Story of Now

Have you ever been in the city or other busy place and just paused?  And then suddenly you realize just how important everyone is.  You realize the significance of their role in making this whole world be what it is.  You realize that you are important and you have an overwhelming emotionally charged sense of gratitude for everything and everyone.  You realize that everything has its place and at any given time that placement is just perfect.  Things may not always be easy but you realize that is just part of the equation, part of the balance.   You feel a strong connection to everything and everyone.  And your heart is simply overwhelmed.  If you've ever felt it you know just how beautiful moments like those are and if you haven't yet then I hope you do someday. And I don't mean someday in the way it's often said. I mean someday real soon. Maybe even today.   Happy Thanksgiving to you!

  I took a class the other day and one of the ice breaker questions we needed to answer was "If you could be any age for the rest of your life, what age and why"   I honestly don't think there is an age I would want to be forever because I like the progression and learning and love that unfolds year after year.    I do however think I'd like to be 2, like my daughter, for about a week or so. I would love to experience the delight from her eyes, hear the conversations in her head about the unfolding world and understand her frustrations. What age would you choose to be for a day, week, or a lifetime?   

  With the anticipation of a second child, there is a little bit of confidence knowing that we have been through trials and errors with the first child.  Also the anxiety of being first time parents will be no more. Oh, but there are so many questions. How can I carry a two-year old, a newborn and a basket of laundry up a whole flight of stairs? How is #1 going to relate to and accept #2? How do I get both children into the cart at Target...do I put the rambunctious toddler in first or on second thought, do I let her walk along side the cart? Will I be able to spend one on one time with #2 like I do with #1? And this is only about 1/100th of the questions I think about daily. I know some of the questions seem rather ridiculous and have obvious answers but it does not mean they don't cross my mind. I am however excited to see the relationship that will grow between these two girls. I am excited to see the similarities and differences. I am excited to s

The ever expanding dream. The one that begins and grows and changes. And as the dream changes, you change. And yet it all seems to be right and familiar. And though you don't choose the circumstances, somehow they've chosen you, like you are a piece to their puzzle. One dream develops and grows to accommodate the next one and on and on it goes. And suddenly you arrive at where you always imagined you'd be.    

    As the fog of the first trimester is lifted, I find myself again. I find myself reveling in the everyday joys and having energy to do things beyond what I need to do to get by. I find myself with my camera. I find myself with light feet and a busy, busy brain. I find myself lucky to be looking at 3 leaf clovers and enjoying God's beautiful creation. 

Dear Daughter- I love that you want to wear a dress for playing in the dirt. May you always keep a strong sense of self and throw the "norm" out the door. May you be respectful of rules but know when to break them! Keep your heart young, dear daughter of mine.   Love, Mom 

  We often hesitate starting towards our dreams because we can't imagine how we could possibly attain them. We get stuck.  We make excuses. The key to keeping your dreams alive is to believe in them and start building the path with small steps. Dream big, start small.   If you dream of being a rock star- sing, dance, put on a mini-concert for one or two people, then a larger group.  Maybe you dream of a different job...you are working at a desk yet dreaming about being a full-time artist.  Make art when you can, engage in conversations with other artists, show your work online, have a gallery showing in your house. Maybe you dream about going on vacation, but feel like you just can't afford it. Put a date on the calendar a couple years out.  Make a jar that says "vacation fund." Add money to the jar instead of buying that latte, candy bar, ipod tune, outfit. Maybe you dream of being peaceful but currently feel overwhelmed. Find a moment to

  I rarely have trouble falling asleep anymore but there are some nights when I just want to yell at my brain "shut up and go to sleeeeep!!!"  My mind will race with worries, ideas, things I need to do, things I need to say, things I forgot to do or say.   It's like my brain is puking at the end of the day. I have tried everything from breathing slowly, counting sheep, studying the backs of my eyelids and nothing seemed to work. That is nothing until I started repeating the word "nothing." A thought will come up and I just think "nothing."  I keep repeating it and somehow it works because the next thing I know it's 2 or 3 in the morning and I am on my first middle of the night bathroom trip. Try it out the next time your brain is trying to keep you from sleeping. Just repeat in your mind "nothing." I don't suggest "nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing" over and over but more like a medita

