6 year old girl i babysit: Kayla? How do you sneeze? We had a substitute teacher at school and she sneezed funny then said it was ok for us to laugh. Then she said she is also a babysitter and it must be a babysitter thing. Can you sneeze for me?

me: (fake sneeze)

her: Wait, that's what hers sounded like too. It really must be a babysitter thing.

a fresh start

i love the new year and setting goals and creating new habits. i am working on not wishing my life away...living in the now. i keep saying how much i wish college were here without realizing that this time in my life is what i should soak up the most. i'm at the point where i have freedom with little responsibility. graduation will come soon enough, so for now i will enjoy the now.

i'm also working on some challenge quilts that i'm very excited about. i'll share a lil sumptin sumptin soon!

happy weekend!

hello 2010

well it's been quite the hiatus...i had a nice and quiet christmas break. visited california and watched lots of movies.

i'm really excited for this year. i will be graduating high school this spring and going off to college in the fall. i know how cliche it is, but it all went by so quickly. i've changed so much over the past three and a half years of high school. tonight i pulled out my drawer of scraps and mementos and discovered little notes and memos from so long ago. it brought back memories. then i took the pile and just started sewing all of the pages together without any plan or specific style. no tape or glue, just my machine.

i've posted pictures of the ornaments i made for our tree this year. with the help of my mom and dad, we completed 72. in november i decided our tree needed new ornaments so we went to work with stamps, fabric, and glitter. it looked great with the paper chains.

well, that's kinda it for now. i need to journal. oh and i was so inspired by this post by miss kara that i have started my own moments jar for 2010. then at the end of the year i can pull out all of my little moments and remember all the good times.

merry christmas to all

and to all a goodnight.

suggestions?

any suggestions of song lyrics and or a poem to include in my senior scrapbook project for english? they would be greatly appreciated. i find it hard to pick the right one.

love this.

"happiness" a journal entry

{a new print in my room that i got for my birthday}

Happiness...it's such a relative word, feeling, emotion. I know Kara has said you are only as happy as you choose to be and it is completely true.

In English, we are reading Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury and there is a Happiness Machine in it that only makes people sad when they are away from it. It's like watching a romantic comedy that warms your heart, but then leaves you feeling lonely or wishing for that happy ending in your own life. We discussed if we each had our own happiness machine and what we found joy in. Do we need a happiness machine? Or are we already happy and content with our own lives? Even though pain and sorrow exist, there are still things that bring a smile to our faces.

The book also focuses on finding joy in the little things in life. In the book, the little boy revels in his brand new summer sneakers, the grandpa in the mowing of the lawn, and things like the strangeness of the night. Sunsets...if sunsets lasted forever they would lose their charm.

Often times in life, we turn to our possessions for comfort. Don't get me wrong...I love my technology, but sometimes doesn't it only add to our unhappiness? Catching up on emails cause we are so busy. Sending a text cause there isn't time to talk or we are afraid to have real human interaction. Or just surfing the Internet and seeing all of the things we don't have or reading blogs, wishing we could create something like "so and so" instead of just sitting down and DOING it or trying. Switching on the TV because it is convenient to get lost in it and waste time even if you don't really care about the program that is on. What happened to entertaining ourselves every now and then with something more worthwhile...something that gives us a sense of accomplishment...something that makes us genuinely happy?

My simple pleasures? The smell after the rain. The first time in the summer when I can drive with my windows down and the music a little louder. A walk on a fall day with the leaves crunching beneath my feet. My first cup of Starbucks hot chocolate in December. Staring into the twinkling Christmas lights outside my bedroom window. The first snow. Watching people run for the TVs on Black Friday. A spontaneous stop at a photo booth. Blasting music while vacuuming. Waking up to sunshine through my curtains. Paint under my finger nails. A handful of glitter. A shared glance with a friend during school. Late night phone calls. Sitting in silence with someone. Christmas music and a fire. Rain against my windows as I fall asleep. Waking up on a snow day. Driving home late at night in the darkness. Building a pillow barricade around me as I sleep....the list goes on and on.

What simple pleasures are you enjoying this month? What makes you happy? Give someone a hug...pick up the phone and call before sending that text to catch up. DO something that makes you smile...something that makes you feel accomplished. Buy yourself a small gift to symbolize your change or your new drive... a new mug, pen, or journal. Don't regret today...make memories.