365.59: Birthday Basics

Today was Kate's fifteenth birthday! To celebrate we got her a new easel and storage case for her oils, brushes, and canvases. She takes her media very seriously, so she was thrilled to have a place to organize all her goods. It's exciting to be able to cultivate the gifts your child has. She loves art so much. It has become the way she communicates what is in her soul. We learn so much about her by studying what she illustrates. We are looking forward to seeing her work develop even further as she grows in her knowledge of this medium.

365.58: Working Together

It was neat to meet Danny Wuerffel today and hear him speak, but what was even better was seeing my colleagues working together to get this event hosted and done! I got to know my co-workers a lot better through this whole process. I was amazed to see our parent and alumni helpers go to work. We are so privileged to have the talented and hardworking faculty and staff that we have at Community Christian School! God is good all the time.

You can view my entire 365 album atwww.365project.org/danmooredesigns.

365.57: Beach Barbecue

Here's the beach barbecue set we worked to put together today for the benefit auction at our Christian school. We are praying for a great turnout at the event tomorrow! We are hoping for a great closing bid!

365.56: Stuffed French Toast

The whole house smells like cinnamon, vanilla, cream cheese, and butter! Michelle's stuffed french toast cupcakes will be sharing space with tons of other amazing foods at this weekend's benefit breakfast for Community Christian School. We are excited to see what the Lord is going to do at the event on Saturday! We are praying for Him to shower His blessings on CCS in an amazing way!

You can see my whole 365 project at www.365project.org/danmooredesigns.

365.55: Lick the Spoon

The best part of homemade frosting is licking the spoon when Mom's all done. Michelle made her amazing cinnamon buttercream and her cream cheese filling tonight. She's working on over one-hundred stuffed french toast cupcakes for our school's annual fundraiser event on Saturday. Tonight was frosting and filling night. Tomorrow will be baking night, and Friday night will be assembly and garnish night. Brace yourselves for an onslaught of baking photos!

You can view my entire 365 project athttp://www.365project.org/danmooredesigns

365.54: Very Important Talk

I present to you George and Emily from Our Town by Thornton Wilder. These two kiddos are rehearsing for a competition scene at the Sunshine State Association of Christian Schools. This is the soda shop scene where George and Emily finally realize that they are in love! George is making the understatement of the century when he says, "So...I guess this is a very important talk we've been having..."

You can view my whole 365 project athttp://365project.org/danmooredesigns.

365.53: When Pops the Corn

Based on the title of today's picture, you might be able to guess what the Moore ladies have been watching over the last several days: "When Calls the Heart." Titus and I just pop some popcorn and hang on for dear life. I really do like the show...I just am not able to tolerate it in quite the quantity that the females in my house are. I think its popularity around these parts has a lot to do with a certain horse-riding constable...but I would never say that...

View my entire project at www.365project.org/danmooredesigns.

365.52: Layer upon Layer

Today Michelle made an amazing fajita cake for lunch. ¡Tan deliciosa! You can't go wrong with roast chicken, red onion, sweet peppers, black beans, queso fresco, and spicy salsa. She saw this recipe on one of those Facebook videos that make everything look easy, delicious, and perfect. It came out of the oven ready for its close up! Lots of leftovers too!

365.51: Suit and Tie

Justin and his family drove nearly two hours for senior pictures here in Sarasota. I was honored to spend time with all of them at the Ringling Museum and on Lido Beach. Justin was very comfortable in his suit and tie. It's always a lot of fun when my seniors dress up for their sessions! We had a great time and got a ton of great pictures. Justin's full album will be up soon!

365.50: Boys and Their Toys

Daniel enjoys guns. A lot. A really lot. Daniel is a great guy and has been my student for the last three years. I always enjoy the chance to photograph my students, but I must say that this was my first photo session that included the words, "Birdshot wouldn't kill you, but it would ruin your day." Have a great senior year, Daniel! Thanks for letting me capture some great shots today!

