Getting things done – and catching up…

Posted on by tam
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Yesterday was a very productive day and I even found some time to relax. It’s a new way I have of doing things. First, I admit to the fact that as much as I hate being a stickler and anal, being anal about scheduling can be a good thing. Maybe anal isn’t the right word here. I am not stressing if I don’t get through the schedule, but I am adding less to the schedule and including time for me. I don’t try to deviate too much and so far, it’s worked!

The boys and I did the Yoga Kids video when we came downstairs in the morning. (We’ve done various yoga dvd’s three days in a row now! Yipee!) Then had breakfast and I made some GF banana chocolate chip muffins. Then some of this awesome Historic Grains GF bread. I thought I’d give it a try using my hands like many wonderful women before me who didn’t have the luxury of a Kitchen-Aid mixer, mind you it was at least a little tempting to pick one up when they were $200 off during the holidays. Instead of using the mixer for four minutes to heat up the yeast and make sure all ingredients are well combined, I put four minutes on the microwave timer, have a seat and mix with my hand. Ouch. Pretty tough labour there but well worth it. The taste is well worth the work!

Steve came home with a migraine early afternoon for which I do not envy him at all. So, while he chilled with the boys, I went on to other things on my list. Mind you, the rest of the list came after the boys had finished their lessons for the day, including some fun grammar involving acting out the poem Dancing by Eleanor Farjeon. What does this have to do with grammar. Verbs, of course! Gotta love school!

Okay, on with the list. I managed to fix Xander’s new Pidove. He is a Pokemon that Xander picked out as part of his using a gift card from Nanna and Pappa. Then, I mended the seam on a stuffed snake he got a while ago when we went to a reptile place, ah the right word escapes me for that place, but it was while we were visiting Nanna and Pappa two years ago. The seam split probably about a year ago.

I’m getting better at this mending thing though as the last piece of the pile was the bottoms to Xander’s new pj’s. Each Christmas eve the boys get new pj’s and Xman’s bottoms were stupid-huge in the waist. Totally too big. But, he loved them and the top fit perfectly. Go figure. So, I fixed the bottoms. I had to pull out a lot of the waist band and in making it smaller, had to make the back/bum seam smaller, too. I have never done this type of surgery and was hoping that the elastic around the waist wasn’t sewn into the waistband but it was. That’s okay. I got to use the serger setting on my new sewing machine! I am in love with my sewing machine in the way anyone who loves sewing can be and can’t wait to do more! I bought it used on Kijiji months ago because the one I have weighs a ton, more like 30 lbs at least and if I dropped it I’d easily crush my foot. Easily, pinky swear. And that freaked me out a bit. So, I got the new machine from a wonderful older lady who purchased the machine, used it once, and then realized it was more than she needed. Thank you Kijiji. And, it only took me two months to finally sit down and use it which is way better than the history of my serger, which never left the box. Steve, don’t say a thing. :) I eventually sold the serger to a textiles student at the art college who was thrilled to take it off my hands for half of what I paid. No kidding.

Not too bad a job for a first time doing this type of thing and really wanting to finish it so Xander could wear them to bed. I finished them as Steve got the boys into their bath. Whew!

It’s not as neat as I’d like around the waist but it won’t come apart and I barely had any material to fold over. So, I’m okay with that. :)

Well, goodness me! I almost forgot! I finished this too!

“What is that?” you ask. “It’s my first felted piece and I’m totally thrilled with it!”, I say. “It’s a tea cozie (duh) and felting it was easier than I expected!” It finished drying overnight and is a perfect ‘grandé soy chai latté’ fit!

I’m going to do these nests next, as Xander decided to take the cozie for Pidove.

Okay, that’s three posts in two days. Sweet! Now, what’s next on my list is….ah…hmmm…didn’t plan this far ahead. Apparently, there’s a hole in my scheduling planning. Gotta work on that.

 

 

Christmas may be over but…

Posted on by tam
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…that doesn’t mean you can’t finish that gingerbread house!

The boys had a great time decorating.

I think part of me just wanted to enjoy the process and not be too uptight about trying to make it perfect. It’s definitely not perfect…

…but we all had a great time! Oh, and if you look closely, there is a boy on the rooftop (Daddy) and a girl with two boys at the bottom.

