Saraa Ann Misheel

I didn't blog yesterday because I was a little busy......

I was awakened at 7:20 with THE phone call. We rushed down to Pasadena. Arrived at about noon. My twelfth grandchild, my third granddaughter was born at home at 2:10. She is named after her TiTi (Sarah), but with a Mongolian spelling. Saraa is "moon" in Mongolian. Her first middle name is my middle name. Misheel is "smile" in Mongolian. Apparently, she is either a smiley moon or a moonlit smile!

She weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz. and is 21 inches long. She is perfectly adorable.



I will be staying here to help out for awhile. If I can find time between washing dishes, laundry, and hugging six children, I will be popping in to let you know about the joys in my life!

Field of Daffodil Dreams

Sometimes you find the most delightful things in the most obscure places.

I've been spending a great deal of time at the Veterans Hospital. It is where my father sees his personal physician and due to some severe health problems, has recently been hospitalized. We did make the four-hour round trip again yesterday and so I was reminded of THE daffodils. A few visits ago, we went behind a door where we have not been before. They sat us off to the side in a corner where you could tell was not usual sitting. From that corner we got a special look behind some booths. I had to sneak out my camera.


My special kind of Field of Dreams....

Smooth Lines

"...I think I'd miss you even if we never met."

"I'd rather fight with you than make love with anyone else."

The Wedding Date (2005)

Premio Dardos Award

Thank you to Homespun Simplicity for honoring me with this award! This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day. I am honored to be the recipient!

I truly am honored, but I do have to confess that this award completely slipped by me. I found it the other day in my inbox. Karen gave this award to me on October 29! I have apologized to her, but it still seems fitting that I make my apology public. I am sorry. I hope it doesn't reflect any disrespect on my part. I am flattered and appreciative. Thank you.

The rules to follow are:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person that has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to other 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Fifteen? Wow. I'll try. Here goes:

1. Daja at in other words... -- for cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values

2. Serena at And By The Way -- definitely for her personal values!

3. Bonnie at Extended Hope -- for cultural and ethical values

4. Josh at Death Becomes Me -- for cultural (or anti-cultural), ethical, and personal values

5. Karin at Yesterday, Today, Forever- for literary and personal values

6. Leona at OUT of my brain -- for ethical and personal values

7. Serven Clan -- for cultural and literary values

8. Ruthann at Warm Pie, Happy Home -- for cultural and personal values

9. Sandy at 4 Reluctant Entertainers -- for cultural and personal values

10. Mrs. June Fuentes at A Wise Woman Builds Her Home -- for cultural and personal values

11. Jenny at little jenny wren -- for cultural and literary values

12. Ann at Holy Experience -- for cultural and personal values

13. Vicki at Best Posts of the Week -- for helping us all find those posts with value!

14. Lady Lydia at Home Living -- for cultural values

15. Rhonda Jean at down to earth -- for cultural and ethical values

Whew! I did it! Please, do not confuse this list with "my favorite blogs". That list would be quite long and would definitely include you. Nor is it a list of the top fifteen. These are in no way in any prioritized order. Whether within the list itself or from my massive bloglines list.

Our Christmas Party

Last year we threw a 60's Retro Christmas Party. This year, the theme was "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas." Complete with Bing crooning in the background.

And Irving Berlin's White Christmas playing silently on the television, Rachel Ray style.

I decorated white on white. White lights, white tree, white everything. My favorite was the tree. The picture doesn't do it justice. Unfortunately, most of the ornaments don't show up through the lens of the camera.

But, it was still a pretty photo-op.

Snowflakes and white doilies showed up everywhere...

Fake poinsettias...

...and real paperwhites.

Many guests dressed in white....

And JOY was a prominent theme the whole evening...

Making Everyday Memories

Some of the most memorable times and things in life are the everyday things -- the things that are happening almost without you knowing it or understanding the significance. The things our children will remember may not be the extravagant birthday party or the expensive Christmas gift. It is probably more likely that they will someday tell their children and grandchildren about the doughnuts Papa always brought by or the little driveway rides Papa gave them on his motorcycle.

Or maybe how Nana and he always shared sushi.

Our Family Vision

Happy New Year!

A few weeks ago, after a comment left about our family vision hanging in our bathroom, I said that I would post about visions soon. So, in thinking about visions this morning, I searched my own blog to see if I had ever said anything about the subject. I guess I'm even more forgetful than I thought! *shaking my head* I have mentioned visions several times during the last year! I also showed my family vision on display in our entry way in Valentine Decor. It is usually displayed two places in our home -- close to the front of our house and in the bathroom guests use. (When the kids were home, it was their bathroom.) In Putting It All In Order, I talked about my personal vision. On New Year's Day last year in Directing Our Days, I challenged you to write your own personal vision and gave you a few pointers on how to do so.

So, that leaves me with little to say on the subject now! So, I thought I'd just share with you our family vision. If you don't have one, I encourage you to sit down with your husband and give yourselves the gift of some direction in this life you are living and this family you are nurturing. Remember, a vision is not the same as your list of goals. That list is how you will fulfill your vision -- the blueprint of your life.

I do want to put out a warning. Vision needs to come from the top -- the head of the family. It will not work if you put one together and then expect your husband to follow it. If he doesn't "catch the vision" of the importance of having a written-out vision, don't push it. Pray, write your own, and let God work on him. I'm sure you've figured out by now that it always works better if God works on him than if you do!

Apparently, our vision was typed out on my husband's long-gone office computer, so I am having to re-type it. In doing so, I see some revisions I would like to see made. So, that might be a subject in tomorrow's yearly meeting of the minds! But, for now, here's our vision:

Let it be known to the Abdelaziz home
and all those who enter herein:

This is a Christ-centered home --
A place where everything revolves around the love of God.

We see:
God as the Head of this house, because it is God's house.

We see:
The Word of God being read openly everyday in this house.

We see:
This to be a place where people can be saved and healed.

We see:
This home striving to be a place of holiness and forgiveness;
and, therefore, will be a place of divine happiness.

We see:
This to be a home where hatefulness will not be excused
and vulgarity will not be tolerated.

We see:
The Abdelaziz family being blessed and prospering
and the miraculous being common place.

We see:
The Abdelaziz family standing out in a crowd
and the love of God being seen in them.

We see:
The Abdelaziz family attempting great things for God
and expecting great things from God.

We see:
Biblical fulfillment in this home
where the blessings of God are in abundance.