I need a happy thing today... Today's a sick day. 4 out of 5 in our family are sick...YUCK! And to top it all off, it's a rainy dreary day. Maybe it's just a housewife thing, but man do I appreciate sunlight! Maybe I focus on it too much... every morning when I wake up, I feel like the outlook of my day is already partially determined by whether or not the sun is shining! It's so much easier to have energy and be joyful when the sun's out. I know, I know... (big sigh), I can't be dependent on external circumstances to find joy. But it sure makes it easier! :) So today, on a yucky day, I'm trying to be thankful for the sunshine that happens to not be here. I'm thankful for that part of creation and I'm thankful for the joyful boost it gives me some days. Sunshine is definitely a Happy Thing....even though it's absent today :)
Happy Things
I need a happy thing today... Today's a sick day. 4 out of 5 in our family are sick...YUCK! And to top it all off, it's a rainy dreary day. Maybe it's just a housewife thing, but man do I appreciate sunlight! Maybe I focus on it too much... every morning when I wake up, I feel like the outlook of my day is already partially determined by whether or not the sun is shining! It's so much easier to have energy and be joyful when the sun's out. I know, I know... (big sigh), I can't be dependent on external circumstances to find joy. But it sure makes it easier! :) So today, on a yucky day, I'm trying to be thankful for the sunshine that happens to not be here. I'm thankful for that part of creation and I'm thankful for the joyful boost it gives me some days. Sunshine is definitely a Happy Thing....even though it's absent today :)
More alphabet art...
Well, here's my progress with the alphabet letters... I'm kind of taking a new approach with it: mixing the graphic patterns with the drawings. Who knows?! It's a fun process though!
I envision printing these as 8x10s, ready to frame. I thought too, birth info or a bible verse could be added under the name... let's see, two of each letter...I've finished five...only 47 more to go!! HA!
Addison
Well, I thought we were going to get a sunny fall day for Addison's photo shoot, but no luck. As it turned out though, the weather was really quite perfect even without sun...
Okay, this little girl's face melts my heart... I could look at her pictures all day! Thanks Addison for being such a sweetie... I'm glad you liked the wagon :)
Happy Things
As you all have probably caught on by now, I just love anything antique/vintage! Over the past few years, I've really come to appreciate and enjoy old pottery. I love almost all of it... but much of it is far to expensive for me to collect right now! You can find McCoy pottery at a reasonable price if you do a little hunting though... so I've began a small collection :) I just love the muted colors ...especially the turquoise :)... and the beautiful patterns of McCoy. For me, it's a Happy Thing :)
Happy Things
This morning I made time, sat down and read my devotion... sometimes that seems like a hard thing for me to do! Between responding to the constant needs of my children, house work, homeschooling, and other random tasks, I struggle with making those fifteen minutes a priority in my day. I've been reading "Devotions for a Sacred Marriage" lately. Today after I was done reading, I was once again reminded of my privileged responsibility to nurture my marriage...to guard it, treasure it, serve in it... Too often I let the struggles cast a shadow over the blessings of marriage. Marriage is work. Marriage can bring pain. Yet, next to the gift of salvation, my marriage is the most overwhelming gift that I have been blessed with in this life. I'm so blessed to be here in this marriage, with this man, at this moment. I am blessed and I am loved... I'm so glad I sat down this morning and let the power of scripture remind me of that...and that's more than just a Happy Thing.
Gracelyn's Photo Shoot
Gracelyn was too cute today... as always. The thing I couldn't get over was her BIG eyes and long thick eyelashes!! So sweet.... Thanks Brad and Malinda- I had fun :)
Uggg....
Oh, so frustrating!! I made a new header for the blog and it won't let me upload it!! It said my file had an internal error... but I can upload it here.... Can anybody help? Oh, well... I thought I'd at least post it since I went to all the work!
Snap shots
The sun was actually shining today so we headed out to play... I took a few snap shots of the girls. Alice is sporting her standard odd expressions... enjoy!!
