uggh

Ugggh! That was my first thought this morning. Not a great start to a Friday morning!

I didn’t get to sleep until sometime after 3:30AM (girls night + accidental caffeine intake + brain swirling). Fortunately, the kids slept in (did you hear the angels singing?). I lingered in bed as long as possible until I was finally dragged out by shouts of “Mom come quick. There is an entire container of soy milk spilling on the table and floor!”. Good times! At least part of the kitchen floor is super clean now.

Somehow I’ve got to slip into GO MODE.

The kitchen looks like this:

The back hallway like this:

(Just keeping it real folks. It happens to the best of us occasionally. And if your counter has never looked like that then you either have a maid, don’t sleep or have achieved the level of organization I strive for!)

It’s a PD Day and I’ve got a to do list a mile long. Plus, this arrived in the mail yesterday and is calling to me:

(And yes, darling husband, I do promise to not buy any more fabric until my projects are completed!)

A cup of tea (cause coffee gives me heart palpitations), some loud music, 6 feet of paper and fresh paint to keep the kids occupied and I’m off!

Find joy in the little things today and don’t forget to have fun along the way!

linky

I’ve been getting a lot of inspiration around the internets lately and wanted to share some of my favourite sites with you.

Meet Kal Barteski. Kal is a brilliant, inspiring, generous, amazingly talented ARTIST who lives in Winnipeg, MB with her ridiculously cute family. My favourite thing about Kal is that when she gets an idea she GOES FOR IT with her whole heart. No navel gazing or what if’s for Kal. Just straight up making it happen. LOVE that about her! A couple of years ago my husband asked her to to paint me a custom tiny art print for Mother’s Day. It is hands down my favourite piece of art that we own because it reminds me EVERYDAY how much I am LOVED. If you live anywhere near Winnipeg PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE go to her upcoming art show and then tell me all about it.

Another artist I admire is Lisa Leonard. Lisa makes beautiful jewlery. She also has a very inspiring blog that is full of creativity, love and great photography. Her blog is one of my first stops every morning. Lisa also writes over at (in)courage, another daily fav.

Shutter Sisters is a group of female photographers who are PASSIONATE about photography and celebrating the impact that it can have on our world. They have inspired me to improve technically (mostly by studying their amazing submissions), to stretch myself creatively and to look at the world differently through the eye of my lens.

More than any other photographer, Beth Jansen INSPIRES me. Her photos tell stories. I love the way she sees people, her use of colour and the way she really pushes her post processing. I kind of want to be Beth when I grow up! This black and white image was the inspiration behind this picture of my daughter:

Who hasn’t heard of NieNie? Stephanie is an AMAZING woman. Her blog started as a tribute to motherhood and her family. Last August she and her husband Christian were in a terrible plane crash where she sustained burns to 80% of her body. Their recovery story and the dedication of their families is incredible. It brings me to tears every time I read about it. Stephanie is home with her family again and writing about their new life on her blog. I continue to be moved by her.

Lastly, Amanda Blake Soule’s website, Soule Mama is another favourite of mine. She is one crafty lady! I love the way Amanda gently weaves family, creativity, crafting, thrifting, photography and homeschooling into her days. I am so INSPIRED by, well, pretty much everything on her blog! I’ve got her first book, The Creative Family and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!

I hope you enjoy some of my favourite spots on the internet as much as I do!

calves

Dear Rachel,

First of all, sorry for the blog highjack. It’s just that we REALLY need to get your attention. It’s about all the running, specifically the HILLS. Why? Why are you TORTURING us? Why do you feel the need to stretch and strain us so? We are weak, soft little things and we don’t much like to WORK. We don’t care about fitting into fancy boots or how we look peaking out from a skirt. We HATE spandex and we are really NOT fans of that friend of yours who says “we’ll take it easy tonight” and then leads you up hills for 9 minutes STRAIGHT. We like your wide legged jeans and your comfy shoes. We love your pajama’s and we REALLY like hanging out on the couch. So PLEASE, stop all this nonsense. We are burning! We ache with every step. Stop being so mean and go back to your lazy ways.

With anticipated gratitude,

your Calves

Dear Calves,

Stop whining! YOu sound like my kids when I ask them to do something really hard like put on their shoes or sit up at the table for dinner.

