A picture tells a thousand thanks...

The Joy Dare continues. Learn more here.

February Joy Dare Prompts (think of 3 gifts for each day - use prompts if you want):
21. 3 Things White
22. 3 Gifts That Changed Today
23. A Gift of Tin, Glass, Wood
24. 3 Gifts Before 11am

MY LIST CONTINUED
154. The amazing beauty of freshly fallen snow along Shepherd Road
155. 10 inches of freshly fallen snow transforming the river view in St. Paul
156. A simply gorgeous view from the top of the Science Museum after a blizzard

 157. A kiddo pile-up

158. The Girlie Girls

159. What a smile!
160. Stainless steel mixing bowls I have had for 15 years
161. Mason jars
162. The great pieces of furniture my dad has made me: coffee table, book shelves, changing table, and most recently bunk beds

163. Licking the spatula
164. Chicory
165. Apple juice

Gifts 142-153

The Joy Dare continues. Learn more here.

February Joy Dare Prompts (think of 3 gifts for each day - use prompts if you want):
17. 3 Gifts Found in Giving/Serving
18. 3 Gifts on Paper
19. 3 Gifts that were Plan B's
20. A Gift at Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

MY LIST CONTINUED:
142. A compliment on the hat I crocheted
143. Discovering fantastic color combinations
144. Camaraderie between Team Yarn members
145. The Thank You List on my Bathroom mirror between the hubs and I
146. Sunday comics
147. The book of memories my Best Friend made me when we were kids
148. My second marriage
149. Moving to Minneapolis
150. Writing for the Messenger
151. Homemade granola
152. Girlie giggles
153. A card game between courses

THE GIRL'S LIST
Mommy
Mango sorbet
Sledding
Sleepovers

Thankful for snow, mosaics and and sunsets

The Joy Dare continues. Learn more here.

February Joy Dare Prompts (think of 3 gifts for each day - use prompts if you want):
12. 3 Hard Eucharisteos
13. 3 Gifts Behind a Door
14. 3 Ways You Feel the Love of God
15. A Gift in Losing, Finding, Making Something
16. 3 Gifts in Shadows

MY LIST CONTINUED...
127. Calming The Boy down when he's screaming
128. Patience when I'm sick
129. The song "Hard to Love" by Lee Brice
130. When I moved the curtains last night to gaze out upon the snow, I discovered that the whole night world was bright, bright as day
131. A snoring babe
132. An organized closet

133. God in a beautiful, mountain valley sunset

134. God in the gorgeous views from the top of a ski slope

135. God in the creativity of a mosaic at Minneapolis City Hall

136. A gift to others after loss - We created Team Yarn to give hats to cancer patients

137. Finding my courage to interview a Big Shot

 138. The satisfaction of making a hand-crafted gift out of gorgeous, soft yarn

139. The shadows of heavily laden boughs after a 10-inch snowstorm
140. Night shadows during a late-winter blizzard

141. My long shadow on the ski hill

THE GIRL'S LIST
Popsicles
Chocolate dairy-free pudding

Laughter, nature and work gifts

The Joy Dare continues. Learn more here.

February Joy Dare Prompts (think of 3 gifts for each day - use prompts if you want):
6. 3 Gifts Found Outside
7. A Gift at 11:30am, 2:30pm, 6:30pm
8. A Gift Broken, Fixed, Thrifted
9. 3 Surprise Gifts
10. 3 Times You Heard Laughter Today
11. 3 Gifts in Working

MY LIST CONTINUED...
109. A full moon peeking through dark tree branches
110. Snow clouds blowing across the freeway
111. Birds darting through shrubs next to the train station on a 5º day
112. 11:30 a.m.: The witching hour when the kids are starving - and how lunch at A's saves the day
113. 2:30 p.m.: Storytime when J and I are cuddled up with a book
114. 6:30 p.m.: After dinner when J carries her dishes to the sink - It's so nice that she's old enough to do that and volunteered
115. Pieces of mirror, broken in my tray, about to become something new and beautiful
116. Pink sunglasses with one arm broken off - fixed with patience
117. Broken-in jeans bought for a steal at Saver's Thrift store
118. Fried apple slices, homemade gluten-free onion rings and J's stuffed peppers on Valentine's Day - an unexpectedly delicious celebration
119. Joy in this list at 5 a.m. when I can't sleep

120. That little red box of chocolates my dad buys me every Valentine's Day - a Valentine's tradition of fatherly love
121. Laughter at the Team Yarn meeting, ricocheting around the table of women and children gathered to support a great cause
122. The Girl's laughter because of a blue balloon
123. The Boy's laughter as he sits on a red balloon - and my amazement that it doesn't pop as he bounces up and down
124. The joy I get from planning my mosaic project in the bathroom
125. Finally putting felt paper, metal mesh and mortar to the wall -- I have begun
126. Clicking through a board of beautiful, inspiring mosaic ideas on Pinterest

When I think of red, I am grateful

The Joy Dare continues. Learn more here.

