Writing Your Love Story

With Valentine's Day knocking on the door, L♥ve is in the air. What a prefect time to reflect, write and share your Love Story. Many people never take the time to write down the details of a love story. We all have a love story....some are fairytale-like and others...well, let's just say lessons can be learned. 

Take the time to sit down write a few words in your journal or "type" them up and tell about how you met, your first kiss, when you knew "he" was the one. Or how about the first time your eyes met? The first time your boyfriend met your parents? Your first date?  Or even your first KISS?  You can't help but have those sweet feelings flood your heart again and put a smile on your face. 

Something fun to do is have your hubby answer the same questions and create a "He said, She said" version of your love story. My hubby and I did this...Oh, it was fun!!! And let's just say we both remember our Love Story VERY differently...but I so remember the day we met in 4th grade.... his adorable perm, checkered Vans, and gray parachute pants with safety pins all the way up his calves.......beautiful....just beautiful!

Take time to remember why, how, where, and who you fell in love with....  

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.
--Mignon McLaughlin

Tuesday Tradition #46 - Homemade Halloween Fun!

Somewhere a long time ago, a few city and states ago, I was over at a friends house for a little Halloween party. Sometimes entertaining 3 and 4 yr. olds can be quite a task. But she pulled out this adorable homemade Halloween memory game and the kids played it for over an hour!

Take Halloween pictures from the past years, as far back as you want, and print out 2 - 2x2 squares of each picture. Mount them on card stock, Halloween style if you want, and cut those out into squares. You should have 2 of every picture. That's it!

Place the squares picture side down, in nice even rows, and take turns picking 2 cards at a time while trying to make a match. Whoever has the most pairs at the end of the game, WINS! My little ones LOVE this game. I'm putting together my family's Halloween Memory game today and I'm sure we'll get lots of use out of this easy, cheap, homemade game!

Enjoy!

Tuesday Tradition - Handwritten Letters?

Email, text, cell phone, instant message, PM.......and the list goes on.

I've realized that my children are learning to communicate without emotion. They're falling into a trap of non-verbal communication and it's scaring me. All those things are so convenient, and I personally love them too. They're faster, easier and get the job done. But this past weekend I realized that my daughters (pre-teen and teen) haven't hand written a letter to anyone in their family in a few years.

I remember as a youth writing my grandparents, they would write me back...writing my cousins and getting cute decorated notes back in the mail. There is something to be said about the excitement that stirs when we look in the mailbox and see a letter from a family member, a friend across the country or a pen pal. (Do people still pen pal?)

I was going through some keepsake boxes and realized I had an entire shoebox filled with handwritten letters from my cousins, grandparents, and friends that were sent to me during my childhood. I stopped and read those letters for about 2 hours and realized that my children have no shoe boxes full of letters. They have email accounts that are used for quick writes, dumb jokes and few funky surveys.

Where are those emails going to be in 20 years? Not in a shoebox.

The advice and stories that I have in that shoebox is priceless. It's a treasure box full of support, love, direction, advice, congratulations.....I can't even list them all. I pulled them out and shared them with my kids and they were captivated by these letters. They loved to see "great-grandma's" beautiful handwriting and the stories and emotion that flowed onto the paper.

There is something special, something different about a handwritten letter. I've read somewhere about the positive impact personally handwriting a letter can benefit a child, a mother, a father. One of our family "traditions" that we try to do each month is write HAND WRITTEN letters to family. No texting, emailing, or pm'ing...a real handwritten letter. I hope that we can start a family tradition with all of our extended family and bring back the beauty of swapping stories and memories through the mail.

PS. A very amazing wonderful friend of mine has started a new blog called "Incredible Women". This week she is highlighting one my heroes and one of THE most incredible women I have ever met....

Tuesday Tradition - Apples & Fall

With Fall just around the corner, apple picking is in high demand. Just typing the words "Fall" and "apple picking" give me a warm fuzzy! I love this time a year and and I love to go apple picking. The memories and traditions that ring in my head make me want to throw some overalls on and go run up and down rows and rows of apple trees.

