From Chaos Comes Happiness

I love the sound of leaves crunching under my feet. I love to feel them up against my legs as I walk through a pile of them. I prefer to have socks on to avoid as much itchiness as possible . . . but some days, unplanned walks in the woods are the very best thing for the soul. I've mentioned before how blessed I am to live where we live - not only because we are in the Midwest (which welcomes the seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall with open arms), but because we are just minutes away from a most lovely nature forest preserve. It is heavenly. I find myself taking a drive through it weekly . . . just turning down the street that leads straight into the path of peace . . . more often than not. Mostly without even realizing what I am doing. During many of these afternoon drives, I pull over and step out into the quiet for a quick walk, to just . . . breath. Sometimes I get my best deep breaths of air - in those woods. It's kind of like my heaven on earth. It...

                        I love the colors of this art journal page that I did the other day . . . bright, vivid colors - they make me happy. We tend to react one way or another to a color that we come in contact with, don't we?   Soft shades of blues and greens often bring a sense of peace. Reds bring a feeling of passion and great enthusiasm. Yellows bring on happiness and joy like no other.  I absolutely love to take those Facebook quizzes that, after answering a variety of silly questions, tell you exactly the color you are. Some days I don't need a quiz to tell me what color I am feeling . . . but other days, I'm not so sure.  And these days,  I'm a variety of colors. Truly . . . every color of the rainbow. Each and every day.  Moments of calmness in my days are quickly taken over by feelings of overwhelm and great concern, then the joy peeks in, followed by worry and despair...

        I am absolutely loving life these days.  Fall. I love it even more this year than ever before.  It has always been a time of family, a time to re-group and focus, a time of great excitement before the wonderful holiday season. But this year, for some reason . . . I am feeling it all even more.  Yesterday, Katie and I had a few rare hours alone while Ella enjoyed some time over at a friends house. We made a quick stop at Target, grabbed a Pumpkin Spice Latte (because it goes with the season, you know), and took a little side ride through the forest preserve near our home while heading home. It was a gray and rainy day, but even in all the gray - the leaves were glowing in the warm colors of fall. As we drove through the park, I was in awe at the magic of falling leaves taking place around us. I usually feel like I miss the whole transformation from summer to winter - as if one day I wake up and the leaves have turned colors, and the next day I...

Oh, where do the days go?  I can't believe it is October. The leaves are changing colors, the heat has been turned on in the house, and orange and purple twinkle lights are covering our box woods in front of our home. We have entered not only my favorite time of year, but the one when I find myself most wanting to write. So hopefully, with welcomed help from the universe, I'll be more present here and will get back to writing. I miss it. I really do.  For today, just a little "hello!"  A quick greeting from me, to you.  And a new picture of the girls . . . taken just this past weekend. These girls, they have my heart. My whole heart. It's amazing how I fall more and more in love with them each and everyday - when I truly think I can't love them any more. I find myself enjoying them even more, too (which I never thought was possible). They are funny . . . really funny, with such great personalities - full of such good - kindness - caring hearts - smart - deter...

As fast as the summer came, it has left us with the beginning of another school year. Day 1. Here we are! And I don't think I've ever met the beginning of the school year with such enthusiasm as I have today. Because they are ready . . . for their next chapter. And I am ready . . . for my next chapter, too. Whatever that may be. Walking to the bus today, Ella stopped and picked up this little piece of crumbled up 'something or another'. She said, " Mom . . . look, it's a heart. You keep it with you all day, so you know that my heart is with you. " Oh, how I love that kid. Both of them, actually, which I realize is a super good thing to say . . . since I am their Mom. But I do. I never in a million years knew being their Mom would feel as good as it does. On good days, or even bad. It is the best feeling in the world. But even with all that love, comes a strong desire to take a break from time to time. And that is what school does for me - ...

