Success this week is surviving!

We were blessed so many times this week – with great fellowship, with support and with food! All these blessing more than make up what I have lacked in motivation this week.

Specific successes this week…

That Accounting mid-term I turned in last Saturday – I got a 94! Success!

I had 3 Etsy sales!

I finished and mailed out Girls Night Out Invites for my mom. I even made an extra set to list on Etsy, so watch for those to be posted soon.

I lined up a walking buddy! YEAH!!!!

Grace had her first sleep over. It went brilliantly!

Oh, and someone else’s success to share. That special teacher I wrote about in my Made of Monday post for back to school, well she was named Teacher of the Year for her school! Congratulations, Mrs. Johnson!

Free Advice Friday

It’s a rainy Friday morning. I have a to do list a MILE long and a book on my kindle calling my name. 

Motivation, where are you!!!

Taking that Accounting Mid-Term last weekend has me feeling like we are on the downhill side of this semester….BUT….we are NOT!

Finishing a set of these postcards to go out as
 Girl's Night Out Invites
and posting a set on ETSY are on my to do list!

I find myself in one of those unproductive frenzies…so much to do and yet I keep adding things to the list and projects to the stack. I go to make a to do list of the top priority things and I get waylaid adding every detail of every project I have for the next two months.

Now, I am down to brass tacks on at least 4 or 5 things and well…I need to get focused, but of course that involves getting the house in order.

Am I a procrastinator?

How do you get motivated? Focused?

HELP, friends, HELP….

Don’t you just love Free Advice Fridays!

Thursday Round Up

Item of the week this week….check it out! Thanks…

And an extra special post over at Just The Girls: RealBeauty Blog. I wouldn’t be so eager to share, but the guy who wrote it is kind of special.

And ETC! 

My mom seems to have taken to heart my ETC post from last week, as she was very willingly in pictures this weekend. (Thanks Mom!)

These pictures are from a family trip to the park. We packed a picnic lunch (and stopped to by MCD tea…)and went to enjoy a beautiful fall afternoon. This park is probably my favorite of the local parks. It has beautiful old trees, which means shade. The play equipment is big enough to accommodate traffic of various ages, but not so big that I can’t easily keep tabs on the kids.

As I was getting these pictures ready to post and thinking of what made all the pictures I had to choose from either good or bad, I realized a few things. First as the photographer, it is important to be generous to those you are photographing. Even when just snapping family shots, take the time to say “your bra strap is showing”, or “here, let me fix your hair.” Not that ever picture has to be perfect, but if you can why not fix it now instead of hate the picture later.

Secondly, editing, specifically cropping is a beautiful thing.

 And finally, just get in the picture! The more pictures you are in the more chances you have to like one, right?

Don't forget to stop over at The Anderson Crew and check out all the other ETC fun!

Wednesday's Word....Paradise....

I complain a lot.

I am discontented.

I frequently get the “Can’t Help Its”. 

Things are never just so, there is always something out of place or that needs to be done.

So when the chorus of Phil Vassar’s Just Another Day in Paradise, entered my mind, I didn’t even make it to the verses before I started thinking I wish I felt that way. Paradise, yeah….someday.

And then I took the time to look it up :

The kids screaming, phone ringing
Dog barking at the mailman bringing
That stack of bills - overdue
Good morning baby, how are you?
Got a half hour, quick shower
Take a drink of milk but the milk's gone sour
My funny face makes you laugh
Twist the top on and I put it back
There goes the washing machine
Baby, don't kick it. 
I promise I'll fix it
Long about a million other things

Well, it's ok. It's so nice
It's just another day in paradise
Well, there's no place that
I'd rather be
Well, it's two hearts
And one dream
I wouldn't trade it for anything
And I ask the Lord every night
For just another day in paradise

Friday, you're late
Guess we'll never make our dinner date
At the restaurant you start to cry
Baby, we'll just improvise
Well, plan B looks like
Dominoes' pizza in the candle light
Then we'll tippy toe to our room
Make a little love that's overdue
But somebody had a bad dream
Mama and daddy
Can me and my teddy
Come in to sleep in between?

Yeah it's ok. It's so nice.
It's just another day in paradise.
Well, there's no place that
I'd rather be
Well, it's two hearts
And one dream
I wouldn't trade it for anything
And I ask the Lord every night
For just another day in paradise

Well, it's ok. It's so nice.
It's just another day in paradise.
Well, there's no place that
I'd rather be
Two hearts
And one dream
I wouldn't trade it for anything
And I ask the Lord every night
For just another day in paradise

For just another day in paradise
Well, it's the kids screaming. The phone ringing
Just another day
Well, it's Friday. You're late
Oh yeah, it's just another day in paradise

Do I ever thank God that is my life? Some days….but not often, and I certainly never ask for another day just like the one before.

We have our woes and we have our struggles, but we have two healthy kids and a bright future. We have a roof over our heads. We have food on the table and clothes on our backs. We have some nice things, too, and a car to drive. We can’t buy whatever we want, or go where ever we want. We have responsibilities and we have blessings. Just reading the words to this song today reminded me that I should be thankful for this because I wouldn’t trade it.

Sure it would be nice to not have to worry…but I don’t have to worry I choose to worry.

Sure it would be nice if things were easier…but honestly, I am often the one who makes it harder than it has to be.

I could trade it, but what would I get. And what would I lose…it is far too precious to me.

So this Wednesday, I ask God to create in me a grateful heart, a heart that sees the blessing in the mundane, a heart that rejoices in the call of motherhood, a heart that feels His presence in the everyday life of our family. 

Tuesday Treasure – Books – and their characters

I recently read Little House on the Prairie to Grace. It was sad and scary and wonderful all at once. And I can’t help but smile when I hear her playing out scenes from the book. She wants a bonnet to let hang down her back like Laura, but she says she wants to be Mary because she is older.

We read a lot at our house. Nearly, constantly if Grace had her way.  At times it is hard to find things to read. We could read every picture book in the house ten times a day, so a while back we started reading chapter books.

We have read Little House on the Prairie, Charlotte’s Web, Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Mary Poppins, Magician’s Nephew, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. We have read most of the Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson Peter Pan series, as well.

Each new book brings a new set of playmates – imaginary ones for Grace to play with and make stories around. Each book adds new words (mostly good ones) to her vocabulary. Each book brings hours of questions.

So this week the Tuesday Treasury is things that call to mind some of our favorite literary characters. You will notice I included Anne of Green Gables – Grace has no interest in this book and it makes me sad, as it is my absolute favorite!

Enjoy!

Made of Monday...Great Expectations

Ah, Monday.

Mondays are like a giant reset button. It doesn’t matter how last week was. This week is fresh and new  

But Mondays are hard. Everyone is tired from the weekend – and last week! For us, it is our earliest morning heading out of the house at 7 (at least that is when we are supposed to be heading out the door).  It is the day that upstairs gets cleaned and the grocery shopping is done. 

Mondays set the tone for the week.  When they are crazy and overwhelming it is hard to let that feeling go on Tuesday.

A family always on the go!

Maybe I expect too much from Mondays. On that day that sets the tone for the week, maybe I should just stick to easy things like getting the agenda for the week in order and doing a little tidying up.  We tried grocery shopping on Sunday, but using our precious little family time for grocery shopping didn’t feel like the best use of time.

I am a girl with high expectations. Mondays should be awesome. It should feel good to start over. It should feel good to have the order and routine of the day. I should be able to knock Monday out of the park.

So is it Monday or me that I expect too much of….we may never know…

But it is Monday and I am made of high expectations…