As a child we had apple orchards within blocks of our house, right in the middle of our neighborhood. We'd grab laundry baskets and go fill them up as high as we could....of course we could never carry them back home. We'd have to send mom or dad with the car to pick up our laundry baskets that were heaping with apples on the sidewalks. Picking the apples were always fun, but the apple fights were probably the best. Nothing like hucking a rotten apple at the brat that lived down the street and pegging her right in the back of the head....okay, I've said too much.

Anyway, apple picking can be a positive family experience...it can become a new tradition that all families can enjoy. Many farms have live music and picnic areas and some offer wagon or hay rides. Sometimes a little petting zoo or pony ride can be found. We've even found a corn maze or two.

The fun doesn't stop at the orchards. Once you bring the apples home all the yummy fun begins. From homemade apple pies and apple sauces to caramel-dipped apples there are 100's of things that you can do with apples. Heck, my grandma would make freaky little apple dolls with hers....Don't ask!

Here is a great link to help you find apple picking in your own neighborhoods. www.pickyourown.org has great ideas and resources for all picking adventures! Find a farm close by and take your family out for a great day of picking, throwing, and eating! Nothing like a real family tradition to get the Fall kicked off!

If you know of any other "picking" info sites, please pass them along.

A Tradition of Welcoming Myself Back...

I'm officially welcoming myself back into the world...life has been a roller coaster these past few months, but oddly enough I always feel blessed through the ups and the downs.

Today we headed back to school with schedules and commitments in full swing...and I feel refreshed and ready to make this year amazing! Life has been good to our family. On Sunday I took some time to reflect on our summer and the time that we were able to spend together....it was wonderful, rewarding and a turning point for our family. Something sweet happened this summer, not sure what it was....but I'll take it!

My kids seem like they've rooted themselves a little deeper as Christians and as leaders. I'm excited to see how they dance with the music this year.....

For me the start of school is like a second Spring Cleaning...time to tackle some projects and find order and schedule again...but also time to make sure I'm taking care of myself and my family in the ways that matter. I always make sure I write in my journal on the first day back to school...I love to record my goals and hopes and dreams for myself, my kids, my hubby and our family as a whole. I especially love reading the entries from years past...I always take the time to write about each of my children individually. It's a great place to record my deepest thoughts and love for them. Someday I hope they find it....and maybe get a glimpse of just how much they were loved.

Take the time today to write in your journal today....

A Tradition of Opening Your Home

I came across this little tidbit from Joanna Zucker, author of Millennium Mom. She talked about bring character into our homes to give it an open and welcome feeling. She said the following about Bringing Back Casual Visits.

"These days, our homes are much different from those that we grew up in. They may look different, but more importantly they are not as “open” as they were in the past. Think about when the last time was that you had someone ring your doorbell unexpectedly, just to say hello. This just doesn’t happen nearly as often as it used to. Gone are the days when grandma or grandpa, an aunt or uncle, or even a neighbor would stop by just to check in or have coffee, which then turned into a casual dinner invitation.

Personally, I loved those visits and still do as an adult. They’re more casual and filled with great conversation, rather than weeks of planning and cleaning. If you are like me and want to bring the socializing back, I recommend a few easy tips."

• Staying tidy and organized - I like this one because it doesn't say we have to have a spotless house. It simply means to keep our homes tidy and picked up in away that won't stress us out if the unexpected (and welcomed) guest drops by.
  
• Easy Recipes - She suggests always having a few favorite EASY recipes on hand along with the ingredients so if your guest stays for a bit you can have something yummy to share to make the stay more inviting.
  
• Bring in the Season - These are her words exactly... LOVE these ideas! "Place seasonal decorations around your home to give it visual character. To save money, buy a door hanger, hand towels and other items on clearance after the holidays to prepare for the next year. Also, use nature when you can. Place leaves in a variety of colors in a clear vase for the fall, pine cones in the winter, fresh flowers from a shrub or tree in the spring or summer."

