Friday, May 10, 2013

Blog You Heart



I have actually sat here many times staring at a blank post not knowing what to really say.  Sometimes there just isn't anything exciting happening to share and then other times I am filled with emotion and can't seem to express my feelings.  This is one of those times.

Tomorrow we celebrate 'Birth Mother's Day!' which I love.  I love that tomorrow (and really not just tomorrow) I can remember our special birth mother and what she has done for me and the special role she plays in our lives.  It is because of her that 6 years ago I celebrated my first 'Mother's Day!'...after many painful mother's days of silently crying...wishing, hoping and praying that I would one day become a mother.  We love her and remember her everyday.  I've learned as an adoptive mom that love isn't measured by blood, but is free to take form in many different ways.  I don't love one child more than the other but love them each deeply for who they are and the miracle that they are in my life.  I believe that they were both meant to be my children and to come to our family and I was taught important lessons of faith, patience and understanding that truly has helped me to be a better mother.  There was never anything else I wanted to be.  From the time I was little I knew that I wanted to be a mother.  As I grew older and a little wiser I quickly learned that becoming a mother wasn't going to happen the way I had planned, but eventually it did happen and I am eternally greatful for this experience.

This week I have quietly watched my children.  Pondering on their little lives and how they are growing so quickly.  I have noticed how Maguire has changed into a little boy...the years of babies and diapers long gone and we have now fully jumped into the life of school aged children.  Maguire is my most imaginative child and has a strong personality that pushes me to my limits on most days.  He teaches me to look for the extraordinary in our everyday life...to always watch my actions and words...and to remember to not take life so serious.  I have noticed Ryker determined to do better and trying a little harder in all that he does.  He is my peace maker.  Always happy...loving life...and thinking of others.  His friendliness and outgoing personality sometimes scare me as I worry about his acceptance from others...when it's not even a thought in his mind.  His love has no limits and his forgiveness is easily given when others have hurt him.

Awhile ago I read this statement on facebook "We will spend eternity knowing our children as adults. But today, right here, right now, and for the few precious years, we have the rare privilege of knowing them as a child."  It hit me hard.  These moments are precious.  They don't last forever.  And they will be over before we know it.

As I watched my children this week my heart was full.  The happiness that these two little boys bring into my life exceeds the dreams I had for motherhood.  I could never have imagined how rewarding this time and experience would be.  As I comforted Ryker after losing a race this week and when I picked Maguire up from school after leaving him crying...I was so very thankful that I was the person that got to be there with them in those moments.  I was needed by these boys and it was my love and attention that they were seeking. 

How very blessed I am that after countless years of waiting I was given the opportunity to be a mother. It wasn't how I had thought my life should go, but I know that it has been a better plan for me.

I love you most my sweet little boys.

xox

Wednesday, May 01, 2013

Hallway Art


We have this hallway in our basement that leads to the laundry room, bathroom and furnace room...it's really too narrow for anything to go in it which makes it a little long and boring.  I had originally hung a couple of picturse on the wall, but it wasn't enough since it is quite a long wall and could use something big and substantial hanging on it.

After looking around on pinterest I decided to add to the pictures that were already there...and I LOVE how it turned out!!


(Sorry...my house is really hard to take pictures of since the walls are so yellow and throws the colors off...and this space is dark since there are no windows nearby....)


But now when I walk down this hallway to do laundry I love looking at the cute faces of my kids!!  



My love for photography + decorating my house = the perfect combination!!!





K :) 


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Project 10 | Books



As I was searching around pinterest one day I came across a photography blog that was so inspiring...something I've been trying to do lately...be inspired by others.  I don't know if it's been the never ending winter this year or what, but I really feel like I need some inspiration lately...and not just the kind that's pretty to look at, but the kind that makes you get up and do something.

What caught my eye on Jessica's blog was her most recent post called "Project 10."  This months theme was 'Books' and she shared her take which included 10 beautiful photos.  I decided to join in and see how the word would inspire me....




I had sooooo much fun with this challenge!  I based it around a stack of books that sit in my hutch in the kitchen...no I'm not a very good cook or baker, but I love reading cookbooks and attempting something new once in awhile.  



























I did manage to do a couple of self timer shots which I don't do enough of.  I always seem to be behind the camera and rarely in front of it ;)



























I love how these pictures turned out...how inspired I felt looking at the other photos that were shared and challenging myself to create something.  

