F is for...Fortune Cookie!

Alright...I must admit...they suck me right in. Fortune cookies! A cookie filled with faux wisdom or a vague prophecy. Yup...I love a dessert that you open for divine inspiration, interpretation, or revelation of a conditioned event to come. Sometimes, if you are lucky they even include some numbers...come on lottery! I remember one in particular that I opened, actually not that long ago. It read "He who throws dirt is losing ground." Really? Where do they come up with these?

I decided tonight that I would open a cookie and believe it...

My talents? Um...no.

So, I opened another one...

Okay...still don't like it. Completely unsatisfied.

On the third try...this is what I got:

I'm sticking with this one!

Thanks, La Choy for helping me see exactly what is coming!

E is for...EYES!

You communicate more than you will ever know with your eyes.

How many times have you heard or said "If looks could kill", "Their face was an open book" and of course, "The eyes are the windows to the soul."

My favorite thing is how a look from across the room can attract or repel. A wink can be coy or lecherous.

So much can be learned about a person simply by studying their eyes.Your eyes can say more than your actual words at times.

Eye color can give a quite interesting glimpse at someone's personality. I read somewhere that people with brown eyes are serious and affectionate. Hazel-eyed people are mentally agile, but get bored easily. Green eyes are marked as quick-tempered, intelligent and curious people. Blue eyes vary with the shade. Blue-grey denotes humanitarian and altruistic tendencies, light blue indicates a peaceful person with low physical endurance, and deep blue eyes are someone who is spiritual and intense. Do I believe any of this? I’m not so sure.

I do know that a little glimpse into another person's eyes can reveal so much about them. What do your eyes say about you?

D is for...Duck!

Yellow, happy ducks! I have always been a fan. Actually, our laundry room is blue and yellow with ducks! And we own lots of them...a cupid, construction worker, one that wears a hat, a pink one...and my favorite...one that is so big a small child could sit on it! Carter is the one that helped me to pick the letter D. He posed Carson, set up the ducks and helped me take the photos. I think he did a great job! Thanks, Carter!

This is the HUGE duck!

So many choices!

Whoa...

A little ducky love!

C is for...Contentment

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have."

I walked into my dining room today, sat at my computer and I realized for the first time in quite a while, that I am content. I’m not sure what triggered the thought...but glad that I had it.

I’m exhausted, to be truthful. I find myself exhausted often. I have 3 very large responsibilities (Livi Lou, Tarter Sauce and Cars McGarse)...2 part time jobs and I am doing the best I can to maintain some balance. Laundry, dishes, paying bills, taking care of my children, mopping the sticky floors, and the dust bunnies (THEY ARE HUGE). Hey... as long as we are talking about housework…it's just going to have to keep multiplying unless a housekeeping goddess lands on my doorstep to help a girl out. Some balls...yes some balls...just have to be dropped.

At any rate, in the middle of the chaos, somewhere…I’ve found my version of contentment. Little things that just make me...happy. Part of me wonders if I’m just sooooo busy that I can’t think about anything outside of "RIGHT NOW". If I did, I might go a little crazy. But I like it here; content…in the middle of a chaotic...busy life. Taking everything in stride and actually feeling okay about a few decisions I have made lately. Notice I said...OK.

There once was a time (not that long ago) when I felt angry and down right mad for not "getting" to do what I wanted because of this silly responsibility thing called adulthood. This is what I think...all things are permissible, but are all things beneficial? If I took a good hard look at all the things I have allowed into my life in my past, I wonder how many things actually made my life harder, but were disguised as something good? I won’t look back!! I can't.  Today is a new day... and I look forward to a pinch more wisdom than I had yesterday....or maybe a truckload. 

 While still busy juggling, when it comes right down to the necessities, if there are not a bunch of other things tugging at me, I’m actually able to focus on my life. I’m surprised, really, that right now I’m not losing my marbles with so much on my plate.

Taking things in stride is helped greatly by not having a lot of extra-curricular activities. I know a HUGE shocker...I don't get out much. I don't know...perhaps I’m really an introvert whose been trying for way too long to be an extrovert…and it just doesn’t work? I’m lovin' the solitude. Just me and my kids right now. What I do have is them singing songs all day; making play-doh objects; stepping on legos; dancing to my ipod; playing in the bathroom toilet; Carter running around in just his underwear; wet spots in the bathroom; doing art projects; helping me bake things; jumping on the couch even though they have been told no; etc, etc, etc. Pretty sure my kids are extroverts because of me!! But anyways…they are MY beautiful noise and a wonderful distraction. I’ve learned to be able to concentrate with them. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate much if they were not here. Funny how that happens isn't it?

I'm going to sit back...and try to enjoy the little things in life that make me so incredibly CONTENT.

B is for...BIRTHDAY BOY!!

B...B is for this fabulous BOY on his third BIRTHDAY!