I too love casual visits. I'm learning to love them again and welcome them too. Slowing down life is a part of the "casual visit". In my quest to find my personal Peace, this fits right in to the plan. Take the time to drop by someones house to just say hello or even better create a welcoming space in your home and let the casual visits begin. ♥

Tuesday Tradition Favorites

I love traditions....Not sure if you noticed that or not, but I do.
I love them!

I wanted to highlight and share some of my favorite "Tuesday Traditions" that I posted a long time ago...when I was the only one who read my blog.

Lemonade Stands

Vacation Sand Collections

Daddy Daughter Dates

Easy Summer Fun

image from better homes and gardens.

Tuesday Tradition #42

First off I want to announce the winner of my Scrabble Tile Pendant giveaway from last week's Tuesday Traditions post....the winner was picked using Random.org and picked comment #1! Abby!!!

So I'm not sure if you think this is a tradition or not....but I do. It's a tradition I completely ignored while I was a child...okay teen and into my early adult years. My mother was obsessive compulsive about this "tradition"....I thought it was just lame and complete nonsense...waste of time. Want to know what I'm talking about....

Making the bed. Having a Beautiful bed.

I was thinking about my Tuesday Traditions post last night and I was so out of sorts and tired and complaining...and I found myself gravitating to my bedroom and kept thinking to myself, "Just go make your bed and you'll feel much better." And that's when it came to me...That's a tradition. It's a simple one, but think about it...I know how un-done I feel and the slight agitation that I feel when my bed is all messed up, unmade, blankets twisted, pillows on the floor. And I also know how amazing it feels to walk in and out of my bedroom and see a beautiful, comfy, welcoming bed...

I've tried to teach my kids this "tradition" because I remember the stress of being in high school and tired and overworked, busy...and then coming home to a messy room. It sucked. My daughter was telling me how she really wants to work on keeping her living space clean because she feels so much more productive...hummmmm....and that her bed should be made when she leaves in the morning so she has a place to come home to that's just her own comfortable space.

Oh Sweet Mary...I think I might be making progress as a mother!

So as you can see, making the bed is a tradition. It creates a comfortable, clean, cozy environment. It's yours. It's the once place you can pretty much control. At least in my house it is...My hubby and I have a little rule...last one up makes the bed. ♥ Thank goodness he's a good bed-maker!

PS...this post gives you permission to go purchase the bedding of your choice. Your excuse if you're questioned...."I'm creating new family traditions and a space of comfort and joy." Who could put a price tag on that?

Hugs ♥

Tuesday Tradition #41 - Crafts & a Giveaway!!!

Crafts.

The dictionary says "craft" is a "skill, art, trade..." but most of my crafts are just humble little wannabes that most people would secretly mock. But I love them...

I think it's the thrill of the shopping trip that gets me all excited. I love laying everything out on my table and checking out all the goodies I've got...and I even love the little collection of "crafting supplies" that are slowly building up. So yes, I ♥ crafts! Most of the time I love my finished projects...MOST of the time. But not always...sometimes I secretly enjoy them and then hide them...and wait for the next community garage sale.

Anyway.....crafts are traditions. I've seen so many crafts passed down in my family (LOL!!) woo-wee....and I've started new ones too. I'll be honest though, I really miss sitting around the big table with my grandma, aunts, mom, and cousins while doing some holiday craft, laughing, jabbing funny jokes at grandma....that was a good time. I miss it dearly. It makes me sad to think that those days have passed, but excited to know that I can continue that tradition with my own family.

The past month I've mentioned a few times that I'm in serious crafting mode. I've made quite a few little things...Daisy and Sunflower hair clips for my little girl, Wooden words, decorated picture frames....and THE SCRABBLE PENDANTS!

These were not only easy, but turned out so adorable! I can't stand it! I'm hooked...I've made about...14 so far. Anything I can cut and paste is going on a scrabble chip.

Here's my first batch...

I gave my oldest daughter the one in the middle and my other daughter got the one of her playing softball! How cool is that???? Mom...if you're reading...you may have an idea of what you'll be getting for Mother's Day...and yes, you'll get Cherish Bound book too.

