Wednesday, March 14, 2012

this day

She has made a new friend that is like her in so many ways.  We are proud of her choices.  He sings every song as a way to unwind before he falls asleep.  It's as if he is practicing his lessons.  I'm feeling deep gratitude toward my God.  It never ceases to amaze me the ways in which we all connect.  I have faith that there is no such thing as a coincidence.  Trying to remember what really matters.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Psalm 18

I needed to read this tonight.


1 I love you, LORD, my strength.
 2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
   my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
   my shield[b] and the horn[c] of my salvation, my stronghold.
 3 I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
   and I have been saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death entangled me;
   the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
   the snares of death confronted me.
 6 In my distress I called to the LORD;
   I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
   my cry came before him, into his ears.
7 The earth trembled and quaked,
   and the foundations of the mountains shook;
   they trembled because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
   consuming fire came from his mouth,
   burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down;
   dark clouds were under his feet.
10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
   he soared on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
   the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
   with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13 The LORD thundered from heaven;
   the voice of the Most High resounded.[d]
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
   with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
   and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, LORD,
   at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
 16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
   he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
   from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
   but the LORD was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
   he rescued me because he delighted in me.
 20 The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
   according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
   I am not guilty of turning from my God.
22 All his laws are before me;
   I have not turned away from his decrees.
23 I have been blameless before him
   and have kept myself from sin.
24 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
   according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
 25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
   to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26 to the pure you show yourself pure,
   but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
27 You save the humble
   but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
28 You, LORD, keep my lamp burning;
   my God turns my darkness into light.
29 With your help I can advance against a troop[e];
   with my God I can scale a wall.
 30 As for God, his way is perfect:
   The LORD’s word is flawless;
   he shields all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God besides the LORD?
   And who is the Rock except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength
   and keeps my way secure.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
   he causes me to stand on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for battle;
   my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You make your saving help my shield,
   and your right hand sustains me;
   your help has made me great.
36 You provide a broad path for my feet,
   so that my ankles do not give way.
 37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
   I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them so that they could not rise;
   they fell beneath my feet.
39 You armed me with strength for battle;
   you humbled my adversaries before me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
   and I destroyed my foes.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
   to the LORD, but he did not answer.
42 I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
   I trampled them[f] like mud in the streets.
43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
   you have made me the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
 44 foreigners cower before me;
   as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
45 They all lose heart;
   they come trembling from their strongholds.
 46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
   Exalted be God my Savior!
47 He is the God who avenges me,
   who subdues nations under me,
 48 who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
   from a violent man you rescued me.
49 Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations;
   I will sing the praises of your name.
 50 He gives his king great victories;
   he shows unfailing love to his anointed,
   to David and to his descendants forever.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Parenting

Parenting brings with it so much diversity and depth of emotion.  Some days it is easy and natural and full of love.  Others not so much.  A friend of mine recently mentioned to me that our oldest children have hit the "age of reason".  It really resonated with me.  And there are days that I am ashamed that I take for granted the wisdom and depth of understanding that my oldest possesses.  Being a mother is most certainly a gift, and I have so much more to learn.  Sometimes a sincere apology, a kiss and some ice cream makes the horrid parenting moments all better.  I was so touched by this TedTalks on gratitude.

I wanted to also remember the hilariousness of my little guy eating a piece of floppy pizza this weekend.  It was so funny, we were all in tears.  He was trying to get the end of a long piece of pizza in his mouth and couldn't do it.  The more he laughed, the more we did too.  It felt really good.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Highlights

