Thursday, December 1, 2011

New Traditions

When I ask my children what is the one most wonderful thing they want for Christmas, their response not so much suprises me, but warmed  my heart. They simple want to be around the family....

They wanted to have all of us together Christmas Eve, to celebrate by making goodies with Grammy, having Grandpa toss the football...(yes even in the cold) and my son, wants to play Christmas music with his saxaphone on the corner of the street while his sisters hand out candy canes.

They want to wake up and have  a wonderful lazy breakfast in Pj's ...watch Christmas shows all day....

I asked about gifts.

They do not want anything. Well.......ofcours they are kids and would like something.....(so dad and I will take care of that later...in jan...)

My son brought the suggestion to me to give any amount the three kids would have received on small gift items and buy for a Salvation Army angel, .. so I pulled a name from the tree at our Church. The girls are excited to give to a 9 year old they do not know..Joey is incharge of new sneakers because he knows all about good sneakers...

They said, they know how hard their Dad (they referr to their stepdad as Dad) and Grandpa work, and there is not a gift they want to receive more than just seeing them get to enjoy their families and "be lazy" for once......... I know it may seam like I am making this up...if you know my children then you know  I am not.

So.......since we are crafty, the kids and I all decided to only give true handmade gifts. Even for the little one. Ava who is just 3, is currently making all of her handmade gifts for her family..and they are simple, hand painted figures and drawings....but I have never seen so much love pour into a gift as she tells me about the person she is making it for.

I mentioned January.

Seeing how genuine their hearts are in truly wanted this Christmas to be all about family and the Spirit of Christmas, My husband and I decided to give them a little back for their kindness and sincerity. We thought we would take them after New Year to get themselves each something they really wanted, bonus, it will be on sale :)

As for Santa,
If he should decide to pop in........ well...he is always welcome in our home ;)

Monday, October 17, 2011

Stay true to yourself

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in situations and slowly become morphed into someone else, not even being aware of the changes that have gone on with us. I have seen it happen time and again,  people loose who they are even the best of people with good intentions. It is so important to alway maintain your own identity, and not become your environment or your status. People have perceptions to everything, it is easy to  feel obligated to living up to the way others view us, I feel that is an exhausting and false way to live....out of touch with reality. 

Every now and then it is healthy to step back and take a good look at ourselves and how we are handling our 'day to day' experiences, you would be suprised how many times you may say 'wow, I could have handled this in such a better way'....it keeps our eyes and mind open to not falling into a rut and keeps us true to ourselves. So be selfish today, and spend some time reconnecting with who you are :)

Friday, October 14, 2011

Goodnight Monday hello Friday?

Where did the rest of the week go? Ever have those weeks that just fly by? I can not think of one thing productive I did this week.....all I know is it was  Monday night, and now it is Friday morning...wierd. Feel like I must have been in a walking zombie state like coma. Happy Friday!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Try something new!

Good morning!! I just wanted to reach out to you and encourage you to try something new! Maybe you have always wanted to do something but where never sure you could or how to go about it, I say now is the time :) Pray about it, read up on it, gather information, get a friend on board for support and go for it!!
Happy Tuesday!!!!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Happy Columbus Day!!!

I really hope everyone enjoys their Holiday off today!! We slept late and my Young One is still snoring!!!! What is worse, I have no intention on waking her up ;)

And for you younger ones that may be like 'what is Columbus day anyway? just another day off school?'

Well here is your answer: Columbus Day, which is annually on the second Monday of October, remembers Christopher Columbus' arrival to the Americas on October 12, 1492...

Want to know more? go to : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Day or just pay better attention in school ;)

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Drifters

Yesterday I was talking to a sweet wonderful young woman, she was feeling a little down in the dumps, almost as if she just did not have a place she felt she belongs. After years of being close to a girl friend of hers, their friendship has started to drift apart. Slowly they started to have less and less in common, rarely spoke to eachother in passing, and when the attempt to reach out was made, the  friend'seemed to not notice. This made the young woman start to feel like the outcast, like she was no longer welcomed in her others friends new ring of gals. This young woman has other friends, but still she feels that she is the 'last resort friend' at times.

So here is what I tried to explain to her, she and her previous gal pal are both strong smart solid types of girls...confident, make their own choices, stand their grounds....they shared many great times together. Each of the friends grew in different directions over the years and developed new different interest and friendships.

What I wanted this young woman to realize is that people come into our lives for a specific reason, as we come into other's lives, although she misses the friendship once shared, her and her friend are now passing on the same  friendship they gave to eachother onto others.

I explained to her, that even when ones beliefs change, and what a person believes to be wright from wrong can change a relationship. It does not neccessarily mean one person is or is not better than the other. We surround ourselves with people who are like minded as us naturally..and we have many aquaintances in all walks of life, and that is ok because we know where our personal boundaries are.

So understand that God pairs up all sorts of people at different stages of their spiritual life to learn, grow, and give support to eachother...and just as one person drifts out of your life, another drifts in....

I pointed out to her how much of a positive influence she is to those who have her in their lives, how she brightens up any day of the week! and yes, sometimes the strong need someone to lean on , but because strong people tend to be viewed as always sturdy and supportive, they need to speak out louder and say 'hey....I need a little friend time here....this is what has been going on..'

So in sharing this, I hope that if you have ever felt disconnected from someone and not sure why...it is more than likely nothing personal to you at all....simply that we have learned from them what God needed us to learn and them from us. Sometimes it is hidden lessons, sometimes it is because another needed support and guidance and the Lord gave you that privilage because he knew you could see them through to the right path.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

To party or not to party?

.....that is my question this morning. So far, it has been tradition for us to hold a halloween party for all the kids and families we know, but this season has been extra busy for us. I pretty much already know the answer, and I may just as well face it and pull out my decor and start decorating......but all that work! And what on earth would I do to top of last years party? While I toss this back and forth, here are a few photos to look at from last years party. Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Smells like Pumpkin Spice!

Another wonderful season! One of my favorites, the other being Spring. Besides all the wonderful scents, Fall seems to bring families closer as the Holidays approach. It is  pretty simple around this time of year, for most, summer is the season of relaxation...but with 3 busy children, that is the busiest time of the year for me! Bring out the cocoa, hot tea, family meals, t.v shows and that is what you will find us doing all through out winter :)

What ever Fall means to you, may this season be full of wonderfulness and plenty of pumpkin spice! ~if you are a fan of it that is ;)

Monday, October 3, 2011

Good Monday morning!

Where ever the night led you, however sleep came to you, what ever you may have dreamt of....May this Monday Morning bring you positive new beginnings! No Monday blues here....morning sun is way to golden and you can't help but just smile at it :)

I know I did.