Monday, December 31, 2012

favorites of 2012

I thought I'd post a few of my favorite photos from 2012...
linked: newness

swinging

sparkle

romance

little leaves

planning

52 linked: work

engaged

_DSC1766_editbw_web1

Gda Hugs

tension

linked 52: red, white & blue

lashes

water

toothy grin

performer

the kindergartener!

wish

gda saying something important.

the birthday girl

transparent

through my point of view

silly gal!


linked

concentration

out of the darkness

watching daddy

a toothy grin
Lots of photos of Max. And a few photos of other things. Hahaha...

Happy New Years Eve, friends!
Wishing you many blessings in 2013.
Thanks for stopping by here and reading.
xo

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

love will show the way.

When everything is dark, look for the light. #latergram


You say you see no hope, you say you see no reason
we should dream that the world would ever change
You're saying love is foolish to believe
'cause there'll always be some crazy with an army or a knife
To wake you from your day dream, put the fear back in your life

Look, if someone wrote a play just to glorify
what's stronger than hate, would they not arrange the stage
to look as if the Hero came too late?
He's almost in defeat
It's looking like the evil side will win, so on the edge
of every seat, from the moment that the whole thing begins

It is...
Love who mixed the mortar
And it's Love who stacked these stones
And it's Love who made the stage here
Although it looks like we're alone
In this scene set in shadows
Like the night is here to stay
There is evil cast around us
But it's Love that wrote the play
For in this darkness Love can show the way

So now the stage is set.
Feel you own heart beating in your chest.
This life's not over yet.
So we get up on our feet and do our best.
We play against the fear.
We play against the reasons not to try
We're playing for the tears burning in the happy angel's eyes

For it's...
Love who mixed the mortar
And it's Love who stacked these stones
And it's Love who made the stage here
Although it looks like we're alone
In this scene set in shadows
Like the night is here to stay
There is evil cast around us
But it's Love that wrote the play
For in this darkness Love can show the way

 ~show the way~ david wilcox

(you can listen to the song HERE)

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

twinkly lights.

colorful

lights!

holiday lights 2012


the climber
always talking

gaze

the helper

this hat


watching dad

watching daddy

The lights are up! The husband put them up on the coldest and windiest day we've had thus far. But best be on the roof in cold windy weather than rain, right? I came home from a little holiday shopping and found Max outside helping daddy. He eventually went inside to warm-up and I was left to watch the husband walking around all over the roof (ready to make the call to 911 if need be.)
They are quite pretty. They've only tripped the GFC a half dozen times or so due to the rain.
That's Christmas in the Northwest for you. ;-)

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

november 365+1 (and some randomness because I know you've missed it)

November 365+1


1. I never, ever put the pizza directly on the pizza rack. MESS. Never.

2. I iron only about every two or three months. Thus my husband has to buy more shirts for work, which means there are more shirts that have the potential of needing ironing. But like he said, he has to have enough shirts for work to last two or three months. Makes sense to me.

3. I think public schools have gone overboard with the whole trying to be PC thing, and not offend anyone with anything they do. In turn I think they are teaching kids that they need to please everybody all of the time, or at least not tick-off anybody. All bad, IMHO. We are going to have generations of people pleasers on our hands in no time at all. I can say this because I am a people pleasers to a fault. Not a good thing. I'm trying to learn to put me first, set some boundaries for myself and those around me, say no, and be okay with knowing that some things I do or say might not be agreeable to others and that's okay. My opinions make me, ME. I hope Max learns to be himself, and that it's okay to disagree and say no. As many a mom has said before, and will say again, "Life isn't fair." So let's try our best to NOT raise a generation of kids who think everything has to be fair and equal. That's not preparing them for the real world.

4. If given a choice, I'd hire a full-time cook over a house cleaner any old day.

5. I'm recorded on vinyl. Twice, actually. Junior High School band. Not sure if I should be proud of this or a little ashamed. ;-) I do still own the records, just don't have a record player to play them on.

6. I will never understand tail-gating before football games. (Oh, who am I kidding?...I'll never understand the fascination with football period.)

7. The years I lived in the dorms in college were some of the best years of my life. I would go back to those years in a heart-beat.

8. I have zero desire to ever live in any part of the country that annually has to worry about tornados or hurricanes. I can't imagine worrying about losing my home every year. Sure, we are overdue for the "big one" earthquake here in the Pacific Northwest, but I'll take that chance. I worry way too much about enough things - I don't need to add worry over losing my home every tornado/hurricane season.

9. I clean the kitchen as I go when I cook or bake. I'm type A like that.

10. Someday when I go back to work and earn my own money again, I will take my mom on a trip to Hawaii. She has never been (nor have I) and I'm afraid she might never go if my brother or I don't take her.

