Dwell in Positive Possibility - There are benefits!

"Tulips" by Wendy Christensen 2009

Are you a fan of positive quotes/books/ideas/people?! Me too!
From what I can tell, being positive has the following benefits –

You stay younger, healthier
You welcome more smile lines around your eyes and mouth
Invitations abound – for everything!
People want your ideas
It’s easy to make new friends - positive behavior is contagious
You wake up with vigor and passion for each new day
Life has meaning and purpose
Laughter is more abundant
Love is everywhere
Miracles are evident
Being positive makes you more free to give of your time, energy and talents
Your eyes sparkle
You dance
You’re not afraid to take chances
Fear does not keep you from attempting your dreams
Hugs matter
Friends and Family have more importance
Each day is a gift


***
My list could go on and on … :)
This week – dwell in positive possibility!
(You can do it – one positive thought and action at a time)

For the record - negativity is poison.
....

Hold your light high ...

When was the last time you stopped to really think about the people who BELIEVE in you?

Has it been a while? ... Today, I had a few moments to reflect on the people in my life who have been a light of hope, support and inspiration to me. There are many. It felt so good to appreciate the people who have been the lighthouse for me during my 'stormy' times - to them I send my thanks and love.

And on this windy Saturday in March I send my light out across the water to anyone who could use a RAY of hope, love, inspiration or support...

Please remember that YOU make a difference and that YOU matter.

With love and light -
Wendy

PS: Hold your light high - you never know what 'storm' another person may be fighting their way through.

{A Beautiful Mess}

Tory and Wendy Christensen
"Green Eggs and Ham" breakfast at the Elementary School

A Walk by the River ... Wendy & Kade

"Look! I found a lizard!"
Kaleb...

I spend a great deal of time in the car these days. It’s funny how the journey of motherhood evolves. When the kids are little it’s a miracle to get everyone packed up and out the door. Now, it’s a miracle if we have a day when we can stay home!

Luckily, we have some great options for filling the air via our everyday commutes. Sometimes, we’ll listen to a book on CD, sometimes random radio shuffle, often times the 80s, and occasionally its quiet.

Earlier this week during one of the random radio shuffles, I bumped into a really great song by Diamond Rio called – “What a Beautiful Mess.”
Later – when the kids were all in bed and the house was all quiet… I thought to myself -
I love the beautiful mess I’m in!

Lauren ...

Teaching History (with a Cyndi Lauper song)...

The first album I ever bought
Cyndi Lauper / She's So Unusual

Yesterday I was driving had 2 of my kids in the car with me and a song came on the radio … I was immediately transported to my past.

What song do I have to thank for the time travel?
“Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper.

{flashback to 1983 …}
I was in the 5th grade
I was employed as a paper carrier for the Tri-City Herald
I had my own money -
I bought the record
I dreamed of being Cyndi Lauper …

My wonderful visit to the past came to an abrupt end when I heard -
“Mom what are you smiling about ...
Do you like this song?”

My response:
“I love this song! Let me tell you about 1983, and how fun it was to be
a girl with a paper route and a record player!”

Cheers to time travel via the songs from our past!

:)
Don't you love how you can teach history with a song?! Me too.

My book blurb (soon to be in bookstores everywhere)!!

Congrats to Kersten Campbell author of Confessions of a Completely In*Sane Mother ... Her book was recently released and will hit bookstore shelves in March! When you grab your copy of this very funny book make sure you check out the back cover! :)

I wrote the blurb that is on there ... :)
Cheers to books, blurbs and kids who sell rocks door-to-door!!

PS - Kersten is featured on my Author Beginnings blog - jump over and read her author blogVIEW!! http://authorbeginnings.blogspot.com/

Enjoy ...!

Authentic Style (you've got it!!)

(He's got Style ... So do YOU!)

Have you ever stopped to think about the things that make you authentically YOU? If not, give it a try ... Today grab a napkin, sheet of paper, grocery receipt (whatever is handy) and jot down the stuff that makes you YOU.

Here's a few from my list -
(Authenticity)
I love to send stuff to people in the mail - love it!
I'm always looking for a way to add pizazz to my house
(fix the mailbox, add a pillow, hang some cards)

I really enjoy going to Pier 1 (that store inspires me) ... And when I find something way in the back I just can't live without (on clearance) - I do a little dance and song right in the store!

I love sappy love movies and books - I weep like no other!

I am a big fan of Twitter

I try to do at least 5 happy things everyday :) - one of them is to SMILE ...
(at strangers)

My list goes on :)

Cheers to you and your authentic style ...