Lucas upgraded our car. First he set out a green van with a sun roof which is the closest in Hot Wheels to a Mazda 5, and he knows that I’d love a sunroof. Thanks, Lucas! I’ve always wanted a red convertible! I guess we will keep the Mazda for family drives. I can totally handle that. :)

 

 

Your bum looks funny

Posted on by stephen
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Me (stepping out of the shower): Oh, hey kiddo. Did you have a good sleep?

Xander: Daddy, your bum looks funny.

Me: What? It does? What do you mean?

Xander: It looks like this… (turns away and pulls his pants down) …but three of them — all stuck together.

Me: Three of them?

Xander: Yup! (pulls pants up and turns back around) But only two of Lucas’. His bum’s bigger.

:)

blooming tea…

Posted on by tam
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I experienced something I never knew could happen, or maybe I just hadn’t ever thought of it before so the idea of it was out of my head, I guess you could say. Catherine, a friend of mine, offered me tea as she had so many times before during one of my visits with the boys. As an aside, we take turns coming over to each other’s homes weekly so we can chat and the kids can play together. The four of them get along amazingly well, and as they, too are home schooled, visits can conveniently happen during the day, a good time to indulge in some good company and good caffeinated drinking!

Although the tea Catherine offered to me this time was herbal – I am a pretty die-hard black tea drinker, especially anything with the name ‘earl’ in it – I couldn’t pass on the offer. Seriously, when someone tells you they have some ‘blossom tea, would you like to try it? you have to see what happens to it when you add the water!’ how can you say, ‘no thanks, not interested’?

Not only was it one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen but the tea was good. Really. I don’t care for herbals and it was gooood. Maybe my taste buds were a bit swayed by what my brain had witnessed but so be it.

Catherine boiled some water, took out this cute little glass teapot and popped in one of the buds. Then she poured in the water. The transformation was the coolest thing and started to happen instantaneously. The flower changed from a tightly packed little bud into a series of little flowers where each new bud opened up to reveal another.

The company that makes the tea is “Teavana, the flavour is peach Momotaro, the style of tea is blooming tea”.  Thanks, Catherine! :)

~happy tea drinkin’!~

my commitment

Posted on by tam
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My Commitment Moving Forward (inspired by Natalie…)

 

  • I will thank God for my blessings every, single day
  • I will LOVE and CHERISH my children and my husband every moment, with every breath
  • When I am weighed down by the thoughts that often haunt me I will accept them for their being part of me but not let them overcome me because my reasons for ‘being’ far outweigh those for not
  • I will create for the sake of creating, for me, for the purity of it and how it makes me feel
  • I will do yoga and meditation three times a week
  • I will listen to my ‘inner voice’ that comes from my soul and let go of things external that drown out that voice, for they are not real
  • I will make time for me and not feel guilty; for when I reconnect with myself and am rested in body and spirit I can give so much more to those I love so dearly

    ~love u all, happy year~

 

Merry Christmas to all

Posted on by tam
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Oh, what a beautiful feeling,
Oh what a wonderful day,
I’ve got wonderful feeling
This is going to be a great Christmas Day!
 

Despite the fact that both Lucas and I had been awake since about 1:30 or 2am when he came to sleep next to me (Steve had went into bed with Xander) today turned out rather wonderfully. Lucas was just too excited to sleep and try as he may, he tossed and turned and kept us both awake for the most part. I pulled through with half excitement for such a great day to spend with my favourite men and four cups of tea and one coffee. No, five cups of tea and I think I may put the water on soon again. :)

There is no need to go through all the details but here are some highlights of our gift opening frenzy. But, first, let me say that last year it was a frenzy and the paper wrapping was splayed everywhere. The actual unwrapping of gifts may have lasted five minutes. It was fast. Cleanup too longer. So, being who I am, I prepared by having the boys take turns opening gifts and in between I gathered up the wrapping into a bag and placed the bows aside to reuse next year. I only took a few pics along the way because I didn’t want to miss the moments that Christmas morning brings. Being behind a camera (I used a real camera this time) detaches me a bit and I don’t always like that. Especially when it’s me boys!

Santa came. as you know, from my last post, leaving some gifts for both boys and some stocking goodies. We left Santa some soy milk and some cookie goodies as well (he got the non-burnt cookies). He must have been in a hurry because he didn’t finish the last cookie…I hope that is no reflection on my baking skills…

One big point for Santa. The big guy managed to get one thing on Xman’s list. Kai and his motorcycle. Trés kewl and happy boy, too.

