joy out loud

Gratitude

Gratitude, n:  the quality or feeling of being thankful < she showed her gratitude for her husband's romantic gesture by letting him watch ESPN all afternoon.. > A sentiment often expressed during the Thanksgiving holiday, in the form of blessings, hugs, and pumpkin pies.  ---Syn. Thanks, thankfulness, appreciation, gratefulness.

---from Real Simple, November 2008

The other day, to celebrate the new house, I bought a Real Simple magazine.  I'm really considering getting a subscription, but Dan asked me to forego for a little bit longer.  So, I'll just pay full price at the grocery store and not save the 62%!  But, I was inspired to do something by one of the articles.  Getting ready for Thanksgiving, I'm sure, several women kept daily gratitude journals.  So, I thought I might do this during November.  Our lives have been a little crazy lately, and seem to be getting better, but I think that it will help my heart to remember each day the little things that I am thankful for.  When life gets overwhelming(wnd when doestn' it?), it's easy to forget the important stuff:  the blessings, large and small, that help define your life.  So take a moment.  Turn off you BlackBerry, put aside your to-do list, and ...reflect on what [you're] grateful for. -Real Simple

And, as a throwback to scrapping (which I haven't given up on, just haven't been able to do) I'm going to actually 'play' with this journal.  I want it to mean something.  So, will you join me?  I thought it would be fun to hear about each other's little and big joys.  Some of my thoughts will of course get blogged, but not all of them.  Some of the pages might (I'm making no promises, here) get posted, but every day I will take some time to remember the things that I'm grateful for.  So, if you would like to join me, leave a comment below.  I'll send out a little reminder of the starting day, November 1st, and maybe some encouragment through out. 

What do you think?  for some inspiration from other ladies who have done this, check here

hmmmmm??????

A new home

I thought that we had found the perfect little place.  tiny, yes, but with everything we might need and at a price where we could save towards possibly buying next year.  But, it was rented before we got our application turned in.  I cried.  And, while I was crying, my friend called and crashed my pity party, and told me how the same thing had happened to her family when they were first house hunting, and then later, they ended up getting that exact house!  "I get what you're saying, but I highly doubt that that could happen in this situation", is what I thought.  But, I was encouraged that we would find something.  So, two weeks later, Dan mentioned to the same property manager, while looking at another house, that we would love one like that first one we had wanted.  Funny thing,  there was one coming open, right next door to the first one.  But before I went to turn in the application, I was called by another property company about a house that I had called on and put out of my head.  They were showing it the next day.  But, since Dan would be working, I kind of put it out of my head.  But, when tomorrow came, I felt a little niggling (that's normally called God speaking, in a still, small voice - and you thought it was your sixth sense!) so I went to the showing.  I grabbed an application for that house, too.  And, after talking to Dan, I turned in both applications.  We got the house that came because of a little niggling.  And guess what,  it's better for us.  More space, a yard, closets, garage, with tons of character, and with some room for saving on the moo-lah!  So, now I'm busy checking out marthastewart.com, realsimple.com, and decorating rooms in my mind.  But, I was also curious.  Why the house that I thought was perfect, came open again, and then something else came open?!  Why wouldn't it have just worked out that we didn't even hear about the first house, and ended up with the better one?  I felt another niggling the other day while I was pondering this question, and I heard Him say, "you doubted I could do it, but not only did I do it, and prove to you that I can, but I did better."  And, He did.  And, I can't wait to start taking pictures......I'll give you a hint:  black and yellow counter tile!

my new wheels

Maybe you remember a few months ago where I talked about wandering through a Wal-mart parking lot in Ohio 'window shopping' for cars.  I brought up my semi-hate of mini-vans and my hope for something a little bigger, a little tougher.  So, I thought it was a little funny that that day I would run into a lady with a

