Storms

Do you ever wonder how you you can ever make it through the storms of life?  When the clouds part and you can you see the sun?  I often wonder this.  Basically my life is pretty great and drama free, but there have been a few storms in life that have pushed me down and make me question everything.  The things we hold onto because it is comfortable and safe.  I would struggle on and just take everything day to day and wait patiently until the storm subsides.  Then you can look back and be thankful for that time in life that helped you to grow and develop into the person you are today.
  The thing about storms is that you can almost see them coming, but there is nothing that you can really do to stop them.  Its almost like you hold on and just try really hard to make it through.  You can't see past the present.  We are all going through something? I am too.  Its called life.  Choose wisely, seek peace and give love.  Nothing is greater than knowing that you have the strength and power to overcome the storms of life.  Let go of that which doesn't bring out the best in you.  Trust in yourself and the abilities that lie within.  

Stretching Myself

I was thinking about this magnet project all week and it finally hit me!  The girls have ripped a few vintage looking books and I love the little pictures on them, so instead of throwing them out I decided to take the scissors to them and make magnets.  I need to laminate them so they don't get wrecked as easily, but I might just continue with this little idea and do whole stories and get a magnet board for them.  I might have just found a fun and easy thing to do!

Enjoy!

Joy

Farren

Nellie

joy [joi]

noun 

1. happiness; delight 

2. source of delight - Related Form


When I seen the word joy obviously these two came to mind.  These photo's in particular.  We took the girls to the swings one day and I snapped some photo's of the pure joy and delight that they were having.  It was a day that stands out in my mind because we were living in a place where there was not much to be happy about.  We were living in an isolated community where social interaction was almost frowned upon.  Sadness was written all over the faces of the people that lived there so eventually that rubbed off on me.  We were there for three long months until we decided to come home.  So this day was a very big bright spot and the fact that we captured it was even better. I love the innocence that comes when you see joy on the faces of children.  I am so grateful for the abundance of joy that these two little people have brought into my (our) life.  It is easy for me to forget these moments.  When you can't see past a situation and wondering how you are ever going to get out of it.  I have to constantly remind myself that joy starts from the inside.  I hope that each of you reading this can find joy in even the smallest things.

Growth

growth (grōth)

noun

1.The process of growing. Full development; maturity.
2.Development from a lower or simpler to a higher or more complex form; evolution.
3.An increase, as in size, number, value, or strength; extension or expansion: population growth.
4.Something that grows or has grown: a new growth of grass.

    When I really sit down to think about growth it brings so much to the surface.  The thing that may have struck a cord is the simple fact that we don't just grow physically, but we grow emotionally and spiritually.  Watching children grow you can see the changes and how their minds are developing and how along with them you are growing too.  Its like you develop a whole new side of yourself and someone else emerges that is much wiser than the person you knew even just months ago.  I have felt myself change over the course of the last few weeks taking this e-course, its not a physical growth, but an emotional one.  Something has changed and is starting to develop inside of me.  I feel like I do have a voice and there is a tone to that voice through my writing.  Maybe it can be further reaching than I ever imagined, but maybe not.  And thats ok too.  
  I took this photo outside of our house a few years back, just a simple display of growth and changing.  Here is this beautiful rose in full bloom surrounded by others that are anxiously waiting to open up.  Isn't that kind of how we all are?  At different stages of growth, but always growing together (even if we don't know it).  The next year this rose bush will be even larger with more flowers and a sweeter aroma.  The more we grow in a positive direction the sweeter life becomes.  Sometimes I feel stuck.  After giving and giving all day to my children, husband and home I start to feel complacent about myself and I don't nurture that rose inside.  I feel like those roses that haven't quite bloomed, but are so close.  Maybe just needing a little bit more time, you very rarely can see a rose change right in front of you and open up and become a beautiful flower.  It just happens slowly.  You might take a moment to look at this flower that is inside of you and think that there is not a chance it will ever blossom and change, until one day there it is.  You have changed, you have blossomed and you are beautiful and worth something.  I need to just remind myself of this too.  Nurture you and that what is in you.  

wis·dom (wiz′dəm)

noun

1.the quality of being wise; power of judging rightly and following the soundest course of action, based on knowledge, experience, understanding, etc.; good judgment; sagacity
2.learning; knowledge; erudition: the wisdom of the ages
3.Now Rare wise discourse or teaching
4.Wisdom of Solomon
5.a wise plan or course of action


I think often about wisdom.  Sometimes when people come to me with "stuff" I hope that I can say something profound and wise and they will have a lightbulb moment.  Most times this doesn't happen.   I love the first definition of this word.  Everyday I try hard to not judge others or myself.  We are humans and we make mistakes, we are supposed to.  They help us to grow and growing helps us to become more wise.  Often times I feel judged, maybe by choices I make or am making, the way I parent, and maybe even the way that I look.  That being said, it is never good to dwell on what you think people think about you.  Most times you are wrong.  So I try to judge rightly to understand why people are in a certain situation, what brought them there and how can I help?  I find that through helping others or even just listening that I can learn from where others have made mistakes and not make them myself.  

In life I always want to seek wisdom.  Be wise in the choices I make, how I treat others, how I allow others to treat me, and most importantly where I am seeking this wisdom.  

Cultivation

crea·tiv·ity (krē′ā tiv′ə tē)

noun

creative ability; artistic or intellectual inventiveness

Being creative does not come naturally to me.  I find that when I try to hard to be creative it becomes too contrived.  Its like the organic feeling is lost somewhere.  My creativity lies in my writing ( I have found ) and it might be a stretch to say my cooking too.  I like to just write freehand and see where it takes me, often the words seem to flow through fingertips and the finished product is something that is much more "creative" than something that has been stewed over and over.  I like to kind of proof read to make sure the words have the right flow.  Maybe that in itself is inventive!  When it comes to cooking I find that I go in huge spurts of when and what I like to cook.  Right now I am  in total convenient mode.  That being said I like to find ways that the girls will enjoy eating and think that its something fun that mommy did.  So I will cut up food and put it in a little container that they can pick it out of and they love it.  I know every mom probably does that, but they really seem to enjoy it.  

Cousin's make dinner for Farren and Nellie's
1st Birthday!

A laminated card from cousins!

Meal for the girls.

Cupcakes I made for the girls' 1st Birthday

 I look forward to the days when my girls are old enough to sit and color and do drawings and paint.  I love how creative children are.  You can almost see their minds working.  Honestly, when I think about creativity I think about Arctica's kids!  The girls are amazing drawers, play writes, cooks (the best potato salad I have ever had... seriously), and singers.  Benjamin has so much expression on his face that you can almost hear his thoughts.  I have a few laminated books that have been sent over to us from them, and they are so precious to me.  Tica and Lars are truly cultivating creativity in their children by encouraging them to just express themselves through art.  Its inspiring and I look forward to following in their footprints with our girls.  I think about being a child and being creative and that's truly where it starts, it's just about being encouraged to do so and a willingness to continue in a creative direction.  

  We live in a different world now, where you can express yourself in so many ways and so many people can access it.  People can become bloggers, web designers, freelance writers, and so much more!  I love how there is very little separation between people nowadays, although anonymity is also desired.  I hope that whatever you do in life you are somehow cultivating creativity in your (or someone else's) life!