Obsession

This will be quick. I'm obsessed. With a new song. It makes me happy. It can pull me out of the darkest mood or saddest situation. It makes me want to live, and live well, and make every day count for something good. It's now my ringtone. I smile when my phone goes off-and I really don't even like cell phones!
There are many happy dance songs out there, and I cycle through them regularly, but for today, this song makes me feel like it's the best day of my life!
P.S. This is not the original video-but this is the one I like best to go with the song.

American Authors-The Best Day of My Life

Mending Heart

I had my heart broken on Sunday by a 70 pound white boxer dog named Sasha. She left us to go join her momma in heaven. I'm happy for her reunion but a little devastated by her absence here.

Sasha

It's hard to lose a pet. They become family. Yes, they drive you crazy, they get underfoot, and it's like taking care of another child....but you love them anyway. We've loved having our dogs as part of the family for the last 14 years. They have taught us love, patience, acceptance, responsibility, sympathy, and charity.

Look real close at the end of the driveway-there are 2 boxers sitting there

Mom & daughter portrait

Speaking of charity-which is the pure love of Christ-we've been on the receiving end of it throughout this whole sad mess. Through the tears shed during the horrible suffering Sasha endured Sunday afternoon on through the night, we were able to see that angels exist in this world. From the neighbors that checked on us, to the kind, wonderful vet who helped end Sasha's suffering, to the amazing Young Womens leader (and friend) who showed up with a thoughtful, wonderful gift for our family, to the many who have called and written on Facebook to us, we have been blessed to feel loved and comforted through all the mourning. We feel these angels will help mend our broken hearts until the sadness is replaced with just great memories. And we are grateful.


Sasha's mom, Sophie

 

Sasha and Sophie

Sophie, Sasha, and Sasha's brother , Max

Christmas Memories

Anybody wanna go for a walk?

 

 

Beauty in Everything

Not a long post today but an important one. Beauty. The real kind. The kind that is in everything. The kind of beauty that sometimes isn't immediately apparent but is undeniable.

Last night we were eating my favorite food-tacos. We had another one of my favorite foods with them-nacho cheese Doritos. Under the right circumstances, I could eat a family sized bag by myself.  I have always liked folded chips and Cassie found the queen of all folded chips. Like any good daughter she fed my love of folded chips and relinquished her Dorito to me. As she passed it to me, Meghan said, "Wow! That Dorito looks just like a rose!" Now, we have roses on the brain with all the wedding preparations at our house so I wasn't sure she was seeing roses because we have made hundreds of crepe paper roses, or because this chip actually resembled one, but upon closer inspection we all saw that Meghan's assessment was right on the money. I decided I needed a photo of it and snapped one with my phone. I told my family, "I've got to find a way to use this on my blog. I just need a title." Quick as a flash, Meghan said, "Beauty in Everything". A-ha moment and proud mama moment rolled up into one. Not much more needs to be said-she summed it right up. There is beauty in everything.....especially if you're looking for it.

Wedding Kissing Ball for Cassie's wedding-over 100 hand made roses and counting!



The happily engaged couple.

The beautiful rose Dorito!



My beautiful Meghan who reminds me to see the beauty in everything!

No Fear

As I sit here in my warm house on this very snowy day with every one of my family members safely home I am mulling over the numerous things that occur during the day that seem like single, unrelated incidences until they come together cohesively to remind me of the important things in life. (I apologize for that very lengthy sentence!) In short, God works on every minute of our lives, and there are no coincidences.

My white washed world-grateful I'm safely home

I began today feeling very tired and somewhat worried about navigating the weather as well as addressing some of the things I knew were ahead of me. The first thing I did was turn on my computer to find a short and very sweet message from a dear friend in my life. That right there took the edge of my weariness and got me looking forward to my day. The funny thing is that since last night, I have had the distinct impression to let this very person know how much I think of her and thank her for the joy she brings to my life just because she exists. What a talent to just be who you are and make people happy just by being yourself. I'm so grateful she acted on her feelings of love and charity because it sure changed the direction in which I was starting my day.

One of the reasons this made such an impact is because it made me want to pay those feelings forward in my day. It is easy to fear the reactions (or rejection) of others when we give of our hearts, but one thought that has stood out to me today is that there is no fear in true charity. This has been stated to me in many ways today-by word (someone else's blog), by action (the message I received) and by me being the recipient of kindnesses (multiple times). Whether a person accepts my kindness or not does not negate my need to give it, or the intent in which I give it. It always gives me joy when I am kind. Remembering this set the pattern for the rest of my day. I acted on the things I knew were heart-felt and in the spirit of giving. Though my day was not perfect I was grateful for the situations that were set in place for me to be able to realize I need to ignore my fears and keep giving.

