Cute Gerbils

We have the cutest two gerbils in the world. This picture, that I took today, is proof of that fact.

Christmas Cards!

All I have to say is I love getting Christmas cards! Its so fun to hear from people that I love, but I don't get to talk to as much as I would like. Everyday I rush to get our mail to see who we got cards from. Needless to say this is a very big deal to me. My hubby on the other hand does not see what the big deal is. :-) We have been putting the Christmas cards on our door to make our home look more festive.

Nappy Hair

I'm having issues with my hair. For the past few weeks all I have been doing is throwing it into a pony tail holder and running out of the house. Here is the root of the problem (pardon the pun) I have very thick wavy hair. I know some people would die for this type of hair, and at this point I would be willing to trade hair with them. It takes FOREVER to dry. Most nights I blow dry it about 1/2 dry, and then let it air dry the rest of the way. And the result? A wavy puffy mess, that I pull back in a pony.

So last night I decided I wanted bone straight hair, like Lucy Liu. (see picture below) Seeing that I'm not Asian I knew this was going to be a challenge, but I was up for it.

First thing I did was blow dry my hair straight. Then I took a flat iron to it. My very dear hubby even did the back for me! How cool is he? This whole process to entirely WAY to long. Below you will see pictures of the end result. It's sorta, for the most part, straight. But not Lucy Liu straight. I will have to keep working on it.

So I feel like I'm left to the conclusion that I have nappy hair, and I will forever have nappy hair. If you have not read the book Nappy Hair, I would suggest going to the library and reading it now. It is a great book.

Red Hot Ballroom

Tonight Donnie and I watched Red Hot Ballroom on DVD. I knew even before I watched it that I would love it because it combines my two favorite things. Kids in the inner city, and dance. So the movie takes you inside a few different New York City schools to watch 5th graders learning to ballroom dance. Their goal is to win the championship for the whole school system. And it was great! These kids can really dance!

The best part is that they are exposing kids to something that they would never have a chance to do other wise. It is something that every kid in the inner city should have a chance to do. Go rent this movie! :-)

Santa!

On Sunday Donnie and I went to see Santa at the Village in Rochester Hills. Donnie was not too happy about this but my mom made him do it. So, we went to go see Santa, and he was SO nice. He chatted with us for a bit, wished us warm wishes, and gave us candy canes! I think he was the REAL Santa! Not just one of his helpers!

Busy Weekend

This weekend....like the past few...have been a bit crazy. Here's a recap of the weekend.

Friday.....Long day at work...oldest girl had the flu. That's all I have to say about that :-( Then I had to pick up Donnie at Sears because his car was being fixed. Don't ask me what was wrong..I think he told me about 10 times, but I don't remember. Then my dear friend Carrie had a Christmas party. It was great to be with a big group of girls like that!

Saturday.....Donnie and I went out to breakfast. (with a coupon I might add) This was so nice, because we have not done this in so long. Then I went to Rochester for a girls afternoon there. It was nice being with friends that I don't get to see very often now. :-( Saturday night Donnie and I spent the night with my parents so we could be at Kensington in the morning.

Sunday...Donnie and I got kids sponsored for Christmas at Kensington. Then headed back down to Detroit. I will post more about Sunday in another post.

And do I have pictures of any of this? No.

Target vs. Gap

Today I was doing some online Christmas shopping for some little ones, and I thought clothes would be a good idea. These little ones have more toys than they know what to do with, so I thought this would be a nice alternative. (side note: I just wanted to get these little ones something simple and small.....cheap :-) )

My first stop on the web was at Gap kids. I have always thought they have super cute things, but I have never actually shopped there. I found it was really expensive. For example, I thought this sweater was super cute, until I looked at the price...it was $34.50. I rarely spend that much on my sweaters!

After that, I decided that I'm too poor for Gap kids, and I headed over to Target. There I found much more of what I was looking for. The above top is what I bought for the 4 year old, and it was was on sale for $6.29! You can't beat that! I also got a very similar shirt for her older sister. For the baby I got the shirt posted below for $5.59

Now, I know the Gap clothes are probably better made and will last a longer time than the Target clothes. However, kids grow so fast that I'm sure they will out grow the clothes before they wear out, even if they are from Target.

Clean (well cleaner) Closet

After looking through the IKEA catalog I got inspired to organize our closet. (A side note about IKEA, I LOVE their stuff, but I don't like the store so much. Too big, too much stuff, too many people. Every time I leave I'm cranky and have to have ice cream.)

So I went to Meijer and got some containers for the upper shelves, and I think they worked out great! I labeled each container with the contents so things are easy to find. I hope the closet stays this clean, although I don't think it will happen. hahahaha

Christmas Party

Tonight was the Christmas tutoring party at City Mission. Although my tutoring girls were not there, and the weather was horrible, I was there with bells on. I feel like the whole neighborhood was there also. I was delighted to see so many new faces. The party is for the tutors, and their students. However, this year many other members of the community came out for a good time. How great is this? Whole family's came together! This is something that not happens too often. I got the pleasure of taking home a large family, and they were so grateful. Gratefully that people were kind to them, and gave them food.