I'm giving away the cute one up there to one of you!! Here's how you can win!

1. Leave a comment telling us about your favorite craft. If you can, please leave a link to it if you have it on your blog. We'd love to see.

2. Sign-up for my newsletter (top right corner) and leave a separate comment.

3. Follow my blog and leave a separate comment

4. Follow me on Twitter @cherishbound176 and tweet about - leave a separate comment

Don't forget to leave your email if you don't have it listed on your profile!! Open to US residence only! Giveaway ends Monday, February, 23 @ 11:59pm. Winner will be announced on next week's Tuesday Traditions. Winner will be chosen using random.org.

Tuesday Tradition ♥ What do you collect?

Yes, I' m asking you if you collect something...you know, stamps, baseball cards, spoons, dolls, postcards, etc...do you collect anything?

I'm curious to know if you do because I've realized that at this moment in my life I don't collect anything! This might sound kind of weird, but I have nothing and I haven't collected anything since I was about 13 years old....I'm just kind of existing without a personal branding of some sort. Everyone collects something right? Teapots, fabric, radios, shoes....

It seems that when we're kids our parents or grandparents find something for us to collect. I think I was betrothed to dolls, spoons and stamps...I know, exciting. I never LOVED collecting any of those things, but the family picked that for me and that's what they bought me for my birthdays and holidays. Oh, and music boxes too. I was a complete TOMBOY! And Stamps???? Just weird.

Anyway, I want to know what you collect. Do you have a collection of teddy bears from high school or do you have a new collection now that you're an adult? I almost feel left out of the club. I mean, all my friends collect something. I can think of a few off the top of my head and if their birthdays were tomorrow I'd know exactly what to get them....something in their collections of course. But me, nothing. I get $10 gift cards to Macy's. What? What the heck can I buy at Macy's for $10?

So I've had enough....I decided it's time to collect things....and I've picked 2 things. Two. I'm an overachiever. I want my mom or husband or best friend to be able to go to a store and stumble on one of my themed-collections and buy it for me just because they know I "collect" it.

So do you know what I want to start collecting....Okay. I'll tell you.

The first one is Vintage dishes. I'm in LOVE with them all of a sudden. Pyrex, Fiesta, Anchor Hocking...I know there are tons more, but I'm new at this thing. I just love dishes. I love serving food in dishes. Different colors. They don't need to match. And I want to find a table setting that is totally pieced together as well. Nothing needs to match. So that's my first new collection.

Second, Birds. My blog kind of started it...I'm loving the new Bird Craze. Not Beautiful swan-type birds. I'm loving the shabby-chic-funky birds. I really love the one in my header (thank you Trendy Mommy). So I'm going to start collecting birds. I'd like some decor for my house and office...maybe some jewelry. Pillows for the couch would be nice. Maybe birds on dishes....huhhh! Yeah.

So what do you collect? Or do you have some suggestions for me on finding vintage dishes or birdies? I'd love to hear.

Tuesday Tradition #40 Writing & Sharing Your Love Story & Giveaway!

I just realized this is the 40th tradition that I've posted...wow! I have to say I'm ever so slightly proud of myself. We've got quite a collection of traditions here. There are plenty to go around and enough to last the entire year. I hope you enjoy them all and please feel free to share and pass on all of yours as well.

With Valentine's Day knocking on the door, L♥ve is in the air. What a prefect time to reflect, write and share your Love Story. Many people never take the time to write down the details of a love story. We all have a love story....some are fairytale-like and others...well, let's just say lessons can be learned.

Take the time to sit down write a few words in your journal or "type" them up and tell about how you met, your first kiss, when you knew "he" was the one. Or how about the first time your eyes met? The first time your boyfriend met your parents? You can't help but have those sweet feelings flood your heart again and put a smile on your face.

Need some help remembering those moments? Well, I have the perfect tool! By using Cherish Bound's "Falling In Love" Story Starter, you'll be prompted with over 50 ideas and questions about your love story. With room to jot down your thoughts you'll organize and collect all those memories in one place. Something fun to do is have your hubby answer the same questions and create a "He said, She said" version of your love story. My hubby and I did this...Oh, it was fun!!! And let's just say we both remember our Love Story VERY differently...but I so remember his adorable perm, checkered Vans, and gray parachute pants with safety pins all the way up his calves.......beautiful!

