Jan 4 - Brothers

Today is one of my brothers birthdays.  He is the bomb!  (They both are!)  He is a caring person who loves his family greatly.  He's struggled with things in life, but you can see him pressing forward, striving to be a better man.  He loves his wife (me, too!!) and she loves him and they have a solid marriage.  While there have been ups and downs, they are a team.  And you can tell.  He loves his kids and you can definitely tell when daddy is home!  He has a passion for his pursuits and it's contagious.  I just love him!!  Happy Birthday tall little brother!


Once upon a time, a girl got her wish and a little brother was born.
She dressed him up - in dresses of course - and showed him how to roller skate.
Later she taught him how to dance.  Then he went off to school and came back and taught her how to dance.
They fought - as good siblings do - but they had each others back.  They could talk bad about each other, but no one else could.
When the girl and her brother grew up, they grew apart.  Distance took them into new worlds and new ways.
But life has a way of creating good things.  They moved closer, spent holidays together and learned how to play.
Today they are still separated by distance, but not by love.  Love is there to stay.

Not the end. ;)

Jan 3 - End of Vacation

It's the end of the Holiday season and it's time to go back to reality.  And for the first time in a long long time, I'm less stressed and more at peace.  While I'm not setting resolutions this year, I didn't have some quiet time while the kids were with their dad to contemplate things I wanted to do this year, books I wanted to read….and write, ways I could have my house functioning better, etc.  So I have little mini plans and that makes the end of a great season doable.  Because, lets be honest.  If you don't have family around, the holidays can be depressing.  Once all the family leaves, depressing.  Not getting the gift you wanted, depressing.  Not getting any gift - REALLY depressing.  Eating til you can't walk, then swimming in the "guilt" of it - depressing.  PS - DON'T!!  Don't guilt about your eating.  Did you enjoy it?!  I did!!  And there is no guilt!  So no getting depressed about it.

So we have all these things that can make us depressed over the holidays.  In come resolutions to save the day - because not many of us want to swim around in misery forever.  So whether you have resolute things you are going to change in your life, or small ways to help your house function better, Happiest of New Years.

Alisha

Jan 2 - Resolutions

I used to be a huge fan of resolutions, with my list comprising something in every aspect of my life.  And like so many others, every year would bring little mini disappointments when most of them dropped off my radar and didn't get done.  Although it was one here and one there, I never realized how much it was effecting my self esteem.  I was such a "failure" and this year was going to be The year, etc. etc.  When things started to click, I decided to curve my resolutions towards things I was already doing.  I was going to continue to do this or that.  It worked, but I wasn't pressing forward as much.  And that brought its own "failures" along with it.

Now, I'm a happier, healthier person and I DON'T set resolutions.  Because I like who I am (even if I have to repeatedly tell myself that over and over and over).  And I like the direction my life is headed.  And I'm content.  I'm moving forward, but not stressing about it and I'm not beating myself esteem to a pulp with  my believed failures.  Because they weren't failures.  They were ways to learn and grow.

My first 365 project - A page a day

For the first time in my life, I'm doing a 365 project - a page a day.  So I will be writing here on this blog for my page a days.  Some posts will be book related, some will be journaling & some will be gibberish to get in that page.  Plus, in a blog format, I can write anywhere at anytime - as long as I have wifi!

So Happy New Years!  Here's the first children's book I've written.  I'm still working on illustrations.



Piper & Jackson and The Loose Tooth
by Alisha Clayson

Mama says my tooth needs to come out soon.  It’s been wigglin for days.  Mama says that when this tooth comes out, I can put it under my pillow and the tooth fairy will leave me a surprise.  I’m not so sure about that, cause the tooth fairy lives in the next town.  How’s she know my tooth’s comin out?  But Mama says.

Jackson thinks he should help me pull it out.  Just cause he’s older than me by 15 minutes doesn’t make him the boss.  He thinks that I should let him tie a string around my tooth and then tie the other end around a door and slam the door shut.  Does he think I’m crazy?

Daddy says to let him just pull it out; with his fingers!  He wants to just reach in and pull it out.  I don’t want his fingers in my mouth.  In fact, I don’t want anything in my mouth. 

Everyone says my tooth needs to come out.  But I like it.  It’s my tooth.  I don’t want the tooth fairy to have it.  I don’t want Mama or Daddy to help.  I definitely don’t want Jackson to help.  I think I’ll just go to bed and not worry about it right now.

This morning, when I woke up, my tooth was really loose.  I went the bathroom and looked at my tooth in the mirror.  It sure did wiggle a bunch.  In fact, it wiggled so much, it wiggled right out of my mouth and down the drain of the sink.  Hm.  Guess nobody will be gettin my tooth now.

Daddy tried to get the tooth out of the drain, but it slipped further down.  Mama says that the tooth fairy will still leave me a surprise.  Jackson said it might not be a good one, cause there’s no tooth to put under the pillow.  He just laughed and laughed.  He called me ‘Snaggle-tooth.’  What ever that means. (picture of her thinking about a saber-tooth tiger)

I was sad the whole day.  I didn’t want to lose my tooth.  It was mine.  But now the drain has it.  I wonder if I can get it back.  Maybe I can use Daddy’s tools.  After all, my hands are smaller than his.

(Illustrations)

(1. Her head disappears in the box of tools, 2. oversized wrench in hand trying to take off sink pipe, 3. water spraying out of sink all over the bathroom, 4. Mama standing there with hands on hips and frowning and Piper trying to hide wrench behind back)

Mama says that naughty little girls get to go to their rooms for the rest of the day.  I didn’t mean to blow water all over the bathroom.  I just wanted my tooth back.  But Mama says.

 All this trouble for a little ‘ol tooth.  I know teeth are for eatin and smilin, but I don’t see why they have to fall out.  Jackson says we need big teeth to eat bigger things and smile bigger.  I kindof like being small.  I fell asleep while I was waitin for Mama to tell me I could get out of time out.  

When I woke up, there was somethin hard under my pillow.  It was a small mirror; the prettiest mirror I’d ever seen.  On the handle was a tiny note that said:

“Piper,  I found your tooth in a drain.  I put it with all the others.  I hope you enjoy the mirror.  You can practice your pretty little smile.   - Love, the Tooth fairy”

Maybe losin’ a tooth ain’t so bad.

The End