dream big.

3 Moments and Write it Wednesday.

I have three moments that I am currently working on this week. Why three you ask? Because I am crazy. Also, because it makes sense if I plan to stick to my goal and have my 100 moments finished this year, and because the three pages I am going to focus on involve my mom and grandmother and together these stories make sense to work on at one time.

 

 

Unlike moment 2 these moments are what I would call BIG moments emotionally. I will let you know how tackling these moments together works out.

So, this week take a BRAVE step and  write an emotionally BIG story about your life. See where it takes you. Remember, no one knows your story better than you and only you experience each story from your personal perspective.

 

Life Changing Moment #2 and Write it Wednesday Challenge

Moment number two for me is really about what it was like growing up on a farm, and just how different I may be without this experience. Below you will find out what life was like on the farm from my perspective. What I realized is that I really have an abundance of farm stories I could tell, and I will but on other pages. I will need to round up some pictures from this time in my life before I tackle these stories, but it will be very fun to do.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I grew up on a farm in Oro Grande, California. The town was in the dusty desert, full of tumbleweeds, dirt roads, and the Mojave river.

 

The farm was owned by my Grandma and Grandpa Fox, and there were two houses on the farm; a yellow house at one end, and a faded light 70’s green rambler at the other.

 

In between the two farm houses were several barns and lots of pens for animals, primarily pigs, but sometimes cattle and goats. Of course we had a coop full of chickens, a few ducks and an extremely mean goose we called George.

 

There was a tire swing at one end of the farm near the yellow house, haystacks everywhere and acre after acre of pasture land.

 

I remember dreaming of having horses at the farm. It never happened, but I had relatives who did live on farms with horses, although

I am not sure who they are. I do know the lovely lady with the horse here is from the Gentile side of my family, so I guess one could say it seems perfectly obvious that I would spend a large portion of my life on a farm.

 

The farm was the Fox family gathering place. Everyone lived there in one home, or the other over a period of time. And every aunt, uncle and cousin would be there each weekend cooking, working and playing together.

 

Growing up on a farm allowed me time to explore and run free in a way that most kids today do not get to. I would climb tall haystacks and jump from one stack of hay to another. I would gather my cousins together and direct performances on the back of large flatbed tractor trailers. I would collect chicken eggs, and help feed the calves when we had them. My cousins and I would walk down a long dirt road past the pastures and into the woods to play, pan for fools gold at the river, and just have grand adventures. On the way home we would always stop and pick grapes from the vines that grew during the summer months. I was truly able to experience life out on the farm, and I loved it there.

 

The railway tracks were right next to the dirt road that led to the farm, and I remember walking down the dirt road often on the way home from school. There rarely was snow in southern California, so it seems so funny that most of the photos I have from the farm are of the snow and the major train crash that happened right next to the farm when my Grandma Irma came to visit us one winter.

 

Living on this farm and spending so many years close to the Fox family is a moment in my life that I treasure. This time period is one where I gained independence, began to understand how families step up to help each other, and always provide a place for you to come home to. This time in my life helped mold me and I have many memories and stories from my life that happened while  on the Fox Family Farm.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, a challenge and Write it Wednesday prompt:

Write a story from your life that shares why you are grateful for growing up with a specific experience. Mine of course is living on the farm. I know there are other experiences I am grateful for as well. Write your story and when you have time illustrate it. This might be a page you can add to your 100 life changing moments or simply a page about you to add to your albums...either is good, and what a piece of you to share with others!

 

Write It Wednesday ~ January 5th

 

It is the beginning of a beautiful new year and I think there is no better way to kick of this years first Write It Wednesday with the theme of beliefs. Each new year allows us to believe that anything is possible, the slate has been wiped clean and everyone can start fresh. More importantly the belief in something is powerful and often we keep our TRUE beliefs a secret. This week share a story about a belief theat resonates deeply within you and yet you may have rarely if ever spoken of this belief. As you write your story share how this belief affects your daily life and relationships with others.

Happy writing. I will share my story with you tomorrow, plus some pictures I plan to use to illustrate my belief.

