In Between

We have turned Christmas into a week long celebration here!

It's all good...we'll be wrapping up Christmas, with the opening of the New Year. :)

There is a little twinge of sadness that the season/year will soon be over.

AND... there is excitement and anticipation of what is to come in a sparkling New Year.

In the in-between time...

I haven't been getting much scratched off of my to do list....

but it's what I have been doing that matters.

For this New Year...

I *pray that we can all let go of:

 old hurts

past grudges

failures

and 

disappointments.

That we:

 pay attention to the little things...

& enjoy all the little moments that make life grand

love with every fiber of our being

and 

let God surprise you !

Don't try to figure Him out...

just let him WOW you sometimes !!

Wishing you all a HEALTHY, HEALING, PEACEFUL and HAPPY 

New Year !!!

*loving...

warm December days

hope

prayer

that my family is well

the little gifts I received from home

traditions

my hubby's strength and reassurance

having a new computer

having a smart, funny, thoughtful.... young man to help me with the aforementioned

stretching out the holidays

living in this sweet little town

taking walks around the lake

little ones 

XOXO

Christmas

" Seeing is believing, but sometimes

 the most real things in the world

are the things we can't see."

We all know the season is really about celebrating the birth of Jesus.
And enjoying our family and friends.
It's not what we plan, or what we buy 

that makes this time of year special.

It's the time that we give.
The time we are given.

The precious moments that we share.

The joy in the tiny, unplanned wonders

that sneak in and make the season bright.

Those are the moments I love and cherish the most !

From our family to yours...

We wish you lots of love...and Very Merry Christmas !!

*loving....
the snowflakes Brandon and I made our first Christmas alone. (10 years ago)
having my first big tree....I usually go for the Charlie Brown type
having Brandon home...and Bun :)
my family
my friends
Oliver's first Christmas :)
the One that was sent as a baby that day....so long ago.
the Gift of Jesus. Giver of all gifts.

XOXO

Celebration

" Happiness [is] only real when shared."

Capturing...freezing in time these special little moments.
To keep forever.

*loving...
having another Mrs. Whitesell in the family :)
family and friends that come together and *love BIG
young love
children always being a reminder of uninhibited play, dance, & love.
being a part of this magical day
new beginnings
the amusement of sliding down a ice covered parking lot...in dress clothes...
while holding hands with my hubby. *visual*  :)
a beautiful December wedding
our first snow

XOXO

Blessed

Today was a really good day.

I feel so humbled and so blessed.

God is with us.

Always.

*loving...

hubby getting good test results at the Dr.

family and friends lifting us in prayer

being comforted by family and friends lifting us in prayer 

Santa waiting in the waiting room with us

twinkle lights and sunsets

Pentatonix 

God's goodness and grace.

XOXO

Sweetness

" Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving.
What you have caught on film, is captured forever...
it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything."

It may have not been an ordinary day, or a "typical" moment...

because we had our sweet girl along....

and that TOTALLY spikes our happy meter.

It was however a routine drive out to the farm.

A daily check on the cows.

Time to feed the herd.

And woven into all the little "ordinary" moments...

 were these sweet and simple moments.

Moments that made me just want to push pause 

and savor them for a little while longer.

Moments FULL of ordinary magic.

The ones I love to capture.

Those are the moments that always...and truly...

ROCK my world !

*loving...

how special going to the farm becomes when we have our little farm girl along

the way she mimics her PaPa...watching his every move

holding hands

laughing enough to produce hiccups

dancing to the radio

seeing our routine through the eyes of a child

getting excited over the simple things

standing out in the rain...and enjoying it !

family. family. family.

all the simple little "ordinary" things

XOXO

Sundown

" Do not wait for life. Do not long for it.

Be aware, always and at every moment,

that the miracle is here and now. "

I was sitting here thinking of the right words for my post.

 I have been busy lately...

so I am posting photos from a few days ago.

And I can't think of the words that go with the feeling,

that I am trying to find the words for...so I'll share the moment.

Hubby was feeding the cows...

it was sundown on the farm.

The air was cool...and everything was quiet.

Surreal.

