All I want for Christmas…

Friday, November 20, 2009

I read an interesting book called Gilead some time ago and the narrator of the story is a third generation pastor. He talks a lot about how tradition ties one generation to the next. I too believe that our traditions are the fabric upon which our families stand. Its so important to remember where you came from.

I’ve got a post in the works for next week about Thanksgiving’s past and where my idea of “our” family traditions have come from…what has stayed constant and what has changed dramatically over the years, what I have a huge, full heart of love for and what I wish I didn’t ever have to remember.

But sadly, my memories are clouded, uncertain and full of gaps. I’ve got some very clear memories, but they tend to be moments – bits from here and there. And don’t happen to be very fluid…Doesn't that seem a little strange...I've got very firm ideas about what Thanksgiving is about...yet my memories are not as solid as my beliefs!!!

I scoured the photos I’ve got available to see if anything jumped out at me from Thanksgivings past and realized I have very few pictures of my childhood to jog my memories.

So…I asked my mom for one and only one thing for Christmas – pictures. I would like pictures of my childhood, the moments, the craziness, the fun, the love, teh little things that seemed important enough to take photos of. I would like to see photos of my parents wedding, my grandparents anniversary celebrations, Christmases past and those moments that can only be remembered when you look upon a lovely 3 by 3 photo and something dawns on your heart.

I long to remember some of those things…and to share them with my boys…I am ready to have the “family photos” entrusted to me for scrapping and safe-keeping.

It seems a simple request, right? I’m a simple woman – I don’t need expensive, extravagant or copious gifts…I just want something simple that ties me to the past and to the future.

No pressure Mom…but all I want for Christmas are my memories! HA!

How about you? What is the one thing you want under your tree?

Peace, ya’ll!!!

Easing Back into This

Friday, November 13, 2009

Ok...feeling more like "normal" than I have in a while...

I thought today I'd use a list from Friday Fill-ins to jump start my blogging:

1. The last band I saw live was the band at church. Seriously - the last concert I went to? Um...it was in California...more than 4 years ago!
2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is the time with family making some cozy memories.
3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is not even CLOSE to being on my mind at the moment
4. Thoughts of baby/hospital/baby clothes/nursery/preparations fill my head.
5. I wish I could wear skinny clothes.
6. Bagpipes are not on my list of top instruments to listen to.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to pizza night, tomorrow my plans include laundry, grocery shopping and maybe some crafting and Sunday, I want to have a true day of rest!

And one more thing for the road:

New Jaydenism: Mocha Nut Troll....can you guess what it means? I'll use it in a sentence for you: "Mommy, can I push the buttons on the Mocha Nut Troll?"

Peace, ya'll!

Sidelined by the flu

Monday, November 09, 2009

Be back soon enough...I don't know how much more of the confinement with a sick child and a sick husband I can take...3 days is certainly more than should be expected from any women...

Peace, ya'll!

Its FRIDAY

Friday, November 06, 2009

And you know what that means, right?!?!?!?!

PIZZA DAY!

I Jam, therefor I Am

Thursday, November 05, 2009

I must have been a SIGHT this morning!

I was playing the classic rock station...a little bit of Bob Seegar, a little bit of Aerosmith, a little bit of Foreignor, a little bit of Journey...mmmmmmmmm Hmmmmmmmmm!!! and as my son would say...I was playing it "WOUD!"

After all this time, I have not outgrown my rock-star ways.

Its still in me...

YES I WAS a wannabe rock-star!

See!!!





Just can't let go of the dream...HA HA!

I even did a layout about imagining 30,000 fans screaming my name (among other things):



Ok..but seriously...picture me...in my little Honda Civic, cruising down the road, radio blasting, 7 months pregnant (along with ALL that entails, singing at the top of my lungs, with my hands doing some kind of stage motion and my head bopping...

I must have been a SIGHT!

Cool, right? NOT!

What are YOU doing today?

Peace, ya'll!

