Life After Web

Flash Fiction: The New Kid

2012-02-24T15:49:00.001-05:00

The first challenge in the Platform-Building Campaign is here and, even better, I finished! Woohoo!

The challenge was this: Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “Shadows crept across the wall”. These five words will be included in the word count.

For an additional challenge (optional), we could do one or more of these:

end the story with the words: "everything faded." (also included in the word count)
include the word "orange" in the story
write in the same genre you normally
write make your story 200 words exactly!

Well, I wrote my story and, seeing that it began at 570 words, I trimmed and edited and trimmed and edited some more until I whittled my story down to exactly 200 words. And yes, I ended the story with "everything faded," included the word "orange," and wrote for children/middle grades (my current genre). What can I say, if I'm going to participate, may as well take the full challenge.

Now that I'm done writing, I'm going to visit the other campaigners to read their stories.

Here is mine:

* * * * *

The New Kid

Shadows crept across the wall. Max pulled the blanket snugger under his chin. His new room was uninviting.

Max was scared to start a new school, especially since he was beginning fourth grade. Everyone knows fourth graders are the big kids. Big kids know everything: where the classrooms are, what to wear, and who to avoid. Max felt unprepared.

Looking out the window, he could see only a few stars. The sky was blank.

What if there was a bully? He missed his friends. On their last day together they folded paper airplanes. Max’s plane had flown far until it landed in the neighbor’s hair.

Max drifted off to sleep. The next thing he knew, his mom was waking him for pancakes and orange juice.

There was a knock on the door. “Hello! I’m Kim and this is my son, Joey. We thought we’d show you to the bus.”

The moms talked the whole way while the boys shuffled behind. At the bus stop Joey said, “Maybe after school I can show you my treehouse.”

Max’s mom smiled. “Not even on the bus and already you’ve made a friend.”

Max’s fears about bullies and not finding his classroom… everything faded.

The End

* * * * *

Fellow campaigners: I'm #198 at Rach Writes. Thank you!

A Wish, a Request, and a Challenge

2012-02-15T08:49:00.001-05:00

A Wish for the World and a Request

It's Wishcasting Wednesday so the gorgeous soul Jamie Ridler is inviting us to cast our wishes into the universe. This week Jamie asks, "What do you wish for the world?"

I wish for the world to return to a community mindset. It really does take a village to sustain life. Only when we work together do we truly succeed.

Speaking of coming together, I have a special request. A good friend of mine, Joules, needs prayers, wishes, positive energy... whatever you have to give. After 6 wonderfully smooth months of pregnancy, she hit a rocky road in her third trimester.

As of yesterday she was admitted to the hospital (nearly 2 months early) and told she would have to stay until the baby was born. As of last night, it seemed that the baby might be coming early. Needless to say, my biggest wish today is for a healthy baby and a healthy Joules.

So I'm doing something I haven't done here before. I'm asking you to send love her way. A prayer or good thought would be beautiful. If you want to actually send a note, consider leaving a word of encouragement in a comment on her blog. If you leave a comment here on my blog, I will make sure she gets it. Thank you.

Update 2/16/12: I'm happy to announce that Joules had her baby and they are both doing well! Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. It was inspiring to see how many people left notes, people who don't know me and don't know Joules. You all are amazing. Please keep it up so mom and baby can go home soon.

A New Challenge

I'm challenging myself. Since I've found that I work on my writing most when I have a true deadline (i.e. not just one I make up) or if there is camaraderie (we're all in this together... woohoo!), I've decided to join a writing challenge.

Rachael Harrie is leading the Fourth Writer's Platform-Building Campaigner Challenge. The first challenge will be presented to us on Monday (yikes! Or, you know, yippee!). A second challenge will come on March 5th. The campaign as a whole runs through March 17th.

I have no idea what to expect, but I'm excited to give it a try. Fellow writers, you can join in the fun, too. Today is the last day so be sure to visit Rachael's site and jump in now.

When It’s Not All Sunshine and Butterflies

2012-02-10T15:05:00.001-05:00

Life is not always filled with sunshine and butterflies. Some days are just different. They’re a little rougher. A bit tougher on our soul. And, you know what? That’s okay. Really.

You’re not always going to be perfect. You’re not always going to get it right. The point is that you keep going. Keep trying. Change directions. Take a break. Here are a few links to things I’ve read recently that have inspired me. Maybe you’ll find some inspiration, too.

