Thankfulness

25 Days of Thankfullness, holidays, Stuff 2 Responses »

Nov 222012

The Things You Take For Granted

Someone Else is Praying For

As I sit here awake at 2 in the morning this Thanksgiving I wish I had something profound to say. I do not, so I will share a quote I found on Pinterest (credit unknown) that I like to read occasionally.

I am thankful…

My children are healthy

My husband is a great father, a good man and a loving spouse

I have food, water, shelter, sanitation and health care all at my fingertips

I have both my parents with me and a full extended family to have fun with and complain about

My mother in law loves me and I love her

I have a job that I get immense joy and satisfaction with

I am able to continue my education and make sure my girls get the best education there is to offer

I am a voter with a say

I have friends who are dear

I’ve gotten healthy this year and feel great

and most of all my internet is fast.

Okay. Some things are just a luxury, but I am thankful for them all the same.

Have a great day, eat some gluten for me.

Remember what you are thankful for.

Thankfulness is contagious.

Twenty-Five Days of Thankfulness

25 Days of Thankfullness, Stuff No Responses »

Nov 302010

My kiddos with cousins!

I’m back to finish what I started. I hated not meeting my goal, but do realize that thankfulness doesn’t have a deadline so I must write a few notes on the rest of my topics and then let this topic lie awhile!

#7 Friends

I have never had as many friends as I do now. I am not a social person historically and never seemed to stay in the same place long enough to make friends until now. It took me a while to open myself up to making friends, I must admit, but I am so happy I have invested the time and energy it took to cultivate the dear friends I have now. To have people to talk with about nothing, everything and all the in between topics is priceless. Thanks you my dear friends for making my life a richer one.

#6 Moon-roofs

I love my moon roof. I open it whenever I can and let the wind blow. A great stress relief and a wonderful way to feel youthful!

#5 Books

Books are the greatest invention that ever was. Nuff said.

#4 Enu

Enu, my daughter number three. The girl whose smile and laughter can burn into my heart with love and in the same breath drive me mad with the constant talking. Enu teaches me patience when I don’t want to be taught. Enu’s spirit is so great big all I can say is,” Look out world here she comes!”. I adore you my dear one.

#3 Family

I can never express all my thoughts and feelings about my family. They are why I breathe. My parents, my brother, sister in laws, nieces and nephews and of course husband and children are all amazing individuals who teach me so much and offer so much love and support.

#2 Home

Home is my refuge. It always has been. Hubby and I are homebodies whether our home is a simple rented bedroom in Peru to our current house that holds all of our kids (and thirty-five years worth of stuff). There is nothing like the feeling of walking in my doorway and feeling the peace that home brings.

#1 The Future

I try to be careful not to wish the present away to fast, but I sometimes do think about the future and what my girls will do with their lives. I see lots of laughing, tears and prom dresses in my future. College stories. Destination weddings (my hope is the girls will want a great wedding trip rather than a wedding!) and maybe someday grandchildren. No matter what the future holds, I hope my girls find happiness and a fulfilling life. I hope hubby and I get to travel more and age well! There is excitement in the future and what a blessing to be living during this time!

Twenty-Five Days of Thankfulness #7,6,5,4,3,2,1,

25 Days of Thankfullness, Stuff 1 Response »

Nov 252010

Okay. So I have less than two hours to go to meet my goal of twenty-five blogs of things I am grateful for Thanksgiving. I’m a bit bummed that I wasn’t able to blog every day as I had hoped. The last month has been a busy one with illness on top of the normal craziness of having a family with four kids. The doctors appointments, worrying and running around have really made me realize all that I do have thankful for. I guess that living my thankfulness is going to have to replace my writing it. I will at some point expand on these but for now, in no particular order:

#7Friends

#6 Moon-roofs

#5 Books

#4 Enu

#3 Family

#2 Home

#1 The Future

Twenty-Five Days of Thankfulness #8

25 Days of Thankfullness, Moments with Mita, Stuff 1 Response »

Nov 252010

#8 Mita

Mita is my second oldest daughter. While Elle is my Joy, Mita is my hero. She has come through such adversity in her ten years of life. Most people would given up or been sour on life by now. Mita is thriving with her sweet smile and her streak of stubbornness.