I Get Around…

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

I love the internet...How did generations of people grow up without this wonderful tool?

I'm not exactly a surfer, spending hours and hours gliding from one place to another. I tend to “hop.”

I read some blogs and go some places all the time…and then I find little linkies at my normal haunts and follow those to new and wonderful places.

When I find something that I like, I either add it to my reader or bookmark it. I pay fairly close attention to the sites I have marked. I'm always on the prowl for something inspirational or informational.

Lately, I’ve been hanging “at home” in my normal places…but I’ve gotten TONS of inspiration from these little places (and a few products too!) I won’t lie – I’m totally an enabler…I cannot be alone in my addiction of all things bright and beautiful...just don’t blame me if you click and find something wonderful waiting for you!

Always and forever I will be a fan of Ali Edwards (Thanks Karen!). I love how she tells today’s stories in a very frank and emotional way and I adore her style. I adore her style of scrapping, her thoughtful approach to everything and mostly her philosophy that imperfection is pure beauty!

Scrapbooking from the Inside Out has grown to be one of my favorite places to go each day. I’ve been a member of this community for SOME time now…they are simply a fabulous group of people who are really focused on getting YOU in your scrapbooking or journaling. There is a monthly theme, a fantastic kit to go along (you don’t have to be a kit buyer to be part of the fabulous community!), great designers, challenges that really inspire and make you dig deep…and, the process of creating pages for these challenges is SO Cathartic. Less baggage and more pages are a seriously good combo in my world!

Log your memory is my new favorite place…I am especially fond of the new bookthat this site will support come 2010. I already gushed about it HERE and I’m even already using some of the sections! Plus - an organizational support community (I am a Type A after all!) that is parlayed into scrapbooking!??!!? Seriously on target for my personality!!!

Stacy Julian – of course!! I like her regular blog, her Sprinkles, the things she manages to find on the internet…She is just like an inspiration shot in the arm. I don’t know when she sleeps, she has so much going on!

I’m always on the prowl for fun things to do with my son…I’ve found that my best resource lately for cool ideas is a happy little site called Family Fun. You may either hate me or love me that it is a Disney site…regardless…this is the BEST place to find fun food and crafts for all ages. I ADORE it!

For spiritual inspiration, I find myself often at the Rebelution site . This is a site primarily to encourage teenagers to do hard things with passion, to rise above the blight of low expectations. Is it any wonder I find it so inspiring myself!?!?!?!? I’m ready to go out and conquer the world after reading the things on this site!!!

One final place I find myself frequently? Life Skills Network. This is a group of bloggers who write on various life topics like saving money, smart investing, simplicity, wisdom, organizing, etc…it’s a GREAT source of information!

So…Whatcha looking at in your world?

Peace, ya’ll!

Breathless

I have always loved children.

I just didn’t want any of my own.

In fact if anyone from more than about 10 years ago in my life were to read this right now, they would be side-swiped by my dramatic 180 degree turn on having children. Despite loving them, I didn’t every ever want to go through the pain, sacrifice, anxiety, mess and expense of having any "rug rats" of my own.

Little did I know when I had a child that such a little creature would be capable of stealing the very breath from chest.

I don’t think that this is surprising to anyone who already has children in their lives. But to me, to find out the power one tiny little boy would wield over my heart has been surprising.

He’s such a beautiful child – aren’t they all?????? – and has such a depth of understanding.

Children have a much simpler way of navigating the world. They say what they mean and they mean what they say. They like what they like and they are willing to experiment. They observe us and those of influence around them and they make their own choices about what seems good and right. They are brave and adventurous, strong and resilient, and more than any other creature on earth, they live in the now.

How much we could all learn from the simple and unadorned way a child lives, loves, grows and develops. All of our lives should be so pure and full of good intention and high adventure.

This one knows the inroads to Mommy’s heart. He is highly skilled at communicating with me exactly what he means.




Sometimes its how he acts – like a freely given hug, a kiss on the hand, a jump right into my lap, or wandering up to my side to take my hand.

