Leigh vs. Laundry

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

The Legend of Tomorrow :: Episode 1

This is a rerun of 2011's
first episode of the Legend of Tomorrow.
Tune in here tomorrow
for the next episode of drama
and intrigue.

Will Mindy confront Trudy
for stealing Corbin?

Did Mindy go on a bender at the Hunter's Tavern?

*********************************************************************

In a small valley lies
a quaint village named Tomorrow.
Where the lights twinkle by night
and passion simmers in the light of day.

In the center of town you will find
Lovers Park where residents mingle
and hearts break from day to day.

On this cold winter afternoon
all seems well within the village,
yet a heartbroken young lady
by the name of Mindy is going for
an innocent stroll.

Little does she know that
disaster awaits behind the park gate.

There she spied her ex-lover, Corbin
tightening the laces of another lady's ice skates.

Her spirit dropped as she was already mending
a broken heart from Corbin leaving her
only days before.

She had suspected there was another woman.

She quickly hid behind the topiary
as to not be seen by the couple.
It was then she saw that the other woman
was none other than her sister Trudy.

How could they do this to her?
The display of public affection
sent her spiraling out of control
with wild rage and passion.

She found herself at the Hunter's Tavern.
The last time she went on a bender at the tavern
she ended up flipping tables
and making out with Noah the cute bartender.
That had been years ago.

Could she drown her worries in ale?
In her heart she knew
that it was a bad idea.

After all, she was carrying Corbin's baby!

To be continued...

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

The Happiness Project :: Week 41

We decked the halls over the weekend.

The boys always freak out and

get way too excited while

Roger takes a million years to string the lights on the tree.

Then we freak out cause their freaking out.

The boys usually lose interest

because it takes forever to unpack everything

and then we're bummed that they're running off.

We decided to go limp this year

and just let them act like maniacs

while Roger put up our new fake tree.

The best part, the lights are already on it

so the boys hung in there this year

and actually participated.

Of course, an epic sword fight unfolded

and we just let them fight while

we smiled and put on Christmas music.

There was hot chocolate

and much merry making.

We were so thrilled that it went smoother then past years.

There's nothing worse than trying

to force Christmas cheer

on a house full of boys.

In the end, we had a great time

and the tree looks just beautiful.

Want to join me in my quest
to scout out happiness for a whole year?
Simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy and tell us all about it.
Then, steal my button and include it in your post.
Don't forget to link up to Mr. Linky.

Monday, December 2, 2013

A little testimony...

So this isn't the best photograph but
I think that it's easily one of my most
treasured photos taken to date.

Roger and Griffin were baptised on Sunday.
The most touching part was that
they were in the water at the same time
and were baptised together.
It was a long journey that led them to the cleansing water.

8 years worth of prayers carried my husband and my son there.

I don't talk much about my spiritual walk
on my blog because it's very personal.
I know that not everybody believes as I do
and I've had one too many debates about religion.
So, my relationship with God is mine to treasure and protect.

That being said, I have to share this experience with you.
For so long, my heart ached to get my family in church
but Roger wasn't ready.
I wanted to be respectful
and not force religion on him.

So, I prayed.

I prayed we would be carried to a church.
I prayed it would be a blessing for our family, not a source of conflict.
I prayed for a softening of Roger's heart.
I prayed that I could stand the gap for my children
and teach them about God at home.
In my heart, I knew we would find our way home as a family
so I prayed and prayed quietly every day for years and years.
I prayed with a heart of love and not anger.
I prayed with a heart of hope and not doubt.
I prayed and prayed and prayed.

Until the day that my prayers were answered.
Roger turned to me one evening
and told me he wanted to go to church.
Just like that.
No struggle. No fighting.

My heart just about jumped out of my chest.

Now, after settling into a Church home, on Sunday morning,
Roger fell to his knees and was dipped back into the water.
It was his heart that yearned for it.

He came back up a different man.

My oldest son, sweet Griffin, has given his heart as well

and wanted to show the world.

As I sat in the congregation and witnessed their baptisms,

I lifted a prayer of thanks and praise.

The moment I'd been asking for had finally arrived!

