An attitude of gratitude

We used the tree of giving thanks that my mom and I made for the first time as a family this year.






Each day in November we took turns writing what we were thankful for. My daughter loved this activity and as a new writer, contributed more than Daddy or me. She is also a pro at writing her name so that made up a good portion of her contributions:) It appears we were more thankful for her than anyone/anything else.






I saved all of our thankful cards and we can read through them in years to come, just as we did at the end of the month. My daughter didn't choose to be thankful for things like toys, but people (such as herself), including her little brother- proud parenting moment here.













Our thanks included some light hearted and some serious, but topping the list is our health and our family. If you have these two things, you have everything. It's amazing how when we take the time to be thankful for what we have, we worry less, complain less and love deeper.

Then I saw this in a book I was reading:


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Every Day Is Worth Celebrating

I love holidays. I begin the countdown to my birthday months before the date. But not just my birthdays, either. I like the anticipation, the decorating, the planning and the excuse to celebrate birthday and holidays. I always have. And now that I have a family of my own, I like it even more- as we establish our own traditions and celebrations. 

We started this year out on a sick note. My husband was sick on New Years Day, when we planned to get out snowshoeing as a family for the first time.  As he was down and out my little girl and I did other things together and we later went out snowshoeing as a family.

Then came my birthday weekend, where we intended to celebrate with Sushi at a fave out of town restaurant. Again, my husband was sick. We still celebrated, just not the day we expected to.

Then came my husband's birthday, which found me in the first trimester of this pregnancy. Usually very organized, I had not been feeling well, and I ordered his present the day before his birthday (custom ordered beer glasses with his name on them), which had to be made then shipped, so needless to say he did not get his gift on time. And I slept most of the day.

Then came Easter. Although we were not sick, we were exhausted. So we cancelled our plans to go out of town to see family and instead, stayed home and rested. 

Our little girl turned three and we planned a friends party and a family party for her. We were so excited to have her cousins spend her birthday with her (this would have been a first!) and had to cancel her family party because she got the flu. She was too sick to even care.

Mother's Day arrived and we travelled to Michigan as a family. I made sure to point out this was the first holiday this year that we were all healthy and things went as planned! This was a turning point for us!! 

I spoke too soon. Father's Day was this last weekend and I got sick. So instead of making the day special for Dad, he steps up to do more than his share in taking care of our little girl and me. I slept most of the day as we travelled home from visiting friends and promptly went to sleep upon arriving home. We never gave Daddy his Father's Day gift that our little girl and I worked so hard on. I do recall eeking out a "Happy Father's Day" greeting during the few times I was awake and did accompany my family to dinner and dessert, although I was as much fun as a bump on a log. Not exactly my usual festive self. I did manage to take a couple of pictures on Father's Day..

And a few from last week, when Daddy took our little girl kayaking. And adventure they both enjoyed.

And although we are not losing sleep over it, as the Best Laid Plans are those that do not go as planned, we also make a point to celebrate EVERY SINGLE DAY. We don't save our good silverware for special holidays, we use it every day. We don't wait for weekends to have adventures, we can do those in the weekday evenings too. We don't wait for holidays to make gifts and show appreciation to those we care about, we do that other times as well. Our little girl wears her Christmas dress to school on a regular Monday and we have lunch dates just because. 

Because every day is worth celebrating. 

~Angela

My Face Tells the Story



Maybe it is because I recently had another birthday. Not a milestone birthday, but I'm still another year older. Maybe I'm just a little vain. In either case, I looked at myself in the mirror recently. Not just the "does my hair look ok" or "does this dress make my butt look big" or "do I have on way too much makeup" quick glance, but I took a good long, close look at myself. Something I don’t do often. And I was thinking to myself: Here I am. At 31.

My body has changed considerably since carrying my baby inside of me a few years ago. My hair's texture has too. It is my natural color and I've accepted that. I don’t spend hours each day trying to style my hair in a way it doesn’t naturally want to as I realized there are better ways to spend that time.

And my face...it's older. The dark circles are there from staying up too late: cleaning, rocking my little girl, reading books, blogging, creating things, spending time with my husband, and having those incredible conversations that seems so much more apt to happen in the hours long after you should have been asleep.