Ending Something
Sometimes good things come to an end. Brandi Reynolds has been one of my favorite bloggers for the past few years. I’ve read along as she’s explored art, photography, yoga, and life. One of my favorite things about Brandi is she’s never afraid to try something new or change directions if she feels called to do so. This month she has announced she will no longer be blogging. At least for now. It may seem weird that I’m linking you to someone’s final post, but I love it as yet another demonstration of her bravery, her willingness to switch things up: This is me giving up

Parenting
Teenagers. They’re a tough breed. I’ve been studying a little about how to make it through the teenage years and have come across some interesting things, including this article: 11 Mistakes Parents Make With Teen Discipline

Marriage
Marriages, like all establishments, have good days and tough days. Hopefully more good than tough. Ann Voskamp wrote an insightful post about one root message behind our anger: 5 Ways to Fight Through to a Loving Marriage

Feeling Healthy? Give Thanks

2012-02-02T11:13:00.000-05:00

I'm thinking a lot today about health. I am so thankful for my health.

How often do we take time to acknowledge our health? I tend to think about it only after an illness. And yes, today is one of those days since a stomach virus took over our house for the last 24 hours. Yay for us.

So today I'm asking you to acknowledge how you feel. If you're feeling pretty dang healthy (despite any other woes for the day), take a moment to say thanks.

The rest of my story is at Working Mother today.

Wishing you good health.

How Good Customer Service Became a Connection

2012-01-30T15:02:00.004-05:00

Three months ago I was shopping for a birthday gift for a friend. My basic idea was some sort of barware/cocktail items. With that I went in to a store known for interesting housewares.

I wandered and explored seeing some possibilities, but waiting for something to really jump out at me. Then along came a smiling store employee, "Can I help you find something?"

"Actually, yes," I answered as I explained my loose idea of what I was looking for.

She could have said, "Well, you're in the right section so let me know if you have any questions." She could have pointed to a few options and left me to go it alone.

But she didn't. She asked questions about my friend's style and the colors she likes. She asked what barware items my friend already had. Then she walked around the store with me giving me some ideas.

As if that weren't helpful enough, noticing the stroller I was pushing through the tight maze of their store shelving, she said things like, "Come this way. This aisle is a bit wider," and "You wait here, I'll bring it to you."

She was amazing.

As I was checking out, she was pulled away (an alarm had previously gone off accidentally and the fire department showed up to check that everything was okay).

Later that afternoon, I realized that I never got to thank her for her help. I could have let it go. How often do we do just that? But she provided such good service and I wanted to make sure she knew that, so I called the store.

I explained to the man who answered that there was a young woman who helped me that afternoon who was dynamite. I described her and he said, "Oh yes, she's great!" He put her on the phone, I thanked her, told her I appreciated how attentive she was, and then I went on my merry way and she on hers.

I haven't thought about it much until this weekend. I was back in that same store searching for another gift and when I went to the register, there she was. I told my husband, "Hey! This is the girl that was so helpful a few months ago."

She said, "I thought that was you!" We laughed. Then we exchanged phone numbers.

The magic here is that I just wrote about connection last Monday, setting the intention to truly connect with the person in front of me whether it is my own family member or a cashier (yes, I actually said that). At the end of the week, I had a new connection. Beautiful synchronicity.

Now I have a challenge for you. (No, you don't have to exchange phone numbers with someone you meet in a store.) The challenge is this: thank a stranger. It might be the person who hands you your morning coffee with a smile, the restaurant server who keeps your iced tea topped off, the toll booth worker who makes sure change lands in your hand rather than on the street, or the passerby who retrieves your dropped scarf.

Acknowledging someone is a powerful way to connect. Plus you get the feel good feelings of doing something nice and they get the feel good feelings of someone being nice to them. It's a win-win.

Who will you thank this week?

Wishcasting: Health and Wellness

2012-01-25T19:09:00.003-05:00

It's Wishcasting Wednesday so the gorgeous soul Jamie Ridler is inviting us to cast our wishes into the universe. This week Jamie asks, "What do you wish for your health and wellness?"

Jamie has this way of asking questions that at first glance may seem simplistic, but if you really think about them, you realize how big and revealing they really are.

This week has been rough... and it’s only Wednesday. My temper has been short and my bounce back has been long. By bounce back, I mean that period of time it takes to go from angry to content.

Like the stereotypical woman, I sometimes have trouble letting things go. Once I’m angry, I’m angry about every detail of every past instance of whatever it is.

For example, my teenager has trouble getting through his morning routine on his own. Monday morning was no exception. I’d had it. There was yelling. Lots of yelling. And it wasn’t just about Monday morning, it was about EVERY morning. Further, it was about everything I’d ever had to say more than once in any situation on any given day.

