No She Didn't

I was filling out the grueling, unending, online forms for my son's summer camp class for this year. By the time I got to filling in the parent information screen, I came across the field that asked for Mother's Occupation. First, I typed "Homemaker" - delete. Then, I typed "School Volunteer" - delete. Next, I typed "Blogger, Jewelry-Maker, College Consultant, Retired Engineer" - delete, delete, delete, delete.

I looked around and was surrounded by a clean floor, a cleared table, a pan soaking from tonight's home-cooked meal, an iron warming up and at the ready for Super Hubby's dress shirts, laundry neatly stacked waiting to be put away, paid bills awaiting their postal stamp ready to be sent, and car keys laid on the table to a minivan that drives to more extra-curriculars than events at the Olympic games. My eyes concentrated back to the Occupation field and I typed the only job I knew to describe it all. And yes, not changing a thing, I hit send!

My printed copy.

And you are, too!!! Happy Spring, friends!

Gratitude Journal Monday

Spring is the season of renewal and rebirth. It's a gift of opportunity that is laid before you but the next move is yours. So what will you do in this spirit of rejuvenation? May I gently make a suggestion that will carry you through the rest of your life, season after changing season? Begin your own Gratitude Journal, click here for help. An attitude of gratitude may very well be the secret to true happiness. I hope you seriously think about discovering this truth for yourself and perhaps, one day, you'll be happy you stumbled upon this little post. It could be the key to your own life's awakening and your replenishment of soul and spirit.

181. I am grateful for the color green.

182. I am grateful for the tenacity and determination my son displays while in the same situations I've experienced as a kid, but I crumbled under the pressure. He is so much stronger in spirit than I ever was at his age and I am thankful for that.

183. I am grateful we're on spring break and the next two weeks are promising great weather, good times, relaxation, and fun.

184. I am grateful my beautiful LOVD readers are understanding as my posts will be later, and shorter during these next two weeks of bliss and concentrated family time:-)

185. I am grateful we live in a community that has one of the best libraries around. You never realize it until you visit other libraries and think, "Wow, we truly have a treasure in our city!"

If you'd like to begin now, leave a comment declaring thanks for something in your life you could not begin to want to live without.

Goodbye Week. Hello Weekend. Lessons Learned: Take 38.

Goodbye thunderstorms rumbling through the night.
Goodbye shorts and short-sleeved shirts in the middle of winter in Ohio.
Goodbye sweet friend lunch-date at yummy Peppermint Thai.
Goodbye knowing where my talents stop and when to ask others to let theirs shine.
Goodbye precious words from you supporting and encouraging my efforts in opening my Etsy shop.

Hello finally making that maple syrup run and owning some more of that liquid gold.
Hello sunshine and outdoor fun, playing in the 70 degree sun.
Hello 17-day spring break that is massively well-deserved for my hardworking kid.
Hello crafts and cuddles and reading and cuddles and playing and cuddles and...
Hello winding down the tax preparations and almost being free for another year.

This week for my lesson learned, I was reminded that simple is best and tradition is better. My son decided on his birthday party theme this year and my husband and I got a little overzealous, shall we say, in the prospects of party planning. We put our hearts and souls into each birthday party we host and this year, celebrating a decade, is to be no exception. But this year, we've increased the number of kids in attendance and were worried our home just wasn't large enough to accommodate everyone comfortably. We found a venue that would be absolutely perfect. When we mentioned this idea to our son he gently stated the following: "I've been having my birthday party at my house for the last 9 years. Why would I want to have it some place else this year and break with tradition? I'm most comfortable at home and that's where I'd like to have the party, sorry." Well, thanks son, for reminding us whose birthday party we're planning; certainly not our own. We got caught up in the possibilities of the venue and lost perspective of the day's significance. Thanks for the reminder.


Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day and a beautiful weekend!

Bless This House

Right before the first day of spring, as nature renews its spirit and strength, so goes the renewal of spirit and strength in our home. Every year we invite our priest over to our home and perform a "House Blessing" ceremony, or "Service of the Blessing of Water".

The best analogy I have for describing this ceremony is an orange being juiced. The fruit is the home, and the bad vibes of the home, the fears, the anxiety, are squeezed out while leaving the skin in tact. The ceremony is meant to ask for God's blessings for those living in the home. As the home is blessed with the Holy Water brought by the priest, family life is again given opportunity for redemption of sin by the grace of God. It's also meant as a request (ask and you shall receive) to the Almighty that He will send His holy angels to protect, save, watch, visit and safeguard the family members.