Happy Wednesday!!

Up next: Authentically YOU Awards ...
Stay Tuned!!

A Valentine for the Homeless ...

My kids are convinced that the homeless guy we see walking on the streets each day lives in the park behind our house. (This particular park has a row of trees that would provide the perfect shelter for the hobo).

Tonight, they asked if we could all run down to the park and play for a bit. So off we went to the park with the ‘forest’ full of giving trees.

Once we arrived at the park … my daughter (who is 6) said: “Be careful Mom the hobo lives down here and we don’t know if he’s home!”

It was freezing and getting dark – I walked down to the trees to round everyone up for the walk home. My son Kaleb shouted:“Mom, come see what we built!”

There in the little forest in the park behind our house, was a house (made out of an old tree and some boards they found) for the homeless stranger. My kids informed me that he would now have a nice place to spend Valentine’s Eve.

Happy Valentines Day! ... And homeless guy if you do happen to stop at the park tonight for a place to sleep - feel free to use the little house built by my kids!! :)

Thanks Kade, Kaleb, Colby and Lauren for reminding me that Love makes the world go round ...

A Life that Inspired Mine ...

Photo: On the left - Travis Lichfield (my big brother)
He inspired me from 1973 (year I was born) until he died in 1988

There are people in our lives we never forget.
We never want to ...
And that's a good thing!

Special thanks to Elaine Williams for featuring a letter I wrote to Travis as part of her blog Tour: Virtual Blog Tour of Sites Related to Loss, Grief and Bereavement ... Writing this letter was so therapeutic for me. Yup the tears fell freely!

My hope is that if you have ever lost someone you love - you'll stop for a moment and remember him or her and the tracks they left on your heart (feel free to write them a letter) - it feels so good!

And (maybe just maybe) this letter will cause you to stop and thank the Lord above for another day to live, love, laugh and LEARN!!

My letter to Travis - http://www.littlemomentsthatmatter.com/travis.html

PS: I love you.

The Valentine Aardvark ...

Do you know about the Valentine Aardvark? ...

Here's a quote from him:
"All we need is love and ants!"

For those of you who don't know about him here's the inside scoop -
PS: This is something fun for the entire family!

All you do is make a Valentine pouch (think back to grade school days)
Each family member makes one ... then lay the pouches out on Valentine's Eve and the Valentine Aardvark comes and fills them with treats and suprises (similar to Santa Clause).
So the parental participation is pretty important!

We did this last year as a family and had so much fun with it!

Learn more at www.valentineaardvark.com
(Great family site with games, free eCards and you can even order t-shirts)

If you decide to make the pouches - take pictures and post them up on your blog
then leave a comment on the Valentine Aardvark blog so they can know you joined in the fun!

Happy Aardvarking!
:)

The Fish Bowl Winner is ....

{The names ... The anticipation ...}

... The winner! O. Joy (Get ready to Wiggle)
Visit her blog at: http://ajoyfulday.blogspot.com/
Hopefully you'll love her site as much as I do - It's inspiring and full of beautiful photos ...
***********

Special thanks to all of you for stopping by - I plan on doing a giveaway each month so keep coming back for more exciting stuff.

:)
Happy Friday - I'm off to plan a birthday party for my brother!! He likes pumpkin pie better than cake so I'm up to my elbows in pie and balloons ...

Cheers to birthday parties, blogging friends and the little moments we share together!

February Giveaway - Wiggle Like a Fish CD!!

Do you need something fun to give to that "little" Valentine on your list?! If so, simply leave your name and your email (in the comments section below) and I will be drawing ONE lucky winner from the Wiggle fish bowl! You have until the stroke of midnight on Wednesday (2/04/09) to enter.

A little info about the CD -
This album contains 11 original positive, catchy songs for families and kids all written and performed by The Singing Superman ... AKA Tory Christensen!
(He's also my husband) - Lucky me! :)

http://www.wigglelikeafish.com/
Feel free to visit the Wiggle Like a Fish website

"Wiggle Like a Fish makes the room get up and dance without the hype or frenzy.
Great warm energy and delightful lyrics ..."
~ Ann Bergman Publisher and Founder Seattle's Child Magazine

PS: The winner will be notified by Friday (2/6/09)

Thanks for stopping by --- :)!
Get ready to Wiggle

Ohhh la la! Look what I found ...