He finally made it out the door and I was still seething. My mind was racing, mostly in expletives. My body was jittery. It was barely 7:00 a.m. and it was a very bad day. Meanwhile there he was laughing with his friend on the way to school, like nothing had happened. The nerve.

And what, you may ask, does this have to do with health and wellness? Everything.

Did you notice how I said my mind was racing and my body was jittery? I had an actual physical response to a situation. A situation that I have relatively little control over. And for what? What good did it do for me to be that upset?

So, I wish to be in control of my own attitude. I wish to not get in the way of my own wellness.

How about you? What do you wish for your health and wellness?

Connection

2012-01-23T07:58:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about connection lately. I'm not as connected to people as I would like to be. By people I am including many: my children, my husband, my extended family, friends, acquaintances (in person and online), restaurant servers, cashiers, passersby... you get the idea.

I spend too much time in my own mind, in a book, on my iPhone or iPad, and not enough time connecting to people.

This became particularly clear to me last week as I engaged with my baby boy while feeding him his jar of baby food. He tasted the food, wrinkling his round little face for the first few bites while deciding how he felt about it. Then he pressed his lips together and smiled. He studied my face as I studied his. I tickled his feet dangling from the high chair; he squealed with delight.

But, you ask, isn't that connecting? To which I say, exactly! I don't recall many other meals from last week. Usually I scramble to feed myself at the same time or I pull out something to read between spoon feedings or I collect coins on Tap Zoo.

Tap Zoo... really? Therein lies my problem. I feel like I need to be busy, even if it's busy doing something stupid. I've been programmed to multitask. Most of us have. If I'm not doing two things at once, I must be slacking off, right? Wrong! And I'll be honest, I'm really bad at multitasking. It's definitely not something I'm meant to do.

So for today (as you may have seen earlier this week, I'm focusing on today because thinking longterm can be paralyzing) I'm paying attention. Whomever is in my presence is my focus. The reading can wait. The devices can wait. I want to truly see, listen, be attentive. I want to be connected.

Do you have any tips? How do you stay connected to people? Are there places in your day where you might be able to better connect? Leave a comment or send me a tweet @smhutchins.

Writing Is What I Used To Do Before I Was Afraid To Write

2012-01-16T12:55:00.000-05:00

Since taking the leap and declaring myself Writer a few months ago, I wrote a short story and participated in NaNoWriMo during which I completed the first draft of a novel.

Since then? Hmm... well, there were a few blog posts here and there.

The Holdup

I could say work on my house (we’ve been reflooring). I could say I’ve been busy (there were the holidays, then getting back in to my older son’s school routine, a shifting nap schedule for the little one, meetings, appointments, etc.). I could say I’m waiting until I’m finished with Kristen Lamb’s Blogging for Brand course so I can do things “properly.”

I could say anything I want, but the fact of the matter is there is time to write. I can make time to write.

The truth is I’m afraid.

I’m afraid that I don’t like the middle of my completed novel and that I don’t know how to fix it. I’m afraid that I don’t know whether I should continue working on the NaNoWriMo novel or go back to my previously in process novel (for which I’m also afraid because I don’t know where it’s going). I’m afraid of conflict; I have trouble making bad things happen to good characters.

I’m afraid that if I blog, I won’t be able to write stories. I’m afraid if I write stories, I won’t be able to blog. And I like writing both.

I’m afraid that I will write crap and not realize it’s crap. I’m afraid I’ll get published and have all of my flaws ever be spread to the public. Did she really write that? Does she know proper grammar? Has she heard of plot? Did she really have braces for five years because she refused to wear the rubber bands?

I’m afraid that by writing posts like these, I’m not appealing to some future reader demographic.

I’m afraid that no one will read this.

What’s a girl to do?

Focus on the now.

Looking ahead causes panic. I still laugh thinking back to an example Christine Kane gave once about excuses- you can’t possibly write a song if you have nothing to wear to the Grammy’s.

Don’t I feel silly now.

If everyone stopped themselves from writing when they were afraid, we’d probably be left with only the sterile spewing of pompous know-it-alls.

We might find ourselves absent of anything to read with real emotion. Or maybe we would be just fine because I’m the only writer in the entire world who has ever been afraid. I doubt it, though.

Today I am focusing on today. That’s all. And today I say write anyway.

Inner demons, I banish thee back to hell. You’re not needed here.

