Happy Tuesday! How is everyone! I am hoping you are keeping warm! It is another cold day here! I know spring is coming and I know it is just around the corner! I am trying to enjoy the weather, before too long we will be talking about how hot it is!
. I wanted to share some thoughts. The other day I was questioning why do I blog? What is my purpose in blogging? I thought about it long and hard. I prayed about it. I wanted to know why I wanted to blog. My sister Tiffany has asked me if I have bad days, days where I just am in a bad mood or just don’t want to be nice….. I thought about that too. I thought about how I feel when my house isn’t perfect or things just aren’t coming together. I came to a few conclusions. I want to share those today!
I realize that blogging is hard at times, I am not computer savvy and if I could snap my fingers and my pictures would be perfect, I would love it! I have spent hours trying to make the blog look like me! It has been hard but it is a good hard. It is a hard that doesn’t feel like work. I want to work on it every day! I also realize that I struggle with feeling what do I have to offer to you, my friends who take the time to read my blog. That means so much and I always want you to feel that I did not waste your time that day. I want to you to be happier after reading…. Just as I am happier after writing. Sometimes I question if my insight or talents or thoughts as worthy of your time. I want to share things of worth with you. That is so important to me. I have struggled with feeling confidence in that. Blogging is a juggling act, making sure I get the daily things done, like showering, playing with the kids, dinner, homework, scriptures, prayer both personal and family… it takes some juggling and I think I am still learning to do that!
I thought about my purpose in blogging. Why do I it? If I had to pick five words to describe the blog what would they be? I would love them to be Joyful, Grateful, Family, Faith and Empowering. I want my joy, my thankfulness, my love of family and my love of the Lord to shine through. I really want you to walk away feeling happier, more joyful and empowered to try something new! It could be to try the recipe I showed or play a new game that I shared. I want you to feel like hey I can do that! I am not sure if that makes much sense. That is truly my hope, my purpose and my goal everyday.
Are there days that are hard? Tiffany asked a great question, yes there are hard days. There are days that I hear that little voice telling me to give up, that no one cares , that I am stinky mom, that I need to be a better wife, sister, daughter, friend. I think we all have days that we struggle with feeling our worth. On those days, I pray a little more, call a good friend or someone in my family and talk to them. Tell them my worries and fears. Those are the days, I lean on Mike a little more. Life is tough at times. We have seven kids! My in laws have been staying with us for a bit, I went from a king size bed to a double…. doesn’t seem like much…….. trust me it is! That was/is harder than I thought it would be. I have a sibling that has not talked to me in a long time, other than a short conversation last summer, it has been almost two years. My heart aches so much when I think about it. I can not describe that pain that I feel when I think about them. We, the Abbott family have not all been in the same room for over two years. It is heart wrenching. I share that with you not to be gossipy, but to let you know life is hard at times, we all have pain.
In response to Tiffany, yes there are days that my heart is sad, days that I wish things were different. On those days, truly I look even harder for the joy, I keep a smile book so that on those days, I am already in the habit of seeing the good. On those days, I pull out past emails, and letters that you have sent me and I reread them. I feel your love and it lightens my load. On those days, I remind myself that although the house is a mess and there is laundry to be done and I have not showered that day, that too soon my children will be grown up and on their own. That my house will be clean and stay clean….. and I will wish for little girls running through the kitchen singing, I will wish for little boys playing football and wrestling, wish for Emma’s stereo blaring one direction…. I will ache for that. I try to remember that on days that it is chaos and noisy and messy it is also so wonderful.
Life truly is how you look at it, when we look for joy, we find it. When we look for the bad, we find it. It is all about our point of view. That is why I blog, I want to share the joy that I feel for my crazy, busy, messy, wonderful, happy, lovely life. I am grateful everyday to be here, grateful for my husband who I love more today than yesterday, he is my dearest and best friend and my world became so much better when I met him. Grateful for my seven kids, I thank Heavenly Father everyday for them. I always dreamt of being a mom, I never take for granted that I am blessed to be a mom. So many have not had that blessing and have ached for it. I am grateful for the hardships that I have had and do have. I know that they shape me into a better person and teach me compassion. I am grateful for my parents and siblings. No matter what, they are my eternal family and come what may, I love each and every one of them more than I can say. I am grateful for Mikes family, grateful that his parents have had this time to stay with us, grateful that my kids adore them. I am grateful for good friends and for you all who read this blog. You lift me up and fill my heart with joy. Just look around and there is so much joy in this world. So much that can be missed, if we aren’t looking for it.
So, that all being said, I realize I would blog even if no one looked at it. That was a big moment to realize that! I do hope you do read it though and I would love it if you shared the posts you love! I truly hope I am making a difference in some way in this world.
Blogging will be a little different for this week, I need to get things organized and so help me, get this silly pictures figured out! I hope you will check back and see the progress! I will be posting daily about the smile book and little things, just not any recipes or crafts for the next week, super bummer I know! But I promise that there are some pretty cool things coming up! A chocolate mousse cake with cream anglaise and a raspberry puree is one of the recipes! Trust me, it is as good as it sounds!
Thank you again for stopping in my sweet friends, I am humbled that you let me share my life with you.
My smile book!
Down comforter, seriously best blanket in the world.
Mike ran to the store at 9pm last night after being at work all day and then meetings. He is so wonderful!
My sister Tiffany, she popped over yesterday for a few minutes, her hug was wonderful.
I have Vanilla! ( more on that on Friday! It is totally top fab five!)
Pairing socks, it is fun and relaxing! And total justification to sit and watch tv while doing it!
I love your blob, very inspiring and it helps me to see the joy in my world!
Natalie,
Thank you so much! I am grateful for you!!
Love,
Lara
Lara-
I really loved what you said in this post. You are an amazing person and I love your blog posts and you as a person. You are so sweet, kind, full of joy and happiness and a great cook. You could not have said what you said in today’s post any better. I look forward to your blog everyday to see what recipes you have or fun things you do with your kids. I would love to learn how you keep calm with all those kids because even with two, I get frustrated a lot.
You are doing a great job, keep it up!
Dear Christine,
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! I am so grateful for the kind things you said! As for keeping calm with kids, I try to remember how I felt as a kid, and picture me in their shoes. It keeps things in check for me. How would I like to be treated if the roles were reversed…. I may do a post on that…. you have me thinking!
Thank you again!
love,
Lara
I think it is important how you do see and recognize both sides of your life, but choose to focus on the positive.
Stacy,
It is a choice ins’t it. Always look for the good!
Love,
Lara