He will clean his own plate, throw trash away and put his shoes where they “go” without having to be asked by me.

He will wander off to another room and come back with a stack of books, sit at my feet and read by himself.

Sometimes its in how proud he is of things he’s accomplished. I LOVE hearing, “Mommy! Look at me!” and then seeing him master a dance move, climb to the top of a very high slide, or race his trike around the kitchen island.

He’s always proud to show me the good marks on his school calendar, or describe how he made an art project.

I even love it when he “corrects” me with the right words to a song or a poem.

But the place where I catch my breath the most is when he speaks with me. I've always conversed with him as though he were an intelligent human being - no baby talk, no weird sounds. We just talk. As I’ve said often, he has been a very verbal guy for a very long time. And its in the sweet things that come out of his mouth that I find myself wanting to stop time, to hold just one minute, to rewind and play it again.

Like when he sneezed and his ears got plugged up. He said, “Mommy, can you fix my sound?”

Or when he asks, “Mommy? Do you want to be Princess Jasmine or Cinderella?”

Or when he says, “Mommy! We should pray!”

But never more…never more does my heart skip a beat than when he says, unsolicited and out of nothing but his own heart, “I wuv you mom!”

My whole world pivots on those precious words. There is nothing like it on the planet…and for that moment, all the world stands still and I am breathless.

Peace, ya’ll!

The Best of Intentions

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

YESTERDAY was the start of Shimelle’s Blogging for Scrapbookers class.

Yes I DID get my happy little prompt.

Yes I DID read it and do some planning on my first post for the class. The prompt was for us to blog about our intentions for our blog during the time of the class and afterward…

I have intentions…I really do. I even wrote them down and started to ponder what sort of photo I could post that might be fun. She suggested several, but I thought something more tuned to my current lifestyle would be a neat way for me to personalize the post.

Maybe something like this because much of my scrapbooking is currently done at the kitchen table while Jayden paints or does his own "project."



Or maybe something like this one. See that baby gate that his desk is pushed up to? That is my office door. In order for me to have "office" time, I generally have to make sure that his own desk is set up very close by so we can "chat" while he works on his own "wook."



Or maybe something like this one...is there a computer in sight? nope. How about scrapbooking? Nope...but we ARE together and we ARE being creative. Well...HE's really being BOSSY and telling me how to be creative...but it works for us.



Despite my planning, writing and my good intentions, everything spun crazily out of control shortly after my considerations. I spent two extra hours at work and then had to rush to get Jay from Grandma and Grandpa’s. Thankfully dinner was in the slow cooker and I didn’t have to spend much time on dinner other than plating. But I was so late getting home that immediately after dinner, it was story time and bed time for the boy. When my head finally hit the pillow, it was completely blogless.

I’m NOW thinking maybe my picture should look something like this:



Yesterday's outcome drove something home for me: Intention is not a promise or a goal or a task on the to do list. It is somthing you think about. It is a direction you point yourself when considering action.

For me, intention alone is not going to get the job done. This has to be a priority - something I set aside to do for myself, something I place in a position of importance for me.

So, I thought if I'm going to get this moving and really reach my aspirations, I'm going to have to step it up a bit. Just intention won't be enough in my world. so I’m calling them goals. Its just that I know I will handle myself better and it won’t be so easy to let these things fall by the way side while I’m off trying to please everyone else!

My goals are these:
• To make the time to consider each prompt and write about the topic, regardless of whether I feel particularly inspired to do so.
• To blog any of the writings that move me.
• To post a minimum of 3 days per week – even if its not on a blog topic…Goodness knows there is plenty going on in the scrap/craft world alone to find things to post about.
• To focus on my craft and my inspirations and my desires and my goals and those things in my life that help me feel positive and focused and moving forward.
• To trust my own blogging voice. I’m not interested in alienating anyone, but I want to be me.

So...its actually day TWO of the class. I'm off to read the next topic and ponder my response!

Peace, ya’ll!