Wishcasting: New Year

2011-12-28T09:14:00.002-05:00

It's Wishcasting Wednesday so the gorgeous soul Jamie Ridler is inviting us to cast our wishes into the universe. This week Jamie asks, "What is your wish for the new year?"

I wish to write. Fiction, blog posts, letters to friends, short tweets. I wish for writing to be a regular part of my life, rather than a "when I have time and I'm not too tired."

I wish to show love. Use kind words, understand, breathe before I get angry, hug, encourage, listen, trust, show grace.

I wish to keep making space. Clear out the objects I don't use regularly or love. I've been doing this for a while, yet there is more to be done.

I wish to notice. There are many precious moments in any given day. A child learning something new, sunlight on countertops, the smile of a loved one. I wish to notice and revel in these moments.

What about you? What do you wish for the new year?

I Am Not a Hoarder

2011-12-20T13:31:00.000-05:00

Hoarder. That word makes me cringe. Did you ever watch the television show? My husband and I did... once. Neither of us could sleep for two full weeks, during which we purged a lot of things from our house.

A few days ago, my husband dared to utter the words, "You have a little hoarder in you." Shock! Horror! Outrage! How dare he? I'm no hoarder.

"You do, too. Have you seen your desk?" I said, feeling a little "I'm rubber, you're glue..." about it.

He didn't get shocked or outraged. He simply said, "I know. That's why I want to get rid of my desk... so I can't hoard things in it."

How annoying to be married to someone who makes level-headed responses like that (she says with a goofy smile).

Then a couple nights ago, he pointed to a plastic organizational bin in a seldom used room of our house. "What's in there? Because it looks like it might be full of garbage."

More shock! More outrage! Why is he picking on me? That is my organizational bin full of important and useful things that I've had since my single days in my own apartment five years ago. I mean, just two years ago I pulled an extension cord from that bin and it has been very useful.

Two years ago. Hmmm. Maybe it was worth the revisit. In it were three of those little things you plug into an outlet to make it multiple outlets, instruction manuals to things I didn't need instruction manuals for, a set of coasters that hadn't been used since I moved in with my husband, a meat thermometer attachment that goes to my kitchen timer (I'd been looking for that for years and presumed it gone forever), and a tape measure.

Sigh.

The meat thermometer went to the kitchen, the tape measure to the garage, and we got rid of everything else. The empty storage bin is being banished to the attic until such point as it is needed for something actually useful.

I don't mean to hoard, but it seems I do without realizing it. It comes in the form of keeping things that are or may one day be useful. The problem comes in failing to reevaluate from time to time to see if those things are, in fact, still useful.

Tackling this syndrome is high on my goals list. I'd like to enter 2012 with less than I have now and leave 2012 with even less. It's time to get serious about purging. In fact, as we tear apart rooms in our house one by one to put new flooring in, we will be ruthless about what is allowed back in the room. Everything else will go.

No more "potentially useful" odds and ends. It's either useful now or it isn't. It fits in our life now or it doesn't.

What about you? Do you have any remnant items that need reevaluation?

How Can I Explain This Feeling?

2011-12-09T11:56:00.001-05:00

My heart is racing, yet my body is calm. I feel this inner excitement like somewhere inside I'm doing cartwheels and simultaneously I feel grounded and focused.

One voice is saying, "Way to go! Look what you accomplished. I knew you could do it." Another is saying, "Now, here is what must happen next if you really want to do this. It's going to take a lot of work." Both voices come from somewhere deep inside me. I listen to both.

What is it that has me feeling this way?

I just printed my first novel. Please humor me as I say that again. I just printed my first novel.

A plain manuscript, three hole punched and inserted in a binder. A mere 64 pages, double spaced. Nowhere near long enough to be considered a novel. At 15,328 words, it needs to more than double in length to work as a middle grade novel, which is what I am aiming for. It's crap, really. Utter first time novel writer, first draft drivel.

It starts out with feeling, then quickly becomes robotic (and then this happened and then that happened and then she said something).

Mind you, I say that with the utmost love because it's something. It's a start. It has potential. With some time and some work and some love, it will become something better than it is now.

The point is, a story is there. A beginning, a middle, an end. And I wrote it. I wrote the story that was in my head, the story that came to me in the shower one day. I wrote it beginning to end.

And now it's printed. It's no longer just a blip on my screen that disappears when I walk away from my computer. It's sitting there in front of me on paper in a binder awaiting the love I promised to give it.

Somehow now it's real.