11. I aspire to all sorts of great things, but worry I will never have the opportunity or the resources or the money to chase those dreams. This kind of breaks my heart.

12. I need some intellectual stimulation. I'm craving it. I spend too much time at home doing monotonous house-work over and over. Not that there is anything wrong with housework, but I crave more. And I have no clue what will fulfill that craving.

13. My brother is getting married this weekend and I am in the wedding. As an attendant/groomsman of sorts, I suppose. It will be the sixth wedding in which I've been an attendant. And hopefully the last wedding in which I'm an attendant. ;) Max is one of the ring-bearers. He will be wearing a tux. You can all take a moment now to image the utter cuteness of my Maxwell in a tux....     <pause>     ...Cute, huh?...

14. I finally caved and bought an Elf on the Shelf. His name is Buddy Meisgeier. And he is CREEE-py! Just plain creepy. Those big eyes looking off to the side...Gives me the chills. But Max seems to think he's really cool, and it has been a useful tool for getting Max to behave a bit more. And now I'm desperately searching Pinterest and blogs for cute Elf on the Shelf ideas.

15. My child who was doing so well sleeping all night in his own bed has been getting up and coming in our room again. Ugh. The day school started he started sleeping all night and not coming to get me, and now?... It was good the almost three months that it lasted. What gives?...

16. Apparently Sammy likes noble fir flavored water. I've caught her under the tree, drinking the water. Silly girl.

That's all for now. Too many deep thoughts roaming my mind these days.
Happy Wednesday, friends!


Wednesday, November 28, 2012

the leaves have all fallen.

among the leaves
ready to blow some leaves!
daddy's helper
leaf blower collage
concentration
Our backyard backs-up to a green-belt in our neighborhood. A greenbelt with lots of huge maple trees of some sort. It's really the most beautiful backyard a person could ask for - big, glorious trees to watch change with the seasons and blow in the wind; and best yet - no backyard neighbors. We are spoiled. But when the leaves fall off in the fall, they create quite the pile. HUGE piles of leaves. It's all really rather lovely. A leaf-jumping kid's dream. And since we have the greenbelt that means we don't have to rake leaves and bag them. Nope. We get to just blow them into the greenbelt and let nature do her natural recycling thing. :) This year Max took hold of that leaf blower and boy did he have fun. So glad I got out my big camera for this little adventure. The leaves are all off the trees now. We can see a bit further to the north. I can see where I worked before I had Max. Ironically, with the leaves gone in the winter we get about the same amount of light in the house (before it gets dark at 4:30) as in the summer when all of those leaves block a lot of light (and cast a green tint on everything.) Now we can watch the branches bend in the winter winds. I love these trees.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

the leaf blower.

concentration


the leaf blower.

(crickets...not sure anyone is stopping by this space anymore, or my other space, but I'll keep posting anyway!...crickets...more of the leaf blower to come. :)
crickets...)

Monday, November 12, 2012

unlike any other.

piles and piles

all different
It's easy to get caught-up in the masses. To think that you are just like everyone else out there. We get caught-up in the latest fashions, and the latest thinking, and keeping up with the Jones'. All most of us have ever really wanted, from the time we were in grade school, was to be like the rest. To fit in. To be liked. And at middle age, most of us still go to great lengths to be like everyone else. Skinny jeans, long sweater, cute boots, long hair with just the perfect length bangs. Check! We fit in! Or at least we look like we fit in. But I would venture to guess that there is a lot of suppression of our real self in those attempts. And underneath that suppression, a lot of sadness.
We will likely always live in a world where conforming to the masses is far more acceptable than making our own statement.
unlike any other
But I sincerely hope you know you are unlike any other.
Yes, You. 
The sound and tone of your voice, your brain, your fingerprints, and irises are nothing like your mom or dad's, your child's, or your best friend's. They are not like your spouse's, or your child's teacher, or your favorite politician's or the pastor of your church. So while you may nod your head in agreement with those around you, please know that you are not them. And they are not you. 
No matter how much you try to fit in among the masses, you will never fit in.
And that is such a beautiful thing. 
Let your unique voice be heard. Don't be afraid to brush-up against the masses and say something different. Do not let your overwhelming desire to fit in, override the pieces of you that make you unlike any other. God did not fearfully and wonderfully make you just to watch you float adrift on the current of popular style, opinion and thinking. He made you unlike any other. Cherish that. Guard it with your heart. Let it shine. Think for yourself, not for the masses.

shine
You get this one life; this one version of you.
Stop trying to be like everyone else, and instead - be unlike any other.
golden