February Joy Dare Prompts (think of 3 gifts for each day - use prompts if you want!):
1. 3 Gifts Red
2. 3 Gifts on Paper
3. 3 Gifts Found in Writing
4. 3 Gifts Found When Bent Down
5. A Gift Hammered, Stitched, Woven

 MY LIST CONTINUED...
94. Red red rose - My favorite kind. Oh, the lovely smell!
95. The reddish hat I crocheted The Girl
96. The red glass pieces in my stained glass light above the dining room table - a splurge during our rennovation
97. A handprint in ketchup on the Girl's first Valentine's Day card to me
98. Any Tolkien book
99. The inspiring story of Seabiscuit
100. Old papers from my Master's classes
101. A stack of great books to read
102. Finishing"The Lightning Thief" on a hard time
103. Cherry hardwood floor
104. Bright pink flowers on the Meeseez floor mat under the Girl's chair
105. Adorable little baby socks
106. Nails on my bathroom wall in prep for a gorgeous mosaic
107. Little white stitches on my backpack to fix the strap
108. Warm sweaters during such a cold, cold winter

Thinking of the ocean - oh what joy

January Joy Dare Prompts (think of 3 gifts for each day - use prompts if you want!):
22. A Gift Wrinkled, Smooth, Unfolded
23. 3 Gifts Found in Christ
24. 3 Things Blue
25. A Grace Borrowed, Found, Inherited
26. A Gift Before Dawn, At Noon, After Dark
27. 3 Gifts in the Kitchen
28. 3 Graces Found in Friends
29. A Song Heard, A Soft Word, A Light Seen
30. 3 Old Things Seen New
31. A Gift on Paper, In a Person, In a Picture

MY LIST CONTINUED...
64. A purple tu-tu skirt on a cutie-pie
65. The Montessori activity book
66. Last year's Valentine's Day cards that I just took down

67. Vibrant Spark Bibles in the Sunday School rooms
68.

69. Black chrysanthemum tea

70. Morton's coarse Sea Salt
71. The lovely blue flowers on the Klenexx box
72. TURQUOISE everywhere that reminds me of the ocean blue

73. The Boy enjoying borrowed library books

74. A great color combination for a hat
75. The Benson facial structure that ties me to my roots

76. A whispered "Mama, I love you" in the middle of the night
77. Friends and Valentine's day card supplies gathered around my table
78. Two little kiddos, heads together, watching a potty movie

79. Dehydrated greens from my summer CSA that get thrown into almost everything I make on these cold winter days
80. Green tea mixed with apple juice makes a delightful shade of green
81. A cast iron Dutch oven brimming with wild rice soup (minus the dairy as today we're dairy-free)

82. Solid advice from a friend
83. Delicious lunches at Amy's
84. A palm tree necklace from Cindy to always remind me of the ocean

85. "Bye, Bye Potty!"
86. "Momma, I love you."
87. The Black light illuminating everything when I opened my eyes this morning

88. Tacos done Sonora Grill style - YUM!

89. Amazing coconut rice

90. The best guacamole I've ever eaten. Wow.

91. A loved one's handwriting
92. The lovely smell of grape hyacinths

93. A gift of learning caught in a photo

THE GIRL'S LIST
Momma
Kindle
Pom-poms, scissors, construction paper, ribbon and glue
Momma's teething necklace
Ice cream and popcorn and the Olympics

More Joy

Learn about the Joy Dare here.

January Joy Dare Prompts (think of 3 gifts for each day - use prompts if you want!):
15. A Gift Worn, Given Away, Shared
16. 3 Witnessed Blessings
17. A Gift Bringing Laughter, Prayer, Quiet
18. 3 Gifts From God's Word
19. 3 Gifts That Might Never Have Been
20. 3 Gifts Only Seen Up Close
21. A Gift in Sky, Water, Memory

MY LIST CONTINUED...
43. My lovely turquoise shawl made by a dear friend
44. Photo books
45. My couch - something we all cuddle up close together on

46. Glittery snow
47. Kindness towards children at a fitness center
48. The Girl teaching the Boy how to unload the dishwasher

