monday

Making Wishes and Being Glad

April 12, 2011September 30, 2015 Lindsey P. Brackett2 Comments

I wish Annabelle wasn’t so stubborn.

But I’m glad to think that maybe that means she’ll be her own person and not a copy of someone else.

I wish my feet didn’t hurt after teaching all day.

But I’m glad I have feet to hurt and a job to do.

I wish Calley’s birthday cake was more aesthetically pleasing.

But I’m glad it tasted like chocolate fudge anyway. and maybe I’ll post a picture later.

I wish I appreciated things more.

But I’m glad I recognize that I should.

I wish Amelia would stay a little baby.

But I’m glad she’s healthy and happy.

I wish I could understand God more.

But I’m glad to know He’s there.

I wish I exercised more.

But I’m glad I have the opportunities I do.

I wish I had bought milk today.

But I’m glad the daycare center will give it to Amelia all day anyway.

I wish I could see the future.

But I’m glad I don’t know what’s coming.

For some more miscellany this Monday link up at lowercase letters or read about finding joy here.

Project 52.14

April 11, 2011September 30, 2015 Lindsey P. BrackettLeave a comment

I’ve lost track of what week it is and just had to pull the calender down and count to get back on track. Story of my life. Always regrouping. Hopefully, though I’m learning at least a little discipline and a lot of patience with myself by trying to make this a weekly post.

Maybe someday I’ll succeed.

The girls and I have been hanging out a lot more together lately and the result of that is I’m exhausted. Kudos to all who face motherhood without a partner. It’s at best overwhelming. Joshua’s been gone a lot lately with work (amazing how much they need from someone who’s ‘temporary’) and his volunteer positions and I’m trying not to grudge him the new avenues he’s trying. So while he’s been busy with banker business and theater thriftiness, I’ve been trying to keep the girls engaged in life beyond the DVD player and Mommy’s frazzled nerves.

Here’s some highlights from the past couple of weeks. And I know there are no pics of today’s adventures at the Payne Plantation, but I think those might be worthy of a whole other post. Especially because I’m ready to call it quits for the night and don’t want to open up Picasa and deal with loading the ten thousand photos Kelsey-parazzi took.

Hunting Fairies at Magical Gardens on the Square

Convinced Hannah is a princess in training.

Beautiful Fairy Belle

Happy Birthday Ella!

The new door!

Manic Monday · monday

(Manic) Miscellany Monday

April 5, 2011 Lindsey P. Brackett2 Comments

Ran into a co-worker of Joshua’s/friend from church/wife of a colleague of mine at the Rite Aid tonight. (Small town, so folks wear a lot of hats.) She asked how I was and when I said I was tired, she told me I shouldn’t be since it’s my spring break.

I enlightened her that I had worked harder today than I work at school and told her to go home and tell her husband he should be working hard too since it’s Spring Break.

Spring Break just means it’s a chance to catch my breath before the big sprint to the finish.

So, as usual I’m trying to do too many things on too short amount of time. Today I’ve been to CVS, Rite Aid, and Ingles. I’m down to $12 in grocery money from now until the 15th and I’ve got a plethera of infant medications on my table for Joshua to put in a gift basket for another co-worker who’s expecting twins. Better her than me.

So here’s some random thoughts from this manic Monday:

Apparently Motrin and Tylenol have stopped making infant products. This is disheartening to a person such as myself who has unexpired coupons of high value.

I heart CVS. They are so nice and easy to deal with and let me buy regular Pampers since they were out of Cruisers and still use my manufacturer and store coupons. Yay, diapers. I won’t be sad when I don’t have to work those deals anymore, though. Okay, maybe I will, but only because that will mean my baby is getting so big I can’t stand it.

Joshua and his dad replaced our crappy, shabby, broken aluminum piece of —–ahem, got on a roll, there. We got a new storm door. Can you tell I have no feelings of regret for the old one? I can’t believe the difference it made to the house. Tomorrow I’ll post a pic so you can get the full effect. We should have done this last year when the house was first listed. It really is all about curb appeal.

I also finally framed some pictures. Maybe tomorrow I’ll hang them on the wall, but let’s not get too crazy here. You folks know how I feel about finishing projects.

I’m off to bed now so I can escape into my historical (smut Joshua says) novel about star-crossed lovers who can time travel. Nothing like escapism.

Happy Monday!

reflections

In My Imagination

April 3, 2011September 30, 2015 Lindsey P. Brackett3 Comments

You may recall that I’ve spent the better part of the last couple of months sailing a pink candy boat down a chocolate river in a room of pure imagination. And while I don’t miss dedicating my afternoons to kids I didn’t give birth to, but love anyway, I do miss having time set aside that forced my creativity.

You see, I have a really bad habit. I love the idea of being creative. I love writing. I love reading. I love watching a play morph each night into something different because the beauty of live theatre is you can never have it the same way twice.

But I’m awful about starting projects and then getting distracted and then never finishing and then feeling worthless about having started in the first place since I never seem to finish anything.

There’s the unhung frames in our office that I was supposed to order pictures for. The empty file boxes I bought to contain the girls’ plethera of art/school work. The 150 pages of a book I haven’t completed and to be honest I’m not sure is really going anywhere.

But in my imagination, these things are finished. Complete. What’s that like?

Actually, I do have one creative outlet that I hope I’ve maintained fairly well. You’re reading this blog, right?

And as for that book…well, I’ve told my students who are pretending they’re devastated I won’t be back next year, that I’m quitting so I can write a book. They think this is interesting and want to know if they’ll be in it. I smile demurely and say, “Of course.” Which makes that conversation and binding contract because middle schoolers forget their homework, their locker combinations, and their backpacks, but they remember promises. Which might be just the motivation I need to actually finish something I start.

perfectly imperfect · reflections

Imperfectly Perfect

March 30, 2011September 30, 2015 Lindsey P. Brackett1 Comment

This is our beautiful Bradford pear tree just before it burst into full bloom a couple of weeks ago.

It doesn’t look like this now because all the wind and rain have washed away all the lovely pink and white-ness and left it all over my driveway and lawn and carport mat so it gets tracked into my house and makes a mess and I forget that I thought it was beautiful on the tree in the first place.

I took this picture a few weeks ago with the intention of writing up this post.

Then stuff got in the way. You know. Like play rehearsal. And dishes. Lots of laundry. And Amelia’s thumb. Oh, and reading the dozens of “books” my kindergartener brings home every Friday. And watching movies of old TV shows with my girls. And Belle’s birthday and lots of other important and memorable (but only to us) moments that have kept our lives consumed. This is also why the second image for this post is this:

Because the trees are blooming and the sky is falling (or so it seemed at 5 a.m. this morning when the thunder woke everyone) and the grass is greener and the days are longer……

but there is still a Christmas wreath in my laundry room. I hung it there to get it out of the way when I took it off the door. In January. After the big snow. It’s still there.

Why be perfect when it’s so much more fun to see all the imperfections make up a quirky random life?

Link up your imperfections at Capturing Motherhood and celebrate the undone to-do list, empty fridge, and rainy days.