Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

I realize that I'm a day late with the New Year wishes but yesterday was a "lay low" kind of day with my lovebugs.  With the hustle and bustle of the holidays it seems that we haven't had a moment to do "just family" activities.  The holidays started sad.  I was moping; upset that I couldn't spend time with my family and missing my Dad a lot.  I realized that the holidays were what I make of them.  And here I am, blessed to have an awesome "extended" military family.  I am so blessed!

I did not make any resolutions for the New Year.  I do not want to set myself up for failure.  I'm going to say I have goals.  What the goals are is unknown right now.  Blogging.  Reading.  Pinterest inspired activities.  Learn how to crochet.  Get in shape.  Goals.  If I call them goals it seems attainable.

We had a get together on NYE.  It was mayhem and chaos.  I loved it.  So much love and laughter in the house! We were so exhausted that we toasted the New Year at 10 PM with Annika.  It was perfection for us.

Annika is not going back to school until Wednesday so we'll spend the day lounging tomorrow.  I love those moments with her.  They are so special. Now, it's time for me to snuggle in with my lovebugs.

Blessed.

As I sit here with my husband, I reflect on the past year.  It's been a year.  Up. Down.  Good. Bad. Ugly.  And every step of the journey has been worth it.  I like to say that I have no regrets.  I like to go through life experiencing everything.  I can't regret what has made me the person that I am today.  I can't.

Today we finished the holiday baking.  It was a long time coming.  It started at the beginning of the month.  Then life happened.  As it always does.  Why does it work like that?  I had intentions to finish and I lost my motivation.  I'll do it tomorrow.  Then tomorrow turned into to yesterday.  And before I knew it, December 23rd was here and I had only done one batch of holiday baking.  How could I finish my Christmas goodie baskets if I didn't start another batch of goodies?

I enlisted the help of hubby.  I love cooking and baking with him.  We have a groove in the kitchen.  An unspoken code.  I don't have to tell him what I need, he anticipates my next move.  Just as it is in every aspect of our life together.  It made me realize that I am very lucky to have that.  To have that person who is the other half of me. He completes me.  In every cheesy sense of the statement.

As I head to bed tonight, I send love and light to those who are feeling sad and alone this holiday season.  I pray that they find peace.  And I say a prayer of thanks for the blessings in my life.

I'm a lucky girl.

Gifts from the heart

This year has been a tough one, not just mentally/spiritually/emotionally, financially as well.  It brings me back to my roots.  Growing up as a family of seven, we didn't have much.  What we did have was a LOT of love.  I learned that the spirit is in the giving.  And gifts from the heart are just as special as the gifts you go to the store to buy.

I've decided that I'm going to do what we did during my youth.  I'm making gifts this year.  I know it's last minute.  I'm always late to the party it seems.  But, most of the handmade gifts are done.  And ready to be shared with my loved ones.

Remember to share a smile with everyone that you meet.  You may be the smile that makes their day that much brighter.  The holiday season is tough for a lot of people.  Share your Aloha spirit.

Finding that Christmas Spirit

Our house is decorated for Christmas, but it still doesn't feel like it's the Christmas season.  Maybe it's because our family is split this year? Last year was the first year that we had all of the kids together.  Add to that a newborn.  We didn't have much money.  But there were gifts under the tree and lots of love.  Being a blended family means making new traditions.  The question is, do you follow those traditions even when you're not complete?  I think so.  

We're almost done with the gift shopping.  My favorite part of gift shopping is for the stocking stuffers.  I don't know why.  I think it's because I can get the cute little funny things that my family loves without it seeming too cheesy.  I went to a holiday faire at the Blaisdell center.  I thought it was supposed to be a craft fair. It was a lot like the swap meet at Aloha Stadium.  I found a Hello Kitty lanyard for Annika, peppermint soap from Filthy Farmgirl and a keychain.  Cute stuff for stockings.  I'm too excited to wait for Christmas!

After the faire, we went to Ala Moana.  Ala Moana is a huge outdoor mall in Honolulu.  Amber had to pick up Star Wars cookie cutters from Williams Sonoma.  While I was there, I picked up a gift for Travis' that I know he will love! Of course I went to BBW while we were there and I got more anti-bacterial gel as a stocking stuffer. I'm addicted.  We ate lunch at Bubba Gump.

