{headed for BLISS}

blissdom...here we come.

i am headed to nashville, tn with my sweet friend to attend the blissdom conference. for those of you who know me you know i love to write and teach and speak. so i'm going to spend a few days with people who do all that stuff way better than me in hopes that i can glean from their experiences.

in preparation for blissdom i put on a fashion show for eisley and jacob so they could help me choose my outfits. we have a "stage" in our bedroom (it's really just a window seat but to my three -almost four year old...it's a stage.) while i modeled my outfits eisley performed several different numbers including my all-time favorite, twinkle twinkle little star.

{photo}

we laughed and giggled and i did eventually get all of my blissdom attire together.

i still have laundry to fold and a house that will most likely not be cleaned before my departure. but the most important thing i must do before leaving for blissdom is to shower my sweet family with love, attention and a multitude of kisses. i miss them already.

i'm super lucky to have an awesome husband that will take over where i leave off. he happily took a couple days off work to be with our amazing kiddos while i am away. i'm sure there will be play dates and lots of adventures in store for my two little tots. because their dad...well....he's just awesome like that!

wait, did i mention he is awesome?

i will leave behind love notes for each little one to be read each night at bedtime. thank god my friend alison is going and she has the iphone 4...just like my hubs. since she's super sweet and likes to share i will get to face time the little darlings while at blissdom. oh the joys of modern technology!

happy tuesday sweet friends!

{one word::2011::the journey begins}

i can already feel it.
chapter one.
challenged.
encouraged.

one thousand gifts by ann voskamp

{photo}

[gift]::something given volunarily without payment in return, as to show favor towards someone

there are more than a thousand i'm certain.
but i will start this journey of recognition today.
one thousand gifts.
one thousand blessings.
one thousand instances to bring things into perspective.
to take my mind off of the {foxes that ruin the vineyard of love}


#1 baby giggles: they echo from wall to wall in our home and make my heart leap for joy.

#2 eyelashes that tickle my nose with each goodnight kiss.

#3 a little girl that is beginning to understand living like jesus.

#4 a hot cup of coffee

#5 a place of worship...so welcoming

#6 date night filled with hand holding and stolen kisses

#7 a four year olds bed covered with minnie mouse's and dinosaurs and a little tot found right in the middle

#8 this season

#9 warm feet that touch mine through the night

#10 books that bring encouragement and new perspective

you cannot complain and be thankful at the same time.
i will choose to be thankful.
minute by minute.
hour by hour.
daily.

{thankful}

{you want to know what i love??}

(photo}

the weekend.
i look forward to the weekend more than ever these days.
time to focus on family and friends and all the lovely things in life.

right now i'm just going to pretend that i don't have an overflowing (to the floor) laundry basket and dirty floors and bathrooms.

dream with me...mmmkay?

where was i? ahem...oh yes...the weekend.

so tonight, in honor of the weekend, jacob and i have planned some special one on one time with the coopster. after little man goes to bed we will be playing...drum roll please...

{pretty pretty princess}

this was a christmas gift from aunt stacy and i have put it away saving it for a special time like tonight when we can make a big deal out of it and have a great time ---> {FAMILY FUN NIGHT} is what we like to call it. and we say it all loud with arms in the air every time.

i will also be attempting to make {XOXO SMORES} found over at the idea room. if it is a huge failure then i will just make regular ol' smores. eisley will be in heaven either way.

saturday will be another day full of much needed family time. i see dinosaurs and homemade tents in my future.

what's in your future?

{things i love thursday}

baby giggles.

i am going to be honest. i am not a fan of the snow or cold weather. i like to be covered and warm from head to toe, coffee in hand.

but my babies?
well, they love snow.
their excitement overflows at the possibilities.
so i buckle down....bundle them and myself and head out.
i am never disappointed.

bliss::[blis]:: supreme happiness; utter joy or contentment.

what could be better?

{wordless wednesday}

“the beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand.”

