Once again, I have been savoring all of my summer time and not getting on my blog...let's see it has been since February since I have written...wow! Well, a lot has happened and along with events there were some crafts and I have some fun photos but this writing today is going to be about SUMMER.... I live in a small town, a tourist gem, we have wonderful lighthouses, a huge beautiful beach, a state park with many amenities to offer, shops, restaurants, live entertainment, kid's events, a library that is a second home to our family, a simple ice cream shop around the corner of our house and so much more. What is delightful this year, is my time, the time I spend enjoying all of Ludington and all it has to offer. This year my eyes were a little more open as I watched the parade, not that they weren't the other years but I actually took it all in, I can remember almost all the different groups and people that walked, rode or entertained us at this 2-3 hour event...hmm, I lost track of time that day...I watched with my eyes really open.
My days at the beach, I sit and watch the kids play, I frolick in the waves or take a dip to cool off but my eyes are really open this year. I take in the beauty of the lake, in fact, it takes my breath away..not that I didn't see it before, I see it differently this year. I smell the air, the wind feels refreshing, sand doesn't drive me crazy like years past. I lose track of time and end up being there 4-5 hours and I love it...nothing is different in Ludington but something is different in me...
Perhaps, like I said I would in my New Year's resolutions, I have stopped to smell the roses again..Perhaps it's the good company of being with friends, old and new, laughing, smiling...feeling like I can breath again.Whatever it is, I like it, I like this summer even with it's 90 plus days I find glory, joy, laughter and fun. When it's too hot I stay indoors and have accomplished so many things that I wanted to get done and I feel soooo happy about that. Proud. The heat has taken a toll on my flowers, grass and landscaping but I still sit on my porch, my sanctuary and let my mind go...
Just something about the Summer Breeze this year.....smiling.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Pinterest Crazy Love
I wrote this in February and had this draft sitting around so I am posting it but I will update to July real soon...
Yes, it is....a crafting and organizing month and I love every minute of it!! My new found love is Pinterest and it has sparked a ray of light in me that I somehow lost for awhile or maybe I hadn't but I tucked it away in my-"I'm a mom and need to do kid's crafts now"- wing...LOL! I have always loved to do crafts and such but when I became a mom I only had time for kid's crafts and teaching them fun things so this door that has been re-opened has really, most definitely been good for my soul, my artistic brain, my love for unique things, my sense of style and world of colorful clarity.
The organization side of me has always been there and sometimes I get insanely obsessed with it although still feel so un-organized. I just never have enough containers!!..hehehe. This month I have accomplished alot though, I've gone through closets to cupboards to kid's rooms to clothes to the pantry and I am feeling very satisfied..so far. But around every corner I find one more thing to clean out, de-clutter and re-organize every month. That is just me and always will be me until I am filled with a house full of containers, shelves, bins and labels I won't be most happy...smiling big!
The past year has been really a "find myself again" type of year and what I mean is, I always have time to give and do for others but I never did for myself and Pinterest, along with a few other things has really helped me do that. It started last March when I started my cupcake business. It was a way for my creative side to come out, my love for baking to grow and to satisfy a wanting, of sorts, of recognition, without having to go to work and start a career working toward a goal. I could earn some money, still be a stay-at-home mom but feel like I am using my creativity. It has been a great year and I hope it continues because it really is quite fun!
Next was my wardrobe, sounds funny I know but I was wearing mom jeans and sneakers..never did I wear sneakers as a teenager and young adult except for gym class and although there is nothing wrong with that, it wasn't me...I don't care for sneakers but I didn't necessarily need to go back to my heel wearing days either, I mean it's 20 years later, heels don't feel nearly as good as they did back then but I need style...just some style...that's it. So I slowly started changing things, adding items, taking items to Goodwill and although I still have more changes to make it is far better than it was. How did that even happen to me? Well, easy, I only had eyes for my kids and my hubby and I left myself go and I'm not even talking about weight gain, that came without warning after children and especially after turning 30 and now I'm 41 so well, at least my clothes and hair look good...hehehehe. I'm talking about just not being worried about being fashionable and trust me, I was very trendy in my day.....or again, maybe I just thought I was...hehehehe. Still, I feel much better about what's in my closet!
Then summer came and I got myself in my swimsuit, went to the beach with a friend and had so much fun I couldn't wait until the next time, in fact, I wanted it to be the next day, everyday. I didn't feel self concsious, I didn't care what others thought, I was there with my kids and friends and we were laughing our butts off and all the worries went right off of my shoulders and so did a little of my bad self esteem. :)
Yes, it is....a crafting and organizing month and I love every minute of it!! My new found love is Pinterest and it has sparked a ray of light in me that I somehow lost for awhile or maybe I hadn't but I tucked it away in my-"I'm a mom and need to do kid's crafts now"- wing...LOL! I have always loved to do crafts and such but when I became a mom I only had time for kid's crafts and teaching them fun things so this door that has been re-opened has really, most definitely been good for my soul, my artistic brain, my love for unique things, my sense of style and world of colorful clarity.
The organization side of me has always been there and sometimes I get insanely obsessed with it although still feel so un-organized. I just never have enough containers!!..hehehe. This month I have accomplished alot though, I've gone through closets to cupboards to kid's rooms to clothes to the pantry and I am feeling very satisfied..so far. But around every corner I find one more thing to clean out, de-clutter and re-organize every month. That is just me and always will be me until I am filled with a house full of containers, shelves, bins and labels I won't be most happy...smiling big!