She has been my little girl for just under three years now. She is no longer little though and while that makes me sad at times, it is amazing watching her grow into the beautiful women she is meant to be.

I love you Mita and hope you will someday understand how much.

Twenty-Five Days of Thankfulness #10

25 Days of Thankfullness, It's all about me! 2 Responses »

Nov 242010

#10 Dr. Pepper

I am thankful for Dr. Pepper and all of it’s flavorful glory. I also hate it for my waist line!

Here are some recipes for Dr. Pepper Cake that I hope to make sometime soon.

Twenty-Five Days of Thankfulness #11

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Nov 242010

#11 Roots

I love roots. Tree roots fascinate me. I look down while hiking so not as to trip but also so see the roots. The patterns of roots zig-zagging about are so interesting. My goal is to make a coffee-table book full of pictures of roots someday. Self-published per Shutterfly of course!

This may seem like a silly thing to be thankful for, but I am thankful for roots as they are strong and vital, but not always noticed. Kinda like moms ;0)

Twenty-Five Days Of Thankfulness #12

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Nov 242010

My twenty-five days of thankfulness blogging experience is almost over. I’m a bit behind, but will be at my goal by Thursday. I’m sure of it. Pretty sure. Wouldn’t bet the house but maybe my lunch sure that I will have these twenty-five blessings done up in writing!

#12 Computers

What would I do without my computer? I would be lost. I would have to go to the library to look up information. I would not be able to map out my directions at the drop of a hat. Phone numbers? I would have to let my fingers do the walking while using a good old fashioned phone book.

I love that I can type out letters and emails to the kids’ teachers quickly, put a feeling on twitter to share will the world and look at pictures my friends have taken in another state as soon as they are taken.

I may be addicted. I have had to pace myself at times, I have stepped away from my computer at times I may be loving it a bit too much and not getting things done that need to get done.

I adore living in the age of the Internet and am very thankful for my computer!

Twenty-Five Days of Thankfulness #13

25 Days of Thankfullness, It's all about me!, Moments with Elle 2 Responses »

Nov 232010

Finally a person! Random.org has been deciding on my order of thanks and I was beginning to think I was not supposed to write about my family!

#13 Elle

Elle is my joy. She is the baby of my four girls. She is the one who still likes it when I blow kisses at her when she is boarding the bus. She smiles and climbs up in my lap to snuggle. I am so thankful for this little girl who can drive me crazy over not wanting to get in her car seat or wear shoes or socks. This little girl who can try on six pairs of underwear before finding the one that fits just right (every morning!) can be so exasperating and yet elfin cute.

This past year has been a big one for Miss Elle. She lost her first tooth, learned to ride her bike without training wheels and started school. She has finally started to gain weight and is growing very tall.

I am so thankful for this amazing being that is my daughter.

Twenty-Five Days of Thankfulness #14

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Nov 172010

The next time I do a number list, remind me to stick with a number like ten…not twenty-five! Really trying to keep up here, but challenging yourself is good right?!

#14 Boots

As much as I hate it getting colder, I do love that I am now wearing my boots again. I enjoy wearing boots. I like my feet all toasty and warm. I like that I can wear the wrong socks, sometimes even Hubby’s socks, and no one knows!

Elle also enjoys boots, but more of the rain/snow boot variety. She wears them until I have to throw them away because they are in such bad shape. She could get worse things from me I guess.

Here are my favorite boots right now. I have worn them twice so far this fall. My black boots are getting a bit shabby and I need to start looking for some deals to replace them. Where do you like to buy your boots at?