I'm looking forward to next months challenge now!!



Thanks for letting me play along... K :)

Monday, April 22, 2013

And The Winner Is....






































Bre Lynn Walker!!!!

Congratulations...yeah!!!  Send me your address and I will mail out your necklace right away!!!!
(My email is kimybit@yahoo.com)


Thank you to everyone for commenting and joining my fb page!  You guys are so sweet!!  I will definitely have to do another give away in the future.

Tomorrow at 1 p.m. will be my first sale on my new fb page.  There will be 1 of each item posted and will be ready to ship...and would make great Mother's Day gifts :)


See you tomorrow!

K :)

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Little Reader


Yesterday Maguire suggested we go to the library.  He wanted to go look for his favorite dvd that we borrow almost every time we are there...but of course I had other ideas!  hehe!!




And with a lot of bribery I think I managed to capture some pretty cute pictures of this guy!!  I love all the cute 'nerdy' glasses pictures all over the place...so this is my take on it.

Isn't he so stinkin' cute??




When we walked into the library I knew this was going to have to be quick.  Maguire doesn't have much patience for my camera...and I wasn't sure what he would think of the glasses!  I knew that if we headed to the "tween" area we might have better luck just being by ourselves...until a couple of different people started looking at the books right where I was trying to shoot.  I'm sure this lady thought I was just crazy, but she sure didn't acknowledge me or what I was doing and just kept searching titles....  I think I would have tried to chat with someone if I saw them doing what I was doing.  Thankfully she was in just the right spot to keep her out of all the pictures!!  hehe!!




I had imagined getting a few other kinds of pictures, but as we were walking towards this table a book caught my eye and I grabbed it not knowing what it was exactly.  When we stopped and I started to look at what I had grabbed it turned out to be the. perfect. book.  Seriously.  I just think the colours of it work perfectly for what I was going for.  And since I really didn't have a ton of time to work and change things up too much it was exactly the right touch.



I think this one has to be my favourite.


Oh man this kid is so cute!

Love him!  xox



K :)


Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Give Away!






































This time of year can be so depressing.  We still have snow...and yes it is melting, but it feels like its been a looonnnggg winter.  And I'm tired of it!


So to cheer things up around here (and since I have so many pretty necklaces...) I thought I would do a little giveaway.


Leave a comment or like my new fb page (Stranded handmade jewelry)to be entered to win this handmade necklace!  Or if you do both you will be entered twice!!

Mother's Day is coming soon so watch for another sale soon :)

K

**I'll pick a winner on Monday, April 22!!**

Monday, April 01, 2013

What are 5 passions you have?

The days and months seem to go by so quickly that a week or two pass before I realize that I've neglected my blog again.  I have good intentions to journal...document...share...blog...but let's face it there are a million things I'd like to do...and a million things that I actually need to do.  I really need to make blogging more of a priority though cause I know even as I look back at old posts I've written I love that I've recorded something about our life.


Since I haven't added anymore posts to my "30 things" I thought I would pick another topic to share about today.  So here it goes....

"What are 5 passions you have?"

1.  I'll start with an obvious one...Being Creative!  This takes many forms in my life...scrapbooking, photography, painting furniture, making necklaces....  I honestly feel that being creative is important.  It is my outlet when I am feeling run down and needing a break, it allows me to develop my talents more and improve on myself and just makes me happy.  I can feel the difference when I neglect this part of who I am.  I sometimes feel like my creative passion is all over the place, but I love that as I try new things I discover new areas that bring me happiness.  It doesn't just have to be one way of creating, but all these different outlets strengthen and build me up.

A few weeks ago a friend asked me to make some little girl necklaces for her and I loved how it pushed me to create something different than I normally create.  I was inspired by all the cute ribbon necklaces I had seen around, but it was so much fun to try something new.  Who says you have to do things the same all the time??  Change it up and push yourself...you never know what you might discover!


