Tip for a Happy Life: Find Joy in Simple Things

Find joy in simple things.  This is easier said than done but sometimes I do it by accident.  Let me tell you about four-way stops. 
There are alot of four-way stops in Ridgecrest, so many that there may or may not have been a few occasions where I've come to a red stop light, stopped and kept going instead of waiting for a green, just like you do at a four-way.  Well one day as I was driving across town to Walmart through all the four-way stops, I noticed a was smiling every time I came to the intersection.  I thought to myself "Emily, why are you smiling whenever you get to a four-way stop?!" and then I realized how great four-way stops are.
Here you have a bunch of complete strangers sharing. I wait and let someone take their turn and then they wait while I take my turn! Isn't that great?! Not to mention sometimes you even have people waving others through so someone else can have a turn when it really was the 1st person's turn. How mature. Just imagine a group of 5-year olds all sharing and taking turns with their toys instead of fighting over them.  Wouldn't that make you happy and proud?  Well I feel the same way about four-way stops.
I do realize that not all citizens of each city are good at four-way stops, but here in Ridgecrest I'd say we are pretty pro and that makes me smile whenever I stop at a four-way stop.

happenings around here

 Grant was invited to his friend's first birthday party. Obviously I had to get my face painted and he had to get a fake tattoo.

This is my project of the month( I know, I've been a slacker).  My sewing table needed a new paint job. Voila.

 Gav and I have been keeping busy with house renos and we finally finished the casings around the entry way from the living room to the dining room. I LOVE it.  My husband has become quite the handyman.  We've also been busy bees in the back yard.  Pictures to come next month.

 For last month's project of the month, I made these curtains for the dining room.  Sorry for the poor picture quality.

I have also been busy sewing for my etsy shop.  I've decided to do a baby section and so far I've made a bunch of reversible baby booties.  I'm really excited about them.

Fathers Day

Gavin got to celebrate his first Fathers Day as an official dad this year and he describes it as the "best Fathers Day he's had".  I got up and made him french toast stuffed with cream cheese and blueberries for a traditional breakfast in bed.  I got Grant up and we then gave him is gifts which were some BYU cuff links, some framed pictures of us for his office and John Mayer's newest CD.  Grant also gave him a candy gram we made together. 

Gavin is a great dad and Grant is lucky to have him as his father.  I feel the same way about my dad; I am so lucky and blessed to call him my daddy.

Grant- 10 Months

My baby is 10 months old...sniff, sniff. Soon I'll be writing that he's 10 years old.  They don't lie when they say that time flies; it does. I'm not even lying. This guy has a lot to show for his age.  Here's a few things we've learned about Grant this month and few things he's learned as well.
He gets around EVERYWHERE, including the fireplace where he likes to rearrange the candles I have in there.   When I ask him what he's doing, he just turns around and grins, then gets right back to his business.
He has learned to open cupboard doors and there is constantly the contents of both bathroom cabinets on the floor.
This boy loves apricots, well any fruit for that matter.  While I was picking them from the tree at Grandma's, he was picking them up off the ground and taking a bite of each as fast as he could.  We get pretty sticky around here these days.
He takes baths in the tub now instead of the kitchen sink.  He crawls around in there and splashes so much I just pull the shower curtain shut and let him go at it.  He's pretty fearless when it comes to water. Speaking of which, he had his first shower.
Grant has graduated to a new car seat since he exceeds the height limit of his old one.  A few more months and he can face forward.  I think I'm more excited for that than he is.  I live through my child some days.
The tantrums have started. That is all I will say on the subject.
I can hear him going through the bathroom cabinet right now.
I've been giving him cows milk here and there just to get him ready and he's been doing great on it.
He's just started to give high fives, which is awesome.
His top teeth might be coming in.  It's either that or he has just felt like getting me up at 12:30 in the morning the past few nights.
Max and Grant are the best of friends, which is the only reason why I don't take that dog to the pound when he digs up my flowers (That sounds like my mom.  That's a story for another time though).