365.49: Creamy or Crunchy

Language fascinates me. Communication has so much nuance and subtlety...sometimes two people can use the same word(s) and be thinking of two completely different things. No where is this phenomenon seen more clearly than in peanut butter. For some, peanut butter is smooth and Velvet-y (shout out to my Michiganders:http://velvetpeanutbutter.com/). For others, peanut butter is loaded with chunks of crunchy nuts. I have always fallen into the creamy camp. Several months ago, we had someone give us some groceries because they were headed out of town. Among the groceries was an unopened jar of extra crunchy Jif. It stayed unopened until tonight. I have to say...I'm not a fan. It just feels like something is in there that doesn't belong. To each his own, I suppose...but when you hear me say "peanut butter," rest assured...I'm talking creamy!

365.48: The Short Walk Home

We always walk home on Wednesday nights after church. I guess it's an unintentional tradition. Goodness, we've even walked home in the rain. The mossy oaks and feathered palms take on a much different appearance in the darkness than they do in the light. At times they are beautiful. At times they are terrifying. I think it has much to do with the frame of mind of the viewer. As is true with most good art, the beholder will see a truth about himself reflected in the medium. Tonight I saw darkness. The smears of Spanish moss seemed to be tear-stains, but the light that shined behind the cobwebs of concern was oh-so bright. Even when the path ahead stretches out dark and foreboding, we know that there is a perfect light that casts out all fear and doubt! "...I walked through darkness by his light." Job 29:3.

365.47: Meet Beulah

It was Christmas in February for our teachers today. After years of fighting with a tired and outdated photocopier, the school was able to purchase a shiny new model. She prints. She copies. She collates. She staples. She hole punches. She scans. She doesn't make julienne fries, but who would want her to? I call her Beulah because she looks like a small black and white cow, and today when she showed up it felt like I was living in the Promised Land! Oh, just imagine the tests, quizzes, research paper deadline sheets, study guides, and handouts that we will be able to make with this fine piece of tech. Beulah, I think I'm in love!

365.46: Living by the Phone

I have heard people use the expression "sitting by the phone" to communicate that they were waiting for news about an urgent matter. Today and probably for the foreseeable future, we won't be sitting by our phones as much as we will be living by our phones. Every ring, beep, or tone could be a message about Dad. When the phone makes a noise, everything else stops. We got several today, and each was precious to hear. Michelle's brother is with Dad and Mom right now, and he is doing a great job keeping the whole family posted. Dad is still in ICU fighting sepsis. The doctors are having a hard time locating the infection, but the doctors are filling him with antibiotics, and he is not as critical as he was last night. Michael tells us that he is more alert and witnessing to the nurses. Thank you for all the encouraging words and especially your prayers!

365.45: Tightly Knit Together

Michelle's mom loves to knit, and Michelle's dad even enjoys learning knitting from Mom. You should see some of his knitted creations! HA! Let's just say that he is still learning! We spent last evening at their house and were headed out the door to see Dad at the hospital before driving back home to Florida. I saw Mom's basket of knitting needles under the coffee table, and the beauty of all the needles caught my eye. I snapped a quick shot and told Mom that her knitting needles were probably going to be my picture of the day today! Little did I know what the day would hold. We left to drive back to Florida a little after 10:00 this morning only to get a call from Mom around 5:00 p.m. that Dad had taken a very serious turn for the worse. He is fighting for his life right now in the ICU. We don't know what God has planned, but we trust Him. We thank God for our family. We thank Him for how tightly knit we are even when things are unbelievably difficult. We are not a perfect family, but through our imperfections, the grace of God shows!.

365.44: Forgetful Much?

Remember that time you forgot to put your luggage in your van before leaving for a road trip? Remember how you had to go shop for jeans and a jacket because it was freezing in Alabama? Remember that time you had to buy a toothbrush because yours was in another state?
No? I do...

365.43 Ready to Road Trip

We are getting ready for our upcoming road trip to pick up Michelle in Alabama where she has been helping to care for her dad for the last week. She was exactly where she needed to be this week, but we can't wait to have her back with us! I have to say that she does a much healthier job of packing for road trip snacks than we do. I took the troops to the grocery store and let them pick out our car snacks. Let's just say that half this stuff wouldn't be in our cart usually...

We have TEN delicious and (not-at-all)nutritious junk food favorites in this picture for our two-day road trip. Can you name all ten?