Oh, I am planning on sharing my stories from December over the next couple of months. Plus, I have another Life Changing Moment page in the works to share as well.

Write It Wednesday!

After a wonderful Christmas holiday at my house this past week, I have been thinking about the story I want to write this week. Christmas brings forth wonderful memories of the past that include values and traditions that I want to share with my kids. That is why this weeks story prompt is all about holiday values and traditions that are important to you and how you choose to pass them on.

This will be different for each person, but my memory is one of being outdoors, and it is an activity that we started when I lived in Alaska. It is a holiday memory, because it started one Christmas and even after moving away from Alaska and living in Arizona, my parents tried to continue this new family tradition. I am excited to write this story, because this is the year that I am passing this tradition on to my children and I am thrilled that they are loving it as much as I did.

Remember when writing your story to share why this holiday value or tradition left such an impression on your life. Adding moments like these to your story bring a sense of reality and you into your scrapbooking.

Enjoy writing your story.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Write it Wednesday - Holiday Food

Today I am thinking about food. So, hey...why not write about holiday food this week.

I know, my first thought is wow a story about food? Really, are you nuts? Of course I am, but why not write a story about holiday food?

The first time I truly realized the importance of food was the first time I spent a holiday away from my family. I had a lovely time, but something was missing, and it went beyond missing my family. I had a hard time enjoying the holiday, because the food was so DIFFERENT that it didn't feel like a holiday meal to me.

Today, think about holiday food and its importance to your holiday traditions. and write about it. Then, this weekend take photos of the food that is important and maybe even food that you could do without. This will be a fun page to create next week when the holiday crazies are over with!

Merry Christmas!

Limits on Time ... Write it Wednesday

With the craziness of the season in full force and because I am all for saving a little sanity, I am going to only be doing the Write It Wednesday portion of Illustrate Your Life until the new year. Ah, there I said it and I feel so much better. You see I have not had time to get my new scanner, but I did enjoy attending two Christmas parties last weekend. So, I will be writing stories and then when all of the fun gatherings of family and friends slow down after the holidays I will spend a couple of weeks illustrating the stories and sharing the results with you.

Today I am going to write a story about a fun holiday experience. The holidays are full of gifts that can fill your home and since I have been on a mission to end clutter and chaos in my home, I am trying to give the gift of experiences this year. This experience may be a family tradition, or something new that you are experiencing for the first time. Remember that experiences are all about doing something, and experiencing something. The great thing is you get to decide what that experience is. Maybe you want to focus on an experience from the past, or maybe you have one from the present holiday, and you may even want to think of a holiday experience you would like to do in the future. Simply write the story and share what this experience means to you and why it is important.

Okay, have fun, and write about a holiday experience.

Write It Wednesday!

Well, the holidays are obviously here! Getting a simple photo of a completed page needs to be scheduled into my day. Here are some pics from my finished Illustrate Your Life page from last week.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

Today I am inspired to write about a holiday memory. As I snapped a shot of this simple ornament this week, a flood of memories came back to me.

 

My kids also love these ornaments and asked about them. So, I am feeling truly compelled to write the story behind the ornament.

Today think about a holiday memory that you have, which most in your family are unaware of. They may not be aware of it because they were not born yet, or because it was a moment that happened to you at another time in your life, or simply when you were off by yourself. Any holiday moment will do as long as your moment is one that truly has touched your heart. It is funny how writing has this easy way of feeling so magical when a moment or story is told from the heart.

This week I will be posting my story tomorrow once I have it printed, along with the photos I am going to include to illustrate the story.

 

WRITE IT WEDNESDAY!

Gratitude is such a big word. It can mean so much. Writing about it can make you feel as if you are writing an acceptance speech for winning your first Oscar.

“So, many people made this possible…” Blah, blah, blah.

What are you grateful for right now? On this day if you had to create a list of items or things you are grateful for what would they be? The list doesn’t need to be long just truthful.

Stories can be told with a simple list. So, today, write a simple list of what you are grateful for now. The items do not need to be deep, they just need to be honest.

Once you have your list write a brief description as to why or how you are grateful for each item. Show how the item is important to you today.

