Book Character Dress Up Day

hot pink sunglasses+
pink tights+

tutu+


purse+

necklaces and bracelets+
official fancy nancy name tag+

girly shoes+


tiaras=

fancy nancy...a.ka. fancy ansley
sitting on her throne...


in case you're wondering...it's just me under this glittery girly getup

Toddler Table

Ansley currently has a fascination with little tables and chairs. While on our way to GA recently, we stopped at the Georgia Welcome Center, and she went right in, sat down at this little Cabbage Patch Kids table and started coloring like she owned the place! I LOVE this picture...to me she actually looks like a CPK!

Jon and I are wanting to get her a little table where she can sit to color and do crafts. I would love suggestions on where to find table/chair sets that aren't too pricey. Does anyone know where I might find one that is a dark espresso color so it would match her nursery?

2027

Fast forward to the year 2027...I don't know if my mind (or heart) can go there just yet. It's a year I've thought about momentarily but honestly over the next 17 years it will be a year I will plan towards, set goals in light of, save money for, and I am sure sometimes wish would come sooner or later (depending on how the day is going)! It's the year our baby girl, Ansley, will graduate from high school and begin to live life on her own. What will the world be like in 2027? I've always heard the saying that from the time a child is born, each day following their birth is a day that you are preparing them and moving them one step closer to the day they will leave you. It's a bittersweet truth. I don't know what made me all of a sudden think to calculate what year my daughter will graduate but it makes each day between now and May 2027 seem a little more important. Although the days sometimes pass slowly, I am already realizing that the years pass by all too quickly. Lord, help me cherish life, train well, love deeply, forgive much and pray without ceasing.

Pumpkin Patch Pictures

Howdy folks, here I am at Old Baker's Farm...

It was the Cotton Pickin' Festival so I got to jump in cotton!

Swing+Horse=Fun

Me and Mommy on the hayride...

Our two pumpkins picked straight from the vine...

I loved seeing all the animals in the barn...

I even tackled a hay maze...

Farmer Ans on the way home...

Fall Field Trip

Ansley and I are headed to Old Baker Farm tomorrow for the Cotton Pickin' Celebration! I don't think it can get any more southern or fun than this fall festival...hay mazes, food, music, pumpkin patch, cotton fields, corn mazes and more! I thought I would share this festival with all you Birmingham moms out there who might be looking for a fun way to spend your Saturday! Pictures to come...

Toothpaste Tidbit

If you are looking for an all natural toothpaste that does not contain fluoride (which I've learned can be dangerous for young children), I highly recommend Sunshine Brite Toothpaste. My mother-in-law ordered some for Ansley online at naturessunshine.com and she loves it! I know this sounds like an advertisement but I just had to share because ever since we started using it (as opposed to just water like her pediatric dentist recommended), Ansley asks to brush her teeth and actually enjoys it, her breath smells 100% better, and I like the fact that it is safe for toddlers and has no artificial flavors, sweeteners or colors.

In doubt? He was, is and always will be God!

I love reading through the One Year Bible and this year I am using the Message. I came upon this verse today and it brought a smile to my face...I hope it encourages you and reminds you how GREAT our God is! Psalm 90:2 says "from "once upon a time" to "kingdom come"—you are God!" I love it!

Today's Verse

1 Timothy 6:18-19 charges us to "Do good, be rich in good deeds, and be generous and willing to share. In this way you will lay up treasure for yourselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that you may take hold of the life that is truly life."

Have you taken hold of the life that is truly life? I needed this good reminder today!

Taking Care of Yourself

A mentor/counselor that often comes to our school to provide professional development to teachers gave us a "taking care of self" assessment last year. After rating how we were doing on each one, we had to select three that we would "work on" over the next several months. After trying mono-tasking on Wednesday evening, I was reminded of the critical need to take care of myself. See how well you are doing...
1. Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night
2. Exercise for 20 minutes at least 3 times a week
3. Learn to love and accept yourself as you are
4. Have a quiet time each day
5. Slow down, step back and assess your life. Have you done this in the last month?
*6. Start practicing "letting go" more and "holding on" less
7. Choose to use an open hand approach to life rather than a closed fist approach
8. Be less controlling of others and of situations. Accept more.
9. Slow down your breathing
10. Choose to trust, accept and act
11. Treat yourself to a massage
12. Don't do the same thing over and over, expecting new results. Try a new approach
*13. Be where you are and present with what you are doing, instead of wishing you were somewhere else or doing something else
14. Do something that you enjoy everyday
15. Be aware of those with whom you spend time
16. Set priorities and manage your time better
17. Learn to say "no" more often
18. Figure out what is important for this moment and do it
*19. Learn that more is not always better
20. Accept more and resist less

I put a * by my top three to work on. Which ones would you choose to work on?

The Art of Monotasking

My friend and relative at Cherishing Life blog gave her readers a special challenge last week...mono-tasking. She invited readers to try to take a day or even part of a day and find a way to do one thing at a time vs. 3-4 things at a time. For women (especially mothers) this seems like a daunting quest!

I decided to try my hand at mono-tasking last Wednesday and I will just go ahead and admit that it was H.A.R.D. I was too scared to commit to an entire day so I determinded ahead of time that once I got home on Wednesday afternoon at 3:30 I would only do one thing at a time until I went to bed that night. It meant not clipping coupons and reading mail while cooking dinner, not watching television while folding laundry after Ansley went to bed, and not reading my newest arrival, Southern Living, while watching Ansley play in the backyard. On a typical evening, you might find me cooking dinner, running a load of laundry, unloading the dishwasher, watching Ansley play and listening to Jon tell me about his day before he heads off to work...ALL AT THE SAME TIME. I must admit I am a good multi-tasker and I find a strange sort of accomplishment in the fact that I can do so much in a little amount of time. I am sure most mothers feel this way :)

However, in those few short hours on Wednesday, I learned that when life slows down, living steps up. The quality of my "living" was accuntuated when I "gave up" to "gain more". I need to mono-task more often. I can't say I am ready or even willing to give up multi-tasking (honestly I don't see how a wife, mother, homemaker, and teacher can ever fully mono-task), I do see the reward in it and it has made me slow down, step back and assess my life. It's made me realize I have got to do a better job at taking care of myself. What about you? Do you take care of yourself? In my next post, I will share some self-assessment questions that a mentor/counselor asked me a few years ago that will hopefully challenge you (and me) to take better care of ourselves so we can be all we need to be for those we serve!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

This morning, I was challenged as I was reading God's word. It is vital that I respect those in authority over me. It's something I often need to be reminded of. Today, I will seek to honor those who are over me in my country, my community, my church, my workplace and my home. What if we all gave the honor and respect that was due to our leaders?

1 Thessalonians 5:12 says, "Respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other."

Happy 18 Months, Ansley

Free scrapbooking design customized with Smilebox

My Verse

I have been praying and searching for a verse that would be fitting for my role as a mommy and teacher. This morning, God showed me an awesome Word in Psalm 78:72!

"Karen shepherded Ansley and her students with integrity of heart; with skillful hands she led them."

I think this is a very fitting verse in my ministry in the home and in the workplace. I hope it serves as an encouragement to all you moms as well!