Personal goals for 2017

I am a work in progress.

This is always more
evident at the beginning of a New Year!

When I think of how I lived my previous year---
Thankfully, each day is a NEW day.
Each day is a chance to begin again. A fresh start!
Yes. How awesome is that?
We do NOT to keep it status quo.

So, with that being said, these are qualities and
things in my personal life that I would like to work on!


1. Live life happily. Full of joy.

2. Embrace adventures as they come.

3. Be content. Be happy.

4. Show love to my immediate family. My husband and my daughters and their families.
By offering my time. my attention. my affection and listening
and talking WITH them and not AT them.
Always, always being available.

5. Show more love to my extended family by offering more of my time to them. Calling/texting my Mama more often. :)

Grow more in the Word. By daily opening the bible and letting God speak to me.

Show more compassion to those around me in need. Smile at others and be kind.

Be a nicer friend.

Journal more and concentrate a bit more on my writing.

Read more. TV less and books more!

Let go of disappointments and rejoice in the accomplishments
no matter how small and minute.

Like I said, I am a work in progress!!!
Some of these goals will be easier than others
but, each and every day is a new day and a new chance
to work at these goals!!

How about you?
Do you have any goals? Physical or personal?
I’d love to hear about them!

xxx

Happy Valentine's Day 2017

May you feel loved today 

and always.

Blessings

Blessings

count your blessings
name them one by one...

blessings are new each morning

did you take the time to notice?

they are there

 whether you are

a 

young child 

a teen trying to fit into the world

a struggling college student 

a married couple

a frazzled mama trying to

do it ALL

or 

someone with some 

years and experience 

behind them!

Blessings are there

Beauty

and 

Joy

are there

It

surrounds us

each and every day

if you take the time to notice:

snow-tipped mountains

green grass

sunshine bursting through the windows

giggles from a small child

brightly colored flowers

a cat curling contently on your lap

a stack of books waiting to be read

birds soaring and singing happily

scenic road trips

impromptu coffee dates

long walks down country roads

trees all a bloom

a favorite song on the radio

clean sheets on your bed

smiling faces
strolling through a garden
the happy sound of children's laughter
going for a run
or simply

holding hands

oh, yes

the blessings are there

the beauty of it all

is there

sometimes we are just so

busy

that we don't take the time

to notice it;

to see the good 

the beauty of today 

is yours.

sit. savor. enjoy.

it truly is the little things in life

that all add up,

to something 

beautiful

go ahead count those
blessings

name them one by one!

~~~~~

have you taken the time to see

something beautiful today?

your simple blessings?

did you sit and savor it?

I'd love to hear about 

what you took note of today,

what beautiful did you see today?

be happy

just a simple message today-

be happy!

live, laugh & love.

be happy.

happy & content

I have always been a bit partial to cats. Growing up in a home where my dad and brothers had hunting/hound dogs, I have always had a cat!

My love for cats has always been a strong one. I love their independence, the attitudes and really almost everything about them.
In our home now, our cat 'Miss Olive' pretty much rules the roost, and she has me wrapped around her paw! Since being empty nesters, we have poured a lot of our love, attention and affection into this sweet but, sassy tuxedo kitty!
Olive can sit for hours upon hours just sitting in her window seat, watching the commotion of our farm. She also loves to watch the birds from this seat and sometimes will try to attack them through the window. It is quite comical to watch!

Our Olive is strictly an inside kitty, because of our farm and the tom-cats that prowl around, we do not let her out. Olive runs and I do mean she runs, to the back door every time it gets opened, thinking she can escape and that the world is more exciting outside; until the other day when my grandson let her out by accidentally leaving the door ajar. She snuck out and we could not find her for about an hour. She was on top of our roof, scared and stuck in the gutter. I had hoped that this incident had frightened her enough, that she wouldn't try to escape but, sadly enough she still thinks the grass is greener and that outside on the farm is more exciting!?

Maybe there is a lesson in this for us, after all? For some, the grass is greener; the neighbor's house is bigger, their car is shinier, their clothes are nicer, their kids are more behaved, their wives are skinnier, prettier and on and on it goes. When, what we have is more than enough! Just like Olive's home is more than enough for her, she doesn't need anything more to be happy and content!
 

Oh, if we could just be happy and content with our life and all our many gifts!

happy dancin'

i managed to book a
trip with my air-miles
and am going to see my youngest daughter!
(the bride to be)

we plan to do some shopping;
looking for her veil and shoes
along with just having some quality time
with my girl.

well, i received a text the other day from the groom's mom.
she invited me to a bridal shower!
they found out when i was coming and
are going to throw a shower for the couple
and wanted to include me!
i was beyond excited. i may have squealed.
yes, i may have squealed just. a. little. :)
i do know, i couldn't wipe the smile off my face
all day!

i had felt like i was missing some of the
joy and excitement with my daughter.
i mean really, this is our baby girl
and our last daughter to be married

when i found out
i get to be there
to share the bridal shower with her,
it made my heart just
overflow with joy!

when the bride to be
was just seven years old...
i was diagnosed with breast cancer
for the first time.

i told my dr. to give me
 'whatever you've got'
because i plan to be there to
watch each one of my daughters walk
down that aisle and get married!

so far, i have been blessed
to see two of my girls walk
down that aisle...

on 01.01.14
i will have watched all THREE!

i am beyond blessed to be alive to be a part of it all.

oh yes, i am thankful. so very thankful.

i am blessed. so very blessed.

yes, my friends.
it. is. happy. dance. time.

countdown

countdown until
i see my daughter, son in law
and sweet grandson
is getting so close
that i can hardly stand it.

our friends at church
all know our kids;
they too are members of our church,
and the church helps support
them in their ministry, as missionaries.

a lot of them know we are going
to see the kids in vienna, austria
and yesterday so many were
sending their love to them;

they also know how very excited i am
to see the kids and to hug my grandson! :)


yes, my countdown chain
started out with sixty two links
and this morning it has
TWO!
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

if i am sporadic in my posting;
know i am having far too
much fun and enjoying every
single minute of it!

i am seeing beautiful,
you better believe it. :) :)

life is lovely and i am thankful!

happy. happy. joy. joy.

happiness & joy

i have been thinking a lot lately
about attitude

in how we see life.

i have been intentionally or
maybe unintentionally called
a 'pollyanna'.
(happy or maybe i am oblivious?)

it really doesn't offend me at all.
in fact, if i have a choice
of having others think of me
as being a pessimist or an optimist

i of course choose optimist!

it is not as though i do not know
what hardships are;

i have known loss. death of my dad at a young age.
sadness. sorrow. pain. worry. insecurity. feeling alone.
i have suffered anxiety & sickness.
sickness of my closest & dearest loved ones

i have heard the words:
you have cancer. twice in my life.
i have lost all my hair on my whole body.
have had two mastectomies
& been very sick while going through chemotherapy.

i have experienced anxiety attacks from the surgery
& all the chemo.

so when i say that i
choose joy.

i mean just that!

i embrace joy.

i choose to be happy
to look at the good.
i truly believe that there has to be
something good in it all.

i do realize that there are
people who are sick and are clinically depressed
and i am not belittling this at all!
i know it is real.

what i am saying is this:
in MY life what works for ME;
is when i choose to look UP
and see the good!

to surround myself in
the beauty & wonder of life.
to take time to look for the
loveliness in even the smallest things.

to sit and be still.

to be comforted by my faith
be reassured that i am loved beyond measure.
and allow love and wonder to envelop me.

happiness & joy.

i choose it.

when others hint to me
that i am not being 'real'
and that i don't understand what they are going through
that i am only looking at the good and that life isn't always
the happiest place on earth for everyone...
to this i say:

no matter how ugly it looks
i believe that
there is hope in this day!

i choose to look at the good!

to find the joy and to
claim the hope!

i want to wallow in happiness!

when i was diagnosed with cancer
i was scared out of my mind!
there was a huge pit in my stomach
full of fear and sadness.

i had three daughters ages 15, 13 and 8.
i chose life.

i chose to get out of bed and fight cancer,
& not to let cancer win.
but, to kick it to the curb!

i refused to curl up in a ball and cry
and say, "i have cancer and might die"
i got up and put a smile on my face
and fought like a mother who wanted
to see her daughters grow into women!

i chose happiness.

it might not be what works for you.

but, do not ever say i do not know what
it feels like to be unhappy, scared or sad.

i do.

i just choose joy.

i see beauty!

all word photos today 

were found on pintrest

by the way,
this past sunday i walked
the 5k with my oldest daughter
in seattle as a two time survivor of breast cancer!

the sun was shining it was a beautiful day.

there was a sea of pink t-shirt wearing survivors

as we walked along the way,
i chose to look up!
to see the beauty in the blue sky. the space needle. the sunshine.
& the smiling faces of fellow survivors and the people
who love them.

life is lovely and i am thankful
for each and every day!

spring in my step

spring in my step

mr. sunshine has officially 

decided to show his lovely face,

this week in our little part of the world!

it is amazing how the sun 

can just wake up the world.

since we live in the pnw

we get a LOT of rain & gloom,

so when the sun comes out...

oh dear,

it is just happy days!

birds are singing

lawns are being mowed

gardens are being tended

people have smiles on their faces

and a bit of a bounce

in their step.

i also know when the 

sun comes out

i see the dust bunnies a bit

more clearly

and my windows that

need a good cleaning! eek!

regardless of the dust and the dirty windows

i think a walk in the glorious sun 

it what this girl needs!

yes. indeed. 

i plan to get outside 

and enjoy it all!

it is a happy day!

it seems a waste of a great day

if i don't go out

and walk and enjoy this 

some of this loveliness...

and you?

what do you do when 

the sun finally comes out?

busy bee?

i feel like i haven't stopped yet
like i was stuck in a twister
and haven't been able to find my way
out of it yet.
going around and around with barely time
to breathe.

family has been here from
oregon, arizona & california
which means we want to spend
as much time as we can with them.

we have had so much fun.
lot & lots of game playing this year.
which led to lots & lots of laughter!

game nights were a huge success,
& we made lots of wonderful memories!

one of the fun things this christmas
that made me smile;
my brother who after being
divorced for thirteen years,
proposed to his girlfriend!
& my two nieces were in on the proposal!

i am so happy for them all.

we still have one more weekend
left of busy fun.

and you?
did you enjoy yourself over the
christmas holiday?
were you like me and did you eat
your fair share of goodies?
were you able to make some great
memories to hide away in your heart?

what made you smile?
what made you happy?

tuesday and happy thoughts!

today i wake early
shower and dress for
a two hour drive to seattle

i am heading to my oncologist
today for a six month check-up.

praying & thinking
only happy thoughts!

my wish is that no one else
ever has to hear these words;
"you have cancer"
ever. again.
that a cure would be
found in our life time.

for now, i drive the
long and seemingly
forever drive...
with a little cloud
over the one shoulder
until i hear the oncologist
say, the tests are
"clean & clear"
 :)

may you have a lovely
day, filled with lots
of happy thoughts...

as for me?
i take my life verse with me-

jeremiah 29:11
for i know the plans i have for you, "declares the LORD, "
plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.

shine, my friends
shine.

pinterest craft

i have mentioned before
how much i am addicted
to pinterest...

i decided that i need
to attempt some of the things
i actually 'pin' ;)

so sunday my youngest daughter
was here along with one of my grandsons

so auntie & i decided to do a
valentine craft!


here is our version:

we took 

flattened coffee filters

heart cookie cutters

crayons

string

tape

easy peasy-

my grandson loved it

and was so excited

to give one set to his mommy 

for their house 

along with the one 

we hung up here in the 

living room!

lately it seems i do more baking

for valentines day

and not much decorating-

i think i did more

of the decorating

when the girls were younger...

how about you

do you decorate for each holiday?

~~~~~

have a

happy

blessed

tuesday!

have you seen

my linky follower link yet?

remember gfc will be leaving

in march this is a great 

following link...

you should totally check it out?! :)