Tidy House...almost always

I cannot believe that right now I am siting on the couch despite the unpicked up house!!! Every night before going to bed I make sure that house is all picked up and everything is in it's place. By doing this we start with a fresh house where any mess that is produced is from that day only...saving time in the end.  

Yes, I know I have kids and it is expected for the house to not be so tidy but I cannot accept that for me or my family.  I have come along way in how to balance the need for a tidy and house and letting things go to enjoy our house.  Small things like picking up at night and doing some chores everyday keep me balanced.  

Now I do "allow" myself one day a week to just not pick up but more then that is pushing it. Me in the not so comfortable place is not a happy mama. The best advice we have ever recieved as new parents was from our first pediatrician "do what works for your family".  We lived by that and find what works for us....one thing for sure is a nice tidy, picked up house with balance.  

So I as I type away there are pjs in the hall, unmade beds, breakfast items out and toothpaste in the sink....however I am really enjoying this morning time laying on my couch with our open windows!

 Happy Friday!

Roller Coaster Surrender

I was reminded of this post from sometime back....

Listening to Kim Walker's song "I Surrender" this morning made me think about the word surrender.  You can find in the dictionary words like 'to give up possession', 'to yield', or 'to resign'.  However in God when we surrender we can look at the antonyms of surrender, we can 'withstand and stand firm' in Him.  We surrender, stand firm into His Grace and Love, we surrender into His blessings, we surrender into His peace and strength!  As we stand in line for the roller coaster we have that moment of hesitation as we know that we will allow the ride to take over and we give up in twists and turns.  We just take that breath, lift our hands, close our eyes and enjoy the ride with a huge smile.  How much more in God can we ride the roller coaster of surrender? We can lift our hands, close our eyes and enjoy life!

Sunday Naps

Sunday naps remind me of my childhood. We would come home from church, have lunch together and then sent to our rooms for a nap. There would be times that at some point in the early evening after our naps we would end up in my parents room all together to watch TV.  Ahh...what a great way to get ready for Monday.  On some Sundays when my family and I lived in El Salvador during my teen years we would spend the day at my grandparents house.  Depending on the day sometimes naps were taken, cousins would be over, or just lounge all together laughing.

Sunday afternoons at my parents house has become the tradition and I love it! However on Sundays like today it was spent at our home. Kids were fussy, I was tired, Bobby had homework and my parents were out with friends leaving us to just come home. It was delightful to snooze on the couch and all the kids nap.  Once we all arose the afternoon was cozy while kids played and I decorated kids rooms with some final touches. 

I think of Sunday naps and it brings such warmth to my heart. Regardless of where we spend Sundays I want the kids to feel the same way about family and Sunday afternoons. God has blessed me, blessed them with having each other to enjoy our life together!

Date Night

My husband and I have been fortunate to be able to enjoy 'date night' through the years. In frankness we have had more wonderful dates but there have been a handful of just miserable ones.  Tonight though it was wonderful! This date will go down as an all-time favorite.

As we spent the day with the kids going around to stores the rousing force was ‘were going on a date tonight’! If you have kids you well know that some days they are just more chatty and noisy than others.  Today was that day for us.  Once in the car we took our deep breaths and peeled out for a quiet time. 

Maybe our date was so satisfying because we went to eat somewhere we rarely like to go. Tonight’s restaurant choice was decided by a free steamy pot coupon my husband had. We ordered our pots with eagerness to which it did not fail. I sat there focused eating with my hands, fingers dirty with seafood, potatoes and corn. Just across from me was Bobby, doing the same thing eating with his bare husband saying ‘this is good’ every 3minutes or so.  We sat there engaging with our meal in a comfortable manner that just brought awareness that I was being myself. To be able to sit there with no worries of having to speak but being able to revel in the fact: I was there with my husband despite dirty fingers.  I love spending time with my husband. I love laughing and feeling like I am a comedian when he laughs at my comments.  I love when, like tonight, we can just enjoy sit next to each other.  

It is doing the little things that will make you both feel loved, appreciated and excited about your life together." 

Two precious words, for either the single or the married…butterflies, anticipation, heart beating, hope, reconnecting, nourishment, fun...emotions or benefits that can come with Date Night.  It’s just too easy for the weight of the world to pull you apart without dedicated time and attention for pleasurable reconnecting with your spouse. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by!

