I want cozy....but how?

My living room......I want it to be cozy....but how do you make it that way?  I've been in so many houses that are so warm and inviting, decorated so nicely, and look like they are well taken care of.  Unfortunately, that's not my living room.

So, my question is....how do you make your living room cozy...warm....inviting?  I have a few ideas and have talked to a few people.  But, I don't want to spend bunches of money and not have it how I want it.  

A few things about my living room....1st, it is rectangle.  Second, TV really only has one spot...at one end of the room.  My fireplace is down by the TV.  We had a picture above the mantle, but have moved it over the couch and that makes a WORLD of difference.  But, now I need something for my mantle....a mirror?  A large clock?  Hmmmm......

Now, it is getting close to Christmas and to be honest, I love my living room at Christmas....I feel it is warm, inviting, cozy....I just don't want to leave my decorations up all year.  :(  

So.......any suggestions anyone has would be greatly appreciated......oh....and any ideas on what to do with all the clutter?  :)

Happiness......let's think about this....

I saw a question posed and began thinking how I would answer it......so, I blogged it.  :)  I wonder how others would answer this?? 

 What’s a simple activity that consistently makes you happier?


Hmmmm......good question.  There are a couple of ways to look at this question and I could have several answers to this question.  

The first thing in addressing the question is can you include your kids, spouse, even friends in this answer? I say this because we often "lose" our own lives as we are part of our kids activities.  I know watching my girls do ANYTHING makes me happy.....seeing my girls succeed at ANYTHING makes me happy.....but then am I relying on them to make me happy?  I know that my husband is FABULOUS and being with him makes me happy...but then am I relying on someone else to make me happy?  I also truly enjoy spending time with my friends......once again....is someone else making me happy???

So, I am going to address this question looking at what I enjoy doing that consistently makes me happy.

  

1. They way I feel AFTER I have worked out.  (Note I said AFTER)  :)

2. Making something makes me happy.  Whether it is baking, creating, painting....I always enjoy doing those things.....however, I am not a fan of cleaning up.  :)

3. Reading......

4. Being on or near water makes me happy....examples could include...the beach, the lake, a pool...

5. Doing things to make other people happy...makes me happy.  (Not sure this one can count in this section.)  :)

6.  Sitting in my living room at Christmas time with only Christmas lights on and watching a Christmas movie while drinking hot cocoa.  That is a little piece of heaven.

However, all of this being said....I typically have more fun painting, baking, or creating if someone is helping me.  The beach, lake, pool is always a lot of fun when my family or friends are with me.  I love watching Christmas movies with my family.  

Happiness for me does involve other people.  As much as I like some "me" time.....I am a people person and am so happy when others are with me doing things that make both of us or all involved happy.

If you have time....feel free to share what makes you happy!  I hope you have a FANTASTIC week!

7....she can't be 7....

Allie was born just a few days after Hurricane Katrina hit, so this year as her birthday has approached,and Hurricane Isaac approached,  I have been even more so reminded of her birth day.

Allie was different from Autumn from the get go.  Perhaps it was because I wasn't as stressed this time around or she was just an easy baby.  :)

She has and is the type of girl who isn't afraid to do her own thing!  If Autumn is my mini-me, well, Allie would almost be my opposite.  She often plays by herself...even when her friends are around.  I always worry she is lonely...she isn't.  She just doesn't NEED others to be happy.  She is so independent.  She is a spit-fire.  She is smart.  She is beautiful.  She tells me I am the best mom every day...which melts my heart every day.  She loves bacon, pancakes, popcorn, peanut butter, pizza, and pigs in a blanket, oh and lasagna.  She loves puppy dogs and wants to be a vet.  She would help every animal, if she could.  :) She loves her family and friends.  She has an AMAZING imagination and I love to see all the fun things she creates.

I have been suggesting to her lately that she just turn 4 this year instead of 7...to which she replies..."No, Mom....I have to grow up."  The problem is...I'm not ready for that.  I love that she still crawls in my lap and hugs me when she sees me.  She will always be my baby....Happy Birthday Alliebug!!  I am so proud of you!  

Reasons I admire my daughter.....

Autumn turns 10 today...double digits.  YIKES!!!  The older she gets, the more I am impressed by her.  Some of the things that I admire the most about her could also be some of the things that make me or even other crazy....but when you think about the following qualities she has....they are admirable.