Wishcasting: Celebrate

2011-12-07T09:53:00.001-05:00

It's Wishcasting Wednesday so the gorgeous soul Jamie Ridler is inviting us to cast our wishes into the universe. This week Jamie asks, "What do you wish to celebrate?"

First, I wish to celebrate Jamie! Today is her birthday. I wish for her to have a day filled with magic, blessings, and unbridled joy!

Second, I wish to celebrate new friends, most of whom I met through some new mommy programs. As adults, sometimes it's difficult to meet new friends, so I am thankful for the groups that brought us mommies together.

Third, I wish to celebrate my leap in to the world of writing fiction. In September I completed a short story and submitted it to NPR for a short story contest. Even though I didn't win, I'm still really proud of myself for having the courage to send a story out into the world. In November I finished a (really, really short) novel. It needs some major work before it will be presentable, but holy smokes, I wrote a novel!

There are so many more things I wish to celebrate... my loving husband, my intelligent teen, my wide-eyed baby. After a couple of rough years, this has been a year of blessings.

I also wish to celebrate you! Thank you for being here. If you haven't already, please connect with me on Facebook at facebook.com/sherrimhutchins and Twitter @smhutchins. Once you're there, drop me a note to say hi. I promise to say hi back.

What do you wish to celebrate?

Hello Again

2011-12-06T15:50:00.001-05:00

Hello, blog. Hello, blog readers... if any of you are still here, and I truly hope you are.

I’ve given blogging a break this year, posting only very sporadically as I felt called to it. After four years of posting and a big life shift from working web producer to stay-at-home mom, I needed some time. Time to step away, time to figure out my new life, and time to just be.

And now... now I am ready to write. In fact I have been writing. I have spent the fall working on fiction. I’ve also been dreaming of next steps for my journey. I’ve thought about new online spaces that can offer fresh starts and overarching themes and branding and all of that stuff that “serious” writers “should” do. In time, that may come, but I don’t want to rush into anything only to abandon it because it wasn’t the right fit.

In the meantime, I need a place to let my creative spirit run rampant. A place to dream and explore and acknowledge beauty and support others and be supported. A place to celebrate the extraordinarily ordinary in this everyday life.

And wouldn’t you know it, I have a place. Here, with you.

Thank you for being here, for joining me on this journey and letting me join you on yours.

As part of this growth, I also have new Facebook and Twitter accounts. I’d love to connect with you and support you in those spaces. You can find me here: facebook.com/sherrimhutchins and @smhutchins. Once you’re there, drop me a note to say hi. I promise to say hi back.

Synchronicity at its best

2011-09-30T18:34:00.000-04:00

An Amazon box just arrived for me with the next three months of book club picks, including We Need to Talk About Kevin for our next meeting, just a week-and-a-half away.

Coincidentally, the boys are at baseball and the baby is taking an unusually late nap. Is this a quiet house in which to read?

Hello, reading chair. It's been a while.

I did it! I finished a story.

2011-09-26T09:51:00.000-04:00

OH MY GOODNESS! You know how over there in the right sidebar of my blog there is a little mini bio that, among other things, proclaims me as "writer?"

And you know how sometimes we want things to be true, but when we look at our daily lives, there is little there that actually fits those things?

I say I'm a writer because I like to write. I used to write stories when I was growing up. I studied English in college. I come up with ideas for stories, or pieces of stories, all the time.

But if I look at myself honestly, I haven't done a whole lot of writing- actually getting things on paper (or computer). Even when I do, it's usually a short incomplete piece. The beginnings of a scene that could be part of something beautiful... if I ever finished it, which I don't.

And now there's a sweet little baby who keeps me busy all day every day. What a marvelous excuse not to write!

Except that I want to write. I've had this dream for a long, long time now. I just keep pushing it off as something I'll get to when I have time.

Then a few weeks ago I went to a writer's group at my local library. It's on the calendar of events every month and always think, "I should go to that," but never do. This month was different. This month I went.

I left that meeting feeling inspired and with homework. Gasp! I plan on going to the next meeting and, by golly, I will not go without having done my homework.

Then in a semi-related message from the universe, I saw this short story contest on NPR. It intrigued me. I had ideas. I had... only a week before the deadline.

When I found myself saying, "I'm going to write this story even if I don't finish it on time," I knew I was on to something.

Remembering lots of authors' advice to get something, anything, even if it's crap, down on the page, I wrote a story from beginning to end on Monday. A full story.

And I didn't like it.

By Thursday I had a new idea, so I wrote another story from beginning to end. I liked it. I slept on it. I thought about it. I reread it. I still liked it. I tweaked it, had my husband play editor, and tweaked it some more.

