the little things.

I love bubbles. I especially love watching my kids play with bubbles.  Somehow, no matter how old you are when bubbles come out everyone turns into a kid.

I love listening to Grace read Rainbow Magic Fairy books to me.

I love that my kids are so into reading The Lightning Thief at night that they've pulled it out this afternoon and are reading it to each other.

I love cloudy overcast days...ocassionally...like today.

I love hearing that a tax bill we were suprised with by the IRS was just made to zero when we called and inquired about it today. yay! Today, I love the IRS. Thank you. Made my day.

I love meeting great women and getting to create fun projects together.

I love Monday because it's family night.  Tonight, we'll be watching a Harry Potter movie to get us prepped for the upcoming midnight showing of the new Harry Potter movie coming out on Friday: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.  Yes. You read that right.  We'll be going to the midnight showing on Friday morning.  This is the first time a Harry Potter movie has been released outside of the summer.  I have no idea how the kids are going to function in school on Friday but there was never a question about whether or not we were going....

I'm thankful for fun family memories.

bubbly. LIFE.

yoga expert.

I'm excited to announce the addition of Lisa Brownstead to Move it Monday.  She is a local yoga instructor who owns her own business, Pretty Postures.  We've worked on a couple of projects together and as I've chatted with her I realized what a great resource she could be for those of us who are attempting a more healthy lifestyle.  On facebook she occassionally gives pose ideas for stress, etc. and I thought it would be wonderful for her to share some of her wisdom with us.  To learn more about Lisa or to get in touch with her please, scroll to the bottom of this post.  She's fantastic!

LISA

We all can use a little motivation when it comes to working out and sticking to a healthy diet. That's
where I come in. I am a yoga instructor who believes in the transformational power of moving your
body regularly. And who, over the years, has become more and more convinced that it is vitally
important to exercise regularly and put healthy food and drink into our bodies.
One of the great things about yoga is that you don't need any equipment beyond a mat, and you can
even substitute a beach towel if you don't have a yoga mat. Yoga is a non impact, easily accessible
form of exercise. Anyone can do it and experience immediate results. Over the weeks I will share
specific yoga poses and their benefits. Yoga may not speak to you, and that's fine. In order to succeed
and achieve your specific exercise goals it's important to find a form of physical activity that you like.
This weekend I was listening to a program on NPR while driving to a yoga class. The guest was a
doctor who was talking about all the pills we count on to keep us healthy, grow our bones, ward off
depression, help us lose weight, etc. She summed it all up by saying Swe get more from daily exercise
than we can ever hope to get from some pill. So try it: get up, move your body and notice how much
better you feel.

Pose of the Week: Warrior Two. Start off by standing tall. With an exhalation, step your feet 3 1/2 to 4 feet apart. Raise your arms parallel to the floor and reach them actively out to the sides, shoulder blades wide, palms down.
Turn your right foot slightly to the right and your left foot out to the left 90 degrees. Align the left heel with the right heel. Firm your thighs and turn your left thigh outward so that the center of the left knee cap is in line with the center of the left ankle. Exhale and bend your left knee over the left ankle, so that the shin is perpendicular to the floor. If possible, bring the left thigh parallel to the floor. Press down strongly into your feet to anchor your pose.
Stretch your arms parallel to the floor....reaching forward with as much energy as you're reaching back so that your upper body stays nice and neutral, spine nice and tall. Then turn your head to the left and look out over your index finger. Hold the pose for five deep breaths and then switch sides so that you stay nice and centered. Start your day off with Warrior Two Pose, you just might feel a bit more empowered as your Move through your Monday.

Lisa Brownstead is a former TV news anchor who believes in the transformational power of yoga and helping young and old alike find more balance, self esteem and joy in their lives through yoga. She also believes that yoga (and a little bit of humor) leads to a significant decrease in stress and keeps those practicing looking and feeling young! As a mom of three kids who love yoga, Lisa has followed her passion teaching yoga to both kids and adults. Lisa is the founder of Pretty Postures, which offers kids oriented yoga classes and parties. Lisa has taught yoga to teens through the Dove Real Beauty Workshops and Yoga for kids at the British American School of Charlotte since 2008. Lisa completed her 200 hour teacher training under Johnna Smith in 2008 and her 40 hour Kids Yoga certification under Stephanie Keach in 2009. Lisa is an avid student, practicing at workshops led by among others, Baron Baptiste, Rolf Gates, Jim Bennit, Cameron Shayne and Sage Rountree.  For more information on private in-home instruction, classes, and yoga parties check out www.prettypostures.com.

friend Lisa on facebook

yoga. LIFE.

day three.

I love the American Girl book series.  And I'm very thankful that slavery was abolished all of those years ago.  Reading about the sacrifices women made for freedom is moving.  Meet Addy is a must read.

I love when people who read my blog tell me that they hope I'm feeling better when they see me in person.  Thank you.  I am. much better.

I love getting to see the pictures of my clients that I've taken hanging in their homes.  The love goes full circle.

I love having Lain as my ShootQ Guru.  She's awesome and I'm so excited I'm now all set up and ready to roll.  Wohoo!

I love Jesus.  Thank you for everything.

I love sitting around my kitchen table with my three girls and friends making yarn hair for dolls.

I love the smell of clean laundry.  So glad I have a washer and dryer and that on a day like this morning (when I have the heat on inside) I don't have to go down to a freezing cold stream and wash my clothes by hand.

I love the little things my kids leave behind in the mornings after they've rushed off to school.

the good. LIFE.

if everyone wore a sign.

On the first day of my Thankful project I posted this link to a blog post about being more gentle with each other.

Haley sent me this video.  I love that it shows the shift that can happen in our lives when we chose to be more gentle.

Thanks, Haley!

gentle. LIFE.

Day two.

I love that I get to go to lunch with my husband today.  (Thanks, Betsy.)  Panera, here we come.

I love feeling caught up with editing.

I love and appreciate the men and women who have fought and are still fighting for liberty and freedom.  This morning I went to our elementary school Veteran's Day program.  I love hearing songs about freedom; when military people stand up for their anthems it takes my breath away, though.  If you are one of the people who protect freedom and liberty...Thank you!

I love talking to my sweet Miriam about the things in her heart at night before she drifts off to sleep.

I love summer garden tomatoes and sweet basil. yum.

beautiful. LIFE.