Showing posts with label List. Show all posts
Showing posts with label List. Show all posts
Thankful In All Things
Thankful
Ann Voskamp said in her beautiful book  One Thousand Gifts that "Thanksgiving always precedes the miracle." This is a beautiful image when put into context of the season we are in, for Thanksgiving really will precede the season celebrating the miraculous. We have so much to be grateful for and regardless of your views on the origins of this holiday, it is a gift to be able to take a whole day out of the year just to give thanks. Our hope for you is that you are able to do that this year. Give thanks for anything and anyone. Once you get started you might have a hard time stopping!

We are thankful for:
Feet to pitter patter early in the morning
Lungs to squeal in delight and cry out for comfort
Doors that make our small space cozy and private
Family that love like friends
Friends that say "I love you" and love like family
Quiet evening moments after it is finished and before it starts all over again
Books becoming traditions
A couch that is beginning to feel small
Shared passions
Peers becoming friends
Co-workers flexibility for family
Job contracts signed
Teachers that calm our children on Sundays
Hand holding
Graciousness of neighbors
Community in the city
In-Loves that drop everything to watch our boys
New friendships that feel old, trusted and secure
The sparkle of discovery and excitement in play
Long walks
Brothers learning to share and love
Walking in faith
Problem solving with like-minded kindred spirits
Laughing so hard, all night long with those that get you
Recipes made up on the spot and executed flawlessly


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3rd Trimester Blues~ When Will I Ever Learn?

From My Heart
I have a habit of making great lists that usually far exceed my limitations of time, energy or resources. For example, when planning a party my menu has an absurd number of food items to cook and assemble. I go into the process knowing that only about half of them will be completed, but they all go well together. This gives me the ability to change my mind if something doesn't go as planned, and having too much on the list pushes me into over drive to accomplish the tasks at hand efficiently and well. Unfortunately it is also exhausting. This bad habit of mine has carried itself from my last pregnancy into the present one and it always brings about what I call the 3rd Trimester Blues.

This is the point when I realize how little I am able to get done in a day and I start counting the days left of the pregnancy. Then I compare these against my list of To-Do's and To-Want-To-Dos, and see the gap. My heart breaks a little as I have to go about crossing things off the list because they just aren't possible. And unfortunately I struggle with feeling a teeny, tiny bit of failure in knowing that I just couldn't get it done. Almost succeeded, but as I have always said, "almost never accomplished anything".

This time around I have struggled to see the hope and joy in my bad habit. I have realized that thankfully I am self-aware enough to pre-empt exhaustion and poorly planned moments, which is why my list consistently exceeds the time alloted. If there are 11 items on the list 9 will without a doubt be accomplished and my drive to succeed will propel me into tomorrows daunting list of 8 to do items. As a stay at home mom (SAHM) there is an absence of competition and I realize this habit has allowed me to compete against myself, which motivates me in the tedious tasks.

So here I am in the 3rd trimester, crossing impossible items off the list and finding joy and peace in knowing that my best has been put forward. Thank you for hearing my heart.
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Crave To Create
In the spirit of my current obsession with crafting, I have a new item to add to my crave list. I have never owned a full set of cookie cutters and think that this year is the year to make a change. The issue is always, where will we store them? How versatile are they? And are they cost effective and quality?

Currently I am eyeballing this one:
 Wilton 2304-1050 101-Piece Cookie Cutter Set
I love that it has a container, so it is easier to store. It is inexpensive, $15. Has cookie cutters for the entire alphabet and holidays throughout the year. And, the cookie cutters are PLASTIC! Which, when you think of the little hands that will love to dive deep into this bucket, that makes a difference. 


I have also been eyeballing this one:
Wilton 101 Pc Cookie Cutter Set

Very similar product, but the brand, Wilton, is very reliable. They are known in the world of cake-makers for the quality of their products. The downside, it comes in a box. Which seems like it could be less efficient for storage. It is less expensive, $12, so not by much. 


What do you think? Do any of you have personal experience with either of these products?
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