Last night I sent it to NPR. I finished a story and I sent it to someone. It may never be heard or seen on NPR. That doesn't matter. What matters is, I'm earning my stripes.

I AM A WRITER. Hear me roar.

Wishcasting: Immerse

2011-09-21T14:17:00.000-04:00

It's Wishcasting Wednesday so the gorgeous soul Jamie Ridler is inviting us to cast our wishes into the universe. This week Jamie asks, "What do you wish to immerse yourself in?"

I wish to immerse myself in two things: writing and life.

My writing has slowed significantly since my baby was born 7 months ago. Now I am working to bring writing back in to my life. What's more, I'm trying fiction again. I even found a short story contest that intrigued me and despite it's due date being Sunday (as in this coming Sunday), I decided to write anyway. I wrote a rough draft Monday that I admit I'm not as happy with as I had hoped. The cool thing is I'm happy anyway because I did it. I wrote a story beginning to end. That is huge for me since I tend to write snips and scenes without ever creating a full story.

As for my second wish, I wish to immerse myself in life, to find grace in the every day, and to connect with my local community. I wish to immerse myself in this life as opposed to merely observing it. I can envision so many benefits to doing so... better health, more happiness, more support, and likely better writing because I'll have more experiences to draw on.

Interesting. Writing all this now feels freeing.

What do you wish to immerse yourself in?

Thankful: Little Things

2011-09-16T10:38:00.001-04:00

I can't believe it's Friday already. This week has gone by fast.

Every Friday I like to take a little time to look back on the things that made me happy. This week I am thankful for...

Little feet and little hands.

The writer's group I tried for the first time.

Open windows, airing the house out.

My mommies group.

Freelance work.

Trying new things.

Happy Friday! What are you thankful for?

Wishcasting: Guidance

2011-09-15T17:01:00.001-04:00

It's Wishcasting Wednesday so the gorgeous soul Jamie Ridler is inviting us to cast our wishes into the universe. This week Jamie asks, "What guidance do you wish for?"

I wish for guidance in my writing.

Guidance might come in the form of ideas from my muse, inspiration from other writers, or a gentle nudge from the universe reminding me to write anyway (even if there is only a few minutes, even if I don't know what I'm about to write). It might be in the form of encouragement or accountability.

I've avoided writing long enough for various reasons and excuses. Valid or not, I'm ready to stop talking and start doing.

This week I brushed off a short scene I wrote last summer and took it to a writer's group. It was my very first writer's group experience. I didn't know what to expect or what to bring, but I went anyway. I left with lots of encouragement from the two other people there. Since then I made some notes for how my scene might grow in to a full novel along with questions I would need to answer.

It's a start.

What guidance do you wish for?

Thankful: Joy, Blogs, and F Words

2011-09-09T15:49:00.000-04:00

As the week draws to a close, I am taking time once again to be thankful.

Today I am thankful for the smell of zucchini bread baking in my kitchen, made from a zucchini I grew myself. (I will be even more thankful if this first attempt at zucchini bread is successful!)

I am thankful for the utter joy I see in my baby's face and the reminder to lighten up and be happy.

I am thankful for Jamie's Wishcasting Wednesday question about what path we wish to follow. It allowed me to clarify my own intentions and focus on Love.

I am thankful for having found some pockets of time to write.

I am thankful Ann Voskamp's blog, A Holy Experience, the beautiful piano music it plays in the background, her photographs that pull me in to her world so vividly, and her words that remind me gentleness and grace are possible.

I am thankful for the milder weather.

I am thankful for F words. Food, faith, friends, and family. That other F word or variations of it occasionally come in handy, too.

I am thankful that I am finding my way.

What are you thankful for this week?

Wishcasting: Paths

2011-09-07T08:15:00.000-04:00

It's Wishcasting Wednesday so the gorgeous soul Jamie Ridler is inviting us to cast our wishes into the universe. Today Jamie asks, "What path do you wish to follow?"

I wish to follow the path of love. What does that mean? For me it means to infuse love in my actions and words. It means choosing words that will encourage and inspire, especially when speaking with my husband and children. It means using a calm and loving tone. (No bickering or nagging.)

It means doing what needs to be done (with love!) when it comes to serving my family, my home, and myself. I've been changing my mindset about doing chores, looking at them as service rather than as annoying interruptions. Doing the dishes and laundry are not fun (and I won't pretend they are), but when I focus on the result being a good thing for my home and family, not to mention my own sanity, then I can get through them with a better attitude.

