A Warm Day in January

Today we took advantage of the crazy weather, and played outside in the backyard. It was gloomy and muddy and warm. I can't believe I am writing about playing outside without a jacket or even a sweater, when I just shared snow day pictures last week, but hey, I am not complaining! Especially since it's supposed to be twenty degrees tomorrow. Yep, twenty!

These two babes were so happy to be outside, all they could do was run around with huge smiles on their faces. Of course I couldn't catch any smiles in pictures though because they were running around everywhere. Mara indulged in making a mud pie that our now extremely dirty dog Martha helped out with by digging a huge muddy hole. And Porter, gosh, he can run so fast now, you can see in the last picture, Mara is trying to KEEP UP with him, he of course thought she was chasing him and it was long, giggly morning before we went inside for lunch and naps.

Have you had a break in cold weather and been able to get outside? It's wonderful. Go do it, if you can.

Thankful//Blessed

Typically around the holidays, especially Thanksgiving, posts entitled "Grateful" or "Thankful" circulate. Inside them are lists of things the author is thankful for, then the holidays die off and we don't feel the need to share what we are thankful for until next season when it's the seasons theme once again.

I however feel like it's extremely important that we remind ourselves what we have, not what we want, or don't have. Sometimes reading blogs can fuel a flame of discontent, for me at least, with material things, home aesthetic, etc. I try my best to avoid fashion blogs, or too heavily saturated blogs with sponsored products, simply because I more then likely will want it, and with a spending fast and trying to separate my attachments from material things, and in our family, those blogs tend to make me want more then what I need and not appreciate what I have enough.
Chuck Palahniuk says it pretty well: "Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need."

I am thankful for:
impromptu hide and seek games with Mara.

the hugs from Portie when I scoop him up after he wakes up from nap and buries his head in my shoulder.

a husband willing to wake up at three in the morning to go work lifting heavy, heavy stuff all day long.

                                                             Source: all-things-bright-and-beyootiful.tumblr.com via Sunflower on Pinterest

I am blessed to have:

gas in our minivan to get Dan to and from work, and to treat me to an after work ride to get out of the house.
a comfy futon to relax on when the babes finally go to sleep.

four pillows all to myself in our king size bed.

a king size bed that allows us to co-sleep comfortably.

I thought it would be really positive to blog regularly year round about what I am thankful for or blessed with. If you want to share what you are thankful for, please do so. I would love to read!