Thirty-Five {Anything But Ordinary}

My birthday was today. I'm thirty-five.

I was chatting with a longtime birthday twin friend...in fact our moms roomed together at the hospital when we were born! She was having a normal day at home...her hubby was away for most of the day, she had baked her own cake, and was cleaning in preparation for her family coming over for dinner. I was sharing how my day was going to be pretty ordinary today as well...keeping fingers crossed that no one else would get the pukes, dealing with a few head colds, and just the everydayness of life.

We both agreed though that having birthdays as an adult are not quite as big a deal as when you're younger or before you have kids. We're learning to be less selfish with our desires for our day going our way.

That conversation got me to thinking about how my days are generally pretty ordinary. But, in reality, each day holds an opportunity to see the extraordinary. It's there, I know it! I live it when I choose to.

It's easy to get bogged down in the mundane, the annoying, the same old same old...

I purposed today to see the extraordinary in my day even though it was pretty much an ordinary day. Kinda like counting 1000 gifts...

Thirty-five or so extraordinary things about my day...in no particular order, but in reverse of my actual day.

1} Cheesecake from Wegmans because I prefer cheesecake over birthday cake

2} 35 candles...totally lit up the darkened room

3} Chili's Carside To Go - Fiesta Lime Chicken

4} Wendy's for the kids - no meal preparation today - mama's day off

5} Thoughtfully chosen birthday gifts: rolly ink pens, candles, peanut butter cups

6} Excitement over using the pens to journal...I like the "flow" of these pens while writing

7} Fresh flowers in bright colors because they know that's what I like

8} These darling children who call me mama, who teach me more about love and forgiveness, patience and kindness, being selfless and giving than all the most wonderful people in the whole wide world. So challenging. So rewarding.

9} A surprise party in a totally decked out dining room with streamers and balloons galore

10} Secret party plans and whispers while handwritten lists were being made

11} Happy Birthday signs

12} Feeling and knowing this song in my heart: What a Savior

13} Worship team - the friendships and blessings that have come from being with this group of talented people

14} Connected and comfortable to be my goofy self with these friends...laughter

15} Excited for the first time in a long time about music, singing, playing the piano...stretching and growing, remembering those starry eyed days of high school when music was in every part of my life

16} Free

17} Time to work on a baby sized scrap quilt

18} Repeatedly pushing our awesome doorbell that plays songs...today's song...Happy Birthday!

19} My camera - capturing these extraordinary days

20} Laughing at some of the pictures I chose for this post...some are wonderful, some are not, some were taken with my dslr camera, some were taken with our family's dying point and shoot (I do NOT like that camera now that I am learning to shoot in manual!)

21} Eensy, teeny rickrack - thrifted

22} Hanging out in my sewing room imagining up wonderful projects with vintage sheets and rickrack and free patterns and embroidery hoops and, and, and...

23} Excitement about life

24} Cozy fire and boys who know how keep it going strong

25} Our home and how perfectly perfect it is for our family

26} Boys out shopping with daddy while Sadie and Mama "kick it old school" and dance in Sadie's room. Yes, there is video evidence that I didn't attempt to load here. No, I'm not embarrassed by my dance moves...they're totally awesome...just ask the worship team...

27} French Vanilla creamer

28} This man - Sorry I chopped off your legs in this picture. You're still handsome even without legs. We both know that your toes wouldn't win any modeling awards anyhow. Seriously, I'm gonna make him haul in more wood and retake these pictures with his legs intact. I was just too lazy to put on shoes and tromp out in the snow to get a better picture. Kicking myself now. But not Mike from the picture...he's not kicking...he doesn't have legs.

29} Did I mention how handsome my husband is in the picture above. That's not just camera trickery I learned in my photography class. That's the real deal.

30} My husband - Godly, loving, hard worker, provider, super daddy, strong moral fiber, family oriented, indulgent of all my "craftsy/artsy" stuff, and on and on...

31} Setting out a thrifted picture...tranquility

32} Redecorating the top of the piano

33} Choosing fabric to cover the boring white shade. Sunday's project, perhaps?

35} A delicious, healthy smoothie with an umbrella for pizzaz

36} New mugs from Target

37} Amish fiction - let me hear a little whoop, whoop for clean, easy, mindless reading

38} Playing outside with Sadie while the boys were out shopping. I overheard her saying, "I want to go outside. I'm going to sneak out." while she was putting on her jacket and shoes. Choosing to love her and head outside instead of enticing her to stay inside with treats and movies. (Yes, I do that sometimes...don't judge me!)

39} Pulling Sadie around in her sled...seeing the smile on her face knowing I made the right choice to take her outside

40} Her matter of fact statement, "All princesses wear rainbow gloves!" Mama needs to get herself some rainbow gloves...

41} Unlined rubber rain boots with the cutest polka dots. Why don't I own winter boots??? Where do I live again???

42} Party feet - sparkly nail polish and hot pink flip flops - thrifted. I need that pop of color in my life everyday!!!

43} Meaningful notes and messages from loved ones and friends about my birthday, my life, the choices we have made and are making. Thankful for their love and support.

Thank you, Lord, for this life you have given me, for helping me to see the extraordinary in the ordinary days of life. So blessed!!!