49. The Boy's Waddle-Walk
50. Amazing news that someone I love doesn't carry an awful gene
51. Focused writing on a newspaper story

52. James 1
53. Corinthians 13
54. The Fruits of the Spirit - and the Go Fish song we listen to so often

55. My children
56. A house in Minneapolis
57. Being so close to home - in the alley - when the transmission broke on the car

58. The multi-colored, glittery star on my front door that brings so much brightness on a cold winter day
59. The Girl's blue eyes
60. The Boy's grin

61. Florida sunsets
62. Ice cold water to sooth a sore throat
63.The Lake Isle of Inisfree and the other William Butler Yeats haunts I explored my senior year of college

THE GIRL'S LIST
Mommy
My new eye patch with a butterfly
My brother who loves me to pieces
Strawberry kefir
Hot chocolate

Thanks for...

Continuing the Joy Dare... (Click here for first post)

January Joy Dare Prompts:
8. Dusky light, Surprising Reflection, Lovely Shadow
9. A Gift Held, Passed By, Sat With
10. A Gift Sour, Sweet, Just Right
11. 3 Yellow Gifts of Fresh Mercy
12. Something Above, Below, Beside
13. 3 Things About Yourself you are grateful for
14. 3 Startling Graces of God

MY LIST CONTINUED...
22. A beach sunset
23. Clouds reflected in a January puddle
24. Silhouettes in a chapel at a St. Paul hospice

25. Sebastian, the fluffy, fat, black cat I rescued as a kitten
26. The last light of day reflecting off the grain elevators on Hiawatha Ave.
27. My crochet needles and the bulky shawl I'm working on for Our Lady of Peace: Home, Health and Hospice in St. Paul

28. Orange juice spiked with Eniva vitamins
29. S'more dip at a neighborhood Super Bowl party
30. Baileys in hot cocoa

31. My yellow kitchen walls
32. The Girl's yellow locks
33. The daisies on The Girl's eye patch that makes it so she loves to wear it and never complains about it

34. A textured ceiling
35. Cherry wood floors
36. Books to read stacked on my counter

37. That I am becoming more full of grace each day
38. An openness to learning a better way
39. My long, strong fingernails

40. Rediscovering Christianity through an amazing Bible Study group
41. Animate: Bible
42. Being loved by a child

What's The Girl grateful for?
Raspberries
Blueberries
Photos of her
Flowers

Wear them out at Good Times Park

Got cabin fever?

Head over to Good Times Park in Eagan, Minn. and let your kids run off all their pent-up energy. (Can we just say, all together now, "There's been too many sub-zero days this winter!!").

The Imagination area -- what a great place to build and be creative!

The Imagination area

Good Times Park is located in the building one back from the road.

Good Times Park opened last year in one of those nondescript commercial buildings that suburbs are full of. But this is not your ordinary facility. This self-use (unstaffed) Park Facility offers over 25,000 square feet featuring SEVEN separate physical & creative play areas (plus a large picnic area) designed specifically for family fun & fitness.

Good Times Park offers playground equipment, basketball court, turf field, 38' inflatable jumper, electronic hologram game, and Imagination Playground. Plus there's a large picnic area, and tons of cubbies for free, unsecured storage. 

Modeled off Anytime Fitness, Good Times Park is a place where parents and kids are responsible for themselves. There are no staff, and entry into the park is controlled via access codes (like a 24-hour fitness center). Parents care for their own kids and pick up after themselves.

According to the web site:

• The wide variety of modern, innovative play options are designed to spark motor development, imagination and team work in a playful, unstructured environment.

• The self-use business model offers a park-like environment for you to engage in playtime any day/time that fits your busy schedule.

The one downside was there wasn't much of the playground equipment that a 20-month-old could safely navigate. But he loved the two wide open areas stocked with balls and other sporting gear.

IF YOU GO:
- Wear athletic-type footwear and socks to ensure proper grip and to reduce tripping hazards.
- Buy your tickets online the day of your excursion and then you can just enter your access code when you arrive to get in.
- Check the calendar online to see if there are any large groups planning to come that day. Then you can avoid the school groups.

DETAILS:
3265 Northwood Circle, Suite 100
Eagan, MN 55121
p: 651.454.5736
e: Bonnie@goodtimespark.com
w: http://www.goodtimespark.com
HOURS: 7:00 am - 9:30 pm daily
ADMISSION: 1 child is $8, 2 children is $15.50. Monthly and yearly memberships are available.

The 38' inflatable jumper is a huge hit with the kids.

The Kangaroo - what a great inflatable jumper!