Giving Thanks

After a day of cooking, eating with and loving on my family and friends, I couldn't help but think about how beautiful life is.

I know if I let it, everyday could swollow me whole, but I have my hope keeing me afloat.

I recently realized thankfulness is the key, that a greatful heart builds hope. It reminds me of what I've been through, and helps me to put things into perspective, seeing all the things I do have and not what I don't. Sometimes it feels silly, but giving thanks for even the littlest things helps (the shoes on my feet, or milk in the fridge). The more thankful I am, the easier it is to work through hard circumstances.

I want to encourage you, as Thanksgiving passes us by and Christmas comes all too quickly to take time to give thanks for something or to someone.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

The Beauty of Parenthood

I was watching Parenthood the other night. One of the characters was dealing with her post baby body self-esteem issues, and I was totally feeling her.

I remember looking at myself in the mirror wondering, will I ever feel beautiful again? After having a baby let alone two or more, it seems like your body just doesn't want to cooperate and quite frankly having breast bursting with milk is just uncomfortable. I know eventually, I got used to my new body, but that hasn't stopped me from trying to get the old one back at least a little. 

I suppose this had to happen to the poor girl, in the middle of a really nice party her milk lets down and she leaks all over her dress. If you have never had this happen, lucky you. It can be very embarrassing. Along comes Her husband to comfort her (good man). He is telling her that she is beautiful and that he wants her, but she shrugs it off.  Instantly, some thing began to bother me about this scene. I wasn't sure at first what it was but then it hit me. It was her reaction to her husband. There she is dealing with her insecurities, when the man she loves comes in to rescue her from her pity party. What she do? Blow him off.

It got me thinking about how often we, women, want to be pursued, wooed, and told we are beautiful, but when the men we love do we roll our eyes. We say "whatever" or you have to say that you're married to me. I realized that our own insecurities prevent us from enjoying the thing our heart wants most, to be treasured.

Beauty begins with knowing that you are valuable, worthy of another's devotion. Beauty does lie in the eye of the beholder, but the only eye that matters is yours. I have had help in recognizing my own beauty. My husband taught me to just agree with him whenever he tells me I'm beautiful. It has taken years, too many shrugs and eyes rolls for me to count, before I actually began to believe him. I know I am beautiful, because I believe it.

Falling for Fall

I love Fall.

Growing up in California, I never really got to experience a real Fall. Califonia Fall is always cool crisp mornings, followed by warm sunny afternoons with occasional showers. Being surrounded by a multitude of evergreen trees, the changing colors never dominated the scene. I didn't truly fall for Fall untill I spent my college years in the quaint little town of Fulton, Missouri. The rolling hills of the country side being blanketed by greens, browns, and oranges were a midwest comfort that this coastal girl embraced.




Last year I found this multicolored yarn which I had a major failure with. I tried to make a beanie that looked more like a really sad nome hat. So I hid the yarn and completely forgot I had it. Determined to try again to make something darling for My Girl, I pulled it from the bottom of the pile of yarn, along with a gorgeous forrest green. I tried my hardest to write the pattern out, but I kept having to start over to get the sizing right.

Oh Fall, if only you could blaze across the Nor Cal scenery, but alas I will be will just have to settle for my ever green scenery.