Moments: Little boys

Recognizing the moments that make my life beautiful.
 

"When I grow up I want to be a little boy."

--Joseph Heller, Something Happened, 1974

 

 

Picture W eating a fudgcicle.

 

It's all over his face and he couldn't be happier.

 

Grandpa smiles and says to him, "The world is full of many wonders, W."

May we always see the wonder of the world.

Moments: A Rainy Day

 

Recognizing the moments that make my life beautiful!

 

"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain."

--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

It's been super hot and humid here for the past few days here.  Hot is normal for the middle of summer in Idaho.  Humid and muggy is not so common. 

 

I was feeling heavy and hot...maybe a little cranky. 

I was more aware of the stress of my every day life and feeling it more in this sticky heat.

 

And then it rained.

 

A lot.

 

The kind of downpour that washes the heat away and turns crankiness into playfulness and child-like wonder.

 

 

We watched the raindrops fall when I happily remembered that my children have never had the experience of playing in the rain! 

 

So, I opened the door and let them loose!

 

There was very little hesitation.  They knew what to do with the water falling from the sky!

 

They danced and laughed and sang and played...

 

...I joined them and thoroughly enjoyed the moment of freedom and peace.

 

Was I feeling stress a few minutes ago? 

 

Once we discovered the river in the gutter, we dove right in. 

 

No worries about the mud.  No worries about getting our clothes wet.

 

No worries.

 

 

I am Grateful for crochet

I can remember as a child watching my grandma crochet.  It was what she did when she was sitting down watching TV or talking.  

Source

Her blankets were beautiful and it wasn't long before I wanted to play too.

I don't remember if she taught me the basics or not, but I know that at some point she helped me figure some things out.  For the most part, though, I used a book to learn crochet.  It was a skill that I caught on to quickly and easily and I like to think that is from watching her for so long.  (crochet by osmosis?)

It has now become a source of relaxation for me:  something for my hands to do when they are bored (if that's the right word...boredom is something I very rarely experience lately), but also a focus point to calm my mind when it gets overwhelmed and stressed.  

When my grandma passed away, I inherited some of her crochet hooks and pattern books.  I feel close to here whenever I bring out my yarn and hooks.  

I am so grateful for the skill I have and for the connection to Grandma.

I am Grateful for Socks

Seriously.

Is there anything else like a nice comfy, cozy pair of fuzzy socks?  Especially when the air is cooling off and your toes are having a hard time staying warm and happy.

It's like wrapping your feet up in a soft, cozy blanket and giving them hugs as you walk.  Beautiful.

I am grateful for my socks.  =)

I am Grateful for Fall

A while back, I found this beautiful printable over at the letter 4.

I fell in love with it and downloaded it immediately!

It should be noted, though (in case you haven't noticed already), that I tend to take simple things and make them a bit more complicated.  =)

So, I took this print, transferred it to a nice scrap of white fabric I had just waiting to be beautified, and embroidered it.

It is hard to tell from the picture, but I added glitter paint to some of the leaves and to the word "fall."  Then, I mounted it on a fancy fall woven place mat thingy I've had forever.  

I made this project specifically for a new blog that I am a contributor for!  Woo!  Isn't that exciting?  The blog is called A Crafting Start.  It is a place to go for inspiration and help getting your creative juices flowing.  I am very excited about it.  Come by and visit!

I am very grateful for Fall.  As much as I love Summer, I love how Fall brings with it the holiday season and all the happiness involved with that.  It brings it in with warm colors, comforting smells, and good food.  =)  

I am Grateful to Create

The talk this video is taken from, Happiness, Your Heritage, changed my life.  

For so long, I had felt the desire to craft and create, but at the time this talk was given I felt that taking the time for my crafts and projects was more a luxury than a necessity.

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul."

My heart was touched.  It was a deep yearning for me and it brings me great joy, especially when the things I can make bring joy to my family.  

I love how creating can bring me closer to God, no matter what I am creating: quiet books, paintings, cookies, happy kids, a clean home, laughter, tears, comfort...

Me.

By creating, I learn who I am:  A Child of God.

I am Grateful for my family.

My mom, my dad, my sisters, my brother.

They are some of the most amazing people I know.  They are my best friends.

I have been through my toughest times with them by my side and I have supported them through their hard times.

