Of course there are outer circumstances that throw me off track, or intersect my track. My neighbor had a son on Christmas day, and I've been helping her some with getting her other two boys to and from school (they go to the same preschool as Jordan). The poor woman, her first day on her own and her washer broke, flooding her kitchen. I got back from taking the kids to school to find her wading through her kitchen. It made me thankful that I didn't have a flood or a newborn. In addition, my father in law has been having some health issues that they are having difficulty diagnosing. He's been in and out of the hospital and seen several doctors each week. They were getting ready to try to send him to John Hopkins or the Mayo clinic to try to figure things out when he began to feel better. This has caused much upheaval in both our personal lives and my husband's professional life (as it's a family run business and my FIL is in no way retired).
This week my husband has decided to quit smoking (thank all that is holy). He has quit before but never for any real length of time. I am really praying that it works this time. You would think, as an ex smoker and recovering alcoholic, that I would have more support or wisdom to offer...Apparently you would be sadly mistaken. The other day he sent a text that he really missed the taste. I told him to go lick an ashtray as it was about the same. Yep, that's me; I'm just oozing sympathy.
On a different note, I came across a website called the Winter of Wellness. It is about "Igniting Optimum Health in All Areas of Your Life." Four days a week there is a track you can listen to (via phone or computer) on one of four areas--Body, Mind, Heart, Soul--with one of the pioneers in these areas. I am listening to the tracks later, after the kids are in bed and I'm able to listen without interruption. These sessions are amazing. This whole summit is put on the The Shift Network, which I had never heard of before last week. Their tagline is "Accelerating the Next Evolution," if that gives you any idea of their purpose. This ties in with so many other moments and areas in my life that I know it is not coincidence that I stumbled onto this site.
In between all of this, I have been sticking with my New Year's resolution, which has to do with follow through. I am determined to actually carry out all my great plans and ideas instead of just starting them and setting them aside for later. I am terrible about beginning a project all gung ho and losing interest when it gets down to the less exciting aspects of it (like the actual mundane work) and moving on to another project. So, back to the actual follow through part. I bought an antique bench in November. It was in pretty good shape but needed some cosmetic help. I decided it would be a good starter project for me and opted to paint and recover the bench. A week and a half ago I got my girlfriend to go with me to pick out some fun fabric and then to get some paint. I (with the help of Chase on the recovering part) finished the bench Saturday night. I learned some new things, such as what NOT to do, but I think it came out pretty well. I'm happy with the end result, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. It matches my bedroom perfectly, which is unfortunate since I don't need it in there! I'm sure I'll find the right home for it eventually...
I'm thinking my next project might be the cute little rocker I bought for the kids that is in great shape but could use a coat of paint to brighten it up. We'll see. I don't want to start anything until I've got the time to finish it...There's no rush on the rocker since they have an awesome cardboard box to play in right now. Chase brought it home from work the other day, and they LOVE it! They use it as a car, a bed, a fort, or they sit in it to watch T.V. I've been able to get some great pictures of them while they are being still in their box.
5 comments:
Loved the photos and your projects.
Kiddies are growing in the few months I have been away.xx
Your photographs are becoming very professional looking, Whitney. And you have beautiful children to photograph. What a great job you did on that bench! It's always so good to hear from you...
My goodness you're busy. It is hard to finish all projects that we start but the bench was worth the effort. The photos look very interesting and polished. I love photos of the little ones. I try to photograph my grandchildren, but it is not easy to take one that isn't a blur.
Your photos reminded me that I saw an interesting story on the Today Show about Adele Enersen who did a book called When My Baby Dreams. It was very creative and inspirational. http://photodonuts.com/adele-enersen
http://www.amazon.com/When-Baby-Dreams-Adele-Enersen/dp/0062071750
Good job on the stool! Finger sucking was so hard to leave behind for two of mine. Peer pressure was all it took for Jill. She was such a social child and did not want anyone to see her, so she simply quit. Her twin, Jeff, was a different story. They both sucked the two middle fingers of their right hands. Jeff is left handed and could do all his school work with his fingers firmly planted in his mouth. He could even talk around them. When he was NINE, yes, nine years old, I was a nurse in the ER. One day I was helping remove a cast on a child who proudly announce that he had quit sucking his thumb because he couldn't reach it for the six weeks his arm had been casted. So, being the good mom that I am, I convinced the ortho I was helping to stick around until I could get my kid to the ER and we casted his hand! It was a plaster cast and the little devil worked a hole in it to get to his fingers! The same ortho applied a plaster cast for a month that prevented him from bending his elbow.
No, it didn't work. He is 35 now. He doesn't suck his fingers anymore, but he still very tactile. He rubs his thumb and forefinger together and will absentmindedly rub fabrics like corduroy. I have heard my son-in-law (who is fond of corduroy pants) warn Jeff to keep his hands off his leg if they are sitting near each other. I find these little habits to be endearing now.
My youngestwas a finger sucker, too. The dentist put an appliance in the roof of her mouth to make it uncomfortable. She is 32 and I think she still puts those fingers in her mouth when she sleeps!
Wow, so much here. First of all - I love Shift Network. They do good work. The photos of the kids in that box are priceless. Sooo cute. Love the bench and relate totally to starting things and not finishing them. As for the thumb sucking - give it up - they will quit when they're ready. My parents tried everything - hot sauce, wrapping it, begging, pleading, and I still sucked it until I was 13! The only thing that made me give it up was peer pressure, lol.
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