This is one of our most popular Story Starters for good reason. Read through the questions with the one you love and write your story to share with everyone. And when you're done collecting those memories...You can put them into this adorable "Love Book" from Cherish Bound. It's the cutest 5x5 book with pink and brown accents. SOOO CUTE!

Would you like a chance to WIN the Falling in Love Story Starter?

• Then share with us one quality that made you fall in love with your husband by leaving a comment. I know there are so many, but pick one...or two and share them.
  
• For a second chance to win, follow my blog! If you already follow leave a second comment to remind me or let me know you're a new follower.
  
• Make sure you leave an email if you don't have one in your profile. Giveaway closes Friday, Feb. 6th @ 9pm! Winner will be drawn by random.org.
  

Tuesday Tradition #39

Valentine's Day Family Breakfast

Tonight on twitter at our "Girl's Nite Out" April from Sweet Life in the Valley shared a great family tradition that you can do on Valentine's Day with your family...and V-day is on SATURDAY this year so this will be perfect!

She said, "Each year we always do a Valentines day breakfast in reds & pinks like heart shaped waffles with strawberries & raspberries."

How cute is that?

We also have made Sunnyside Eggs and Toast with a ♥ cut out.

Yummy & Cute

So in my search for more ideas I came across Design Mom's post about her amazing Valentine's Breakfast traditions and many other V-day traditions listed as well. You must check out this post! Her ideas are adorable! And Amazing!

Tuesday Tradition #38 Sports

We're are one hyped up family....Super Bowl is coming home to Tampa so of course we're getting ready for all the festivities and fun that will begin flooding Tampa. We all love sports...some of us love different ones, but we're all sports fans! We collect "Sports" movies of every kind, we get into EVERY playoff of anything that has to do with winning and losing. So yeah, I guess you could say we're true "Fan"atics of sports!

With Super Bowl less than 2 weeks away, March Madness right around the corner, NASCAR kicking off this coming weekend, we're looking for some family fun to begin. If you're a sports family OR if "dad" is and he would like to maybe get some of his family into a little bit more here are some great ideas!

My husband originally started this tradition in our home to get our daughters into football. I'm a HUGE NFL fan, so he expected them to jump right in with us....but I'm not so sure I was a die hard at 13 and 15 years old. But he wasn't going to wait for them....they were jumping on the bandwagon right now.

As a family we do Monday Night FB squares, Super Bowl Squares, Fantasy Football, NCAA Bowl game brackets, March Madness Brackets....pretty much squares and brackets of every kind for every sporting event. But we don't use money....

Everyone has a list of things that are pretty much FREE. No dishes for a week, no chores for 2 weeks, chocolate cake, bike ride every day after school for a week, etc. Whoever wins gets their wish granted and the other people in the family have to pull together to give the winner their "prize". It's been a lot of fun to see our entire family get involved and have some passion about the same thing and it's always fun to win and/or give the winner their prizes. We usually all benefit from it and it's just one more tradition that we can enjoy as a family.

Tuesday Tradition #37 ♥ Family Communication Folder

Family Communication Folder

This is our family's newest "tradition"...I guess you could call it a tradition. It's going to be around for a LONG time, so yeah, it's a tradition....and they pretty much don't have a choice or else....

Last week's Tuesday Tradition post about the One Word concept is what brought this newest tradition into our family. My word is PEACE. I want Peace in all areas of my life, but especially my home and family. We're a typical - traditional family, and we have gotten sucked into do everything, be everything, volunteer for everything, go everywhere, be everywhere, never say no chaos....and that type of living will NOT bring Peace to anyone or any family.

So with my new quest to bring Peace into my life simplicity, organization, and priorities are "sub-words" that compliment my Peace mission. Those three things are what helped me develop our new Family Communication Folder. It's organized chaos that is contained in one specific area. This folder has been in official use for 8 days now and I can't believe how amazing it is.

