Flowering Tea

The sun came out today!  Just when I needed it.  It's been gray and cold all week long and I was settling in and preparing my mind today with extra layers and a pot of tea.  I was wondering how I was going to get motivated facing yet another dreary winter day.  Although, it's still freezing out that sunshine was the perfect pick me up.
A pot of tea is my go to element to clear my head, find my drive and recenter myself.  For the moment, for the day...for whatever I need it for.  I stopped drinking filtered coffee last year and I love the options out there as a tea drinker.  The smells, the different teas and delicate, antique tea cups I have begun to collect.  My favorite though is the flowering tea pot.  I have a large and small one.
I fell in love with these on a trip to Savannah, GA a few years ago.  Not only do you get the yumminess of the tea (jasmine is quite popular for blooming teas), but you get the loveliness of a little bit of nature and color in your tea time.

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Frantic February

     Well, February has entered our lives and warmer than usual weather still lingers.  I'm half happy about this because this means we get to be outside more and half sad because this also means Mother Earth is not herself with this warm season.
     February so far has found me working hard on my home life and getting organized...still.   It's coming along nicely though.  :)
     So far this month has also brought me my first mama heart attack.  We had a bit of an emergency last Thursday evening that ended in a mad rush out the door to the emergency room.  Crying toddler in hand, crying mama behind the wheel and a bloody mess on the dining room floor.
     Baby boy had a hideous highchair accident and of course it happened when I was home alone with him.  I had a mild panic moment in swooping him up off the floor and then realized I didn't know where my cell phone was.  It took one second when I saw his head to know we needed to head to the ER.  Panic thoughts swirled through my mind as I frantically tried to pull myself together to handle this situation.  Why don't we have a house phone anymore?!  Why don't we have a paramedic on hand all the time?!  Why don't I have a helmet on this kid AT ALL TIMES?!
     A few hours later and a few stitches too he was doing much better.  I will refrain from posting the photo.  It's pretty gruesome.  It took me well into the next day to come down from the adrenaline rush and now I'm back to gasping when he falls at all.
     Then, as if one mad rush to emergency medical care wasn't enough, the hubby had to make another one last night with little Pablo.  In the matter of 30 minutes, his face started swelling up so bad it was changing the shape of his face!  The only overnight vet available was 35 minutes away.  It turned out to be an allergic reaction.
     I could use some relaxed days, February.    Before the chaos, we did enjoy some outings last week in the sunshine.  I'm going to focus on bringing some more days like this to our world this month.

Happy February to you!  

Memory Loss

Okay, so my memory has been fading pretty quickly.  It happened right when I became a mother.  The amount of information I need to retain and be proactive about just squeezed out the rest of the information I had before thought so vital.  Sadly, my family is suffering the consequences of a forgetful mama.
This morning was a prime example.  Pablo is our chihuahua and we have to be really careful about letting him go outside.  We have hawks and coyotes right at the back of our fence and can't leave him out there too long alone.  The hubby is really adamant about this.  Me...not so much.  This is because, I seriously forget I let him out or need to let him back in.  This repeats itself every morning.  This morning Josh let him out and said let him back in a few minutes.   I look him in the eye and say, "Yes. Sure, no problem."  Then, I go on living the rest of my life.  I had a toddler to wake up, dress and feed.  I had 7 emails composing in my mind about some stressful work drama that had been unfolding all week.  I had my To Do list circulating because it's Friday and Friday is "ME" day and I have to have a To Do list or I.Will.Die.  I had a strong desire of wanting to create some jewelry today because I haven't been able to in too long.  My mind was at capacity.  Plus, I still had one more sock to put on.

Down at breakfast, Josh is frantically looking for Pablo.  "Did you let him in? I can't find him!  He's not in the yard, either!"  I freeze, trying to remember...who's Pablo?  Okay, it's not quite that bad yet.  I remember opening the door and calling him.  I remember him not coming right away.  Josh darts out to the yard fearing the worst.  That a hawk has picked up poor little Pablo.  He comes back in, more frantic this time.  Me...still calm.  Still trying to remember if I let him in or not.  Then, I realize, Yes!  I did let him in.  Right before I put on that other sock.  Or was it after?  Either way, he came in...right?  I know I let him in yesterday.  Does that count?  My husband gives me the most "I'm so annoyed with you right now" glare.
Well, we search and find Pablo comfortably curled up on the pet pillow just calmly looking at us.

We get in a discussion about how I simply can't remember letting him back in.  I try to explain my side:  We have too many pets!  I can't keep track of them, work, home life, our son.  How did we get this many pets?! I think some of them should pay rent.

I'm trying and I'm failing.  I do love little Pablo to pieces, but I was just sure it would work itself out.  Pablo could be in, Pablo could be out.  Pablo could be drinking a beer.  It'll be fine.
Poor Pablo.  I'm sorry little buddy.  I'm trying here.  I just can't remember ANYTHING like this.  I can remember work stuff, for the most part.  Home life is another battle.  It's the little things that I don't have a capacity for anymore.  The last 3 times I've taken Pablo with me to visit my mom, a sibling has ran out in the driveway flagging me down as I pull away and then hands me my little puppy.  Oops.  3 TIMES IN A ROW this has happened.

Maybe I need more yoga.  Maybe I need more mediation.  Or meditation at all.  Does counting running upstairs only to stand in the hallway and wonder what I came upstairs for count as meditation?  I'm still.  I'm quiet.  I'm breathing.

Mamahood brought me so much happiness, but then took most of sanity and memory with it.

Will it come back??  Or...gasp!  Am I turning into my mother?!

When Pablo was a puppy.  So, so cute!

Over Thinking

I saw this on Pinterest the other day and it has been creeping into my thoughts.
Although, I do not like to associate this with myself, I can be an over thinker.  I would like to eliminate this aspect of my personality, but honestly...how do you turn off your brain?!
I just really like how this is put.  Direct and simple.  I really want to invite this philosophy into my life.  Just wanted to share it here because I'm finding this simple statement so true for myself.