God is just so good.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

The Best Gratitude Wreath Ever Made

Y'all know that art created by children

makes my mama heart go pitter pat.

I just love it when they proudly

present to me what they make at school.

Most of their artwork

ends up hanging by a magnet

on the fridge gallery

but Griffin's Gratitude Wreath

is so special

that it's hanging in the dining room.

It may not look pretty

but it's absolutely perfect to me.

What Griffin is thankful for...

1. Dreams

2. Books

3. Clash of the Clans

4. Videogames

5. Friends

6. Water

7.Internet

8. Entertainment

9. Nature

10. Me

11. Food

12. Pokemon Cards

13. Parents

I'll always treasure Griffin's
8-year-old perspective on gratitude.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

The Happiness Project :: Week 40

Something incredible happened to me.
I finished the first draft of my novel!!!

Last week I quit cleaning the house
and wrote as much as I could.
I quit playing with my kids
and patted them on the head when they pouted
and told them that mommy had something important to do.

I didn't cook dinner.
We ate sandwiches every night of the week.
I wrote and wrote and wrote
until all the words came out of my head.

In the end,

it took me 11 months

to write 104,924 words.

I've been dreaming of typing the words

"The end" and I can't believe it actually happened.

I called Roger at work the second I was finished.

He was so excited that he stopped on his commute home

and bought a bottle of cheap champagne to celebrate.

After the kids were tucked safely into bed,

we clinked our glasses in our messy house.

Now the empty bottle sits

in my dirty window sill in my kitchen,

next to the bottle of champagne

we drank on our wedding night.

Hopefully the next bottle will be popped

when I land an agent.

The hard work is just beginning.
There will be more drafts,
query letters,
edits, edits and more edits.

I'm not letting any of that stop me.
I have faith that this novel

will be published.

For now,

I will bask in the glow

of my first draft being finished!

Thursday, November 21, 2013

An Oldie but a Goodie :: Back to the Future Part XXXIV

Originally posted 08/29/08

A friend of mine recently posted this photo of me on Facebook. I was 16 years old when it was taken and it's hard to believe that it's been 18 years since I stood beneath that tree during lunch period in the courtyard. That was a lifetime ago.

I look at this photo and wonder if I had a Back To the Future moment and that girl could see me now, what she would think of who I've become? Would she climb back into the Delorean traumatized and vowing to do everything differently or would she wake up in her pink canopy bed and hope that the beautiful future that she saw for herself wasn't just a dream? Would she be proud of the ladybug tattoo I got when I was 18? Would she hate my haircut that I hate now that I'm trying to grow out? Would she be shocked to see that I am no longer wearing blood red lipstick and Doc Martins? I swore that I would wear Doc Martins until the day I died. Would she see my two boys and marvel at how fantastic they are?

I think that as she hid in my hall closet (because we all know from watching Back to the Future that the me from the past cannot, under any circumstances, be seen by the future me) that she would be shocked to watch me successfully cook dinner for my family. She would gasp at the image of me folding laundry and putting it away without anyone forcing me to do it. She would see my husband and have to force herself from running out of her hiding place and giving him a big o'l kiss. I think that she would watch me rocking my baby to sleep or reading a book to Griffin and cry with joy that she would one day become a Mother.

Yeah...I think that I would make that young girl proud.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Koen's Big Day

It's no secret that I love educators.

A good teacher can make

a huge difference in a child's life.

Koen's class had a sweet little open house

where we were invited to join him

in the classroom and allow

him to share the work he does everyday with us.

I just love this picture that his teacher sent me.

The huge grin on his face says everything.

It's so important to foster a passion for learning

and I just love how proud he is

to show us is work.

The best teachers are the ones

that let the children shine

and I'm thrilled to see my

little guy beaming in the classroom.

Do you have a teacher in your life

that goes above and beyond

the call of duty for your child?

Be sure to thank them.

If you want to learn about
other teachers making a difference
be sure to check out the Milken Educator Awards.
They surprise amazing educators
with a $25,000 thank you.

Be sure to bring a tissue with you, though.
It's pretty moving to see these great teachers
get the recognition they deserve.