I love being close to them.  We have so much fun together and we always have!  I miss them, but knowing that they are part of me and that they are thinking of me fills me with so much gratitude and love that I have a hard time finding words to express myself.

It is my prayer that my own family will share the same kind of closeness and love and joy that I grew up with.

I am Grateful for L

She is one of the sweetest, friendliest, and most affectionate people I have ever known.  Her kisses are quick and plentiful along with her hugs.  

She is also fiery with a quick temper that sometimes baffles me.

She is learning to talk and in the morning will stand in her crib saying, "Mommy!" over and over and over...and over.

She adores O and follows her around all day long.  

She loves her Daddy so, so much; he can make her laugh like no other.  

She is kooky and sweet, fiery but gentle.  

I am grateful for L.

I am Grateful for O

She is my firstborn.

She is beautiful in body and spirit.  

I don't believe I have ever known such a sweet and tender person.  She is friendly.  She is loving.  Every person she sees, especially other little girls, are automatically, without hesitation, considered friends.

She is like me:  Emotional, meticulous, a rule-follower, organized, a planner.  

She is not like me:  Her hair is blonde!

I love her so.  I love talking with here and hearing the thoughts running through her busy mind.  I love that several times a day she will call out to me, "Mommy!  I love you!"

I am so blessed.

I Am Grateful, Day 2

I am grateful for my husband.

Isn't he handsome?

He is a full-time (I'm talking over 20 credits for the last 4 semesters) P.A. student.  He works very, very hard on very little sleep and even makes sure I am taken care of (getting out of the house on occasion, eating enough chocolate, reading good books) before he thinks of himself.  He is adored by his daughters and loves to take them on picnic dates to the park or give them horseback rides around the house.  

He is a good hugger.  He is a good listener.  He loves to cuddle.  He thinks I am the best cook in the entire world.  He even likes the food I burn!  He is an amazing husband.  There are not enough words in the world to describe how much I love him and how grateful I am that he made me his wife.  

I Am Grateful

Welcome to November!

I absolutely love this time of year.  Today is the day that I feel the holiday season officially begins.  Halloween is just like a little teaser.

I have always felt that Thanksgiving and Christmas go together.  Each is a way to celebrate the many things I have to be grateful for and to serve and love and be happy.

I had a great day planned today to kick things off.  Unfortunately, I have instead been in bed for most of the day with a rather nasty little flu.  Dang it.

That's ok, though.  I'll get through it and still enjoy my holidays.

Now, I have a lot planned over the next couple of months: lots of gifts to make, treats to bake, decorations to create.  It's all going to be great fun!  I will share with you what I can, but some of my recipients read this blog faithfully.  Sorry, Family; I won't be posting pictures of your gifts here.  I'll post those in January.

For this month, I would like to take a little step back from some crafting.  I want to take advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday to give some thanks and to share with you a few of the many things I am thankful for.

I'll probably still post a few crafts here and there, though.  I can't really resist, you know.


So, to start things off, I need to express gratitude for something I should have mentioned ages ago.

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a Mormon.  I don't talk about it very much and I am sorry for that.  I hold my feelings about the church very sacred and I hesitate to talk too much about it on this blog and I will probably continue to do so.  I don't want to seem pushy (if you have questions, though, please feel free to ask me)  But, it should be obvious to all who know me, that my church and my beliefs are very important to me.  I am who I am because of the Church and I am very, very, very happy because of the Gospel.

Recently, I got to go on a trip to the LDS Temple in Washington D.C.  I was so excited to go.  I have never been to Washington D.C. and I haven't been able to go to the temple in about 2 years.  So, everything about this trip was good for me.

The temple was so beautiful.

And, just so you wouldn't think I just posted a picture of a picture, here is a picture of me making a weird face (not on purpose, but the only picture I took) in front of it. 

But still, standing in front of it, I felt as if I had walked into a painting.  A very peaceful and welcoming painting. 

I went with the women in my branch and had a great time!  It is always fun to spend time with friends.

There was a lot of good food, good conversation, a few laughs, and even a little bit of this: 

Oh!  And, we went to Golden Corral for lunch.  Did you know they have a chocolate fountain there?

Oh, yeah.

Today, I am grateful for my membership in the Church, for the peace and joy it brings into my life, for the friendships I have made, and for the person I am because of it.