Story of Now

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 

  In the face of tragedy we must remember that LOVE is greater than FEAR.  We must let love lead us and be our focus. We must feel the love in our hearts for lives lost and lives changed forever. We must not focus on the anger, although there will naturally be anger. We must pray. We must pray even for those who are angry that they deal with it constructively.  We must pray that our children live not in fear but in the light of God.   I do not think the answer is more guns. I do not think the answer is "what to do if a gunmen enters the school" drill. I do not think anger is the answer. I do not think instilling more fear is the answer.    I do believe the answer begins with love. I do believe we must help the troubled, the people that are a little "off", the homeless, the forgotten. I do believe we must pray for our children and love them and hold them a little longer. I do believe we must change.  

  Dear Daughter- May the glee you have within you now never diminish. May you always have the hunger to know and understand. And may you always find ways to bring joy to those around you! Love, Mom

I love garage sales; someones garbage becomes my treasure at a cheap price. Estate sales are completely different. Sure I still find treasures but it also is a spiritual experience. I find myself connecting with this person I don't know. I am gathering their stories, understanding who they were, what they valued, what their hobbies were.   This morning I went to an estate sale of a woman, a widower, a mother, a grandmother, a seamstress.  A woman who is now in the end stages of Alzheimer's.  I connected with her spirit and also reflected about my aunt and grandmother who I lost just over a year ago to the same disease. To those that have lost someone to Alzheimer's you know that you have to grieve twice, first you lose the person then you lose the body.   Such emotions in me today.   I cannot get through an estate sale without feeling connected to God and to the person whose stuff I am rummaging through and I am than...

I had read about recycling broken crayons here , and just had to try it.   I took the paper off all the crayons which was the most time consuming part of the process. I coated the mini-muffin tin with vegetable oil and sorted the crayons. I sorted some in color schemes, like yellows and oranges, pinks and purples, greens and blues. And then I added a few different schemes like red and green for Christmas and pink and silver cuz that's just pretty! ( I forgot to take a picture of the crayons layered in their spots before baking...forgive me I had a toddler hugging my leg =)) Here are the crayons after baking for about 7 minutes at 275 degrees. Aren't they just so pretty.    I imagine if they were soap how yummy they'd smell or if they were candy how delicious they'd taste.  But they are crayons and I imagine they will color some gorgeous pictures!   Shine on!     

Sometimes I tend to get caught up in worry, especially before a big transition. Ever since Liberty started falling asleep consistently with breastfeeding at bedtime, I dreaded the day she'd have to fall asleep any other way.  I feared I wouldn't be able to comfort her into a peaceful slumber. The dreaded day was Sunday, and it actually was beautiful. Something I worried about for close to a year, couldn't have been more perfect. She laid in my arms as I rocked her and sang to her. We looked at each other and there was understanding. Our hearts were speaking and we were both okay. We'd done well on this journey. She was awake when I put her in her crib and she softly drifted into sleep. It couldn't have been more beautiful.     Worry didn't have a chance against love.

One of the favorite parts of my day used to be when I'd go get Liberty from her nap.  She would be standing up happy and waiting for me to arrive. I'd pick her up out of her crib she'd wrap her warm legs around me and rest her soft little head on my shoulder.  I would kiss her forehead and brush her hair with my hand and just hug her for a few moments. Now it seems she is interested in exploring around her crib when she wakes up and isn't as eager to get out and hug me.  Maybe this is toddler hood.  Maybe I need to let go a little. I do know that I will embrace all the sweet tenderness when I can in whatever form it comes.

Liberty turned one yesterday.  She has had a very happy and healthy first year. In one year we went from having her in our arms for hours and hours each day to having her run all around the zoo on her birthday! What an amazing journey this first year has been. I am just so in love with her! People always warned me how fast it would go and to cherish all of it. Time definitely felt different this past year.  Some days were long and it seemed that the weeks flew by and yet it feels like forever ago that we left the hospital with our sweet Liberty. A friend told me it is because SO much happens in such a little bit of time, and I agree. With a baby, change seems to happen daily; a new sound, a new expression, a new movement! I can say that we were good about writing things down and taking pictures and videos;  I feel good knowing that I have a few places to look when I need to jog my memory of what she was like ...

Liberty just started walking about a week ago.  It is so funny sometimes because she tries to go so fast that her head gets in front of the rest of her body..gotta love her enthusiasm. Yesterday was a day that I would normally not have spent with Liberty because I worked the night before.  I slept a couple hours in the morning and then we spent the afternoon outside.  It was a gorgeous day and so much fun! This journey of watching her grow and learn has to be one of the most amazing things ever! So much joy in my heart.

She gave me that look and pointed at the container of pureed spinach and potatoes. Her cry said "I am a big girl, I can do it myself." She pleaded "I have been feeding myself finger foods for months, I know I can handle pureed too!" What was a mother to do?

I have been dreaming of a place where I can be artsy and craftsy... a place where I can sit down in my spare minutes and be creative... a place where I can leave a mess and pick up where I left off... a place for my mind to wander and my hands to create! So I created space in the basement. Before  After I took 3 Queen/King flatsheets and nailed them to the ceiling beams....looks sort of pillowy. I measured the area for carpet and got a 12x13 remnant and put carpet tape around the edges and laid it down. I added lights, shelving, tables and a couple nails to hang a canvas and a painting shirt.... Voila!!! I am happy with this budget makeover!  Estimated cost $120 I am so excited to have this space to create!! I will be hosting craft parties too...yay!!

She didn't know through all her trials that there would be such triumph. She didn't know that bad relationships would help her to be grateful for the good ones. She didn't know she'd have a wonderful husband who would love her just the way she was. She didn't know that all the terrible choices she made  would turn into lessons to reflect on. She didn't know that the things her mom was saying would be things she'd say to her own daughter. She didn't know that when she was lost she was really on the path to knowing herself. She didn't know that all along there was a plan and it was better than anything she could of dreamed of. She was me.