Easter

My favorite part of Easter for years was coloring eggs..... This year I came around to enjoy so much more of the holiday.  Having young children really awakens your holiday spirits.  This year Easter just seemed so perfectly whimsical and colorful.  I find it important to embrace each holiday, and to teach my little all the beautiful traditions that come with every one.  I try to be sure I decorate and expose her to all the colors, tastes, sounds, and activities.  Our celebrations are extended, usually starting early, and then ending shortly after the big day.   This year we had numerous Easter egg hunts, played with lots of bunnies and eggs, read Easter stories, and smelled all the daffodils. Being festive is so fun and keeps life interesting and exciting.

Sunday Snippet Vol. 3

Since last Sunday was Easter I left you hanging without a snippet -- I don't work on holidays! :)

any way, here I am early on a sunday bringing you a new "Sunday Snippet".  Enjoy!


I sometimes find beauty in messes and I think that life is sometimes so beautiful in the way it is ugly.  Think about it.  Sometimes you have to go through some shit, to get to the good, right?  And sometimes  going through the tough times teaches you so many lessons about life, about yourself, about others....It's good to remind yourself during tough times that there must be a reason for it all.... And it may not be obvious, but one day it will become clear.....at least I hope.  xo

Signing Off-
yours truly

Ben Howard

If you don't know who he is... you should definitely check him out.  I think this is a good first song to listen to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWlKZ6C7cDY&ebc=ANyPxKqy7kmxHECMW0qBhn_I5BmwpPW1tt6AmlYgu5kfFv6YHPsNAQjurJ_MsxN_FPmxQbG5wKFD0-FPhQjoAhLNc1nMJL7PXw

He is one of those artists that I frequently revisit, play the living daylights out of his albums, and then tell myself it's time to let go and move on for a bit.... I am currently in a Ben Howard phase -- I have been listening to him almost exclusively for a couple of weeks now.  I have his CD loaded in my car, and I have also been listening to everything he has to offer on Spotify... His music has so much emotion and beauty to it.  He has it all: voice, lyrics, instrumentals, (not to mention he's somewhat of a dreamboat).  Shout out to the beautiful India Bourne (also crushworthy), the cellist / bassist / percussionists/ Vocalist  who usually plays alongside him

I was  introduced to Ben Howard by a lovely girl I met at a music festival.  She is from Canada, and moved to New York for a while.  She also dated one of my good friends, we have shared some great times together from camping, to music festivals, to running on the east river in NYC and making homemade juices..She is one of those people you meet and just click with quickly and easily.  Funny how that happens sometimes. She is a beautiful soul, back in Canada now - miss you, love you xx

We actually went to see him in concert together in New York City twice.  The first time was his first show in NYC, and it was such an experience, because he was just so happy to see a crowd, and that they knew all his songs, and that we were all singing along and cheering him on.  The show was just as exciting for him as it was for us.  It was beautiful -- he is very charismatic, passionate, and super talented. He plays the guitar and does some amazing drifting solos.  I think he is classified under folk music, but I find his sound to be unique - folky, with a touch of jam band,and some classical influences. It's hard to pinpoint, but the closest comparison I could come up with is Ben Harper.  He has a very surfer boy, Jack Johnson-with-an-edge type of vibe.  His songs are artful and some are performed in a one-man-band type of manner, recording loops and layers - building the song right before your eyes. 

Just check him out.... Give him a shot.  

I am really into music, and hope to share some more of my favorites moving forward.

You're Welcome 🤗

So I totally scored this cute straw bag at Target for $5... It was in the dollar spot at my local Target. I'm pretty stoked on it. There were several colors available. I just didn't feel right keeping it all to myself....

Happy Easter

March 23rd, 2016 Notes from my iPhone

Today was strange, yet beautiful. It was a little bit of everything.  I baked, I cooked, I shopped, I totally mommed, we even had a decent attempt at an impromptu picnic.  I don't want to forget today.

