we do what we're doing when we do it....

Usually we function with a split between what we want to do and what we’re actually doing, between what we wish we had and what we have. This division creates a loss of time and energy, and that loss actually wears us down. Since the mind wants something other than what’s happening, it creates the delusion that there’s not enough time or that time is running out.

But when we eliminate the gap between our expectations and what we’re doing, our energies all go into what we’re doing at the moment. We’re not wasting our energy on what we think we should be doing. At that point, all of a sudden, the notion of time disappears…

The magic secret is to do just one thing at a time. We do what we’re doing when we do it.

    Bernard Glassman

playground love

i'm (barely) famous!

checked my blog stats this morning and some one added me to StumbleUpon. i feel like a star! my little blog is growing but it's still hard to believe one day i might have more than 2 followers. ah, such is life! what to do today, what to do? i know chores are calling to me but i feel like shirking my work and doing something fun. as you can guess it's a beautiful day out and thus the boys are doing their favorite thing, playing in the pool out back. water has been colored purple and filled with bubbles, i can hear their little imaginations working over time. i, of course, am enjoying a cup of coffee and a slice of carrot cake. the most sinfully, delicious breakfast in the history of the world. what direction will the day take us, one can only wait and see.

baking day

carrot peels

adding the oil

next comes sugar

sifting dry ingredients

my pimp little helper

batter's ready

popping cake in the oven

45 minutes later

cream cheese+powdered sugar+vanilla=deliciousness!

cream cheese frosting

baking mess

a delicious carrot cake!

disk defragmenter saturday

trying to get a little bit of blogging in while spring cleaning the computer and finishing my coffee. sun is out in full effect and the boys are playing in bubbles again in the backyard. i'm going to perform what will hopefully be the last lawn grooming of the season after one more cuppa. seems today is going to be a million mile an hour day filled with chores and errands. barely a stick of food in the fridge...how do we eat so much?! laundry piled to the ceiling, clean mind you, that needs to find it's way home. will we accomplish everything we need to do? i honestly don't know. will we enjoy the day? hell yes!

nothing like drinking coffee to the sounds of sublime. such sweetness there is in life. namaste!

cafe au lait

good morning, good morning, good morning! i want to scream it from the roof tops. everyone has woken well and happy for once in over a week. the soft morning sun and fresh air are doing much to revive our flagging spirits. the boys had hot cocoa at breakfast. yummmmm! i'm enjoying a fresh pot of homemade cafe au lait while the boys splash about in the water table outside. fall is starting but there are still strains of summer woven into the days; we are determined to make the most of them. for now i'm going to close my eyes listen to the sounds of playing and the tastes of bold coffee and warm milk. enjoy the day!

more thrift store treasures....

after 2 days sequestered inside due to a stomach bug the boys and i ventured outside. the thrift store seemed like the most ideal place to spend a little time. nothing like digging for treasures to raise fallen spirits! i really wanted to find a walker for finn who, despite being unable to walk, thinks he can. where there's a will there's a way i suppose. what do you think we found? a walker! now our little man can scoot around the downstairs to his heart's content.

we also picked up a much needed and very cute long sleeved t-shirt for atticus. i've saved all ronan's clothes but their seasons arent matching up this year. i think we were in MS when ronan was 2. 

picked up a few odds and ends. a bath time seat for finn, an ohio state onesie for finn, and a skeleton halloween costume for ronan. now all the boys are ready for halloween. so looking forward to getting everyone dressed up, carving pumpkins, and wondering the streets of our neighborhood!

freaky friday

maybe freaky isn't the right word, maybe naked is. our 2 youngest have been sans pants most of the day. potty training one and the other has a terrible rash so i'm hoping a little no pants time will help in both instances. we shall see what's left of my mind by bedtime. i am seriously considering cloth diapers, something that i thought would never be an option.

it's after 2 pm here and i'm finally turning the computer on. not being on facebook has really affected how often i power up the laptop. seems like a waste of time most days, why poke around on the web when i can read a good book or play with the boys? i'm loving the freedom that comes from not being on facebook or even just being connected to everyone all the time through email and phone as well. my time is my time...and my kids time. i spent an hour last night watching finn rock back and forth before hurling himself forward. his goal, getting a ball. his method, unconventional but hey, it works! now im going to focus on why i turned this dang laptop on, researching cloth diapering options. i got a rash to conquer!

summer in to fall

the seasons are in full change here. in the black hills, where the most trees are, the autumnal change is a little more visibly evident; but it can be felt in the air no matter where you are. with this fall feeling in mind the boys and i started pulling out and putting up our halloween decorations. orange twinkle lights embrace the columns and two terra cotta pumpkins are squatting on our steps. i asked for a couple extra paper bags at the commissary today, we are going to make more decorations for the front door! i'm picturing spooky bats and grinning pumpkins. how i wish my artist husband was here to draw stencils for us but it looks like its all up to me.

along with the visible change there has been a major meteorological change too. more and more, sweaters have been becoming the normal outfit round here. even closed toed shoes have been making an appearance! last night after i put the boys to bed i stepped outside, to my surprise a thick mist hung in the air. the neighborhood looked like halloween town. needless to say, i'm loving it! got some great ideas for a halloween wreath in the check out line at the commissary today, thank you women's day. just need to get some supplies from the craft store but im feeling a little under the weather today. perhaps tomorrow. for now i'm going to sip my coffee and try and power up for the day. adieu!

do you collect rocks? have you ever found a heart shaped rock?

heart shaped rocks : i was thrilled when i found this post on apartment therapy. i dont have a heart shaped collection but i do collect rocks and i do have one little heart shaped rock. wondering if maybe i should narrow my focus on finding and collecting only heart shaped rocks. its like a love gift from nature!

todays direction and focus has been fostering closeness and human connection. so in that vein we attended the play group on our base. boys had fun playing with kids of all ages and i had a fabulous time sipping coffee and talking with the ladies that attended. i couldnt have asked for a better start to my facebook sabbatical or my pledge to renew intimate and real connections with people. i have been spreading the word among friends that im taking a break from facebook, not to worry, and to contact me through my blog, email, or phone. perhaps i will take up sending letters through the post. nothing beats a handwritten note in the mailbox, sure beats all the bills that seem to roll in everyday. feeling optimistic and upbeat today, so far so good!

decompressing

hasnt even been a full day since my declaration of freedom from facebook; definitely feeling the burn. i deleted the facebook app off my phone so the constant chiming of messages wouldnt drive me insane...or drive me to log on. i feel like i have come so far from real interactions with people. facebook is an easy means of communication but in ways its a cop out. no real work is required to foster or maintain a relationship. the news feed keeps you abreast of what everyone is doing or isnt doing. im hoping this facebook sabbatical will bring me closer to real friends as well as giving me more time with my family. im hoping this choice will be a gift to myself.

giving up facebook?

feeling burnt out by facebook. seems to have become a vehicle for gossip, manipulation, and cattiness. i think maybe a step back and a step away would do me some good, put a few things in perspective. with that idea being sent out into the cloud, i am going to ramp up my blogging and use this as my main mode of communication.

the seasons are changing and i think its time i changed my direction. maybe go inward? maybe minimize my internet/electronic use? i dont know where i will find my self 2 days from now but im hoping it will be a more patient and loving place. a happy me. counting down the days till you return my love!