the flu

Things I have learned (or re-learned) about myself while having the flu:

1. I am not an easy patient......my sweet husband has been doing everything he can to keep up with the cooking, cleaning, diaper changing, bath-giving duties while I have been down for the count, but what I've noticed about myself is that although I am extremely grateful to him for taking care of all of these "tasks," I will still complain when I don't feel like he is giving me enough TLC (rubbing my shoulders, checking on me, asking how I am feeling, etc...) I know that sounds terrible, but it's true :)

2. I often think about how lovely it would be to lay in bed, watch movies, read, nap, etc... BUT as soon as I am sick and forced to lay in bed, my mind starts racing with all the things I need/want to be doing (going to the grocery store, the bank, Target, the dry-cleaners)...it's really quite exhausting!!

3. I am not a hypochondriac, but as soon as I actually get sick, I start thinking of all the millions of things I could come down with.....for example, last night my neck was feeling really stiff and so I started thinking about a commercial I had seen on TV earlier in the day, and I asked my husband, "what if I have meningitis?" he just laughed :)

4. I can be a tad dramatic......my sweet little girl is sick today as well, so she had to miss her school pictures this morning (group and individual) and I have cried off and on about this fact all day long....I am completely devastated about her missing out on this!!

around here

I went to the doctor today and found out that I have the flu....which is especially frustrating because I have Influenza A which is the type that the flu vaccine is supposed to guard against. My doctor said it was just really bad luck, because although he has seen a lot of people with the flu this year, I am the ONLY one so far that has Influenza A who also got the vaccine....go figure!!! SO now I am alternating between napping, drinking lots of liquids, taking hot baths and sitting up in bed with my computer in my lap trying to pass the time...... Here are some photos from the past couple weeks.

Johnny and Grant checking emails, sending text messages, etc.... My kids are going to be very 21st century apparently :)
Here we are at the Dallas Aquarium. We had the bright idea to take the kids there last Saturday, and apparently half of Dallas had the same idea......it was way too crowded, we could hardly see anything and several people got pooped on by some birds flying overhead which completely freaked Sienna out!! It was definitely an adventure :)
Sienna and I made cupcakes last week (Grant watched intently from his highchair) and then Sienna took a plate over to our neighbor's house....she was so cute running next door in her socks, trying to keep the plate from tipping over! The cupcakes were especially yummy and I accomplished one of the items on my List (32 things before I turn 33).

And here we are feeding the ducks in Highland Park on Valentine's Day....that photo of me cracks me up!!

Hopefully I will be on the mend very soon.....say a little prayer that the rest of the house stays healthy!

Project 365

I am home sick today....feeling yucky all over, fever, coughing, aching, the works!! I have been trying to read or watch tv or sleep, but mostly, I have just been laying in bed praying for this to end soon :)

I was able to figure out how to add a Flickr slideshow to my sidebar, and I have added all the photos that I am including in my Project 365 Album this year (taking at least 1 photo every day during 2009)....hope you enjoy getting a little glimpse into our daily life.

The photo above is definitely one I will be adding to our album....this is Sienna on Valentine's Day....we went to the park and she got the biggest kick out of feeding the ducks. This picture makes me smile...such a great reminder of how children are able to find such joy in the little things!!

progress

I am making some serious progress on my list from yesterday.....something about writing things down that just makes them so much more "real."

I am on my way to my very first knitting class this morning, and I am so excited!! I have tried knitting once before, and it was a total disaster.....so I have no delusions about this being an easy task for me, but I am just proud of myself for finally doing something I have wanted to do for so very long.

I also went to Barnes and Noble yesterday and picked up "Things Good Mothers Know." I started it last night after the kiddos went to bed and I have already piked up so many wonderful insights.....a couple which came in very handy as I tried to keep things in perspective this morning when Sienna woke me up at 3:15 am and wanted to get in bed with us!! SO today, as I am walking around with serious bags under my eyes, I am trying to be mindful of all of my blessings and to focus on the world of possibilities before me........

new list

I've been in a creative rut lately......I've hardly done any scrapbooking, and I just haven't been in the mood to drag out all my supplies after the kids go to bed. I have been looking into digital scrapbooking again.....it's so much easier to just pull out my computer, do a little work and then shut it down (no muss, no fuss!!) The problem is, I'm not exactly computer savvy, so it's a work in progress :)

I've also been spending way too much time looking at blogs and other inspirational sights. There is definitely a fine line between being inspired and feeling like the life has been sucked right out of my brain!! Once again, it's all about BALANCE!!