-frank herbert

{you are beautiful...yes i'm talking to you sweet friend}

{photo}

i say it every day, "you are so pretty eisley."
i think she is beautiful in every way.
in the back of my mind i think often...she needs to feel loved and beautiful and valued so she does not look for value in boys or other frivolous things.

she replied with her head hung low, "i'm not pretty mommy."

a wave of defense flew over this mama and i thought to myself: 
what? who told you that? where did this come from?
then i replied
"yes you are eisley. you are beautiful!"

i don't know where she picked it up. she's obviously repeating something she has heard from somewhere. but oh the emotion that came over me when i heard her say those words.

she is beautiful.
she is mine.
i love her to the moon and back.
i would give my life to save hers.

those words were painful for me to hear about my baby. someone who is part of me. she is a reflection of who i am.
as i pondered the conversation i wondered.... "is this how god feels when we put ourselves down."

when i bat away compliments?
jacob: "you look great!"
me: "i have got to get in shape."

me to a friend: "you look amazing!" (she just had a baby)
friend: "no i don't. the clothes hide it all."

you get the idea.

"i praise you because i am fearfully and wonderfully made.
your works are wonderful.
i know that full well."
psalm 139:14

we must start believing we are wonderfully made girls.
we are wonderfully made.
our little ones need to see that we believe that.
so today, when someone pays you a compliment, resist the urge to knock it down. simply say, "thank you" and choose to believe it is true.

{you are fearfully and wonderfully made my friend!}

{psst....i've got a secret....}

{photo}

they sat together over a dinner prepared in celebration of a great accomplishment. 41 years together. when 1 out of every 2 couples will part ways at some point during their journey together...that's amazing.

{41 years}

but they cried.
nostalgia?
she was missing a dear friend...her mother.
she asked why he was crying.
his response..."we won't have 41 more."

true love and sincere heartache for the years that won't be shared. not because of divorce or discord but because their time on this earth...in those bodies....is fleeting.

she said it with a sparkle in her navy blue eyes.
words like honey...sweet to my soul.
i asked..."what makes your marriage so sweet?"

{praise, my friend. praise.}

those words immediately took me to words i heard earlier in the week:

"it's easy to appreciate what we once had."
-shane hipps

the lesson that echoed in my mind:

{appreciate. be thankful. praise.}

what are you appreciating?
thankful for?
how can you praise those your love today?

grace and peace sweet friends,

{where god sleeps nights}

{photo}

now is the time to get things done...
wade in the water
sit in the sun,
squish my toes
in the mud by the door,
explore the world in a boy just four.

now is time to study books,
flowers,
snails,
how a cloud looks;
to ponder "up."
where god sleeps nights
why mosquitoes take such big bites.

later there'll be time
to sew and clean,
paint the hall
that soft new green,
to make new drapes,
refinish the floor-

later on...when he's not just four.

irene foster, -"time is of the essence"
{taken from :: a mother's heart :: by jean fleming}


{linked at Supermom}

{a fun way to keep the kiddos busy}

{photo}

"children are made readers on the laps of their parents"

-emilie buchwald

"there are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. love of books is best of all."

-jaqueline kennedy

i came across these adorable little floor mats at target ($2.50).

one is blue with a whale and the other pink with an elephant. 

we call them our {reading mats}.

just lay them anywhere- i chose the door by the kitchen this time because it was snowing and i wanted the kiddos to enjoy the view. then put a big box of books beside them and spread some of their favorites all around. 

i made a big deal about how they get to use their {reading mats} and read their favorite books to one another. they were super excited! well, eisley was super excited. durgin just follows suit.

they looked at different books and giggled together and shared. it was precious guys...seriously precious!

i want my children to love books and learning. afterall...

"the more you read the more you know. the more you learn the more places you will go."