Check out that cup ... beautiful huh?
There's more up in the very top of this kitchen cupboard :)

*********
CUP Commentary -

Long story short, my Mother and Father-in law went on a mission for the LDS church (They left the end of October of last year). My husband and I sold our home and they asked us to house sit for them while they would be gone - too fun! So, we sold most of our stuff and put a few things into storage. I am using all of the items already in this house - including the kitchen.

Last night, we made orange julius (yummy) and wanted to sip up the liquid sunshine from something 'out of the usual' ... So I started hunting around and TA-DAH found these very sassy, savvy cups. They were pefect for the orange juice occasion!

Don't you love the green color of the kitchen? This house is so colorful, charming and full of LIFE. I don't think I'll ever be able to live with white walls again.

PS: I'll fill you in later on the details of their mission. It's amazing what they are doing and where they are!

Getting through the 'bumps' ...

Caution: Reading this may cause you to LOVE the 'bumps' in your life!

My Mom and I had another GREAT walk and talk a-thon this morning! This time, it was a bit warmer and the sun was shining – it felt almost like spring! Again, we found ourselves loving the outdoors and the chance to chat and spend time together!

At the half way mark of our adventure, we hit the sign (pictured above) and I couldn’t help but think this thought: “I wonder if anyone stopped right here on the path afraid to go on because the road ahead might be bumpy?”

Then my philosophical mind thought – I wonder how many people are afraid to really LIVE because the road ahead might not be smooth forever? …

For the record - we didn’t stop. We kept on walking and talking and guess what?
There were tons of bumps and it made our walk even better.

Happy Wednesday!
Cheers to the ‘bumps’ in life – And the guts to get through or over them!

{Flashbacks - Records in the Night}

Flashbacks –
{Something from the past that somehow makes its way to the present}


When I was younger, my parents didn’t have a TV in the house they had a radio but I hardly ever remember it on. As kids, we had no idea there was a bigger world out there full of entertainment… we knew about being kind, working hard and couldn’t wait for the taste of Mom’s homemade bread. (Ahhh simple were the days…)

Our world changed the day 2 teenage boys moved in across the street. You see, these guys owned records! In fact, they had quite a collection …

When they heard we didn’t have TV or knowlege of the latest radio hits, they decided to educate us on the cool, hip tunes of the time. And one afternoon (just as the sun was setting), they slipped my older brother Travis something we had seen very little of - a record!! OH this was better than Christmas ... He ran home to show me the 'goods'. We made a plan to listen in the night ...

Our parents did have a record player so when they went to bed, we dug it out! And when we were sure everyone was asleep we played the mysterious record …What was it?
“Another Brick in the Wall” by Pink Floyd.

I’ll never forget the look on my older brother’s face as the song began to play … He suddenly became a rebel without a cause and we had Pink Floyd to thank for it! We played it at least 50 times that night and knew we would NEVER be the same …

Cheers to Flashbacks from the corners of the mind and to records in the night!!

Give it a listen ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHKHQoAb0uU

{Walk and Talk-a-Thon ...}

Object lesson -
The above sign provided an insightful discussion on 'staying on the course' :) ...
My Mom can give this lesson like no other. She's an expert.

The path ... We know it well :)
******
Instructions for setting up a Walk & Talk a-thon:

7:15 am – I call my Mom and leave a message: “Mom, Let’s take a walk … I’ve got my cell give me a call.”

9:00 am – (My cell is ringing): “Hi Wendy! It’s Mom, let’s walk! Do you think it’s too cold to walk outside?” We discuss options like the mall, the river or the path behind her house. The last idea sounded best. We bundle up!! Burrrr…

9:15 – We walk, we talk, we discuss, we debate, we convince, we agree, we’re quiet, we laugh, we forget how cold it is outside and before too long - we find ourselves back home.

11:00 – We rush off to conquer the rest of the day and can’t wait to hit the path again.
Thanks for the walk and Talk-a-Thon Mom.

Oh and thanks for the beautiful reminders of the importance of staying on THE PATH.

I love you!

PS: I'm on my path ...!
It feels good.

{Our Imagination Station}

Artist: Wendy

Project: Chinese Lanterns

Purpose: Centerpieces for a party tomorrow night ...


Artist: Lauren

Project: Paper bag puppies
This one is named Misty...

Purpose: For fun ...
This puppy is a gift for Dad (his name is Rocky!)

***************

Commentary: I picked Lauren up from school today and she said: "We have an imagination station in our classroom!" And then she asked: "Can we have one at home too?"

My reply: "ABSOLUTLEY!"

Thanks for the fun afternoon Miss Lauren ...
I love you.

