Lately . . .

Every year, since I was a kid, my mom would have a little gift for my five brothers and I for St. Nick Night. My grandma always added to it a little something, along with an ornament for each of us. Every year, my brothers and I hang our ornaments from Grandma on the tree and they are a reminder of the special years we shared with her while she was alive. When Sophi was born, my mom decided to start her own "ornament every year from Grandma" tradition. So this year, Sophi got a little St. Nick treat, along with "ornament #2" from Grandma and Grandpa Ullmer. Thanks, Mom, for continuing this special tradition with your grandkids.

My friend Lori and I are enjoying being pregnant together. She's due just 6 weeks before me.

Last week, Jason and I had our leadership team from Water City over for a Christmas Dinner (not everyone made this particular photo - busy playing the Wii, I think).



After dinner, I forced/ strongly encouraged everyone to join me in a very fun and creative project - making our own ornaments. Here you can see the how much everyone enjoyed the 2 hour process of shoving tiny pins into styrofoam balls after threading them with beads and sequins.

We love you, Sophster!

from Madeleine L'Engle

I picked up a book of L'Engle's poetry (The Ordering of Love) for a couple bucks a few weeks back. Best find of the season... (sorry Bebo).

“The Risk of Birth, Christmas, 1973”
Madeleine L’Engle

This is no time for a child to be born,

With the earth betrayed by war & hate

And a comet slashing the sky to warn

That time runs out & the sun burns late

That was no time for a child to be born,

In a land in the crushing grip of Rome;

Honor & truth were trampled by scorn –

Yet here did the Saviour make his home.

When is the time for love to be born?

The inn is full on planet earth,

And by a comet the sky is torn –

Yet Love still takes the risk of birth.

Christmas tree . . .

Two weekends ago, we took advantage of a semi-warm day and went to cut down a tree. We found a great little farm that had a horse-drawn wagon, cookies, cider . . . all the essentials. We all had a great time. And yes, the tree may be slightly crooked. :)

More from November . . .

Daddy and Sophi playing - what they do best together.



Thanksgiving at my parents' - buffet style to accommodate the Packers/ Lions game.

The annual Ullmer family photo.

Christmas baking the day after Thanksgiving with my mom and sister in law.

just some pics of the little lady

Lately Sophi has gotten into lounging on the couch. Who doesn't love to curl up with a good picture book?


We all have our temptations... the clock is Sophi's. I think it's those little numbers.


Finally, a prayer that the Lions would turn things around.

Bebo... we haven't given up on you.

We were introduced to Bebo Norman very early on in his career. Ten Thousand Days was/is a fantastic album... since then they have been not so great.

Bebo just released a Christmas cd "Christmas...from the Realms of Glory". It is worth checking out. Mostly because it is pretty hard to slip in a cheesy love song when it's a holiday disc. Looking for something to balance out your melancholy Sarah McLaughlin "Wintersong"? This ones for you.

Bebo, are you finally coming home?

November so far . . .

Here are some photos from the past few weeks . . .



We traveled to Port Huron, MI (where Jason grew up) earlier this month to celebrate his Grandma Ev's 80th birthday.

While we were there, Jason insisted on taking a detour to drive by the church he grew up attending - Marysville A/G.



The two maple trees in front of our house were just gorgeous.

Jason and I took Sophi to the holiday parade here in Oshkosh. She loved it. Also, we ended up standing right behind the announcer's booth for the local cable access. Seeing yourself on TV cheering for floats and marching bands never gets old - as we're discovering at least three times a week when they re-air the parade here locally.

Sophi has taken a new interest in hair styling. You can imagine the look of disappointment on her face every time she approaches Jason with a brush.

now arriving...

How you know you've arrived...


http://calendar.oxfamamerica.org/events/black-gold-screening

Black Gold Screening Tonight

"Trade is more important than aid." States one African leader at the World Trade Organization meeting a few years back. Tonight we are going to be exploring how, as Western consumers, we fit into this equation and what difference we can actually make. Black Gold is a fantastic film that brings much needed attention to some issues surrounding Ethiopian coffee growers, Fair Trade and justice.

