Demise of a snowman!Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Simple Winter Pleasures #4
Even when you don't feel like it, sometimes you just have to stop and play a game! Tonight it was Hi Ho Cherrio...so glad we took the time!
Kobuk made the game extra interesting when he decided he would spin the spinner too! lol
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Simple Winter Pleasures #3
I know this isn't spiritual, magical or simple....but a very bright spot in an otherwise very long day!!! lol
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Simple Winter Pleasures Day 2
Do you remember the blog post I had on here about a give-a-way for a mini Waldorf doll? I won!! Sue over at PolarbearCreations contacted me and I was just beside myself with excitement! And then it sunk in that I would have only one of these darling little dolls and two very excited little girls! So I emailed her about purchasing another one to match and she wrote back telling me that she had one and she would include it too at no cost!!! I couldn't believe the amazing kindness of a stranger! She was already being so giving with one but to give two was above and beyond!!!
In todays mail we got the package! lol You would think that those girls didn't have any toys (which you know is FAR from the truth!) by the way they were carrying on and the way they set off to feed their new babies. I hadn't even gotten to hold them yet and they already set to digging out things to wrap them in and making beds for them to sleep in! J instantly found a cloth cradle for hers and R put hers in a cloth carrier and they had names picked out in no time! J's has alphabets all over the fabric so she named hers Allie and R actually named hers on her own and wouldn't even listen to my suggestions! lol Her's is now named NeNe after J's imaginary friend!
These babies have already brought so much raw, simple joy to our home. J keeps teling DH how they are stuffed with lambs "wool-fur" lol and R is just so excited to have named hers and she snuggled in with her at bedtime.
Sue, if you are reading this...I thankyou more than words to say. Your work is amazing and the dolls are SO BEAUTIFUL!!! I wish mine looked half as good!! lol
If you are ever looking for an amazing gift for a little one....PLEASE check out her shop! You won't be disappointed! And the best part is, the kiddos love them and they aren't flashy or battery run! It's a win-win!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Simple Winter Pleasures Day 1
The days are numbered for our Christmas decorating. I know the day is coming that we will pack it all away for another year. (ugh) This year we added a small disco ball looking ornament on a spinner (the cats love it! lol) and we discovered that at about 5:15 or so every afternoon, when the sun gets to just the right spot in the sky our living room has bits of shattered light bouncing off the walls from the reflections given off from this ornament! For a few moments in the day, our livingroom feels like magic and the song from Sleepless in Seattle plays in my mind... In the wee small hours of the morning... I know it's not in the morning but I can't control the songs that stick to certain moments in my mind! lol Personally, I think this ornament has a bit of magic and just wants us to all slow down for a few moments in the day and enjoy something simple...
Taking the time to focus...
What is focus?
According to Webster's dictionary the meaning is~ a state or condition permitting clear perception or understanding
When you really think about it, aren't we all striving for that? Maybe not everyone, but I know I sure am! Even just considering the day-to-day trials we all have to endure, focus can be difficult. You add in any of lifes big diversions and focus is nearly impossible! Lately, our lives have been a bit murky on the understanding and perception side of things. Living the life of the military has taught me that nothing is ever for sure and that your life can be very much at the mercy of someone you may have never even met. That's what we have been learning lately anyways. For now, we are here and that is all I can focus on in the now. The future and where we will be is for another day to worry about. I am hopeful but still question the how and why of our lives lately so this new year of opportunities and resolutions is coming at a perfect time in my growing process! The only thing I am in control of is me so why not focus in that for the time being!?! lol Actually, "resolutions" probably isn't the right term because I think as a whole people have good intentions of making them come true but get caught up in the everyday things and those big resolutions rarely come true. ..
So, instead I am looking for focus... Since moving here, my family and I just haven't found a church that makes us feel at home. We do however have the pure joy of listening to our Paster, Ed, online thru our old church~ Riverside Community. If you've never listened to a sermon online, please try out this one! I can't imagine what these 3+ years would have been like without Ed and God's directions we have gotten from the sermons. Even all the way from Alaska, Ed is still giving us the words we need to hear to get through the days. I think our church family is the driving force for us getting back there. Sure we miss the mountains, the culture and food but you know what my first thought of returning is? Pulling up to Riverside, sneaking in unannounced and seeing the look on our friends/family's faces...ok I have to stop...the tears are coming...