Santa scored again. Whew! He got Lucas something he really wanted although it wasn’t on the list. But, Santa didn’t let down Lucas there either and did get him ‘anything Lego’. Lucas got a super-cool Lego game as well, Heroica.

Xander has a mad love for caterpillars and has two Eric Carle Caterpillars, one being a stuffie from last year and one a puppet for his birthday this year. No, there is caterpillar #3, the game. He likes it! He likes it!

Funny story. One time after Steve picked me up from work, we went next door to ToysRUs. They’d just opened at that location and are bigger than their store in the mall. Anyway, both Steve and I were tired so I went into the store with the boys and Steve went next door to get he and I a tea and coffee. Just inside the entrance to this ToysRUs is the game section. That is where we waited for Daddy. Geez, he really took a long time and I was starting to wonder what was up. Apparently, as he told me later in a funny way only he can relay this story (sorry you can’t hear this from him as it really is funny) he told me that he went in another entrance figuring we headed for the Lego section. Lego is always the ultimate destination. Isn’t it for everyone? On the way there he noticed a Pikachu toy that Xander has wanted for weeks, maybe longer. We told him no, as Christmas was coming so no toy buying now. Once we were in the store and the toy was there and the next time it was gone. Xander was very upset. So, upon seeing it in stock this time, Steve grabbed it and did a quick check of the store to make sure we didn’t see him. We were still hanging around the game section, right next to the cash registers. It was like a mission almost impossible for him. Here he was standing in line, swaying back and forth behind a pillar by the check out, each time he saw us move to another game isle. I never saw him once, but from what he says, it was entertaining for those in line, watching a father trying to hide in open site from his children, to buy a little gift for his son. He done good, as they say, that’s fer sure. Xander was so thrilled and has no idea he was going to get his beloved Pikachu. Way to go, Daddio.

Once all gifts were open the boys set about putting together some Lego. I know. Shocking.

Steve and I don’t get each other gifts for Christmas but this time we did. Why? Don’t know really. And that’s a good reason, no reason at all. Just because and it was nice. Steve got Perplexus Epic, so now we have all three. Kewl. And he also got book 2 and 3 of the Buffy comic season 8 series. Super kewl!

Steve got me a Buddha charm to complete my collection. This meant so much to me as I’d been wanting one for a long time. The sun charm I had bought while living in Banff in the 90′s, the jade cross from a crazy weekend spent with friends outside of Edmonton at a crazy weekend music fest called Highwood. Probably the best part of the weekend was that purchase. I just like it. Now, I have Buddha, too. I smile.

To top it off he got me this super-neat Buddha Board mini. I had never heard of it before. It is a thin layer of rock that sits kind of like an easel when open. You take the brush that comes with it and draw something on it. If you make a mistake, that’s okay. In time, the water will evaporate and you have a clean slate. Perfect. Steve put a little note on it for me once I opened it. Teary-eyed me? Yes.

Late afternoon we got ourselves changed and over to Steve’s parents for dinner. So yum. We stuffed ourselves full of Tofurky roast with all the trimmin’s. Now, the boys are snug as bugs in a rug with some of their toys waiting next to their beds for the morning to come.

A Christmas just isn’t complete without a little “White Christmas”. So off I go, to spend some time with my man…and Bing…and Danny…good times indeed.

Merry Christmas everyone.

~love~

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas Eve

Posted on by tam
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It has been a very full week here at the Shard household. Let’s see…yesterday we got a bit of a storm and it was so beautiful to watch the big flakes float down so softly from the sky. I love the silence that comes with the fluffy flakes. It’s very serene and peaceful to me. It’s almost like those millions of flakes are saying, “Shhh…slow down…look at us…enjoy us…”.

I know, yet again, I have used my iPhone for another pic. Ugh – I can’t help myself sometime. I need to go out and get a good point and shoot, I’m just too fussy and can’t decide. I don’t want to pay $500 for a p&s when I have a super-duper dslr. So, for now, it’s iPhone because I’m just too lazy sometimes to go upstairs and get my camera out of the bag. I know, silly, but true. However, I did use it today to take some great pics of all of the cousins when they came over today to exchange gifts. It’s amazing as they get older they actually all sit and listen and look at the camera – wow!!! I will post one of the pics if it’s okay with everyone – gotta check that first….