Happy Things
I just love the old photo strips that you used to be able to get at the mall. Every now and then you can still find one, or at least a digital version. At the mall in Hutch, KS JJ and I found one while we were dating (one on the right). And then a couple of years ago we found a digital version at Town East mall in Wichita... it might still be there. Anyway, I'm always on the look out and hope to find one again soon so that we can have a little family pic including Sadie Pie. I'm not sure what it is about them. It just always seems like the people in them are so happy. They have such a nostalgic feel. Maybe it's because I've admired the ones my parents had from their early years of marriage so many times. They're smiling so big... and life seems so wonderful in those poorly exposed strips of little pictures. I snatched one of my parents' which included their first two kids... and I enjoy seeing it next to the one of JJ and I with our first two... We may not have been smiling before those shots were taken. Who knows what chaos was occurring at the mall that day :) But when we all crammed into that booth and it was time for the big flash....it wasn't hard to look happy, because we were... And these days, at any given point when I'm with my family, if I stop and savor the moment I realize I'm happy... very very happy. And that, is a Happy Thing. (and yes, if you were wondering, the mirror is dirty and that is a Route 44 Sonic drink in the background :)
A is for Alice
It was so nice... to be able to spend a little time drawing and working on the computer today! I'm so glad that TC homecoming is over... I worked on A today since I'm partial to the letter :) This is kind of what I envision producing with the letters someday... maybe as a 5X7 print or something. Let me know what you think... I need feedback in this process! :)
Happy Things
Lately I feel like God has been teaching me a lesson on having a joyful heart. The past few months have been quite busy and quite stressful, and I've allowed these circumstances to dictate my mood. As a result, my poor children have also had to suffer... it's no fun having a grumpy mom. The worst part is that it all quickly begins to snowball: I'm grumpy, so they act out, I get grumpier, and they get naughtier and sassier... not good. Through it all, I knew I was having an attitude problem, yet I was still having a hard time getting a handle on it. The other night I found myself on a website that I've enjoyed using as a resource in the past. (www.nogreaterjoy.org) I came across an article about moms with bad attitudes that slapped me in the face. It didn't tell me anything that I didn't already know in my heart, but it made me face it. (deep sigh.) So this is what I took away from it all....As a mom my attitude affects my little ones so much! I am responsible for the tone of my home and it's time I allow the joy of my salvation to be enough to give me a joyful heart. The rest of my circumstances don't matter. I am loved by my Savior and I am living my dream of being a wife and mom. What more should I need to be happy and to find the strength be positive with my girls? ....So on to lots of smiles, lots of laughing, lots of thanking God for all the little gifts. Well, here's where the Happy Thing comes into this all... I'm trying to appreciate every little bit of my girls. So I went looking in the house for a symbol of life with little girls. I love watching my girls pretend. I especially enjoy watching them pretend to be mommies. So I took a picture of all the little doll things they adore and use to practice their mommy skills. Watching them do this does something good for my heart, brings me joy, and definitely is a Happy Thing.
Happy Things
I daily get to enjoy the task of turning beautiful door knobs... ha, ha! Our house is so fun... almost all of the door knobs in our Craftsman style little house are unique. Some of them are glass, some porcelain, and the rest are brass. This one (above) is especially fancy-shmancy, the side plate is covered in beautiful scroll work! Yet, then again, the old charm comes with a cost: our bedroom door knob keeps falling off. Nothing like a heavy glass knob falling on hardwood floors to wake up the baby! Well, all in all, I'm going to enjoy it while I'm here... it is a Happy Thing for sure :)
a little art work...
When I lived in Iowa, I developed an alphabet collections of illustrations. Each alphabet letter was filled with a child or baby doing something... I painted some of them in watercolor, creating coordinating sets to form names for Alice and some of my friends, but beyond that I never really did anything with them. I've always wondered how I might be able to use my designs/drawings in a more enjoyable way (I don't really like the mess of watercolors with little ones around!)... Well, I was looking at some blogs the other day and came across an absolutely beautiful artist who inspired me! She creates beautiful illustrations of children also...She draws in pen and then colors them in Photoshop. I immediately thought of the piles of drawings that I had under the bed and decided to give it a try! Okay... this process was way more enjoyable to me and took much less time!! Yeah!! I really like the results, too... Well, I'm not sure what I'll do with my new found option, but I'm excited to start converting my drawings into pen and start coloring them in Photoshop. You can see my first attempt above :) You'll have to check out the other blog, too... www.sarahjanestudios.com/blog/ So fun!!
Happy Things
Today Sadie is my Happy Thing. My pregnancy with Sadie came after a lost pregnancy... As a result, my silent prayer was the same everyday as I lay awake looking at the ceiling beside my napping 3 year old: "God please, let me get to know this baby. Let her be a part of our family." At my first Doctor's appointment, we found out that we were expecting twins!! I had never been happier or felt more blessed. We enjoyed the bliss of our twins for 6 weeks...until one of the babies died. Fear and pain replaced the joy and my prayers reverted back to the one I had prayed in the beginning..."God please, let me get to know this baby. Let her be a part of our family." It was probable that this baby would die too, or have other major problems, they told me. I just wanted to at least find joy in the life that was still hanging on inside of me. I wanted to move past the pain of loss and anticipate the birth of a little one... but I wasn't even sure that would happen. Well, as you know, it did. God blessed us and molded us through it all. Painful? Yes. Purposeful? Definitely. So Sadie is a continual Happy Thing. I so often look at that little face and think of what the other little face might have looked like. But more often, I think of the prayer I prayed and how God answered it. Everyday I get to know Sadie a little more as she grows and she is such a sweet part of our little family. Thank you, Lord, for Sadie.
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