Ending the Year with some SMILES.

I know most of you are probably thinking about how you are going to be ringing in the new year. Or wishing you hadn't eaten so much pie for Christmas. Or maybe you are totally holiday'd out and ready for your kids to go back to school so that you can enjoy some peace and quiet. Or maybe your thoughts are focused on your New Year's Resolutions.

Me? PROJECT SMILE of course.

And what better way to end the year than to reflect on the things that made me smile. Not just for December, but the entire year.

Last night as I trolled through photos I was moved to tears as I reflected over the last twelve months. Even in light of numerous obstacles placed in our path, we have been so incredibly blessed. We have had a very full year.

Trips have been my haven.

Florida

New York City



South Dakota









West Virgina





Washington









So many beautiful memories we have made as a family. Too many to mention.

Project 365 completed.
And although I sorta cheated a bit here and there combining my weeks...



I am excited to be completed with my 2010 project 365 for this year. You can see the completed compilation here or here.

The year of Lish.
This year has been a year of growth for me as I've actively tried to be more present. I have made conscious efforts to move outside of my comfort zone. One of my goals was to not hide behind the camera so much. You may have noticed more photos of me on my blog recently. This has not been an easy feat for me. I am actively working to overcome fears and insecurities because I want to ENJOY. MY. LIFE.

It may seem a bit selfish to some, but I was just 19 years old when I wed and nestled into married life. I love my role as a wife and mother, but in the last 18 years "me time" has gone by the wayside and I have lost sight of my identity as an individual. A Beautiful Mess was created out of a need to find myself. And although I am a long way from being the completed version of myself, I like the strides I have made this year. I have delved deep and worked hard as I have unveiled the hidden layers of Lish. And I'm happy to report that today I am happier than just 12 short months ago. I can't wait for what lies ahead. Everyday that I take a breath is a gift.

For my 37th birthday I shared 37 Alicia quirks. Also not an easy feat. But identifying and listing the characteristics that define me was an important step in recognizing and accepting myself.

Overcoming.
This year we worked through a long awaited short sale, learned of our son's Non-Verbal Learning Disorder, survived bullies, a Nuclear Outage, and over 15,000 miles car-bound trippin.

Life is full of distractions and obstacles of all kinds. But there is nothing more empowering than to work through an obstacle and come out the other side. The ending to my life's story is up to me.

Today I am especially grateful for good heath, a remarkable hubs, and hundreds of new friends I have made through the blogging community all across the world. Thank you for your continued support and friendship. Feel free to join the smile crusade. The linky will be open for a week, so if you'd like to reflect on those things that made you smile I'd love nothing more.

Happy New Year! Hoping 2011 has great things in store...


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Wordless Wednesday Linky Party: A Winter Wonderland

Every now and again it appears mother nature and the master of the universe join forces to produce something magical. Upon waking on Monday I peered out the window to witness one of those said, rare magical moments. I felt like I was in another world. It was a winter wonderland of sorts. And no word can adequately describe the sheer perfection that my eyes beheld. So I did what had to be done. I grabbed my boots and camera and ventured out to capture it. However, admittedly- it was also a bit of a letdown. It was more beautiful than anything my shutter could sequester. Wish I would have grabbed my bogs instead. The snow was deep after half a foot or more had just fallen the couple days prior.

I am no scientist. Nor do I wish to be even in a subsequent life. However, turns out when a thick fog rolls in and temps are below freezing simultaneously, the condensation freezes on branches and limbs like something out of a sci-fi movie. The results are breathtaking. No, that is not snow on those branches. Those are tiny individual ice crystals perfectly preserved and frozen in time. Like magic.

If it wasn't for the freezing temps part, it would be a perfect world.

And although this does not begin to do it justice... enjoy my interpretation of a winter wonderland. (Hopefully in the comfort of your nice warm home.)

Link up below and then head over and check out some of the other great WWs. Wordless Wednesday Headquarters, Live and Love Out Loud, Parenting For Dummies, and 5 minutes for mom. You can also find a complete list of WW hosts over at Shibley Smiles.

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Tasty Tuesdays Bloghop: Monkey Bread

You have found your way to Tasty Tuesdays. A place to share your favorite family recipes.

Today I am sharing a favorite Christmas morning treat thanks to my dear friend Vicki Garbett. 4 ingredients and less than 10 minutes is all you need. Throw it together. Let it set overnight. Pop it in the oven for 20-30 min. Voila. Breakfast. Some people call it Monkey Bread. Here it is in all it's glory.


Word to the wise: If you have children that will let you sleep in til nearly 9 AM or a smallish bundt pan you may just want to decrease the amount of rolls to 15-20ish or it might turn out more like this...


So a bit tempermental, but otherwise a very simple recipe.

Gather your 4 ingredients.


Grease your pan and throw in the frozen rolls.


Mix the butter and brown sugar.


Pour it over the top of the rolls.


Sprinkle half of the butterscotch pudding over that.


Let it set overnight to rise. Hopefully it won't be quite as large as the photo above. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Cover with foil the last 5 minutes or so.


Gooey yumminess perfect-o! Can't ya just smell it?


And here is a recipe card for the taking. Enjoy.


Thanks for stopping by. If you have one to share link it up below, otherwise enjoy the bloghop.

I love Tasty Tuesdays, but am looking to simplify my life in 2011. If you are interested in taking over my Tasty Tuesdays, please contact me via comment or email at lish@mchsi.com.

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Merry Christmas!

I have been struggling this year. Struggling to be happy. Struggling to be content with the imperfections and loss of direction at this stage of my life. Struggling to defy norms and expectations. Struggling to accept myself. Struggling to be.

Compounded with the big and small things of life... some days it was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. It felt as if I was in a thick fog with heavy lead weights at times.

I've been here, but mostly just going through the motions.

Christmas seemed a chore. A burden even. One more thing...

That is until a few nights ago. It must have been nearly 1 AM and I couldn't sleep. I turned on the tv and watched the end of this cheesy Christmas lifetime flick.

As hubs snored next to me I wept. And wept.

It took a cheesy lifetime movie to remind me of the fragility of the human spirit. And that Christmas is not just about the shopping and wrapping and wall to wall calendar of events. It is about love. And hope. And having a charitable heart.

Thank you Tanya (from Life in 3Ds) for sharing your Season of Mindfulness. Yet another great message.



May you all have a beautiful Christmas shared with your loved ones as you celebrate the real reason for the season.



Thanks for sticking by me through the smiles and the tears as I've worked through my beautiful mess.

Jolly Old Saint Nick.

It's always good for us to pause
And think awhile of Santa Claus--
That jolly symbol we revere
When we approach the changing year.
Behind his beard so long and white,
In which our children take delight,
There beats a heart from color free
Which bids all children "come to me."

MARSHALL M. MORGAN, "The Spirit of Santa Claus"

Tonight marked a pivotal point in Little Man's life... the last time to sit on Santa's lap. (Visualize my pouty face here, big lip and all.) It is yet another reminder of how quickly the years are slipping away. For as long as I can remember we have visited the same Santa at the same mall. Tonight there was a new one and I was concerned. Turns out the old Santa is experiencing some health issues, but will be back next year. Sure stands out in my Santa timeline. (No, the photo is not stretched. That Santa really is that jolly.) And just because I was feeling extra nostalgic tonight, I decided to bring back the "Santa thru the years" pics. Sigh. They were so tiny.

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

It's been one of our many fun traditions and I'm thankful to have squeaked in yet one more.