Yesterday, I started the long and arduous, yet mostly enjoyable, task of making a GF gingerbread house from scratch. You can’t buy ‘em gluten-free and L&X saw the cookie cutter set at the store so I couldn’t help myself. It did go fairly well all things considered, I guess, but I did try to hurry things along since I only had one cookie tray and I had to work later. I didn’t wait for the cookies to cool down before transferring them to a rack. Some of them were too soft and fell apart. I had to redo one roof part, two sides and two fronts. We also have a temper-mental oven so some of the bottoms got a little too cooked although the tops were perfect. Seriously? Why? All part of the process I know.

At this point I had to relinquish the power of the gg house creating to Steve. I had to go to work. On the bus. In the snow. Fun. So the rest was up to Steve and the boys. I got a pic of the first icing-making effort – it was not pretty. It was clumpy. Oil and icing sugar do not mix. Literally. We usually use oil as a sub for margarine for making breads because it’s easier and cheaper. Cookies too. No problem there. But, apparently, not so good for icing. So, try number two came out with better results, albeit still a bit tricky. Here’s a pic of what’s been constructed so far with a little help from some Tim’s cups for support:

I think it looks great! Can we be done now? I’m afraid to touch it for fear the roof may slide off. I’ll keep you posted, fingers crossed!

This morning, although we had a plethora of things yet to accomplish before family arrived at 1pm, I was determined to make a wack of gf waffles again so I could freeze some for future breakfasts. Future meaning like Christmas morning. Meaning tomorrow morning. Tripling the recipe according to Catherine’s recipe went very well and we managed to have a load left over. Off to the freezer they went. Cool. :)

I must say here that the iPhone is certainly fun to use when the lighting is right. So fun!

Waffles and breakfast over-with, next on the list was um, making gf sugar cookies. I made up the dough and put it into the fridge to chill at which point it becomes a blur. I know that suddenly it was noon and I had to sew seven little stockings to put treats into and I hadn’t even taken a good look at my ‘new’ sewing machine. (A great find on Kijiji and only used once before me) I crossed my fingers and plugged in the sewing machine and sewed a sample piece. Ah, it ran smooth as butta. Beautiful! I finished the stockings at about 12:45 which was longer than necessary but I realized, with Steve’s help, that I was one stocking short and it took me a bit to find the extra material. It was on top of the microwave in a papier-maché bowl. Isn’t that where everyone keeps extra material?

I was thinking of an easy way to close the top of the stockings without the kids struggling to rip open a sewn top so I used some previously painted green clothes pins. Perfect! The kids loved them, I think especially since they were unexpected. I like that. :0 Aren’t they cute? I can’t take all the credit – Martha Stewart made me do it.

1pm, family arriving and I’m making sugar cookies. The dough is so much easier to roll out as it is much ‘wetter’ I want to say. But, that being said, this makes it harder to transfer to the cookie sheet. So, not only did some of them burn on the bottom (a bit), some of them were also not really recognizable. Our niece held up one cookie asking what it was. I said, ‘It’s holly. No. It’s a tree.’ Oh, well. At least they tasted good. Nothing to see here as far as cookie pics. Didn’t think of it and probably didn’t want to remember the oddly shaped, albeit, yet yummy tasting cookies.

Once all the kids left I made some yummy potato soup with onions, garlic, dill and fennel. So yum! Totally off topic but so enjoyable! Then we Skyped with Nanna and Pappa. When I asked the boys during dinner what their favourite thing about this year was so far they said, ‘visiting Nanna and Pappa. And Cheeky Monkey.’ I can’t argue there. Our visit to see Mom and Gary was awesome as always. The boys love seeing them and their friends and going to play at Cheeky Monkey, the coolest indoor playground even for adults with some kid in them. Rocket slide, you are one crazy fast piece of plastic! Eek!

Suddenly it was 6:30 and we all jumped in the car to  drive around and check out Christmas lights. Xander said he counted more than two hundred houses with lights. It was fun to see how people decorate their homes. The glow of the lights just really gets me in the mood for the holidays. Of course, the street that we found with the most houses decorated was just 5 minutes from us. Our street was pitiful. That includes us. The plug to our house is in the driveway so not in a convenient spot at all when it’s late at night and very cold outside and you need to unplug the lights. I know, we should get one of those extension cords with a switch. I know. We said that last year too…

We got home, and helped the boys get ready for bed and Steve and Lucas read, “The Night Before Christmas” and off they went into ‘Christmas dreamland’. I usually say to them as I kiss them goodnight, “Sweet dreams come true”. This time, after I made this wish to the boys, Xander said, “Sweet Christmas dreams come true”. Indeed…which leads me to the next part – gift wrapping…

Santa, as always, dropped off gifts and I took a quick pic of the wrapping. Always impressed I’m with Santa’s wrapping ways. I still wonder what his hand-writing looks like because he always uses these cute little tags. Hmmm…I guess these days, with computers and all, and so many gifts to deliver, the time it takes to print out a tag is much less than writing. What a hand-cramp that would be. Carpel tunnel anyone?

