21. Laughter, Girls' Night Out & Sleepovers. Thank you Holly, Tammy, Lori and Kristy! I had a great overnight escape with my friends Friday night and Saturday. Crafting and laughter. It was a blast.
22. Sushi. I am still exploring and gaining courage to try various types when I have the opportunity. Love most of what I have tried!
23. Toilet Paper. Don't laugh. You are grateful too!
24. Memories. It is enchanting to visit with the people I loved in my past. To fly, to travel, to study foreign languages, to be a child... It is a blessing to have a mind which allows for memories to carry me into my past at times.
25. Aspen trees. I miss the glorious colors of autumn in Michigan. (Along with pumpkin spice donuts, cider mills, the sound of leaf blowers and the chilly wind.) But I do love the golden yellow of our beloved aspen trees.
26. Rules of language. I know people do not like the constraints of grammar. But without it books would not be the treasures that they are in my life. I make my share of grammatical errors. Still, I like the rules.
27. Timeliness. I hate being late.
28. Willow Tree Angels. My angels are so beautiful. They each express love to me -- particularly the ones my children gave to me.
29. My loveseat. This oversized piece of furniture is my favorite place to sit in my house. It is soft and comfy. :)
30. Shellfish. Yum!
31. Recycling. It is one simple thing that anyone can do to help keep our world beautiful.
32. The color orange. Not pumpkins or oranges. That shade of orange that is a little bit red and a little bit pink that you see in the sunset.
33. Tulips. Their growing season is far too short. But I love these colorful and fragile flowers.
34. OU Football. Duh! :)
35. Teasing my husband about boring baseball.
36. Scents. Who can resist the smell of cookies in the oven, or a baby while still wet from the bath? Spring roses in bloom. The air right after it rains. Greg's lasagna in the oven. There are so many smells I love.
37. Soap Operas. OK. I admit it. I love soaps. I like that the characters stay with you for years.
38. Seeing the pattern grow as I create cross-stitch.
39. Seeing the glimpse of the child who still lives in Owen. He is so grown up most of the time. But once in a while I still see the little boy -- the playful side of my serious son.
40. Cora's funny side. Puberty is starting and with it the moodiness. But she is also still my funny daughter who so easily makes the rest of us laugh.
41. Being an aunt. I don't see any of my neices or nephews often enough. But I love them all so much, and I love my role as 'aunt' to all of them.
42. Adult-only Dates with my Husband. We dont venture out of our home to have dates often enough. But I love it when we do. I cannot wait for Saturday (my birthday), when I can have a whole evening, overnight and morning alone with him.
42. Fluffy White Clouds in thos Colorado Blue Skies.
43. Being a Military Veteran. I am more proud of this job than of anything else I have done. (excluding being a mom, of course)
Monday, September 27, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
48 Things for Which I am Grateful.
1. Greg, Owen and Cora -- I am myself when I am with them and they accept me exactly as I am.
2. Good Friends. -- My friends make me laugh, are my sounding boards, remind me of the places I can go, take me back to basics, trust me. They keep me balanced.
3. Blogs -- There are some talented bloggers whom I follow. I read their posts and they inspire me. I get my creativity from them.
4. Blue Skies. -- Colorado has expansive blue skies and my mood is always brightened by sunny days with blue skies.
5. Season Premiers.-- Sad but true. I am very grateful that some of my favorite TV shows are back on with new episodes this week. I am especially excited for this one:
6. Birthdays. They give us an opportunity to think about the course of our lives, and remind us that it is never too late to change our thinking. I am reminding myself of this right now.
7. Good Movies. There are some movies that linger with you for years. Maybe forever. There are several which I love, such as: Good Will Hunting, the miniseries Winds of War & War and Remembrance, The Sound of Music, and my all time favorite:
I have always loved Robin Williams - he is brilliant. But this movie showed me his range as a dramatic actor. And it also introduced me to another actor who I love. Robert Sean Leonard. And now I get to watch him weekly on House. Dead Poets Society is a gut wrenching, inspiring, beautiful movie.
9. Teachers. These wonderful people take on the giant task of guiding, leading, and teaching my children everyday. They are paid next to nothing and are overworked. But they share their knowledge curiosity and love with my kids. I am so grateful for teaches who care.
10. My dad. My dad has always been a rock. He stood with my mom through trials that most people would not survive. He held her up, gave us kids strength, worked hard inside and outside of our home, and always made his love known.
11. Time with Friends. My friends are my greatest source of laughter. I am so happy that tomorrow I get to go for an overnight outing away from home with my friends Holly and Lori. Yippee!
12. Janet Evanovich. I have so much fun when I read her books. They are a raucous riot of laughter.
13. Computers. What did I do before the internet?
14. Kisses. Who doesn't love kisses?
15. Indoor Plumbing. We are spoiled -- those of us who have indoor plumbing. There are so many who don't in this world. And, yes, many of them are right here in the United States.
16. An Attic (even with its current infestation of animals). ... because I have a roof over my head.
17. Mexican Food. Not healthy or low calorie, but yummy!
18. Learning to Make Smoothies. Twice today I created delicious and very healthy smoothies. I am planning to do more of this. Breakfast and snacks. Or at least one of the two.
19. Oxygen. It isnt something I take for granted. And I am grateful that the medical community is able to see my needs and meet them.
20. Patterned (scrapbook) paper.
to be continued ...
2. Good Friends. -- My friends make me laugh, are my sounding boards, remind me of the places I can go, take me back to basics, trust me. They keep me balanced.
