The Slice

I used to do a weekly journal called The Simple Woman's Daybook. I really enjoyed it so I thought I'd go back to it. Turns out the link to the blog (The Simple Woman) is now a private blog. So I'm going out on my own. I'll call mine The Slice Of Life. Feel free to use the idea and the questions on your blog....just make a link back to me...or mention where you got the list. Hey Thanks!


Outside My Window - It's been very foggy. Cold and rainy too. I really miss the view of my beloved island when the fog obstructs it.

I Am Thinking - About Valentine's Day. My favorite! I'm going to get out my decorations today. Red hearts, glitter, sparkles, Victorian cards. Love! XO!

I Am Thankful - For my new computer. Oh the simplicity of bill pay, and blogging, and photo uploading, and surfing....

From The Kitchen - I'm debating leftover tuna casserole from yesterday or making a pot of split pea soup.

I Am Wearing - Jeans, white shirt, black sweater, grey socks and black slippers. Plus....fixed hair and makeup! This should come with a photo to prove to Cam that I do indeed wear something other than flannel pj pants. :)

I Am Creating - I'm about to begin working on my craft/sewing area in the basement. I am going to prime and paint the walls and then put up shelving. I have plans....big plans. Right now the creating part is all in my head....swirling ideas and plans.

I Am Going - To Book Club tonight. Yippee! We read Breakfast With Buddha. The book was very good. I love what the book taught me about fasting and silence. Plus, I'm excited to see all my Book Club gals. We didn't meet in December so it will be fun to catch up with everyone.

I Am Reading - Bossypants by Tina Fey. Hilarious! I had to try and stifle my laughs last night in bed while reading....Cam was sleeping.

I Am Hoping - That the beginnings of this cold I have GO AWAY!

I Am Hearing - The sound of my iPhone as Mr. P plays scrabble. He is home sick with a cold....me too. We are playing pass and play Scrabble while I write here.

I Am Laughing At - On Sunday Sis did a cartwheel in church wearing her pink cowboy boots that light up.

Around The House - It's quiet. Everyone else is at school. There is dishes to be done and laundry to fold. But, for now I'll sit here and play with Mr. P and write.

One Of My Favorite Things - Magazines. Love them. I subscribe to Real Simple, Sunset, Self and Better Homes and Gardens. I finally gave up Martha Stewart Living. Not sure how I feel about that yet.

I Never Thought This Would Come Out Of My Mouth - Why are there chopsticks in the bathtub?

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week - Basketball for Mr. P on Saturday. So fun! I LOVE watching basketball. It's indoor! It's fast paced and so fun.

A Picture Thought I'm Sharing - This just makes me smile. Picture by Sis.

Blogger's Block

Ugh....I've got Blogger's Block. I don't know what to write. Do help and give me some ideas. Thank You!

I should tell you that Sis had her hernia surgery on Friday. She did great. She woke up, ate two packs of graham crackers, drank and huge cup of juice, ate a huge hot dog and then we came home. She walked in the door and turned a cartwheel across the kitchen. Oy!

She is healing well and has not complained of pain...even while jumping and tumbling around the house. Praise God for my tough energetic girl.

Now...ideas people. What would you like to know, or read, or see?

Works For Me - Water

I have been terrible about not drinking enough water. I'm going to go back to what I used to do.

And that is...drink water out of a quart jar. It's easy to keep track of it. It stands out. Its easy to measure how much I've consumed. I fill it up twice a day. That's it.

I feel so much better when I get all my water in. Works for me.

Horses and More

Sis loves horses. A LOT. She plays that she is a horse, she puts her barbies on horses and plays all day. She also has a barn and horses that she loves to play with. Horse girl. There were a few horse girls in my neighborhood when I was little. I didn't really "get" the whole horse thing. 

But, now that I have a horse girl I'm starting to see the point. When we were at Sunriver last spring Sis saw the horses one day on a bike ride. She was drawn to them. She spent about 30 minutes talking to them, petting them...and naming her favorite ones. She was captivated. 

The boys asked Cam all about the horse's....ummmmm......man parts. And then laughed hysterically when the horse did a doo-doo. Boys!

Just before Christmas we got the chance to go see Christmas lights at a local attraction. The weather was terrible....to say the least. POURING rain, cold, pouring rain. We bundled up and made the best of it. The tickets were free and this is an expensive event that we rarely get to enjoy because of the price. 

The highlight of the night for me was the amazing lights strung in trees and on every inch of acres and acres. The highlight of the night for Sis was getting to ride a horse! She did not care that is was pouring rain. She wouldn't keep her hood on. She seemed oblivious to the water. 

She loved the horse. Loved the ride.

When we got in the car George announced that the best parts of the night were the donuts....and leaving. Hilarious....but all of our thoughts exactly. Except Sis, she got up the next morning and asked if we could go again!