By following a path of love, I think I can improve my mental well-being while also making a happier environment for all of us.

What path do you wish to follow?

Thankful for Smooth Travel

2011-08-19T23:29:00.000-04:00

It is another beautiful Friday (barely... It's almost midnight now) and I am giving thanks for this week's happiness.

This week was all about last minute travel. On Sunday we booked a family vacation departing today. That gave us exactly four days to get all the laundry done and figure out how to fly with a baby. A message to my new mommy friends resulted in lots of helpful tips. Thank you, mommies!

I was making good progress all week and was actually pretty relaxed yesterday morning about what I had left to do. That is, until a phone call necessitated a change in plans for the first half of the trip.

So yesterday afternoon I got online and made phone calls to cancel one hotel in a city we no longer needed to visit and book a new hotel. Canceling the first hotel was going to leave us with a charge for the first night's stay, but the gentleman at Expedia called the hotel, explained the situation, and got the fee waived. Thank you, Expedia guy.

The hotel we had booked for the second half of our trip was full for this weekend so we were unable to extend our reservation to cover the newly vacant front end of our trip. Thus I set off in search of other options and found a smokin' deal at hotels.com for a hotel near Disney. Woohoo! Thank you, hotels.com guy.

With new plans in place, we stayed up far too late last night packing and woke just a few hours later to leave. After a perfectly uneventful drive to the airport we checked in to notice at the plane was overbooked and we had no seats.

Oh boy. As visions of a crying baby, a restless teenager, and prolonged airport time haunted us, we proceeded to the gate where my husband spoke to a kind airline employee who informed us they were working on the seat situation.

So we waited.

Not only did this wonderful gentleman get us on the plane, he bumped us up to first class free of charge. As I wrote this I was stretched out with plenty of room to attend to the baby. Thank you, US Air guy.

So that's it. Today I am thankful for smooth traveling and the helpfulness of travel employees. I am thankful for my friends' helpful travel-with-baby hints. I am thankful for this vacation to spend time with my husband and boys. It is Jonas' first vacation which is making the rest of us enjoy it all the more.

What are you thankful for this week?

Country Music Festival

2011-08-15T10:25:00.000-04:00

Did you watch the CMA Festival last night? Ok, maybe not everyone likes country music as much as I do, but I was glued to the program, particularly because this year I was there.

From CMA Festival 2011

For Christmas last year as I waddled toward my last month of pregnancy, my husband presented me with tickets to the CMA Festival in June. By then, he said, I might want a break from new motherhood to do something "me." What a sweety.

So in June we left the baby and my teenage stepson with my in-laws and flew to Nashville for four days of country concerts.

The few main blocks of downtown Nashville were shut down. Everywhere corner we rounded revealed a new stage, each with a full lineup every day. It was at these stages where we watched Mark Wills, Bo Bice, Wade Hayes, and one of my favorites, Carolyn Dawn Johnson. It is also where we fell in love with a new group called Eden's Edge. One of the stages was at the riverfront where our pass let us use the photo line to get up close to Crystal Bowersox and Terri Clark.

We also did random things like pose in a makeshift cranberry bog.

From CMA Festival 2011

Each day we wandered from stage to stage and booth to booth seeing what there was to see. We also visited the fan fair hall at the convention center where most of the autograph signings took place. While we didn't bother to stand in line for autographs, we were able to get close for pictures.

It was the fan fair hall where I learned that most of these stars are normal size people like you and me. Except, have you seen how big Trace Adkins looks on TV? Um yeah... he's even bigger in real life. He is hugemongous. Yes, he required a new adjective. I know no words in the English language to describe a man with stacked cheek muscles.

From CMA Festival 2011

Most of that wasn't on the TV special and that was a big part of the experience. What you saw on TV last night was the main headline acts at the arena. Again this was four nights with about five major acts per night sprinkled with a few unannounced surprises.

Surprises? Oh yes. The Zac Brown Band surprised us by bringing out Alan Jackson. Brad Paisley surprised us by bringing out Alabama, which by the way was the biggest applause of the entire four days. Alabama can still bring the house down. Did you see that Big & Rich performance? We were sitting there between acts waiting for the stage to be reset. I think Trace Adkins was next on the schedule. All of a sudden out come Big & Rich for one song bringing Gretchen Wilson with them, too, then they disappeared just as quickly. Surprise!