1. Autumn is extremely compassionate.  She is definitely a chatterbox, but she talks to everyone...not just the popular kids.  In fact one of my favorite compliments I have ever received about Autumn is how she talks and encourages the kids that don't have friends or that have differences, that others might make fun of them for.  Raising a child who doesn't acknowledge differences.....well, that makes me proud.

My sweet baby....I had expected blonde hair and blue eyes, instead....brown hair and brown eyes...PERFECT!!

2. Autumn is determined.  She does not like others being better at her at things.  Now, I think this can get on people's nerves.  By that I mean, if someone can climb a rock wall in 10 seconds, Autumn will say she can do it faster...sometimes she can, sometimes she can't...but she will continue to work at it until she does it.  To me, that is a sign that she will be successful in life.  She won't give up....she will always (hopefully) believe that she CAN do anything.

Sweet Girl!

3. Autumn is encouraging/complimentary.  I bet Autumn tells me every day how pretty I am or that I am a good mom and the best part is, she says it with sincerity.  Autumn loves to find reasons to make others feel good about themselves.  I love this quality.  I love the fact that Autumn is always looking for a reason to make other people smile and she doesn't do it to get a compliment back (though my child LOVES receiving them).  :)

4. Autumn doesn't have a lot of needs.  She has some wants...but for most of her wants she is okay with knowing she doesn't get everything she wants.  She would LOVE to have a phone (though in our situation I don't see a reason for her to have one).  Though she won't be getting a phone, she knows that when she turns around 16 she MIGHT get one, so she thinks she will start saving money now so that she will have money to pay the fees when she turns 16.  Sometimes her understanding of not receiving does make me want to give her what she wants....but, no to the phone.  :)

5. Autumn is an AMAZING big sister.  There is NOTHING she would not do for her sister.  She plays with her, takes care of her, helps her, encourages her, reads to her, she is just AWESOME.  Though sometimes this can be a negative....she is so willing to do for her sister that her sister doesn't always learn to do it for herself.  :)

6. Autumn is so well-rounded.  She is an absolutely beautiful girl (and no, I'm not bias).  :)  She loves to deer hunt.  She loves to dance.  She loves to wear make-up and she loves to play in the mud.  She loves to watch classic movies, like Bye Bye Birdie, John Wayne movies, and White Christmas, but she can't wait for the Breaking Dawn Part 2 to come out.  She loves all types of music and is willing to try anything.  She loves to dance with my grandmother, play with her cousins, and wear a St. Louis Cardinal hat to make her Papaw smile and the rest of us cringe.  :)  She is a little bit of everything and a whole lot of wonderful.

I am so proud of the beautiful young lady that my daughter is becoming and I love her so much!  :)

Me....the REAL me....

It may sound funny, but sometimes I wonder who I really am.  I mean, I know who I am, but am I the person I want to be or used to be?  A lot has changed in my 35 (yikes!!!) years.  I have moved away from home, gotten married, become a teacher, become a mother, made friends, kept friends, lost friends, made new friends, become a soccer mom, a fitness instructor....the list could go on and on....:)

This past week Mark and I went on a 7 day cruise.  It was our 1st ever to go on and we LOVED it!!  We went with some friends and had a FANTASTIC time.  We made some new friends, we climbed waterfalls, laid on beaches, visited Mayan Ruins (that's a whole other blog), enjoyed food whenever we wanted, watched shows, danced, ate, and ate some more...it was FABULOUS.  If you ever get the chance to go on a cruise, I highly recommend it.  I do think it was super fun going with friends.  We laughed so much and had such a GREAT time with them. I know cruising may not be for everyone....but it was perfect for Mark and I.

Us....just being us....:)

This cruise was possibly the most stress-free vacation I have ever had (since becoming an adult).  :)  It sure was nice when my parents used to take us on vacations as kids and they paid.  :)  I truly felt like me again...me as in, Darci.  Not a mom, or teacher, or house cleaner, or cook, or taxi driver...now all of those things I enjoy....but gosh it was fun being just me.  I enjoyed spending time with Mark...it was our time....we couldn't use cell phones on the ship, we never checked e-mails, it was just us time. It was so nice.  We dressed up for dinner, we slept in, we stayed up late, we laughed with friends, we played, we were just us.. and it was so nice.  I didn't feel any pressure, I felt like me.  

