The simple things in (my) life

You know how we all have things in life that are simple and yet totally satisfying?? Well, I have one to share today. There are many in my life, in fact I have a list of them that I started a long time ago, which reminds me that I need to be better about adding to it. BUT for today I am going to share one with you that happens every so often and it just makes me happy. You may call me a nerd... prepare yourself to delve into my nerd world. OK, today's life simple pleasure is when something runs out and I get to throw the used thing away. Today, for example, I grabbed my fine-tipped sharpie (LOVE THEM! Ooooh, that should be a Friday Favorite!) to make a quick note and the ink was out!!!! This made me happy... I got to throw the pen away and get a new one! There is just something satisfying about using something all the way until it is totally used up and get a new one. Here are some other examples: when I use all the body wash, when I use all the sticky notes in a pad, when the ink runs out in a pen (like today), when I use up all the chap-stick, etc... I realize that this is something silly and probably most people don't pay attention or notice and certainly don't find pleasure in using something up all the way. BUT I DO! It's finding pleasure and satisfaction in the little things that keeps me down to earth, keeps me grounded, keeps me from getting too overwhelmed or frustrated at something. Keeps me smiling at the end of the day (or for that sake in the middle of the day) I think we all should find a little more satisfaction in the little things. Have you ever used your sticky pad all the way to the end?? It feels good doesn't it? You can admit it.

To all the simple things in life,

So Frustrating

You know what makes me frustrated? Things that are ruined. Wanna know what makes me MORE frustrated?? Things that I ruin :( Since Hubbers and I have gotten married I have ruined a number of things around the house. I'm not so sure I want to divulge all my mishaps (embarrassing!!), but let's just say that a few pots in the kitchen aren't as shiny as they once were, the wood floors have more than a few dents in them, and our beautiful table is... um... still beautiful... when there are place-mats. ERG! It's not that I am careless, I guess sometimes it just happens. It's life right? But it makes me upset. I know that they are just things but they are our things, that we've worked hard to save money for that we like and took time picking out, and them I ruin them somehow. SAD. Okay, none of them are completely ruined. And it's ok to live with our things and not just around our things. I guess it's just a learning curve, right? I'm learning that it's ok to make mistakes. Hubbers will still love me. The pots still work and our floor is still pretty, just don't look too close :) Oh, and don't lift up that place-mat!!

Friday Favorite #5

Yup, not  Friday. But, I'm trying to make up for missing last Friday. So, it's gonna be a quickie. If you've known me for long or are around me for random convos about makeup you might know that I've been on a quest to find the perfect mascara. I finally concluded that it does not exist (ok, I'm talking about "over the counter" makeup... that's what I like to call the makeup I buy from the drugstore). I have bought just about every mascara you could find at the drugstore. For a while I even tried non-waterproof mascara and gave up on that one pretty quickly as it DOES NOT keep my eyelashes curled. Boo. I would like to wear non-waterproof because I've heard it's much healthier for eyelashes. However, I sort of refuse to not curl my lashes (Is this vain?? I hope not). I do not have the natural curl so I must use an eyelash curler and when non-waterproof mascara is applied I can literally see them droop. Sad. SOOOO.... I use waterproof. All that being said I have bought and tried a ton of different mascaras! I have found the one. It is the best over the counter waterproof mascara there is (in fact, about a month ago I thought I'd try a different one - BIG mistake. I ended up taking it back - that is another good reason to buy over the counter makeup, you can take it back! - and exchanging it for my tried and true). Wanna know what it is??? Here ya go:

It's just a Monday

There's not a whole lot going on today, but I decided to go ahead and at least get a little something written. I actually left work on time today, meaning I left around 4:00, not sure how many times this has happened since school started. I could probably count the days on one hand, and that includes days I HAD to leave for a dr. appointment or meetings I had to be at. This has been one of the hardest starts to the school year, probably since the first year of teaching. I leave for work at 7:00 and get home around 5 or 5:30, bringing work home as well as working on the weekend (not trying for sympathy, just explaining a normal day). So, today as I was walking out of the building at 4:00 I started to have guilt twinges, WHAT? I decided not to feel guilty for actually leaving on time for once. This is the same feeling I get when I'm done with my parent conferences and there are still other teachers conferencing. You kind of want to scoot out without anyone knowing. It was definitely a Monday. I was tired and second guessed myself many times today. But, it's nice to be home and hanging out. My DH is at the chiro. so I'm by myself for a few.

We canceled our satellite service, so now we watch everything through the computer hooked up to the TV. Which means no TV for me to veg out too. It's ok. I've never actually never had TV, so it's a new thing for me to get used to. I'm finding that when hubbers and I actually get to sit down and watch a show it's like a treat... a mini-date. I kind of like it. I don't like not having the news, I suppose I should get online to watch, or read so I know what's going on in the world. No TV also means more time for me to read all the blogs I love. Too bad I haven't even had time for that (this goes back to all the extra school work this year - I am determined to get this year figured out!). Actually now that I'm thinking about it I should probably go start some dinner. Spaghetti tonight? Yes, I think so.

Hope your Monday was beautiful and looking forward to a great Tuesday,

Friday Favorite #4

No, you didn't miss a Friday Favorite somehow. I haven't posted a Friday Favorite for the last two Fridays. YIKES! How did that happen? Well, I know how it happened. I have been too tired by the time I come home from work and I just want to spend time with the hubbs and not even turn on the computer. So, for my two faithful followers (you know who you are!) I'm sorry that I haven't been Friday Favoriting (or blogging really at). I will do better.