Here's the more part of the post. Sis has ANOTHER hernia! Yep. Other side. Yep. Surgery soon. I must be getting used to my kids having surgery cause I'm not freaking out. Yep.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! Is it still new...I think so. I love a fresh start, a clean slate, and an empty and organized home. That is exactly what January feels like. New and fresh.

After the Christmas decorations are put away and the house is deep cleaned I breathe easier. I didn't put back any of the regular items on the mantle. I left it blank and empty. It looks so soothing. Along with putting away and cleaning I of course think about New Year's Resolutions too.

This year I thought about these:

Working out regularly.

I've been doing well with my workout routine. I've finally....I think....gotten to the point in my life where I am working out because it benefits my mind. I used to only want to work out so I could eat more and look better. Now, I truly feel the mental benefits and I crave that calm feeling after a good work out. I'm a better mom and wife when I get enough exercise.

Taking time for myself.

I've been working on recognizing when I need quiet time alone and actually taking it. I often wait too long and end up frazzled and snappy. It's taking a LONG time and I need more practice.

Try new things.

I tend to stick with what I know and like. But, on occasion that I do try something new I have ended up finding some wonderful things. There are so many categories for trying new things. I want to try some new classes at the gym, try new recipes...maybe one new one a week, try a new restaurant...or get really crazy and try something new off of a familiar menu.

Being quieter.

I have a hard time with silence but I know it's good for me. I want to carve out more quiet time...especially quiet time without a screen.

Stop swearing.

I hate admitting that. I would really like to stop. In the moment of stress, anger, frustration I'd like to be calm, collected and silent.

That was a lot to mull over for resolutions. I started to feel a bit frazzled from all of the things I wanted to do or change or try. So, in the end I chose something else as my resolution.

My resolution is....to laugh more. I think that my reminding myself to look at the lighter side of things and actually laugh it will help me in all of the above areas. Sometimes I feel laughter bubbling inside me but I repress it. I don't know why really. I tend to be too serious. I'd like to lighten up. I'm resolving to laugh more.

Laughter is the best medicine!

And....what are your New Year's Resolutions?

Sis is 5!!

I know it's cliche to say it but WHOA, where has the time gone?! My sweet, busy girl is five....already!

Her birthday fell during Cam's vacation time so we took the opportunity to celebrate all day long. It turned out to be a beautiful day....without rain. Sis wanted to go to the beach. A girl after my own heart.  We took the kids' scooters and a couple pogo sticks so they could get some exercise too. Santa had brought Sis a new scooter and she was eager to try it out.

Of course the kids ditched their coats....it wasn't really that warm....to me at least. Maybe if I ran at full speed that way Sis does I wouldn't need a coat either. :) The kids played on the playground after scootering around and then played on the beach. 

Sis is REALLY hard capture in a photo....she's just moving too fast. She ran all over the beach, climbed on logs, and then threw rocks in the water.

After the beach we went home for lunch and then on to the Children's Museum. I didn't even attempt picture taking....to much going on. The rooftop playground is the favorite so we got to enjoy even more outdoor time. After the museum we went to dinner. Sis picked our favorite burger place. Yum!

Then...back home for cake. I made her a Strawberry Barbie cake. So much fun! It turned out really cute and she loved it! 

Happy birthday to my spirited, energetic, musical, busy, bright, beautiful, spunky girl! You bring zip and sparkle to our lives! I love you my precious baby girl!

Christmas

Whew! Christmas is here and gone. I love Christmas but, WOW, it's a whirlwind. I try to remain calm, focus on the birth of Christ...and remain calm. Lots going on during the holidays. We had three separate Christmas celebrations, plus Sis's birthday, New Year's Eve and house guest for five days. I. Am. Wiped. Out.

So I've neglected blogging and now have loads of photos and memories to share. But, it will be SO much easier because my beloved bought me a new laptop for Christmas. TOTAL surprise!!! In 19 years he has never surprised me like this. He usual gives himself away. Not this time. Stunned!! I'm updating my blog now with ease. The Internet connection hasn't dropped and I'm hoping the photo upload will be quick!

When things got crazy and I was feeling overwhelmed by Christmas (shopping, cooking, entertaining, parties/concerts to attend, decorating, and so much cleaning) I would gaze upon one of the many nativity scenes in our house. This was my favorite this year. Sis made this at school. Look how precious baby Jesus looks!

Other than gazing at my nativity sets I also like to sit in the living room in front of a nice fire. The lights on our tree were so beautiful. I love to read the kids Christmas books at night before bed. After the kids go to bed Cam and I like to sit in the quiet. It's rarely quiet in our house. An hour or so of quiet before bed restores me....especially during a crazy busy time.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. I hope you all have ways to calm the craziness of Christmas. What do you do to stay centered and calm in the midst of chaos of holidays? Do tell.