what that strange "clicking" noise is ;)

LEONA:


EMMA:



"Spring has returned. The earth is like a child that knows poems. " -- Rainer Maria Rilke