Out for pub. BAck in a bit.
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Both Ways is the Way I Want It was on my list for this year and I decided this was a good time to pick it up. I was so wrong. This short story collection is full of terribly sad stories. I don’t usually read short story collections cause I don’t like them. They are too short and don’t give me enough time/space to get to know the characters or get into the story enough. And this was no exception. I wanted more for each story. Maybe that’s cause they were all so sad and I kept hoping for something happier, I don’t know. She’s a great writer. I loved her writing. I just wasn’t in the best place to read these sad, sad stories right now.
Today passed too quickly and I now have to rush to get to my book club on time so I am going to keep it short. The morning was same as always, taking david to the bus, nathaniel napping, me working etc. Then around midday Nathaniel and I went to work to meet some work mates for lunch. A few more his etc, and I was back home and it was time to pick up David. This is a common scene in my house. Both my kids, playing quietly. Love them.
And I grabbed a smile. this one just for me.
After some more work, I decided it was time to organize my albums. I had ordered a bunch in the last few weeks and they came in. So here they all are. Bad photo, apologies.
Black for David, Brown for Nathaniel, Red for me, Light blue for both kids together, Purple for misc., and Darker blue for Jake. That’s it. Love having them organized and marked. And I made a set for my side table too. This holds one of each for current layouts. So when I am done photographing it, it goes into one of these albums. When they fill up, I put them in the big pile and take out a new one. Easy peasy.
I had moments of stress today and I chose joy and it paid off in a big way. Choosing joy really works! Then I took the plunge and did something I was afraid of and that worked too! and then I got a wonderful email and that made me happy, too. And some more amazing emails that need time and focus for a reply (tomorrow, I promise!) so I’ve been busy but really grateful and really happy. My big recommendation today: take a chance. Put yourself out there. You never know when it works! Three Things I’m Grateful For: Three Things David’s Grateful For:
Catalyst One Hundred and Twenty is: what are you waiting for? Thoughts:
Happy Tuesday. I woke up exhausted thanks to my crazy brain and my inability to quiet it down. Little boy’s screams at 3am didn’t help much either but oh well. Such is life as a mama. We woke up and immediately turned the TV on to see this:
And just as David was complaining it wasn’t him, we also got some of this:
and he was so so excited. Screaming with joy. This was for Margie’s HSN show. And you can still buy the kit online. I made four layouts for her and I will show them over the next few weeks. But you can get two sneaks above. It was really quite a thrill to see my layouts on TV. Thank you, Margie, for the opportunity. Then we drove David to the bus and came back home and got to work. Nathaniel’s been putting the little lego hats on his fingers ever since he realized they are the perfect size. It’s so cute.
And now he’s able to reach some of the crackers in the pantry. So we have to constantly remember to keep the door closed.
Around 2pm, we drove up to David’s school cause I had a meeting with his teacher (I am the room parent for the class) and then we drove back home. Daddy showed up soon after and David was thrilled to spend some time putting his new legos together. (They came in the mail today.)
A little running around, some food, and many smiles (and tears) later we were ready for bed.
Nathaniel’s growing up so much lately. He loves playing with shoes and puts them on and off all day long. He also still loves tiny lego men. And the fabric ball. And he can now climb up on the couch next to me and get down by himself. He’s also louder and screams a bunch. Which I do not love, but I still adore him to bits. I’ve been really exhausted for days now and so I am very unproductive and feel tired and overwhelmed constantly. I am not sure what the cure is. I don’t seem to be able to sleep/rest enough. Thankfully, I don’t have huge deadlines but it’s still very annoying and I hope it passes soon. Three Things I’m Grateful For: Three Things David’s Grateful For:
Journaling Reads: The Girls’ Paperie Products I used: Details:
Today, during a chat with a really good friend, I started thinking about my wedding day. Here’s an occasion where we spend so much time trying to get it “just right.” Making sure the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed. The dress, flowers, food, guest list, thank you gifts. There are so many details and we spend hours working on them. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity after all. (If you’re really lucky.) The thing is, when I think about my wedding day, here are three details I remember: 1. We got married under a chuppah which is a Jewish wedding canopy. It has four poles. They were held up by Jake’s two brothers, his cousin and my brother in law. In the middle of our ceremony, each of them was scheduled to say a few words explaining the significance of the chuppah. When it was Jake’s middle brother’s turn, he forgot his lines. He was in the middle of a sentence and then he stopped. A few seconds later (just as I whispered, it’s ok.) he went on as if I never forgot them in the first place. 