In the midst of doing all that I do, I’ve been practicing being mindful and present in whatever moment I find myself in. This practice isn’t so much about apple juice spills on the floor being viewed as splendid play as it is about focusing on all that I have rather than on all that might be. Think: less what-ifs and more look-at-what-I-have-right-nows. This is where the happy banner comes in handy. With its simple images of woodland creatures and a cheery home, the garland serves as a clean slate, a reminder not to get too deep in it. When I feel the what-ifs coming on, I’ve taken to looking at this string of cheer, and it makes me smile. 
And so, I whipped up a whole bunch of them because the more cheer the better, right? I used soft Kona cotton (in turquoise and tomato red too) for the base, earthy muslin for the flags, and my little block prints with black ink on the flags.
What else? Miss Mouse has taken to saying “whoopsie daisy” when she drops something and Chick is writing sentences where she spells the number six like this: seks. They kill me.
I am thankful for all that I have.
xo e
Cute! Tibetan prayer flags a la Emily! I love it.
And the word I just got to type in for word verifications was “scones.” Did you plan that? What will I get this time? Lemonade?
If I had planned it, it would have read “chocolate chip cookie.” xox
Our daughter Aspen was nicknamed “Miss Mouse” as a baby / toddler too! 🙂 I love your banners and what they represent. I too can be guilty of living in the imagined future, the land of “wouldn’t it be great if…” instead of just basking in what is, right now. I am trying to do less of the former and much, much more of the latter.
Thanks, Lisa. Yes, the “right now” is a good place to bask. 🙂
Emily, I love reading your blog! It is so cozy and comforting like an old flannel shirt.
Are you still doing Hoot? Henry and I stopped this year since he started preschool…
Hope to run into you soon!
Lisa
Thanks so much, Lisa. I was just thinking about you today because I was remembering the early days of Hoot. Today was our last Hoot session, which left me a bit teary. We are adding one more morning of preschool for Mouse so I can get some more work done.
Now that the kids are school, we don’t run into each other as often as I’d like. Maybe in Target one day? xo e
Love it, thanks a lot for sharing this with us.