The past year has been really a "find myself again" type of year and what I mean is, I always have time to give and do for others but I never did for myself and Pinterest, along with a few other things has really helped me do that. It started last March when I started my cupcake business. It was a way for my creative side to come out, my love for baking to grow and to satisfy a wanting, of sorts, of recognition, without having to go to work and start a career working toward a goal. I could earn some money, still be a stay-at-home mom but feel like I am using my creativity. It has been a great year and I hope it continues because it really is quite fun!
Next was my wardrobe, sounds funny I know but I was wearing mom jeans and sneakers..never did I wear sneakers as a teenager and young adult except for gym class and although there is nothing wrong with that, it wasn't me...I don't care for sneakers but I didn't necessarily need to go back to my heel wearing days either, I mean it's 20 years later, heels don't feel nearly as good as they did back then but I need style...just some style...that's it. So I slowly started changing things, adding items, taking items to Goodwill and although I still have more changes to make it is far better than it was. How did that even happen to me? Well, easy, I only had eyes for my kids and my hubby and I left myself go and I'm not even talking about weight gain, that came without warning after children and especially after turning 30 and now I'm 41 so well, at least my clothes and hair look good...hehehehe. I'm talking about just not being worried about being fashionable and trust me, I was very trendy in my day.....or again, maybe I just thought I was...hehehehe. Still, I feel much better about what's in my closet!
Then summer came and I got myself in my swimsuit, went to the beach with a friend and had so much fun I couldn't wait until the next time, in fact, I wanted it to be the next day, everyday. I didn't feel self concsious, I didn't care what others thought, I was there with my kids and friends and we were laughing our butts off and all the worries went right off of my shoulders and so did a little of my bad self esteem. :)
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
January 2012..I can't believe how fast time goes by...
My New Year's resolutions this year:
1. To be a better Mom- my kids would tell you I'm the greatest Mom in the world but I feel I could do better with my patience and what I expect from them.
1. To be a better Mom- my kids would tell you I'm the greatest Mom in the world but I feel I could do better with my patience and what I expect from them.
2. To be a better wife- to make him feel loved even more than I already do.:)
3. To be a better friend- I need to take the time more for friends. Time, is one of those daily things I struggle with.."I don't have time"..., "I ran out of time", Why didn't I take the time"...sometimes, life is going 100 mph and I'm just barely hanging on to the wheel..I used to stop and smell the roses more often and I need to do that again. I used to send my friends letters, through snail mail...I miss that for sure.
4. To be an inspiration to someone- just that, to be an inspiration to someone, to help someone in need, to continue to give back, to continue to show compassion for those in need.
Okay, that about sums it up...basically, to IMPROVE me!:)
Okay, that about sums it up...basically, to IMPROVE me!:)
I usually do the traditional "I'm going to lose weight" but when I thought about it this year, I need to improve me on the INSIDE and then the outside will naturally get better. Not my heart or my spirit or my soul even...my mind. I think my thoughts about myself need to improve and when my brain is strong I can do anything, like lose weight.:)
But, I decided to change things in our household also, get back to basics..I'm a stay-at-home mom, I should have plenty of time to clean, do laundry and still do something I would like within my daily week. We have cut back on "electronic" devices including the T.V. and now play more board games, read more books and I feel I have gotten back on track with teaching my children the very fundamentals I always said I would. They now help cook a meal once a week and I mean they do everything, I stand guard, and help and of course, watch so there isn't any injuries. They LOVE it!! My youngest, Vanessa, has even figured out how to chop vegetables in a safe way and beautifully!
We are also doing more baking, I just taught them how to make a semi-homemade loaf of bread and we are pretty much baking bread weekly now. We still do the occasional crafts, mostly at holidays but only because they are getting older and doing crafts is not to be desired as it once was but they will always dive into creating a painting for me or coloring still and my oldest loves to draw so they are just doing more independant "crafts".:)
We have added more chores and they are earning money and our time together has just seemed more valuable and my oldest who loves his DSI, is fine with only being able to play it for an hour on Wednesdays while Vanessa is at dance and that is it during the school week. They have re-discovered toys and their imaginations keep blossoming. Now, this is not to say we haven't always done all of these things but we got sidetracked for awhile. We were letting Hayden play his DSI too much and reading books was every couple days not everyday...etc.... So, we are back on track, I feel better about my parenting...sometimes I'm so hard on myself.
That is life though, our children get older, we get busier, time goes by quickly and the next thing you know we are living in chaos. I decided to stop myself in my tracks. I was going too fast, literally not stopping and smelling the roses and missing things that I once did. That is where I am right now and it feels good...I feel refreshed and guess what? I lost 12 pounds! I didn't do anything except stop thinking about losing weight and been concentrating on my family and home and it has me busy(in a good way) and it is just coming off. I haven't stopped eating chocolate or cheese and I haven't done any exercising except playing with my kids. My brain stopped worrying about it and I have refocused on the priorities in my life (God, family, friends, house projects and hobbies) and somehow, that is working.:)
So, 2011 ended wonderfully, we went to Pennsylvania for Christmas and spent some wonderful time with family and friends and it was just what I needed. For New Years we went to an annual party at a friend's house and walked downtown to watch the ball drop and it was a perfect night!
I do have some craft photos to share, the kids did some crafts for Thanksgiving for their grandparents. Hayden wrote on the turkey's feathers all the things he is thankful for about each set of grandparents and Vanessa colored hers with her fingerprints. I did some Christmas tags for gifts. Below are photos of both along with Vanessa's Thank You cards from her birthday party that I made. I know I have not been on here much and I need to get on more so maybe I will add that to my list of Resolutions!!:)
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