Realizations and Not Resolutions

I was watching one of my favorite animated shows with Meghan today. In this episode, the villain builds a contraption that when activated at the strike of midnight of the new year will cause an entire town to make a resolution to follow him as their leader. The punch-line is that the town "resolves" to follow this villain as soon as the clock strikes, but then stays behind as he marches off. When he notices that no one is following him, he finds his invention has back-fired because no one actually keeps their resolutions. As this made me laugh, it also made me acknowledge that this is the very reason I tend to stay away from New Year resolutions and instead reflect on the things I have learned and plan to make these things part of my actions and thinking for the future. I can't say this is a fool-proof plan, but it seems to work for me so far.

Phineas and Ferb-one of my favorite clever shows

I DO find that I want to be a better, kinder person every single day. One of the things I want to accomplish with this is to teach my children that kindness always pays-even if it only pays in the end. Sometimes the journey is bumpy, and at times kindness seems to fetch only  a proverbial slap in the face. But I really believe that kindness does count, and that seeing the good and not the negatives  in others definitely makes for a happier spirit and more joyful soul.

One of the realizations that has occurred to me with great force again and again is that there are  people in the world that will always choose to be offended ~ many times in situations where no offense was intended. My goal is to realize that is their choice, not mine. I have no control over how a person chooses to see a situation or react to it. I cannot fix someone's thought processes with my good intent. All I can really do is continue to love and be kind, and hope their hearts are open enough to receive it.

I have a belief deep in my soul that people who really know me will know my heart and know my intent. I'm grateful for the people who DO know me and know that my intent is to lift and build up. I have worked hard to teach my family the values that I hold dear and I feel they do a grand job of reflecting those ideals in their actions. I'm grateful for the love, support, kindness and heart lifting that has been given to me. I treasure it and will make sure I pay it forward.

Family

Plumbing Faux Pas

This has been an eventful week on every level possible. It has been emotionally charged in good and not so good ways. I welcome the love, the friendship, and the good emotions that this time of year brings out. The other emotions I like to keep at a distance from my family and myself. But life is learning to deal with the unsavory and uncomfortable situations as much as it is relishing the joy, so I am going to cling to the joy and gratitude I have taken to heart over the last week.

I committed  quite the plumbing faux pas last week when I was preparing some chili and the hamburger I was cooking didn't smell quite right. Like any good housewife, I disposed of the hamburger down my disposal  and was so proud of myself for removing the foul product and ridding our home of it. Three days later our basement flooded. We have had minor kitchen plumbing issues since we moved into our house and have done a minimal job in correcting them, so I just assumed these issues had finally come to a head and we needed to deal with them. To make a long story short, we are dealing with the minor issues~ and fixing the issue that I created by stuffing a pound of hamburger down the disposal. Yes, the drain clogged. After hours of draining water and drain snaking the pipe, Chad had expelled enough water to take the pipe off by the basement floor and what should appear but a perfect pipe~shaped "meatloaf"! Chad said, "Oh my goodness-that looks like...hamburger!" And I said, "Oh my gosh! It is!" and I proceeded to tell him about the good deed I thought I had done in ridding our home of the meaty stench. Heaven bless him, he didn't bat an eye, shake a finger or yell at me, but said, "Well I guess all of us know not to try that again", and set about to fixing the mess. How did I get this man? It was a miracle-one that I will always be grateful for.

I am grateful for much in what we now refer to as the "hamburger debacle". I am grateful I learned not to put hamburger down the disposal. I am grateful I have such a patient husband. As I've been washing dishes in my bathroom sink and dealing with a torn-up kitchen, I am SO grateful for the many conveniences I enjoy every day. Like running water, and a dishwasher. Like a full kitchen as opposed to a bucket outside. I am grateful for miracles big and small, and for a good life with good people in it. And my husband is one of the best ones there is.

Say Something

I'm a quote junkie. I think that my love for quotes quite possibly began with my parents sending me off each day with the words, "Remember WHO you are." I do.

Other memorable things my parents said to me have stayed in my mind and I recall them often. I clearly remember being grouchy one day when I was about 5 years old. My dad pulled me aside and said, "You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar." As a 5 year old, I was completely perplexed by this statement. He went on to tell me that kindness gets you much further in the long run than being mean does. As I've gotten older, this advice has resurfaced in my heart and mind again and again. And I find that he was absolutely right.



I collect any quote that I can look back on to lift me up and I have thousands of them stored away.  Sometimes they calm me and other times I gain much needed perspective. Sometimes they help me feel better about myself and remind me that we are all unique and view things in different ways. Quotes inspire me and amuse me. Here are some of my favorites. Forgive me ahead of time for sharing so many. Maybe you can find something in them that resonates in you.