Snowpocalypse

The amount of snow here is insane.  And, this evening we are expecting another possible 10 inches!  By tomorrow morning it could total 20" of new snow (not to mention all of the old snow still on the ground).  In addition, this weekend we are expecting even MORE snow!

The kids and dogs are loving it and so far, we are too.  The temperatures are tolerable and it is fun hunkering down with a warm fire and good food.  We didn't have a snow day because the schools were already closed today, Friday and Monday for President's week which is good because we've already missed a lot of days that will need to be made up at the end of the year.

King Winter has definitely arrived in Connecticut!!!

What is the weather like where you live?

Mother's Day Weekend

My Mother's Day weekend was wonderful.  On Friday night, we took the girls out for Japanese food.  It was so nice to relax together after a long week and enjoy a fun dinner out.

On Saturday, I spent the entire day away with friends scrapbooking.  Little Brianna's album needed a lot of work so I was happy to be able to sit uninterrupted and get some of that done.  It was nice to be with other women and connect.  I think it is so important for us to carve out time for friends and ourselves even when we feel the most busy.  Toward the end of the day my throat was really bothering me and I wasn't feeling myself.

This morning I woke up feeling horrible so spent a lot of time in bed trying to get better.  My sweet girls brought me breakfast in bed like they do every Mother's Day.  The girls get so excited about special days like this and its so sweet.  They made me a happy face pancake.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to swallow much but I was happy to have a warm cup of coffee and juice.

I got such wonderful gifts.  There is a shop in my town that I love so much called Mother Earth.  There are all sorts of gems and earthy items and a few weeks ago I spotted these beautiful aspen handmade jewelry boxes.  I was so surprised to see that was my gift this morning!  Isn't it beautiful?

Then my daughter in college sent home this beautiful necklace from Chinatown with her boyfriend today.  I missed not being able to spend the day with her but it was so sweet of her to find a way to reach me.  Next weekend she comes home and it will be nice to have all of our girls here again together.

I hope you were able to spend time today with people you love.  

xoxo

Christmases Past and Present

As the years go by, decorating the tree is like uncovering a box of memories.

There are also ornaments from so many years of ornament decorating parties - a tradition we started with dear friends and our children. Each year we get together right before Christmas and make handmade ornaments with each other. The children write their names and the date on their ornaments and now, each year, they love opening up their own special box and talking about each ornament and the parties we enjoyed doing so.

And every year, it is a tradition in our family for all four of our girls to decorate the tree together. We also really love to include our pets :)

The girls get to hear my story every Christmas about this one walnut ornament I still have from when I was a Brownie Girl Scout back in 1981-82. I remember making it and how cool I thought it was. And I think its even cooler now that it lasted almost 30 years. That's one tough walnut!

As I look at all of our years of memories together on one tree... I can't help but feel a little bit sad. I miss so many of those wonderful Christmases past. I miss the baby smell and giggles... I miss the youth of our life together.

But I am also filled with such gratitude and joy... and anticipation of what is to come.My family laughs at me because I already speak about my grandchildren that I've yet to know. I can see them filling my home with laughter and joy... I can picture myself sharing these precious moments once again with young children whom I love so very much.

I imagine my house full of the same beautiful people many years from now... with more little beautiful people to come.

And my sadness turns to Joy once again.

And that is what is so beautiful about this wonderful season.

I will never EVER remember the presents I had under my tree.

But I will never EVER forget...

the LOVE I had in my home.

xoxo

Gratitude

For the honor of teaching a new generation...

And the ability to make my house a home..

For holidays...
Family celebrations...

and ordinary days...

for children that create beauty for my eyes to see...

for family and friends that fill my world...

for the outer senses of sight, smell, hearing and taste....

and the inner senses we are discovering as we grow..

for laughter and silly jokes... and sticky little fingers in my kitchen...

for growing hands that help their Mama...

for fresh food and water to sustain us...

and unrushed time together...

for creativity and love...

and sweetness and truth..
for motherhood and marriage...

and comfort and loving creatures.

for music and talent..

and taking new chances...

for moments to capture...

health and life...

for Spirit and prayer...
I am so very thankful.

Carving Out Memories

These simple traditions we share each year have such deeper meaning to me as the girls get older. They build upon each other and we find ourselves reminiscing on years passed when we did the same activity...

The face we carved out that one year or the time we added cinnamon to our roasted pumpkin seeds to see what they tasted like.

I often find myself listening to the girls and I realize that we are weaving an entire life together with each experience we share.

I think about when they are mothers one day if a certain smell or activity will bring them back to one of these moments we are sharing in *this* right now...

And then I realize that one day - a day far from now - *this* right now will be a memory.

A memory that maybe I will cling to in my old age... or that one of my daughters share with their own children or lover.

And I get filled up inside with a mixture of emotion - gratitude for being blessed with this beautiful life and the opportunity to share such precious moments with my family... and sadness that one day they will be grown, out of our home and I will long for these moments of all of us here together again.

I hope our time together will help them build a beautiful life of their own one day. For now, I am going to breathe in every single delicious moment I have with them while they are still young.

Happy Halloween!