I had been having one of those..."the grass is always greener" days.

You know...

when you think you should be somewhere else...

doing something else ?

Standing there...taking it all in...

I was suddenly humbled.

I became acutely aware of how perfect it all was!

There was nowhere I would have rather been,

than at the farm, with my dear hubby...

at that moment.

AND I realized...

the grass was the greenest RIGHT where I was standing. :)

*loving....

twinkle light and snowflakes

cold nights and cozy blankets

a warm mug of soup and grilled cheese

fuzzy socks

digging out my favorite mittens

XOXO

Meditation

" So, what if, instead of thinking about solving your whole life,

you just think about adding additional good things.

One at a time.

Just let your pile of good things grow."

I'm making time for yoga.

mindfulness, and other

"hippy" pursuits

that make me a calmer, more peaceful person.

Adding one good thing !!!

Meditation.

I attempt it every morning.

First thing.

10 minutes.

Before I have coffee.

I am amazed at how many thoughts run through my head.

Before coffee !!!

It's a lot.

I can't say that I am any good at  just letting the thoughts float by.

I don't always.

But that's okay.

Sometimes you've got to be horrible at something before your good at it ...right ?

It takes practice.

It's only been a week.

*loving...

my new early morning ritual

anything that helps with monkey brain

living near the lake

longer evenings with my dear hubby

our Christmas tree

getting Christmas cards ready to send

hot chocolate with marshmallows

Charlie Brown Christmas music...I always think of them dancing :)

the beautiful sunsets we have been having

the amazing talent on the Voice this season.

XOXO

Redneck

You might be a redneck....

if you have a goat in your backyard.

And your goat has a shack. 

before

And when you look in the backyard...

 you hear theme music from Sanford and Son.

after

I am dreaming of an upgrade.

BUT for now..

just tidying up a bit.

confused

*loving...

getting rid of crap

the smell of good alfalfa hay

hard work, and getting dirty...it's therapeutic
simplifying...simplifying...simplifying...[ also therapeutic ]

K-love radio

Oliver searching for...and talking to the DJ's between songs

mowing and mulching the leaves...[ I come by it naturally...*Dad]

a gorgeous day to get 'er done.
my inner redneck

XOXO

Coffee

Sometimes I like to try something new...

like getting creative with my coffee

adding flavors and stuff to my brew.

Then I like to take it out on the front porch... 

to sip and relax in my favorite spot.

But truth be known...[ let's be honest here] a non-favorite place  for my coffee...

there is not.

Because...really it's just one of those sacred breaks 

that make it a special moment during my day.

It's all the  little things that take place

in the cherished ritual, and the role that my cup of coffee will play.

                                                  

 *loving...

coffee rituals

my curious fur-babies

finding a use [tea & coffee] for the sweetened condensed milk I bought for some fudge I 

never made 

browsing allrecipes.com

flannel shirts

comfy slippers

the scent of homemade soup cooking in the crock-pot

Christmas shows 

XOXO

Thanksgiving

It's the day after Thanksgiving, and if there is such a thing as a 

gratitude hangover....I have it.

I think it is wonderful to have a day to stop...

and take note of all the things we are grateful/ thankful for !

I think we ought to do it on a regular basis.

playing

Sometimes we get too caught up in the busyness of it all...

we try to cram to much into one day...

and we stress about everything being perfect.

We get upset with a family member for being themselves...

or we get down on our selves because we think we have 

fallen short of our own lofty expectations.

I know...therefore I speak. 

However...

at the end of the day...

when you really stop and take it all in...

we see that we are all perfect

in our own fabulous, jacked-up ways.

So lets laugh at ourselves.

Love ourselves & others.

Take delight in the unbelievably good, bad, crazy wonder of it all.

I am thankful and grateful 

for every bit of it.

*loving...

some of the crazy weird stories that are birthed at Thanksgiving

laughing over inside jokes

Brandon's laugh

Mom being mom

hubby's patience and understanding.

his willingness to try new things.

family being together

mimosas

that regardless of all the trash we hear....most people are still nice...and kind...and thoughtful.

Happy day after Thanksgiving !!

XOXO