wednesday miscellany

01. Anyone can slay a dragon, he told me, but try waking up every morning & loving the world all over again. That's what takes a real hero. ~storypeople

This storypeople started my morning out right with a big smile on my face. I guess you could say after listening to The Power thoughts of "loving" are constantly on my mind. While I don't find it difficult to love the people/things I love, I am, unfortunately, still needing mental reminders about loving the things I don't love. Some days it does feel a little like slaying dragons would be easier. I am finding, though, while focusing on the good that my outlook is not only brighter, but I'm enjoying the little things so much more. Thanks Jill for the book suggestion. I feel like the book plus my experience at Squam is changing me in the best way.



02. I am holding onto Autumn as long as mother nature will let me. This is one of the longest falls I can recall in several years now, in fact I don't remember being this far into November and still seeing so much color on the trees. While I can't keep up with how quickly it goes from snowy and cold to warm and sunny, I'm simply grateful it's taking it's time.


03. I had the privilege of hearing Neylan McBaine, the founder of Mormon Woman Project, speak last night at a church YW night. I was pleasantly surprise to see that she was the key note speaker and found myself mesmerized as I listened to quotes and stories from other Mormon women making a difference in their part of the world. What I took home with me is that no matter where we're from or what we believe, we all have a unique voice and something unique to offer each other...we should never be afraid to share who we are.



04. Thank goodness for classroom pets like brownie that allow us to get away with not having one of our very own.

Looking for zhu zhu pets was no waste of time.

[last Thursday]


[today]

In fact, I've never seen something catch her attention the way these have. While it's given me countless hours to get stuff done around the house, it's not all hands off for me. When friends are unavailable it's me on the floor making the house/fort/terrain for the pets to navigate through. It's something I can get behind though, because they do make her laugh and she has such a great laugh.

Definitely a must have.

five for friday

1. I actually considered not sending out Christmas card this year...I know, a shock. I love to send and receive them each year, but for some reason I wasn't feeling it. Lack of inspiration and time I guess...I'm going with the latter. I've felt so incredibly busy this season I just don't understand how everyone else seems to be doing it. It's not so much that I'm frazzled as much as I can see the time quickly passing and I'm not even close to being done. Anyway, yesterday I decided Christmas cards are a must since they're one of my favorite traditions, I just won't let it become a stressful part. Twenty minutes on the computer and I was done. Almost. I still need to pick them up and mail them out.


2. We brought home another friend today. Scratch that. We brought home two friends today from school to take care of over the weekend. Toffee and Speckles, Megan's classroom guinea pigs. It's made our Friday early out day quiet for me as the girls have been otherwise engaged. The poor creatures, I hope they don't mind being loved so much.


3. Can you even believe this photo? Leave it to Megan to hide her candy trail behind her dresser. I guess it shouldn't have taken me so long to figure it out, but apparently her bag was never in the pantry like the other girls. I imagine she had a lot of good times in her room with her candy bag. I wonder how many time she sat in her room smiling as she ate candy after candy while she was suppose to be in time out?


4. Last Sunday he left the house at 7:30am and got home at 4:45pm, but he still managed to find time for this. I admire the way he is able to fit it all in.

5. Dare I say I dropped my camera on the ground? Sigh. It wasn't my fault, expect it was. My camera bag was sitting on my jacket, but I didn't realize it and when I pulled my jacket away to put it on I turned at the same time and didn't see my camera come away and fall to the ground until I heard the hit. It was loud, but it was in the bag so I had hopes that all was fine. Well, a hit to the ground is a hit to the ground. I went to our ward Christmas party that night and when I took it out to use it the UV filter on my lens was completely shattered. My heart sank. As far as I can tell nothing else happened, but the filter is so messed up I'm unable to get it off. I keep taking pictures with the lens to make sure it's not ruined and so far so good, but I need to take it in to get the bits of glass cleaned off (I don't dare do it myself) and the filter removed. I feel very lucky it wasn't worse...it couldn't have been very bad.