2. As the rabbi talked, Jake’s youngest brother, who was standing to my left, sniffed so loudly that I couldn’t hear the rabbi. He did it several times and I was getting annoyed. When I finally looked over at him, I realized he was crying. A lot. 3. Before we walked down the aisle, my sister’s 3-year-old twin boys walked down and one of them was holding a basket of petals that he was supposed to scatter along the path. When he got to the beginning, my sister said, “Ok now” and he turned the whole basket upside down, dumping all the petals in that one spot. Here’s what these three events have in common: they were all mess-ups, they all made me (and others) laugh, and as I look back, they are the events I remember most fondly. They can still put a smile on my face eight years later. If my wedding day is supposed to be so special, so perfect, why is it that what I remember most tenderly are the imperfect moments? It’s because life is imperfect. It’s messy. It’s about forgetting your lines, sniffing loudly because your tears of joy (or sorrow) are so overwhelming, and doing things out of cue, messing them up. Life’s not perfect. It’s not all roses and white dresses. And when we work so hard to create the “perfect” environment, it’s like everyone’s holding their breath, trying too hard. And then someone makes a mistake and we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. We don’t have to act perfectly any more. Real life has seeped into the moment. It’s there to remind us that nothing is perfect. Moments of imperfection are just signs of life. Signs of being real. I hope you take a moment to remember your moments of imperfection today. And remember that next time you try to create the perfect meal, house, art, job, children, event, or life. Remember that what makes them that much more wonderful is the little moments of imperfection and be grateful for them. The following is cross-posted from the Weekly Gratitude Blog. I will post there every Tuesday and decided to post those posts here, too. For those of you who read both blogs, I apologize in advance. Some weeks the content might be different and other weeks, exactly the same.
Today was a quiet day. I woke up and took care of the kids, drove David to the bus and then came back to do some work while Nathaniel did some acrobatics and entertained himself.
He also played outside some.
He took a really long nap which meant I could get much done. I’ve got so much to do that I am in that super-scattered place I get to when I have too much to do. So I accomplished a bunch but not nearly enough and then it was time to get David. Since picture day is tomorrow, we did a final bit or practice.
And then an authentic one.
Jake came home and played with the kids while I dealt with my allergy attack and I’ve been moping around ever since. Just feeling exhausted but I guarantee you my second wind will come in one hour, just when it’s bed time. I wanted to take a moment and talk about work. My sister commented today that I don’t talk about doing work on the blog. And since I mention so many other things…I’ve been writing my blog for ten years now and I rarely ever talked about work over that time. A few cryptic posts when I was at Goldman, some sad, depressed ones from TFA and none from the job before Google. And nothing from my previous positions at Google either. There are several reasons for this. The foremost is that this is a personal blog. It’s not about work. It’s not even about technology so I tend to not focus on work, here. Secondly, I want to keep it completely separate lest I get carried away and write something that will get me in trouble. I have enough other things in my life that I don’t need to do that. Third, since this is a record for me, I prefer to focus on things I care about more like my kids, art, books, etc. However, lest you get the wrong impression, I work. Every single day. Some days more than others. Some days I am more productive, other days not as much. Just like I was when I worked at the office. Some days I had meetings all day long, some days I took a super long lunch cause I had to. Some days I got interrupted 100 times. Working at home is similar. The interruptions are different and I never take lunch and there’s no smooth beginning and ending to my day but there’s also no commuting and much more kid-time. It also means I can work in super-comfy clothes that may not be suitable for outerwear. But in case others are under the same impression, I do work almost all of the day, every day. I do most of my crafting early in the morning or after the kids are in bed. Or weekends. And I love my job. I love my team. I love our product. I love what I do and I am very proud of it. So there you go. This is likely the most I will write about work for a long time. One more thing, in case you haven’t noticed or read my blog through an RSS reader, I added a new “Little Notes” section to the right. It is a place for me to talk about things that may not fit in with my daily post or things I might mention earlier in the day. They do also go to my Facebook account but I wanted to let you know just in case. Last week, I made four layouts for Margie, whose going to be on the Home Shopping Network with the Paper Girl line at 4am EST tomorrow. It’s a 24-hour crafting marathon on HSN and Tim Holtz will be there, too. If you have a Tivo, I recommend you record it. Maybe you’ll get a glimpse of my layouts. (I hope I do!) Three Things I’m Grateful For: Three Things David’s Grateful For:
Journaling Reads: Tim Holtz Products used: Details:
And now I am 36. Closer to 40 than to 30. I’d say I’m sad about getting old but I really am not. I love each age for its own reasons. One of these days I will sit and write more on that. Funny enough, despite a strong love for chocolate, I am not a fan of chocolate cake. But doesn’t it look beautiful? Even with all those candles. My day started at 3am today. Nathaniel kept crying. I went in there and his diaper was overflowing so I changed him and put him back down but then I couldn’t fall asleep and just when I was about to, he got up again and could not go back down so I just gave up and went to go get him. We hung out downstairs quietly and hugged and kissed and I read my book while he played.
