Let’s take a quick trip back to December…
During advent we read The Advent Book with the boys and one night I was inspired to start my own advent meditations on Instagram for the rest of the season. I so enjoyed creating these little tidbits of the Christmas story and even though Christmas has passed, we can always use a little reminder, right? Merry Christmas!
Posted in Life in general
I looked back to see when the last time was that I did an Instagram update and my-oh-my, six months have passed. So I went back and picked some of my favorite pics to share here. Again, gold star to anyone who makes it to the end.
Poor George. After seeing him (at times) relentlessly licking his paw for enough time to make me concerned, we took him to the vet to find out his nailbed was infected and that he would need surgery… when I picked him up, the surgery report called it a toe amputation. Amp.U.Tation. My dog is more high maintenance than your dog. Does he not look pathetic?
This sweet face… disguises quite the little imp.
And this moment of calm: a rarity.
Driving the neighbors boat… the one boating trip this summer that did not conclude with a bloody Jack (more on that later).
This kid’s ability to sleep through anything amazes me. As does his ability to wake up at 6 EVERY morning.
My little weirdos.
Showing off some killer dance moves.
My first pallet project.
Post-dental visit donut trip.
Amusing ourselves while waiting for Simon.
Mah baby got a grown up haircut in preparation for kindergarten. I still miss his mop of hair but I also love the new cut.
Playing at the school playground prior to school starting.
My boys. The very best part of my days.
First day of school.
First set of stitches – our last boating venture of summer ended before it began when Jack fell getting onto the boat and hit his head on the fiberglass, splitting his forehead right open. At the hospital he got some lovely medicine that made him not care one little bit about the pain or stitches – so much so that after they were done stitching him up, he said, “When do I get my stitches?” And after showing him a picture of his own gaping forehead, he said, “Oh, that looks like it hurts.” He was a trooper.
The granny square quilt before it began.
ArtPrize 2014 winner. Beautiful.
We had so much fun this summer at Gretchen and Bob’s pool.
Medals from their first taekwondo competition. So proud of those boys!
A stretch of craftiness… a chalk-painted cupboard door turned into Thanksgiving artwork.
A board, chipboard letters, fabric and a damaged clearance wreath turn into a little Christmas joy.
Applying craftiness I learned at MOPs to a Christmas wreath.
Life is better with fro-yo.
Our newest ornament…
Scenes of Christmas decor – my favorite time of the year!
Precious moments between Jack and Grandpa.
Girl’s night out with some of my favorite friends! 18 years of friendship!
The Dunkin’ Donuts by our house finally opened so we had to check it out with some neighbors… our mistake was asking them to pose for a photo AFTER feeding them sugar.
My sweet dad as a punkish kid. (both above and below)
Finally checked out Grove to celebrate Christmas with my beau… the company and the food are some of the best around!
Annual family Christmas photo… the one time a year my boys don’t argue with me (much) over clothing choices.
The Brothers Bennett.
NYE 2014… everyone was up until midnight! Though clearly some of us were delirious with the reality of it.
Thanks for playing along and reading this far! GOLD star to the finisher(s)!
Posted in Instagram, Life in general
I was much better at reading in 2014 than in the years since having kids – thanks to Laid-Back Book Club and thanks to getting more sleep in general because the kids finally almost always sleep through the night. My crocheting habit has interfered with that slightly, but there is only so much time in a day. Here’s a rundown on what I read last year:
My favorites: Wild, Eleanor & Park, If I Stay, The Hardest Peace, Me Before You
The worst: Hidden, April’s Fool
Here’s what’s on the to-read “pile:”
What are you reading or looking forward to reading?
Posted in Life in general
It’s a snow day, or rather an ice day, and now that I’ve had a conference call and wrapped up a couple projects… and fallen twice while salting the driveway as long as we’re counting… time to do a little blogging.
Sidebar: The crockpot lasagna I mentioned yesterday was a success, I used this recipe from William Sonoma but beefed up the tomato sauce (I used the plain canned stuff) with onions, carrots, garlic and Italian seasonings. It was delicious and now we have leftovers for at least three more meals – leftover lasagna is my favorite. Simon was a wee bit skeptical but he enjoyed it as well!