Twenty-Five Days of Thankfulness #15

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Nov 162010

#15 Loud Music

I should clarify this by saying loud, good music. Nothing dissolves the stress away like rocking out to some tunes in your car with no kids.

When kids are in the car I will occasionally turn it up, but usually on the way to my mom’s house in the country and they windows are down and the kids are singing a favorite song at the top of their lungs. Love that moment with them.

When I am in the car alone, it is a time when I feel like a kid again myself. I can listen to any song I want without having to censor it with the kids. I can turn it up and belt it out and look like a maniac to other drivers, but hey, this is my time.

Some of the best listen to it loud songs:

Pour Some Sugar On Me by the one and only Def Leppard

Sweet Home Alabama by Lynard Skynard (and the new one by Kid Rock)

Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi

Beautiful Day by U2

What do you listen to loud?

Twenty-Five Days Of Thankfulness #16

25 Days of Thankfullness, It's all about me! 2 Responses »

Nov 142010

I’m on a roll now. Two posts in one weekend :)

#16 Sunshine

I love the sun. I adore it. I come very close to worshiping it. I don’t tan though. I don’t lay out. Laying on the beach or around a pool in the direct sun has very little appeal to me. I just want the sun to shine. I want to sit in the shade and feel the warmth without baking.

I just want a bright sun out everyday. I don’t ask for much do I?

Oh yeah, I live in Ohio. In the winter we can go weeks without a sunny day. Drabness is the word of the season unless there is clean white snow to help reflect light. When I lived in Colorado it was cold, but it was also always sunny. One day of the the entire year I lived there was over-cast.

The other day I was on the exercise bike by the window. The kids were playing nicely, the window was cracked open for cool air and the warmth of the sun was amazing. It made me feel positive and happy. I felt energy and contentedness.

It is with this memory that I make my announcement. We are moving to Puerto Rico. I figured staying in the country would be less complicated, and yet really want to go very south right now. We will live there. Hubby will raise money for the local hospital. The kids will have surfing classes and I will have my Lactation Consultant Shingle hanging on the beach (under an umbrella of course) helping breastfeeding beach goers. It will be wonderful. Please visit us once we are settled.

Now how to tell Hubby and the kids of my plan?

Twenty-Five Days of Thankfulness #17

25 Days of Thankfullness, Ethiopia, It's all about me! 1 Response »

Nov 132010

Who would have thought that during my first twenty-five days of November when I vowed to write about twenty-five things I am thankful for, I would get into a writing slump. I don’t feel like writing. My life is busy, which is normal, but I’m not feeling the writing magic. Some may argue that I don’t have the writing magic to begin with…but I will just delete you if you tell me that so don’t waste your energy. The power has gone to my head! I will make my writing goal this month though, because if I don’t it will seriously bug me for some reason! So here we go…

#17 Traveling

A travel bug named Hubby bit me.

I had traveled as a kid somewhat. We moved from Ohio to California in a Ryder truck in 1985 when I was just about ten years old. We saw a lot of things, from the cab of said truck. Then in 1991 we moved back to Ohio. This time we were in a Chevy Blazer and I actually got to drive a bit, but not much site seeing happening. I had however, lived in a different place for a while and been exposed to different cultures, languages and landscape. This was a good thing for me, even though I didn’t realize it at the time. I was so mad at my parents for making me move at age sixteen, I couldn’t think straight!

So when I was seventeen I started dating Hubby. Of course back then he wasn’t Hubby, I’ll call him Laup. Well, Laup was already a world traveler having been to Venezuela our junior year. In college he added trips to Mali (Africa) and Jordan (Middle East). I lived vicariously through him and his pictures.

Luap-Hubby and I had several road trips, camping trips under our belts before I got my taste of international travel. After college I got my first passport stamp (back then Mexico and Canada didn’t count!) We moved to Peru (South America) and lived there for about fifteen months. I loved it and hated it sometimes, but it taught me so much. Being submerged in another culture teaches so much that I cannot even begin to express my feelings about it. Let’s just say that the experience of living in Peru made me respect other countries and cultures and let me step out of my every day American life that is extremely easy and blessed compared to most people of the world.