Skip to my Lou, my darlin'
(The 5th grade music revolt) ...
Do you remember your music teacher from elementary school? I do! My teacher had his PhD in music and we were instructed to call him Dr. Brower. He was a fanatic about the beat, timing and was committed to making sure we could all read the notes inside our song books (that were handed out each session). He had us sit in a circle each week for class and I believe his favorite song was “Skip Skip to My Lou” … I remember singing this song each week and by the time we hit the 5th grade “the Skipping” song was no longer cool! You see, he made us skip around the circle (one person at a time) while the rest of the class sang the song. No one wanted to skip. We had a revolt. No more skipping Dr. Brower.

He was a heavy set man and I remember the skipping revolt didn’t sit well with his musical soul. He was angry and wanted us to return to the tap tap ready go exercises he invented to help us count out he beat. It went something like this – tap tap ready go – toot toot toot. And he had us clasp our hands together and tap our two pointer fingers together as we chanted “tap tap” – this was not cool either. No more tapping or skipping Dr. Brower!

This poor, old Dr. was completely at a loss of what to do with us! So, we made a deal … We would tap and skip if we could have ONE music party day! Our terms: We could bring whatever music we wanted and groove to the beat in our own way.

Agreed.

What followed was a day I’ll never forget. We almost sent Dr. Brower to an early grave… Here’s the scene: Rowdy 5th graders crammed in the music room (no chairs in a circle on this day – NO). All we needed that day was the record player (it was the early 80’s) and just ONE record called: I Love Rock & Roll by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.Yes that same song played for 40 minutes (as loud as the old record player would go). I remember looking over to see how Dr. Brower was handling the ‘modern sound’ – he wasn’t. He was mad and disgruntled for making the deal with 5th graders who had given up skipping and tapping. He had lost control. I think he was even blushing – It finally occurred to him that our music and his were not at all the same. He needed us to skip and tap so that his ‘happy music’ world could continue.
We got that.

By the end of the music party, he was in the corner covering his ears --- tapping out the final moments of the longest day of his life.The next week, he changed the tempo a bit and replaced “Skip Skip to My Lou” with Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree ...

Compromise:
We never skipped again. And he never allowed another musical party.
And I think its safe to assume that he never listened to Joan Jett ever again...

*** The photo at the top of this blog is a kookaburra bird sitting in his old gum tree.
"Laugh kookaburra laugh ...!"

"Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul.
Dream deep, for every dream proceeds the goal."
~ Pamela Vaull Starr

- Artwork attempt ... by Wendy Christensen 2009. :)
PS: I bumped into this quote on a greeting card today and just fell in love with it.
There is something really wonderful about reaching high and dreaming deep.
Ahhhhhh some of my favorite words!!

{Before and After ...}
One of my favorite hobbies is fixing up stuff. I love to take old furniture or anything and give it a make-over :) I keep thinking that someday I'll write a book called - A Touch of Wendy :)

On Saturday my kids and I took a little day trip to visit my brother and his wife. They live in Yakima, Washington where my brother is attending medical school. My parents bought an old, charming house and have been fixing it up ... My brother and his wife are living in the house during their medical school adventure. I just fell in love with the place and couldn't help adding a few magical touches! :)

{Project 1 - A touch of RED)

(1) the kitchen drawers needed some attention! - This is the before shot -

(2) After shot... Don't you just love how the red added some pizazz to the room? ME TOO!

{Project 2 - A touch of GREEN}
(1) Before shot - This home was built in 1941 and contained some cool, old stuff. I loved this metal paper towel holder but not the color - it just got lost in the wall.

(2) After shot - Kathy and I added a touch of green to the old fixture and then used sand paper to antique it up ... Better huh?!

I love the little things you can do to make a home even more home-ish and authentically yours :)
Cheers to before and after ....

Off to dream and do -!!

Thanks Kathy, Robby and Grant for a very fun day - we love you guys :)!!
We'll be back for more pizazz moments!!

{Happy 2009}

How did you spend the last hours of 2008?! We packed in as much 'last minute' fun as possible...
It all started with a Wiggle Like a Fish Show (watch out kids Wiggles the Fish can bust a move). We then went roller skating ... (it's tradition - we skate EVERY New Year's Eve). Then it was back to home for some munchies and a movie (Batman Begins) ... Then at exactly 12:00 AM in 2009 our entire block knew it was the NEW YEAR... how? We announced it - with pots and pans :)

Cheers to the new year. Get dreaming and doing ... :)