Savoring

This week has been delightful. 

I have been home on mid-winter break, and I am seriously savoring every. single. moment!

There are definitely "mid-winter-break-haters", and I'm sure they have their reasons, but I am certainly not one of them. 

You may think teachers get too many breaks, but in all honesty we need them; at least I know that I do.  Teaching is a wonderful career, but it is exhausting. In order to maintain my sanity, and do my job to the best of my ability, well...I need weeks like this one to just be.  

This week, I needed to spend lots of time at home, to ignore bigger chores/projects that I should do and just have ordinary days.  I needed to watch movies with Harry, to play trains, read books, and most of all spend lots of quality time with people. 

It has been glorious - not extravagant, but ordinary. 

And I have loved every minute!

I can't say I'm fully ready for this week to be over; thankfully I still have a few days left. 

But I can say that having a whole week to step back, slow down, and focus on my family (and life outside of work) has been refreshing. I think it's given me the boost I need to make it through the gray and gloomy winter weeks ahead...and into the hope that comes in spring.

"Instafriday" :: Sunday Edition ;)

I've followed Lindsey over at The Pleated Poppy for several years now and always love her Instafriday posts. She uploads her phone/instagram photos and shares the details of her week on her blog.

She links up with Jeanett from Life Rearranged.

This year I'd like to be better about blogging...and I'm pretty sure I've written those words here on this very blog a million times before. I'm not exaggerating (okay maybe I am a little, but seriously...I've said it way too many times)!

Remember when I posted about how C O N T E N T is my word for 2014, well here's how I think this fits in:

In the past I've wanted to be a better blogger (aka: I'd like to perfect my life, make it look "blogworthy" and then post beautiful photos and articulate, witty posts like _______ fill in the blank). 

But in all honesty, that's probably never going to happen.

First of all, I know that no one has "the perfect life". 

And second of all, while I do have dreams (of creating more, re-opening my Etsy shop (which has been empty for far too long), and photographing/posting creative tutorials that inspire you to get creative too)...I'm working on being more content. 

I'm working on accepting myself for who I am today; being content to just be me. I want to stop waiting around for my creativity to reach the level of someone else and just get on here and share my thoughts in both photos and words.

that's why I started blogging in the first place - not to become like some amazing superwoman blogger who is already out there. But to just write about my life.

At the rate I'm going, I will wake up tomorrow and Harry will be 10 years old (and we'll hopefully have another kid or two) and I'll wish I would've just blogged about things that in ten years I'll have surely forgotten.

So here goes.

I'm going to start linking up on Fridays...but for now here's a random smattering of photos from my iphone (from the past few weeks).

My Life in Phone Pics :: January (the first half)

| truffles are best when smeared all over the face |

| painting Buzz and Jess, and his hand |

| my diamond candle smells sooooo good... |

| ...and I lucked out with this pretty gem :) |

| seriously, the best of friends :: Landon 3.5 and Harry almost 2 |

| enjoying time with Uncle before he headed back to college |

| "a fend in me" (aka: you've got a friend in me) is our new family soundtrack |

| ordered my first shutterfly book of Harry's first birthday party, addicted |

| a little subtle sparkle to end the holiday season and welcome in the new year |

| new year, new look...on the blog that is |

| balancing at cousin Eli's 3rd birthday party |

| #shereadstruth is amazing...I am LOVING the fresh start reading plan this month |

| ongoing ear infections make for long nights, and tired days...poor buddy |

|  I wish his little hand would fit in mine forever! slow down time |

Being CONTENT in 2014

Hello to a New Year! I honestly can't believe that it's already 2014, but I am fully ready to embrace it.

More than anything I am ready for this fresh start - for a chance to reflect and refocus. I was looking back on my blog posts from the beginning of the year, and chuckle a bit because I was tired, and mostly just hoping for more sleep. There weren't any thought-provoking posts about resolutions, just photos and tiredness. Such is life as a mom, but thankfully I can say that at the close of 2013 I did in fact find myself in a world where losing sleep was an oddity and not the norm.

While being Harry's mom is still a huge part of my life, it has also become more normal. Sure he's still changing and parenting is both a joy and a challenge as we face new stages all the time, but it's not as overwhelming. It's just life as we now know it.

I suppose what I'm getting at is that I'm happy to report that I've reached a stage in my life where I think I can be more intentional here on my blog. I know I've said it many times before, but seriously...I had no idea how many ups and downs there'd be during the first two years of mommy-hood!

There is no way to tell what 2014 will bring, and rather than list off a bunch of things I'm going to strive for this year, my goal is to simply be content: no matter what the circumstance, how much sleep I get, how clean/dirty my house is, what kind of clothes I'm wearing, how other people treat me, how I'm feeling at any particular moment, etc.

Being content, truly C O N T E N T in all things this past year has been a challenge. I actually hate to admit it because when I sit down and look at my life, it is overflowing with blessing and things that I should be constantly thanking God for. Yes, I have been thankful in the past year, but I've also spent too much time grumbling, not out loud but in my heart. God knows my heart better than I do...and I want to honor Him in not just the things that I do, but in the attitude of my heart.

So here's to a new year and a fresh start. To a year that I am going to be continually relying on Christ to change me, and give me the true contentment that I long for. It's certainly not going to come from my stubborn, selfish, sinful nature...but I have hope and expectation that in Christ it is possible to be content, in all things. To praise Him in the storms and the joys that will surely come this year.

...for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be CONTENT.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

| Philippians 4:11-13 ESV |