Believe in good things to come ...

Love this -

“God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace and shape the future–to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your opportunities. God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray, and He can’t if you don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe.”

~ Jeffery R. Holland

|STRESS|

I bumped into this online today and laughed out loud! Stress is real. Stress is part of life ... learning to deal with stress takes time, energy and effort.

Don't worry - we've all had major stressful days, weeks and even years. The trick is to recognize when stress is sneaking in, adding up and maybe even taking over.

As funny as the above activity is, I don't recommend banging your head! I recommend you slow down, call a friend, take a walk, grab some ice cream, read a calming book, say a prayer or take a nap. Take a break from the norm and give yourself permission to enjoy doing something you LOVE.

PS: All of us have times when stress is overwhelming. Realize that you are not alone. Be patient with yourself and  remember that better days are ahead.

You'll never get a busy signal ...

I drive by this church every day and am often inspired by the message on their reader board. This one made me smile and think ... (2 things I like to do).

As I was driving my daughter home from school yesterday, I asked her what she thought the message meant.
She said: "That God isn't too busy for us." I told her she was right and then said: "I think He hopes we are not too busy for Him."

Thanks Apostolic Christian Church for always posting up inspiring thoughts for our daily commute.
I like being reminded that God has time for me - no matter what. He is never too busy to listen, lift, guide and inspire.

Be a rainbow ...

“Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.” — Maya Angelou

A lesson in Watercolor ...

 My attempt at watercolor painting ...

 roses with a hint of glitter ...

 Jeff (the fish) by Kaleb

 Puffy friends by Lauren

A still night ...

Every Monday night, we get together as a family for Family Home Evening. Sometimes we watch a movie, sometimes we play games and sometimes we have a lesson. I always look forward to this special time together and the gift it is to belong to a family.

Last night our oldest son, Kade, gave us a lesson on watercolor and the various techniques used with this type of painting. It was very fun and all of us had a good time learning how to get creative with water, paint, a brush and a piece of paper. One technique even uses salt ...

As my husband and I were cleaning up the watercolor mess last night ... I smiled and was so thankful (again) for the wonderful gift it is to be a MOM! I learn something new every day from our children.

Thanks Kade for the painting lesson. You inspire me to reach and try and to enjoy the beauty that is ever present in my life! :)

~ Mom

Happy birthday big brother!

My brother, Travis, second from the left ... 

We are all given two dates ... a beginning and an end. And there is a dash in between.

It's what we do with the dash that matters!

TRAVIS LICHFIELD

April 8, 1971 - July 7, 1988

Thanks big brother for making your dash count ... I love you and miss you.

Happy Birthday!

~ Wendy