2.  Another "passion" I have is food.  And not really that I love it or need it, but more of the quality and knowledge of it.  It really all started when I surprisingly became pregnant and discovered that food made me sooo sick.  I should really say "fast food" made me sick.  The thought of eating something greasy really grossed me out...and still to this day I have a hard time eating that way.  So for the most part I don't.  I just stay away.  Talking to one of my besties, I started to learn all about health, exercise, healthy eating habits and I loved it.  She totally inspired me to really learn and read more about "clean eating" and the benefits it has for your body.  I quickly saw how it helped me to get in better shape and how it made me feel so much better.  To this day if I'm eating junk...even if it's just one day...I notice.  My hubby probably gets sick of hearing me talk about food, but it's really become more of an obsession than a passion...haha!  And don't get me wrong...you will still see me eating cupcakes and all that yummy stuff, but I just feel more enlightened on the power of healthy eating and it's importance.

One of my favourite "clean eating" inspirations is Tosca Reno and all her "clean eating diet" books.  I seriously LOVE those books!!  I own a bunch of them...and I even have a couple of her cookbooks.  I highly recommend them if you're looking for something to read in the healthy eating department.  :)


3.  Depending on what I'm struggling with in life really determines what I'm passionate about at the time...so something I became passionate about is adoption.  I guess this one is obvious for many reasons, but one of the most touching things about adoption and I guess what I'm most passionate about is the selfless love that is present.  The actual experience is a demonstration of sacrifice...putting someone else before your own wants and needs and having an incredible amount of faith and trust.  I saw in our experience how our birth mom loved Ryker so very much and was so willing to do the very best for him even when she was struggling through heartbreak.  I think of our Heavenly Father and His love for each of us...how He was very near during those difficult moments comforting each of us through our pain and longing of wanting a child and placing a child.  And how together we answered each others prayers and became a family...all of us.  I know this one is deep...but this kind of love is strong and special...I am incredibly grateful for the strength I gained through this experience in my life.  I know that adoption isn't always the answer for everyone, but I am so thankful for a beautiful young woman who followed the feelings of the spirit and her heart and made a very difficult decision because of the love she had for her baby.


Okay...this list is really hard.  I think I'm getting too deep.  I really should lighten up a bit.


4.  Do Mondays count as something i'm passionate about???  It's true though.  I love Mondays!  When I worked this was not the case because Monday meant it was back to work and I really just wanted to be at home.  Now that I have kids I love Mondays!  I love that after a usually crazy weekend I can spend Monday getting everything back to normal around the house.  Everyone is back to work and school and I can do my thing at home.  I have become such a routined person...which is sometimes difficult for my hubby, but I love my daily routine...and my Monday routine.  It makes me feel more in control of my life.  And I need that where ever I can get it!!  hehe!!


5.  This last one probably goes along with my first passion, but I think it's important.  Recording and documenting life.  I often struggle with this myself, but it's something I am trying to do.  I have a bunch of different ways I do this...and I should add I am going beyond scrapbooking cause that only happens here and there...but I classify this as "calendaring, journaling, project life, special keepsake books I have for the boys,scrapbooking, etc..etc..etc.."  This one takes all kinds of forms.  Heidi Swapp always says something like this, "If you don't record it, it's as if it never happened!"  That has always stuck with me, because there are so many things I always tell myself that I will never forget and then a day or two...or a week, month, year passes and I can't remember for the life of me what that unforgettable thing was.  Does that ever happen to you??  It happens to me and makes me wish I was doing a better job of documenting our lives.  Sometimes life is routine and boring and there really isn't anything exciting to write down, but I know that years from now it will be of worth.  I know I've shared this here before, but Cody's mom kept a journal for many years.  Sometimes the entries were short...with maybe a sentence or two, but it is such a treasure to read through twenty or thirty years later.  Each page is special to Cody and his siblings because those writings come directly from their mom who suddenly passed away when they were young and they would never have known many of the the details and memories she shared otherwise.  It's priceless.  It didn't cost any money...it really wasn't hard to do...it just took a little bit of time everyday or sometimes every other day to write down a little story or thought and I always think..."I can do that."  But...I need to be soooo much better.


This post literally took me weeks to figure out.  I thought and thought about what my passions were and seemed to have a harder time with it than it should have been.  But, I'm also glad for the chance to contemplate this topic.  To think about what is important to me.  Being a mom and wife is one of my greatest passions...and I hope that one day when my family reads this entry they will know these things about me already and think "that is so my mom!"..."she really loved doing that"...or "I remember that about her!"  And if not...then here it is for them to read!!  hehe!!



K :)