The Father visits each room of the home, sprinkling the Holy Water using a bundled bouquet of wheat. The Father brings with him a myriad of props for this special service and I wish I took pictures of the beautiful ornamentation of each item used during the ceremony, as they are hundreds of years old. Unfortunately, I couldn't very well whip out my camera as he was conducting the ceremony and excuse myself from praying while he chanted verses. Could you imagine: "Father, I'm sorry, could you please hold that shot right there as you were coming down my stairs. My first photo was a bit blurry. Go back to the top of the stairs and try again, please." Not gonna happen.

Do you have any ceremonial traditions you do each year to help pave a clearer path to your Spirit?

What I Made Wednesday {LOVD's Team Spirit Line} A Sneak Peek

For this week's What I Made Wednesday, I wanted to share with you a line of jewelry that will soon be hitting LOVD's Etsy Shop (yes, it's still coming, soon): the Team Spirit line. I handcrafted these items to donate to a local school for their silent auction fundraiser. If you're interested in having me create a one-of-a-kind piece representing your school and your child's activities, just e-mail me! I also offer the items as a school-wide promotion, donating 10% of the total sales back to the school.

Sideline Spirit Bracelet

The Sideline Spirit Bracelet is a unique way to support your student and their activities throughout their school career while cheering them on from afar. I interweave each starter bracelet using non-tarnishing, enamel-baked, USA-made, copper jump rings. I also hand stamp a sterling silver washer pendant with the school's team name. The bracelet is accompanied by a non-tarnishing, swivel, lobster-clasp and the bracelet measures 8 inches in length, which includes a 1.5-inch extension for adjustment.

Additional sterling silver blanks can be custom stamped with any activity imaginable and may be added as charms to the bracelet. Upon graduation, your bracelet becomes a lovely heirloom piece representing your child's stellar school career. Various font choices are available for the pendant.

School Spirit Glass Pendant Necklace

Showing your school spirit has never been more stylish than with this exclusively designed, handmade glass pendant necklace. The background repeats the school's team name and overlays the school's initial in the foreground. Your pendant is customized to match your school's color scheme. The pendant is 7/8-inch-square glass and hangs from a coordinating bail, attached to a fun, stretchy bungee cord necklace.

Locker Lingo Magnet

Whether hanging inside a locker or on a refrigerator door at home, this handcrafted magnet is exclusively designed to represent your school's motto, mantra, mascot, or battle cry, even graduating year! Whichever you choose, your custom design is set behind thick glass measuring 2-inches square and uses a PowerMagnet to ensure optimum strength.

Thank you for supporting LOVD and handmade. I still haven't had time to work out all the Etsy shop opening details, but stick with me, it's coming soon!

Winner, Winner, Chicken (McNuggets) Dinner

Immense appreciation goes out to all who took the time to participate in the McDonald's Giveaway from last Thursday. Thank you!!!

 Comment #4: Amy, who said, "My fave is the Shamrock shake too."

MARCH 8, 2012 6:24 AM

Congratulations, Amy, looks like the luck of the shake worked for you! Go ahead and send me an e-mail with your mailing address and I'll get out the goods ASAP. Thanks for participating, everybody!

And, thank you to McDonald's for such a generous grab bag. Winner was chosen using random.org, a computer-generated random number selector.

Gratitude Journal Monday

The alarm starts buzzing at 5:00 am. It's the time I get up to blog the day's post. I figure I have until 6:15 am to get it all written, photos edited and all, and still get in the shower and wake up my son by 7:00 am. But, thanks to Day Light Saving, today's 5:00 am is really like 4:00 am.

I snooze the alarm once, twice, three times until I finally get up. All the while I'm not going back to sleep, I'm thinking. I'm thinking that getting up to write today's Gratitude Journal entries is not a favor I'm doing for somebody else, I'm doing it for me. So I tell myself, "Stop seeing this as an obligation. I'm the one who benefits." I look at the clock, 5:25 am. Time to get up to write this post: not because I have to, but because I want to. How about you? Not sure what a Gratitude Journal is all about? Click here and find out.

176. I am grateful my son decided his birthday party theme for this year - it's going to be tons of fun to plan! What do you think it is?

177. I am grateful my son still wants me to play imagination games with him. Yesterday in his room we were crew mates on a ship sailing uncharted waters seeking our fortunes, fighting a giant octopus, and scally-wagging the high seas.

178. I am grateful for my neighbor's good, kind heart. She borrowed a cheap, plastic Tupperware apple slicer from me and accidentally broke it. She felt so bad she bought me a Pampered Chef, stainless steel, heavy-duty apple slicer to replace it. I told her it wasn't necessary to replace but she did, so her guilt was my gain and I'm thankful for my new, beautiful slicer that's so much better than my old one.



179. I am grateful I'm becoming comfortable at being myself more and more everyday.

180. I am thankful for all of you who entered to win the McDonald's giveaway. The winner will be announced tomorrow so there's still time for more entries!!! So many ways to win great prizes!


Have a terrific Monday!
 

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