Anyways, Ed had a new lesson last week about focus and how important it is in our lives as Christians and he has a step-by-step guide to figuring it out on his blog that DH and I are doing. We are only a few days into it and already I am looking at my days in a different manner. Taking more time to focus on who I really want to be and what I want to be remembered for later. Doing this process with DH is also a nice experience. We have always been open with each other about our thoughts and ideas on things and usually we are on the same page but somehow this is different. Maybe we are just both doing some soul searching these days and it's just nice to have someone along for the ride! lol
The first step on this journey to focus is writing down your dream. Now for some this would be easy but I actually found it rather hard to put into words because my dream isn't just one big thing, it's a lot of "little things" that aren't so little to me!
My dream is to have a home that is full of order and peace so the creative juices have room to flow. I want to live in Alaska (duh!) and be surround by nature. I dream of our girls being taught by earthschooling in every sense of the name with the mountains and trees as their guides and the skies their limits. I want our handmade toys and crafts to reach far away lands and bring joy to children and adults of all ages. I want to wake up every morning refreshed and enjoy coffee and conversation with my husband and feel satisfied with my day and it's accomplishments as the night sets in. I NEED to feel like I am home....
Tall order, I know! I guess I better get started!
What's your dream? Please share!
One last challenge I am giving myself is to take part in a "Simple Winter Pleasures" collection of photos that show little views of our life on a daily basis. I read about it on BlueBerryCottage (isn't she just full of good ideas lately?) and thought it went along nicely with my goal of getting focused. Each day I will post a picture of something I consider important, spiritual, magical or just plain simple that aides in me becoming a better me...can you join me at taking notice of the little things?
According to Webster's dictionary the meaning is~ a state or condition permitting clear perception or understanding
When you really think about it, aren't we all striving for that? Maybe not everyone, but I know I sure am! Even just considering the day-to-day trials we all have to endure, focus can be difficult. You add in any of lifes big diversions and focus is nearly impossible! Lately, our lives have been a bit murky on the understanding and perception side of things. Living the life of the military has taught me that nothing is ever for sure and that your life can be very much at the mercy of someone you may have never even met. That's what we have been learning lately anyways. For now, we are here and that is all I can focus on in the now. The future and where we will be is for another day to worry about. I am hopeful but still question the how and why of our lives lately so this new year of opportunities and resolutions is coming at a perfect time in my growing process! The only thing I am in control of is me so why not focus in that for the time being!?! lol Actually, "resolutions" probably isn't the right term because I think as a whole people have good intentions of making them come true but get caught up in the everyday things and those big resolutions rarely come true. ..
So, instead I am looking for focus... Since moving here, my family and I just haven't found a church that makes us feel at home. We do however have the pure joy of listening to our Paster, Ed, online thru our old church~ Riverside Community. If you've never listened to a sermon online, please try out this one! I can't imagine what these 3+ years would have been like without Ed and God's directions we have gotten from the sermons. Even all the way from Alaska, Ed is still giving us the words we need to hear to get through the days. I think our church family is the driving force for us getting back there. Sure we miss the mountains, the culture and food but you know what my first thought of returning is? Pulling up to Riverside, sneaking in unannounced and seeing the look on our friends/family's faces...ok I have to stop...the tears are coming...
Anyways, Ed had a new lesson last week about focus and how important it is in our lives as Christians and he has a step-by-step guide to figuring it out on his blog that DH and I are doing. We are only a few days into it and already I am looking at my days in a different manner. Taking more time to focus on who I really want to be and what I want to be remembered for later. Doing this process with DH is also a nice experience. We have always been open with each other about our thoughts and ideas on things and usually we are on the same page but somehow this is different. Maybe we are just both doing some soul searching these days and it's just nice to have someone along for the ride! lol
The first step on this journey to focus is writing down your dream. Now for some this would be easy but I actually found it rather hard to put into words because my dream isn't just one big thing, it's a lot of "little things" that aren't so little to me!
My dream is to have a home that is full of order and peace so the creative juices have room to flow. I want to live in Alaska (duh!) and be surround by nature. I dream of our girls being taught by earthschooling in every sense of the name with the mountains and trees as their guides and the skies their limits. I want our handmade toys and crafts to reach far away lands and bring joy to children and adults of all ages. I want to wake up every morning refreshed and enjoy coffee and conversation with my husband and feel satisfied with my day and it's accomplishments as the night sets in. I NEED to feel like I am home....
