I am trying...

... to be patient! Waiting on a big brown truck and a big white truck to get here can be so nerve wracking. I'm afraid to even go to the bathroom in case I miss them! Hahahaha! I'm not that bad, but almost!

Change of Plans and Letting go of the Wheel!

I started out today with an almost immediate change of plans. The photoshoot that I thought was supposed to happen this morning is instead happening Thursday morning. That's fine, because the new camera should be here by then (crossing fingers!).

The camera and lenses are expected to arrive sometime tomorrow. Originally, I had planned on going to SC to visit my grandmother on her 88th birthday. Today, I realized one of the packages coming FedEx needed a Direct Signature, meaning they will not leave the package on the doorstep no matter what and they would reattempt delivery the next day. So I began to stew over not being here tomorrow when FedEx came. But I just said to myself that I waited this long for this new camera, I can wait an extra day... I had made a prior committment and I should keep it! So, I was ok with that! I felt good about my decision. It was bittersweet, but I knew it was the right choice, and I made the choice joyfully, without resentment at not being home to accept the deliveries.

Matt came home slightly before 4pm this afternoon which surprised me. His car has been leaking oil for quite a while. We attempted to repair this leak back in November but it just didn't work. He decided to call the shop he took it to back in November and talk with them about the situation. This resulted in an appointment for the car in Asheville on Friday. We will drive the car to Asheville either Thursday night or bright and early Friday morning, and be sans car during the day on Friday.

So, I call my mom to inform her of this, and ask her if we could postpone our SC trip (she was going to meet me in SC at my grandmother's place tomorrow) until Friday and Matt would be able to make the trip to SC then. She will come rescue us from the shop and we will all make the journey to celebrate my grandmother's birthday on Friday. That leaves me home tomorrow to accept the packages tomorrow, and the rescheduled photoshoot will more than likely be with the new camera, and Matt gets to come with us to help celebrate my grandmother's birthday!

I did not try to force things to work out as perfectly as they did. I saw the opportunities given to me and worked them to everyone's advantage, not just my own. You know that old saying, "Patience is a virtue." Patience, while it can be hard to maintain, always seems to help me out in the long run. Don't try to take control of every little thing that comes your way. Sometimes, we all need to sit back and, like the Carrie Underwood song says, let Jesus take the wheel.

Below is one of my absolute favorite verses from the Bible. If you let the Lord take control and trust in His perfect planning and timing, the truth of this verse should ring loud and clear for you!

Isaiah 40:31
But those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

A Clean Start to a New Week

Finally, for the first time in what seems like weeks, I am starting Monday like I am supposed to! I'm caught up on chores. My house is sparkling clean and we are all on the road to recovery from our colds. I still have congestion and Aiden's nose is still runny, but we all seem to be feeling about as close to 100% as we can! I'm excited to get back on my schedule and blessing my family through all the things I do.

Another thing to look forward to for this week is the rising temperatures. The forecast for the weekend has temperatures up in the 80's! Yay!! After the sleet last week, and below freezing temperatures we've been waking up to for the past few mornings, more normal spring time temperatures are very welcome!

Tomorrow morning I have a photoshoot for a new friend I met from my local mommies group. Her son is 13 months old, but I am going to do one year portraits for her. It's exciting yet terrifying to take pictures for other people like this. I put so much time, energy, and creative thought into capturing just the right shot. It is scary putting that out there for someone else to criticise!

Wednesday, Aiden and I will take a drive to SC to visit my grandmother. Her birthday is 3/29, and she will be 88! I can't believe it. I don't think she can either!! This will be the first time she's seen Aiden in quite some time, so I'm sure she will have a wonderful day spending time with him.

New pics have been added to the photoblog. They were taken this weekend. Dare I say it, they are adorable!! Check it out at Cat's Photos, or follow the link to the right, under the Photography section of links.

Must close now, and get started on the Monday chores, and have some playtime with Aiden.

New Soup Recipe!

I had about a cup of dry lentils stored away in my dry goods and I knew I had an onion in the refrigerator that needed to get used. I found a super easy Lentil Soup recipe on Allrecipes.com. It is simmering right now and it smells so yummy! I'm a soup nut. I love creating concoctions from leftover vegetables and beans and sometimes left over meats. I always try to keep some dry lentils and barley on hand to add to my soups to add in a little bit of nourishment to an already super good for you soup! Anyway, here is the soup recipe:

Lentil Soup II

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cups beef broth (although I'm sure you could use chicken or even vegetable broth)
1 cup dry lentils, rinsed
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In large saucepan over medium heat, combine the oil and onions and saute for 5 minutes, or until onions are tender. Add the broth and bring mixture to a boil

2. Add the lentils, sauce, and seasoning. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

I'll report back as to how it turns out. I can't wait to try it!