You will be ok. And I will look good in my fancy boots and spandex running pants (but not at the same time, of course!).

Love,

Rachel

anticipating

I found this on the kitchen table yesterday morning:

That would be my daughter’s to do list for my birthday next week. How cute is that? Seriously.

I love that my kids are STOKED about my birthday this year. It’s so fun to hear them whispering plans, “hiding” gifts in rather obvious spots (like the kitchen counter) and asking me leading questions about my favourite foods, balloon colour and type of cake. It makes me feel like I can start getting excited about my birthday again!

dream

I like to dream. I always have. In many ways, dreams keep me going. They propel me forward and give me hope. I find inspiration in my dreams and a sense of promise for the future.

Last week I realized that as well as dreams, I’ve got a lot of fears. That surprised me. I’m not what I would describe as a fearful person yet in many areas of my life, I am afraid. I’m afraid every time I head out for a run. What if I can’t do it? What if I’m the slowest and hold everyone back? What if this never gets easier? I’m afraid when I meet new people. What if I say something stupid? What if they don’t like me? I’m afraid to step into one of my dreams and call myself a photographer. What if people don’t like my work? What if I disappoint? What if I can’t live up to my own RIDICULOUSLY high standards?

My fears are heavy weights to carry. They hold me back and drain the hope from my dreams. God has planted dreams in my heart. He has given me gifts and abilities but I don’t really know how to use them because too often, I have been afraid to try. To risk. To step out. To look foolish. To disappoint someone - to disappoint myself. That’s not how I want to live. I don’t want to wade in the kiddie pool when there is an ocean to swim in. I don’t want to tell God that the dreams he gave me were just too darn big! I don’t want to live a safe, boring life and end up wondering what could have been.

I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way He loves me…
(from How He loves by Kim Walker)

The winds of change are blowing in my life. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

beauty

Some days I am overwhelmed by the beauty of the life God has given to me. Today is one of those days.

play dough

This is Hill-Billy Bob.

He thinks you need to know how to make play dough. It’s fun! It takes all of 5 minutes and your kids will be quiet play with it for hours. Why wouldn’t you want to try it?

This is what you need:

3 cups flour
1/3 cup table salt
2 TBSP vegetable oil
food colouring
1 cup water

This is what you’ll need to do:

In a stand mixer (or a regular old bowl), whisk the flour and salt together. Add the oil and mix it in. Add about 15 drops of food colouring to the water and then slowly add the water to the flour mixture (use the dough hook if you are using a stand mixer). Mix it up really well and then dump it out on the table and let your kids at it.

Tell them they need to “work” it for a while to finish mixing it.

Kneed it.

Roll it.

Throw it up in the air (Hill-Billy Bob says this is an important step).

Punch it. Go on, get your aggressions out! Hill-Billy Bob says it’s therapeutic (he’s an eldest child so he knows these things).

After all that, it should be well mixed and ready to play with.

And then they will be so busy playing they might stay still long enough to get a decent picture of them!

love

Ever heard of To Write Love On Her Arms? They are a non profit movement dedicated to helping people who are struggling. People who feel hopeless and are lost in despair. People who hurt themselves, are addicted to things that imprison them. TWLOHA is about LOVE and HOPE and RELATIONSHIP. It’s about REDEMPTION and CONNECTING to a GOD who is REAL and who loves us more than we could ever imagine possible.

Today they are asking us to literally write LOVE on our arms and to spread a message of HOPE.

I want to be loved and to know that I matter. I want to know that my life is worth something and that there is a reason for my life. That I was created for a purpose. That my life has meaning.

That is the heart cry of every person.

To know that we are LOVED.
That we have VALUE.
That we MATTER.
That the loneliness and longing we feel can be satisfied.

Today I want to tell you that you are not alone.
YOU matter.
Your life matters.
YOU ARE LOVED so much more than you could ever fully understand.

always

My love,

You are the very best of men. I am more in love with you today than ever before.

Always,

Rachel

chart

I love this chore chart from Mod Eco Kids.

Found via Wide Open Space - who happens to be celebrating her blogs first birthday today. Happy birthday!