A mug of love ...

Mint hot chocolate ... Always a warm boost on cold, gray January days! :)

The laundry moment -

It happened on Saturday. It was a great moment. I had to document it with a photo.
What was so great? All the laundry was completely done. 

Yup, the washing, the folding, the putting away and even the ironing.

It was a great moment.
Worth celebrating.

change.

Amazing what a new haircut and some color can do ... The little changes we make really add to the forward motion of life. :)

Cheers to change and good days ahead!

Believe you CAN!

|Believe you can and you're halfway there|

Belief and can are so connected. Our beliefs - positive or negative have so much power. As Henry Ford put it ... Whether you think you can or can't. You're right. This simple, yet poignant quote is so very true!

We are halfway through January of 2014. Did you set a few goals? How's your mental toughness?
Do you believe you can or can't achieve the desires of your heart?

I believe you can. Keep moving forward ... one day at a time! :)

Happy halfway through January day!

Tossed cranberry, mandarin and feta salad

Tossed cranberry and mandarin orange salad with a hint of feta 

Ingredients:

Tossed greens (I usually use a spring mix)
Baby spinach
Crumbled feta cheese
Dried cranberries
Mandarin oranges (I buy the baby ones, drain them and toss them in)
Croutons or cashews (adds a nice little touch of crunch and salt)
Dressing (I like Ranch)

Perfect blend of happy, crunchy and yum! Enjoy ... (I always do!)

Pink on a gray day ...

"I believe in pink." ~ Audrey Hepburn

Sharing pink happiness ... (this photo made me smile and think of spring!)

The thief of joy ...

I believe we are put on this earth to create, share and find joy. Joy is the thing that makes life well, enjoyable! It's the element that makes life worthwhile and meaningful.

When we stop finding joy - we stop really appreciating and living life to its fullest.

I agree with Theodore Roosevelt - Comparison is the thief of joy.

Life is too beautiful and short to spend it comparing. Today, appreciate who YOU are and what YOU have to offer.

This day if full of joy and happiness. See it. Enjoy it. Share it!

Be strong.

Love this ... Be strong - your life matters and there are those who need your strength, character and love.

Do you drain or inspire?

We're 8 days into the new year ... I bumped into this quote/saying on Pinterest and I agree completely!
This year, pick wisely whom you'll spend your time with and decide now if YOU are going to be one who inspires or drains.

For more inspiration ... visit my quotes board on Pinterest.
Happy Wednesday!

What is special to you?

Spe.cial: especially important or loved

It's Tuesday. Yesterday was Monday ... I've had my family home for the Christmas and New Year's holiday for 2+ weeks! My husband works in education so he's off when the kids are off. It was a wonderful break. We enjoyed every moment together and when everyone goes back to 'school' I miss them. And the house is extra quiet.

Luckily, my oldest, has a break between his school schedule and stops in each day to regroup and have lunch. I make sure I'm here because I love our lunch times together!

I was folding laundry when he walked in and he asked me a simple question - Mom, what's special to you?

Great question. There are a lot of things that are special to me. But the most important and special things in my life are not things. They are people. People are special.

So here's a little list of what's special to me -

My husband. My children. My relationship with Heavenly Father. My family. My life. My ability to make a difference. The ability to become and grow. The ability to lift another person along their journey of life. The ability to laugh, love, live and learn. 

All in all, life is special. Every day is a gift and what we choose to do with it matters.

Thanks for lunch Kade and thanks for being so special to me and my life!

I love you -

Mom

Little suggestion for 2014 -

Suggestion #188 from H. Jackson Brown's "Life's Little Instruction Book" -

Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.

Brilliant. Simple. Powerful.
What if we all focused on this one suggestion in 2014?
Can you imagine the possibilities? I can.

Romance Matters ...

Taking a walk around the orchards ...

The Cameo Heights Mansion - Bed & Breakfast

I love you ...

My husband is so romantic. I find his style so very charming, fun and wonderful! We were able to have a little get-away together and it reminded me how important it is to create time with those we love.
Especially a spouse. The romance helps keep love alive and helps make the tough days doable :)

2014 - fill it with love, with surprises and with romance!