Rings and things...

I couldn't think of a title for this entry, and I was twirling my wedding band and engagement ring on my finger as I was thinking of what the title should be. Hence the now chosen title.

I had some free time this afternoon since Aiden is taking a much needed nap. I was searching through our archived pictures on our computer from past vacations. It spurrued a new idea for the photography side of my blog. Go check it out at your leisure.

It's nice to finally be caught up on the regular day to day chores of the house. The only thing that is ongoing is laundry, of course. Today I was able to do some spring cleaning on the panelling and trim in the house. I also got the fronts of the kitchen cabinets cleaned. I keep procrastinating cleaning my desk area. It will take me a while to get it just how I want it, so I guess I'm waiting for 'the right time' to do it. They say there is no time like the present, but it's just not going to happen right now!

I have exciting news! The long awaited digital SLR purchase has transpired. We preordered the Canon 30D last night along with the EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM and the 50mm 1.8 prime lens. I can't wait for it to arrive so I can learn more and expand upon my photography skills.

We have a dinner date with a couple tonight at their house. They have a son the same age as Aiden, so it will be fun to let the kids play and for us grown-ups to have some adult conversation.

Have a wonderful Saturday.

New Photo Blog!

To help with organization, I have moved all of my photography posts to another blog.

You can check it out here: Cat's Photos

A Picky Eater and the Hope of Spring

I am typing this as we are having our second attempt at breakfast this morning. He had a sippy cup of milk and a bagel at First Breakfast. He ate most of his bagel half and proceeded to fuss until I got him out of his high chair. He didn't even want to eat the banana I had offered him! This is the same kid who we can't stroll by the bananas in the grocery store for fear of having a toddler tantrum meltdown because he can't have a banana right then! Anyway, MAYBE twenty minutes had passed since he finished First Breakfast and he is in the kitchen saying "cereal," pointing to the box of Kashi up on top of the refrigerator. He is now in his chair eating that (I think), and he even now sounds like he doesn't want to sit in his chair and eat. He's been eating dinner with us in a big person chair in the evenings.. maybe he just doesn't like his high chair anymore... Oh the joys of figuring out our toddlers with their limited ability to communicate.

So, I felt really BAD yesterday, but today I feel much better. A little congestion is left behind, but I don't feel anywhere near like I did 24 hours ago. I will work hard today getting the house cleaned up and back on track again with my cleaning. Something is trying really hard to keep me from fulfilling and sometimes even wanting to fulfill my goal to bless my familiy with a clean home and laundry and good food to eat!

The weather is still chilly, but at least the sun is shining. I can't wait until warm weather really arrives. I always seem to be such a happier more energetic person when the weather is warm. By late winter/early spring, I am just run down and lethargic. I'm ready for more sun and more warmth to energize my physical body and my soul!

Happy Thursday everyone!

Song of Solomon 2:11-13


11 See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
12 Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me."

Being Productive

Productivity seems to run in spurts for me. I can go a few weeks being productive, and then I will get into a slump where I just feel the need to be LAZY. That is how I feel right now, and this cold dreary weather we are having isn't helping matters one bit! Hopefully I can get back on the right track of my 4 day cleaning schedule so I won't be playing catch-up on the weekends for a while.

On the agenda today is dusting, wiping down counters and tabletops, and the ever-present mountain of laundry. I've basically given up ever having all of the laundry done; having a toddler makes this seem pointless! We get so many clothes dirty, especially when the weather is warmer and we are outside playing more.

Aiden seems to be feeling better today. He slept a good chunk of yesterday and slept solidly through the night last night, which gives him some much needed rest. I will encourage him to take it easy again today so it gives his body a chance to heal itself. He isn't wanting to eat very much; all that congestion makes food taste funny to a little kid. Right now, we are contributing to his Winnie the Pooh obsession as we watch The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I'm still praying that the sickness leaves this house so we can all feel well again.

Even though he was feeling 'under-the-weather' yesterday, he did have a few true toddler moments. One time he fell, and I'm not even sure how he did it, even though I did see him fall.. I just missed what caused it. He did a belly flop on the floor. And he also did an Evil Knievel impression on his Rockin' Trike. I will post a picture later.

OK, I'm off to get my day started now that Aiden is awake and has had a tiny bit of breakfast.

