Corner View: Pondering Winter

It's a latte and a fleece morning. I pulled out my ugly, but comfortable and sensible shoes for winter. The wind is whipping us into shape, and the grey sky casts everything in an eery blue.

It's been this way for two days. The trees have less leaves, as if they've been forcibly stripped with the 50 mph gusts.

The kids this morning wanted to get dressed and then get back into 'the big bed' clothes, shoes, coats and all. Dark mornings make me feel like that too.

And It Rained Art and Poetry

It rained here this weekend; torrential rainstorm.

I can't say I minded. It made everything beautiful. The trees, the fields, the streets, the windows...

Saturday night Eric, my friend Emily and I literally RAN to the coffee shop, less than a block away and were soaked to our skivvies by the time we got there. I threw my orange raincoat over my head and had to abandon my sandals half way-- I thought I was going to fall they were so slippery.

We we did not just make a coffee run, this time. We attended one of the monthly poetry slams. Have you ever been to a Slam? Poets, authors and storytellers come together to compete for in this case, a old gold lamp (and all the glory it holds). But the amazing words that were flying. Art performed.

It rained down words, laughter and deep thoughts.

I love rainy weekends.

{This Moment}: Noticing

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Amanda Soule

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Upon some prompting, I made yesterday's quote into a little poster. If you want one, you can print it yourself! 

Contemplating

If you feel your value lies only in being merely decorative,

I fear that someday you might find yourself

believing that's all you really are. 

Time erodes all such beauty, 

but what it cannot diminish is the wonderful workings of your mind,

your humor and your moral courage.

These are things I cherish so in you.

Little Women, 1996

corner view:: holiday photos/ summer vacation

I love today's corner view theme, I actually love to flip through people's photo albums of trips and adventure. This year's summer vacation we went to Minnesota for a long weekend with our friends Steve, Emily and their daughter Margo.

Here's a few of our photos from our album...

Our other big summer trip with friends I blogged about here, here and here!

Tell Me a Story:: Justine from Here Where I Have Landed

It's my favorite day of the week! Tuesday! 

I am really grateful to have Justine with us today to talk about Gratitude. I stumbled upon her blog quite some time ago and I just love it. I find her funny and real, sarcastic and sincere. 


Welcome Justine, tell us a story. 

Where do you live (be as specific or vague as you feel led)?
Chicago, IL

Tell me about your family? My partner and I have a daughter together. She’ll be turning two in November.

What activity or circumstance makes you feel most alive? Being in the water with my family, be it a pool or a lake. All three of us love the water. My Guy and I have fond memories of it from our own childhood, which we hope to create for our daughter as swell.

What gratitude did you feel today? What gave you peace? Any ah-ha moments?
I was so happy and thankful for the leftovers from a great lunch on Friday. My a-ha moment happened when I remembered that it was in the fridge waiting for me! Is that sad?

How do you see gratitude or mindfulness? Is this a daily practice?
Being a mom with a full-time job, I don’t see my family as much as I’d like so when we are together, I try to focus solely on them and in so doing, I think I am conveying just how grateful I am for them. Unless they drive me crazy of course.

Does being a mother help you to see things differently? Does your gratitude and 'thank yous' change as she grows? Yes, absolutely. The perspective changes – things that were once important no longer are, and conversely, things that didn’t matter before I absolute cherish now. Like sleep. And time alone. Or date nights. But as she blossoms, I think my gratitude list will just grow with her although the nature of it may change a little by the time she’s a teenager, i.e. so glad she’s mad at her dad and not me for being grounded from breaking curfew.

You are living far away from family, how do you show gratitude to them living so far away? Is the distance from family a source of strength for you or do you long to have them close by?
I miss my family every day and while it isn’t easy, I show them my gratitude for being the best person I can be. Near or far, I continue to want to be the kind of person they can be proud of. The experience of being away from my childhood home has also taught me to broaden my definition of family and open up to people. These days, friends we see regularly and especially those who care about our daughter are those we consider family.

In reading your blog, I've noticed that you view life as a journey... things are just a step on the road. How has that road changed for you, are you grateful for where you are now and what you've been through? It is a journey and so far the paths that led me here had many surprise bumps and steep climbs. But it’s the unpredictability that makes it so exciting. Sure, you don’t always like everything you find in your path – but one person’s roadkill is another person’s dinner on the table (just ask Rachel). As stated above, it’s a matter of perspective. The journey may seem arduous at times but when you look at the road ahead and see the one behind you, it humbles you. The world is unfathomably vast, and the possibilities are endless. And to be given the chance to experience even an infinitesimal portion of that, I will always, always be grateful.

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Justine blogs at Here Where I have Landed, where, as chief memory keeper, she chronicles her life with her family and reflects upon her roles as a mom who juggles a full-time career and motherhood; as a woman who hopes to contribute to the world but often forgets the reusable grocery bags at home and as a Chinese-Indian immigrant from Malaysia who tries to reconcile her pride in her cultural heritage with her love for her new country. And sometimes it’s about okra or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You know, normal people stuff.