I live in Detroit to see a community changed. How does one change a community? I could name off some text book answer, but I think comes down to pizza, carols, and cupcakes.

Saturday Night Date

Yesterday Donnie and I spent the evening roaming around downtown Rochester. They have this MAJOR Christmas lights display in which all the store fronts are covered top to bottom in lights. Telling about it in words can not to it justices. It is really cool. I tried to take some pictures, but as you can imagine, this was not an easy task. We had dinner at Red Knapp's (a 50s diner), and then when to Starbucks for hot coco. It was so cold out, but we had a great time!

Doggie Treats

This weekend has been all about getting ready for Christmas. I have been making, wrapping, and baking gifts. I had the most fun baking for the dogs on my Christmas list. As most of you know, I'm a huge animal fan. And I feel that animals should not be left out of Christmas fun. So, I made them all doggie treats. I made up some labels on the computer, got some boxes and bags, and now I can check the dogs off my Christmas shopping list. I'm adding some pictures of what I came up with.

If you have a dog and are looking for the perfect gift, let me know and I'll whip up some treats!

Below are some pictures of the finished product. Inside each box I put a bag of 9 treats.

Weekend Away!

This weekend my hubby and I are going to my parents house! And know what the best part is??...my parents won't be there!!! ha ha ha Just kidding. My parents are away for the weekend, so we get to have a quiet weekend out of the city. How nice is that?!? My mom, being the best mom there ever was, even bought food for us to eat! How great is that!

Normally when we go to my parents we barely take anything with us. I have a toothbrush, clothes, etc all there. However, this weekend, I feel like we are taking everything but the kitchen sink. Donnie and I both have projects that we want to work on over the weekend. The picture gives you an idea, but there is even more stuff in the car!

Super Mario Brothers Rule!

Donnie has a Super Nintendo that him and I play all the time. ( I know...this is very old school...but very fun) I'm hooked on Super Mario Brothers 1, but I can't beat it!!!! I can get to level 7-3, but that's it. I could not beat it when I was little...can't beat it now. sniff sniff sniff. However, I am determined to beat it! Does anyone have any tips? Does anyone even remember this game? hahahaha As if you need proof, the picture was taken tonight, with me highly into the game.

Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays

Recently I feel that there is a war going on between people saying "Merry Christmas" vs. "Happy Holidays". Most of the media I'm exposed to is from a Christan world view (blogs, radio) and are very into the whole "Merry Christmas" thing.

As for me, I say "Happy Holiday's", and this is why. This time of year is full of holidays, thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, just to name a few in the Christan tradition. So when I say happy holidays to someone I have all the bases covered, not just Christmas. Also, I would feel wishing someone a Merry Christmas on Nov. 29 is a bit extreme. So it's "Happy Holidays" for me!

However, if you disagree with me, you can wear this t-shirt, I found here.

Tutoring Fun!

On Tuesday nights I tutor at City Mission where I used to work. I have the joy of picking up Caci and Jami, taking them to City Mission, tutoring them, and taking them home. This whole process brings much joy to me. No matter how tried I am, or if I have had a bad day tutoring always makes me smile.

I have known Caci and Jami for many years now, and they actually sat at the head table at our reception. Caci is the older of the two with the dark hair, and Jami is the one standing. These pictures were taken at my wedding reception by Dionne Haglund of The Shooting Gallery photography

Sermon Notes

Today at church they started a new series called "Holiday Hurdles", and Sunday was on Anxiety.

It is said that people worry about things that never happen more than they worry about anything else. But Jesus says "Why are you so afraid? You have so little faith!" Matthew 8.24

Don't forget Jesus-Jesus is the best means to attack your anxieties

How do we get rid of anxiety?

Remember to pray the word of God

Remember specifically what God had done for you in the past

Remember to invite others who have faith in Jesus in your storm

Black Friday at the Zoo

Donnie and I needed to get some fresh air today, so we decided to go to the Detroit Zoo. My mom got us a membership a couple of month ago. Because the weather was cooler there were not many people there, and the animals were really active. The polar bears, Donnie favorite, were just playing and having a great time. We got some great pictures.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I should be in Ohio...

Well..the plan was to spend this weekend in Ohio, like I have spent almost 100% of my past thanksgiving. However, my stomach had other plans. Needless to say 7-Up has become my best friend. Therefore, Donnie and I are home in our apartment this thanksgiving. However, we are going over to his foster parents for dinner tonight. I hope my stomach will be okay with that!

Ghost of Cockroach Past

So when I posted the picture of our living room on Monday, I noticed something. There is ball of light beside our red rug. Because my hubby is into ghost stories, and things of that nature, the first thing I said was "its an orb"

People in the ghost hunting world say that this is the energy of a spirit. I found some examples online.

However, my hubby and I believe that what we got in this picture is the ghost of cockroach past. The other night a cockroach had come to visit us. Living in the ghetto this is not uncommon. Although to people living in the ghetto a cockroach is the most feared bug in the world. Seeing that I'm not from the ghetto, a bug is a bug in my opinion. I'm not one to kill bugs (who would support their families?), however Donnie was convinced that we had to kill it. So he killed it, and now we have the ghost of the cockroach in our apartment! See what happens when you kill bugs?!