The funny thing is that I didn’t realize how much I missed Peru and the feeling of being a traveler until we took a cruise in the Caribbean. We didn’t enjoy it very much. Some parts were great, but it was so touristy, so clean, so structured. At one point Hubby and I got off the bus from one of the resorts in Honduras and walked down a road to find an Internet cafe. It was not the touristy part of town. We loved it, it felt real. We spoke in Spanish to people and tasted the dust while smelling trash….ahh the smell of the barrio!

We again smelled that smell in parts of Ethiopia. This time we had my mom and two kids in tow and were not as adventurous as we normally are, but the feelings of excitement were there. I kept starting to speak in Spanish without thinking because it felt like what I was supposed to do.

Of course we spent a week in England before hitting Ethiopia and it was amazing to travel through the history and beauty of that country. It made me appreciate traveling in developed nations as well!

I guess you can say that I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to travel this much in my life time. I wish I could travel more and probably will someday. I also hope that my kids will love new places, cultures and languages. One of my goals as a mom is to have my children travel to Africa and Europe before they are out of high school. I think this makes a child understand our world better. Meg went to England and Ethiopia at age eight so she remembers, but Elle was so little, three, that we just have to go back! Of course Mita and Enu lived in Ethiopia for their first years and hopefully we can go back someday when they are in high school.

Where is the farthest you have travelled and do you like new places or are you a stay at home kind person? No wrong answers here!

Twenty-Five Days Of Thankfulness #18

25 Days of Thankfullness, It's all about me! 1 Response »

Nov 112010

Another trivial topic picked by me that I am thankful for during my Twenty-Five days of Thanks.

#18 Cheese

The older I get the more I appreciate cheese. Real cheese mind you, not cheese product or pre-packaged grated cheese filled with wax. I guess I have gone into the stuck-up-and-picky part of my life? My kids like the packaged cheese sticks, but all other cheeses are fresh blocks or crumbled in my house.

Parmesan - I love to put this grated with butter and noodles and just yum, yum yum! Sliced it is great on a green apple or as a sandwich.

Blue Cheese – Amazing as a dip or over toasted bread. Salads are nice as well.

Colby-Jack – Not fancy, but great on sandwiches and my kids eat it so it is a plus.

Baby Swiss – I cannot eat to much of this or my mouth hurts (weird tongue thing, you don’t want to know!) but I do adore it!

Feta – My kids are in love with Feta and it makes me proud. They will eat it by the spoonful if I let them, but I don’t because I’m a mom and it doesn’t seem proper. They put it over meat sometimes if they don’t want to eat the meat, but love the cheese.

There are many more cheeses, but I have no idea what they are right now (goat cheeses are great). I am a cheese snob who isn’t educated about cheese. Maybe in a future life I will take a cheese class, or travel through France and learn about cheese and sample the US illegal raw cheeses that I hear are amazing.

Cheese is a great power snack. The protein gives you lasting energy. Did you know that protein is great for helping your blood sugar levels? Most people think that when a diabetic’s blood sugar level gets low they eat something sweet and are fine. It is recommended to follow up that sweet with protein. In the hospital we would offer milk or peanut butter (no cheese handy there) after the orange juice was given to put the blood sugar back up. This helps maintain blood sugar levels and they don’t crash again when the sugar has warn off quickly.

When my kids are out of sorts from a sugar high or hunger I give them cheese or yogurt. I also have my kids eat a cheese stick before going out to a birthday party or trick or treat or anywhere I know they will have to much junk.

Have I convinced you of the power of cheese? Cheese…Hmmmmm.