The Secret life of Walter Mitty -

Ground control to major Tom
Ground control to major Tom
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on
(Ten) Ground control (Nine) to major Tom (Eight)
(Seven, six) Commencing countdown (Five), engines on (Four)
(Three, two) Check ignition (One) and may gods (Blastoff) love be with you
~ Space Oddity / David Bowie

The last movie I saw in 2013 turned out to be my favorite of the entire year.  The movie - starring Ben Stiller was really quite amazing and it surprised me how much I liked it. I laughed really hard on the shark scene. I was moved by the ‘Major Tom’ singing moment when Walter jumps into the airplane and mostly, I was inspired by the movie’s message.

Don’t all of us have dreams and hopes we wish to accomplish? Don’t we all have something that stops us from taking the risks and achieving the ‘deep down desires’ of our hearts?

This year, I’m making some of those deep down dreams become REAL. And if it takes me singing ‘Major Tom’ out loud to do it – I’ll do it…!

Cheers to ground control and jumping into the unknown!

Happy 2014.

On the 12th day of Christmas ...

Love.

On the 11th day of Christmas ...

On the 11th day of Christmas ... Share your creativity! 

Love this quote from Dieter F. Uchtdorf: "What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside."

On the 10th day of Christmas ...

It's been said that laughter is the best medicine! This holiday season - share your laugh.

On the 9th day of Christmas ...

Love this quote ... so true! Great things never came from comfort zones.

This new year, try something new, face a fear and enjoy the new doors that will open.

On the 8th day of Christmas ...

Flat Top Park - West Richland, WA
Can you see the beauty in this little community park?
Me too.
I had to stop this morning a snap a photo of the winter wonderland

Look and see. There is beauty everywhere.

On the 7th day of Christmas ...

"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not,
but rejoices for those which he has."
- Epictetus

On the 6th day of Christmas ...

Listen.

On the fifth day of Christmas ...

On the fifth day of Christmas - Give the gift of a hug and be the last one to let go ...

On the fourth day of Christmas ...

On the fourth day of Christmas - give the gift of time. 

"...All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” 
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Image source: Pinterest 

On the third day of Christmas say I love you ...

Three very powerful words that matter - I LOVE YOU.

Whatever your style ... type it, sing it, write it, text it or say it. Share your love this holiday season!

On the second day of Christmas ...

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. ~ Plato

Kindness is a gift that changes lives and hearts.
This Christmas, be kind.

The 12 Gifts of Christmas - Day 1

On the first day of Christmas – Share your smile.

A smile lifts, it edifies and it gives hope.

A smile saves lives. A smile is simple and it goes a long way …

Let yours shine this holiday season.

He took a day off to spend time in the kitchen (with me) ...

Can you blame a gal who gets excited about a man in an apron holding a bag of chocolate and a spatula?

I love surprises. Always have. But this one really (excuse the pun) - takes the cake!

My husband took a day off so he could spend the day in the kitchen with me ...
BAKING.

We made all sorts of Christmas treats and decided it will be an annual tradition.

Sugar cookies, fudge, pumpkin bars, & toffee
Homemade with love ... :)

Thanks for a fun day. You wear that apron oh so well!

We might have to open a bake shop together one day - by the ocean.

On the menu: Lots of lemon and pumpkin and chocolate.

A girl can dream right?

Little reminder -

Sharing a smile -

Happy Monday ...
PS: Your smile stands out. Let it shine!

You can't get too much winter in the winter. ~ Robert Frost

Winter. 
Enjoy it's magic.

Photo moments: 2008.

Hot chocolate for Two ...

Saturday night date idea:

Hot chocolate at Starbucks... sip them slow, drink in the chocolate and savor the moment.
Share the love...Oh la la la la.

Believe.Dream.Inspire.

With my daughter, the rock n' roll Santa -

We had a really great time this week watching my daughter shine on stage. She was cast as the rock n' roll Santa Claus in her school play called: "December in Our Town". It was a wonderful night and the kids did a great job with their lines, their singing and had a fun time performing for a crowd.