Fun with friends....:)

So often once we get married life consumes us, especially once you have kids.  Time with your spouse is priceless.  Time to be an adult and laugh with your spouse and friends is so good for your soul.  I can honestly say that after this vacation, I feel better.  I feel better about me as a wife, as a mom, and just as a person.  I hope that everyone can have those types of getaways.  I know sometimes we say there isn't time, there isn't money....but the truth is, these experiences can happen anywhere.  Mark and I watched the sun set one night over the water and we commented how we could sit and watch this every night, yet we don't take the time.  It was beautiful...the stillness, the colors, the fact we weren't doing anything, but watching the sun set.  I truly hope everyone can enjoy the same type of peace and relaxation I found.  I hope it can be found in the perfect place and perfect time for you....mine just happen to come at just the right time in the Caribbean.  :)

:)

Have a GREAT night!  

Strength.....

I have been having a super fun, but busy summer.  This week I have had a few opportunities to sit and watch what I want on TV and have been loving watching the Olympic Trials!!!  I am FASCINATED by the strength of these athletes!  I keep pointing out to the girls the muscles on each of the athletes.  I mean, like right now, I am watching the male gymnasts! The strength they have on the rings....WOW!!!    We've been watching the long distance runners.....the abs on the runners!  AWESOME!!!  The arm muscles on the swimmer...I'm JEALOUS!!!

The strength we see on athletes is amazing.....but we recognize it because we can SEE it.  What about the strength we don't actually see?  What about my former students who just had to bury their 4 month old baby girl, but can still find the strength to get up in the mornings?  What about the strength of a friend who just lost their mom and is handling all the preparations.  What about the strength of several of my friends who are going through divorces and are still smiling around their kids.  What about our everyday strength.....getting up and working out when we would rather sleep, cleaning our house when we would rather watch TV, smiling when we would rather cry.

My strength......<3

We all have days where we have to be stronger than people realize; because we are using our inner strength, not necessarily outer strength.  I think it's important to show/explain to our kids inner and outer strength.

We all LOVE to receive compliments....so why don't we hand them out more? Compliment people who are strong....let them know you can see it and how awesome it is!

For now....I will continue to watch the Olympic Trials and anxiously await the Olympics!  So awesome to see "regular" people representing us!!  I LOVE it!!!

The Truth About Me and Running.....

Okay...here is the truth...I don't love to run....until I have finished.  There are days that lacing up my tennis shoes is possibly the most dreaded thing on my to do list....but I do it.  As some of you know, I set a goal to run 500 miles this year.  So far (as of June 4th) I have run 258 miles, so I am over half way there.  I am super proud of this, but there are days I would rather do nothing.  

I truly believe that the best way to lose weight and be healthy involves eating healthy and exercising.  I know lots of people use a variety of things....but the truth of it is being healthy is a lifestyle change.  I am pretty good at the working out part. I would say I workout or run 5 times a week on average.  It is the eating part that gets me.  The truth...I LOVE food. 

When I workout it is mostly in a group setting...which I LOVE because I have other people going through it with me.  I have other people encouraging/motivating me.  I love the variety, the people, the fact I am completely exhausted and so is everyone else...it is AWESOME!

Running.....that is individual.  I mean yes, you can race the person next to you on the treadmill or sign up for various races, but running is all about you and what you can do.  Sometimes I feel pretty good about it...I feel like I could run miles and miles...other days, I am forcing myself to get on the treadmill, but the truth is I always feel GREAT when I am done and usually I question whether or not I could have gone further (which means...I could have gone further).  :)

I am so inspired by other runners...those that have NEVER ran in their lives starting the Couch 2 5K program, those that complete marathons with disabilities, those that wake up in the morning and immediately start logging those miles.....it's just impressive to me.

Running is not only exercise to me.  It is a time to think, I time to listen, a time for me.  I feel better after a run....I feel inspired after a run...I feel accomplished after a run.

I have just about 7 more months to accomplish my goal....only 242 more miles to go!!  I am excited about this goal and look forward to accomplishing and hopefully exceeding it.