Convenient Memories

Are there MOMENTS in your life that you wish you could remember better?  So many great things happen in our lives but often get forgotten due to the inconvenience of writing it all down.  After my first daughter was born I wanted to cAptUre every second of her growth but always waited until I had the PerFecT time to scrapbook or document it.  The perfect moment never happened or when it did I could never remember all the details.

My solution to this problem? I scrapped the idea of feeling like I had to jot down thoughts and events in perfect handwriting or on paper that didn’t have a wrinkle Ü .  I went out and bought blank notebooks, wrote each kid’s name on the front and placed them in an area of our home that is easy to access.  Nowadays when the kids say or do something memorable, my husband or I grab it right away, sCribbLe in what happened and sign and date each entry.  Yes, the books have already been drawn in by the kids or smudged with their little fingerprints due to being in such a convenient location, but these little imperfections just add to its sentimental value.  As time goes on I’m realizing that these books will be cherished more than the preserved scrapbooks I spent hours completing.  Sometimes the easiest solutions are the ones you’ll TREASURE the most!

~L

HGBV (Home & Garden Blog Video) CONTEST

WiN a $50 Gift Card to HoMe DePoT in our HGBV CoNteSt!!

Contest Details:

  1. Contest begins on Wednesday, May 4, 2011 and ends at midnight on Friday, June 3, 2011.
  2. Submit a DIY (Do It Yourself) before and after picture of a space (indoor or outdoor) you have transformed.  Submit your pictures via email to suedesofa@yahoo.com   
  3. Give a brief description on why we should chose your transformation (for example, “I transformed my space on less than $100!”,  “All the furniture came from garage sales.” , “I transformed the uglest room ever!”)
  4. Participants may submit more than one entry.
  5. We will announce the five finalists on Monday, June 6, 2011.  “Before and After” pictures of each finalist’s space will be posted on the Suede•Sofa blog.  Readers can cast their vote by midnight on Friday, June 10, 2011.
  6. The winner will be announced on Saturday, June 11, 2011 and will receive a $50 Home Depot gift card.

Mr. Apple and Mrs. Orange

Mrs. Orange and Mr. Apple L O V E each other.  They make a good couple for numerous reasons.  Mrs. Orange appreciates that fact that Mr. Apple puts up with her never-ending eMoTioNs, supports her in wanting to try new things and listens to her even when she’s talking in circles.  Mr. Apple loves Mrs. Orange because she laughs at all his jokes, has a PaTienT personality, is a great mother to their kids, and enjoys helping him work in the yard.  Even though they are very complementary together, they are also very different.

Mr. Apple is very predictable.  Like all apples, when you peel back the first layer, there’s nothing but the same fruit underneath. What you see is what you get, pretty much to the core.  It’s as simple as that.  Mrs. Orange loves that about Mr. Apple.

Mrs. Orange is very COMPLEX.  When you peel back the first layer of her exterior BeAUtY, there isn’t just more fruit underneath, but MANY different slices of fruit!  There’s the slice that feels she could be a better housekeeper, the slice that’s striving to be a better mother, a slice for improving her figure, and of course the slice that feels intimidated by other oranges.  There are just a lot of sections of “stuff” under her orange peel, and to be HonEsT, mostly stuff that Mr. Apple doesn’t understand!  Mrs. Orange knows that sometimes it is easier on both her and Mr. Apple if she just calls up her friends and works through some of her more troubling segments.  Mr. Apple isn’t bothered by this fact, and takes CoMfORT in knowing God intended it to be that way.

Even though Mr. Apple and Mrs. Orange think and feel completely different, they serve a UniQUe purpose in their well-balanced relationship.  They acknowledge their differences, and because of that, make a GreAt Pair when sharing their fruit basket!

Ü  ~L

“Committing Your Goal To Paper” – The Challenge (Wk 5)

We’ve been talking about dreams & goals for a month now and hopefully you have something in mind that you would like to achieve.  Its now time to get that dream/goal down on paper.  That’s right, on paper.  I’ve heard and read on multiple occasions that there is a much greater likelihood of achieving your goal if you have it written down on paper and in front of you often.  When you do, it becomes a driving force in your life and a target to aim for.  Not only is it important to get your goal on paper, it is also important to assign a date that you would like to accomplish your goal by.  Are you ready to commit your dream to paper?  The following table will help you do just that.  Here are a few tips to help you complete the table:

