turkey beauty....

i am crawling out of my thanksgiving hole.
so for now, look at this RAD video that my new friend marianne made of my reedo and his very first turkey roasting experience.....




Reedo's Turkey. from Marianne Bach on Vimeo.

a gratitude app! are you kidding me!?

wow wow wow!

i am having some busy days.

but i have to make sure you've seen this!

this is so super great to me.

an app that reminds you to take photos of things you can be grateful for.

brilliant!

i will be back around soon.

with reports of happy days with my sis, a thanksgiving dinner at my house with a viewing of white christmas to follow, and a new surprise AMAZING family photo shoot!

i can't wait to tell you!

some ideas, questions and comments

1. is this calico critters camper more fun for me or ella?

2. check out this seasonal update for my red cabinet!

it's just scrap book paper cut to size and sitting up there!

i guess you could tape it but mine stayed without!

3. one day a week i help in each of the boys class rooms.
the other day i stayed for recess....
(that last picture is me and ella hittin' target after i picked her up)

4. does ella really "need a unicorn, really so bad, mom"?

5. this is one of my favorite recent pictures i've taken.

6. if i saw santa last week, does that mean we don't have to see him AT ALL again til next year!?
(please say yes)

7. could she be any cuter?

8. this is my fall-to-christmas set up right now.
doesn't it just say "holidays"?

9. i really loved my outfit this day.
i felt sassy, and what's wrong with that?

10. well, maybe i'll take her back to see him one more time....just her.

11. jake loves reading to ty and ty loves listening.

12. does it get any more cheery than rainbow banners and sunflowers?
OH and by the way! a buncha you have asked about the banners.
so:
*you go to michaels and get the giant packs of 12 inch and/or 5 inch already cut circles in rainbow colors.
*you cut the circle in half with a paper cutter.
* then you start sewing them into a line on your sewing machine....just keep feeding them in!
this banner is one giant long continuous bunting! just strung back and forth.
*i used regular all purpose thread and made sure there was some extra hangin off on both sides.
* done.

13. have you tried these gingerbread boys with chocolate fudge from traders?
do it!
they are spicy!

14.  i like this special book i got last year after christmas! so inspirational!

15. thank you ruby's for making a car i can actually put together with out thinking of storming out of the restaurant and abandoning my children or kicking my husband hard in the legs under the table...that's real nice.

that's all i got for now!

it's one in the morning.

i've gotta go to bed!

have a good monday!

a couple more things

you know what?

something i am really grateful for is instagram.

i know i know!

can i really be grateful for two social media avenues in a row?

but hear me out.

i love the little moments it catches!

it has really even changed my life a bit.

because now i can easily go back and process things, after the fact, by being reminded what happened with instagram.

i just printed a bunch out on my own printer the other day

i t was so super easy.

i printed them as 2"X2" squares...tiny.

but then i sewed them all together (just feeding them into my sewing machine in a big row) and hung them on my mantle under all my vintage cameras.

i love it!

you should do this too!

i am grateful for instagram.

God can really use it to bless me.

i also am really grateful for soundproof play areas.

sometimes i really just need this.

so, here we go!
lots and lots of days off school!
Lord give me patience!

dreamy ballerina

on tuesday ella became a ballerina.

she received all the ballerina necessities for her birthday and began classes the next day.

this was her at 5:54 in the morning.

ready.

playing with her new calico critters from the day before.

(see how she even has her little ballerina backpack on?)

i was a little nervous about her.

she's pretty moody.

and, if intimidated, shuts down.

and right before we went in she looked like this.

but her first class was so perfect.

she loved it.

i mean loved loved loved it.

she is a ballerina.
her little body is made for it.
she followed along flawlessly.
there was a two way glass mirror so i could watch and i figured out how to angle myself to take instagrams.
i seriously couldn't help tearing up because she was so happy and so beautiful.

the teacher was really sweet and beautiful
i am sure she is now ella's idol...
(mine too...wow)
it couldn't have been lovelier.

(whispered)
well, maybe a just a tad lovelier if she hadn't had a three tantrums during the second part of the day....but i think the good outweighed the bad here.

two simple things

not everything that i am grateful for is big and fancy.

or even that special.

or can be artfully photographed....

del taco.

you save me sometimes.

i am grateful for del taco.

pinterest.

i just love looking at you.

you relax me.

i am grateful for pinterest.

it's the little things, right?

and i don't want to leave stuff out because it doesn't match the colors of my blog or impress you.

there is so much to be grateful for.

daddy-daughter love

does it get any more sweet than this?

daddy playing with calico critters on the hearth.

i am incredibly grateful for daddy-daughter love.

ella's birthday was great.

tiring but great.

i love to let the kids feel special on their big days.

but i always understand so well, after birthdays, why they aren't "in charge" all the other days.

the little tyrants....

here are some highlights besides the serious calico critter time up top...

boy! 

am i glad she was born!

growing up

just a minute ago she was a tiny infant with amazing little lips and eyes and fingers.

tomorrow she is turning four.

there are parts of me that wish she could stay small.

but today i am choosing to be grateful for 

growing up.

growing up is good.

freedom from fear

there are some things that i am grateful for that i most of the time take for granted or live my life
frequently forgetting about.
for example, the fact that i do have freedom from fear.

i have freedom from fear.
no matter if i choose to live that way or not.
if you've been reading my blog long, you know that i struggle with fear often.
but i am choosing to be grateful, today, for that fact that i don't need to be afraid.
i mean, i have nothing to fear.
at any given time i can quietly slouch out of this heavy burden that i choose to shoulder much of the time.
i am seen and heard and loved.
i am not in charge of the world.
i am tiny little lady who, when obedient, can get a smile out of my heavenly father (who does happen to be in charge of the world ).
no fear necessary.
just arms wide open and the wind in my (stringy) hair....

(please mention this to me tomorrow when i am all tied up in my fears, ok?)

kisses

i'm grateful for kisses
especially pie covered ones!
mmmmmm

no time to say any more.

i'm enjoying my blessings tonight....

his laugh

see this?

i really need this.
it is the cure all medicine for anything.
his laugh.
i'm grateful.

grateful.

really quick.
just to keep it honest here.
i can sometimes put a bit of unnecessary pressure on myself to try not to let photos of my children be so all-consuming on my blog.
especially with this gratefulness series.
like there is some kind of rule that i need to photograph other things too.
and while i do feel interested in photographing other things, just for the fun of it, i'm not as interested in that as i am in photographing them.
they are so very interesting and entertaining to me.
all the time.
it never gets old.
(if you don't have kids and you are doubting this...believe it!)
i may get sick of them....but i never get sick of them.
ya know?
and plus, my life is pretty much completely taken over by them.

so i am publicly saying that i know i take a lot of pictures of them.
i know.
a lot.
but i am going to keep doing that and you can like it or not.
and you will know when i get tired of it because i will stop taking the photos, kay?
and i will not try and be anything that i'm not....until i am.
(do you understand this? not sure if i do...)

and also, i want to try and put an image with each of my hundred things
so sometimes it's a stretch to figure out what to put with an idea.
like today....

the smell of my children's hair.

you know.
it starts out as a baby head (a unmistakable smell, right?)
and then morphs into a sorta sweaty and spicy smell.
sweet when there's been a recent bath or shower.
a bit on the musty side, if not.
i love that smell, no matter what.
i wonder what i'll think when they're teenagers.
or adults.
for now, let it be known that i am grateful for the smell of my children's hair.