Folding Clothes

Now most people don't love folding clothes and I can't say that I do either.  This morning though, I was folding my daughters clothes and was reminded of three things that I am thankful for.  I was reminded that these clothes that I am folding are ones that I didn't have to purchase.  Thanks to a wonderful family member we get all the hand-me-downs in clothes.  And thanks to her family all of the clothes we get are top notch.  My daughter is dressed to the nines all the time and I am thankful that there are family members who are generous.  Not only am I thankful for the clothes, but I was reminded that there were little people who wore those clothes.  Today I'm also thankful for my nieces.  They are wonderful little people, full of energy and a uniqueness all their own.  It's been really cool to watch them grow up even if there is a great distance between us.  Finally, I'm thankful for the little person who gets to wear these clothes.  My daughter is a great addition to our family.  We love her silly little laugh and her serious looks.  I only hope that as she grows into her personality and her new clothes that we raise her the right way.

Today I'm thankful for: super nice hand me down clothes, my nieces and my daughter Millie.

I'm back

I haven't posted in quite some time.  I have a bunch of lame excuses as to why, but the truth is I haven't made it a priority.  I won't promise one a day or anything, but I do hope to be back more often.  Enjoy my latest post.

Day 33

I've never been big on spending money on things that are super comfortable or nice. I just have never seen the need. For my 30th birthday Elissa surprised me by bringing me to one of my favorite places on the earth. At this place I was introduced to Sky Chairs. These are hanging chairs that feel like a hammock. They have a nice foot rest and some have drink holders. So I decided that we would get a couple of these things. We bought two of them for Elissa's birthday. Well, what started out as a great idea got shelved for a bit....like 5 years. They sat in a box and were never hung. We honestly didn't have a place to hang them from.

When we moved into this new house I was determined to put these things up. We found a place on the front of the house to hang them and I got them up the first weekend. Needless to say that was the best investment of time and money we have ever made. We have used

them every weekend since they have been put up.

Today I am thankful for our Sky Chairs.

Day 32

As I get older I find my interests shifting to new things. In most areas those have been welcome changes. For example, I have taken a big interest now in parenting. That may seem obvious as I am now a parent. Another area I have taken a new interest in is gardening. To be sure I have always liked to play in the dirt and spent many years working at a garden center. This new interest has been motivated by my new interest in food.

The area that has been of most interest and an area of thankfulness is books. I have come to truly devour books and long for more. I have a myriad of reading interests now and it has come as a welcome surprise.

Here is a quick list of some of the books I have read:

Crazy Love - Francis Chan

Transforming Church - Kevin Ford

Guitar Lessons - Bob Taylor

Blue Ocean Strategy - Chan Kim

Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller

Bootstrapers Bible - Seth Godin

Unfinished Business - Lee Kravitz

Courageous Leadership - Bill Hybels

Today I am thankful for the new books and new love of reading in my life.

Day 31

One of our most recent purchases has been something that will hopefully motivate us to be more active as a family. So far, so good. We bought a used bike trailer off of Craigslist. We have used it a few times and really enjoyed it. It has also shown me how far I have let myself get out of shape. The trailer and kids weighs almost 100 extra pounds. My hope is that during our short summers here in Portland we will get much use out of it. I also secretly hope that Elissa will want to tow the kids occasionally!

Today I am thankful for the trailer we purchased for our bike.

Day 30

I recently was reacquainted with my lawnmower. When we moved into this new house the joy of mowing the lawn became mine again. In all honesty, I have to tell you that purchasing my lawnmower 8 years ago was one of the least satisfying purchases I have ever made. I usually do great research, scout out the best prices, find the best rated store and then plop down my hard earned cash for a well thought out purchase. Not so with my lawnmower. I went over to Sears (I think because we have always bought our lawnmowers from Sears) found one that looked like it would do the trick and came home with it. I didn't buy the self propelled model or the one with the biggest motor on it. I bought a cheap one that had a rear bag.....and it happened to be green which is my favorite color. Now when I mow the grass at least I know that I like the color of the machine I bought.....so there is some satisfaction.

Mowing the grass is one of those chores that doesn't deliver the full satisfaction until it is complete. For me I have to mow, string trim the whole yard and then sweep up any grass clippings that got on the driveway. It's a process to say the least! Once it's done and I can stand back and look at the nicely cut lawn I feel good about my efforts and the machine I bought. For some people I think it's just a "get'r done" type of chore. Others must be mechanical engineers or something.....you never see one blade of grass out of place. I'm somewhere in the middle.

Probably the best part of cutting the grass though is the fresh smell you get once it is done. I love that smell. I might even bottle it and sell it if I could.

Today I am thankful for my lawnmower which brings me the satisfaction of a cut lawn and the smell I love.

Day 29

Have you ever met that person (besides your spouse) that just knew you? Have you ever had a conversation where someone could speak to your soul? Have you ever had someone who could tell you about yourself in a way that just made sense? I have and do.

In my life that person is called a mentor. Some choose to say they are BFF. I don't believe in BFF....but I digress. I am blessed to not only have one mentor, but three of them.

A couple of weeks ago I met with one of my mentors. I had to drive a round trip of 6 hours to meet with him, but it was well worth it. It was one of the most refreshing conversations I have had in years. K was able to speak to me, about me, in ways that made me refreshed and full. The words said were like a breath of fresh air to my soul. The conversation helped affirm so things I knew and gave light to some that I wasn't sure were true.

Today I am thankful for mentors in my life who feel bold enough to speak to me in ways that soothe my soul.