My Compass

My children are my compass. I honestly can say since their arrival into this world all of my decisions have been based on providing or at least thinking I'm providing, all I can for them. Lately, I've been doing a lot of thinking about being more deliberate in my decisions. I want to be less impulsive, even if I know the decision I am making is the right one to make. Want to know something? Despite thinking about going to grad school for well over 10 years, I actually made the decision to go in one day. A week later I applied. Three or four weeks later I was in classes. It the right decision, but I've spent a lot of time in front of a computer for the past two years and I will for one more while I work on my thesis. It's been tough on all of them. My husband clearly didn't know what he was getting into by showing unflinching support. I'm sure he's more than overwhelmed cooking, cleaning and carrying the load while I study. My kids have been so supportive, but when they ask me to go watch a movie or do something and I can't... I see the disappointment in their eyes. Still, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. The school will be done soon and mom will have her masters. Continuing education is important for people as we age in the workforce. It just is. So, I hope my family realizes that even though all the work I'm putting in school has taken away from some of their time, they are the reason why I am doing it. I appreciate their support and love... and believe they are the compass that is leading me in the right direction.

Wear Purple Day

Today is a day to raise awareness about an issue that affects an entire family. It breaks my heart to think that the statistics are so high. If you need help there are many local shelters. Watch the video for  some sobering information about it the national phone number. Please #Share if you know someone who can benefit from this video.

Thanksgiving Decor

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you're having a great day! I'm sure your home smells lovely with all the scents of amazing food. Everyone asks me if I cook our Thanksgiving meal. The answer is NO. Hubby Chef Donavan loves to show off his skills on this holiday.

I make a couple of requests though: Sweet Potatoes made the way my mom makes them, rotisserie the bird (believe it or not- this is a huge disagreement every year because he LOVES to experiment) and canned jellied cranberry sauce. He hates that as well. No self respecting chef likes to serve that stuff- but I simply L-O-V-E it... and there's no compromise. He loves me- so he does it- I thank him.

One tradition we have is to create our decorations. So, I thought I'd share with you this year's décor.

This was a simple and affordable project to do with the children. First I had them go out and search the yard for branches. I was surprised the yard was pretty bare so I went out and bought a dollar package of arrangement of thin bamboo. I found some burlap, ribbon and sequin string and pulled out the glue guns. Then it was time to search the house for candle holders and old glass vases.

For the big vases I decided to simply cut the burlap a little larger than the ribbon and fray the edges. Then I glued the burlap down first then ribbon over it. I made sure to fold over the ends of the ribbon to have a professional finish
to it.

The dinner table candles were the most labor intensive but very fun. For the taller candles I had the kids break the branches to the measurement of the container and I was sure to cut the bamboo in the same fashion for the smaller candles.

Then it was time to glue them directly to the glass, wrap with burlap and then ribbon for the bigger candles and a string of sequin for the smaller ones.


Turned into an impressive display and for very little money. The kids were very invested in the project and are now showing off their hard work to our company.

Hope you have a wonderful holiday!

 

Long Lazy Day

Did you enjoy yesterday as much as I did? I think it just might be a Morning Anchors favorite day. Its so wonderful to have an extra hour in our day. I spent mine with my children. After getting some laundry folded I still seemed to have the whole day to hang out with the kiddos. We played some Yahtzee and really just had a lazy day. My son kept mentioning that it seemed like the day was so long. I loved it.

The whole idea of Daylight Saving time was first proposed in 1895 but the US didn't adopt it until the 1950s or 6os- depending on where you lived. It really took off in the 70s when the energy crisis hit.

I'm sure I will quickly burn through the energy gained from that extra hour of sleep- but for now... I'm feeling pretty good!

Communication Vacation

I’m back to work and blogging after taking some time off of work. I spent my time reconnecting with my family, which meant a lot of Yahtzee, laughing and hugs. I did a ton of laundry and now wonder how long the bin will stay empty now that I’m back to work.  I reconnected with my scrap booking projects and spent hours finding old pictures I just had to use.

One thing I didn’t do was stay connected. You may have seen me popping in a time or two on my Facebook and Twitter, but for the most part I didn’t really check in. I’m sure I missed a couple marriage proposals, baby announcements and sadness about SU not making it to the championships. And for that- I’m truly sorry. For the most part- I think I really needed it though.

Do you ever feel the need to disconnect? I feel it right around this time of year. The weather is not perfect out but it’s starting to get better and that means I’m more interested in experiencing life rather than reading about it.

Do you remember what it was like pre-social media? Sometimes I wonder if I could go back to the old days. That’s partly why I take the break- to see what it was like. I think in short spurts I really like not being in the know… but I don’t think it’s something I could do for a long period of time. It actually helps me do my job as a journalist. It’s not only fun to stay connected with people- it’s actually a way to get a pulse on the community as a whole. What are people cheering or complaining about? What’s going on? I’ve even received several great tips for stories from people via social media.

So, what do you think? Could you go cold turkey? If so, for how long?