sweet nothings

Happy New Year!! & One Little Word

Happy New Year! I hope 2010 brings you and your family a blessed year! In 2008, I chose my first One Little Word. Here is the post in which I explain my reason for choosing the word FAITH. Little did I know how perfect that word would be for 2008. That year, I became pregnant after 3 years of trying with no success. That year, I love my mom. Faith saw us through.

In 2009, I chose the word HOPE. You can see my explanation in this post. Hope was the perfect word for last year. I had hopes for a healthy baby, a successful delivery, a good adjustment to a new baby...they all were perfect! I had hope last year that the pain and hurt from losing my mother would get easier. While it seems to have lessened, it's still there. I think it'll be there for a very long time. I'm ok with that.

2010. Strange to say that and type it! I remember ringing in the 2000 new year with my mom and sister in my tiny little apartment. I remember thinking how strange it was going to be to stop putting 19** on dates. Little did I know at that time what an exciting adventure was on the horrizon for the next 10 years!

So here I sit on a cold new year's morning, all the creatures aren't stirring...just my coffee and and me! The past couple of weeks, I've been trying to come up with my one little word for 2010. I knew it needed to be something about family, achieve, success, focus...just couldn't quite put my finger on exactly what I wanted. But the word focus kept popping up. Last night as Nora and Tim and I rang in the new year while toating sparkling apple cider, I realized with certainty that focus would be the word for the 2010.

Here are some definitions of the word focus -

 a center of activity, attraction, or attention; directed attention; close or narrow attention; concentration; a condition in which something can be clearly apprehended or perceived

verb

1. concentrate, centre, spotlight, zero in on (informal), meet, join, direct, aim, pinpoint, converge, rivet, bring to bear, zoom in The summit is expected to focus on arms control.

2. fix, train, direct, aim He focused the binoculars on the boat.

noun

1. centre, focal point, central point, core, bull's eye, centre of attraction, centre of activity, cynosure The children are the focus of her life.

2. focal point, heart, target, headquarters, hub, meeting place the focus of the campaign for black rights

3. attention, concern, priority, concentration IBM has shifted its focus to personal computers.

4. subject, point, question, issue, matter, object, theme, substance, topic, subject matter, field of inquiry or reference Food is the main focus of the book.

in focus clear, sharp, distinct, crisp, sharp-edged, sharply defined Pictures should be in focus.

out of focus blurred, obscure, unclear, fuzzy, hazy, muzzy, ill-defined, indistinct Some of the pictures are out of focus

 

 

This year I plan to direct my attention or focus on...

Christ

Tim

Nora and Madelynn

myself

my crafts

 

I want to refocus my life. Sometimes we let things get out of focus and while that's ok on occasion, we need to stop and take the time to refocus. This year I am going to refocus...Focus on what is important!

 

Wow, again...2010! Who'd a thunk it? It's going to be a great year! I'm looking forward to so many new and exciting things in the coming year! God Bless!

 

until next time...

 

DD/JYC Days 15-21

I'm slowly catching up! Hoping to finish the rest of the album over the weekend! Yay!

Day 15

day 16

day 17

day 18

day 19

day 20

day 21

 
 
 
 
  
  

Merry Christmas!

Enjoy every moment!

Monogram Wreath

Saw something similar while searching the web a few weeks ago. I wish I knew where I saw this as I'd love to give credit! I just took a cheap 8x10 frame, a $2 garland, a wood M and some berries (hot glue gun and red spray paint also!) I just wrapped the wreath with the garland. The wood M I sprayed red and hot glued berries all over...you'll see it looks like i left gaps in the berries, but my berries actually had some vine/stems with them! I just hot glued the M to a piece of ribbon that I had wrapped around the frame. That was probably clear as mud but it's a simple and easy project! Cheap too! After hanging my wreath I realized it is crooked...need to fix that!

Enjoy!

until next time...