Here's what our Family Communication Folder is...

♥ A single 1" white binder

♥ Made a cover using www.wordle.net and it's awesome word-making-collage-thingy. I put words in there that represent our family, our daily activities and words that represent what this folder is about.

♥ Inside Front Pocket is for invitations, fliers, announcements that any of us receive. They're easy to see, don't end up on the kitchen counter and are stuck in the bottom of the bill pile.

♥ The first page is the table of contents. There are 8 tabs in our binder.

Month Family Calendar of Events
Mom & Dad's To-Do Lists
(Kid #1's) To-Do Lists
(Kid #2's) To-Do Lists
(Kid #3's) To-Do Lists
I Need...
Family's church and spiritual commitments
Dinner Menu & Dinner Ideas

(I don't do a tab for the twins who are 2 years old, but they'll have one soon enough)

♥ Monthly Family Calendar of Events: This tab contains 2 months worth of calendars. I printed out the calendars from Publisher and added standing events and appointments to them. I left space for fill-ins as the month progresses.

♥ Mom & Dad's To-Do Lists: This tab is for my husband and I to jot down things we're working on and trying to accomplish. We can write down what chores we may need some extra help with, if Saturday is a "Family" yard work day, etc. This gives our kids a chance to check in with what we're doing and our busy schedule. They can then prepare themselves for a Saturday morning of yard work or just dig up some appreciation for the hard work that we put into be their parents :O)

♥ Kid's To-Do Lists: Our oldest three kids have their own tab's. Each tab lists all of their weekly chores and expectations. There is also a list of individual tasks they should be working on as well. Example: oldest daughter needs to be reminded about looking into colleges, writing letters to schools, getting ready to prep for the SAT's/ACT's, etc. Both daughter's have reminders to work on their church services projects weekly, and even the word "Sibling" is in that list so they can be reminded that their siblings are a priority. There is also a calendar just for them to write in tests days, projects that are due, etc. This is for their personal reminders, but also for us to check in and see what's going on. Each kid also has a plastic folder/pocket as their last page where they can put field trip permission slips, book orders, t-shirt orders, anything that needs a signature or money.

♥ I Need... : This tab is for just that....What do you need? I hate it when I'm rushing out the door and my husband yells, "I need deodorant!" or my daughter reminds me with a mumbling voice as she's bolting out of the car during carpool that she needs toothpaste and a haircut scheduled. I cannot remember any of those things for more than 30 seconds. So this section is for them to write their name, item, what they need and when they need it. Example: Husband just put Need Button fixed on shirt, and leaf blower/vacuum/mulcher....see where this is going?

♥ Family's Church & Spiritual Commitments: This folder is to organize our family's daily and weekly commitments to church and personal spiritual time. We take time once a week to have Family Home Evening and there is a schedule in there to show who is in charge for the week. I put an entire year in there. There's a chart that we can mark off to keep track of what scriptures we're reading to help us be accountable and see the progress we make as we put these as a priority in our lives.

♥ Dinner Menu & Dinner Ideas: This tab has 2 important parts. Dinner Ideas is a place that any of us can jot down dinner's we want to try or a favorite we haven't had in awhile. I hate nothing more than to ask everyone, "What do you want for dinner this week?" and they all respond with..."Whatever you want to make?" AHHHH! I don't want all that responsibility on ME! So this gives them a place to quickly and easily jot down their ideas. That way when I go to make the grocery list I can pull ideas off of there. It also has our Dinner Calendar for the week. They can all see what we're having so no one is asking, "What's for dinner?" I hate that too!

♥ The last pocket in the back has all our important phone numbers and of course menus for our favorite take-out spots.

This folder is only 8 days old, but I can tell you that running a family like a business is a must. With so many commitments and children of all different ages, I have to have some organization and simplicity if I'm going to find Peace in my life.

