Saturday, November 29, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
The Holidays are Here Again!
'Tis the season yet again! The yummy foods and treats, get-togethers with family and friends, giving and receiving. There is an electricity in the air! Carols and sleigh bell sounds bring back the magical feelings of holidays past. The smell of gingerbread, cinnamon and spiced apple cider warm from the inside out! It is 'the most wonderful time of the year'!
I was dreading being on a tight budget this gift giving season, but have found that I am much more particular and creative with my choices. I am having a ball finding just the right gift for that special person, a gift that will truly be appreciated (hopefully!) and that comes with an extra dose of consideration for the recipient. The smaller the budget the greater the effort and thought.
With each person on my list I realize how few (if any) are expecting/demanding a large expensive gift or a gift at all. As I look at the names (each one dear to me) and think what would this person TRULY want from me, from anyone? I answer again and again with: They would love to know that we thought of them, care for them and that we were HAPPY to give the gift. Starting from this place, I have the beginnings of what hopes to become a fabulous and memorable Christmas, filled not with "what" but "who"!
It is cliche to say that I am discovering the TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS, but I suppose they become cliches for a reason! I thought I already new what was important, but it is becoming clearer with each passing year how important and yet under appreciated our closest loved ones are. Friends you have forever...and family will always be there...not true. Hug them, tell them you love them, appreciate them. Say it with words...what a few kind, heartfelt words can do for another is spectacular and long lasting. The next time you think a nice thing about someone, let it slip out!
I was dreading being on a tight budget this gift giving season, but have found that I am much more particular and creative with my choices. I am having a ball finding just the right gift for that special person, a gift that will truly be appreciated (hopefully!) and that comes with an extra dose of consideration for the recipient. The smaller the budget the greater the effort and thought.
With each person on my list I realize how few (if any) are expecting/demanding a large expensive gift or a gift at all. As I look at the names (each one dear to me) and think what would this person TRULY want from me, from anyone? I answer again and again with: They would love to know that we thought of them, care for them and that we were HAPPY to give the gift. Starting from this place, I have the beginnings of what hopes to become a fabulous and memorable Christmas, filled not with "what" but "who"!
It is cliche to say that I am discovering the TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS, but I suppose they become cliches for a reason! I thought I already new what was important, but it is becoming clearer with each passing year how important and yet under appreciated our closest loved ones are. Friends you have forever...and family will always be there...not true. Hug them, tell them you love them, appreciate them. Say it with words...what a few kind, heartfelt words can do for another is spectacular and long lasting. The next time you think a nice thing about someone, let it slip out!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
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Monday, November 10, 2008
November Rain
I love the rain! Storms, thunder, lightning, hail, winds...the louder the better--the crashing and howling.
I love being warm and cozy in bed or sitting by the fire listening to the rain beat on the roof. A good book, my favorite quilt, a cup of chamomile tea and a roaring coastal storm make for a perfect afternoon.
Rain is soup weather, baking weather...all the things that make a house smell and feel like a home. Rain is rubber boots and umbrella weather...mud puddle stomping weather. Rain is wear your pajamas all day and watch a movie weather. Rain is lets play boardgames and cards weather.
A rain storm is time for a deep heart to heart, a pillow fight, a passionate debate. It is time to build a Lego city or a coach-cushion fort. A rain storm is time for breakfast for dinner or a picnic in the living room. I love the rain!
And after a good soaking, the world looks so much more vibrant, like everything has been scrubbed clean. The greens are greener, the browns are richer. The air feels thicker, more substantial. The world feels robust and healthy.
I love being warm and cozy in bed or sitting by the fire listening to the rain beat on the roof. A good book, my favorite quilt, a cup of chamomile tea and a roaring coastal storm make for a perfect afternoon.
Rain is soup weather, baking weather...all the things that make a house smell and feel like a home. Rain is rubber boots and umbrella weather...mud puddle stomping weather. Rain is wear your pajamas all day and watch a movie weather. Rain is lets play boardgames and cards weather.
A rain storm is time for a deep heart to heart, a pillow fight, a passionate debate. It is time to build a Lego city or a coach-cushion fort. A rain storm is time for breakfast for dinner or a picnic in the living room. I love the rain!
And after a good soaking, the world looks so much more vibrant, like everything has been scrubbed clean. The greens are greener, the browns are richer. The air feels thicker, more substantial. The world feels robust and healthy.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Time Marches On
Wow, it has been a week since I have blogged and WHAT A WEEK! Halloween, a payday and an election. In our little world that is the order of importance, too. Of course we watched the elections and have our opinions, but in the end we are back to the daily grind and taking care of our little family. I am finding ways to cut costs and bring in small amounts of money that add up! I have just about broken even on my photocards (yea!) and Ebay is a trickle of income. I am having difficulty finding the time to list items on Ebay, make my cards and blog (hence the week of silence!). As with moms across our country, the world and time, I never seem to find enough hours in the day to complete everything on my to-do list. And when I wake up in the morning the list seems to have grown and everything I marked off the day before is back again!
Taking photographs has all but fallen off my list. It is dangling by a thread of hope for some "me" time. I see a passing photo-op and think..."I wish I had my camera." or "I wish I could just stop and take photos for an hour or so." Ha! An hour to just stay in one place and take photographs? What luxury! We are running, running, running, everyday. To school, to the store, to the post office...I know that is the story all moms have to tell. I try to stop and give my babies a hug when I think about all the time that slips by while we are running. That is one reason I love photography...it is a moment. A moment I can hold on to. Pictures of the kids let us be in those moments again. Their proud moments, their sweet moments, their happy moments, their everyday moments. I have often wished I could somehow prolong each stage of their little lives...I am sure it would never quite be long enough. If I could just enjoy those moments when they are tiny and dependent and exude such pure, palpable love for just a bit longer. Maybe I could soak it up, so it will last. Until someone figures out a way to slow time, travel back in time, my photos will have to be enough.
Taking photographs has all but fallen off my list. It is dangling by a thread of hope for some "me" time. I see a passing photo-op and think..."I wish I had my camera." or "I wish I could just stop and take photos for an hour or so." Ha! An hour to just stay in one place and take photographs? What luxury! We are running, running, running, everyday. To school, to the store, to the post office...I know that is the story all moms have to tell. I try to stop and give my babies a hug when I think about all the time that slips by while we are running. That is one reason I love photography...it is a moment. A moment I can hold on to. Pictures of the kids let us be in those moments again. Their proud moments, their sweet moments, their happy moments, their everyday moments. I have often wished I could somehow prolong each stage of their little lives...I am sure it would never quite be long enough. If I could just enjoy those moments when they are tiny and dependent and exude such pure, palpable love for just a bit longer. Maybe I could soak it up, so it will last. Until someone figures out a way to slow time, travel back in time, my photos will have to be enough.
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