September 25

• I guess keeping this website has been a helpful thing for me.  I haven't kept up with it very well the past week and I'm really having a hard time being joyful today.  Just feeling anxious, impatient, and annoyed...and the kids aren't making it easy!!!
• On that note, I know my children are miracles and I'm so thankful we were able to have each of them.
• I sorted and switched clothes for the boys for new sizes and season.
• Seth was able to accomplish more in the basement.
• Koen and I worked on a timeline for school.  Interesting to find out what's been important to a five-year-old over the course of his life.

September 24

• Had to watch Ian today during Kelli's doctor's appt. and he and Ty played so well together...they almost didn't need me!  I got a lot done while he was here.
• Kelli stayed here so I could let Brielle sleep while I picked Koen up from school.
• We went as a family to the GRCHS football game...a beautiful fall night.

September 23

• Had a WONDERFUL time with the kids in Holland for our special day!  We went to the Holland Aquatic Center with Mom for the tot time and it was great!
• Got to run errands by myself!
• Spent some time with Seth and the golf team at home and going out for supper.
• Walked with Kaye tonight...good exercise.

September 22

• Started TRIP today.
• Got some cleaning and laundry done.
• I'm struggling to come up with other things...that may be because I'm trying to remember it five days later...not the best strategy.

September 21

• Oasis Bible Study -- Loving Esther!!!
• Had Cheri and her kids over for lunch after Oasis.  The kids played well together and she and I had a great time talking.
• Seth thinks this blog has really made a difference in my demeanor...I'm laughing more, etc. 
• GLEE's new season began tonight...such great music and fun escape.

September 20

• Even though I had a show tonight, it was a relaxed day (as relaxed as can be expected...)
• My show went well and was fun, in spite of no bookings.  Hostess is still thinking about Premier for herself!
• Made applesauce with Ty today.  Feeling domestic! :)
• Creating a plan for working Premier...NEED TO ACT ON IT! 
• Talked with Lori for a bit on the phone.

September 19

• Went to church with Koen this morning even though Seth, Ty, and Brielle stayed home with colds.  In the past, I would have stayed home, too, but I always regret it.  We were late, but we made it!
• Made a plan for some work this week...who to call about shows, etc.  Now need to DO IT!
• Worked on the Esther Bible Study (Beth Moore)...so good!  Praying God works in my heart, mind, and soul as I figure out His will/plan for me and that I can become confident in that (not fearful).
• Walked to the park with Koen and Tysen and played there for about an hour.

September 18

• Seth got the boys's movie going in the morning which allowed me a little more sleep time.
• Spent 1.5 hours shopping at Kohl's!  I found a good show outfit (finally) even though I don't plan to stay this size...I needed something!
• I was assertive while in line to return things at Kohl's (the guy in front of me had a LOAD of things to work through so I just asked if there was anyone else able to help me -- and the 3 ladies behind me -- and he just paged someone to help!) = more shopping-time and less wait-time!
• Started up the It's Deductible website for our donation items.
• Talked to Jane on the phone for a while.
• Sat outside while the boys rode bikes...a relatively nice afternoon after the morning thunderstorms.

September 17

• Jane celebrated another birthday today...another year of life is such a blessing!
• I have a jewelry show with great retail!
• Seth's parents were still in town so I could bring Koen to school w/o the other kids.
• I didn't have to wake Ty up to get Koen from school (Ty fell asleep on the way there; Koen saw me and was able to walk to me rather than have me go to him).
• Mom offered to come a day next week to stay with the kids and let me go out to do some things.
• After my show, Seth and I just hung out for an hour watching _Scrubs_ episodes...relaxing.

September 16

• I got to get out for two hours to shop without kids!  Of course, it's never enough time to get everything accomplished, but it was enjoyable!
• Though it wasn't fun, it was good that I reworked some parts of my jewelry show presentation.
• Koen's first tooth came out!  He's growing up so fast!
• We got to go out for dinner.

The Optimist Creed

I found this little plaque in Seth's classroom when we stopped by to visit him last week.  I decided to add it to my blog so I could always come back to reference it!

The Optimist Creed

Promise Yourself -

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

Optimist International

September 15

• Watching Koen excitedly show Grandpa and Grandma Davies around his school made me so proud of him!  He's such a young man already!!!
• I resigned up for TRIP...now I just need to be able to plan ahead enough!  Eeek!
• Brielle...her smiles and little noises bring such delight!
• Getting some Premier work done; I want to make it consistent, I just need a plan to do so!

September 14

• Oasis Bible Study began and we're studying Esther with a Beth Moore study guide...can't wait to learn!!!
• It was great that Seth stopped home before golf practice, and cute that Ty wanted to go with him! 
• I was so proud of Koen!  Even though it would have been good for him to go to golf practice, he stayed home and picked up his room and the TV room because Grandpa and Grandma are coming tomorrow.  He was so helpful!
• I started a new exercise class with Kaye tonight.  Didn't want to go, but I did!
• Cleaned all the bathrooms and got some laundry done!  Not too bad...

September 13

• Although it was a busy and stressful day, I remained calm.  Looking back over the day I didn't get much accomplished, but I don't think I could have done anything differently.  Some days are just like that....
• I got to attend a Premier Designs Training with Julie Miller!  The whole evening was amazing and inspiring!  I need to figure out how to do a better job working my business because it's an amazing one!
• Koen was so excited about school!  He came home with homework and wanted to do it right away...before he watched his movie!  He also talked about playing with McKenna, the girl in his class with Downs Syndrome...I"m so thankful for that!

