Some to-do

I have a post on Vegetarian Tacos coming up, but I don't have pictures, so I've got to actually serve the things and get some illustrations!  I should have taken some while whipping them up, but I was on a cooking mission that day.  I've got to go ahead and warn you: I don't know how to take those beautiful pics that other bloggers take.  Maybe I'll learn over time.
So, what do I have coming up?
* On the 14th, we'll find out if Baby L v 2.0 is a boy or a girl
* On the following weekend, we will go to visit our friend Debra on the farm that she farm-sits
* On the 22nd, Nico gets tubes in his ears

My other goals by the end of the month are to get carpet installed, get our painting and nursery decorating party planned and invites out, make 10 freezer meals, make 5 busy bags for Nico, and give making my own laundry detergent a go.  I also need to find a way to get this blog going in Spanish for the in-laws, who are probably going to be the most interested in it anyway.  My brain will hurt!!

"First, You Have to Give the World a Smile"

I don't remember our exact topic of conversation when the Santi shared this with me.  I am sure that I had a characteristically negative attitude about something, but it could have been anything.  Anyway, as I think about opening a new chapter of our lives together, the phrase comes to mind more often:

First, you have to give the world a smile.

Each day, I will try to greet the world with a true smile, whether I feel like it or not.   I think that is what he meant - to literally start out with a smile on your face.  To do this requires starting each day fresh, and not with the burdens and cares from the previous days.

And each time I endeavor to take on a new project, large or small, instead of allowing past failures and defeats to overshadow my attempt, I will start with a smile.  I will dive in with a cheerful heart.

Finally, and what reveals my motivations and is the most important part behind this, I will teach my children to do the same.  Hopefully, I will capture some of that smiling here.