Clip Art Credit

Twenty-Five Days Of Thankfulness #19

25 Days of Thankfullness, Health and Hygiene, It's all about me! 3 Responses »

Nov 092010

So my random choice didn’t happen today. We had a medical emergency and I am starting this post at my in-laws house, with my list of thanks at home. This means I will just choose a topic because I am the boss of my blog (na na na na na na!). Did I also mention today’s post would be short and sweet? Time is doing funky things this week. I cannot keep up!

#19 Health

When people list what they are thankful for, health is normally somewhere up at the top of the list. I want to be healthy, but don’t think about it much until I am ill. A bad cold or the flu can knock me on my rear and I pray about how grateful that it will pass, that it is not forever.

My extended family is struggling right now with health issues. I’m struggling with the “whys” of it all.

I’m thankful that I am healthy right now. I will do my best to eat right and to continue to exercise to maintain my health. I am diligent with preventative health practices. I try to raise my kids to be healthy. I take care of those who are currently in poor health. That is all I can do, and I am grateful that I am healthy enough to do it.

What is your trick to staying healthy? I may steal it from you!

Twenty-Five Day’s Of Thankfulness #20

25 Days of Thankfullness, Adoption, It's all about me! 2 Responses »

Nov 082010

Okay, so when I said I was blogging about twenty-five things I am thankful for before Thanksgiving, I never said they would be posted everyday! My weekend was hectic (as always!) and I will catch up…I’m on a mission :)

#20 Adoption

November is National Adoption Awareness Month, a month that I try promote truths about adoption and to make others more aware of all things adoption. I am not an expert on Adoption, in fact the farther away we get from our adoption finalization the more I don’t think about it as much and don’t keep up with the day to day adoption news.

Adoption means a lot of different things to different people. There are kinship adoptions, where a relative adopts a child from within an extended family. International adoptions, Private domestic adoptions with agencies or lawyers and foster care adoptions. Under those categories are sub-categories such as: Older child adoption, special needs adoption, sibling set adoptions, infant adoption, etc.

I could go on and on about the technicalities of adoption, but my topic is about me being thankful for adoption. I will give you a few links at the end of my post to read up about adoption ins and outs.

I am thankful that adoption is possible. I am thankful that international adoptions are possible in the US. Many countries do not allow for international adoptions or severely limit them. The United States still has her arms open for the children of the world.

I am thankful for the good, honest and ethical adoption agencies that are working for the good of all parties involved in adoption.

I am thankful that adoption reform is a hot-topic and that people are talking about how to make adoption better for all.

I am thankful that trans-racial adoption is possible.

I am thankful that we embarked in this journey in 2008 and not 1980, when adoptions were closed for the most part and the children and birth parents were left in the dark the majority of the time. Involving Mita and Enu’s Ethiopian family has been such a blessing. While we cannot easily visit or correspond, we do have notes and pictures and were able to meet family members. This is such an amazing gift to be able to share with the girls as they grow and have more questions. Birth families are not something to ignore or pretend they never existed, they are the child’s beginning story.

Adoption is not perfect. People are not perfect. I am not perfect. My girls are not perfect. I am thankfull for all of our imperfections. I am thankful for my family.

Links For More Info:

Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

Adoption.com

AdoptiveFamilies.com

Birthparent Stories

Photo by Mandy W. (Enu’s art!)

Twenty-Five Days Of Thankfulness #21

25 Days of Thankfullness, It's all about me! 2 Responses »

Nov 052010

Number Twenty-one of my twenty-five days of thankfulness. Read my first few here.

#21 My Country

I give thanks for my country. I don’t always like what my country does. I don’t always agree with leaders of this country. Sometimes I want to scream at the people in this country. But I will always love my country.