The public is invited to join in, this is something we each can play a part in.

Important information...

When: 7:00pm (10/25/07)
Where: 210 Commerce St. Suite 300 (enter behind Great Estates downtown Oshkosh)
Cost: Free
Discussion to follow.

We should be done before 9:00pm.

My Ladies

Just some pics of my two favorite ladies - that's all.

Water City Film Screening (Black Gold)

Why would a church be screening a documentary about Fair Trade? What does this have to do with faith?

Water City has said that we believe in a God of movement. We understand the story of the Gospel to mean that God is very much interested in issues of justice, compassion and faithfulness (not simple sin and judgment). That God is at work restoring his creation... a work he invites his followers to join him in.

Is being paid a livable wage for growing coffee a spiritual issue? It is.

And so we've picked up the rights to publicly screen the documentary Black Gold. The community event will take place Thursday, October 25 at 7:00 pm in downtown Oshkosh. Previously featured on PBS’s Independent Lens, Black Gold is a 2006 documentary film that explores the international coffee trade and its ramifications for the farmers who grow coffee. The screening will be followed by a short group discussion. Open to the public. No cost.

Is this some Billy Graham switcheroo movie? No. Just a compelling documentary that we hope will inspire all of us to be agents of change.

EVENT DETAILS:
Location: Loft space - 300 Commerce St., suite 300 (behind Great Estates downtown) Oshkosh, WI 54901
Time: 7:00 PM (run time approx. 77 minutes)
Cost: Free
Presented by: Water City Church
Purpose: to raise public awareness of issues surrounding Fair Trade

Here we go again . . .

It's getting harder and harder to keep this a secret and since the news seems to be leaking out anyway, we decided to just tell everyone that . . .

WE'RE HAVING ANOTHER BABY!!!

If all goes well, we'll be welcoming another little one into our family sometime around the 19th of May. So far, I've been feeling great and we couldn't be more excited!

The Porch Re-Do

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to give our front porch a makeover. It took about a day to paint the floor, make a trip to Hobby Lobby, and pull together a few odds and ends. Since finishing it, we've all been spending a lot of time sitting out and enjoying the mild weather. Sophi especially enjoys the new porch swing (thank you, Carig's List - $10!).





before . . .






after . . .













cheap wall art idea . . .

Go the the scrapbooking store and buy some artistic paper (I paid $.50/ sheet) and pop it into a cheap frame. Voila!

End of August . . .

Jason turned 33 on the 20th. We celebrated with a trip to the go kart track . . .







. . . and a minor league baseball game (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers). We had a BLAST, even though the weather was a little rainy. I'm so thankful to be married to someone I enjoy being with so much.





The ice cream man has been frequenting our neighborhood a little more regularly, much to Jason (and Sophi's) delight. (This may be because we actually put in a request for more "drive-bys".








With the gardening season coming to an end, I thought I'd post a picture of one of my recent harvests from the Fiedler Back 40. Is it weird to take pictures of vegetables???







With all the fresh produce around this summer, we've discovered that Sophi absolutely LOVES tomatoes. I'm thrilled, not only because they contain lycopene, but because this proves, once and for all, that she is also MY daughter (despite resembling only her father).









Some of our dearest family friends, the Rajalas, had us over for a cookout the other night . . .








. . . and they put a wig on Sophi. Good times. Good times.












Two of my friends from my teaching days at Nasonville School in Marshfield came over for a visit. We had a wonderful time catching up.

what i'm listening to

In no particular order...











Collective Soul - Afterwords








Robbie Seay Band - Give Yourself Away












Project 86 - Rival Factions









The Bravery - The Sun & The Moon








now run... don't walk to your nearest iTunes and get these discs. i can't promise you won't be disappointed. you may or may not be... that is really out of my hands.