peaceful

We just returned from our holiday trip. We were blessed to get to spend some of our time with family at a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was a peaceful place for our holiday gathering with my husband's family. The boys love to spend time with their cousins. During this visit, they spent hours constructing and playing in "forts" in the woods.

The cabin faces southeast, so we soak in the incredible colors of the sunrises and sunsets over a breathtaking view. We can take things at a slower pace and just hang out together with few distractions.

Prior to our trip to NC, we had a quiet Christmas morning at home. My oldest was so excited for his little brother to open his gift since T had put time, thought and his own money into the gift. He was tickled with his little brother's excitement. As of yet, my youngest is not as enthusiastic in the "giving" aspect of the holidays. My mother-in-law took the boys shopping earlier this month for their gifts for me. They were both eager for me to open their gifts. A sweet time indeed.

This year, my gift to the boys was a trip, just before Christmas, to Williamsburg and Jamestown. We spent our first 2 days and 1 night at the Great Wolf Lodge. They had a blast seeing the sights, visiting with Santa, playing a scavenger hunt game in the lodge and playing at the inside waterpark.The next 2 days/nights were more low key as we visited the Jamestown Settlement and Colonial Williamsburg.

I would like to say tonight as we returned home and wrapped up our holiday week...that the day ended serenely. Alas my youngest capped off our evening here at home with a few all-out-temper-tantrums over the dinner selection and my request for him to put away his new toys.

currently listening to:
a dripping faucet

dinner:
ham, corn pudding and edamame

currently reading:
the silver chair
living in the land of enough
luke

today grateful for:
family
home
safe travel
God

Getting things done

I often wish for a few free days in order to clean and organize my house. For the past week or so, I have had my wish but I have not been making the best use of my time. In reality, when I do not strictly schedule my free time, I waste time and in the end I am more disorderly that on my busier days. So I need to find a way to make myself feel like I have a frantic deadline to fool myself into getting myself in gear.

Truth be told, I have a few OC tendencies which paired with my perfectionist, procrastination avoidance tendencies are an unhealthy mix. I inherited my mom’s depression era flawed thinking of “I might need this someday.” Arggh! I hate that I cannot just go through my clutter swiftly and dispose of stuff. Occasionally I watch those horrific hoarder shows in order to scare myself. Grief has not helped in that; sometimes I want to cling to some of Andy’s things. I think I do not want to deal with the feelings related to parting with them or I want to keep them for the boys. I hate having emotional attachment to things.

Those same perfectionist tendencies keep me from blogging, since I sometimes will work on a blog writing and rewriting and still be unsatisfied with my efforts. So today at least I am publishing this post without reconsidering it so that I can get off my duff and off the computer and get to some of the necessary tasks at hand.

Currently listening to:
the portable heater

Breakfast:
oatmeal

Currently reading:
Be Joyful
How to unspoil your child
A walk in the woods
Two chai day
Heaven is for real
(I tend to read multiple books at a time-my indecision and moodiness.)

Today grateful for:
being able to get my hair done
good child care
good health
working automobiles
vacation time
God’s provision
God's presence