I have had the unique prospective of living in another county. Peru is what you call a developing country, it has infrastructure and government, but is lacking in public services, health services and education. I once asked a college-educated colleague about public libraries. She had never heard of such a thing. She said the colleges have libraries but you have to have access to them and not many people do. One time while in a truck I saw a dead body on the street, laying face down. The Peruvians I was with told me that when a family doesn’t have enough money to bury their dead they put them on the street for the city to take care of. When going to the Ministry of Health I would see lines blocks long of people trying to get into a doctor to get a work excuse for being sick. Some of them were very, very ill and had to stand in line or they would loose their job. No benefits were available to them, not workers rights, no FMLA.

I was pregnant for Meg while in Peru. I had some bleeding my first trimester and they wanted me to have an ultrasound. They sent me into the street to buy my own water, then we had to pay for the ultrasound ahead of time, and then go get my exam. If Hubby had not been there I would have had to walk up and down steps several times and tried to find the cashier’s office and water all while scared and bleeding.

If it were not for the children and the most helpless of our citizens I would say lets do an experiment. Let’s get rid of taxes for a year. Let’s see how our neighborhoods and communities fare without our tax money. How long would it take for people to complain about not having 911 services? No fire truck coming to your house unless you pay them ahead of time. No libraries open for books to be checked out or use of the Internet to find jobs and do homework in. No one to fix the pot holes in your street. Oh wait, no school to send your kids to unless you could afford private school. Hospitals turning away people who cannot pay ahead of time. The rich would do okay, the middle class would struggle and the poor would not have the opportunity to improve their lives. Sounds like the American dream doesn’t it? How can you pull yourself up by your bootstraps when there are not boots?

Is it fun to see taxes come out of your paycheck? Of course not. Does it make you happy to know that tax dollars are going to set up a statue somewhere you’ve never been of someone you have never heard of? Of course not. Do we need to make our leaders accountable, YES! They are accountable for more than just money though. They need to be knowledgeable about what is going on in the world, they need to be truthful and smart and not rely on ignorance, fear, and rhetoric to keep them in office.

It is easy to say God Bless America. It is easy to say that we are the home of the free and the brave. It seems that more and more Americans are saying God Bless America, now shut up, go home or learn English. The chain emails that go around that are full of hate, fear and ignorance amaze me, for they are coming from the same people who say God Bless America. God doesn’t do ignorance. America was not built on fear, but pride and strength and action. Fear paralyzes, fear turns people inward. Fear may call us into action, but I argue that fear based action may not be the most effective action.

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness are our unalienable rights as Americans. Is there life without adequate access to health-care? Is there liberty if you cannot marry the one that you love? Can you pursue happiness when you are bogged down with illnesses, joblessness and no opportunities?

I encourage everyone to look passed the slogans. Voting time is over, watch what your elected officials actually are doing. Find out what they know, if they are smart enough to lead thier constinuency. The next time we vote remember to not get caught up in the fear and vote out of intellegence and investigation.

I have purposely left out naming political parties and politicians names as I am not a party person. I vote for a person not a R or a D.

Tell me your thoughts. No scream at me to loud though as I am a friendly kind of gal and will like you no matter how you vote if you are also friendly.

Twenty-Five Days Of Thankfulness #22

25 Days of Thankfullness, It's all about me! 1 Response »

Nov 042010

Here we are on number 22 of my 25 days of thanks. Today Random.org selected Moments. To read all of my thanks check out my post here.

#22 Moments

I have written about moments before. Moments are really important to me. Moments and memories are different, yet related. A moment is a piece of time captured that can never be duplicated. A memory is remembering this piece of time. Memories fade, change with time and age and sometimes are forgotten. Even with pictures you can never feel the same way you did during that moment. This may sound depressing to some, but it is how I see things. This is why I go for the moments with full force. I want that slice of time to fill my heart and body and feel that ultimate happiness however short it may be.

Of course, moments are not always happy. This is when it is good that the moment passes quickly, that memories may change the sharp feeling you feel at the time. I have only had a few moments that where painful in my life. As I age and lose loved ones and live through more disappointments my list will grow. Maybe someday I will write about those moments. Today I want to write about the moments of my happiness that I treasure, cherish and sometimes work really hard for. I cannot write them all down here of course but I’ll cover a few.

