Thankful Thursday

I really want to get back on this routine of documenting what I have to be thankful for. It goes right along with my word for the year-Love.  I am consciously aware of being thankful, I just haven't been very good about documenting it-or anything else for that matter.  That is going to be a change I hope to work on.

This week I am especially thankful for:

• family that comes together in times of joy as well as sorrow.
• a husband that is so willing to cook, try new recipes and foods.
• a great childcare group.
• a home & all the amenities that allow us to live comfortably as well as permit me to work from home in my occupation of passion.
• fantastic friends who share my varying passions, and accept me for me with out making me feel less adequate
• good coffee.
• ground moisture for our farmers, gardens & land to be able to produce this year.
• the ability to 'shut off' some tasks that could really become overwhelming.
• the ability to see the silverlining -most of the time.
• the friend that taught me to look for the silverlining.

what are you thankful for today?

Totally random collage of photos that have nothing to do with this post other than one of my hearts I am thankful for.

finding balance

I am such an all-or-nothing girl. When I do something I do it full-force. I heard 'if you can't do it right (& finish it the first time), why start it' when growing up. I have somewhat overcome that in that I am now able to start projects that seem overwhelming at first & baby-step my way through them instead of procrastinate them forever, other things I just procrastinate still ;)   Put simply, I struggle with finding balance in my life.

 When I start something, it has my full attention & energy until it is 'done'.  Scrapping, running, reading, facebook, pinterest, planning childcare activities, Relay for Life, Scrap Pink, gardening, etc.  When I start a book, I put off scrapping, when I started running, reading AND scrapping weren't just put in the backseat, they were practically boxed up & put in the trunk.  I missed them.  Now that I have quit running, I am scrapping & enjoying the creative process again. I think FLYLady's message is coming back to me as I am also recently able to take time to read a friend's original book, plan our summer activities, work in bursts on both Relay for Life & Scrap Pink as well as keep up on the housework & laundry.

I would like to get back to running, its only 30-60 minutes every other day or select days of the week, I wouldn't need to go full-force & run daily like I did last time.  If I just run m/w/f that would leave plenty of time to BALANCE some other things in there too.  I think I might be catching on to this. Now if I would just jump into starting some craft projects that I have 'collected' the parts for, Tim would be happier too ;)   (the drift wood wreath/sunburst for one since I have been 'collecting' driftwood & packing back from the lake for an official year now-oops)

 how do you find a comfortable balance in your life? please share!

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day to you.  That sounds so weird to me to say out loud.  Memorial day is such a somber holiday to me.  Its one where we are to remember those we've lost, mostly soldiers who died for our freedom, but around here, we use it to make the time when we are to decorate the stones of all of those we've lost. 



I remember all of us loading into Grandma & Grandpa's car to travel the country side to put flowers on stones of relatives I never knew.  I appreciated the 'event' in that it meant we were all together & out of the house.  Grandma usually packed a picnic lunch & we made a whole day of it.   I cannot tellyou the last time I went on the route.  I guess I better go again soon.  I come from a family rich in traditions & this is one I don't want to lose.

I guess I don't go these days since it is a traditional 'start of summer' weekend for Tim & I with our lake family.  its our first big camping/boating weekend at the lake since its a 3 or 4 day weekend for most of us. I do try to remember to put my little flags out at the campsite & we tune into a radio station that plays patriotic tunes all weekend, so I guess we aren't entirely avoiding it. 

So tell me, how do you celebrate Memorial day?

currently

celebrating the end of the school year & beginning of summer.

feeling a bit behind on my summer scheduling.

waking up with a daily to do list running through my head.

eating Tim's new smoked meat recipes every weekend. Pizza & apple pie were the most 'different' so far.

drinking water & coffee. all day. every day.

enjoying having the windows open.

loving that there is laundry on the line.

so appreciating our little things after seeing so much devistation on the Oklahoma tornado.

waiting (not so paitently) for the long weekend.

thinking its going to be a wet & chilly weekend but don't care at this point.

wondering how Kora will do on the boat & in the tent.

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girls' night out

WHAT A GREAT NIGHT!!!!!  Last Saturday night, a couple of friends & I had a Girls' Night Out.  We started out by meeting for an awesome mexican supper & margaritas.

 

From there we headed to Lakeside casino for our first ampitheater experience.  WHAT A FUN TIME!!

Ashley has such fun perks for her job! She gets to meet, hang out & introduce her entertainment.  Awesome!!

 Neal McCoy is SUCH  a fun Entertainer!! WOW.  Definitely will see him again & definitely recommend the ampitheater experience!!

 Such a sweety to stop for a photo w/us after the show.  He was hurting w/rotator cuff pain all evening but was a trooper & didn't let it effect his show or our experience. What a great guy!

Wonder what we will do for our next GNO?!

please follow directions

follow directions. please follow directions. 

I find myself saying this 1000x a week w/my littles & even a few times w/the bigs.  It makes me wonder if they hear my voice at all.  It also makes me wonder if I am talking too much which makes them block me out.  It makes me wonder if I am directing them too much, maybe I shouldn't be telling them every single step of the way, maybe I should be letting them figure some things out for themselves.  Maybe I need to release some perfectionism, control, & chill a bit. 

Summer is coming! That leads us to less schedules, more free time, less hurry up & wait, more waiting until they are ready, less following directions, more winging our days. I.Cannot.Wait! Some people get more uptight in the summer with more munchkins to care for, but I get more relaxed. I really look forward to summer as a vacation from our school time routine & schedule which we have little control over vs the summer one that we are able to control ourselves.

ok, that's enough rambling I think.  How do you feel about following directions? are you one that follows along or do you  buck the trend & make your own rules?