Friday, July 31, 2015

Five Things Friday: To Remember

I recently found a new blog, Amy over at Love Made My Home, and she does a Five Things Friday link up. Being a list person myself, I totally fell in love with this concept, and thought I'd join along. If you'd like to join along, here is the information about the link up.  I hope to see you there!

Now, five things. Usually I have a bazillion things running around in my head. But for this first Five Things Friday, I was a bit stumped. I've been thinking, sleeping, dreaming, eating, Liam's birthday preparations for months now. So I hope you're not tired of me talking about it, or sharing about it in this space. But I'd like to share five things I'd like to remember about the process of preparing to celebrate his first year. About how important hand making so many of the things used to celebrate this little boy has been to me.

1. Inspiring Words


I have been reading Amanda Soule's book, The Creative Family, since I was pregnant with Liam. So much about her approach to creativity, gratitude, and family tradition resonated with me. It inspired me to really take the thought and care to nurture the creativity in myself, and to watch it spill over into my family. And oh how much it has. A lot of the things I have done in preparing Liam's birthday have come from this book. If you haven't read it, I most certainly recommend it.

2. The Pace Of Preparing


Looking back at the blog archives, I started birthday projects for Liam back in April of this year. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to make a little space for him. A reading space. So all of his projects revolved around abcs. And I had this perfect little book, that had 30 embroidered squares of a letter and a corresponding motif. I knew that it would be perfect. So, knowing how I move at a glacier speed, I wanted to give myself plenty of time in order to finish his projects. And it has been amazing how those projects have been coming along. I can't believe that I have finished everything on my list that I have wanted to do! There was so much embroidery and hand stitching done. It has been wonderful to sit and stitch and reflect on how he is growing. On how our family is changing.

3. Handmade Gifts


My love of handmade gifts comes from my dad. Every birthday and father's day, whenever we asked him what he wanted, he would always say something handmade. It wasn't until I got older, and I began to see how much time and effort went into handmades that I came to really appreciate it. That I fell in love with not just the product, but the message that handmade items conveyed. Love. Sacrifice. Labor. And Joy. Not just for the recipient, but for the giver as well. This is what I want this little stack of handmade gifts to mean to Liam. He may not understand it now, but I hope when he is older, and he sees these tokens of his first birthday, that he will understand. And he will know. Just how loved and celebrated he was.

4. Reusable Decorations


Inspired by family traditions, I wanted to make a set of decorations that we could reuse for every celebration within our family. That they would hopefully become a part of the way that we celebrate. That these items would mean something special. That it would help mark the day as special. That sometimes less is more when the items carry thought and care.

5.  About Him


Lastly, I wanted everything about his birthday to celebrate him. A small family dinner with some of his favorite cousins and auntie and uncles.  A dinner of his favorite foods. A few presents to open. And a sharing of our favorite memories during his first trip around the sun while we serve his first ever birthday cake. 

Three more days until this little baby, who is fastly turning into a little boy right before my eyes turns one. I am planning on spending those three days filled with kisses and hugs and tickles. Cause the time we have is so short. And it moves so quickly. I want to savor each and every moment of every day with him. And to count my blessings. Because there are so many. And my cup is so full. 

Heres to five things to remember. 

Happy Friday everybody. 


21 comments:

  1. Lovely and humbling post. I love resusable decorations, especially if they are home made. And little Liam looks adorable with those cheeky specs.

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    1. I am so excited to start using these decorations for our family celebrations! Those glasses were a gift from one of his preschool friends. I thought they were pretty cute on him too. =) Thank you so much for stopping by and saying hello here (again!). Your comments have been so encouraging. Aloha.

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  2. Such a beautiful post and a beautiful little boy. Wishing him a wonderful happy birthday. A lovely tradition to start, the party decorations are stunning.

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    1. Thank you so much! Your words are so sweet and encouraging! I am very excited about starting traditions in our family. Having a little one really does change everything so much. Aloha.

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  3. What a beautiful little boy Liam is!! I hope that his first birthday is wonderful! I love the idea of the handmade gifts and the reusable decorations to treasure each year at each birthday, especially of course the crocheted garland! Thank you so much for joining in. Remember there will be no fiving in August, but back in September! Hope that you have a great weekend and a great August too! xx

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    1. Thank you for stopping by Amy! The crocheted garland was so much fun! It came together in an afternoon. =) Thank you once again for the link up, it is so much fun and exciting to meet new people. I will see you back in September for Five Fridays! Aloha.

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  4. How lovely, enjoy the big day and take lots of photos. :-)

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    1. Thank you! I am really wanting to. I hope a plethora of pictures are taken!

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  5. Hello there, cutie pie Liam! And happy birthday! I love the reusable decorations you have made. They will mean more and more to you each and every tie you use them. I made a colourful wreath covered in present bows that I hang on the front door everytime one of us has a birthday, party or not. The kids love it so much that if I forget, they get it out and hang it up!
    Have a wonderful weekend!

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    1. How lovely, a wreath of present bows! (Hmmm.... that might have to be my next crafty project). I love that - the kids taken over the family tradition. That is what I am hoping for our family. Thank you so much for stopping by and for saying hello. It is so very much appreciated.

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  6. It's so nice to meet you. Liam is adorable! I think it's so nice that you are making lasting memories for little Liam and your family. It's so special and he can later look back and remember all the wonderful times. My best to you for a lovely weekend.

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    1. Thank you so much for stopping by! Moments with Liam seem to go by so fast. I am wanting to treasure each and every one. And I want his experiences to be so full of love and thoughtfulness. I am hoping that I am presenting opportunities and modeling how to find the joy in the everyday. Aloha.

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  7. Welcome! LOVE the book idea, quilted and embroidered. And your little guy is just TOO cute!

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    1. Aloha Marie! Thank you so much for stopping by and saying hello. =) It was so nice to embroider his quilt project. How wonderful the slower pace is (verses on the machine), a wonderful time to reflect and be grateful. Mahalo (Thank you).

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  8. I only just joined Five On Friday and it's been so interesting ,looking at all the different blogs.. your son is real cutie And I agree with you that hand made gifts are the best gifts and all made with love.

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    1. Aloha Chris! I have to agree. There is so many different styles of blogs. It has been nice "meeting" everybody in this link up! I look forward to "seeing" more of everybody! And thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments. Aloha.

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  9. Just beautiful Karisma! That quilt turned out wonderful. So fun to see your blog and learn more about you! Xo

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    1. Aloha Carrie! Thank you so much. I am so pleased with the finish too. It was such a lovely project to stitch up. Thank you so much for stopping by! Aloha.

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  10. Hi Karisma, I've hopped over via Five On Friday. This is such a lovely post, thank you for sharing with us. x

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    1. Aloha! I just recently joined Five On Friday and it is such a wonderful link up with so many different people and their blog spaces. Thank you for stopping by and for saying hello! Aloha.

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  11. Hi - found your blog through Amy's Five on Friday. What a lovely post and your son is so cute - love those sunglasses. Joan at www.aviewtothefells.com

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