You've Got Mail

My husband and I were recently watching some show on HGTV where the designer asked "If you could live in house from any movie, which one would it be?" Both of us at the same time said 'You've Got Mail'! I loved that we both have the same living room in mind, Kathleen Kelly's home. This occurred about two weeks ago yet I remember it like some fond memory that brings warmth to my heart.

One of my favorite scenes: I love when she is typing on her computer and you see the wall bookshelf.  As I am typing I can imagine myself with a little nook where I can either read in comfort or blog on my laptop. As I sit on my couch blogging I have the movie playing in the background setting my mood for a cozy evening.

One of my favorite places in the movie:  With my husband we have had the opportunity to go to New York a couple of times. We enjoyed eating at the hot dog place Papaya Gray from the movie. It was delicious but enjoyable because of our love for the movie. Ahh I can close my eyes...see us sitting in this rink a dink chain restaurant enjoying each other in the city that inspires. I have a picture of the place framed hanging in my bedroom.

I do love my home even though at times I wish I could just stretch my arms out and push the walls giving us a bit more room. More importantly though I want us to walk into our home where we do have that warmth feeling in our hearts.  As I try to achieve that casual living inspired space like Pottery Barn I am impressed to not forget to have His love in our home. Our home is a place where we can be that safe nest for our marriage, our children, our friends and those who need to feel loved.  This statement says it all: In our home let love abide, and bless all those who step inside!

PS: Speaking of great movie lines and scenes this is my favorite....

Book Giveaway

There are many giveaways that I just ignore, consider or just forget to enter BUT when it is a book giveaway I cannot let the chance pass me.  Many of the books that I have 'randomly' read have been because of Jaclyn Day ' What I've Read' book reviews.  I am crossing my fingers on this drawing not because I want to win but she made me want to read it....take some time to enter it the giveaway, you never know!

Here is Jaclyn Day's  post and chance to enter in drawing: 

What I’ve Read: Maman’s Homesick Pie by Donia Bijan

If you’ve ever read a food memoir or food travelogue or any book by Anthony Bourdain, you may have come to expect certain things from the book. I know I do. I’ve read so many of these types of books that even the outstanding ones seem to blend into all the rest, what with their similar discussions of homemade cheeses or offal or France or great restaurants. It’s hard to write about food in an original way, and even those who do (Bourdain) are now being mimicked by hundreds of others eager for a book deal.When I saw that the promotional description for Maman’s Homesick Pie called it “heartfelt,” I thought I knew exactly what kind of food book this was going to be. I had it pigeon-holed somewhere between Ruth Reichl and Madhur Jaffrey.

To my delight, I was completely wrong. I should note that once I started this book, I put it down once—to make sugar cookies because it was making me hungry—and then picked it back up and didn’t stop until I finished in the wee hours of the morning. It WAS heartfelt. It was moving. It was beautifully written. It was hunger-inducing. It was so many wonderful things and I wished it had kept going. 

Maman’s Heartsick Pie is comprised of chef Donia Bijan’s personal memoirs of growing up in Iran, moving to the United States, being transported to Paris to study at Le Cordon Bleu and then opening her own restaurant. Tying all of this narrative together are Bijan’s memories of her mother’s cooking and of the tastes and smalls of her native Persian food. (There are 30 recipes sprinkled throughout the book, by the way.)

It’s not a long book or an exhausting read. Despite the sometimes heavy subject matter, it always feels light, thanks to Bijan’s fantastic writing. By reading my short synopsis above, you may be thinking the same thing I did: that you’ve read this kind of thing before. Seen it, read it. But, if you’re like anything like me (you love to eat, love to read about food) and have a strong sense of nostalgic to childhood tastes and recipes and food, there is no reason this book should not resonate with you as well. I started reading expecting one thing, and emerged at the other side without a negative thing to say. It stole my heart (and stomach) so thoroughly, I’m considering a re-read…and also considering making an accompanying dinner from the recipes inside.

Win a copy of Maman’s Homesick Pie!
HOW TO ENTER
Leave a comment on this post or follow link to fill out the form and you’ll be entered to win the book. Don’t forget to note if you decided to do any of the optional extra entries!

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