DD/JYC Days 11-14

I'm so glad that I'm keeping up! Unfortunately today is going to be a tough one because I had a sickly little one...the oldest and i jut hung out doing nothing while the cleaning fairies cleaned for us! It was a very pleasant day actually.

day 11

day 12

day 13

day 14

  
 
 
 

DD/JYC Days 8, 9 & 10

So glad to be caught up!!

day 8

day 9

day 10

 
 

Why does it have to be so hard?

Some days we rock along and don't talk about my mom at all. Other days...it's on our mind and hearts and there is just no getting around it. Today was one of those days. It wasn't my day. It was Nora's. After I put Madelynn down for her morning nap, I noticed Nora was writing in her diary. Let me just say that when Nora writes in her diary, it's usually her drawing pictures or asking you to spell something for her to write. She didn't ask me to spell anything. She was drawing. I sat down at the pc to work on our Christmas cards and Nora requested itunes! I turn it on and she asks me to scroll through so she can pick something to listen to...she chose Carrie Underwood's first album. It played and we sang a bit. It was so pleasant to just sit and enjoy quiet time with Nora...doing our own thing but together.

After a few songs I noticed Nora had gone over to the other side of the room...she was standing on the ottoman singing, into an ice cream cone microphone, Jesus take the wheel. That was Nora and Memee's song. That song is still the ringtone on my phone for my mom's cell phone...a cell phone that was shut off months ago. a number that i can't seem to delete.

I snapped a picture of her singing as I thought it was sweet and such a Nora moment. After that song ended, I just assumed Nora would continue her little performance with the next song. Instead she climbed down, sat on the floor and laid her head on the ottoman. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "I just want my memee back. I miss her. Is there anyway we can get a new Memee here not in Heaven to be just like my old Memee?"

I wish I could just close my eyes and my mom would be back here with us healthy and just the way she used to be before that wretched cancer took over her body. I want her here to enjoy watching the girls grow up. I want her to know Madelynn the way she knew Nora. I want her to be here to support them in their lives and journey through this crazy world we live in.

I told Nora that we couldn't replace Memee and that she is watching over us. She said that it just wasn't the same without her. She's right. It's not. I wish that I didn't have to try to explain to my child why her Memee is gone or why she can't come back...it is so unfair. A child shouldn't have to grow up without her Memee. She shouldn't have sad days of missing her Memee.

I am lucky that I still have my Mamaw. I have amazing memories of what it was like to grow up with somebody so special. To look forward to going to mamaw's house for a slumber party with my cousins, to go shopping on a Saturday with her, to craft with her, to listen to her play the autoharp and sing, to call when I need her, to share the holidays with, to walk over to her house after school just beacuse...I have such fond memories. I am still making memories with my Mamaw.

Nora doesn't have that with her Memee anymore...she doesn't get to keep making memories with her. She has to live with the few memories she has  from the short 4 years she had with her Memee. It's not fair.

Days like today are hard. Because it seems everything we did reminded us of my mom today. But I am glad we are reminded. I am glad that Nora thought so much of my mom and misses her. I hope and pray that those memories live strong within her heart forever. Because in the end, those memories are all we have left!

until next time...

Want to win an HP Touchsmart??

yep...one of these!

Look no further! Ok...well, you'll have to look a bit further because I'm not the one giving it away but Kelly at Kelly's Korner, Stephanie at Totally Together Reviews, NieNie at The Nie Nie Dialogues, Sophie at BooMama  and Jen at My Charming Kids along with HP are giving it away! Go to these blogs and check them out. Not only are they having a great giveaway. But I read their blogs and they are really great reads!

until next time...

Little Chalkboard Project

Found this silver platter at a thrift store...$4. some painters tape and chalkboard spray paint (and a lot of tarnish cleaner)...and you have this cute little chalkboard.

I did not do a good job taping this off...if you look really closely you can see where the tape didn't block the paint (i'll do better next time!).  But t was fun and cheap!

until next time...

 

DD/JYC Days 6 & 7

day 6

day 7