Expected Moments

My wedding day was planned. But the feeling of happiness was amazing. At one point I realized my face hurt from all the smiling I was doing. At that moment I was a princess.

Meg’s birth was expected. I planned and planned how my labor would go. Of course it didn’t go as planned, but holding her the first time. That was my first mom moment. Her wide eyes, rapid breathing. I kept saying over and over “I know you now. I know you now.”

Elle’s birth went more along my plans, though not exactly. I had more control and they laid her naked on my chest. I honestly don’t remember a lot about her birth, but the feeling of calm was my moment.

Hearing Hubby announce to the family the girls’ names. We never share the names and make people wait to here them. It is a form of torture for some (grandmas) but a moment for us.

Meeting Mita and Enu for the first time. Meeting two children who are legally yours, yet you have never met is a bit surreal I must say. They bravely took my hands and guided me along to show us their bed, clothes and the photo album they had with baby pictures.

Planned Moments

How does one plan a moment? Very carefully and sometimes months in advanced! Getting Meg into Cinderella’s Lunch at Disney took some legwork. Making sure she had the gown, shoes and wand took some shopping. Getting her to the show on time to watch Cinderella’s Coronation and then going into the castle to meet the one and only Fairy Godmother and cinderella was a feat during the August crowd. All of this took planning and note cards and computer time. Watching it all fall into place, seeing Meg’s face full of awe and knowing that she fully believed in magic that day. A moment so worth the planning time. So worth the rolling of the eyes from others. So worth the money.

Doing it all again five years later for Mita, Enu and Elle again was just as fun. I missed the magic believing five year old in Mita and Enu since they didn’t become part of the family until they were six and eight, but they still got some magic out of the experience! The one moment that was sad during this lunch was when I realized that I would not be doing this again until I have grand-kids. I don’t know if I can wait that long for another Cinderella lunch.

Another planned moment is seeing the girls watch the Wizard of Oz for the first time. Meg was five, Mita nine, Enu seven and Elle four. I let Meg sit in my comfy chair so I could see her clearly. I had never mentioned that the black and white movie turns into color when Dorothy gets to Munchkin Land. I didn’t watch the movie. I watched Meg’s face. She like the movie. When the screen turned into color the look on Meg’s face of awe and amazement was a great moment.

With the other three girls we were in a theater for the anniversary showing. I was struggling with how to watch the girls’ faces at the same time when I heard Meg tell Mita and Enu that it turns into color. My planned moment was foiled, but Elle hadn’t heard her and I watched Elle’s face light up and heard her gasp. Another moment of magic to fill my heart!

Spontaneous Moments

Seeing your baby smile, really smile or hearing them laugh for the first time is something that feels so good.

When we first started dating Hubby and I were in a boat on his pond and I slid into the cold September water (clothes on, mind you) just to see his face.

When Mita and Enu showed me their photo album of baby pictures, it was as if God himself gave me a hug and said, here is more than you ever asked for. My new daughters saw me cry before they ever saw me laugh.

As I re-read these moments I realize that these moments are mine and no-one elses. Even Hubby who was there for all of them experienced them differently. Moments are selfish and selfish isn’t always bad I guess. So I take my kids to Disney when they are to little to remember, I travel with my kids to England and Ethiopia at young ages. I make memories and moments for me and if others share them all the merrier!

What are some of your moments?

Twenty-Five Days Of Thankfulness #23

25 Days of Thankfullness, It's all about me! 1 Response »

Nov 032010

My Disney blanket. The softest ever!

I am talking about blankets today! I think it is interesting that the last three days have been about things…remember this is randomly pulled out of my list of twenty-five items. I am not totally shallow and I’ m bound to be thankfull for something deep and emotional here soon! Check in with my original post here.

