Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Let The Light Shine In!

Damaged wood=damaged window=a giant HOLE in our living room wall for the last month...

Thank God the parts came in this week and we have our beautiful window, and more

sunlight again!

Yeah! (and YES, that is a giant cardboard space shuttle in our living room!)

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Today's Memory

While I was folding laundry this morning, Juliana (my 3-year-old) picked up the dryer sheet and said to me,

"Mom, we can't recycle this, can we?"

"No, we can't honey," I said.

"But we can REUSE it!" she said excitedly, and she happily went off to clean the house with it!

Hallelujah!!!! I am SO proud of her!!!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Reflection


Last week I received a letter in the mail from the subscription department of my beloved Kiwi Magazine (a magazine dedicated to growing families in the most healthiest ways possible) letting me know that there was an "issue"with my account. Obviously, I was concerned, as I had paid my subscription about 3 months ago, and had a receipt to verify. So today, I finally got online, went to their web site, and quickly grabbed the first contact phone number I could find.

Well, after I rambled on and on for about two minutes, The (very kind) woman on the other end replied that she worked in the editorial department, not the subscription dept., and, although she was very sorry for my troubles, she would be very happy to give me the correct number to call.

So, this is how the rest of the conversation went:

"Oh, that would be great," I responded, a little embarrassed.

"Well, while I have you on the phone," I continued, "I might as well take the opportunity to tell you how much I love the magazine, and how much I look forward to reading the articles. The whole magazine is very inspirational and always leaves me feeling really motivated," I told her.

"Oh, thank you!" she said, "I'll be sure to share that with all of the editorial staff. "Actually," she continued, "I'm the editorial director, Sarah Smith, we're just having a bit of a slow day today so I'm answering phones!"


Oh. My. Word.


Crap, I accidentally called the editorial director of my favorite magazine...
I think my heart skipped a beat. I hung up, and like some crazed teen-ager who just spoke with their idol, I ran around the house, adrenalin surging, looking for a copy of Kiwi. Once one was in my hands, I promptly scanned the pages until I got to the editor's letter...sure enough, there she was, Sarah Smith, Editorial Director of Kiwi, and writer/editorial extraordinaire.

I felt like I had just passed up an opportunity...for what exactly, I still haven't figured out, but now that I have completed my MA in English, I am continually aware of a swirling compilation of thoughts, questions, and concerns dwelling in my head about the path of my own professional future. (For those of you who don't know me, my past career existed in the world of journalism, writing for newspapers, specifically...maybe that will explain a thing or two.
What is IT that I want to do? Where do I see myself in 5 years? How do I make it happen?Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!
I hate decisions.
However, today a simple accidental phone call confirmed my dreams...I still want to write, and speaking to someone, who resides in something along my dream position career-wise, confirmed my goals...
I want to write.
I need to write.

I was born to write.
Only I can make it happen.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Kindness DOES Still Exist!


After making plans with some friends to head out to a local inflatable bouncy place this morning, I checked the web to see that Pump It Up in Pelham dedicates a few mornings a week to "drop in" times, otherwise the place books up for parties etc...


Yet in my own stupor, I still managed to get the day wrong and after the troops and I arrived our friends and I discovered my terrible error. While the kids anxiously ran around the waiting room, I spoke to the owner who told me about a birthday party going on.


CRAP.


So, back out to the cars we went, only a minute later to be called by the owner back into the building...


"I can open up the other room for you all, and the birthday party will be over in about 20 minutes. I'll let you come in," he offered. "I don't want to disappoint the kids."


WHAT?!!! For real? I was blown away. On top of that, he only charged us for two children, instead of the 4 we had with us.


In a world full of complaints and bitterness, frustrations and complications, this man went out of his way to provide a kind of generosity you don't see very often these days. It was a great reminder to push myself to be more kind. It also offered up a free lesson to teach our children the same.


Thank you to the owner of Pump It up in Pelham!!!


Cheers, Kate


Monday, May 10, 2010

Signs of Summer Around Here







Nate and Jules making forts with patio furniture, and enjoying homemade smoothies!




Saturday Morning at Pepper Place farmer's market, downtown, Birmingham.



Splashing at the Birmingham Zoo's water park


And it's only just beginning!




Our Family's First Sports Season


The end of Nate's first T-Ball season has found us loving the aspect of team sports in our family life! For the past two months, we've spent many weeknights and weekends at practice and games, and getting to know other boys and their family's too. It's been a terrific experience for Nate, but also for us as well!

And of course, Juliana spent most of her time on the bleachers or running around the fields making LOTS of friends!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

What's HAPPENING around here:

  • The Garden is growing!
  • Juliana finally got around to painting her room (okay, I finally got around to doing it)
  • Pete and I are planning a trip to Paris...that's right, I said PARIS! Happy MA degree to me!
  • We are LOVING hanging out on our deck and using the patio furniture, especially paired with evening time (and wine).
  • I am becoming a Healthy Child Healthy World enthusiast (more on this soon)
  • Pete is hitting the road this week, and headed to CA for work
  • Nate is LOVING his T-ball games
  • I actually set up my sewing machine and am getting motivated to create something this week...send some good creative vibes my way, will you?!

Cheers, Kate