I like to start my mornings sitting right here at my kitchen table, with a fresh, hot cup of coffee, and our backyard.       My red cardinal whirlie-gig that the girls bought for me.                   Our little blow up pool.                            The garden, and our sunflowers.                                     Sigh. This is my happy place. . . when the house is quiet, and the sunshine is just waking up the world outside. These are also the colors that make me happy. Lately, I can't get enough of them . . . I realized today, these are the colors of our backyard. Most mornings, I sit and watch my neighbor as he makes his way to his garden (which is right on the other side of the fence from ours.) He is a meticulous gardener, with his organiza...

Summer. It's around the corner. It's so close, that I have already had my air conditioner on this year. It's so close, that the kids are in the single digits for remaining school days (a thought that makes my stomach turn). Oh, please don't get me wrong . . . I can't wait for homework and school activities to end for a little while, but with that comes a whole new set of challenges. The miserable . . . "I'm bored" scenario. So, I set out to solve the "I'm bored!" dilemma. And my friends, I've got it all covered. You see, I am bound and determined to remove the words "I'm bored" from my children's vocabulary this summer. If I feel it coming on, I'm ready for it . . . I will simply refer the children to the Pantry Door, for our very own summer fun list. Yep . . . we.are.set. I can't take credit for it. I found the idea on Pinterest. But I will take credit for actually pinning something, and actua...

                          For those of you who may not be a Facebook friend, a little Annalee for the soul . . . because it is, after all, Downton Abbey day in the U.S.A.! (No, there is no 'official' Downton Abbey Day that I am aware of - but it is the beginning of airing season 4 for those of us in the states.) I never quite understood why the U.S. is so far behind in airing the show from when it originally appears in England. I think it is just their way of punishing us for crossing over the pond those hundreds of years ago. ;)  Whatever the case may be, the DVR is set, and I have plans to have the girls in bed promptly at 8pm tonight . . . when I will be transported to a world so very unlike my own. I am a huge fan of period movies and shows (any period piece, really, from the renaissance times, to the 1950's), and Downton Abbey truly fits the bill! Transporting to a distant land and another time is greatly welcome...

Happy New Year, dear friends, and oh-how-glad I am that it is here! 2014 . . . I welcome you with arms wide open! Those of you who have followed me for some time know that I am really into the whole " Word of the Year " or " One Little Word " idea - having a word that sums up what you want for yourself in the new year. Since 2008, I've been strongly guided by a word each and every year. Peace, balance, create, believe,  courage, and flourish . . . these words, together, make up the sum of me. When I read through my list of past words, I am reminded of how each of them pushed me when I no longer had the drive to push myself. They have helped me try to remain true to my core. So this year, I'm choosing another word to help guide me in my life - day in and day out.  Words . . . how very powerful they can be.  My word usually finds me in mid-December, just when the hustle and bustle of the holiday season starts to really get to me. This year, my word didn't ...

I'm so glad tomorrow is the last day of 2013. So glad to put the year behind and start anew. The energy when starting something from the beginning is always so good for my soul. And I am ready for it.  The holidays were wonderful in our happy, and very often chaotic, home. Yesterday we celebrated holiday gathering # 'I lost count already', and with only three more gatherings left to participate in . . . I look forward to a day when all emotions are in check (yes, there is always drama around the holidays) and for the the celebrations to come to a close. That being said . . . I thought I would share a few photos of the past few weeks with you.          The weather has been wild, and winter has already hit hard. Snow came much earlier than most years, and we've already seen record low temps in our little corner of the world. But the view from my favorite road has never been lovelier . . .          I started shopping for gifts later th...

Well, the kids have just over a month of summer break remaining . . . and I feel like we've already done so much this year, I can't imagine what's left! Well . . . yes, I can . . . because we have lots more scheduled that we'll be squeezing in the next few weeks. We've got books to read, scrapbook projects to complete, a visit to downtown Chicago planned (along with a day at the Art Institute of Chicago). We've got Summer Band Camp starting August 4th, and Girl Scout activities taking place shortly thereafter. I still have about 5 art classes to teach, and there are even more graduations and birthdays to celebrate. Yes, it's flying by . . . but we're not finished yet. This morning, I sat on the computer cropping and ordering photos from Walgreens from all of our summer fun thus far. I think I ordered over 300 pictures . . . I like to get extras when there are photos of neighbors kids and other special shots included, so I can pass them on to friends ...