…and like we told the boys, Santa can’t get you everything on your list as he has so many children to deliver gifts to. Well, Santa is good. He got them one thing on their list and a couple ones that they had forgotten to mention when they made their lists with Daddy last night while I was at work. Boy, that Santa, he is fast. He can even do last-minute requests! Xander decided to place his list on the tree so it wouldn’t be missed by Santa. He used a magnet from our dart game. Works perfect with a fake tree. Lucas’ list is in the next best place, the refrigerator door. :)

I was surprised to see Lucas’ list much shorter than Xander’s. Then again, I think this was a ‘carry over’ from his birthday list. He totally scored on that one.

Steve and I managed to wrap a few gifts from us. I decided to do something a little different for the tags. Maybe I was inspired by Santa’s savvyness. Or, maybe I saw something like this online. That Martha sure is crafty!

Now here I am with my glass of wine, the gifts are under three tree, stockings stuffed and I am pooped.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Love you all!

xoxoxo Us :)

Good night and Sweet Christmas dreams come true.

~smile~

 

 

Gluten-Free Waffles: a great way to start a day! and why we went GF.

Posted on by tam
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The boys have now been off gluten for maybe a month. Hmmm…wish I’d kept track of the date we started. It has gotten easier every day as I have a friend who inspired me to try the GF thing when she mentioned that since she started it with her two kids two years ago and it has made all the difference in their behaviour. When I say ‘behaviour’ I don’t mean in just how they act but how they think as well.

I don’t know if I have said this before but I’ve had a trying time with Lucas and getting him to concentrate. He always has to be doing something with his hands, and this easily distracts him from other things, like his math book sitting out in front of him. Sometimes it would drive me around the bend as I couldn’t see what the big deal was: why should it take him and hour and a half to do two math pages????? Maybe he is distracted by the Lego in front of him. Solution: no toys on the table while doing lessons. Did this work? Yes. Briefly. Then he would just sit there and stare part of the time unless I worked through each page with him to keep him on track. At this point there are many of his lessons he can do independently. Well, he can do but doesn’t.

I read in a book titled, Beyond Survival: a Guide to Abundant-Life Homeschooling by Diana Waring that we all have different learning styles. How interesting! Lucas is actually one of those kids/people who, like myself, always needs to be doing something with his hands. How interesting! Like mother like son! So, I relented and said he could have a toy on the table to ‘watch’ him while he did his math, etc. Also, he fiddles with a toy (yet again, usually Lego) while we have our reading time where I read a book to them. (To clarify, at 5 and 7 they already know how to read, but me reading to them everyday helps them to understand how books are read when it comes to punctuation and tone and rhythm for comprehension. Also, they get to hear interesting stories that may be above their reading level.) I’d stop and ask Lucas a question while I was reading to see if he was listening, and sure enough, he told me the answer almost word for word as I had read it. Xander, too – when he wasn’t doing hand stands on the couch. That boy cannot sit still! Again, mother…son. :)

Now, although I relented to the toys being around to ‘watch’ Lucas as he worked he still took painfully long to get things done. I’d ask him a question he should know such as, “Lucas, what is 5+7?” And he would say, “5+7. 5..+7..5…..+…..7……….” Boom. Gone. It was as if I had drugged him and his mind just went to mush. He would stare off into the air expressionless.