3. Blogs -- There are some talented bloggers whom I follow. I read their posts and they inspire me. I get my creativity from them.
4. Blue Skies. -- Colorado has expansive blue skies and my mood is always brightened by sunny days with blue skies.
5. Season Premiers.-- Sad but true. I am very grateful that some of my favorite TV shows are back on with new episodes this week. I am especially excited for this one:
6. Birthdays. They give us an opportunity to think about the course of our lives, and remind us that it is never too late to change our thinking. I am reminding myself of this right now.
7. Good Movies. There are some movies that linger with you for years. Maybe forever. There are several which I love, such as: Good Will Hunting, the miniseries Winds of War & War and Remembrance, The Sound of Music, and my all time favorite:
I have always loved Robin Williams - he is brilliant. But this movie showed me his range as a dramatic actor. And it also introduced me to another actor who I love. Robert Sean Leonard. And now I get to watch him weekly on House. Dead Poets Society is a gut wrenching, inspiring, beautiful movie.
8. Clean, Tasty Water. I didn't realize how good water can taste until we moved here. The mountain fresh water is delicious.9. Teachers. These wonderful people take on the giant task of guiding, leading, and teaching my children everyday. They are paid next to nothing and are overworked. But they share their knowledge curiosity and love with my kids. I am so grateful for teaches who care.
10. My dad. My dad has always been a rock. He stood with my mom through trials that most people would not survive. He held her up, gave us kids strength, worked hard inside and outside of our home, and always made his love known.
11. Time with Friends. My friends are my greatest source of laughter. I am so happy that tomorrow I get to go for an overnight outing away from home with my friends Holly and Lori. Yippee!
12. Janet Evanovich. I have so much fun when I read her books. They are a raucous riot of laughter.
13. Computers. What did I do before the internet?
14. Kisses. Who doesn't love kisses?
15. Indoor Plumbing. We are spoiled -- those of us who have indoor plumbing. There are so many who don't in this world. And, yes, many of them are right here in the United States.
16. An Attic (even with its current infestation of animals). ... because I have a roof over my head.
17. Mexican Food. Not healthy or low calorie, but yummy!
18. Learning to Make Smoothies. Twice today I created delicious and very healthy smoothies. I am planning to do more of this. Breakfast and snacks. Or at least one of the two.
19. Oxygen. It isnt something I take for granted. And I am grateful that the medical community is able to see my needs and meet them.
20. Patterned (scrapbook) paper.
to be continued ...
Nearly 48
I will be 48 on October 2nd. The last few days I have been considering that number a great deal. It sounds old, and yet I feel young(ish). I don't feel 10+ years older than the other parents of kids at the schools, but I am. When did it happen?
When my mom was 48 I was 27. I was nearly 30. She had me at 21 and I had my kids when I was 33 and 36.
I have been dwelling on that number. Turning 30 and then 40 didn't bother me at all. I breezed through the decade marker with nary a thought about whether I was getting old. So why does a silly number like 48 bother me so much?
My grandma died when she was 78 and my mom when she was 62. I am not so very far from those numbers. Is it the thought of old age or death that bothers me? I truly do not know. But, I will ponder it and write about it and hopefully process it.
In the meantime I plan to make a list of 48 things for which I am grateful today. I will start it today, and add to the list during the next 12 days until I reach 48.
Have any birthdays bothered you?
When my mom was 48 I was 27. I was nearly 30. She had me at 21 and I had my kids when I was 33 and 36.
I have been dwelling on that number. Turning 30 and then 40 didn't bother me at all. I breezed through the decade marker with nary a thought about whether I was getting old. So why does a silly number like 48 bother me so much?
My grandma died when she was 78 and my mom when she was 62. I am not so very far from those numbers. Is it the thought of old age or death that bothers me? I truly do not know. But, I will ponder it and write about it and hopefully process it.
In the meantime I plan to make a list of 48 things for which I am grateful today. I will start it today, and add to the list during the next 12 days until I reach 48.
Have any birthdays bothered you?
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Book of Stories
I have been a journaller and a scrapbooker for quite some time but over the last few months I have realized that I am capturing events, but rarely am I relating the stories of our lives. I am attempting to change that focus and luckily I found a perfect class over at Big Picture Scrapbooking. It is called Book of Stories and is taught by Karen Grunberg (the blogger I mentioned in an earlier blog post). The class started today, and I am thrilled. I know it is going to make me a better storyteller.
Do you wish that you journalled more about your feelings, your stories, the stories of your family? Or are you a scrapper who never goes beyond the chronological events of your life? I think you can still sign up for the class (I think it was $25). And after only one day I know it is going to help me. Once again I owe thanks to Karen.
Do you wish that you journalled more about your feelings, your stories, the stories of your family? Or are you a scrapper who never goes beyond the chronological events of your life? I think you can still sign up for the class (I think it was $25). And after only one day I know it is going to help me. Once again I owe thanks to Karen.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Portraits for Friends
Yesterday I was honored to photograph a family of 6 ... friends whom I have been lucky enough to photograph several times in the past. We went down to a park in Green Mountain Falls and found some great ways to use the sun and shade and wind. It was so much fun. I often think I should do this more often.
I am by no means a professional, and I don't know the camera I have well enough, AND I don't have the camera I wish I had, BUT having said all that... I am proud of these photos. I will share a small selection.
First we used the bridge and gazebo.
I used a warm filter on this one. If they like it, I will do other shots for them.
I love this one, and I think they have a similar one from a few years ago.
Playgroud shots are always fun for me.
There are MANY more. But this is a sampling.
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