                What a wonderful country we live in . . . those of us in the UNITED STATES of America, don't you think? It's easy to forget how fortunate we are, isn't it? Easy to get caught up in all the negative stuff that is out there, and really forget how absolutely amazing this country is or how completely and totally blessed we are to live here. Why, w e have freedoms that some can't even begin to think of. We have opportunities that many don't even know exist. We can have dreams, and don't have to be afraid to follow them. Yes,  I remember.   The U.S. of A. We are so very blessed. And I will never forget those who have helped us get here, either. To become "the land of the free, the home of the brave". From our founding fathers, to men and women who have fought and continue to fight to protect our freedoms. Yes, today I celebrate our Independence . . . but I also celebrate those who helped us get here, and continue to keep us her...

Do you ever wonder if birds have their own language? I mean . . . not the squawking "I'm hungry, get me a worm" kind of noises they make. I mean a full blown "don't come out of that bird house, cause this lady mowing the lawn is a nut job and will probably run you over if you land in her path" or "hey, see that newly washed shiny clean blue mini-van in the driveway? let's leave them a present right on their wind shield so they know we love them!" sort of language. I wonder about that. A lot. Did I tell you about my birdhouse? No? Well, allow me to digress . . . We had a garage sale last month. Nothing too fancy or big. Lots of the girls clothing that no longer fits and some DVD's and stuff. Whenever we have a garage sale, I usually let the extended family know, and if they have some items they'd like to sell, they are welcome to join me in the garage for the day with their table of goodies. This year, my brother-in-law came w...

So, I am renewing. Day by day. For those of you who read my last post, and those who commented with such love and support . . . I thank you. I am ok. I promise. Day by day. I've started, by spending more time outside. Getting out of the house, breathing in some fresh air (now that my allergies are more under control), getting away from the telephone and all the other things that give me anxiety and taking in the beautiful life around. I've gone on about four bike rides since my last post. Not very long ones. But long enough to close my eyes and feel the cool breeze on my face. Long enough to clear my mind and listen to the birds flying by. Long enough to get away from all the anxiety for a bit. I've also stopped eating bread. I'm trying. Again. Day by day. I had pasta last night  . . . couldn't help myself. But haven't had bread in a few days. That's a good thing. And, I'm taking pictures again . . . a lot of them. Right now, they are primarily...

. . . and I used to blog. A lot. Then I caught a cold. And I had to go to the doctor. They took an x-ray. Turns out, I had pneumonia. Bad pneumonia. (As if there is a "good" pneumonia.) I had to cancel a visitor who I had invited to my home months ago. This made me sad. :( Extremely sad. But, still, I had that pneumonia. So I had to take antibiotics, breathing treatments, cough medicine, and an inhaler .  . . for a long time. I was told to rest. So, I did just that. Then . . . my back went out on me. I went to the doctor. Again. He said it was because of the type/strength/length of antibiotics I was on for the pneumonia. My pneumonia went away. But my back was messed up. So, I stopped the antibiotics. And a couple days later, my back felt better. But then, like clock work, my allergies kicked in. Tree pollen is bad. For me. I went to the doctor. Yes . . . again. He said I was a ...

After spending WEEKS (seriously, friends . . . WEEKS) of looking out my window and seeing this... I feel so refreshed and energized to finally see this . . .   Oh, Mr. Sunshine! I'm SO GLAD you are here!   My friends . . . things were so very grim last week. Not only in terms of the weather, but in terms of the world. Our nation. Everything. It was a rough one. I found myself praying . . . a lot. Thinking. Feeling grateful for my safety. Feeling blessed for the safety of all those I know. Taking it all in, and praying for peace and healing for the world.   So, I missed "Crafty Schmafty Friday" again. I guess, with everything going on in the world and in our country last week, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. But by Friday evening . . . things were picking up . . . for all of us.   And I am so grateful for that!     Today, it's a new day. (I love our happy Frog . . . and the tulips . . . just danc...