Back to the image above…
I try to start each year thinking of what is ahead for the next twelve months. Sometimes that means I set specific goals/resolutions and sometimes I don’t (mostly, I have not but a little focus never killed anyone so I’m trying to be better).
This year I opted to go with ideas or themes, if you will, and I wanted to take a little time for my own benefit to talk about what those mean for me. I’d love to hear if you have words you focus on for a year, resolutions you set or if you just plain hate the whole idea.
live well | practice thankfulness | just do it
be intentional | enjoy the mundane
Live well
What does it mean to live well? That’s different for everyone, right? For me it’s doing the things I enjoy like making memories and traditions with my family, spending time with those dearest to me, going to concerts and filling my house with people and laughter. It also means being more conscious of food choices, being more active (something I’ve definitely let slip in the last 12-18 months) and procrastinating less. And from a faith perspective, spending more time with the Word, listening to what God is telling me and doing more for others when I feel called to action.
Practice thankfulness
Our November small group studies looked at what it means and is to be thankful; highlighting that it goes beyond the “attitude of gratitude.” Thankfulness can be so much more when it is a practice. Brene Brown speaks to this when discussing her research on people who are joyful and she found that the people who were most joyful were the ones who practiced gratitude. Sitting around the dinner table and sharing what you are thankful for that day, writing lists in a gratitude journal or sending thank you notes to people – not just for tangible things they have given you but for the positive influence/impact they have had in your life. So I’m going to work on actually practicing being thankful. [If you’d like your own gratitude journal, designed by me, please let me know… I have a few available for $12 and I’d be happy to mail you one… they are 15 pages (front and back so 30 pages total), spiral bound with quotes on thankfulness throughout. Some pages shown below.]
Just do it
More than just a branding statement from Nike. Pretty much stop procrastinating about things. If I want to do something that’s good for me and works for our life, then I should just do it. Stop hemming and hawing, wondering if it’s a good idea. Just do it. Don’t put off to tomorrow what you can do today. My procrastination is one of my biggest pet peeves about myself. I don’t always procrastinate, but when it’s about little things, things that don’t “matter” then I put them off. I’m also a big starter of projects/hobbies that I don’t end up finishing. My actually completing my granny square afghan was a big deal for me and I finished it because I made myself and I knew others knew I was working on it so I think accountability might be key to this one… I need to know others have an eye on me or know I am working on something. If you keep me accountable, let me know what I can do in exchange for you. Even in adulthood, it takes a village.
Be intentional
This is sort of goes with, or is an element of, both living well and practicing thankfulness, having more intention with the things I do. Not just doing something for the sake of doing something – we have plenty of that in our lives. But making memories, putting happiness in someone else’s life, spreading love and joy, choosing the positive over the negative – those things all take intention and they all make life that little bit better. And I’m all for all of that.
Enjoy the mundane
I have Kara Tippets echoing in my head very often and her blog Mundane Faithfulness amazes me with both its honesty and its devotion to God in the midst of very difficult circumstances. It’s easy to praise God during the high points of life and to turn to God in the difficult times but what do we do in the in-between, the every day moments? In the midst of life’s mundane, are we still stopping to enjoy those moments around the dinner table (even when the kids are complaining about the food in front of them) or riding in the car fielding endless questions? I try to and I’m going to keep trying. There is still a ton that is not enjoyable, don’t get me wrong – I don’t have on Pollyanna glasses and think life is amazing all of the time – no one likes getting oil changes or brushing their teeth or stepping on Legos. But darn it, I’m going to enjoy this in-between time of life to shore up a little for the next big high or low, to enjoy Simon working first shift, our family being healthy and no big changes on the horizon.
So those are the things I’m focusing on this year. What about you? Do you want to share?
Posted in Life in general, Resolutions
Well, that was an unplanned, but perhaps not completely unexpected, break from the old bloggity blog… though in my defense, my regular Instagram posts serve as mini blog updates (at least in my own mind).
Shall I catch you up on what’s been going on since last I was here?
Imagine a little TV voice-over here saying, “Previously in Michelle’s Life…”
Be good, people. I’ll be back soon… I promise.
Posted in Family Traditions, Gratitude, House, Life in general
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