Tis the season

Tis the season to cook and clean and buy and spent and.......

Sound familiar?  It happens.  We get so consumed with perfection we forget what the holidays are all about. The perfect dinner, the perfect gift, a perfectly clean house.....I will be the first one to admit I strive for perfection.  I like my holidays to go smoothly and I hate to be in a big rush.  How do you avoid this?  Well for me I just plan ahead, I make lists of all the stuff that needs to get done and then break it down into something that can be done however many days ahead of time.

Last night I roasted my pumpkins for pie and began cutting out fabric for a yo-yo garland I am making.  Today when I get home from work I will probably seed and peel my pumpkins. And since I need to pick up the Hubs later I may bring my knitting or sewing with me to get a little done on the ride home. Tomorrow I have to make a dessert for Little Birds Thanksgiving Dessert party on Friday.  We will get some cleaning done when the Hubs is off for his two pass days.  I have been doing a few small upkeep chores before I go into work that have to get done but allow me the time in the afternoon to do some bigger cleaning tasks.  Planning ahead makes me less stressed about getting things done.

I know from now until after New Year's our weekends will be packed with parties, baking, wrapping, shopping, and preparing that I get really stressed out.  Last year I was given the best advice.  Take a life break for the entire month of January.  No parties, running around, baking, etc.  I felt so much better that I took the time to relax and enjoy my weekends.  This was the best advice ever!!  Thanks Karen!

Another thing I need to remember is to step back and enjoy.  Imperfections and all.  Remember, no one will remember that you didn't wrap their gift like Martha Stewart.  Or that the cookies were a tad overcooked.  Or you forgot the gravy......Wait, no my family still hasn't let me live that one down.  What they will remember is that they had a wonderful time with their friends and family.  And really isn't this what the holidays are all about?

Right now.....

I love documenting the randomness of my children, whether through pictures, videos or just writing it down.  I wanted to give you a glimpse into my thoughts and how sometimes we are very random ourselves.  So here are some of my thoughts from this morning............

Right now it is 7 o'clock in the morning.....

Right now I am watching the sunrise over the trees through the back sliding door.

Right now the wind is slightly blowing and shaking the last of the leaves off of those trees.

Right now the Hubs is sleeping and is missing this beautiful sunrise.....

Right now it is very brisk outside.

Right now I am thinking about how I am slowly becoming more of a morning person.

Right now our Belgium Sheepdog, Bear, and Bronwyn are basking in that sunrise as it stretches across the living room floor.

Right now the girls are at their Mema and Papa's, I miss their laughter this morning!

Right now I wish that my kids would stop growing up so quickly.

Right now I realize I need to stop and focus more on my kids right now while they are still young.

Right now I should be folding towels and trying to get a handle on the run away laundry.

Right now I am doing some research instead of chores.

Right now my house is a huge mess....

Right now I don't care about the above because my children are happy, my husband is happy and everyone is well loved, a spotless house is just low priority in the scheme of things!

Right now I am re-reading the homemade card I made for the Hubs for our anniversary......

Right now I am thinking about how content I am with life......

Right now I am trying to figure out how to sell the idea of re-purposing the old slop sink as a potting bench to the Hubs.....He is not convinced!

Right now I am thinking about how I need to mulch the garden this week and chop up leaves, get hay and manure.

Right now I am thinking it is now 9 o'clock the Hubs is still sleeping, I should wake him up and I should begin my chores for the day....

Right now I am truly hoping you all have a wonderful day!

This moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Living in the land of milk and honey......

Sorry guys, I just started a new job a few weeks ago and have been running around like crazy ever since!

Anyway, I was talking to a friend about getting raw milk and the fact that it is close to me.  She basically said to me that I live in a wonderful magical place where fruits and veggies are abundant directly from the farms not the supermarket.  I started thinking, not to toot my own horn, but I do live in this magical place where agriculture is still very much a way of life.  There are about 46 farms in my area from Kingston to Ellenville.  46.  Wow.  Not all are organic but some practice organic methods of farming, some don't.  Some truck in out of season fruits and veggies, some don't.  It all depends on where you go.  This is why it is important to know your farmer!

http://www.rondoutvalleygrowers.org/rondout_valley_growers_map.cfm

I wouldn't change where I live for even a moment.  How about you?  Do you live in a land of milk and honey?