#23 Blankets

I’m not a cold kinda gal. I appreciate fall now as an adult, but it took me a long time. Autumn is now my favorite season, but for most of my life when I thought about Autumn all I could think about is cold being on the way.

While I cannot say I love being cold, I can totally admit that I am in love with blankets! I adore soft blankets that make me so cozy and overheated at times. On our bed we have a sheet and a comforter. At the beginning of October I pulled out my Disney blanket and a huge quilt.

My Disney blanket is one of the softest ever and brings me great memories of our last trip when I bought it. It has Cinderella’s Castle all lite up in purple..ahhh. This is the blanket I put under my sheet so it touches the skin.

My quilt is one that my dad got at an estate sale last year. It is big and bulky and I love the fact that it is old and has lived a long life of warming people (although I did wash it before using it!). This blanket goes on top of my comforter, folded in half. Hubby doesn’t care for my added blankets and I must say my side of the bed is a bit bulky. The hazard of having a pile of blankets is that sometimes they fall on the floor and can trip people on the way to the bathroom. Oops.

My 35 year old blanky.

Blankets are home to me. Cuddled up reading in a blanket is like Heaven on Earth. It doesn’t get any better unless I have my chai with me.

Photo Credits Mandy W. 2010

Twenty-Five Days Of Thankfulness #24

25 Days of Thankfullness, It's all about me! 2 Responses »

Nov 022010

My favorite photo book is about our trip to England and Ethiopia!

As I mentioned yesterday, I will be writing about 25 things I am grateful about. They are not in any particular order, nor are they all amazing and awe-inspiring. They are just my simple everyday thanks.

#24 Photo Books

I adore my photo books. I am not crafty, but my mind is creative (maybe). The problem is that my thoughts do not travel down to my hands and my projects rarely turn out as they should. If anyone has ever seen Meg’s first five years of scrapbooks they will understand what I am saying. They look like Meg worked on them, when she was a baby!

A few years ago this Internet thing hit it really big and started going really fast, even in Ohio! This made my creative juices be more productive and I gave up the scrap-booking and said hello to my photo books. My photo books, like my scrapbooks, are not perfect. They are, however, much better quality and much more fun for this mom. I can whip out a book in 15 minutes or work on one for a year. I create them ahead of time, then save them and wait for a sale and free shipping them buy! I also adore the easy editing. There are many sites out there to choose from. I’m pretty loyal to Shutterfly, but there are several good ones out there.

Photo books and digital photography in general has made my life so much easier to remember, keep track of and document our lives. I have used them to make Life Books for Mita and Enu and last year we sent one to their Dad in Ethiopia. They make great gifts for anyone and everyone.

More Photo Book Ideas:

Recipe books
Holiday books
ABC books
Teacher’s books (end of year gifts)
School work remembrance book

What a blessing I am truely thankful for!

Have you ever made a photobook? What was your theme?

Twenty-Five Days Of Thankfulness #25

25 Days of Thankfullness, It's all about me! 9 Responses »

Nov 012010

I am challenging myself this month by pledging to blog about twenty-five things I am thankful about from now until Thanksgiving. I have written down twenty-five topics and will draw them out randomly (because I can’t put a number on importance in my life. Imagine if I numbered my computer as #1 and Hubby as #25…bad juju there!).

I am doing this not only to remind myself of my thanks, but to promote a thankful blogosphere as well. It is good to remember our blessings big and small, cheap or pricey, trying or easy. What ever they may be they are blessings.

#25

I am thankful for Chai Tea. Hot or cold. It wakes me up and energizes me more so than a latte or plain hot tea. I’m not a coffee drinker, though I love the smell immensely. This is a small blessing, but a true blessing. I love having a morning drink to go to when everyone is coffeeing up or swigging Diet Coke down.

Plus the name is fun. Chai.Chai.Chai. How cool am I?!

Day #24 Photo Books

Day #23 Blankets

Day #22 Moments

Day #21 My Country

Day #20 Adoption

Day @19 Health

Clip Art Credit