  • Be as specific as possible
  • Try to include all the steps you will have to take to accomplish your goal.  Include things such as gathering information, researching on the internet, searching people out who have done what it is you want to do, etc.
  • Once you finish the table you will be asked to list your resources for fulfilling your goal and the obstacles that you will need to overcome.  Take some time to give this some thought.  Have a friend help you as they will be able to think of things that you might miss.
Dream:
Date Of Completion:
Steps To Take Date Of Completion
1.)  
2.)  
3.)  
4.)  
5.)  
6.)  
7.)  
8.)  
9.)  
10.)  
11.)  
12.)  
13.)  
14.)  
15.)  
AVAILABLE RESOURCES:  Include PEOPLE such as those you can enlist to cheer you on, babysitters, those who can help you along the way, those who can give you advice and input, experts; TIME  i.e. early in the morning when your kids are sleeping; ENCOURAGING BOOKS, magazines, articles, etc; MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT such as exercise equipment, computer, cell phone; CHARACTER STRENGTHS; and UNIQUE SITUATIONS that you might have to help you achieve your goal.
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
6.)
7.)

Possible Obstacles Along The Way And Plan Of Action To Overcome Them
Obstacle Plan Of Action
1.)  
2.)  
3.)  
4.)  
5.)  
6.)  

 

~Robynn

May Day Tradition

May Day is just around the corner. Do you do anything SpeCiaL to celebrate May Day?

For as long as I can remember my mom and dad have had their own May Day tRadiTion.  Each spring morning on the first day of May, my dad hand delivers a freshly picked wildflower to my mom.  Can’t you just picture him?  A hardened Kansas farmer with callused hands and weathered skin, hand selecting the prettiest flowers from the middle of his cattle pasture to deliver to his wife of 36 years?  That mental image always melts my heart…  Sometimes nature dictates what’s in season.  The wildflower may be yellow, white, or blue, but the beauty and L O V E it represents remains the same each year.

Having only been married for 5 years I see how easily life gets in the way of doing the “little things” to express my love.  Sometimes the simplest act can show the greatest amount of thoughtfulness and appreciation.  This year consider starting a new tradition with your loved one.  You never know… it may end up being something you’ll hear your kids talk about after your 36th year of marriage :)  Make this May Day a MeMoraBLe one!

Cheers!

~L

Biggest Bang For Your Buck – Toned Arms

S  u  M  m  e R   is just a month away!  This is what works for me when it comes to toned arms…

I’ve never had naturally ToNeD aRmS, but being a farm girl who would spend her summer days bailing hay I would have defined arms at the end of each summer.  After I got a teaching job and no longer spent my summers on the farm I looked for an alternative to getting toned arms – lifting weights.

A fitness magazine had promised me toned arms if I would do their exercises 15 minutes a day, 3 times a week.  I began doing these arm exercises using dumbbells and weight machines.  After a few months of this regimen the results were, well, disappointing.  I could barely tell any difference.  So I came up with my own plan:  PuShUpS. 

When I started out doing pushups I had to do them on my knees.  Because my upper body had never really been that strong, I could not do many in a row without resting, but I pLuGgEd AwAy.  I did this for three weeks and was very happy with the results, so much so that I decided I would do 75-pushups each day.

I don’t actually do 75-pushups a day, but that is my goal.  Sometimes it may be 3 times a week, sometimes 5, something is better than nothing.  I can’t do all 75 at once and so I break it down.  Now I have something that not only works, but takes only a few minutes each day.  I cAn HaNdLe ThAt. =)   

Pre-Pushups

Post Pushups

~Robynn

Compliment Etiquette

How do you respond when someone gives you a compliment?  Do you shrug your shoulders, shake your head, start laughing, or just deny that the compliment is true?  Have you ever given someone a compliment who responded in this way?  How did it make you feel? 

When I was a camp counselor in college, people use to compliment my singing talent quite often.  I never made a big deal about it, and come to think of it, at times I don’t even think I said “thank you.” It probably sounded more like “Oh. Well, I had a good music teacher.” It wasn’t until someone called me out on it that I realized how my responses were rude to the person giving them, let alone to myself and God!

Being HuMbLe is a quality that God wants us to possess, but being COURTEOUS in our response is also important.  If someone gives us a compliment, whether we agree with them or not, we need to be kind in our reply.  A simple “Thank you” will do, allowing you to be a gracious and humble receiver.

Some people don’t accept compliments well because they don’t like to be in the spotlight.  If that is the case for you, remember that all of our talents or successes in life are because God blessed us with them.  He gives each of us a talent whether it is a quality singing voice, a warming smile, or being a good listener.  By saying “THANK YOU” not only does it show appreciation to the person giving the compliment, but also thanks God for the wonderful qualities he has given us!

Next time someone says something N I C E try responding with confidence and appreciation!  It will not only make you feel better but will encourage others to continue sharing a good word!

~L