Which One?

I am planning on getting a haircut this weekend and I am stuck between 2 hairstyles....  Do I go with the safe cut...

Or, do I take a chance and go for something... else.

The only problem I have with the second cut, is that it has to be done really well, or it will look really bad.  So, I am leaning toward the first one, for that reason alone.  (Now, if only I had golden blonde hair and a nice tan... I would be all set.  Ha!)

Moments to Remember

The girls are in a dream world in a room down the hall and here I sit, trying to remember all the things I told myself not to forget.  Things like Alexis yelling out "Jeepers Creatures!" whenever something excites her.  Or when Lily asks us not to go in her room because she needs "private-sy".  Sometimes I forget how important little things like that are.  I get too caught up in the world of laundry and dishes and piano practice and school reader books.  We found a box of sparklers in a kitchen drawer and decided tonight was the perfect night to use them.  Seeing their enchanted faces and hearing their excited laughter made my soul feel light.  How simple a thing like left over sparklers can be... and yet how important are those simple moments?  I think nattherat said it best here. 

Lily is always active.  Always creating something.  She has such a great imagination.  Her wish today was that she could have a "robot unicorn pegisis that could fly and do magic".  Yeah- I would love one of those too!

Alexis is... quirky.  She is always trying to make people laugh.  There was a day recently when Lily was upset about something and Lexi came running up to me telling me that she wanted to make Lily feel better... and in order to do so, she would need "some stickers" to put on her nose.  She loves to be babied and cuddled, yet she hates being the little sister and always asks if she will grow to be big like Lily.

Sometimes it is too easy to get stuck in the mundane.  I forget that these moments I love the most, will one day be but a memory.  One day these girls will be driving... graduating... going on missions...  getting married.   And it breaks my heart to think that one day their world really will be something that doesn't include me.  They will go off into the world and make all the hard decisions.  Will they remember the sparklers?

Neville was always my favorite...

I saw this picture floating around the internet and it made me laugh.  I knew I always liked Neville.  haha!

via

Organizing Inspiration

I only keep a few blogs on my "read regularly" list.  Jen from iheartorganizing is one of them.  She has the BEST ideas for organizing small and large spaces.  In her last post, she collected ideas from different blogs to create her own organized dream home.  The ideas are perfect for me now, since I have decided to start organizing everything better around here.  You can read the post at iheartorganizing.  It has inspired me to think outside the box.  It has also given me the motivation to tackle my master bath!  Since counter space in our master bath is always a source of  contention (ha!) in our home, I can't wait to see what a little organization will do to make our lives easier.  Wish me luck!

Ps> I was playing around with picnik last night and came across this picture of Lily.  When was she ever so small!?!

 And here is one after she got her very first pair of glasses.  New glasses have never looked so cute!

A New Outlook

I know that now is the time of year when many of us make resolutions.  Many bloggers pick a "word of the year".  In years past, I have had my own main idea or theme as well.  This year is different.  So many things I want to change or make better about myself kept coming to mind.  So many, in fact, that I could not pick just one that was most important to me.  So, I am going to try something different.  I have picked 6 things I want to work on this year.  Ever month (or so) will bring a new goal or focus.  Hopefully, as each month passes I can add the next goal to the list and carry on.  I feel like this way, the change really can be a permanent one.

It was so hard picking the first one.  I didn't want the first goal to be too hard or intimidating because it might just stop this whole journey before it has really even begun.  So, my first focus of the year is going to be organization.  I hope to organize coat closets to file folders to dresser drawers to craft stuff to pictures in our computer and even to organize the way I use my time.  It is going to be a challenge, but I think it is going to give me the fresh start I really need to get going.

Goal number two has to do with family.  Sometimes I feel like life takes over and I'm trying so hard just to make it through another day, that I forget the wonderful people who are in my life.  I want to focus on showing my love better to my family.  Sometimes it is hard to remember that we are all individuals and we each feel loved in different ways.  I would like to learn how to show my love better to my family and friends... the way they feel love.

Goal number three is to beautify.  I want to incorporate more beautiful things in our home.  It will require a great amount of creativity due to a small decorating budget.  Ha!  But things like finding creative and beautiful ways to display my girls' artwork don't have to be expensive.

Goal number four is to gain more knowledge.  This could be from reading, studying, watching documentaries, visiting museums, etc.  I am excited about this one.  From a young age, my parents have instilled a love of learning in me that I hope to pass on to my own children.

Goal number five is to find peace.  I know I stress too much.  I know sometimes all I need are a few minutes with silence and my own thoughts or a few moments with some beautiful music.  I know that by doing this, I will be able to be more collected and ready for those moments of chaos.

Goal six is to eat healthier.  I want to learn to make healthy dishes that taste good enough that my kids will eat it (and Taylor too!).  We really only eat out on rare occasions, so that isn't a problem, but I want to learn how to better use fresh ingredients and make meals that are quick and easy too.

So, there you have it.  There really are so many more, but I think these first 6 are going to keep me pretty busy and make quite an impact.  Here's to the new year....  I don't think of it as a new beginning, just a new outlook... and I'm excited.  :)

Sometimes there are no words....

I attended my Grandfather's funeral today.  I love and miss him.  I am not able to express how I feel, but my sister Cheryl said it the way I would have, if I could have....

Read about Grandpa here.

You had me at... Ballet

Surfing the net late at night can be dangerous...  I usually read blogs when I get home from work to wind down.  It is nice to sit in front of something inspiring.  Especially when the house is quiet.  Anyway....  One night after getting home late from work, I was reading one of my favorite blogs and an advertisement came up that I couldn't ignore.  Usually I hate it when blogs are covered in advertisements, but this one was so beautiful that I couldn't not look at it.  It was a picture of the Nutcracker ballet put on by Alberta Ballet.  So I clicked over to look at the pictures and check out when it was in Calgary.  And, as if by magic, I had printed out 2 tickets.  One for me and one for Lily.  

The whole night was wonderful.  Lily and I got dressed up and went down to the Jubilee 45 minutes early so Lily could take part in the Sugar Plum party they had before the ballet.  They had coloring stations, crown and mask-making stations, and they even had a costume station.  Lily loved it.  

The actual ballet was breath taking.  The whole time I wondered why I had never been to one before.  The ballet may just be my favorite now.  The music, the costumes, the atmosphere....  It was truly a beautiful night.

Since Lily is a school girl now, she isn't used to such late nights and fell asleep in the second act.  

It was a wonderful experience and I hope to be able to make this a new family tradition.  

Swan Lake is coming to Calgary in March, which happens to be my birthday month.  I'm crossing my fingers that I can talk Taylor into going with me.  :)  (Wish me luck).