A letter to my son

Dear Carter,

You’re only three years old...and at this point you can’t read (unless it's a McDonalds, Subway, WalMart or ToysRUs sign), let alone understand (or care) what I’m about to tell you. I’ve been thinking a lot about the life that you have ahead of you. I've been reflecting a lot on what I have learned, and about my role as a mommy. Here are just a few things that I hope you learn from me.

There will be people in your life who will not be nice. They’ll tease you because you’re different, or for no good reason at all. They might try to bully you or hurt you...dont' worry, I'll do my best to protect you until the bitter end! There’s not much you can do about these people except to learn to deal with them. Please learn to choose friends who are kind to you, who care about you, who make you feel good about who you are. When you find friends like this, hold on to them tightly, treasure them like gold, spend time with them like it's your last opportunity, be kind to them, and most importantly love them. Please do not let cruelty close you to new things. Don’t retreat from life, don’t hide or close yourself off. Be open to new things...new experiences...and love meeting new people.

You might get teased and bullied and hurt by people you meet … and then after meeting dozens of jerks, find a true friend. If you close yourself off to new people, and don’t open your heart to them, you’ll avoid pain … but also lose out on meeting someone incredible, who will be there during the toughest times of your life and create some of the best times in your life. WOMEN: here we go already...You might get your heart broken 10 times, but find the most wonderful woman the 11th time. If you shut yourself off from love, you’ll miss out on that woman, and the happiest times of your life.

You will fail many times but if you allow that to stop you from trying, you will miss out on the amazing feeling of success once you reach new heights with your accomplishments. Failure is a stepping stone to success. Here’s my biggest secret: life isn’t a competition. It’s a journey. If you spend that journey always trying to impress others, or trying to outdo, you’re wasting your journey. Instead, learn to enjoy the journey. Make it a journey of happiness, of constant learning, of continual improvement, of love.

Don’t worry about having a nicer car, house, any material object, or even a better-paying job. None of that matters...and none of it will EVER make you happier. I've learned that you’ll acquire these things... and then only want more. Instead, learn to be satisfied with having enough — and then use the time you would have wasted trying to earn money to buy those things … use that time doing things you love.

Find your passion, and pursue it. Don’t settle for a job that pays the bills. Life is too short to waste on a job you hate. If there’s a single word you should live your life by, it is this: Love. It might sound stupid, I know … but trust me, there’s no better rule in life.

Finally, know that I love you and always will. You are starting out on a wonderful journey, and I will be there for you always. You have this crazy ability to make everyone laugh with your light hearted sense of humor and gigantic giggle and smile. You love so hard that you have to try to hold 15 stuffed animals every night at bed time...even though you have only a wingspan big enough for two. May you continue to grow taking down the Mt. Everest-like challenges that may stand in your way. May you always find the lighter side in life as you do right now and may you always know how loved, special and extraordinary you are.

Happy Birthday!

All of my love,

Mommy

A is for...

My first photography blog...A is for APPLE!

Fitting...only because I am a teacher. And I do not know ONE teacher that has not been given an apple, or some sort of apple paraphernalia as a gift.

So...I did some research and this is what I came up with! For anyone who knows me...I always have to include some sort of boring piece of information that nobody really cares about...sorry!

In the days before refrigeration and interstate shipping, apples were one of the few kinds of fruit that could be kept for a long time, and they grew in many states. If you think about what fruits are native to the continental USA, most of these are not "keepers", and apples themselves were imported from overseas. When public schools were established, sending an apple to the teacher was a way for families to say thank you to the teacher, as well as a way for a student to apple-polish, or to apologize for misbehaving, or to let the teacher know the student liked the teacher.

Anyways...enough of me being boring...

I have a love for photography...

I don't think that I ever thought I would like taking pictures...but I sure do now! It helps that I have a SWEET camera that does most of the work for me! My favorites so far are children! How can someone not love the innocence of a child!? I love babies...toddlers...and lately the thought of taking more senior portraits has become kind of exciting! I have learned a few things about photography in my short, short time...and I would like to share!

Follow your own style...trends don't work

Most people like getting their photo taken...most

Always bring your camera with you everywhere you go.

Seriously...EVERYWHERE!

Don’t take photos...tell stories

Look for the beauty in the mundane

Take photos that make people laugh
"The night is often more vivid than the day” – Van Gogh

Don’t worry about the camera so much...just take the photo

Candid looks are fabulous

Go for the shock factor

Smile often :)
Crouch when taking your shots, it often makes for more interesting photos.
Get close... Now take two steps closer...closer...
Go explore...serendipity is key

Now, as I am not a professional, bear with me as I start this new series of photos...

I am going to start posting pictures according to different themes that I choose.

I figured that since I am a teacher my first series of photos should be the ABC's. A is for...B is for... Sounds like an easy task, right? We will see!!