It was a fun girls day out that I needed!  I think I'm finding that Christmas spirit in a different way.  Traditions are what I make of them and it isn't up to anybody else to get me into the spirit.  Traditions are adaptable.  Life isn't always perfect and if I have the mindset that it has to be, I will be disappointed.  

Life is exactly as it should be.

A great start.

After our baking spree on Saturday, we used Sunday as our day of rest.  We had a lazy morning.  Spam scramble for breakfast.  Lazing around before hitting the shower.  It was perfection.


On Sundays we have a standing ice cream date.  I think that we've missed it once or twice in the time that we've done it.  It's not much, but it gives us a chance to get out and spend time with each other.  After eating our ice cream we browsed the BXtra for Christmas gift ideas.  I found some cute stocking stuffers so I sent my lovebugs away so I could buy them. We finished the afternoon with my favorite Christmas movie, "White Christmas."


Today I ran to Fabric Mart with Amber and Dorothy.  I have never seen a fabric store quite as big! I found some scraps of "Hawaiian print" fabric for my mom.  I think that she will enjoy it.  I'm hoping that she can incorporate it into a quilt.  We ate lunch at Banditos.  Yummo!


It was a busy day and Lo napped when we came home.  Hubby and I snuggled and watched a movie while A played in her room.  It was a nice end to the day.  Tomorrow is 'brunch with the girls' day.  And we're coming up on Winter Break! YES!


Live for this moment. <3

Thank you, Pinterest!

Today I was determined to bake.  I've been putting it off for a few days.  I don't know if it's because I've been feeling "scrooge-y" or just a lack of motivation.  Perhaps it is a combination of both.  I wake up in the morning and I say to myself. "Self, today you are going to be a baking fiend." Then, I get A ready for school and Lo some breakfast.  I'm spent.  I think I need a nap.  And I go to lay down and read.  Is this depression or exhaustion? I don't really know.


But, I figured today was going to be different.  I slept well.  I woke up feeling pretty good.  And I was determined while I made the grocery list.  I can do this! I will do this! With the help of my lovebugs today I will succeed in baking!


We made a trip to the Airman's Attic.  Were we nuts? Would it be mass mayhem? Thankfully, it was not.  In fact, we found a few cute toys for Lo and books for A.  After the Airman's Attic, we had to go to the NEX and commissary.  This could be a problem.  It's Saturday.  It's going to be crazy busy.  What were we thinking? We were pleasantly surprised when the trip took less than two hours.


After getting home, A and I got to baking and making.  We made Cheesy Ranch Chex Mix.  Eh.  I'd rather not do Chex Mix in a microwave from now on.  Thank you.  The next recipe that we tackled was Candy Cane Blossoms.  Another flop.  My cookies were NOT light and fluffy like the picture.  They looked like... well... let's just say it wasn't pretty!  The final goody that we made was White Chocolate covered pretzels.  Another recipe fail! WHAT?  That's a blow to my ego.  I didn't want to proceed.  Cuz, well, ya know... It's a bad sign.  And, it's a sign to put it to bed and try again another day.  


And that's okay.  We had fun.  I accomplished my goal: to make goodies completely from recipes that I had pinned to Pinterest.  That, my friends, was a success!  It was just a pleasant day with my lovebugs.  I live for THIS moment.

Life. Goes. On.

The holidays are here.  And, I'm trying to get into the Christmas spirit.  It feels like I'm just going through the motions.  I get excited.  I get ideas.  Then, weariness sets in.  Depression hits.  I know that I'm not the first to feel this way and I won't be the last.  My grief is MY grief.  How can I compare it to the grief of another? I can't.  I shouldn't.

I didn't intend for the blog to take this direction.  Not now.  That's the funny thing about life.  It has an agenda of it's own.  It doesn't ask me for MY opinion.  It doesn't look at my hopes; my dreams.  It. Just. Goes. On.

Why? Can't I just stop for a moment? Wallow in my grief? Let the tears flow without fear?

Today as I was running errands with my lovebugs, I saw a rainbow in the distance.  It was vibrant.  And as we drove closer to the mountains it got bigger. And then it became a double rainbow.  The rainbow followed us around the valley.  Everywhere I turned, there it was.  It reminded me of the basis of my faith.  A faith that I'd been missing. Rainbows are God's promise to us.  And on a day when I needed it most, God sent a rainbow. The sunshine through the rain.  And I knew that my Dad had something to do with it.  Thanks, Dad! I needed that today.  <3

Life goes on.  And so will I.