365.42: A Good Night at the Library

We spent several hours at the library tonight working on the kids' research papers. I love living in the information age; the world is at our kids' fingertips. This accessibility to data gives this generation of young Christians the ability to prepare cogent defense of a biblical worldview in ways that were previously unimaginable. They picked the topics on their own, and I'm thrilled to see them working hard to develop their own beliefs. Even if it hadn't been a very productive night, I still believe that a bad night at the library beats a good night in front of the television!

365.41: Progress

Believe it or not, this stack was three times this high this morning...papers to grade!

365.40: Let It Snow!

We woke up this morning to more snow than we've seen in three years! How we've missed it! The kids rushed out at 7:00 a.m. and began making snow balls in their flip flops! It was so much fun to have a little time with our fluffy and frozen friend before we had to head back south. Michelle is still up north in Huntsville helping to care for her dad; they are still getting flurries. We continued to get snow all the way south into Macon, Georgia! Fun!

365.39: Coffee Date

While the rest of the family watched a movie with Dad in the hospital room, Michelle and I sneaked down to the cafe for a quick Starbucks date. Man, I love this lady! Over coffee, we got to talk about the road ahead. Nobody anticipated having to walk this path, but our family's faith is strong! Tomorrow, Michelle and I will part ways for a few days, and we will miss her so much, but knowing that she will be here ministering to her mom and dad makes the missing much easier. Keep praying! We know God can work a miracle in Dad's body! Here or There...Dad will be completely healed! That is our confident hope!

365.38: A Daddy's Hands

We drove all through the night to come to Huntsville to be with Michelle's dad. This past Thursday, he was diagnosed with aggressive acute myelogenous leukemia. The doctors have advised an aggressive and intense chemotherapy regimen which he began on Friday. The doctors said the effects will begin hitting him hard on Tuesday. Today we all prayed together, we read Scripture together, we cried together...through most of it, Michelle held his hands tightly and cried. It's hard to explain the nature of those kinds of tears, but those of you who have cried them know exactly what they are. I was able to get this picture of my wife holding her daddy's hands.

God is good all the time...in the joys and in the trials...

Dad's mom, Esther Durrill, died when he was only eighteen months old. He never knew her. On Thursday, after the doctor gave dad his diagnosis and prognosis, he introduced him to the nurse that would handle his care.

Her name is Esther.

God is good all the time...in the joys and in the trials...

365.37: Where There's a Will There's a Way

I had a great time this morning walking around the campus of New College of Florida with Will and his mom. Although we spent quite a bit of time dodging raindrops underneath umbrellas and concessions canopies, we managed to get some terrific shots before the downpour began in earnest. Will seemed right at home up in this tree...once he got up in it! You know what they say...where there's a Will, there's a way. I'm very proud of this kid and can't wait to see what the Lord does in his life after graduation.

365.36: Finishing Strong!

We had a great finish tonight to our week of special meetings. The teens had an amazing rally with games, skits, songs, and pizza! Both our teens came home talking about the fun they had and all that they have learned this week. We are very thankful!

365.35: Hiding in Thee

Oh, safe to the Rock that is higher than I,
My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly,
So sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine would I be,
Thou blest Rock of Ages, I’m hiding in Thee.

In the calm of the noontide, in sorrow’s lone hour,
In times when temptation casts o’er me its power;
In the tempests of life, on its wide, heaving sea,
Thou blest Rock of Ages, I’m hiding in Thee.

How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe,
I have fled to my Refuge and breathed out my woe,
How often, when trials like sea-billows roll,
Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul.

Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest Rock of Ages, I’m hiding in Thee.

-William Cushing

365.34: Registration Deadline!

The kids are registered and ready to go! Summer camp is going to happen for the Moore kids! Our older two have been to the WILDS in North Carolina before, but this will be the first time for our youngest. It's going to be a great summer for them! We can't wait to see what the Lord is going to do!

365.33: Piano Accompaniment

During the children's service tonight, Emily continued telling the story of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. The kids were entranced! Her excellent storytelling was enhanced by the team's pianist who accompanied while she spoke. It was like Peter and the Wolf for church! It was really neat to see and hear.

365.32: Jelly Belly Surprise

We were surprised to get this package of Jelly Belly goodness from Michelle's mom and dad in the mail today as a late anniversary present. Such great flavors in such little candies!