I regularly think about all the things that need to be done each day and sometimes exhaust myself with my thoughts alone.  Today I was able to be leisurely and take each moment for what it was.  I had to.  I woke up feeling tense, and upset for no reason at all.  It was just one of those mornings.  I knew we were expecting beautiful weather, and I wasn't going to let my melancholy feelings bring me/us down. I took action and turned things around.

A few snaps from the cellies:

In the morning I taught her how to hunt Easter Eggs.

 

 A little light baking during naptime.





Epic Bath Time Fun.





Scored the cutest Easter loot at Target.

Impromptu Backyard Picnic Attempts





A little more hunting



 

That Smile :)
 

Under the Microscope.

A flaw of mine is that I constantly feel judged.  I frequently feel like I am under someone's microscope.  Part of me knows it's because of the way I was brought up.  I feel like both my parents were always observing everything I did, and criticizing, micromanaging, questioning, and probably even sometimes scolding me... I think my mom always felt this way with my Dad as well, so I picked up the attitude from her...It can make you very defensive, tense, and distant when you feel this way. It sometimes prohibits me from doing things, and plays into my procrastination habits -- "I will just do it when no one is around to say anything"...I think it also makes me seek approval, or as my husband and I joke, "a pat on the back"...

ANOTHER reason I feel this way is because people totally DO judge...I am constantly listening to people jump to conclusions about others based on the slightest interactions.  I know we all do it, and some are just more vocal about it than others.  And many have these judgmental thoughts and then immediately throw them away, while others hold onto them and look at you funny forever in time.

I am not sure if people just feel like they can confide in me easily, or if they can tell I am not going to judge them for their judgments, or if they just think I am right by their side making these same judgments. Perhaps, it's even just normal behavior for them regardless of their company. But I do feel like people open up to me, and tell me things about others that sometimes I am taken aback by. The thing is: I really try not to judge you, and I can relate to the things people say, because I am human, and I understand that emotions sometimes get in the way of our minds. It just makes me uncomfortable knowing that someone out there could be/ and probably is judging me somewhere...But why?

Most of the time I can talk myself through it, and say, "who cares?"  Someone is always going to have something to say.... and now, more than ever that is the case.  Because this is the age of sharing, we all share our lives away via social media, and live for likes, and the comments that come with it.  But sometimes for me, it's a bit scary, thinking about the people out there who aren't going to like what I'm putting out there, or think I am totally ridiculous, and as much as I tell myself I don't care - there will always be this part of me that....worries about the judgments being made by others out there.  I can picture people laughing together at me as they read or look at my posts - or just thinking "this girl is so annoying", or the classic "we don't care about your baby."


I googled the definition of humanity and according to Merriam-Webster online:

 It's kind of ironic that the definition is BOTH "all people" and "the quality or state of being kind to other people..."   I'm just saying I don't find it to be true that all people are kind.  And this is something I need to accept, because it is a reality, and there is no way I can please everyone or make everyone like me.  OR furthermore, make people be nice to each other... Emotions are powerful.

 Ya know, sometimes you wish you knew what people said behind your back, don't you?.....But at the same time it's kind of terrifying.  Every time I think I want to know what someone has said behind my back, I think twice, and change my mind.  It's going to sting, and it's going to stick to my brain and haunt me until I learn to let it go... but depending on what it is, how long could that take? I am not sure if I want to handle that blow.  Is that a bad thing?  I'm not sure.  There are some fears I am willing to face......and others.......well, let's say I haven't faced them yet.

I am proud of myself for already hitting my quota for the month....It doesn't hurt that I can see people are actually coming here to read.  Thanks for egging me on guys!  XO

Sunday Snippets Vol. 2

So maybe I can try to make this my new "thing" - a weekly "snippet" from my mind to yours.  What do you think?

I will give it a try.

Lately, more than ever, I have been thinking about selling all of our stuff, buying an RV, and living on the road for as long as we can make it work .  See the country, meet new people, experience different things - it's always something in the back of our minds.  It's the conventions of life that keep us grounded - family, and jobs. I always think that maybe one day the stars will align and the time will just feel right -- but will it?