The past week has been full of activity.  I'm always amazed at how quickly Sunday night rolls around.  It makes me sad.  I want the weekends to go slower.  Some things I want to remember:
*How appreciative I am of of my children's health.  It's heartbreaking when they are sick.
*Delivering cupcakes to my curly haired girl at school.  Getting to make the rounds with her on PJ and Dr. Seuss Day to deliver 2 dozen cupcakes to all the special people in her life at school.  Thankful for all those who treat her like gold at school.
*Waking up to my family in my home.  So grateful for the effort they make to come up and spend time with us.  It's truly a gift.
*Making homemade pizza's for Jules' birthday.  Eating delicious homemade cake with pink marshmallow frosting.  Thankful for family that can walk over.
*Seeing the excitement on my girl's face.  Hearing her say, "I'm so happy I could skip to the bus!"
*Time at the farm.  Sharing special places with those I love.  Eating delicious meals grown locally.  Thinking about how good it feels to be close to the earth.
*Watching my babes' friends party with her.  SO MUCH FUN.  Perfect party for her.  Love that I could sit back and watch this year.
*Sad to take my family back to the airport so quickly.
*Dreaming about small plans to make our space so much better.

Monday, February 27, 2012

positivity

I am continually amazed at the energy I get when surrounded by positive people.  It's so uplifting, inspiring and makes me want to be more positive.  Sharing good news, doing a good deed, small kind words, sharing; all these things breed contentment.

Early morning sunrise: Winter 2012
{view from my bedroom}

Sunday, February 26, 2012

hoarding

I spent some time this weekend watching the show called, "Hoarders".  So sad and unreal how terrible this disease can be.  People with major mental disorders, who somehow end up in an awful situation.  I thought the psychological component was particularly interesting.  The attachment to things...and the anxiety created by stuff.  It makes me ready to purge and clean this house all the more.  Keeping things simple makes sense to me...and giving everything a place.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

on the other side

She's been asking for curly hair for some time.  We tried using the iron, but alas, her hair is bone straight and held the curl for a brief time.  So tonight I sat on the other side of the tissue curling.  I remember sitting in the blue plastic sticker covered chair in Hilltop, while on the eve of nearly every holiday, my mom set our hair.  




She was so excited and we were both surprised how long it took and how many tissues I rolled up.  Can't wait to see the curls and smiles in the morning.



Thursday, February 23, 2012

attention

Give attention, pay attention, attend to, etc.  These thoughts were especially on my mind today.  I was reminded of the need to give it.  To certain young individuals in big and small ways.  I was reminded of the need for a soul to be attended to, or else it acts out...practically in desperation.  Thinking of ways to give attention in a positive and proactive way.  Lingering on my word, "focus".  Trying to zone in on one thing at a time takes practice for me anymore.  I try to multitask, much to my dismay most of the time.  The need to focus on one thing at a time is really necessary for me to truly attend to it.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

the simple truth

I recently watched a TedTalks about positive energy and gratitude.  I liked the suggestions that the speaker made to retain more positive energy and how to sustain this.  He mentioned: journaling positive thoughts, random acts of kindness, meditation, sharing gratitude and exercise.  So simple, yet so effective.

On another note, I'm constantly being reminded of how quickly time passes.  An early spring?  Changing out the little onesies drawer and replacing them with big boy undies.  Little girly asking to email her friends.  Seventh birthday plans.  15 more Mondays until summer break.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Father/Daughter discussion about technology

I sat on the periphery and listened in.  There was talk about how technology is changing our brains, how we think, what we think about.  I heard mention of dopamine, delayed gratification and information.  He was sharing a lesson for his Sociology class and she wanted nothing more than to know what it was about.  I heard elated, "YES's" from him as she grasped complex concepts and immediately related them directly to her past 24 hours.  One day with a laptop of her own use and an email account; she instantly knows of what he will speak about in this lesson and the dynamics of it.  She loves to learn.  She teaches us so much.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Dreaming of Garden 2012

Garden 2009: Jules holding part of our carrot crop

Dreaming of a successful garden for this year.  Last year's was a dud due to the wet weather and late start.  This is a photo of Garden 2009 in late August...our first and most glorious.  I would like to research using heirloom seeds.  I have a greater investment in my cooking when I pull from the garden.  It's amazing what two small raised beds can yield.

Beginning Again

Time to start sharing photos and writing some stories again.