SEW up-to-date

Sorry for the lapse in posting - we've been pretty occupied at the McG household the past couple of months. I had a relatively major surgery on March 18th for fertility issues and Sean completed his first hectic semester of teaching + research. God showed Himself to be a shield, a sweet savior, and a tremendous source of strength to us this semester. We are very hopeful about the future because we trust in the compassionate and gracious God, who is slow to anger and abounds in lovingkindness and truth! He has good things in store for us ... naturally we have opinions on what these things should be and exactly how they should "play out," but we trust Him and surrender our strong will to His almighty will. His yoke is easy and His burden is light!

One thing that I've enjoyed doing the past few months is crafts. Not the popsicle kind, but hard core crafting. I'll tell ya that Hobby Lobby has made trillions off of people like me! Recent crafting began with painting - no pictures taken because they stink, then it shifted to cross-stitching for the niece & nephew, onto embroidery, and then (to save the best for last) sewing! The sewing machine is Sean's Grandmommy's, and I've convinced myself that it misses her skillful hands. Sometimes I wonder if it sighs when I enter the room.... Every once in a while, it burrs, "That a girl - way to sew that seam!" (Yes, I sometimes personify inanimate objects.) Here are a few pics to share - after all, what would a blog post be without a few pics? (the answer is b.o.r.i.n.g.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MICHAEL!

I've got chills, they're multiplyin'
'Cause today is a very important day.
For somethin'-somethin' many years ago,
my Michael was born, and that's somethin' to celebrate!

Yes, today is the birthday of a gentleman.
A dad whose keen skills of productivity
go hand in hand with quick humor
and a constant willingness to play fluffy-bunny.

Today is the day the Lord gave us Michael.
A man whom I dearly love.
He is the best father in the whole wide world;
and, for him, I thank the Good Lord above.


Happy Birthday, Michael!
Love,
Tara

A Psalm 19 Sky

Psalm 19: 1-6

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language

where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun,
5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens

and makes its circuit to the other;

nothing is hidden from its heat.

To our Georgia friends - we hope your sky looks like this soon! We're praying for you & your protection in the middle of the storm. Hunker down!

HApPy BiRthDaY, HuTcH!

Happy Birthday, Hutch!

Click below for a special B-Day song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AelmBI0sJ3A

We love you!
Unc & Aunt Ra-ra

(Hutch, our nephew turned 2 today. According to recent polls his current likes include cats and balloons. We are so excited to see him in a couple of weeks, and wish him a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!)

Practical Ingenuity

The typical hamburger bun package contains 8 buns. In our house:

2 people = 2 buns per meal

8 buns for two people = 4 meals

4 meals of buns = dinner boredom and carb overload

THEREFORE when I saw these at Kroger, I think I audibly said, "Oh my, no way! Someone, somewhere is a genius." To the practical genius, THANK YOU!

Taking Office

Not only was today a historic day for the US of A, but it was a special day for the McGuire household. At approximately 8:00 am, Texas time, Sean addressed his first set of citizens of ACCT 405 during this Spring semester. Could his speach be considered understated poetry? Well ... ACCT 405 is titled "Income Tax" .... However, with God all things are possible! Did he begin with a good ol' fashioned HOWDY AGS? How many uninterupted sets of laughter did he receive? I'll have to find out later tonight during my daily briefing. I'm sitting on the edge of the couch cushion, full of gratitude and praise. Thank you, Lord, for this great blessing!

Gotta get off the couch and into the kitchen ... the guest of honor will be home soon.

Snow Nose & Other Scooby Oddities

Do you remember those Hypercolor t-shirts that were popular in the late 1980's? They changed color in response to heat. I know that I had one, but I don't remember wearing it much. It was one of those things that was cool in theory, but not so pretty in practice. ANYWAYS, Scooby's nose is kind of like a hypercolor t-shirt. In the cooler months, it is pinkish. In the summer months, it's brown. This cool phenomenon is pretty common in labs, and is called a snow nose. I love it. After his paws and his sweet spot, it is my favorite physical feature of our bubs.

Here are a few photos that demonstrate not only the snow nose, but his personality...

"I'll settle for a little attention, but can I have my breakfast now, please?"

(Snow nose shot - taken last week.)

Ain't nothing better than a sand covered, long-haired 95lb dog.

(Brown nose shot - taken this past summer.)

And ... a few extra pics, just for the fun of it.

When Scooby needs to go outside, he does a funny thing that is a mixture of sighing, clearing his throat, and fake coughing. He used to body slam the door with his hips, which was pretty funny. This way of getting our attention makes us laugh, too. I'm not sure if the sound in the following video is good, but you'll get a visual idea.

Happy New Year!
Tara