Honda Pilot .  She was really friendly, inspite of the fact that we looked a little odd peeking in stangers' car windows.  So, kind of funny.  But, we took her advice.  Isn't she great.  My Honda Pilot is four years old, but AWESOME!  seriously.  I never thought that we could get such a sweet deal on such sweet ride. I love it! Dan kind of left the decision up to me as to what vehicle we would get, withing our price range of course, and I'm so blessed he thought of me like that.
It helps me feel just a little bit more normal.  Of course, when I told Danny that, he reminded me that I will never be normal.  But, I'm a little closer to my 'version' of normalcy.

~~~~~
Also, check out this sweet little bundle on my photography blog.  I was so blessed to have a chance to shoot this little man.

10 on Tuesday

1.  I am in love with Good Earth tea.  It's funny because some people know about it and love it, and for others it seems as though I'm starting a new habit!  so cinnamony, yummy, and warm.  And, it just has more 'body' than regular teas.

2. photos are doing great.  I have a shoot today, a big one on Sunday, and two more within the month.  I'm going to be doing some mini-sessions, too.  Information to follow : )

3. the motorcycle is quickly becoming my 'work' vehicle.  It's kind of funny to see the reaction on people's faces when I pull up on the bike and start taking off my helmet. 

4. I have a dramatic ivy.  Dramatic because it has to act all limp, dry, and dead to get my attention to water her.  Then, the next morning she's all back to normal like nothing was ever the matter.   I'm not going to think too hard on whether I'm bad for letting it go that far or not.....

5. I need to get ready to go, and I'm still here typing.  oops.  the camera battery is still charging, too.  good thing the memory cards are emptied.

6. my boys need their own house.  It's official, we all might kill each other if it doesn't happen soon.

7.  I'm so blessed to live in America

8.  I love being on a budget,  it means I have a little money to spend, and when it's gone it's gone,  but then Dan won't get upset when I by this month's InStyle, or Real Simple, or any other magazine.

9.  Caleb is starting to talk, and it's so much easier....for the most part.  Then, there's the words that he's sure mean something but I still don't understand.  I"m trying, buddy, don't give up on me.

10.  gotta go.  happy tuesday.

Judah in September

I'm a horrible mother.  seriously.  Can a whole month - a month that is so entirely momentous because of this person - go by without a good mention at his little persona?  But, it has.  September was the month that introduced me to   my Judah, motherhood, and being a parent.  It was the month that I fell in love for the second time - with my Judah!



Can he be any cuter?  September is when this little man entered my life.  He talks more than I was under the assumption that little boys do.  He builds amazing little lego things.  He has just started wanting to color in the lines.  He wants to learn to ride his bike without the training wheels.  He constantly makes me smile.

He's on a local soccer team, and loves it.  Yes, I caught the funny little thing in mid-air!  But, that's about how funny he is most of the time on the field.
He is so thrilled with his soccer socks that he can't run properly.  He 'lopes' down the field.  And, if he's not noticing his socks, his shadow is keeping his busy - never mind that the ball has started back in the other direction!  But, then, all of a sudden, he'll pay attention and make a great kick.  He loves it.  And, I love him.

 

In fact, I love everything about him! 

Chinese proverb

Flowers leave some

of their fragrance

in the hand that

bestows them. 

~from my Good Earth tea bag - after making me smile

Avila Farm

So, I haven't been posting pictures very much lately, but I'm going to try to get better about that.  I promise.  Here are some that I took a few weeks ago when we went to Avila Farm with some friends.   Here's Anne holding the lettuce that would quickly be fed, or thrown, at the baby goats.    And, they had roasted sweet corn,  Yummy!!!  It was so good.  We also hopped on a tractor ride out to the apple orchard and picked bags of apples.  We later took those apples home and made four apple pies, but I didn't take pictures of that part.  IT was a beautiful day.  

Some firsts

I forgot to mention that I posted some totally awesome senior pics over at joyful life photography. 

And, I am actually in the United States, and I invited myself over to a friend's house, so that I could watch the vice-presidential debates.  And, to be politically (heehee) correct, eventhough this article has a picture of Palin at the top, it is from England.  In other words, it's from Europe, and Europe never likes the Republican candidates!  I'm just excited that I get to actually watch.