Grace

So, lately I have felt frustrated & cranky a lot. I have no idea why, but today I felt it more. After having some frustrations with Emery, I thought to pray to God for patience and thought...oooooh...maybe not. "Please help me to not feel so frustrated & cranky," was the prayer I ended up sending up. Fast forward to Emery being asleep & me on the computer looking at blogs. Two that I don't normally check out on a regular basis led me to this & this and wow. Talk about grace. God gave me two things so fast that melted my heart, made me cry happy/relief tears, and gave me hope. So not feeling cranky now. Thanks be to God for leading me here & here! xo

He danced!

Last year this little boy plugged his ears and shook his head to music. He hated it. What a difference a year and wonderful help has made. We went to a wedding recently and he danced. Momma had some happy tears. Wow...HE DANCED! He was going TO town! I feel like screaming it to the world!

Amen

“But as for me, afflicted and in pain— may your salvation, God, protect me” (Psalm 69:29).

hello beautiful

So I am back but without expectations. No pressure. Wanted to share with you my happy from the other day. Enjoy! I am also thinking of changing my blog name...stay tuned. Xo

Allowing myself time

So, two months came and went again. Wow. Obvioulsy there is too much going through my mind and life right now. Instead of disapointing myself and you one more time, I am going to take a break for a while. One that is said and not just happening without communication. Allowing myself time. Time to catch up, time to think, time to heal, time to process, time to just be without expectations over my head. Hopefully soon I will be back but I wanted to be sure to communicate which is something I have not been good at for a long time. xo

Wow

WOW. How in the world did almost two months go by? Man, the holidays are crazy. But, in a good way. Hope all was great for you and yours. Ours was wonderful. Now, the new year. Wow again. 2011. I cannot keep saying that today. So weird.

So, today was a peaceful morning with Emery and I inside hanging out, playing, and cleaning up a bit. Joe took care of the yuck dog stuff outside. Around 4, we headed out to Barnes & Nobel and Target. The book store was fun as always. I love looking at journals, cards, the craft section, the art section, calendars, and bibles. So me. Emery had a great time with the trains in the kid section. He is so into trains right now having Geo-trax and Thomas-like ones. A few Thomas ones too and always looking at them. Another thing he is really into right now is mazes. Wow, the kid can do them and fast! It's amazing. I am not sure how he does it, but he just goes and goes fast right through them. We are all back home now and the boys are playing Lego Batman on the Wii. So fun.

My plan this year to is to journal as much as possible to help me to remember things more, have them more documented for scrapbooking with ease, and also to communicate better with all of you. The past year has been one of chaos and turmoil, but we are all on the up-mend now and I am looking forward to a great year of trust and growth.

Happy New Year to you and yours!
xo

Been busy...

Doing this...

Working on these...


And, enjoying him...


One of these days I will actually get caught up...I really will!
Hope your holidays are going well. Luvs...xo

Inspired by...

this today...

http://stacyjulian.com/blog/?p=5973

Go check it out!

So, my scrapbooking why?

Because life goes way too fast.
Because some things are not forever.
Because I adore my family and friends.
Because I need to create to live.
Because it's so cool and far and wide.
Open with love and possibility to hold onto.
Things that fly by and pass before our eyes.
Maybe, just maybe a photo or a nice page will help it to stay.
And, the time with others that feel the same is precious.

What is your why?
xo

I sure do love fall

You in Daddy's old jacket,
Us with snacks in a basket.

Pumpkin patches are my favorite,
while corn mazes come in second.

Animals love basking in the sun,
and hay rides sure are fun.

A box to play in with corn instead of sand,
the corn popper; a giant bouncy land.

A big slide with clear skies abound,
and momma's joy; hay rolls in mounds.

You with some independence,
tires to climb on in attendance.

My favorite part, the pouty face,
To get away from photos; it was a race.

I may certainly be sappy,
but the momma is oh so happy.

Stained glass

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1926-2004);
psychiatrist, author

Dear God, please help me to have more light from within. Amen.

Uh huh...

Please bear with me while I renovate...hee hee. (Trying to be patient with myself!) XO

Been busy...

renovationing my blog. So sorry I've been so quiet. Just working on each piece of getting this right. For those of you who I have promised your blogs on my list...thanks for being patient with me. It's in progress! XO

And so it begins...

Kindergarten. WOW. How does it happen so fast?

Catching up and moving on...