Tall order, I know! I guess I better get started!
What's your dream? Please share!
One last challenge I am giving myself is to take part in a "Simple Winter Pleasures" collection of photos that show little views of our life on a daily basis. I read about it on BlueBerryCottage (isn't she just full of good ideas lately?) and thought it went along nicely with my goal of getting focused. Each day I will post a picture of something I consider important, spiritual, magical or just plain simple that aides in me becoming a better me...can you join me at taking notice of the little things?
One small change...
Can you imagine the impact that just one person can make on the world? Can you picture the amount of change that could be inspired by one person, making one change for the good? I can't even phathom how much goodness we are capable of. It's not the kind of thing you see on the news!
I am excited for the new year full of new chances, fresh starts, exciting adventures and endless possibilities! I am also excited to have read one of the blogs I follow, BlueBerryCottage. She is taking the One Small Change challenge over at HipMountainMama and I have decided to join her!
This passed summer, I realized how many paper towels we actually use. I mean, it is just entirely too easy to go thru a ton at an insane speed! It's just soooo easy to use and toss and the amount of money and paper wasted was staggering! So I quit! I figured- it we don't buy them we won't use them! Ha! Easier said than done! Having kiddos, you know there have been lots of messes and with animals there are entirely different messes of their own! But, we got used to it. I have a drawer of baby wash rags, older cloth diapers and other rags that quickly took the place of their paper, tree killing counter part! lol We went about 6 months before I finally broke down and bought a pack of three paper towel rolls (I know! Gasp!) I was doing so good until DH spilled a bucket of paint and I had nothing buck cloth to grab! ugh! So, I bought some paper towels and kept them in hiding so as not to be temped. I save them only for extreme messes and so far so good! We still use our cloth rags for everyday clean up and I'm so proud of the "small difference" we are making!
As most of you know, we also used cloth diapers and I really like the idea of getting multiple uses out of household items! SO... our small change for this month is going to be taking the reusable item list to the next level! We are going to use cloth napkins in place of paper ones. While our family was here visiting, we happened into Dillards (only my second time ever!) and I was shocked to see beautiful cloth napkins on clearance for $.80! Now, they aren't all matching but for now they will get us started on this journey!
I am excited for the challenge and will be anxious to see all the small changes that will make a HUGE DIFFERENCE! Every little bit counts! What can YOU do to make the world a better place?
I am excited for the new year full of new chances, fresh starts, exciting adventures and endless possibilities! I am also excited to have read one of the blogs I follow, BlueBerryCottage. She is taking the One Small Change challenge over at HipMountainMama and I have decided to join her!
This passed summer, I realized how many paper towels we actually use. I mean, it is just entirely too easy to go thru a ton at an insane speed! It's just soooo easy to use and toss and the amount of money and paper wasted was staggering! So I quit! I figured- it we don't buy them we won't use them! Ha! Easier said than done! Having kiddos, you know there have been lots of messes and with animals there are entirely different messes of their own! But, we got used to it. I have a drawer of baby wash rags, older cloth diapers and other rags that quickly took the place of their paper, tree killing counter part! lol We went about 6 months before I finally broke down and bought a pack of three paper towel rolls (I know! Gasp!) I was doing so good until DH spilled a bucket of paint and I had nothing buck cloth to grab! ugh! So, I bought some paper towels and kept them in hiding so as not to be temped. I save them only for extreme messes and so far so good! We still use our cloth rags for everyday clean up and I'm so proud of the "small difference" we are making!
As most of you know, we also used cloth diapers and I really like the idea of getting multiple uses out of household items! SO... our small change for this month is going to be taking the reusable item list to the next level! We are going to use cloth napkins in place of paper ones. While our family was here visiting, we happened into Dillards (only my second time ever!) and I was shocked to see beautiful cloth napkins on clearance for $.80! Now, they aren't all matching but for now they will get us started on this journey!
I am excited for the challenge and will be anxious to see all the small changes that will make a HUGE DIFFERENCE! Every little bit counts! What can YOU do to make the world a better place?
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