habit : July 24

"Your Life is Now" - John Mellencamp
Yes... yes it is. I don't know what I am waiting for.

habit : July 23

Today was steamy. A trip to the library and some Italian Ice helped.

habit : July 22

One came home tonight. Two will leave again this weekend. They have been coming and going all Summer. I'm ready for it to be my turn.

habit : July 21

An after dinner walk. Just the two of them. They are brothers and, at least for today, friends.

habit : July 20

I was up early and they slept late so I soaked in the quiet. By bedtime, I was glad I had taken that time.

habit : July 19

I received a phone call today that I was hoping for but my reaction was not what I would have expected.

habit : July 18

A rainbow over the house was the perfect way to end the weekend.

habit : July 17

I thought today would be hard but it was the anticipation of today that posed the greater challenge.

habit : July 16

I have to keep telling myself that it will be ok ... that I will be ok.

habit : July 15

Never underestimate the importance of a well thought out master plan.

habit : July 14

Today was a purple vitamin day!

habit : July 13

An important reminder.
...and one I needed to see.

habit : July 12

You've grown so much this summer .... we both have. I just didn't expect you to do it overnight.

habit : July 11

I need to remember to say yes more.

habit : July 10

When you tell me that I am the best, sometimes I think I might start to believe you.

habit : July 9

It's hard to be small but there are times when being big isn't too easy either.

habit : July 8

It feels good to be teaching again ...even if it is only for the week.

habit : July 7

The day started with a lot of promise. I have a renewed sense of hope for the future.

habit : July 6

They ground spices at church and the neighbor brought over some vegetables from her garden so we made fresh tomato sauce for dinner.

habit : July 5

When it's summer, every day is Friday.

habit : July 4

I'm really glad we've been able to remain friendly. It's important for them.

habit : July 3

The storm held off long enough for the parade. This year, 2 of my boys got to march. Soon it will be all 3.

habit : July 2

An arm full of books and CD's (and even a few magazines) from the library. Sandwiches and fruit salad for dinner. The day was quiet....and good.

habit : July 1

Four unintentional days with out coffee. I decided not to make it five.

Living a Beautiful Life

I have stared and deleted this post more times than I can count. Each time, I've found that I was revealing much more personal information than I am really comfortable with. I've decided that for now, it is better to just keep it simple. So... you'll notice that the name of the blog has changed. "Our Home on the Hill" was no longer fitting.

A beautiful life is a life with purpose.

Molly and Emily at habit have created a flickr group and are inviting everyone to join this month. Habit is a "a place to capture and celebrate the bits of our daily lives" and that is exactly what I need right now. I need to find my focus ... to find the beauty in the every day ... to celebrate the moments and not just the events.

All month I will be finding those moments and sharing them here with a few words that sum up the day. I'm looking forward to seeing where this journey will bring me.

"I kept looking for happiness, and then I realized: This is it. It's a moment, and it comes, and it goes, and it'll come back again." ~ Nicole Kidman

Kickflip

Edmund is becoming quite adept on his skateboard. I love watching him fly!

It's Carnival Time!

Oh Well it's Carnival Time and, everybody's having Fun!

A few images from the school's carnival this past weekend...



:: Armadillo races!



:: Games!



:: Rides!



:: Happy!

The Five Senses

Right now I am:

Listening: to Chick Corea. I saw him last weekend at the jazz festival and I've been reliving it all week.

Tasting: a new to me wine variety from Argentina - Malbec. It is slightly bold with a taste of berries and a slight smokiness. It is especially good with a thick slice of kalamata olive bread from the farmer's market!

Watching: Life on the Discovery Channel. So fascinating!

Smelling: fresh baked banana bread. It feels so good to be baking again. It has been awhile. Today it is for the church's bread ministry (new members are welcomed with a visit from an elder and a loaf of bread) but tomorrow I'll be baking for us.

Feeling: grateful! I am so very grateful for some special friends in my life who really add a bright spot to my days.

Anticipating: a wild night at the school's carnival! We have a great PTA so it should be a good time.

Enjoying: the normal and the ordinary of everyday.

It's the Little Things

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things" ~ Robert Brault

Sometimes I forget that it really IS the little things that make our days special. The boys had the day off from school and I felt a little guilty that I hadn't make any special plans for the day. But a call from a good friend and her own 2 boys and our day suddenly became full of little things!

We spent a good part of the day be bopping about town, singing loudly and piling in and out of the van (all 7 of us!). Though I think the highlight was a visit to the cookie shop. Hot cookies by the window and America's Funniest Home Videos on the big screen above the counter -what more could 5 boys want! Their laughter filled that empty little shop and that is one of the little things that is really very big!

Ring in the New Year!

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
~Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1850

I love January 1st! It is a new start... a clean slate. It is a beginning and beginnings hold so much promise, so much potential! Last year is done - it has been swept out the door. It is not to be forgotten, though. No matter how tumultuous the year may have been, we should not forget it as there is much to be learned from the past.

But right now it is time to square our shoulders, face forward and look ahead!

..and I am certainly looking ahead at what this new year - this new decade! - holds.


We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce