Five Minute Friday: Community

It’s Friday – the day where I join other bloggers and take five short minutes to just write from the heart. Five Minute Friday is hosted by Gypsy Mama and this week’s prompt is COMMUNITY. 


How perfect is this week’s prompt of community! Along with my BFF and some other wonderful women, I have helped build a community of birthmothers from all over the place called BirthMom Buds. Though I don’t write about it very often on this blog, ten years ago I gave birth to and placed a baby boy in an open adoption and while it’s a bittersweet journey, I find myself proud to be a birthmother and more importantly proud to be a member of a community of such amazing women. 

On Thursday of next week, I will head to Charlotte, North Carolina where I will join other women from the birthmother community for our annual retreat full of sharing, listening, learning, laughter and probably a few healing tears.


This also explains my absence from blogging lately as I've been finishing up some last minute type things. I honestly probably won’t blog much until I am back! This year’s theme is a fiesta, so appropriate since it falls on the weekend of Cinco de Mayo. It’s been fun planning the décor though I haven’t been able to share it here but I will be able to once it’s all over!


So, I am ready – ready for a weekend of community and to hug the necks of some of these amazing women that I only have the pleasure of seeing once a year and some I have yet to meet face to face!

Quote of the Week: Conquer the World

"I can conquer the world with one hand as long as you are holding the other." 

- Unknown

My Special Olympian: The Video

Yesterday I shared still photos from the Special Olympics and today I am sharing a short video of Noah competing!

 

My Special Olympian

Last week Noah participated in the local Special Olympics. He competed in two wheelchair races. This year, he had moved up an age group and was racing with older kids. He was the slowest one in both of his heats - but he didn't care. I don't think he even noticed! He really is an example to us all - he was just happy and determined. Happy to just be there and determined to just finish! He makes us so proud! 

And now what you probably really want to see - pictures!
Warning: I got picture happy so there are a lot of pictures in this post! 

Is he not adorable in that hat?

I forgot and left it on his wheelchair that morning when he left for school and I guess his teachers thought I sent it for him to wear outside so they put it on him and he kept it on the entire time!

At the starting line

Do you spot Noah? He's the third one. 

And they're off!

Slowly but surely he's making his way towards the finish line. 

Those little hands are working hard. 

So determined!

Look at that smile! He is just happy to be there. 

He just spotted Granddaddy at the finish line!

Almost there buddy!

Getting his ribbon

Linked to Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs

Hope Quote Plaque

One of my very favorite quotes is this one by one of my very favorite poets, Emily Dickinson. 

"Hope is the thing with feathers

that perches in the soul

and sings the tune without words

and never stops at all." 

That quote just screams spring to me so I decided to make something for my spring mantel featuring that quote. I started with an old tacky plaque from The Dollar Tree. I think these make the perfect base for projects like these. 

I created the quote in my Silhouette studio software and simply printed it on some paper that I think sorta resembles the sky. Then I purchased an awesome spring tree cut and print file in the Silhouette store by Lori Whitlock. I just re-sized it a bit, printed it out on white cardstock, and then I let the Silhouette machine cut out each individual piece. I used a glue pen to adhere the tree to the plaque first. Then I ran all the flowers, leaves, and birdies through my Xyron machine and stuck them on the plaque. 

I love how it turned out! 

 (Linking up to the parties listed in my sidebar)

Quote of the Week: Disability in Life

"The only disability in life is a bad attitude." 

- Scott Hamilton

Scrapping Saturdays: March Recap Page

Kits used:
Spring Menagerie Collaboration at Design House Digital
Spring Collection by Just Jaimee

Bird Cage Wall Hanging

I spotted a wooden bird cage at Michael's recently and picked it up thinking it would be cute for my spring mantle. I painted it blue and then added a cardstock yellow bird to the middle. 

It's cute but needed something. Then I remembered the yellow frame I used around my Easter wreath. 

Ah, much better!

So Springy!  But not so springy that it can't carry me into early summer too! 

Linking to the parties listed in my sidebar

Easter 2012 Collage

I'm a little behind on photo editing at the moment but I did some of the Easter photos edited and threw together a little collage to share. 

Can I just tell you how hard it is to get a photo where all three of us have our eyes open, are smiling, and look decent? Oh my goodness! In half the pictures J and Noah have a "ENOUGH PICTURES" look! Ah, I suppose that look will be a fond memory one day. 

Noah's Easter Cupcakes

We went to my parents' for Easter weekend. Since Noah has started to enjoy cooking/baking, he was assigned to bring cupcakes for Easter dinner. We made spring funfetti cupcakes with yellow and green icing and sprinkles of course! 

We also made cupcake picks for them. I had Noah paint on white cardstock with his favorite dot paint marker and after it dried I cut out bunnies and chicks using my Silhouette machine. They turned out super cute! 

Linked to Special Exposure Wednesdays at  5 Minutes for Special Needs

Running and the Wind in your Hair

I must share this video entitled Dayton's Legs. 

It reminds me of Noah, especially the part about how Dayton loves to feel the wind in his hair and on his face. I have seen that look on Noah's face when my Dad is running so fast with him at Miracle League. 

I'm glad that although his legs don't work, Noah has the opportunity to experience the joy of the wind on your face and blowing your hair while running via my Dad. Every child should know that joy. 

Quote of the Week: Beauty

"Think of all the beauty left around you 

and be happy."

- Anne Frank

Happy Easter!

I hope all of you have/had a great Easter!

This past week Noah has been on Spring Break which is why posting has been so sporadic. Hopefully this week after I play catch up on some things that I didn't do while Noahie was on break, things will get back to normal with the posting on the blog but this is my busy time of year with the BirthMom Buds retreat in less than a month so posting may be lacking a bit until after the retreat!

Quote of the Week: Hero

"A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserve and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." 

- Christopher Reeve

Easy Nest Treats Tutorial

Awhile back I pinned some cute little nest treats on my "Spring Fever" board....

My BFF saw them, loved them, and decided they'd be the perfect treat for her son's class. They are quite simple to make. Check out the video below as 7 year old Nicholas (who is named after me!) shows you how to make the nest treats. 

(Linking to the parties listed in my sidebar)

Weekend Wonders: The One with Easter Printables

Easter is just next weekend so this weekend I'm sharing some last minute Easter printables. 

Bunny Tails

Cute little tag from the gals at Eighteen 25 to make a treat for kiddos. 

Easter Bunny Cello Bag Toppers

The Celebration Shoppe shares this adorable printable for the bunny ears and face to create a topper on a candy filled cello bag. 

Easter Religious Themed Subway Art

I love this version of subway art from Antsi-Pants. Just print and pop in a frame and you have instant decor.

Colorful Easter Subway Art

Here's another version of Easter subway art but this one is a more colorful, child centered version from Everyday is a Celebration. 

Peeps Bag Topper

I love this adorable bag topper from the Itsy Bitsy Paper Blog which says "A Little Something Special for One of My Favorite Peeps." Just buy some peeps, pop 4 in a baggie, print and cut out the topper, then attach to the top of the bag with a stapler. Cute and easy!

Printable Easter Banner

Sandy Toes and Popsicles shares this printable Easter banner for instant and easy decor! 

Bunny Cupcake Toppers and Flags

Food Art Party shares these cute cupcake toppers. Just print and attach to toothpicks and then insert into your cupcakes. 

March OLW Layouts and Blog Hop

The March assignment in the One Little Word class I am taking at Big Picture Classes was to come up with and execute "one little action" in relation to our word and then document it.

My word for 2012 is breathe and just as with February's assignment, initially I had trouble coming up with an action but then I stopped thinking so much of the word itself and began to think about the things I'd listed in January that I hoped to bring into my life as a result of this word like peace, reflection, calmness, and the ability to enjoy the small moments in life.

Suddenly it dawned on me - what better way to reflect on the small moments that by preserving them through (digital) scrapbooking which is also an activity that makes me feel peaceful and calm. So, it was a winning solution for many reasons.

We were provided with a template to document our thoughts and progress through the month which you will see in the first layout below and then I made a second layout to show the pages I'd made as per my action.

I'm also participating in the OLW Blog Hop this month so if you popped over because of that, your next stop will be Naomi's blog, Poetic Aperture.