Happy Tuesday! :) And unless you have a good reason not to... BE PRODUCTIVE!

My very first...

WORD CLOUD!!  I thought it would be neat to see how my word cloud changes as my blog grows.

Word Cloud #1

"Somebody has a case of 'The Monday's.'"

If you've seen the movie "Office Space," you definitely understand that quote!

Sickness has invaded our home yet again! Matt has been battling a cough/headache/congestion this weekend, and of course Aiden now seems to have it. Pray it does not result in another ear infection... those are NOT fun.

Today I will try to finish playing catch up as far as the housework goes. We are having our St. Patrick's Day dinner 3 days late. I just put a corned beef brisket in the crock-pot to cook all day. I will cook cabbage and some rice later.

Hopefully I will get some pictures of Aiden today, if he doesn't look too sick. An online pregnancy/baby forum I participate on does a Picture of the Week thing every week. This week's theme is supposed to be of our baby's reading books. It's neat seeing all the babies, and of course it's a great excuse for me to take more pictures!

Here is a verse from Luke 12 I ran across while perusing a few different websites. It goes along with the Thurgood Marshall quote I posted a few days ago. Is someone trying to tell me something?

"There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs."
Luke 12:2-3 NIV

Happy Monday!

Catching up...

I've been playing "catch up" most of this week, as far as getting things done around the house. Luckily Matt is out running errands this morning and he took Aiden with him, so I should be able to get a few things done with no distractions, of course after I am finished with my computer time!

Yesterday we had a nice visit with a friend I had never met before! We have conversed through an online forum, and subsequently through emails and instant messenger. She was travelling through the area on her way to visit some family, so she stopped by and we went to have lunch together. She will be around for a week, so we are planning on getting together one more time this week before she heads back to Georgia.

This past Wednesday I went over to a friend's house to take pictures of her new little baby. This was my first time taking pictures with a real intent of pleasing someone else with my photography, which is a rather different side of the fence to be standing on! It's scary to show your artistic creation to someone, not knowing whether or not they share the same tastes as you. Thankfully, my friend LOVED the pictures, and I will be ordering some prints for her! I still have a little bit of tweaking to do on some of the pictures, but the majority of the work is done. I can't wait to see the finished product. I'm anxious to see if the prints look as nice as they do on the computer!

I must close.. it's now 9am, better get to work so I have something to show for myself when my boys get home!

Happy Saturday everyone!

Intentions

"What is the quality of your intent? Certain people have a way of saying things that shake us at the core. Even when the words do not seem harsh or offensive, the impact is shattering. What we could be experiencing is the intent behind the words. When we intend to do good, we do. When we intend to do harm, it happens. What each of us must come to realize is that our intent always comes through. We cannot sugarcoat the feelings in our heart of hearts. The emotion is the energy that motivates. We cannot ignore what we really want to create. We should be honest and do it the way we feel it. What we owe to ourselves and everyone around is to examine the reasons of our true intent. My intent will be evident in the results."
Thurgood Marshall
American jurist and lawyer. 1908-1993

Before you say something, write something, or type something, think of the intentions you have for your words. Upon closer examination, many times what we say isn't exactly what we mean. Think about this quote today, and if your actions or words are intended to hurt someone, do everyone a favor and say nothing at all.

We're a bunch of sickos!

Well, not anymore! Aiden was the first to come down with some sort of cold/flu bug. He was feverish, had an upset tummy, and was super congested for a while. Then Matt caught the bug, and he seems to be on the mend now. Next, Aiden's congestion resulted in an ear infection, and then I caught some sort of stomach bug. It has so not been fun the past week or so!

Anyway, we all finally got outside together yesterday, and I was able to snap a few pics! In one of the below pics you can really see that Mr. Aiden doesn't look quite up to snuff yet! We are sooooooo ready for spring to get here... warm weather and and a healthy family!

Check them out here!

Ever had one of those days...

Where you just feel like a failure at most things you do? Well, if you have ever been parent to a toddler, you have probably felt this way!

Today, nothing would make Aiden happy. He's been a little under the weather the past several days, but I am fairly certain his crankiness is NOT from being ill. He's just being a pest to me! Seriously, he is such a 'tester.' He tests me with everything. He fights me with everything. Even simple tasks, such as washing a few dishes, can turn into big ordeals for me during the day. Anytime the water runs at the kitchen sink, Aiden feels it his God-given right to splash his hands in the running water, and heaven forbid you don't let him!!

I know one day I will look back on his toddler antics and, while still knowing the headache he put me through, I will be able to laugh at it all... When will that day come?