September 12

• Having Seth put his arm around me during the church service.  There's something nice about cozying up to the one you love!
• I got to scrapbook today!  It wasn't much and not for long, but it was great!
• Ty and Koen constantly say, "Do ya know you're my favorite Mommy?"  I love it!
• I forgot to write it in another day's entry, but I was amazed at a friend's Facebook comment about how good I was at keeping up with my blog (didn't know she read it!) and that I have it all together!  Yikes!  A scary compliment, but it made me feel good.
• I don't always think that my flexible schedule idea is very good, sometimes the kids don't seem willing to participate, etc. but Seth mentioned it must mean something to them because Koen, who never liked crafts, was disappointed to be missing project day during the week.  Even when I explained that he'd be doing projects at school he asked if he could do some at home yet...maybe on Saturday!?! 

September 11

• Today is the 9th anniversary of the Twin Tower attacks...thankful for my freedom and those who fight for it!
• Loved that Seth pulled me into bed this morning and snuggled!
• Vacuumed out the van...not one of my favorite jobs, but I'm so thankful for the van and want to take care of the items God's blessed us with, therefore, this is a joy!
• Although it's a mess, I started working on sorting/straightening/cleaning the office (again).
• So thankful for Seth and that he fixed the dishwasher this afternoon!

September 10

• Playing with Tysen today while Koen was at school and Brielle was sleeping...BELLY laughs!  He is so funny!
• I put the shelves together -- ones that will go in the basement to hold toys.
• I took a beautiful picture of Brielle today!
• Seth came home from Ludington!
• I cleaned the kitchen -- in some detail.

September 9

• Seth thought of me and then sent me this verse:  2 Timothy 1:7 -- "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline."  Perfect for me and to add to my blog!
• Got Brielle a cute had and adorable headband with flowers from Mary's friend's new consignment shop...so fun to shop for little girls!!!
• Spent the day in Holland freezing 5 gallons of corn with Mom.  Now we can enjoy it all winter long!
• I enjoyed watching Tysen and Brielle enjoy being outdoors!  I usually prefer to stay inside, read, etc. but it was a beautiful day and we were outside working on the corn.  Both kids were so content to just be outside...I can learn from them!
• We found tennis shoes for Koen to wear to gym...now he just has to wear them.
• Kris started asking more questions about Premier!
• Got a bunch of scrapbooking stuff from Lori since she's not going to do it anymore. 
• Seth is away at the golf tournament in Ludington, but I got to talk with him for about 15 mintues tonight.

September 8

• After the stress of getting out the door in the morning, I got to bring Koen to his first day of Kindergarten.  He almost forgot to say goodbye because he was ready to go play with all the kids on the playground. 
• The last few nights Tysen has been keeping me up for a variety of reasons.  When I laid on the couch this afternoon while he was playing on the floor, he stopped playing and said, "I get you pillow, Mom," and then brought a pillow to me.  So sweet!!!
• Went to bed before midnight!!!
• Was inspired to scrapbook again after attending Mary's Creative Memories party.

September 7

• I got to attend the Kindergarten Drop-In Day with Koen.
• Seth stopped in at home between golf practice and having to go work at school.
• I hung out with Kaye for the night after getting the kids ready for bed.

September 6

• I started this blog.
• Despite the rainy, gray day, I caught a glimpse of sunshine!
• My kids enjoy spending time with me.

Learning to be JOYful!

I've been doing a lot of soul searching the past few months.  I suppose it began a while back when my husband asked me if I was happy.  It had been a long, hard week, and not surprisingly, it was a question I had asked myself only days before. 

Was I happy?

I'd been cranky and irritable, and even I didn't like me.  And I began to wonder how I'd arrived at that point.  At this point in time, I was late in my third pregnancy and not feeling well physically, so I assumed a lot of my emotional frustrations came from hormones and fatigue.  I pushed through it and was doing OK...for a while.

Fast forward to this past week.  After a frustrating few days, Seth once again asked me,

Are you happy?

...because I sure wasn't acting happy.

What happens if the answer isn't immediately yes?  Why aren't I happy?  I have so much I should be happy about...but I'm back to that place where even I don't like me, and this time I don't have pregnancy hormones to blame. 

Throughout my life I would have described myself as an optimist.  I don't know when, where, or how, but somewhere along the line, I became a pessimist.  I'm usually focusing on the bad, the wrong, the what-might-go-wrong.  Not that I'm proud of this, but it's the truth.  Even as I write this, I'm stressed and anxious about a situation which Seth says just isn't a big deal.  What is going on?

So yesterday I sat in church through our service pondering my place in life.  My other blog is named, "Of Determined Purpose," because that's what my name means, but often I'm not real certain what my purpose is.  How can I be determined about an unknown purpose?  Of course I believe I was created to praise and worship God, but what is my purpose in this world...as a mom, wife, sister, daughter, friend, teacher, business owner?  What talents did God give me and how am I, or should I, be using them?       

I've posed a number of questions in this entry so far, but what I concluded during that church service was that maybe I wasn't happy because I wasn't finding the joy  in life.  I know it's there, but maybe being intentional about recognizing it would help me in my quest for happiness. 

So this is an experiment, I suppose.  This blog will be devoted to finding joy in each day.  Obviously, we were created to be JOYful (note the Bible verses in the heading of the blog).  So this is my quest to become a more JOYful person (emphasis mine).