Then came the introduction of Gluten-Free foods. Can’t hurt to try, right? Makes, sense as we are what we eat. And if it worked for C and her kids then it just may work for us. In as little as 24 hours I noticed a difference with Lucas and his school work. Xander, too. Albeit, Xander’s lesson load is much lighter as he is only five but nonetheless, the concentration was there where it hadn’t been before. It stayed. It hung around like a wonderful friend and helper. Amazing. Lucas can get his spelling done in ten minutes and his math in twenty to thirty. Aside: I also instilled a more realistic schedule for the boys that spreads out their lessons through the week where we get the brain challengers done first thing. Their various programs are also in the schedule, such as Multi-Sports class, Art Gallery and Discovery Centre and theatre group to name some, and if it keeps us out of the house for hours then I lighten the load of lessons for the day so it doesn’t seem so arduous. Also, Family Time Fitness thrown in there is a great way to get us energized again for 15-20 minutes before starting another lesson. Educational games are great too. They learn as they have fun. Well, we learn as we have fun!

Getting ready to go out the door, which used to take a good twenty minutes from the time I would ask the boys to go to the washroom, get their shoes and coats on and grab their water bottles shrunk down to a mere 5 minutes in most instances without very little repeating of this easy ‘getting out the door’ list.

Okay so, long story long, this wonderful friend of mine, C,  gave me a recipe for waffles. The GF ones at the store are expensive but the boys love them. (Oh, and her recipe for sandwich bread has finally been successful for me after trying all of those bread-machine ones. Making this one by hand is much more rewarding. Pat myself on the back for my persistence! My reward is worth it.)

Here is ‘going into the oven’ and ‘out of the oven and oh so good’ hand-made bread.

 

Yesterday I bought a waffle maker with new recipe in hand. I was inspired by C as she makes a big batch every weekend and freezes them to use for breakfasts. Brilliant. I tried out her recipe (small batch first) expecting maybe a bit of difficulty or dry, distasteful (?) waffles. I was so thrilled as my first two waffles just cooked up perfectly and the boys scarfed them down. Oh, what a great way to start a day!! LOVE that waffle maker. There is hope, after all, with GF food and sane kids! Yay! …sane Mommy too! :)

I think next time I may add blueberries, or chocolate chips…yum…this time Steve just added the chocolate chips onto the top of the already cooked waffles.

Such a pretty sight for my eyes – home-made GF waffles. (Yes, I know, it’s blurry, argh, camera phone, but pretty nonetheless!)

All gone! Success!

I ‘heart’ my waffle maker. I ‘heart’ my boys. All three of ‘em!

How time flies…

Posted on by tam
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I started looking through various family pics to see what to post next. I am playing catchup in a bad way. I was going to start with pics from Lucas’ birthday but once I found these images I realized that they are still in RAW format, needing to be editing and changed to jpg’s to post. I opened Lightroom to see if I had already them imported to edit and I found some images from January. I did a double-take when I saw them and checked the date and they are indeed from January of this year. Geez, I look so well-rested and young’ish’ and that was only 11 months ago – how times flies!!!

Me and the boys via iPhone on the ferry…they are awesome!

Xander loves cucumbers and is getting quite good at peeling them too!

Natalie Norton, some inspiration…

Posted on by tam
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So, today I had a half hour before starting dinner and I thought it would be a great time to do a post (which won out over editing). But, I got caught up with the tab open at the time which is my Google Reader. Within Reader you can subscribe to various blogs without having to leave the Reader site. Pretty cool. I have 385 unread posts from other blog and counting. I don’t get to it often, but at times, it can be photographically inspirational and sometimes spiritually.

Today, I became absorbed in Natalie Norton, a wonderful photographer whose blog I’d found over a year ago, although I don’t recall how. She has been through hell and back and always gets me ‘right there’ with her words. I either leave tearful from sorrow of her past loss or inspired by her strength, or both. She is amazing.

I copied this from her blog and plan to use something like it for myself as a reminder each day (especially the tough days which are sometimes more abundant than they should be):

My commitment moving forward

1.  I will thank God for my blessings every, single day.

2.  I will LOVE and CHERISH my living children. . . in honor of Almira. . . who could not do so for her own. (not sure who Almira is but need to check it out)

3. I will continue the legacy of service left by brave and beautiful Lucy. I will not wallow in grief or hide behind self-pity and doubt; I will step forward and lose myself in doing good, every day, and always. (Lucy, not sure…)

4. I will continue to write, that my children (and theirs) might know me, completely–that they might know my deep, abiding love for them and for that God who gives us life. I will write the TRUTH, as I see it, from the bottom of my soul.

5. I will seek God more completely. I will strive to know him more intimately, through sincere prayer, openly expressed gratitude, and daily study of his inspired word.

Aloooooha, N

Check out her blog if you get a moment. You may need more than a moment. :)