my Thanksgiving lens

this year celebrating Thanksgiving included traveling to atlanta to be with mark's family. while distance may separate us, the relationships we've built make it feel like no time has passed when we're together again. and getting these four cousins together is pure joy.

these were a few of our highlights:

we all arrived with excitement and anticipation in our hearts.

we ate awesome meals and feasted on lots of sweet treats including our tradition of pilgrim pies.
uncle mark did another outstanding job creating a personalized ornament for each one.
michelle and sally served both ham and turkey.
the four cousins played until they dropped.
temperatures were in the mid 60's, but the fireplace was always burning.
the trampoline was a huge hit.
and the four of them were good sports about letting me take photo after photo trying to get the "perfect" shot.
some of us celebrated a michigan win and then later that night a south carolina win.
we started what would be a fourteen hour drive home with this bright spot.
being with family is always the best place to be.

all ones day

Halloween is one of the days I truly appreciate having two boys who love sports. while I adored the little red riding hood, ladybug, and cowgirl costumes I saw yesterday, I love having {most of} the supplies necessary for a scary-free costume!

this year connor disguised himself as a Detroit Lions' football player,

and Spencer was a loyal Ohio State fan.
together they were brothers loving their sports teams.

{can I tell you a secret? spencer behind that mask freaks me out!}

and a sign of our family times...one wanted to be photoed with friends before treating and one did not.

costumes or not, I hope your day was full of treats!

and happy 11.1.11!

it's all ones day! I think it's fun when the numbers on the calendar line up.

special somewhere

last weekend I stepped back on campus and celebrated the anniversary of receiving a diploma with my name on it. 20 years ... has it really been that long? my years at grove city college really were the best of times, and it was great to relive a little of that for a weekend. there were times that it seemed almost like yesterday and others where it was obviously 20 years later. it was a great weekend sharing memories and families with those I was closest to. here are a few of my favorite sights of campus and around town:

much of my time on campus was spent with my college family-my friends and sorority sisters who became my family. many years and many miles have separated most of us, but the memories of the moments upon moments I spent with these three friends came rushing back to me.

ten years ago when this same photo was taken, it was two young moms with three young children. now look at us, a little older moms with three young adults and two young men. amazing how time passes.

she is my most treasured blessing that I left college with. in girl scouts, we used to sing "make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other's gold." as I grow older, I'm realizing popularity is not the name of the game. but having true friends who love you unconditionally, forgive you continually, and encourage you genuinely is the one true treasure of relationships. she is one true friend.

cre8.

the past few weeks, our house has been filled with activity, as mark and I checked "to do" items off our lists. we've done time consuming projects like (finally) painting and decorating the downstairs' family room area for the boys to easier projects like (finally) ordering 5x7 photos to fill picture frames. we kept each other moving toward the finish line with words of encouragement and by finishing one project at a time.

{because it's our first day of school...} remember newton's first law of motion? an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. I can say I've been at rest.

I've always considered myself a finisher. that is until I was hit with the feelings that came after kris' death back in may. then something happened. I got stuck. do you ever get stuck? ever feel like you just don't have enough time or a project is too large or you don't have the skills to finish? if so, don't loose heart! you can finish those projects!!

here are a few of my finishing tips:

* make a written list of projects taking up space in your mind and consuming mental energy

* pick the most important task for you to finish to feel like you've made progress

* begin working on that one item for 15 minutes

{don't discount 15 minutes! you'd be amazed at what you can complete in that amount of time!!}

* as time permits, add time to the project in 15 minute increments

* don't focus on perfection, focus on completion

* celebrate each and every finished "to do" with a large check

* once you're moving...pick the next task and repeat

while many of our items were house related, I had plenty of things I wanted to cre8 as well. these are 8 of my favorites:

1. back-to-school card cre8tions

2. an idea that turned into a new fall decoration

3. a dropped stitch scarf

4. a set of laundry room curtains

5. a craft room curtain

6. an original lego cre8tion

7. pillowcases for connor.

8. and (the most important) part of the downstairs' family room

happy finishing my friends!

the best days are family days

"these were the best two days of my life."
"really? why do you say that?"
"because I was able to be at home the whole time."

as a mom, your heart just has to warm with conversations like this one. even though he missed the halloween party, missed trick-or-treat with his best friend, missed wearing his costume, and took a trip to stat care (all because of a fever and flu symptoms), he was still able to think the past two days were the best yet.

I'm with spencer. the past two days were really great family days! our moments were spent at home together...

{reading}

{listening to music}

{taking time outs for knitting}

{finishing projects}

{carving pumpkins}

and {decorating for a new season}

have a safe and happy halloween!

one fall day

we had the most perfect fall weather today! you know the kind...a cool air temperature, a shining sun, and the smell of fall all around you. after lunch with mark, I enjoy these wonderful sights on this one fall day.