Then David woke up and then Jake. He made me eggs just the way I love them (over easy) and toast for all of us and we all sat together and chatted and ate and had fun.
Then we had cake! Look at all that light!
Then it was time for presents. This year, I’ve been so spoiled: my 120gig iPod has just died last week and I have other little ones but I love love this one cause it has all my sons and audiobooks and just everything. It had been so hectic that I hadn’t even had time to mourn it yet and Jake got me the new 160gig ones. My old one is so dead, it doesn’t even mount but I had a backup for the most part so I immediately put my songs on this new one already. I also got some awesome books. And Jake’s mom got me some thread and new Martha Stewart punches coming in September (actually October now – boo). Because you know I need new punches. And I also have a new Kindle coming. My first Kindle since I am a Sony user! I got more AC albums, cardstock, ATG tape, coffee, journaling stamps. Mostly staples but all things I need and I am so deeply, eternally grateful for the kindness of everyone around me.
Then it was time for Nathaniel’s nap. So while he slept and David colored and played, we watched the A-team movie. And then he woke up and we played a bit and laughed and laughed.
And the kids rode the plastic car together and laughed some more.
We then took a break and went to the neighbor’s house. It was their son’s first birthday party. A little bit of chatting there and we came back home and I rested and read my book while the kids giggled and laughed. Nathaniel really loves the car now that he can get off and on by himself.
Some more play time in the yard and the kids ate dinner and went down. Jake then got the sitter and we went for a simple but wonderful lunch at a French restaurant nearby. I have now been up for 19 hours and I am quite tired. I plan to snuggle in bed and read my book. What an absolutely perfect day. My word for this year should have been gratitude cause I feel an overwhelming amount of it right now. But it is loved which I also deeply feel now so I guess that suits me fine, too. I hope your weekend was as magical as mine. Thank you for all your kind kind birthday wishes. They mean the world to me. Three Things I’m Grateful For: Three Things David’s Grateful For:
Since I am a guest designer for My Mind’s Eye this month, I wanted to make sure to post a copy of each of my layouts here, too. These all use the amazing My Mind’s Eye products. Journaling Reads: Details:
Yesterday, I opened the front door to find these beautiful flowers. My wonderful husband had ordered an early present for me. I cannot tell you how happy the colors make me. Today was the perfect day in that it was quiet, peaceful, and calm. It was David’s Wii day but he spent the morning coloring as Nathaniel played and I read my book. We then put the little one down and David and I did some reading. Then it was time for him to play.
Nathaniel took his nap, woke up and took the other set of controls (which had run out of battery) and thought he was playing, too.
I snuck in one more smiling-practice. We’re running out of days and it still looks funny. Though it does seem to be improving, no? I know it’s no big deal, it’s mostly for fun than anything else.
I spent the morning looking at some inspiration and finally did the cover of my December Daily album in the afternoon. I bought a 6×6 American Crafts album this year. More on this later of course.
I love how hard Nathaniel focuses on the little lego pieces. putting them on and taking them off.
I don’t know how I caught this shot but it’s a rare peek into his mouth which he won’t let me look at. Looks like almost all the teeth are out!
And finally caught red-handed with the little pieces in his mouth. I am not too worried cause he knows not to do that and he knows not to swallow. So while I still watch him like a hawk, I do let him play with them.
And here we are. My last day as a 35 year old. I am now off to read my new book and cuddle with my hubby. I expect 36 to be even more fantastic than 35 was. Though I am not complaining at all. If there’s one thing I learned this year, it’s that I have a lot to be grateful for. Three Things I’m Grateful For: Three Things David’s Grateful For: |
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