This is officially my first Wednesday's Walk post. I happened upon a wonderful blogger and this is one of her efforts to record memories for her family. Each Wednesday we post a favorite memory from the past or one that has just taken place. At the end of the year we'll have a wonderful gift to pass along to our children. It's like an online journal I suppose. So here goes my first attempt.

Today I visited a nice little blog called Expecting a Surprise at http://www.hoekstrabettig.blogspot.com/ and she had a music gadget that was toodling some sweet little spring tunes. One of the songs that played was Tooralorah by Kenny Loggins. The minute I heard the first strains of this precious melody I was transported back nearly 14 years ago.

We had just moved into our brand new home. At the time there were just the three of us, me, Kevin and little Skye. She had just turned one and this was our first real house. We had spent the previous two years in a small, cozy apartment. Our first few months in the new house were a little scary. It was a wonderful feeling to own our very own place, but on the flip side it was scary to think about the big responsibility and commitment we had entered into. Kind of like having a new baby. Skye did not like sleeping in her own room and we didn't mind having her with us, so each evening we'd all three snuggle in our bed and pop in Kenny Loggins Return to Pooh Corner. One of Skye's favorite songs was Tooralorah. She'd hum along as she nestled her sweet head on my shoulder.

Before she was born I had purchased a little light show toy for her nursery. It was a small dome with colorful animals all around it. When you would wind it up and turn out the lights it projected all of the little animals on the ceiling and walls. The dome would slowly turn and the animals would dance through the night much to the delight of my little girl. The three of us spent many an evening watching those dancing animals and humming along to Tooralorah. We felt safe and happy, like three little birds in our nest.

Now, nearly fourteen years later, I sometimes wish I could go back to those evenings. I could snuggle with Skye and watch the animals dancing in the night. We'd hum her favorite tune and all of the big, scary things in the world would be shut out from our safe little nest. As she quickly heads towards adulthood I find myself looking back at the days when she was small. Oh how simple and lovely they were. The world was bright and beautiful to her and every day held new discovery and adventure. She was loved by all and she spent her days dancing and singing.

Time goes by so quickly and before we know it an entire season of our life is gone.
As I write this tonight I am quietly humming Tooralorah. I'm sure as my eyes flutter to sleep my dreams will be filled with dancing animals.

Getting To Know You!

O.K. ladies. I'm getting dead serious about my blogging here. I've joined two blog rolls to try and get my name out there and now I am participating in this fun event. Getting To Know You is hosted over at a beautiful blog by the name of Dancing Barefoot on Weathered Ground. Click the button up above to visit and find out what it's all about. I came upon this lovely little blog in my usual circumspect way. I was visiting a friend's blog and from there I visited one of her friend's blogs and low and behold I saw the button for Getting to Know You, became overwhelmed with curiosity, clicked, and here we are cowgirls!

Please visit and read the simple rules to participate. It's a great way to get your blog out there for other folks to read, assuming of course that you want to do that. I want to share my little Flitter Flatters site with others. Not because I'm an awesome writer or anything, but I just think it's a fun way to meet new people and share a little of myself with the entire world. Hmmm. To hear it put that way makes it seem kind of creepy. Sharing myself with the world. Well, this might be the avenue God had in mind for me when He gave me a desire to write. Instead of a degree in Journalism from good old UGA I might just share my heart on the world wide web and call it a day.

A Gentle Place

God, in His own perfect timing, has set in my heart the desire to create a home from the house that we've lived in for almost 14 years. You see, I have quite the creative little spirit. I just love to write and plan and dream. But when it comes to nesting and making my home all warm and huggy, well let's just say that the chicken has flown the coop. Heck, who am I kidding, that bird never came to roost in the first place.

I've never been known for my organizational skills, ability to plan much past the next five minutes or good housekeeping skills. It's never been my desire to peruse the home decorating stores or create dream books of my favorite home ideas. Nope, I'd rather just curl up on my non-Febreezed couch with a good book and while away the hours. Our house has over the years became rather bedraggled with the neglect and lack of love given to it. Kind of like the ugly step-child or something. For years I've explained my poor ability or more truthfully lack of desire to do anything about it on my free spirit. We just are who we are I would say. This is home. We live here so it looks lived in. For many years this sat well with me, but in the past few weeks all has not been well with my soul.

As I have begun digging out from under the dirt and debris that has covered my heart and my walk with God I have begun to see rays of sunshine here and there. I'll see a picture or read an article and suddenly my heart will swell up and say "Hey, you could do that to your home." With much thanks to my friend Lindsey who does fabulous things to her home as evidenced by the beautiful pictures she posts, I have started visiting some of the blogs that she follows. I have become entranced, enraptured, enthralled with the beauty I have found. These bloggers are mostly mom and wives, just like me. A whole lot of them don't have tons of money. Many of them shop at Goodwill and yardsales and breathe new life into found treasures with a .99 can of white spray paint and a good eye. I have become inspired to change not only my life, but the life of my home as well.

A journey now stands before me that I would have once turned away from. It will be long and it will be hard. Many old habits will have to be broken and a lot of new ones will have to take their place. At times I will fall and may even be tempted to turn back to my free spirited ways. But I will not take my eyes off the prize. The destination I am headed for is peace. Peace in not only my spirit, but in my home as well. I desire to provide for my precious family the gift of peace. A clean and beautiful place to run to when the world is unkind and ugly. A haven to cling to when chaos chases us unrelentlessly. My heart nearly bursts with the desire to give them peace, a gentle place to love and be loved, a place to just be.