You can find Justine on the web in a variety of places:
Blog: Here Where I Have Landed
Twitter: @IHaveLanded

Noticing: Nature

You can feel the chill coming in the air. It's slowly creeping in this year. And knowing that winter is just around the corner makes me love these views so much more.

October in Iowa...

It is October, in Iowa. Last year we had snow by now. All of our short sleeves were put away and we had winter coats, hats and boots out.

Can you believe the weather this weekend? It was chilly, yes. But it was 60's kind of chilly. We played at TWO beaches in one day. The beach in iowa is lakeside. But lovely none the less.

Tell Me a Story:: Rebekah from Elder Family

Today, I would love to introduce you to Rebekah, my dear dear friend.

We met my freshman year of college (and her sophomore). And though we lived about as far a part as possible on our 'wing' in the dorm, we shared clothes. Lots of clothes. Because we were exactly the same size. Down to our shoes. And we had very similar taste in clothes. Which made this sharing-of-closet useful when we were all still going on dates.

Rebekah and her little family have moved from the Great State of Texas back to our area and I am loving it. She is the kind of girl you want over for a cup of tea, to laugh and cry with, to bake and to scrapbook with (even if, like me you don't really scrap book. Gasp, I know.).

She's my blogging buddy and our husbands have this eerie um... connection to all things gross and inappropriate.... funny we have matching eye-rolls as well.

Without further ado...

Welcome, Rebekah, Tell Us a Story. 

Where do you live?
We are in the great midwest, a little more specifically Northwest Iowa. I purchased our very own home this year and have enjoyed filling it up and making it our own.

Tell me about your family?
My family consists of myself, my husband and best friend, David our 2 year old going on 16 year old son, Noah and our lazy, lovable beagle, Molly. We have 'adopted' so to speak a new member of our family, Jim, who rent out our basement but has been a long time friend since college.

What activity or circumstance makes you feel most alive?
Most recently and as part of the everyday, discovering new places and my 'adventures' with Noah. I have recently became a stay at home mom (by choice) and I love being at home with Noah but I am not very good at the staying home part - and I really think I am starting to rub off on Noah. Plus we have very recently moved to NW Iowa so there are always new things to discover. We like getting outside: parks, libraries, going for walks, museums, apple orchards, pumpkin patches, the farmers market.

Another part of my life that has made be feel most alive is making our new home, ours! After years of living in apartments and not being able to put our own 'stamp' on our home it has been nice to play with paint colors, create paintings, refinish furniture, make curtains, and the countless other ideas I / we have.



What gratitude did you feel today? What gave you peace? Any ah-ha moments?
For my husband. He has been very patient with me with me adjusting to staying at home and when he can and when he is home he reminds me that he is here now and I don't have to take care of everything.

Peace came several times today; this morning waking up to our son curled up beside me after he got up at 6 am and came to our room asking to crawl in with us. This morning during our church service a part of our service is to Pass the Peace, Noah turns to those around us and says, 'Peace be with you'! And this evening when the same exhausted little boy sat in my lap, both of us cuddled under a blanket and read stories until he turned around hugged me and feel asleep as I say Amazing Grace.

How do you see gratitude or mindfulness? Is this a daily practice?
I unfortunatly find myself missing the 'mindfulness' or being able to see the gratitude all too often. Like many people I get through the day, prepare for the next - it is something I strive to do daily. Those times and days I see gratitude usually come when there is a quiet moment and I can step back and see all of the blessings I have in my life: my family, health, a warm home, friends the list goes on and on and I wonder how to I miss seeing it.

You've just moved to a new city, with a new home and a new job-- has your 'thank yous' changed in this new stage? Have you been thankful for things you haven't thought of before?
I think now that David and I have had a change of roles I realize how I took him for granted at times. Many more thank yous to family that are now more of a everyday part of Noah's life because of our move.



I know you love cooking, decorating and caring for Mr. Noah. How do you live out your daily gratitude in small tasks as well as big ones?
I think the big part is sharing them with Noah! I do enjoy cooking and baking but always feel like I can't but I now find ways for Noah to help me in the kitchen: stirring, pouring, using cookie cutters, etc. There is always something for little hands to do you just have to think outside the box. Decorating too, we have been choosing paint colors for the playroom wall - I let Noah paint a spot on the wall or purchase a canvas for him to create his own art. And even though it takes a bit more planning or thinking these moments with Noah are priceless and lots of fun.

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Rebekah is a wife, mommy, educator and as much as her husband laughs at her, she will always be a country girl. She loves to scrapbook, bake, sew, travel, read, dream up 'adventures' for her family to enjoy and the Fall season.

You can find Rebekah on the Web in a variety of places:
http://drelderspot.blogspot.com
http://sweetelder.blogspot.com

This Moment: King Truman

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Amanda Soule

Guess who will be Max for Halloween?

Noticing, October

We were driving last night, out of our little city and into the countryside. And the air had a chill, the leaves are starting to make their away from green and towards red and orange. The fields have taken on this breathing brightness of yellow-gold color. Waving in the wind. Looking just as alive, but in a different form than their sweaty green mid-summer counterparts.

And the farmer’s were out, even in the late evening. As the sun was giving up to the darkness. Lights and rumblings toward a goal. Bring in the beans.

Welcome, October