The creases (ok, the wrinkles) are there and there to stay. When exactly did that happen? Yes, I noticed them a few years ago when I traded in my tanning lotions for anti-aging creams with SPF... But this time I noticed a few more...the crease wrinkle in my forehead that is even more prominent when I worry, am running hard, thinking hard. The creases at the corners of my mouth that are ever present when I think, read or type...my face showing the emotion of me just being.  And my eyes. The creases there (sometimes called crow's feet) that I refer to as my "story lines."  They tell the story of my life. The creases are there when I smile those big smiles that are reserved for those BIG moments in life and when I laugh, which I do often. The creases are also there when I'm stressed, feel pain and sadness, and when I am overcome with compassion for others. I am terrible at hiding my feelings. I always have been. My face tells the story of exactly what I am thinking and feeling at any moment in time. I am animated when I speak, sing and laugh.  Often, I come across a photograph that has been taken of me and feel the expression that can be seen on my face. My face tells the story of all of those moments. And I would not trade those creases for life experiences. I like my story.



via Real Simple

~Angela

"Things May Not Go As Planned, but Always End Up As They Should"

 

Our wedding anniversary happened to fall on Veteran’s Day which meant I had the day off from work yesterday. I had planned on sleeping in and wrapping Christmas gifts, sending my little girl to school for part of the day,  before picking her up for some Mommy/Daughter adventures. She wasn't feeling well so we laid low at home instead. It worked out that I had the day off. The morning was so stressful I wished I was at work (we were both overtired from being up a lot the night before and she was sick), but I really enjoyed cuddling in the afternoon with my bundle by the Christmas treeJ 

At night, my husband and I attempted to partake in our usual anniversary traditions: I put on my wedding dress to dance to our wedding song, watch our wedding video, and enjoy some quite time at home. As it happens sometimes, life had other plans- in addition to a sick little girl, my husband spent the night trying to fix our dishwasher and hand washing dishes. Then we had a very curious toddler who kept coming out of her bed to see what we were up to (I knew sooner or later she would figure out she could get out of big girl bed on her own!)

 

My little girl, on her multiple trips out of her room :

“Mom, I like your dress. It is very white.” (referring to my wedding dress) 

“What are you doing?”

“I’m just getting socks.”

“I am turning my tree off.”  (referring to the Christmas tree in her room)

“Hi.”

“I think we should wash my blanket.”  (not needed; I just washed it before bed)

“Cover me up.”

“I want to rock a bye.”

“I need my fan on.”

“I love you, Momma.”

“Hi Daddy.”

She cracks me up…and tests my patience, often at the same time! But I love her to pieces, my independent little one. And I love being her mom. And I love my husband for assisting in this dream of being a mom.

The whole day did not go as planned, but it was fun in its own right. J We laughed about it and appreciated the humor of it, and the fact that although things do not always go as planned, that is life and we still appreciate each other, our family and our little girl. Our family and our life is so different than the day we were married, seven years ago, but I would not change a thing.

 

We are truly living our happily ever after...

 

~Angela

Handwritten Letters Part 2

I did not start doing this with plans to blog about it as this is very personal. But I have had such a heartwarming, positive experience, I needed to share. I hope someone who reads this blog decides to write their own letters.

After reflecting on the letters I exchanged with my friend Velma, I began writing letters to some of the people I care about. Wow, has this been an experience. First off, the task is daunting. I am actually taking the time to write those letters I keep thinking I should write. Not the obligatory thank you notes (that I still write) or the letter requesting fundraising dollars. A real handwritten, no-strings-attached letter. Saying the things I keep thinking I should say. Putting my words to paper. But it is also fun. In a time of email and social networking, mobile phones and texting, a handwritten letter is really a lost art. Well, I’m bringing it back- at least for those I care about. I bought and made stationary, stocked up on stamps and complied addresses.

Then I started writing…

-A letter to the deacon/friend that married us

-A letter to my brother for the unconditional love he shows my little girl and to let him know just how much my little girl loves her uncle

-A letter to my husband telling him the reasons I love him

-A letter to a friend that I am proud of because of a recent accomplishment

-A letter to a handful of friends I cannot imagine my life without

-A letter to the store where I recently had a great experience

-A letter to my in-laws for raising a wonderful son who is a great husband and father

-A letter to my grandma, telling her how much I cherish all the memories we have shared together

-A letter to my aunt for all she does for my grandma

-A letter to my mom for being the mom I can only aspire to be.

-A letter to my cousin who stayed with me when I was a new mom, helping with my baby, allowing me to nap, helping with errands

-A letter to my daughter that she can open in the future with my thoughts, my hopes, my dreams for her. I put this letter in our fire safe. They have no monetary value, but I do hope they are something she values as she grows into a young woman, maybe even a mother herself. I plan to write a letter to her each year on her birthday.