People say that I am a positive person.  It's not that I don't think negative thoughts, it's just that I have developed some "checkpoints" so that my thoughts don't become my words or actions. I am successful at this at least some of the time. The first checkpoint is to be aware of your thoughts.  I try to change negative thoughts at the moment I think them. Example: The other day I took an ice tray out of the freezer and there were ice cubes that I could tell just started to form.  The ice cubes in the tray underneath were ready.  I thought "why did my husband not put the ready cube tray on top."  I stopped myself right there and thought "hey, I am thankful he filled the tray!" We think "why don't they do it how I want them to or in the way I would do it?"  We all do this multiple times a day in varying degrees. Another example: I see another mother handling a situation in a way that is different than I would

We've heard time and time again that it is the journey that counts and not the destination. I always thought "yeah, yeah I get it."  But the other day I REALLY thought about what it meant.  I was driving home from work and thinking a lot about life, which is a usual occurrence.  I have an amazing husband and daughter and I am so grateful for them. But what would it have been like if, lets say, at 15 years old someone told me, "you are going to marry this person on this day and you will have this many children and you will live in this house...." etc. That may have sounded great when I was 15 because I didn't enjoy getting my heart broken over and over, I didn't like being an awkward teenager, I didn't like my moms rules and I didn't like stumbling. But through all that I learned about myself. I learned which qualities I admired in others. I learned that what I do and think does affect the outcome. I know now that every trial

  I was looking in my folder where I keep inspirational quotes, stories etc and found these questions to go with the word live.  I love it.  And honestly I can't tell you if I came up with it or found it somewhere because it was handwritten and I had it on my wall as a teenager. Either way, I love it and it totally makes sense to me.  I hope you can find use in these questions too! Have a happy day!    

I pinned this awhile ago and I finally got around to making it happen. So far I really like it and think it will work great for our family.  It is a system that will need tweaking over the years I'm sure.   I decided that a file for each week would be too much so I just created a file for each month.  I have added 4 other files to the back: activities, donate, work related, printouts. The activities file has things to-do outside of the house with like story times, children's museum schedule, toastmaster events etc.  In each monthly file there is a sheet of paper that says "Important dates/yearly happenings for the month of..." Yearly happenings are things like in May my business insurance is due, it's a reminder that doesn't have a specific date.   In the activities file the schedule for the childrens museum! In the December file, cookie recipes to try next year and possibly the years after that too! In each monthly f

Two things I love: creating and recycling.   Although I love every picture Liberty finger paints, I won't possibly be able to keep every single one.  So, I've come up with a few ways to use them without just throwing them away. I have cut the 8 1/2 x 11 pieces of artwork into 4's to make note cards for special Birthdays, Anniversary's and Thank Yous. Relatives love getting artwork from toddlers. At Christmas I cut small pieces from Liberty's artwork and made them into gift tags...super cute. And with the season of LOVE upon us I decided to cut out some hearts from Liberty's original artwork and hang them around the house.  I love how a piece of art can transform into something new!      I found this "Love" bunting banner here. 

  A few pins from my Wise and Wonderful Words board on pinterest! I have always been a fan of things well said! Enjoy!   Source: rowdy-rendezvous.tumblr.com via Krista on Pinterest Source: thewoodco.blogspot.com via Krista on Pinterest Source: mylifeasatwentysomething.tumblr.com via Krista on Pinterest Source: marian16rox.tumblr.com via Krista on Pinterest

I got the idea of having a word to focus on for the year from here .   I have never been much for resolutions but having an overall theme for the year seemed like a perfect fit for me; it spoke to my true nature. Carolyn's word for 2013 is begin.  That's a lovely word but it didn't spark anything in me so I contemplated for awhile. The one word that seemed to resonate with me was: simplify. So, in 2013 the word I choose to focus on is simplify.   

It's not just at the start of a new year that we can choose to refocus, forgive, or replenish our spirit. We must remember that every moment of every day we have choices and our choices change everything.     Here is a free printable for you with a quote that I came up with many years ago.  Just click on the link below the picture and print it out.  It is standard letter size (8.5 x 11)             New beginning printable