Among others we saw Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Lady Antebellum, Clint Black, The JaneDear Girls (I've added them to my favorites also and my husband got to shake their hands), Taylor Swift... I could go on, but honestly there was so much it's hard to even remember it all.

If you like country music, you really should try to get there one year. It is an absolute blast.

The best part for me, though, was spending four uninterrupted days with my husband. There were no work calls, no kids to attend to. Our most pressing issues were deciding where to eat and which stage to go by at which time. We did a lot of hand-holding, a little dancing, and had real conversations.

We returned home relaxed and stress-free. And now, two months later, we got to relive it through the magic of television. Awesome!

Let's recap the important points, shall we?

If you like country music, go to this festival.
Listen to Eden's Edge. They are amazing!
Trace Adkins is really big. Don't pick a fight with him, ok?
My husband is the bestest.

I think that covers it. If you missed the special and you're a little sad, go browse www.cmaworld.com for photos and videos.

Slow Down and Notice

2011-08-13T09:49:00.000-04:00

It's the weekend and these days it seems like the weekends can be just as harried as the rest of the week. There are errands to run, chores to do, and people to visit.

Don't let these precious days slip away.

Slow down and take time to look at the many gifts around you. My husband spotted this tiny baby bird while mowing the lawn. Even a dull chore can be exciting if you are mindful of the beauty around you.

Enjoy your weekend!

Thankful

2011-08-12T09:32:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday! With the week drawing to a close, it is a great time to reflect on the things I am thankful for.

I am thankful for my friends, new and old, and for the time I am getting to spend with many of them this week.

I am thankful the summer heat was a bit milder this week. 10 degrees is a big difference.

I am thankful to have had time to blog. Three posts in one week? I don't think I've even done three in one month since having the baby.

I am thankful for ripe, local produce.

I am thankful for the library.

What are you thankful for this week?

Stripping (not in the dancer way)

2011-08-11T15:02:00.002-04:00

I am on a mission. It isn't anything covert and worldly like recovering intelligence from a foreign agent. It is a mission to reveal the new me, the now me.

Let me paint a picture of where I've been lately. I'm married with a teenage stepson and a 6 month old baby. My house is in disarray despite my efforts to keep things organized. I had nearly given up reading and writing, two activities I enjoyed immensely pre-baby. Dinners were becoming whatever I could scrounge together and cook one handed with a sleepy-but-avoiding-sleep-baby at 9:00 p.m. after the guys returned from baseball. My dining room is a junkyard of haphazardly strewn items and home decor that we don't need anymore.

I've been making a conscious effort to change all that. Too much time and energy is wasted. Our house is feeling like a house rather than a home.

My husband also feels the stress our home produces. Rather than feeling a sense of relief when he comes home after work, he too feels oppressed by the disorder and is ready to pare down. You see, we are a new us.

The now us is content with less. The now us is focused on a good home life. The now us is not on a corporate ladder. The now us is focused on family, memories, and making this world a little better.

So I am entering a phase of my life I will call stripping (not in the exotic dancer kind of way). For the last few weeks I've been slowly peeling away at everything, just a little bit at a time.

It started with clearing out old clothes. Then I took everything off my kitchen counters and carefully selected what would return. Then I purged and reorganized my cookware cabinets, an act that immediately made me prepare better meals. Then I tackled my desk which I will revisit because it doesn't yet have the harmony I wish for. I dusted off my journal and found a little time each day to read. I joined a simple living group.

Most recently I started looking at the food we are eating. We are lucky to be surrounded by farms. Farms I never visited until now and you know what? The fruits and veggies taste better.

We are slowly stripping away the layers that don't suit the now us.

Let me know paint a picture of where I want to be in the near future. I want our home to be clear, only containing what we use and love. I want everything we have to have a place. Our home should be open for guests and for dreaming. There will be plenty of space for love and imagination to grow. I will cook, actually cook, with fresh ingredients purchased as close to the source as possible or grown in our own backyard. After all, cooking doesn't have to be complex or take a long time. It doesn't even have to involve cooking- the cucumber and tomato salad I made last night, inspired by a new friend, was delicious.

It is time to strip away the gunk. This isn't merely cleaning. This is a lifestyle change that will nurture each of us at the soul level. Only by stripping can we reveal and rebuild the new now us.

P.S. While writing this post, I also changed my blog's tagline from "Soulful living in a world of information overload" to "... a world of everything overload" because that's where we are. Too much stuff, too many choices, all in an effort to have the best of the best at the cheapest price possible. No more. From now on my choices will be more mindful and I will pay a bit more for better tasting tomatoes, dangit!