The list goes on…and as it does, I will write more letters

It humbles me to think that I have so many people that deserve a letter. It makes me realize how blessed I am.

I’m sentimental and some might classify it as cheesy, but I believe in being thankful for what is good, dealing with what is not in the most positive way possible, showing appreciation when I am thankful, paying it forward and enjoying the simple things in life.

~Angela

A Big Announcement

I turned 30 this year and shortly after my 30th birthday I stumbled across my Bucket List.  I wrote this list years ago and have accomplished some of these goals already:
-Running a Marathon
-Falling in Love
-Being a Mom
-Skydiving
-Learning to cook
But there are several things I have not yet attempted and publishing a book was one of them. I figured this was the year for me to tackle this goal. If we are friends on Facebook, then your already know the news I am about to share....as of last week, my book Finding Love in Nature: Heart Stones is officially published!  I may or may not have been logging into Amazon.com to search for my book multiple times a day just to see my book there. I can hardly believe that it is actually printed. EEK!! It is real.

I found over 70 heart shaped stones on our trip to Maine last July and after putting the first few in my pocket or purse (depending on the size) I started taking photos before I took them with me. This book is a compilation of those photos. I also insisted on taking all of these stones home with me (much to my husband's dismay). We had these stones in our carry on bags, our checked luggage, my purse and my daughter's diaper bag, but I am happy to report that we got them ALL home with us. I am no stranger to the orange HEAVY tags that are usually attached to our luggage anyway:)

rock hunting in Maine

my little girl helping me hunt for heart stones

After a stress fracture forced me to lay low this winter, this really jump started the prcoess. I finally organized and edited my photos and got this project underway. I was rather frustrated to be unable to be so active, but I put my energy into this book rather than focusing on all the things I could not do with an injury. And I am glad I did.
Although this was not the book I had orignally planned on publishing (I would still like to publish a children's book that I wrote years ago), this was a great first book to help get familiar with the publishing process. And it sure beat paying $24.00 to print a very similar photo book through Snapfish (which I already did just because I wanted this in book form so badly). I used the platform Createspace which in an affiliate of Amazon. If you have ever had the inkling you would like to be published, I would highly recommend Createspace.
And although I will never get rich with my publishing and plan on keeping my day job, that was never my intention anyway. I just wanted my book in print form. And I can cross that off my Bucket List.
~Angela

A Little Perspective

Someone recently said to me “I follow your blog and you are really lucky. Your life seems so perfect.” Hmmm....I am lucky in a lot of ways, but my life is far from perfect. I choose to focus on the good things -the simple things- in life.

A lot of things in life can be looked at from several different perspectives.

I blog about the things that make me happy, the things I will want to remember, I blog about the things I create, most of which turn out pretty decent, but I have occasional fails, like this one. I have bad days too- usually those days I don’t want to relive, let along blog about it.

Each day has highs and lows and a lot of “in-betweens” or ordinary days.  I choose to enjoy the highs and cherish the “in-betweens.” In turn, this makes any lows seem to pale in comparison. And sometimes even the “lows” can actually be funny, like when my daughter spilled milk ALL over the kitchen. We could have allowed that to ruin an evening, or we could laugh about it, take pictures and all of the sudden, it becomes an adventure. This is how we discovered our little girl loves mopsJ

My days consist of the same mundane tasks that I am willing to bet the average person has to do: laundry, cooking, bathing, grocery shopping, paying bills, working, cleaning up…the list goes on. But in between all the stuff we need to do to survive day to day, we have fun and I choose to focus on that. I could focus on the massive amount of extra laundry I did or the shower that made such a mess, but made my daughter think she was at a waterpark. I could focus on the dog poo that got all over my daughter’s rain boots and the garage and the rug and me or the fun time she had jumping in the puddles! I could focus on the fact that my clothes are a little tight from not being able to exercise for months, or the even better fact, that the sedentary lifestyle was temporary for me and I can exercise now. I can focus on the guilt I have EVERY.SINGLE.DAY I drop my little girl off at daycare (which I why I love my husband even more for dropping her off) or the giant smile and shrieks that ensue when my car pulls up at daycare to pick her up and take her home.

My life is not perfect…no one’s life is. But there are usually multiple perspectives to every situation…

~Angela