new years aspirations

I have decided that I won't be making any resolutions this January 1st.  Instead, I am going to have a list of aspirations - things that I would like to accomplish, but nothing that will make me feel like I am letting myself down if I don't succeed.  Thus, here is what I aspire to accomplish~

~ I hope to eliminate negativity (as buddha did)  from my thoughts as well as my words - I teach my children that if they don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all.  I hope to live by that standard myself.

~ I hope to find at least one worthy charity (such as KIVA) that I can really commit my time, energy, and some amount of financial support to.  Although we are quite a charitable family, I want to take it further this year.

~ I hope to narrow down my endless interests and start to refine and improve on the interests that really matter to me.  Instead of thinking I can make so many of the things I see and want, I plan to support Etsy sellers (like modernbird) more often!

~ I hope to do one thing that scares me - take one chance, climb one intimidating mountain (metaphorically speaking), do one thing I have never done for fear of failure or the unknown.

 

~ I hope to slow down, swing on a swing, take more deep breaths, drink more water, watch more sunsets, smell more flowers, kick more soccer balls, read more books, take more walks, and sit in our hammock more often.

Wishing all of you a marvelous, love filled, prosperous 2009~

xo

christmas dinner

sometimes, when it looks like this outside (and you have no power...)

you are thankful for a generator which gives you a working outlet to make your christmas dinner (by candlelight, and then a brand new fabulous lens that lets you take photos in the near dark!!!)~

hoping you all had a wonderful christmas, even if it didn't turn out exactly as planned~

xo

a very merry christmas to you all

well lovelies, christmas eve has arrived, and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the jolly man in red.  norad confirms that he is busy delivering all of his parcels, and has arrived in the u.s.a.  little boys are finishing the grinch and then hurrying off to bed to cover their heads and quietly listen for the sound of hooves on the roof.  we have been watching santa on the norad site and i will admit, it makes me a bit teary watching video of santa with #3 and 4.  what a special evening this is.

i hope that you all have a wonderful day tomorrow and enjoy all the love and joy christmas day can bring.  one of my greatest gifts this year has come from the inspiration so many of you have given me.  for that, i thank you.

a very merry christmas to you all,

xo

four more sleeps...

we have the gifts, the food, and the snow.  we have spent ample family time baking and crafting. 

waiting for the sound of jingle bells...

snow day

snow

it snowed today, a bit.  

i decided to turn on what few lights we have outside - by the pond.

it is starting to feel festive~

clay play

no child was used in the making of this clay...

*feel better karey*?

hee hee

cookies

it seemed like a good day to make some little men~

to which i aspire~

below is the level of fabulous that i one day dream of reaching - it combines my love of cooking with my equal love of photography.  see the entire article (thanks to design sponge) here.  it is definitely worth the visit as if it doesn't inspire you to spend a bit of time in your kitchen, nothing will~

happy friday

xo

little things pink

oh, the little pink parties i dream of throwing.  maybe i will borrow a wee pink child to throw a party for.  i do have a not so little pink child that i would adore celebrating, but alas, she lives so far away in london...

this friend has the good fortune and incredible creativity to throw girlie parties whenever she pleases.  wouldn't you love for her to throw a party for you?

a little more spirit

for those of us who don't always see snow during the holidays, corfu~ was kind enough to supply us with some~

i love this little centerpiece by kayte terry- especially as a project for 1-4 and i~

somehow our gingerbread houses never look like the ones katy elliott found~

and as for our holiday baking...

i like these

these

this

and these

tree

we went searching for our christmas tree this weekend, 1, 3, and me.  I assure you we found the right tree for our little family.  

my gift to you today

thanks once again to shutter sisters, I have found someone marvelous!  I completely adore her art (it is so girlie, which I crave being as I am surrounded by boy-things), I love that she supports a cause she believes in, and the fact that she lives in the same city that I do is the cherry on the sundae!  I definitely recommend you mosey on over and check out her site(s) as she offers great advice on art supplies, equipment for photography, and has amazing links that will have you spending hours just peeking at all of them!

mid-week treats

while doing some research (read: avoiding house chores) last evening, I found a few sweets to enjoy mid-week.

aren't these little cards just snowy?

I will definitely have to make these sometime soon~

wouldn't this make you feel loved?

doesn't this bring back memories of closing your eyes and making a wish?

I really *heart* these little rings~

have a delicious wednesday!

xo

Today at Bliss

I just finished getting my morning Bliss fix and although I have missed mrs. french while she has been away, she certainly made sure that every guest blogger has provided me with what I have needed to start my day.  I was quite pleasantly surprised today to see one of my *very* *favorite* *writers* was the guest blogger there - karey m. from Mackin Ink!  karey provided her own I *heart*  list and I definitely think it is worth the trip over to see what makes her happy.  I *heart* everything that she had on her list!  thanks karey! (how much do I *heart* this fairy dust???)