Real Life, Birthdays, "Fails", and more!

There are many phrases that are over used, way to many to go into here.  One heard around our house a lot is, "It is what it is"!  This phrase is usually followed with something like, "so how are we going to deal with the pieces (or mess, or clean up, or move on and learn).  It's our way of say, "it happened, how are you going to handle the next step?"  It just seems to bring the situation down to a level that we can respond calmly and find a good solution.

How does this lead into this post ~ plenty of ideas floating through this noggin of mine.  First and easiest, while make pancakes for breakfast and seasoning my cast iron skillets, I turned on the wrong burner.  The burner that my favorite cook book happened to be slightly resting on.  After a few moments, there was a burning smell.  Found my error, got book off to find only a little scorch mark, and turned that burner off and the correct one on.  It's things like this that I want our boys to understand why it's good to have another around and not to walk away from cooking or lighting fires.  You have help, should something go way wrong.  I look at this as, my favorite cookbook has more character and more proof that it is, by far, one of my favorite go to books.  Pages are wrinkled, splattered on, reinforced, notes made on them, and so on. Love this book because I can make the recipes into more healthy, organic recipes by simple substitutions.  I don't need to buy a special book just for eating healthy.  It's basically healthy and can be stepped up a level easy enough.  So, I am thankful for this well used, messy, burned cookbook.  It will stay on my shelf for a long time.  Sad days will following when it is beyond repair.

A birthday happened earlier this week too.  Another marker that a year has come to an end and a new one starts.  New goals seem present, more so than New Years Eve.  Little things about making our house more of a home, a safe haven, a place folks want to come to.  Goals of better organization and cleaning and using the whole house and property better.  How can we bless others with what we have?  What things can I make, for cheap, to show my personality?

There are fails along the way too.  Ideas that seem like such a good idea at the time, but when reality meets the road, it back fires.  Other ideas, for instance while cooking, it's just not as neat and tidy as those cooking shows that have many things tested out before they actually film.  I'm okay with this, especially when our boys keep coming back to the kitchen asking for more ~ I must have made something right!

And the more, just random pictures that I've seen, that make me happy.  Also pictures of things I'd love to make.

How all this summarizes into a thankful list, just keep on reading a bit longer:

• favorite cookbook showing it's love just a bit more
• lazy birthdays
• simple presents
• candles
• ice cream
• favorite meals
• date with my husband
• revamp of goals
• funny pictures that make me smile
• life is not perfect, but it is full of thanksgiving

What Brings Out Your Focus?

Your drive?  That "Type A" side we all have to varying degrees.

    My "A" side strikes every once in awhile, but not nearly often enough.  It's here this afternoon though.  In just a couple hours at home, alone, I'm able to get chores done in crazy time.  Though, those two hours are not enough time to get the WHOLE house done, it is just enough time for noticeable progress, and that will have to be good enough.

As is my "nature", I enjoy taking pictures of things that strike me as cool, beautiful, or unique.  I've also been know to take photos of things that tie into a blog post that is rattling around in my head.  That is what happened with today's writing and photos.

 Just warm enough for Charlotte to hang out

on the deck while I cleaned.  As I was focusing on a good

vacuuming, things got moved of the floor.  I took

her bed outside and she slept half on, half off.

 My desire for cute planner.  Making my own or finding one to down

load and print, just didn't happen.  I wanted to much out of a home made

and it was taking to long.  Store bought, with a plastic front and a place

change change out a cover, to the rescue.  Bonus ~ under $8.00.

 Must have ~ month view with just enough room to get a good over view

of what is going on that month.  Yes, April is still blank, will be updating that soon.

 Week view ~ again, enough room for all that needs to be in there.  I will still have a 

homemade school calendar (via Donna Young's website) with detailed notes on that.

I'd hate to see how big the calendar would be if I combined home and school on one calendar.

I also tied ribbons on the top spiral loop, to further personalize it and to add in finding the 

exact page I wanted.  When I do fill things in, some will be in pen, some in pencil.

I'll color code, either with highlighters or colored pencils, so a quick glance

I can see who's items are who's.

My list of joy and thankfulness (today and random last few months):

• store bought planner to personalize
• time to clean
• talent show for 5th & 6th graders
• warmth and sunshine
• boys earning their advanced red belt in TKD back in February (next belt is black)
• boys getting second stripe, yesterday (two more to go)
• breakfast for dinner

Been Awhile, but Still Thankful

Many things in life have changed since beginning this blog.  Many things I don't care to share in the open Internet.  What truly matters is finding, seeing, feeling, and believing in the joy that is around you and me.  It is there.  It always has been.  It always will be.  There are days that it is so obvious and lists grown on those days, like spring flowers.  Other days just feel dark and lonely, a desire to retreat to the dark corners exist.

I began writing, as a way to focus on the good and joyful things.  Some days were easy, many days hard.  Writing became easier as life's kinks got worked out.  During this, unfortunately, writing became one extra thing to do on a busy day's schedule and I needed to take a break.  I was, and still am, thankful for the little things in life.  The big things to.

If you are wondering why I chose to write today, there is an overwhelmingly strong feeling of being thankful today.  Probably began yesterday and continued into this morning.  Many things, that look like this:

• dog finally coming home after a 20 minute run through the woods (and yes, right before we needed to head out)
• younger son, in joyful tears, hugging our wayward dog (I forget how attached he is to Ms. Charlotte)
• friends noticing, I seem to have a happier demeanor
• another good nights sleep (still getting over a slight cold, so sleep is a wonderful thing)
• a rainy morning
• leftover soup for breakfast
• a heating pad for achy muscles
• smelly pup, curled up by my side (I probably would have missed her to, had she not come home yesterday)
• thankful that it is Friday

Will probably be trying to get back to this blog, just not daily or with such large gaps in time.  How often would you want to see it?

Anyhoot, here's one last photo, of the wayward pup: