Are You Smiling Yet? If not- You will be!

No one's looking, it's safe. Go ahead- Smile & have yourself a little giggle as you read about my life and the thoughts that come spilling out of my head. (Watch out for flooding though- my head's not as near as empty as my husband claims it to be!) If my ramblings don't make your day a little brighter nothing will! I promise I won't be offended if you laugh at my expense- I consider it an honor to spread happiness. Besides- if I can laugh at myself you certainly can too!

Friday, November 9, 2012

Handed out smiles today

I found some individual mints at the dollar store today when I was shopping and just had to pick them up. They had smiley faces on one side & “Smile, Be Happy” on the other. They’re just like these:

smiley mints

I gave them away to people inside & out of Walmart. Simply told them they needed a smile & to have a good day. Then I seen an elderly lady loading groceries into the trunk of her car by herself and helped her finish. I’m trying to be on the lookout for more RAOK opportunities that I can do. It’s hard some days- the rush of go-go-go life tries to control me.  ;o)   But I figure if I keep trying & make kindness a priority it’ll all balance out.

Now to go work on some fun kindness for my family- dishes done & laundry going will be a big kindness to the hubs. And getting a surprise advent calendar for the kids done before Dec. 1st will be a kindness to them. (Last year was the first year I dropped the ball on the fun Christmas traditions I do & I want to make sure it doesn’t happen again this year!)

Technorati Tags: ,

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Flowers for Random Strangers

Seeing a marked down bouquet of flowers at Kroger's the other day and I felt the need to just do a total random act of kindness again. So a few days late I celebrated a monthly holiday I’ve neglected for quite some time- GFTAS Day. No pics because it was a spur of the moment thing & I’m one of those weird people that don’t have the standard camera-equipped cell phone. But that’s ok- this puts the focus on the giving like it should be.

I separated the bunch to be able to spread the joy out more. I seen a lady get out of the car next to me with her grandson outside the dollar store as I was leaving, so I decided she was my first “victim”. I left some pretty flowers (no idea what kind) on the windshield of her car. Then as I was leaving I seen an older woman getting in her vehicle. I quickly parked my van & knocked on her window (bet that was a surprise) and when she cracked her door I told her “this is for you” as I gave her a rose. Her face instantly lit up and she thanked me.

Next stop on my errand list was Wal-Mart. When I was getting ready to go inside there was a lady loading her cartful of groceries in the back of her vehicle. While she was busy I laid a rose on the top of her cart and told her it was for her. Her demeanor instantly changed from on of drudgery to joy. She thanked me brightly and I wished her a good day. Her response was that she was already now.

A drive through the grocery store parking lot revealed an elderly woman putting bags in her vehicle. I don’t know quite what she thought of being handed a rose from a stranger- I don’t think she got past the surprise before I was back in the van on the way again.

Left with a small broken stemmed carnation I was stumped until I went through the drive-thru at my bank. While the teller inside was depositing my money I taped a RAOK from HelpOthers.com onto the stem. When I retrieved my receipt I slyly put the flower in the carrier thing for the next banker to find.

 

I forgot how much fun it was to celebrate this random kindness holiday created by a kind giving soul. I definitely want to do it more often!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

2012 Gratitude Challenge- 30 Days of Thankfulness

November = 30 Days of Thankfulness being shared. Last year I was inspired by an Attitude of Gratitude Challenge put forth by Kendra at My Insanity for the month of November and while my blogging skills about it lapsed considerably- I enjoyed the focus it helped me put on being thankful and expressing it to others. So this year I’m going to once again do a daily tally of what I am thankful for in my life. Whether I can find another blog that’s hosting a similar challenge to join or if I go solo- you can bet I’ll be counting my blessings daily. I’ll even try and find the time to share them virtually- but no promises because life’s full of fun & crazies and needs to be enjoyed more than by just sitting in front of a computer screen.

I think my personal challenge this time is to do more than virtually write & verbally express what I’m thankful for. I’m going to strive to show others in a more personal way that they are blessings in my life.

 

Day 1: I'm thankful for the journey of my life- it has made me the person I am today. All the trials & tribulations, joys & sorrows have taught me so many lessons. And the greatest one is that you should always focus on the good things- for there is always something to be thankful for every day of your life.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Baby Buggy Cake

Here’s the baby shower cake I did for my SIL. Turned out real cute- though there was a few things (like usual) that if I would have changed if I would of had more time. I wish I would of taken a picture at home before travel. Unfortunately the heat & the new frosting recipe I used didn’t play well together. (Though the recipe was reportedly good in high temps.)  When I got opened the cake box at the park I discovered the ruffles & border slid off the edge of the cake in a couple spots.

A baby buggy cake I made for my SIL's baby shower.

I have another cake to do next weekend- for a non-family member! It will be my first paid cake- though I’m just going to charge enough to cover my expenses. I’m trying to work towards making my hobby more into a small home business. But I need to do some serious work on my decorating skills before I feel comfortable doing cakes for strangers. I have a few goals & things to do before I take the full step.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Monday Ramblings

It’s a quiet Monday morning. Peaceful.

It was a bit nippy this morning when I rode bikes with the Littles to their Summer Adventure Camp. But it’s nice getting out that early. I got my garden & flower bed watered. Eldest & his friend are still snoozing. At least that’s what I’m assuming- I haven’t heard any noise come from the room yet. The dog hasn’t even woke up yet. So it’s just me. And after a crazy week or so of work crap & the start of summer vacation- I like some just me time.

I think I’m going to take my nook outside & sit at the free patio set our neighbor gave us this weekend. Read for a bit before it’s time to be a responsible grownup again. Yep- dishes, laundry, shower, dress clothes & such are all gonna have to wait.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Summer Bucket List Challenge

 

I’m joining the Summer Bucket List Challenge at the Happy Family Movement.  I’ve always admired all the summer lists I’ve seen posted all over Pinterest & Blog-land. It’s been one of those “I should do that” things, that never gets done. Not this summer!

I’m *going* to do it! It doesn’t have to be perfect or cute or half as awesome-looking as all the ones I seen online. It just has to be *done*.

If you want to join me & all the other happy family’s- check it out here:

http://thehappyfamilymovement.com/joyful-family-living-simple-ideas-for-happy-families/summer-bucket-list-challenge-2012/

Now- I’m off to start my list. I’ll be back when I get it finished!

Monday, May 14, 2012

Mother’s Day 2012

 

Sweet Cards

Mothers day card collage

A fun card

Dylan's Mothers Day Card Collage

Simple Treasures

Mother's Day Collage

Thanks to my fantastic hubs & wonderful boys I had an awesome M-day. I love my family!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Expenses up, Income down. Sigh.

 

So it looks like I have to tighten the ship around here. The financial one that is. Pirates have been spotted on the horizon and they’re after my gold.

In plain english- my hubs called with some unsettling news. He only gets to work 2 days next week. He’s our main source of income. That is going to be a big blow to our budget. I do work, but my part-time job is supposed to be for extras like home improvement, adding to our savings, paying down debt & maybe a little bit of fun every now & then. It’s not enough to even come close to making up for what he’ll lose in his next paycheck.

And of course this news comes AFTER I squeezed out the money for Eldest to take driver’s training. (Not a cheap decision.) And right after I get an estimate for how much the rest of Eldest’s dental care is going to cost. (Oral surgery is not cheap.) And this is in addition to the cost of the orthodontist’s costs. Oh- and our “rent” is going up next month too.

It seems everything is on the rise & adding up- gas, food, expenses, bills- except our income! I know in my heart we’ll manage & make it through, but it doesn’t stop the worry, the stress & the bit of panic from welling up inside me. I’m going to have to combat it with smarts & frugality. The budget I started, but didn’t completely finish? That’s going to be trimmed & tightened even more and put into effect immediately. Any place I can drop stuff I’m going to have to. The only problem is- that’s hard to do when you don’t have much extra to start with!

Well- enough complaining about finance for today. I should spend some of my time & energy with my finance binder to get a good idea of how this is going to affect us and what I can do to minimize the damage. I think some chocolate might help this be more bearable………….

Monday, February 27, 2012

Another angel for Heaven

 

It’s with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart that I type this. I’ve sat here most of the day feeling sad and wishing there was a way I could make things better for others. Sometimes I can't understand why life has to be so hard. A friend of ours lost his son yesterday. I still don’t understand how such a healthy, vibrant young man could be gone so quickly. We were all worried when we heard that he was found unconscious as he was walking to a friends house and the doctor’s couldn’t find out what was wrong. Our thoughts & prayers were with him & his family as we awaited news. Nothing conclusive ever came. Never in our thoughts did we imagine he wouldn’t make it, that they wouldn’t “fix” him- he was to young, to good of a kid, to full of LIFE. So it was an even greater shock when we heard the news when we got home last night. In the space of a week he went from bowling awesome in a tournament to his family having to make the decision to let him go because they son they knew & loved wasn’t here anymore.

I can’t begin to imagine how his parents feel. How his brothers that he was so close to feel. What’s making it hit home even harder is he was friends with my oldest. He was about the age of my boy. I look at Eldest and I can’t even imagine my life without him. It’s just crazy to even contemplate. Yet that’s the reality a family has to face now.

He was such a great kid. I remember before they moved the brothers would always stop at the house and talk and hang out. Everyone loved him & his brothers. Why does things like this have to happen to such good people?

This has made me appreciate every moment I have with my boys & makes me want to hug them close every chance I can get. I don’t know how I would survive without them.

All my love, prayers, thoughts & everything I have go out to the Sparh & Herman family and to all his friends. God Bless you Owyn- Heaven is lucky to have gained such an angel as you.

LinkWithin

LinkWithin