-dr. seuss 

{savor :: to give oneself enjoyment of}

{photo}

there aren't a lot of sweets around my house.
my kiddos are three and one.
they don't need sweets.
and they don't know to {desire} them.

but occasionally i will give eisley a {treat}.
it's in these moments that i learn so much about {savoring}.
whatever it is...popsicle, m&m, lollipop or in this case sweet cream...she sits down and takes her precious time with her treat.

what would take you or me a minute to eat takes her half an hour.
i sit in awe at the time she takes with each bite {lick}.
the taste.
the texture.
letting her mind process the pleasure of it all.
in between each bite {or lick} she will stop and say
{"mmmm....this is a sweet treat!"}
i love to watch her enjoy what has been given to her.
i find myself in the presence of sheer delight.
she is taking time to {savor} this gift.
and she is teaching me a lesson i didn't know i needed.

{savor}: sey-ver :: to give oneself the enjoyment of

savoring the moment leads to contentment.
savoring the moment makes the ordinary, extraordinary.

what are taking time to savor?

{wordless wednesday}

“imagination is more important than knowledge. for knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

-albert einstein

{one word::2011}

i love the {new year}.
i love the whole clean slate, start over, all-things-are-new feeling of a brand new year.
i am a big fan of alece over at {grit and glory}.
alece has decided, instead of making new year resolutions that will likely be found incomplete or even forgotten, she will choose {one word} to represent each year.
{one word} to focus her life on.
i've given this some thought and have decided to join in the {one word 2011} challenge.

{my one word:::thankful}

[thangk-fuhl]:adjective::feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative.

"gratitude is a magnet attracting filings of goodness out of the expanse of the past"

-ann voskamp

"gratitude is what makes the past a grace, here holy and tomorrow a gift"

-ann voskamp

we always talk about what we are thankful for, but tonight it was different. laying in her bed, snuggled up with minnie mouse and her pillow pet, taggie in hand, i started...

"i'm thankful for our snuggle time. tag you're it!" her turn, "i'm thankful for you mommy! tag you're it!"

{giggle*giggle*giggle}

back and forth we swelled with gratitude. each itching for our que "tag you're it!" to share what fell on our hearts. gratitude made all the grumpiness from the day disappear, leaving only precious memories and a full heart behind.

i will choose to be {thankful}in 2011.
what is your one word?

{love what you do}

{photo credit}

i've been reflecting on the last year as i'm sure most of you have. the thing that is in the forefront of my mind is {parenting}.

disclaimer:::yes this is a {parenting post} but even if you aren't a parent, there are still principles you can apply to your life...so don't stop reading sweet friends.

ahem...
parenting::the season of my life.
i am a mom.
and I love motherhood.
this is my season and this season... is fleeting.
seems like just yesterday when i was sitting in church and i felt my first little peanut wiggle in my belly.
her first word...dada.
her first steps with an exercise ball {a story for a another time}.
now she is three. three. years. old.
geez!
where did the time go people?
but more important than that... what have i done with the time that has passed?
are my children learning to be kind?
loving?
selfless?
grateful?
{hold that thought}


my occupation::respiratory sales rep.
i have goals to meet to be successful.
so every year in december i reflect on the last year.
did i meet my goals?
how or why not?
what are my plans to meet my goals in the coming year?
i make a plan.
i stick to the plan and reevaluate every month to tweak it where needed.
i'm driven.
i meet my career goals.


So...ummm, light bulb!!!
why don't I apply those same principles to parentng {but in a little less rigid fashion of course}?
shouldn't I be just as concerned with my children being on track as i am my career?
more really.
they are so much more important than any job could be.
they are a gift.
a treasure.
priceless.
and i only get one go at raising them.
so this year i am making a plan!
a plan to develop the characteristics i want to see blossom in their sweet little lives.

these are the questions i am asking myself...
do we focus on others more than ourselves?
do we look for ways to bless one another inside our family?
is love the motivation for our actions?
are they learning to be like jesus?
are we having fun every day?
are we being respectful?
are we growing in love?

as i answer these questions i am making a list of the ways we are doing these things and new ideas to continue this pattern of development.

i am making a plan for my family.
for myself.

{if you fail to plan, you plan to fail -ben franklin}

so, friends, what are your {plans} for 2011??

grace and peace