One Word ♥ Tuesday Tradition

Have you heard the buzz about the amazing impact one word can have in your life? Over the past week I've bumped into this concept about 10 times...blogs, emails, advertisements....it's all over. The first time I saw it was at Ali Edwards's Blog last year. I ran into it again on her blog last week and then received and email about it as well. I've actually been in deep thought about "MY" word the past few days.....a few have come into mind often, but I finally narrowed it down.

This is a little bit of what Ali's blog says:

The idea behind the one little word concept is to give yourself something to focus on throughout the year. "A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow."

Also from that same newsletter:

Can you identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2009?

It can be something tangible or intangible. It could be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not your mother's word or your spouse's word or your child's word - this is YOUR word.

One little word can have big meaning in your life if you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities. And here's one thing that is totally interesting: sometimes a word will pop into your brain and it will not make any sense to you right now. Give it some time. Let it percolate a bit. I have often found that our hearts speak to us in very unique ways. Maybe this is a word you need to hear but just aren't ready for it yet. Again, be open to the possibilities.

Wow....such wisdom she offers.

So after much thought my word for 2009 is Peace

I want true Peace in my life...

A peaceful home
A peaceful mind
A sense of peace as decisions are made
Peace as I lead my children & teach them
Peace as a I filter out the unessential things in my life

Peace will be bring contentment. With the all the amazing adventures and achievements that I've been blessed with as well as those to come, I want to fully enjoy my life and by having Peace I will know which way to go. My mind has been staticy and sort of distracted ...I can't really describe it. But the recent events in my family have helped me see through the static and fog....through all the sadness and anxiety of the past month, the Lord's tender mercies have found their way to me and the feeling of Peace has comforted me. I want an unalterable feeling of Peace in my life.

Share your word here. I'd love to hear your words and inspiration!! I'm starting this with my family tonight...It'll be our newest tradition. I can't wait to hear my husband's and children's words. Need some help with words?? Check out Ali's List here.

Tuesday Tradition #36

My mom has officially started a brand new tradition in my home...today! There's nothing more exciting than getting the "ding-dong" of the doorbell and then finding a big gigantic box on the porch! So much fun!!! This box contained some wrapped gifts, GIANT candy canes, fun Christmas Beanie Babies, and.....5 hand sewn Christmas themed pillowcases for my kids!

Yep, that's the new tradition! Some of my friends are 100% domestic diva's (you know who you are) and make themed pillowcases for every holiday. Well, I've never gotten around to it and kind of forgot about that idea...until today! And what's even better about it, I'm going to let my mom surprise us every year with new Christmas pillow cases. I'm going to let her pick the fabric, sew them and even ship them. ;O)

She attached a cute little poem....

December the first starts a magical time,
With all sorts of color, music and rhyme.
Sugar plum fairies will dance in your head
If you'll put this pillowcase on your head!
The reason it's special as you will soon see,
It's been dusted with Christmas fantasy!
Visions of candy canes, Santa and such
Will fill each dream with pleasure so much.
But when comes the time for it to be washed,
Do it quickly so the magic's not lost.

Now break out those sewing machines & get to work!

♥ Tara

Tuesday Tradition #35

This a new tradition that was started 2 years ago with my friends. We get together the day before Thanksgiving and make homemade pies and rolls together. It's so much fun and a huge life savor for me because One, I don't have my own "mixer" (yet) and Two, I can't cook worth a crap. So my very sweet and best friend CMommy saves my life!

This year we're making Pioneer Woman's pie crust. Looks very, very yummy. I'm going to be making 2 pumpkin pies and a chocolate silk. Now CMommy has the most incredible rolls you'll ever eat!! They're so good!! I can make 2 entire large cookie sheets full and my small family of 7 will EAT EVERY SINGLE ONE BY Friday afternoon....talk about serious carb over loading! Woo-hoo!Maybe I can get her to share the recipe! It's fabulously delicious!

Tuesday Tradition #34

Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK!! I promised myself that this year I would not be surprised or shocked to realize that Thanksgiving was just days a way, but I am. It always comes so quickly, but I have taken the time to plan out a few things other than the menu. I'm not totally planned out (wish I was that good...) but I've got my "Thanksgiving Agenda" planned and hopefully I'll be able to pull off an enjoyable and relaxing holiday with my gang.

