Happiness Now

Shortly before the New Year, my husband and I watched this Ted Talk given by Shawn Achor.  Achor talks about how we've established a lens for our brain and how we view the world and our successes.  Often, he says, we are looking for the next best thing.  (i.e. If I can just get that job or promotion, I'll be happy.  Once I have that house, I'll be happy, etc.)  He suggests we can rewire our brain with positivity and be happy and more productive in our life by doing these things:

1. 3 Gratitude every day (each gratitude must be unique for 21 days)


2. Journaling


3. Exercise


4. Meditation


5. Random Acts of Kindness

I don't know about you, but after the holidays, I seem to get a rush of the winter blues so I'm giving this a try.  I'm sharing my gratitudes on Instagram (username debaverett) if you'd like to join in.  I'm on day 9 and I have to say, it's been a lot of fun, and I find myself smiling more each day and looking for the positive in all situations. Hope you're all having a great New Year!! xo

Our Motto: Be Strong Be Independent and Stand Tall

My husband and I have been talking a lot about how we can raise confident children. Like all of us, I want our children to be happy and in thinking about what happiness stems from, I believe confidence is a huge part of it. Not only outward confidence, but also inward confidence of knowing who they are and what they stand for. I hope I can exhibit this in my daily life and be a good example to my little ducklings.

Just curious.... do you have a motto in your home? Or phrases that you live by?

If you'd like to download this printable, I've created, click below. (size: 8.5" x 11")



To be used for personal use only, no commercial sales please. Thank you!

As a side note... I am very thankful for the election, and the voice that we've each been given. Though I don't agree with some of the outcomes, I am very thankful for the reminder that my husband and I are the leaders within the walls of our home. We are building little leaders everyday and that is a powerful thing. I love America! And hope we can build a strong nation once again!

Canning Applesauce

I have a friend here that could score a good deal on apples and I got the wild idea to make applesauce with them. Since this was my first time, I only bought (2) 10 lb. bags of apples-- one Sweet 16 and the other Honeycrisp. I knew we'd eat a few of the Honeycrisps, but we wouldn't be able to finish them all off.



I borrowed a food mill to help me do the process a little more quickly, but it still took me nearly 4 hours and I only ended up with 3 quarts of applesauce. The Honeycrisp apples hardly made a sauce, it was more juice.

It did feel good to try something new and accomplish it by myself... my mom is a pro-canner when it comes to tomatoes so I've always leaned on her for this sort of thing.  However, when it comes to applesauce, I don't know that I'd do it again. I paid $20 for apples and spent way too much time in the kitchen making a huge, sticky mess. If I have an apple tree one day, I might sing a different tune, but for now, I'm stearing clear from making applesauce.

Have you ever done applesause before? Or do you do apple butter?

Halloween 2012

Watch out! We had a ladybug, SuperMan and Tigger out on the loose last night!





Caden was going to be a Storm Trooper, but at the last minute changed to SuperMan.  (In my opinion, it was the better choice). Porter caught on quick to Trick-or-Treating and kindly told everyone "thank you" as they dropped candy into his bucket.  Gabby went to a few of the neighbor's houses so they could pinch her cheeks, but then she stayed inside where it was nice and warm.



At the end of the night, Porter realized one piece of candy at a time just wasn't enough.



And Caden had fun going back to his blonde hair.  As you can tell by this picture, he had a fun Halloween.

Porter is 2!

My little towhead Porter is 2. I can hardly believe it. He is one of the best kids around, seriously. He is soooo quiet most of the time, I always have to keep checking to make sure he's still around. Here are a couple things Porter loves:

Favorite toy: Thomas anything

Favorite shirts: button down (I think because he can put them on himself and I just have to help with the buttons)

Favorite buddy: Caden

Favorite sayings: "Go Big Red!," "so cool," and "Mark, Set, Go!"



Favorite foods: Pizza, cheese and oranges

Favorite past-time: Teasing Caden and riding Jonzy like a horse

Favorite bedtime song: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star



Dear Porter,

My oh my, you're 2! I have no idea where the time has gone, but I'm sooooo glad you're a part of our family. You are the glue that holds us all together. You always have been. I remember shortly after you were born, we found out we were moving to Minnesota. You were the little patient and laid back baby that reminded me everyday that everything would be okay. That being a "single mom" for 6 weeks while dad started his new job was only temporary and sanity would return again. I thought it was Heavenly Father's way of blessing me, but I now see that is your personality. You still continue to remind me that situations are temporary, time is fleeting and that I should just enjoy the here and now. Thank you for being so wise and smart, little guy!

I love you so, so much. I love your cute little face and your wrinkled nose. I love your little snort laugh. I love that you talk and communicate so well. I love that you're the quiet life of the party. People have a way of flocking to you, and wanting your cute, quiet attention. I love baking and cooking with you. You are always so excited to help and eat what you've worked so hard on. I love that you share. I love that you want to be like your big brother, but just remember, you have plenty of time to grow up. We don't need to rush anything. I love cuddling with you and tickling your back until you fall asleep. It doesn't happen often enough.

I know it's hard being the middle sibling. Trust me, I've been there! I sure hope you get the attention you deserve. You are an awesome little guy and I can't wait to see what the next year brings.

Love,

Mom