Mary, from  NINETEEN SIXTY SIX 1966  has donated one of her handmade bags and let me tell you, they’re awesome! Who doesn’t love a big bag??? FYI, this one’s mine, you’ll get to pick out your own from her Etsy shop. She’s continually adding more, so check it out often.

In order to be eligible to win one of Mary’s bags, you must do FOUR things (don’t worry, it’s easy).

First-Share this post onto your FB page. It’s easy, there’s a little “share” link below.

Second-Leave a comment on my Nana’s Empty Nest FB page and don’t forget to “LIKE” it!

Third-Go and “like” Mary’s 1966 FB page and leave her a comment (because it’s a nice thing to do).

Fourth and Final-Leave a comment below and let me know that you did all of the above. And if you want to tell me how cute I am in my baggy jeans and wrinkled blouse, feel free

Sounds like a lot to do, but really it will take you two minutes tops.

I’ll be choosing a winner randomly through “a number generator” on Valentines Day!

Good luck everyone!

I do think they made a nice little prop for day two of my Valentine’s macro challenge.

To help get me into the spirit of “the month of everything love and hearts and red” I decided to join with my friends, Summer Lacey and Evie Curley who are both awesome photographers, who are doing a Valentines Macro Challenge. Basically, I’ll  we’ll be shooting a macro Valentines day shot for the first 14 days of Feb. But, since I realized so late in the day yesterday that it was Feb, I guess I’ll be doing a 13 day challenge.

Here’s my day one: Kisses

In the last few days my husband and I have watched four movies by SHERWOOD PICTURES. We re-watched Fireproof, along with watching Flywheel, Courageous and Facing the Giants. These are all Christian based movies produced on a low budget (which may or may not be noticeable in the quality). These movies are definitely “feel good” movies with powerful messages. I highly encourage everyone (especially young parents) to watch these movies.

We also attended a farewell event for Kim Clary, founder of THE CORE. The Core is a youth group of sorts for our Eastside surfing youths. It’s been a place where they can hang out, attend events and get to know the love of God in a non-religious setting. To quote Kim, “Kids come to love Christ because they see Him modeled in the life of someone they respect. Someone who takes the time to go into their world and build a relationship with them. Through time and an intimate friendship, the love of Christ shines through in a very real and contagious way. Matthew 5:16 says – In the same way, let your light shine before men so that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  Complete Awesomeness!!

Upon Kim’s retirement from the Core, HOPE CHURCH will now be leading weekly events for the Eastside “Groms.” Many thanks to Hope Church and Danny Bennet for continuing to share God’s love. Isn’t this a perfect mission statement, “Santa Cruz Hope is a new church with chill style, real faith and no perfect people allowed. We promise to love you as is!” I love it!

Both my hubby and I loved it (as did my sister-in-law, her husband and their daughter). They stopped by to catch the end of the 49′er game with us and although they’d already eaten, they each helped them self to a small bowl. This recipe (especially the way I made it) made a huge amount, we’ll all be enjoying some this week.

Do you like Triscuits? Have you ever tried this type? Super Yummy!!

I’ve seen this posted on a few other blogs (I don’t know who started it) and it seemed more meaningful to me. And maybe, just maybe, I will embrace it more than I’ve embraced a resolution.

Choose one (yes, just one) word that you would like to have as your “word-theme” for the year. I saw this idea last night as I was lying in bed, blog browsing. I came up with my word and this morning I still thought this word would/could encompass my theme for this year.

Drum roll please…………..

I hope plan to be content in everything I have and do!

Now isn’t that better than a resolution?

I hope you’ll all take a moment to think about it and share with me your “word-theme” for 2012.

Blessings,

Renee

What is everyone up to?

It’s cold here in Santa Cruz and we’re expecting rain to start anytime now and last through the weekend. It’s okay though, we need the rain and I’m enjoying being at home. What’s not good about it is that the Niners play on Sunday with a home field advantage. It just might be a soggy game in San Francisco! I think it might be another soup weekend.

I’m still busy sorting and cleaning. It’s amazing the amount of stuff one gathers after raising a family. And now I’m collecting baby things again for the grand-babies. Have I told you that grand-baby #4 is due this June? Our middle daughter is having her second and they just found out yesterday that it’s another GIRL! Beckett is now the king of the cousins, with his 3 little princesses following closely behind. Four grand-babies in three years. That makes this Nana happy!

Are you afternoon snackers? What’s your favorite? My new favorite is biscotti and a cup of coffee. I’m a huge coffee drinker. Morning, noon or night, it doesn’t matter. A friend of mine has been making her biscotti for years for her own family and has recently began to share them with the world. You can find them HERE at Brevi Biscotti. Try them, they’re delicious. Crunchy, not too sweet and perfect for dipping!

I’m still busy sorting and cleaning (is that considered part of my quiet time)? I don’t know but it sure feels good to open clean closets and drawers.

I’m really enjoying cooking and baking. I tried another cookie recipe from my new cookbook and also made two huge pots of soup over the weekend. We’ve enjoyed some football. Go Niners!!

I heard this quote at church on Sunday and just love it!

“Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you can only spend it once.”  Lillian Dickson

Think about it, I mean REALLY think about it. Life is short, often shorter than it should be. What did you do today? Yesterday? Tomorrow? What kind of legacy do you want to leave? How do you want to be remembered? Are you satisfied with your life? Are you self serving or serving others? Are you cherishing and nuturing your relationships with family and friends?

And, cleaning out my closets reminded me of some yearly tasks: don’t forget to replace your smoke detector batteries and are you well stocked with supplies in case of an emergency (as simple as batteries & candles).

And a little photo to go with my quote….

I received a MOMOFUKU cookbook for Christmas from my youngest daughter. Momofuku is a Milk Bar Bakery in NYC  and is known for it’s unique approach to baking and desserts. We’ll be visiting NYC in March and I’m so excited to go to this bakery with my daughter.

I rarely follow recipes (but I love cookbooks) and honestly I rarely bake. I certainly do not need to eat baked goods and even when our girls were young, they weren’t huge sweet eaters and dessert was not a daily indulgence. I’d say that given the choice, ice cream or baked item, my family would have chosen ice cream. Don’t get me wrong, I love sweets and bakery items, I just know that making them at home and having them around is not good for the waistline (or hips or butt).

However, once in a while, I’m in the mood to bake, and that day was yesterday………

Knowing my love of corn, I went straight for the CORN COOKIES!

YUMMY! Buttery with a slight corn flavor! I know it sounds weird, but it works, trust me! The look and texture of them reminded me slightly of a Snickerdoodle, without the cinnamon sugar of course.

The recipe called to use a large cookie scoop, but since mine was smaller I knew it would mean adjusting the baking time. I wish I had reduced the time by another minute for a softer chewier cookie. Oh well, next time.

The nutritional values are not listed in the cookbook, so I found a website (www.sparkrecipes.com) and it will calculate the nutritional value for you. I don’t know if this is completely accurate, but I’m sure it’s close. Sadly, I won’t be eating many of these cookies

I’ve linked up over at Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust. Make sure and check out Michelle’s blog, I guarantee you’ll love it!