Category Archives: Living Sweetly

Simplifying

Posted on February 2, 2012 by

It’s been six weeks since my lil man Landry Jay graced our lives right before Christmas. He is truly a blessing, as all babies are. We’ve been looking forward having a baby for a long time. {scratch that} I’VE been looking forward to being a mother for a long time {not that my husband hasn’t…….let me explain}. For the last 8-10 years, I’ve manipulated every minute of every day with work, social and a little bit of play — make that a LOT of play. I was getting burned out but didn’t have the heart {or cojones} to slow down, take a breath and relish in those manipulated minutes. Now I want to – NEED to slow down, cut the crap from my life and really start enjoying the simple things. I know. You’ve heard that phrase before. It’s probably overused and under appreciated. But it’s not just me I’m living for. I’ve got more important things to think about now. Hannah’s recent posts about celebrating life are really hitting home with me, particularly The digital hope chest. I love this idea and have already started sending emails to Landry. I’ve also starting reading One Bite at a Time — 52 … Continue reading →

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The digital hope chest

Posted on January 28, 2012 by

I may be a virgo, but I am not the most organized person.  I can keep my schedule and work flow tight, but when it comes to organizing photos, momentos, and other things – well I kind of just throw everything in an antique trunk.  It’s my treasure trove of memories. But as life gets increasingly digital, it becomes increasingly difficult to capture and pass on all those digital memories.  Things like facebook and vineme attempt to help you do these things with photos and personal posts.  But there is still more to capture. On Pinterest (if I only had a dollar for everytime I say that phase), I had run across an idea to create an email address for your child.  Genius!  How much easier could it be?  You add your child to your contacts and email photos, videos and notes to your child.  The account keeps it in chronological order, and you can use your subject line to describe things like “Video of you crawling” of “photo of your first snow” or  just “I love you”.  Graduation slide shows just got a lot easier! Imagine the day you tell your child about this account and give her the … Continue reading →

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Create Celebrations

Posted on January 26, 2012 by

Part of living deeply is celebrating.  Sometimes, when our lives get too busy, too crowded, we forget to celebrate, or how important the act of celebration is.   When we celebrate we are actively giving thanks for something or someone.  Just how being thankful can transform your life, celebrating the things or people you value add a layer of sweetness to your life. I found this tutorial on Pinterest.  Whether it’s a great dentist visit or a beautiful day, this board reminds you to take the time to relish the small victories in life. With every celebration, you must set the stage.  This felt “celebrate” banner from Von Maur is colorful and long lasting.  Putting this up when a great progress report comes home signals a great party is coming up.And every celebration needs a special drink to toast with.  These are perfect for the kids.  They’re so darn cute, mom may partake too. Whether you’re celebrating a made bed, clean room, completed project or Tuesday, recognizing and giving thanks for the event will provide a smile to your face and a memory in your heart. (I really did just write that last line.  I know it’s so cheesy, but seriously, … Continue reading →

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Adding a little sweetness to each day.

Posted on January 24, 2012 by

Living simply, sweetly and deeply – this is my new year’s resolution this year.  For me this means slowing life down by relishing and celebrating the small moments that fill our days.  In my last post I talked about easy ways to collect those small magical memories.  I showed two great ideas.    Here’s my memory keeper for 2012: Now that I am focusing on capturing these moments, I find myself thinking of other things that make an every day a little more sparkly.  Like homemade milkshakes served with Monday’s dinner. Or a killer game of Uno after nap time. Or finding paw prints in the snow. Or making colored “glass”. These little activities are inexpensive and simple.  But the spontaneous fun? Well it’s irresistible.        

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Capturing Bliss

Posted on January 9, 2012 by

Each night, as I drift off to sleep, I replay the day and am overcome by the moments of pure bliss that sneak in, settling among the routine play of our days.  Maybe it’s having children, maybe it’s just being thankful, maybe it’s just life.  But I find myself reliving those moments wishing I could desparetly hang on to them.  And then poof they’re gone, replaced by more sweet moments. I came across this on Pinterest the other day. And I fell in love. How amazing is this?  What a gift to yourself.  But then reality hit. One of our facebook followers saved the day.  She told us her mom wrote their memories on the family calendar.  When she passed, they had years of calendars to look through, cherish and smile.  Days and days of bliss captured so simply. So this year, I took our photo calendar that I made as Christmas presents for the grandparents and our family, and I began capturing our memories.  Just sweet little one lines like “played a mean game of uno in our jammies”  or “made lasagna together”. I hope one day I will have time to sit down and make the daily memory … Continue reading →

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