I Heart This Week

What a week!  A busy work week, carting kids to their various activities, catching up on laundry, and trying to find time to create but still get some sleep...well, I didn't bring my "A Game" to my photography for this post.  I think you'll get the picture though (PUN!)...

It's not the winter storm that people make it out to be here in SC, but seeing this and knowing I can just cozy up indoors for the night makes me happy...

I've neglected my Gratitude Journal but this week realized the need to jot down a few things to maintain perspective...

My 9 year old son's stories...I look forward to new stories written by him about as much as one looks forward to the next Great American Novel...

Finding toys in strange arrangements around the house.  Is this guy doing a victory dance?  Directing traffic?  Or saving the Universe?  Maybe he's testing a new deodorant (that appears to be failing miserably)...

(Relatively) New Art Work...I bought this around Christmas, hung it up a few weeks ago, but felt appreciative of it today so thought I'd share.  I purchased this print from a very talented artist at The Black Apple shop on Etsy.  I love this little one...

My lovely Aunt lent me her sewing machine for a bit so I can try it out and see if I really do want to buy one.  It is one of my goals this year.  Last Sunday, my Mom and Aunt gave me a tutorial on how to set it up and use it.  I'm hoping to steal some time this weekend and play some more...

Finally...after a busy, but productive, week...

Happy Weekending!!

I Heart This Week: Finding Beauty

I've had a fantastic weekend.  I spent time with great friends, watched my boys play basketball, had a date night with my husband and spent time at the lake with my parents, aunt, and grandmother.  This morning I woke up feeling emotional, but in a good way.  Sipping coffee, listening to The Avett Brothers, reading through blogs that inspire me, and suddenly I began to feel overwhelmed by beauty in this world.  My heart felt swollen and I felt like a very small, but important, cog in this enormous and beautiful machine.  I realized that I have felt this before and, as one who often tries to ignore my emotions, I always just thought I felt out of sorts and tried to avoid it.  I've been working on that the past couple of years - allowing myself to feel what I feel and just ride it out, no matter how uncomfortable it may be for me.  Today it dawned on me, this feeling isn't bad - it's pretty wonderful.  To be completely overwhelmed with beauty and what I have in this world, this one life, to the point that it overwhelms my whole self and makes me more appreciative. 

Does this mean that my life is perfect and I live in a dream world?  Heck no!  It just means that finding beauty is part of our journey and is possible to do, in most situations.  I hope you can find beauty and embrace it too.

Quote by Frank Lloyd Wright

Vitality

Happy New Year!  Welcome, 2013. 

I rang in the new year last night with loved ones and friends.  It was filled with talking, laughing, silly children, spirits, good food, and fun.  I am thankful that I was able to celebrate with a wonderful group of people.

I am sitting here on this first morning of 2013 and my heart is full of mixed emotions.  Hopeful and excited for new challenges and experiences in 2013 and a little sad to say goodbye to 2012 which was a growing year for me.  I feel full of ideas which can be a little overwhelming and exciting at the same time.

There is a trend in blogs right now to pick one word as your focus for the new year.  I'm jumping on the bandwagon because I like this idea so much better than resolutions.  In the past, my resolutions tended to be self-effacing -- lose weight, get in shape, look better, be better, etc.  I don't know if it is my age (35) or just frustration with our society shaping my view of not being good enough but I really don't want that to be my focus this year.  So, I'm going with a word for the year because I see it as potential.  Today the word may inspire certain goals within me but I'm interested to see how those goals change as the year changes; as I change.

The word I've chosen is Vitality.  Webster's had a couple of definitions for Vitality that I liked:
1 - The peculiarity distinguishing the living from the nonliving
2 - Capacity to live and develop; also : physical or mental vigor especially when highly developed
power of enduring; lively and animated character

I want new experiences.  I want to be more active.  I want to be healthy and strong.  I want to grow my blog and inspire people.  I want to create every day.  I want to be peculiar and alive!

In addition, my creative goals this year:
1 - Learn to knit
2 - Buy a sewing machine and learn to use it
3 - Stretch myself in crochet and learn a new technique
4 - Finish my seemingly never ending crocheted blanket (more to come on that)
5 - Grow some of the food I eat this year

Do you have any goals or words that will inspire you in 2013?