The Gift of Memories and Ordinary Days

A few months ago, I blogged about how grateful I am for my memories.  I was reminded of it again last night when I saw the movie "The Vow" with my husband when we were out for Date Night.

In the movie, the woman is in a car accident and cannot remember anything from the last few years, including her husband.  It was sad (and of course I was crying), but it really made me think that I am so, so glad that I do have my memories. The good memories I love to relive over and over again. The bad ones that I want to forget have even shaped me into who I am. Then there are the in-between memories that are just there, but still an important part of my history. Our memories are a gift that we are given and recalling them brings us back to that time and place.
I can often be quoted as saying  "We are making memories, here people" or "Let's go and make some memories"  and I always have my camera, but often the most memorable of days, the memories that are the most profound in our lives (both good and bad) are those that we didn't plan and couldn't have seen coming. Every day is one to be lived to the fullest. It is important to be present in the moment.
In a book that I loved so much I gifted to my mom and mother-in-law, The Gift of an Ordinary Day by Katrina Kennison, is much about enjoying each of the ordinary days in our lives as they really are special too.

Don't get me wrong, I love adventures, I love to get my adrenaline pumping, I love vacations, and I love BIG events like birthdays and weddings and parties of all kinds, but I also love spending quiet days at home, going for walks with my husband, running hugs with my little girl and enjoying my favorite song when it happens to be on the radio, even though I have it on my iPod at home. I enjoy the simple things, like a hot shower and a warm bath, a really good book and a soft blanket.  I enjoy ordinary days because it also means that nothing terribly wrong has happened and for that I am always grateful, because we all know our life can change in an instant.
Yesterday was an ordinary day for me: I had the day off so I slept in until my Bundle woke up and we cuddled before breakfast, listened to music and got ready for the day ahead, which included errands such as buying groceries before an evening date with my husband. It wasn't overly excited about being in the cold and running our errands, until my little girl started pointing out all the things that I had been far too busy to notice: "Flag, Mama!!" "Train!"  "Mama, 2 cars!"  "School Bus!" "Stop Sign!" "Another Flag!" Wow, she was right, this was a really great day! All of her favorite things, words we are reading about, we saw just on our way to the grocery store! And once we got to the store, there even more things that I would have missed had my Bundle not pointed them out to me, as I am busily crossing items off my list and comparing prices. "E, Mama!"  "O!"  "Red!" "Triangle!" "Another E!" "Milk, Mama!! Milk!"  Each time she excitedly pointed one of her discoveies out to me, there was a big smile and a little jump in her step. Her excitement was contagious as is the way with little ones. She is learning so much! I found myself looking at groceries in a new way, our drive home was more exciting than it had been in months and our errands, well, for a change, they were FUN!

The day was anything but ordinary and an unexpected memory that still makes me smile:)

~Angela

Waterpark Fun

We spent the weekend at the Metropolis Resort in Eau Claire, WI. I would recommend staying there. The staff is so accommodating and the rooms are decorated very modern, (plus they wash all the bedding including duvet covers which always scores extra points in my book. Most hotels do not!) the Chaos water park and Action City arcade and restaurants are all right there and it is reasonably priced.

At Chaos waterpark (the real deal)

I made the mistake of telling Bundle that we were going to a water park earlier in the week.  She LOVES water and swimming and water slides, but at 21 months, she cannot grasp the concept of time and wanted to put her swimsuit on at every chance she could.  

getting ready for swimming

After we had a “waterpark” at home earlier in the week, we stopped talking about it until we were actually on our way there. To create a water park at home, you get in the shower with toys and turn it on. Then splash around. It really was fun, although a huge mess. But it could easily be wiped up and was worth the mess for the fun we had!

 at home "waterpark"

Bundle loved the 3 story dark tunnel waterslide and went on that several times with Daddy. She even climbed the 4 sets of stairs to get to the top by herself. This made for one tired little girl who fell asleep while we were eating dinner later that evening.



It was a great weekend!!

~Angela

Valentines Wreath ~ Adventures in Sewing

After taking down my Christmas decorations (which I did a month ago except for the snowshoes because thay are a winter decoration, not Christmas) I like rediscovering the extra space in my home. But it is missing something. I miss the lights, the decorations, the wreath on the door. So, I thought I needed some Valentine’s bling around to make things a bit more festive. Or at least a wreath on the door.

my wreath!!!

 I looked in stores and online to find a wreath I liked that wasn’t cheap looking or cheesy. Couldn’t find one. So I did what any crafter would do and I created one myself.

I found this tutorial online and away I went to acquire supplies and get crafting!  Gathering supplies was seriously the hardest part as nowhere in town had the heart form I needed. Now that my friend Katie showed me how to use my sewing machine, that part was easy.

Materials:  Wreath form $6 (Hobby Lobby)  ½ yard of satin $1.26 (Wal-Mart) black ribbon/hot glue gun-already had on hand! Total cost of project $7.26 and the result is a lovely wreath and a happy me!

***Please note that I used double the amount of satin listed in the tutorial  to create my 12 inch wreath. I also burnished the edges of the satin (as in, ran the fabric through the flame of a lit candle and tried-successfully!-not to set the fabric or the house on fire. This prevents fraying and I like the look of it as well.

~Angela

My Latest Find!

As I have been purging my excess, I am very cautious about what I bring into our home.  But I could not pass up on this FREE child’s craft table! I found in online and it is in excellent condition, just needing to be wiped down. Since Bundle has a really nice Amish made oak table and chair set she got from my mom , I really did not want to spend a lot on another set for art projects (the other set is too nice to spill paint on) so this table is perfect! I am just so excited about making this work in my craft room as we like to be in there together.

I already have some projects in mind that we an work on together!!

~Angela

A Bubbly Bath

I love baths. Love, love, love them. There are few ways that I would rather spend an evening alone than in the tub with a book. It is a guilty pleasure of mine. I like to stay in long after my fingers and toes are all wrinkly and the water starts to cool (if I turn the heater off). Ahh...just thinking about it relaxes me.
My dear husband ran me a bath the other night and my motto has always been "the more bubbles the better", but he took this to the extreme.

I couldn't even see over the bubbles (don't worry; I took no photos of me in the tub!) I had to scoop the bubbles into the nearby shower.

In keeping with my goal of making time to slow down and simplify my life, I would say this evening counts as a success!

~Angela