I've been thinking...

I've been thinking, 

how we live in a society of instant gratification...

 we no longer need to really wait for anything. We have instant photos, can text and be in contact with friends and family instantly. We have lost a sense of having to be patient and realize that good things really do come to those who wait.  

I remember SO well, sending off film in the mail and anxiously awaiting the mail and being SO excited when it came that we would literally sit in the car and go through photo after photo and "hope" that they turned out because you only had 24 or 36 exposure film and film was expensive to buy and expensive to develop.

I remember SO well, having to send letters to family and friends to keep in touch as phone calls were SO expensive.  You had to mail off the letter, wait for them to get the letter, wait for them to respond back and that would sometimes be 2-3 weeks.

Now, we feel it's kind of an inconvenience if someone said they just sent us an email and it still hasn't come to our Inbox yet, and it's only been like 30 seconds.

Tracy and I are TORTOISES, 

we are not quick at doing things at all. Our projects always take much longer than we'd like them to and I realized this as my good neighbor that follows my blog came rushing down as she had been reading my organizing posts and wanted to be inspired by all of the things we had been doing. 

I was sad that I didn't have more to show her than I did.  

Right now we have about 7-8 different projects going on that are each about 1/2 to 3/4's the way done and I can't wait to share them. 

Things are transforming at our house really nicely and I can't wait to show all of the things we have been working on when they are done.  For now, I hope you can be patient with me and know that small space organizing/decorating posts are coming in the non-to-distant future and they will be AWESOME 

and worth the wait!!

Until then, I thought I'd share the different thoughts on 

happiness and JOY 

that have been going through my mind this past month!

I've been thinking...

how Friday April 1st was such a PERFECT day!  

April Fool's day shined down on us in such a good way with the weather at 

63 degrees!! WOOT!!  

Short sleeves, not having to leave the house without a jacket, it was AWESOME and then Saturday & Sunday came and we realized that April Fools Day was over and we were back to ordinary 40 degree weather life in South East Idaho.

Friday was PERFECT
not only because of the weather, but, because it was 

DATE NIGHT with the love of my life Tracy.

We listened to awesome music as we drove in the car, shared a Pork Barbarcoa Salad at Cafe Rio, got some materials for our weekend house projects, had hours of laughter, great conversation, nice weather, gorgeous sunset. 

It was perfect! 

Date night is one of my favorite nights of the week!

 I've been thinking...

how cute little birds are
and how much my kids LOVE animals!
(even though I'm not much of an animal lover myself).

We purchased some baby chicks to replenish our flock of hens. I have heard the words 

"those baby chicks are SOOOO cute" 

out of the mouths of my kids this past week that I have lost count how many times.  They are growing fast and in another few weeks we will be able to move them to our chicken coop and then the fun will come from culling out our old hens.

I've been thinking...

how much I LOVE the positive books and positive video clips that Tracy is always bringing home for us to enjoy as a family.
This book "Who moved my Cheese" (here)
was AWESOME!!
It was SO funny that Ethan even understood it.  In fact, Ethan had just had a little "melt down" earlier in the evening before we read that book. He commented on that moment after we read the book and was able to "laugh at himself" (one of the characteristics of one of the characters in the book).
This is a fun little book with a great message. 
Read it if you get the chance! 

I've been thinking...

 how adding a simple thing like a Reese's peanut butter cup on top of a Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookie can bring SO many smiles to the faces of my hubby and kids. I am reminded daily how
"out of the ordinary things" make life so big!
(recipe (here))

I've been thinking...

how I am married 

to the most patient man on the planet!

I am NOT someone that pulls out the fridge and cleans every few months, I don't have very organized drawers or closets, I don't pull out the tracks on my window sills on a regular basis and clean them, I don't pull the furniture away from the wall and vacuum behind it very often, I am not good at remembering to clean and wash the moldings. 

As you can tell from this picture 

I don't think I've ever pulled out all of my drawers and cleaned behind them.  We have six steak knifes and we are down to one and just had all of them a few months ago and we can't for the life of us figure out where they are. We thought maybe they had fallen behind the drawers. OOPS, as Tracy proceeded to pull the drawers out, there were bags and bags and more plastic bags (also tin foil scraps and plastic silver ware) that had fallen down behind the drawers. There was SO much that it completely filled a kitchen garbage sack.  

My greatest strengths are cooking yummy meals, keeping a "neat and tidy" house, being organized with my time in keeping track of all our comings and goings and doing my best to be a great mom and wife... 

thank goodness Tracy sees beyond my weaknesses, as I know there are many things I do (or don't do) that drive him crazy!

I've been thinking...

how much the Smith family has grown up! 
I remember when Jade and Ashley were little kids and Ashley would pack Jade around on her hip. Now, she is married and Jade will be turning 17. Time is definitely flying by faster than I would like it to.  

 I've been thinking...

how much baking bread is therapy for me and how much I LOVE to bake it up for my family!
I also have been thinking LOTS about how blessed we are with such good food to eat daily!   Such simple ingredients such as flour, yeast, salt and water, yet there are SO many people in the world who don't have these simple ingredients available to them. 
I truly feel blessed beyond measure!

 I've been thinking...

that time is just flying by TOO quickly! 

I dearly miss having a toddler in the home...that season in our life is long gone. I have been organizing things and keep coming across puzzles and games that I used to play with Ethan when he was this age. I have taken MANY a trip down memory lane these past few months. (sometimes it has kept me from getting anything done as I read through journals, look at photos, browse through children s books and remember the good times we had playing with toys and reading together)

Savoring this next season of having a 9 year old and soon to be 17 year old with all of the FUN and adventure that this season in life has to offer.  From kids hiding in closets reading books by flashlight to teenagers excited with dress style and dating.

 

I've been thinking...

how simple acts of kindness and thoughtfulness can mean SO much!
A sweet lady named Jan
(that has a son that runs Cross Country with Jade),
sent us the sweetest note at Christmas time with these photos she had taken of Jade and let us know what a FAN she was of watching him run.  
I reflect weekly on this as I glance at the wall and see these photos.  
Little things can mean SO much and I need to remember to be more thoughtful like this to others.

I've been thinking...
what a BLESSING clean drinking water is!
Each day as I turn on the faucet and fill up our water bottles or drinking glasses, OR, fill a pot with water to make up a batch of soup for my family and I reminded of what a precious commodity, CLEAN DRINKING WATER is!
As I think of the people in Japan right now (who are still going through the aftermath of an earthquake/tsunami) , or other parts of the world that have recently struggled with natural disasters I cherish each and every drop of this precious water and realize how BLESSED we are to be able to experience such simple things as 

clean air to breathe, 

clean water to drink and 

simple, nourishing food to eat!

 

I've been thinking... 

how I am the luckiest girl in the world!
As I listened to the words of my favorite talk given by Richard G. Scott during General Conference (here) I can relate to his sweet wife...
with being a wife myself that is cherished by her husband, that gets daily reminders of LOVE through notes and sweet, thoughtful acts and these love notes are TREASURES to me!
If my house was burning down, these boxes of notes along with photos would be the first things I would grab.

Feeling RICHLY blessed 

with all of the things that truly matter in life...

a home with a husband and sons, where love, smiles and laughter abundantly abounds and where I feel loved, cherished and peace & safety,
making progress towards our goals and dreams,
friends and family who always are doing sweet thoughtful acts of kindness,
nourishing food, clean water and air, warmth and protection from the elements.
I can truly say

"Life is GOOD" 

and I wouldn't change a thing about it!