So, for today's Friday Favorite I've decided to do something I little different. In part due to one of my friends who dropped just a little hint on my FB page that she (and another friend) should be my next Friday Favorite. After my initial giggle, I got to thinking about the reality of what friendship really is. And, friendship really is a favorite of mine. I value the relationships that I have in my life, and I know that I am blessed by their friendship, their commitment to me (even when I really screw things up), their love and their time (I know how valuable our time is!).

Tonight I am looking forward to spending some quality time with an old (she's not old, our friendship is) friend who is also the above mentioned hint-dropper, and another old friend from back in elementary school. Jamie and Tana are some of my oldest friends that I can think of. Tana was my around the corner neighbor and we did practically everything together, including getting in big trouble. Jamie was my first true and real friend in middle school and we stayed that way all the way through high school.

Time, choices, and distances caused both of these dear friendships of mine to stray apart. However, I have been so blessed by the fact that over the past few years I have been able to reconnect with both of them and develop a renewed friendship with them as adults. If I could go back and change things, I would never let either of these amazing women out of my lives for even a moment, but I can't. What I can I do is make sure that I stay connected with Jamie and Tana, and all my other dear friends, from now on. Friendships are not a thing to be wasted, down-played, or minimalized.

Thank you to all the people who call me a friend, who care about me, and love me. I love you too!

Much love and blessings,

A Natural Blonde

I've always been blonde. My hair was so blonde when I was a little girl that I called it "platbum" pretty sure that I didn't know what I was meant to say or what it even meant, but I liked my platbum hair. It stayed pretty darn blonde for a long time too!

It's funny though because I've always envied brunettes. Isn't it true that we always wish for what we don't have. I also think it's funny how many brunettes dye their hair blonde or put blonde highlights in (OK - I don't think there's anything wrong with this. If you're a brunette and you dye your hair blonde, I don't have any issue with that at all!! I don't want a brunette gone blonde protest here :) I just think it's interesting that we all wish for what we don't have (exception red heads, I think they are proud to be a red head and sport their locks without wishing their hair was any other color!).

I am, however, working on loving what I have been given. And I have been given a once pretty, bright, blonde hair turned still blond but not so bright natural blonde (whoa). I decided about 6 months ago that I wanted to go all natural with my hair color. This was not only because I wanted to go "back to my roots" (sorry for the pun!), but also for a much more practical reason. Money. I wanted to start saving money by not getting my hair colored so much. As you may have surmised I kept trying to achieve that once pretty bright blonde that I had growing up through chemicals, bleach and peroxide (ok, maybe not peroxide - I did always have it colored professionally). I didn't just try to achieve it, but I DID! My hair is light enough that the color will lift right out and result in a pretty natural bright blonde.

I'm really happy that I decided to go to my natural hair color, I have gotten a lot of compliments from friends and I feel really good about it. It took a while to get used to seeing myself with darker (ok don't laugh, it's darker to me!) hair, but I've really enjoyed it. Not to say that down the road I won't put some highlights back in, but for now it's really nice not having to get it colored or worry (not sure that ever really worried) about grow out. It's not my platbum hair that I once had, but it's mine and I am happy to be me!
Some pictures of when I had bright (chemical) hair not too long ago, and my natural hair color now.

My pretty blonde hair, only makes me a little sad that it's not this color anymore...

Ok, I had to squeeze some weddings in :) It shows the blonde, being tan helps too!

Sweet hubby.

First day of school 2011-2012, my natural blonde.

Just a few weeks ago, before school started. That's why I look so fresh!

Me today, just after writing this post. Don't blame me...I'm pooped, had my hair pulled back all day, and I think I'm coming down with a cold. Aren't you proud that I'm still showing this picture to you!

Much love,

Living in a small town (and choosing) to love it.

So... I've had this post in my saved list for a while now and I just couldn't decide if and when I wanted to post it. I kept thinking I should go back and re-read it to make sure I explained myself and my thoughts clearly. But, I decided I'm just going to post it and believe my heart will be heard:

I've lived in a small town all my life. Even when I went away to college I went to George Fox University which is in Newberg, another small(ish) town. Though larger than my hometown, it isn't exactly a huge city. When I moved away to college I swore that I'd never move back to my small town home (little did I know!). I just knew that I would be on to bigger and better places. This whole small town thing was certainly fine to grow up in but I knew that I never wanted to live there as an adult. There wasn't enough things to do, places to go, people to meet. I just really didn't want to be an adult living in a small town. Well... without going into a lot of details, I ended up back in my hometown. I now live and work there.

I have decided to change my outlook on things. Ever since I moved back, I never really let myself encompass the idea that I'm here. I never really imagined raising kids here, I just wouldn't let myself picture that part of my life here. I love working here, I just wasn't sure I loved living here. But things have changed, in part due to the death of a well loved, community minded, retired high school counselor. Through experiencing all the emotions of losing a community member I have been feeling pretty reflective. I realize that my attitude hasn't been, well... good. I would see someone in Wal-Mart or Safeway or Bi-mart (and right now I'm embarrased to admit this) that I know, and I would quickly turn and head another direction, avoid having a conversation, try to avoid being noticed. I am feeling pretty embarrassed, more than that actually. I am feeling completely humbled. Face on ground.

Ms. Portmann's life is a testimony of how great it can be (and should be) to live in a small town. A small town lets you be known, lets you get involved in everything, lets people know you (AND say hi to you in Safeway!! Because they care and want to say hi!!), lets you serve your community and be known by your neighbors.

I am going to choose to love it. I am going to choose to know my neighbors and say hi to them, offer to help them. I will serve my community and the people in it. I will have a conversation in Wal-Mart. I need to realize that I am blessed to live here. It's not always easy feeling like everyone knows your business, but yet at the same time those are the same people who will rally around you when you're hurting or sick. They will support you when you need it, because you have invested time into their lives.

I will choose to love this sweet, small town and recognize the blessing of it!