Here are 3 fun family traditions that you can do now and prep for next week. These are some fun things you can actually do ON Thanksgiving day if you need to fill some extra time up. We spend our Thanksgiving at home with just the 7 of us and there can be an hour or two here and there that allows board children to find trouble or simply drive me up a wall. So here's what we'll be doing on Thanksgiving day...other than eating and stuffing our faces full of grub.

1. Pick a fun family holiday movie to watch. This is great day to watch The Christmas Story, Polar Express, Rudolph, Miracle on 34th Street, Elf...and the list goes on. We catch the NFL games first and then pop a movie in.

2. How about a fun holiday craft or make some gifts? This year I'm loving the vinyl lettering! You can put this stuff ANYWHERE! But this year, we're going to be making some "tiles" with vinyl lettering. You better get your lettering ASAP though....and go down to your local Home Depot or Lowe's and buy some clearance tiles for cents!

3. And don't forget to take a family picture for your holiday cards. We always try and take one on Thanksgiving...however, we have to take it ourselves because we all want to be in it and we have no one else to help us take it. So we go with the old "timer" thing. Sometimes we look like we actually got dressed up and went somewhere and other times...well, it's the thought that counts right?

Start planning some fun things to do over the 5 day break! Lots of food, blessings and family traditions! Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday Tradition #33

Family & Personal Gratitude Journals

November is the prefect time to reflect on Gratitude and showing how thankful we are for our very, very blessed lives. With the thrill of the holidays already here, now is the time to start this personal and/or family tradition.

What is Gratitude? The state of being grateful; warm and friendly feeling toward a benefactor; kindness awakened by a favor received; thankfulness. Pleasing to the mind or senses; agreeable or welcome; refreshing.

I couldn't have said it better....gratitude is such a deep feeling, but it's free, and it's always available to give. I know as a mother how often I love to hear a simple, but passionate thank you and I'm satisfied beyond measure. The power of gratitude is larger than we can imagine. We need to teach our families about the importance of gratitude, not just in November, but all year long. The rewards and blessings will come even more as we share our gratitude with our families.

A Gratitude Journal can be a simple notebook, a beautiful leather journal, or even a pre-designed "gratitude journal". I keep a personal journal and within that journal I note my personal gratitude. Our family has just started a family journal using Cherish Bound's Gratitude Journal. We have been sitting down as a family and noting our blessings and what we're grateful for. We all add something to the journal multiple times a week. When we first started out the kids would throw out the basic answers like....Grateful I can play soccer, grateful for my new shirt, and so on. Good things to be grateful for, but then they started to have to think...go deeper. Now I'm hearing, grateful for the opportunity to serve a needy families, grateful for the quality time I got to spend alone with my dad, grateful for twins that make me smile every day....we've all slowly moved away from being thankful for material things and are now recognizing life's simple moments and opportunities.

If you need a Gratitude Journal, check out Cherish Bound's Gratitude Journal here. It's a beautiful 5x5, purple journal that allows room for everyone to write in. There is an intro to gratitude, ideas for feeling gratitude, ideas for being grateful, how to use the journal, and lots of pages to write on.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough and more.
- Melody Beattie

Tuesday Tradition #31 - Simple Autumn Joys Idea Jar

Once again, I stumbled upon another amazing bloggy mom with another amazing idea! I loved this idea from Heather at A Place of Quiet Rest. It's called "Simple Autumn Joys Idea Jar". I saw her blog today and thought that this idea was so cute, but also great for the entire family!

It's a cute little jar with a lid that she and her family filled with ideas of things to do in the Autumn. They wrote their ideas down on a little slips of paper and put them in the jar. They take the time to pull an idea and as a family and enjoy the many Autumn blessings that arrive during this beautiful season. Heather said, "This is our attempt to keep the season well- to intentionally make memories that will last!" What a great tradition and one that her children will be able to do and pass on to their own families. Go check out her post to see a picture of her jar and three simple steps to start this great tradition in your own family!