I did see a cute idea on one of the blogs I read regularly and here is my take on the challenge:

32 before I turn 33:

1. Take a knitting class (hopefully, I can check this one off my list tomorrow)

2. Take Sienna to the Dallas Museum of Art

3. Bake cupcakes with the kids

4. Hang up all the photos on our Family Wall going up the stairs

5. Clean out my drawers and closet and keep only the items I really LOVE

6. See "Confessions of a Shopaholic"

7. Read "Things Good Mothers Should Know" by Alexandra Stoddard

8. Order a large, framed photo of Grant from his 1 year photo shoot

9. Go on a Girl's Weekend with friends from law school in May

10. Order several pieces of art from etsy to hang on the empty wall in Grant's room

11. Take our annual vacation to Seaside

12. Make hand print canvases for Sienna and Grant

13. Get comfortable with digital scrapbooking

14. Host a "Crafternoon" at our home 

15. Host my second annual "Book Exchange"

16. Finish Grant's baby book

17. Take Sienna back to the library (she loves it!!)

18. Go on more weekend walks and/or bike rides as a family at White Rock Lake

19. Have a family picnic

20. Take the kids to the Arboretum in the Spring

21. Take our annual Bluebonnet photos

22. Maybe find a space in our home to hang a collection of said bluebonnet photos

23. Pick out furniture that I LOVE for our new office

24. Print photos from the last few months and put in an album

25. Make a "Year in Review" album online

26. Send three cards/letters to friends for no reason

27. Order some fun new Spring stuff from bodenusa.com

28. Make Sunday morning pancakes for my family

29. Get new business cards

30. Start a daily quiet time/prayer time and stick with it!!

31. Drink more water

32. Eat more vegetables!!

Daddy-Daughter Dance

Last Saturday, Johnny took Sienna to the Daddy-Daughter Dance......we picked up her corsage that morning, got her hair cut and her nails done, she went with Daddy to get his car washed, got all dressed up, had dinner with lots of other daddy-daughters and finally made it to the actual party. Johnny said they danced the night away and Sienna had a blast!! I waited up for them, and they didn't get in until after 10pm!!! Breaking curfew on her very first date :)

I am so very thankful that I have a husband who knows how important it is to spend time with his children creating lasting memories!!

i'm a sucker for:

little white chapels

yellow rain boots

old red barns

photobooth photos

craft and style blogs

bright blue skies

soft faded quilts

fresh-baked cookies

collage art

love poems

What are you a sucker for??

domesticity

Just finished reading "The Gentle Art of Domesticity" by Jane Brocket and it is such a lovely book....so very inspiring!! This little passage really caught my attention:

"It helps to have a state of mind that can turn even the smallest indulgence into a luxury. This 

means looking positively at your life----considering not what you want to have, but what you 

can, or already, have. It means deciding for yourself what you class as luxury and not following 

the media's overblown ideas. Couture dresses, private jets, huge yachts and large gems are very 

wonderful, I'm sure, but doesn't the fact that only a handful of women in the world can afford 

them strike you as ridiculous? Far better to treat yourself to a couple skeins of lovely yarn, 

afternoon tea and a film, a bright bunch of roses, or a small, but perfectly formed box of 

chocolate. As Bette Davis says at the end of Now Voyager, "Don't let's ask for the moon----we 

have the stars.""

GOOP

Maybe I am just behind on this, but thought I would share this new (to me) website.....it's a collection of thoughts, ideas, inspiration from Gwyneth Paltrow and friends:

http://goop.com/

Check it out........

it's the little things

some "little things" that are making me smile today:

1. having my eyebrows waxed

2. a shiny, clean car (with lemon fragrance)

3. looking forward to watching the new movie I bought today at Target (The Secret Life of Bees)

4. catching up with old friends on Facebook

5. my son's new haircut

6. curling up with my husband on the couch on Monday nights to watch The Bachelor

7. going to a photography class with a good friend

8. discovering a new blog that I really enjoy (www.stephmodo.com)

9. getting a new magazine in the mail

10. crystal bowls filled with Valentine candy on the hutch in our living room

happy birthday

My sweet little boy turned ONE last Thursday!!

* He says Hi, Bye-Bye, Night-Night, Nana (Banana), Mama, Dada, Papa, ball

* He is crawling like a speed racer and pulling up on everything but not walking just yet

* He loves his sister more than anything in the world (despite the fact that she makes him cry at least once a day!!)

* He has developed quite a temper and won't hesitate to growl at you if you do something he doesn't like

* His favorite thing to eat is a banana, but he will pretty much eat anything we put in front of him

* He LOVES being outside and especially loves riding in his new wagon

* He will not sit still for one second

* He still takes 2 naps each day (well, most days.....)

* He will not be giving up his bottle anytime soon.......apparently he thinks the sippy cup is ONLY for juice

* He has the best smile in the entire world (and lots of little teeth)

* He wants nothing to do with watching television

* He LOVES to dance and will shake his booty the second he hears any sort of music

For his birthday, I had everyone that came to his party bring something to add to a time capsule that I put together (a magazine, grocery receipt, newspaper article, letter, etc...) I closed it up and plan on letting him open it on his 18th birthday!!