Keepsakes for baby.

Today is October 12th. The due date of my first baby was October 11th (10-11-12!) of last year. I remember this day a year ago: I was anxious. I was a bit frustrated. I felt HUGE. I was ready, but also grateful to have a few more days to myself. I had no idea what to expect. I was worried I wouldn't know when I was in labor. I had so much on my mind. . . 

It's crazy that my baby girl turns ONE next week. A whole year. As you can imagine, I've been a little nostalgic as her birthday approaches. I love thinking about and remembering our time together so far! It's so important to me to record her life. Of course, I'm a big fan of scrapbooking and journaling, but I like to document her story in other ways too. I thought I'd share three special keepsakes from her first year of life as part of her b-day celebration. 

Creativity.

Random ramblings of the evening:

Creativity isn't just painting or sculpting or composing or designing or drawing or making. To me, creativity means creating something- anything- that wasn't there before.  It's figuring out how to arrange your canned goods in a cabinet to make it more functional. It's coming up with something for dinner using only ingredients you have on hand. It's finding motivation to exercise when you aren't in the mood. Every person is creative in how they think, behave and respond to life situations. Please don't say "you aren't a creative person". . . because I guarantee, in one way or another, you are!! 

PS. Creativity could even be discovering how to eat a banana ;)

Nourishing.

I've been thinking lately about values and how I can better orient the youth I work with to what their values are. I've read through some online lesson outlines and group protocols centered on teaching children and adults about values. This compilation includes several interventions for clarifying personal beliefs and values- I went through them and completed some of the exercises in regards to my own life. One of the activities directs participants to list three of the "most nourishing people in their lives." Nourishing. . . that word has stuck out to me so much in my mind over the past week. I looked up the meaning. Who sustains me? Who strengthens me, builds me up, and promotes me? Who gives me life, health, and growth?

Easily, the first person I thought of was my husband. He compliments me often, pushes me to develop my talents, and is my biggest supporter. He wants to see me succeed (especially in my business) and does a lot of behind the scenes work to help me (painting base coats of canvases, preparing packages, dropping orders off at the post office, caring for Tenley while I work, etc., etc.) I feel so, so blessed to have him  as my life partner. In so many ways, he nourishes me.

Some thoughts on beauty.

My dearest Tenley,

I feel like the easiest platform to communicate my thoughts right now is in a letter intended for you. Of course, you can't read it right now. . . but I hope someday you will. 

When I was in high school, I knew a handful of girls who struggled with eating disorders and had other body image issues. My heart hurt for them as they battled with the defeating thoughts Satan planted in their minds. I, myself, sometimes went through phases when I had obsessive ideas of how to look skinny and pretty (in fact, I still go through those cycles sometimes!) 

Week in the Life: Tuesday

My days look a little different every day because some days I work (I'm a recreational therapist at a residential treatment center for teenagers). It sure keeps things interesting! Here's a recap of my Tuesday September 10, 2013.  PS. I talked about the "Week in the Life" project here.

Week in the Life: Monday

This week I am joining with other scrapbookers in Ali Edwards' "Week in the Life" project. I love the idea of really trying to capture what my days are made of: routines, habits, meals, projects, moments. All the little things I don't normally remember to document and record. Here's a look at our Monday, September 9, 2013.

 A baby girl who insists on being as close to me as possible.

Football season is here!

Football season is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the energy and excitement in the air as fans cheer on their favorite teams. It's the best! Imagine the inner battle I faced when I was forced to choose between my Alma Mater, BYU, and my home state team, the University of Texas, when they faced each other on the football field last weekend. It was a dilemma, I tell ya! Of course, I couldn't pass up the chance to flaunt my Texas pride and ended up in burnt orange ;) 

My cousins are full-blown Texas fans (like front-row-in-your-face-bleed-orange fans) and we had a great time tailgating with them before the game.