I realized I needed to post this photo for those of you who remember this post from May of 2008. Really funny to me how it reflects where we are at these days. In a "time out" of sorts. Sorting, still unpacking, trying to have some stability, enjoying new changes, and trying to just be for a while. I am working on catching up on my blog. Thinking it's a good thing to go back once in a while and catch what I may have missed (like this photo). That way, I feel like I can move on. A good clean out is good. Organizing thoughts and plans is a fun thing to do. So, enjoy the photo and be looking for lots more posts coming up soon as I work my way through all of my old posts. I look forward to moving forward with you. XO

P.S. I miss times like these.

AND, wow...what a great reminder to self I need right now!

AND, really still liking this...
"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure. To embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting. For in movement there is life. And in change there is power.
-Alan Cohen

Some photos that make me smile...

Been having a tough time over here, but these make me smile. Lots going on, lots to do, lots to pray about, lots to fix, lots to learn, lots to work on, lots to solve. I know with God, it will all work out just fine. XO

I wish...

That everyone could get along.
For a rainbow everyday.
For everyone to feel healthy and happy all the time.
For world peace.
That things didn't wear out, people didn't die, and...
For more time in the day.



So, the other day Emery and I were in the drive-thru at McDonalds. As I go to pull out, this man in a truck behind me yells, "Get out of the way!" Ok, how rude. Wow. I really think something sad is happening to our world. It seems that people are getting more impatient these days. I really think we all just need to slow down and have some patience with each other. After all, we are in this together, yeah? What happened to the days when people took their time and actually had time? What happened to the days when people actually cared for the real answer and not just, "good" to the question "how are you?" No, really...how are you? I purposely do not do the self check out lines because I need to deal with a real person. I don't like the automated phone systems because I need a real person. I like people. I like talking with the check out lady or guy and really understanding how their day is going. I like getting to know the people at my favorite restaurant and having them use my name when I come in. I like running into people I know and like in stores or elsewhere. Ones that really care. I know there are good people in the world. Please join me in saying "amen" to that and I dare you next time you ask someone how they are, really expect and listen to how they really are. And, if you are that guy in line at McDonald's, understand that the lady in that car may be trying to deal with a 6 year old yelling at her to get the cool toy out already. Or, the person going too slow in your lane may just be trying to get his Grandma somewhere safely. Just think about how you would wish to be treated. How many more of you out there agree with me that we need more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control in the world? Amen.

Shut down days

“Sometimes the most urgent thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest.”
--Ashleigh Brilliant

So, I had one of those days yesterday when you just don't feel like doing anything but resting. Apparently I was exhausted because I had absolutely no motivation! And, was very overwhelmed. I think it's ok sometimes and somedays to have "shut down" days. We need them. Rest is good. Because I allowed myself this, my motivation kicked into gear about 5pm and I cleared one corner of the kitchen counter, picked up from Friday night fun, and vacumned. Yeah! I am feeling so much better today even with the laundry overtaking our home because of plumbing issues! Checking out a few blogs also helped me to not feel so alone. Do you ever have "shut down" days? Oh...and btw...it's my 40th birthday today! WOW.

Hope.

Been busy, busy clearing our way towards lots of new dreams. I just know it's gonna be good! Will do a catch up post soon with lots of photos, k? Until next time...


"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly."--Lanston Hughes

"I can see clearly now, the rain is gone."

So cool. That song keeps running through my head these days. Loving it. Been clearing a lot lately. It sure has been helping me in more ways than one. Took most of today to clear out our spare bedroom where a lot of clutter had built up. It's so fun to be able to walk in the hallway and also that room without running into things! Gonna take a break tomorrow (Sunday = rest day for me) and get back at it Monday. I am loving that clearing my clutter is also clearing my mind of negative thoughts too. Guessing more quiet time and this book are also helping a bit. Before I go for tonight, I want to share a story with you...

I was taking a bath earlier and looked up to see Emery's swimming trunks dripping. They are hanging to dry from the pool. My first response at the water falling at me was fear. I cringed and closed my eyes. Then, I thought of Kelly Rae's class and facing fears. So, I purposely watched that water drop fall. And, guess what? It did NOT fall on my face. And, you know what else? It was not just one drop...it was a triple drop...a large one that on the way down broke into three. It was so beautiful. It was art. Sounds kinda corny, but I thought it was pretty cool and a very good illustration of how when you face fear, most of the time you end up seeing things that are so beautiful that you never would have even imagined seeing if you had not. So cool. Thanks again Kelly Rae.

Where we have been lately...

Absolutely loving our local pool. Just being in the cool, fresh, blue water clears my head. Excited that Emery started swimming on his own today. WOW. After only 3 lessons! So cool. How is your summer going? Have you been in the water yet?