Here is my list.

Gratitude – November 30^th, 2010

My memory foam pillow – completely grateful you were on sale and I splurged on something for me as you have brought me another night of good sleep.

Cuisinart – thankful my husband realizes how much I use this kitchen tool and wanted me to replace my recently broken one!

Iced tea – love that you are so easy to make when I am thirsty and water doesn’t sound appetizing.

Whipped cream – grateful that this simple addition to breakfast foods and hot chocolate lights up my children’s tired eyes.

Animal crackers – happy to have a snack in my home that my five year old is ALWAYS ready to eat.

Cheese – oh, how I love you, Natalie and I couldn’t survive a day without a slice of cheddar.

Early morning quiet – peace and quiet in the early hours of the morning are what I treasure most and make me a better mother at the end of a long day.

Left overs – they were never that appetizing as a child, but I live for left overs now as I see them as less work and fabulous taste.

Giggles – I am so grateful for little girls who giggle and get along…most of the time.

Friends – I have the BEST friends, and as we experience each new day together, I am even more grateful to have them in my life.

Family – having a family is the best thing I have ever done…growing together is what I am grateful for today.

My computer – ordering Christmas gifts online, I can’t say just how grateful I am for my computer as it has kept me from standing in LONG lines at the store.

My land line – cell phones are fine, but I LOVE the sound I have on my land line.

Cash – completely grateful for payday and the fact that I paying for things in cash and not credit.

Catalogues – grateful for the catalogues that pour into my mailbox and give my kids a wish list beyond Target and Toys –R-Us

So that wasn’t difficult. I had my story finished in 22 minutes. Not that it’s a race, but just that I like to be productive. If it works better for you to see it as a race that’s cool too. Post your time in the comments, but don’t cheat yourself out of a good list and explanation in the process! Leave a link so I can read your list story too!

Welcome to Write it Wednesday!

Today’s theme brings season’s front and center. Now, at first glance seasons may get you thinking about just spring, summer, winter and fall. This is a great place to start thinking about stories, but my goal is to dig a little deeper and find a story beneath the surface of a simple theme like seasons.

 

I am diving into to the theme of seasons and looking at how each season shapes and changes my life, love and joy. As I ponder this idea, I find myself asking questions like how is this season different from those in the past? How can I capture the true joy of this season now? Are there parts of my life that can change like the leaves of every season?

 Today I am capturing one of these seasonal life moments with words. Also, as I write the story I want to make certain that I am telling the story from a personal perspective. I plan on capturing this personal perspective by sharing the story either through what I perceive to be occurring or from my own personal desires. I have found that my writing is more honest when I approach a story in this manner.

Here is my story for today’s theme:

Right now the fall of 2010 marks a time in my life when I want to do more with my family as a family. I want to do more than just live in the same house with them. I want to create experiences and memories that will last a life time.

Maybe it is because Olivia just turned eleven and I am realizing for the first time that she has fewer years left with me than she has already spent. Maybe it is because I see that Natalie and Ella are both finally at an age where we can truly all go and do things together, without either Eric or I needing to stay home with the baby, since the baby just turned five and really isn’t a baby any more.

Regardless of the reason I know that this fall is filled with time together as a family, as we enjoyed going to our first Apple Squeeze Festival, traveling on the ferry and spending a fall day on the beach building driftwood forts, making handmade Halloween decorations, going to find pumpkins at Maris Farms and hosting our first annual Halloween party.

I want to completely enjoy this season of our lives as a family. Fall marks the beginning of a “new year” and a new set of traditions and ways to spend time together as a family. Fall, 2010 has blown in more than leaves; it has blown my family towards spending more time actively being involved with each other. All of us need this.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, as I was writing down my thoughts on today’s theme I actually came up with a couple of stories that I want to capture. I started writing both stories and decided that the story above moved me more in the moment of writing. I have saved the beginning of another story and will come back to it when I am ready and feel moved to complete it. I LOVE that I was able to find more than one story for this topic.

I hope you share your stories on your blog or in the comments. Reading what others write is very inspiring.