In addition to acting, she also won first place for her literature piece as part of the PTA Reflections contest. Way to go sweet, smart, funny daughter of mine!

And that's not all, she plays in the marimba group as well. I loved hearing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".
So proud of you! Thanks for being you.

The power of a smile ...

This is an old family photo from 2003. We recently moved into a new home and this move facilitated a major de-junking party as the space in our garage could not handle all the stuff we had accumulated over the years.

As we were making our way through the boxes, I happened upon a stash of old photos. This put a stop to the sorting and throwing away as I had to immediately sit down and enjoy the memories contained with each photo!

The above family shot was taken by my sister, Jennie, on a very sunny Saturday afternoon at the park. It was freezing outside and I remember just hoping we could get one shot of all of us smiling.

We did.

To this day, this photo remains one of my all-time favorites. We are now in the middle of the teenage years and on especially challenging days, this photo reminds me that we can smile and when we do, it makes all the difference!

This holiday season, turn your smile on - let it shine BIG and BRIGHT. The outcome will amaze you...

Family Home Evening idea:
Gather family or individual photos of each member sharing a smile. Hand them out and talk about the memories each photo contains. Enjoy the spirit that comes from remembering happy family times! Share what you appreciate about each member of the family and why their smile makes a difference. :)

The Gratitude Box

"Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also 

unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love." ~ Thomas S. Monson

Each Monday night, we have family home evening. As part of the night, we usually sing a song or two, have a lesson, play a game together and wrap it all up with dessert. Often, we find ourselves at Dairy Queen for Blizzards! That's a topic for another day...

Today, I'll focus on the lesson given by our 11 year old daughter this past Monday night. On her own, she prepared a very inspirational message about gratitude and how it matters. She encouraged us to be grateful and express our gratitude often.

She also created a gratitude box (pictured above). She cut little slips of paper and encouraged us to fill the box by Thanksgiving with little notes saying what we are thankful for! 

It's a big box. And we only have 8 days to fill it ... Can we do it? We will TRY!

Thanks Lauren for the inspiration. I love you and am so thankful to have you in my life!- Mom

What are you thankful for?

Try.

Amazing how inspiring ONE word can be. Even more powerful is the action!

Simple. True. Just Try.
Miracles happen when we do ...

{Image Source}

Doubt your doubts ...

Love this quote from Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Little 'happiness' reminder ...

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, or worn. It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace & gratitude.” - Denis Waitley

It takes time ...

What to write about? I keep looking at this blog thinking … “I need to post something”

And nothing comes to mind so I decided to write about nothing. Just free write. Whatever flows out is what I’ll share. Fair enough?

First, I really don’t like unpacking boxes. We recently moved and finding a new place for everything zaps my energy and enthusiasm. It’s not something I naturally excel at. If you enjoy moving and packing and unpacking – please share your tips.

Second, I am really enjoying this beautiful fall weather.

Third, my father-in-law’s headstone is now at his graveside. I stopped by this morning to see it and pay respects. He died in June. Tonight is the first home football game for the high school. I used to always sit with him at the games. I just could not go without him tonight. 

Fourth, I know that stuff takes time. It takes time to pack and unpack. It takes time for the spring and summer to turn to fall. And it takes time to let someone go and move on.

There will be other games with popcorn and lights.

I think I’ll find another box to unpack, pull out my favorite pink blanket from college days and make a mug of hot chocolate.

Cheers to Friday night games in the fall and sharing popcorn with someone you love! 

A summer to remember ...

 We explored the Oregon Coast and enjoyed the beauty of the earth ...

 We ate the foods of the sea ...

 We found exciting creatures ...

We picked peaches and made jam, smoothies and cobblers ...

 We moved into our new home ...

We learned how to say goodbye ...

School can start tomorrow. We are ready - we lived and loved, cried and laughed  ...we are different people because of the things we saw, experienced and felt.

Thanks summertime - we'll see you next year :)