Here We Go.....

Hello Everyone! This is my first post and as simple as it may seem it has really been a hard one to start. What should I say? What do you say in a first post? This is what I have come up with...

First of all I have to give a very special thanks to my friend Rue over at Rue's Peanut Butter and Jelly Life who, without her- this blog would have never been possible. She inspired me to create my own blog and held my virtual hand through the set-up process. Thanks Rue! What a doll you are!

Why Blog? I decided to do this blog because, after seeing many blogs, I thought it looked like a lot of fun and a nice way to meet some wonderful people and keep in touch with friends and family that are far away. I can use it as an outlet to share my decorating progress, recipes, pictures and random ramblings with family and friends.

A Little About Me: I have been married to the most wonderful man for almost 5 years now. He is truly my best friend, my soul mate and the inspiration for everything I do. There is not a day that goes by that I don't love him more than the day before. I am a stay at home mother taking care of my home and my two wonderful, energetic children. I have a son who is almost 4 years old and a daughter that just turned two. We are expecting our third child late this summer. I love to cook, decorate, sew, refinish furniture, do laundry (crazy-I know) and most importantly- spend time with my family. I don't lead a life that most people would consider to be exciting - but for me- "normal and boring" is just fine. My days are filled with chasing and playing with my children, doing housework, making meals and doing my projects. I love projects and my to-do list rarely has less than 30 items on it. However, I am also a terrible procrastinator and when I do get started I bounce back-and-forth between multiple projects until after awhile........ all of my projects are done at the same exact time. This makes my husband nuts but this is who I am and have been for years and it works for me.

How I came up with my blog name: This was another difficult thing for me. A name is so important- a name says so much about who you are. I bounced ideas around for a long time and then narrowed it down and fired them at my less than enthusiastic husband. (One of the reasons I love him so much is because he is dead honest with me and makes me challenge myself in my creative process to figure out what I really want.) None of the ideas I had come up with were striking well with either of us and then he asked the magic question: "What do you want the name to say?" I started thinking about that. And then it hit me. My blog won't have one specific content other than common ground through my life as it is. What do I want the name to say about me and my life? And then I thought about my children- my life's purpose. As much as I try and teach my children, whether it be numbers, letters, colors, manners, cover your mouth when you cough, they are actually teaching me!
I was on my way to the doctor's office with my children the other day and as we were driving down the road my son kept pointing out every flower and tree that he saw. He was SO excited! I kept my eye on the road ahead and just kept saying "Uh huh. Pretty." Eventually he realized that I wasn't really paying attention and yelled "No mommy! Really really look! Aren't they beautiful?" I finally snapped out of my driving daze and started looking around and realized the beauty that Spring has brought us. He looked at every tree and individual flower as a separate object- I saw them all as a group. When we arrived at the doctors office and started walking through the parking lot my daughter stopped to pick something up. It was a small rock. And with a "Wow!" she dropped it back in the small puddle she had retrieved it from and- giggling- picked it up again and repeated the game. Sometimes I get in the "zone" where I am concentrating and focused on one thing and one thing only- or multiple things as a whole. (Oh the laundry is piled up! Oh it's 4:00 and I haven't started dinner yet! Oh I have to get these curtains done today.) I can lose track of everything and everyone around me. I have my eye on the prize and determined to cross the finish line in record time. My children have taught me- and are still teaching me- to slow down and pay attention. To "really really" look. To look for fun and beauty in everything, everyday. I remember playing hopscotch as a child and having so much fun. No cares in the world and just living in the moment. I remember feeling the wonder and contentment in all of the "small things". Hydrangeas are my very favorite flower. That vivid punch of clustered color is a reminder of a promise and that spring has arrived. Everything is new and fresh and waiting to be discovered and enjoyed. Hopscotch and Hydrangeas- finding fun and beauty in the everyday.