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

tis the season

tis the season
all is merry and bright.
deck the halls... and that jazz!

the twinkle lights are up
all around the house.
to be truthful, they haven't
been taken down!
last year, i liked the glow from
the twinkle lights so much i left them up!
yes, i have twinkle light all over my
kitchen, living room and even our
bedroom!
i love the glow and warmth they bring,
so they stayed up all year long.

but, the rest of the house is also
decorated now.
the tree is up and there are smatterings
of christmas everywhere.

one thing has been tugging at me though.
it has been resonating in my heart
and whispering in my ear-

the fact, that there are people around us
who are hurting.
hurting deep inside
where no one else can see.

they want no part of what christmas
brings them or reminds them.
no part at all.
they are hurting!!

according to an article in
better health--
Christmas is meant to be a happy and joyful time, this isn't how everyone feels at this time of the year. Christmas can be a stressful and depressing time for many people. 

Some people find that the Christmas spirit can be undermined by:

• Financial and time pressures
• Isolation
• Family tensions
• Separation and divorce
• Bereavement
• Becoming a step-family
• Reflecting on another year gone by.

the fact is, they are hurting.

so, yes...i get that not everyone wants
to deck the halls and sing, jingle bells!!

what can we do?

i have decided to really
challenge myself
to reach out in kindness.
to pay it forward.
shine my light.
show love.
show compassion

when i see someone, whether they
are a loved one, an acquaintance or
even strangers...
to ask myself:
what does this person need right now?

now, i don't profess to know what people need...
but hey, maybe a smile or a hug would remind them
they matter. their life matters!?

is a young mom looking frazzled
because her kiddos are acting up?
let her know, she is doing a great job.

maybe this person needs a few dollars?
a kind word? a sympathetic ear?
help out to the car with the groceries?

sometimes it's hard to know when
to step in and help
but, if it feels right...i plan to act on it.

just think what a difference you can
make on people you encounter during this
hectic season.
just think of the difference you can make
in your own life!



merry christmas
my sweet friends!

you are loved.
you matter.
be blessed.

simple things.

this time of year
sometimes it's a bit hard to see the sweet moments.

with the hectic shoppers in the stores,
crazy traffic on the roads
the all around busyness & stress:
the cost of gifts, the food to bring, clothes to wear,
which parties to attend...
attempting to make everyone happy
it get's a bit exhausting! :(

sometimes it's a bit hard to see those sweet moments.
but, i know they are there.
in the simple things.

a hot cup of tea.
candy canes on the tree.
attending our grandson's christmas preschool program
an evening at home
relaxing by the glow of twinkle lights.
new christmas scented candles and room fresheners.
the arrival of family who live far away.
satsumas and chocolate in the house.
witnessing christmas through the eyes of a child.
christmas music. all. day. long.
baking. eating. baking. eating.
thank goodness there is a new treadmill in the house too! ;)

in all this and more i feel/see
love. love. love.
family. family. family.
joy. joy. joy.
and i am more than thankful.
more than blessed.

there is joy in the simple things.
in the small things.
in the little things.

maybe it was one single moment this week?
did you see it?

just maybe in the hustle and bustle,
you stopped and took notice of
something beautiful.
something lovely.
something sweet and simple.

i hope you took the time!

be still and know.
you are loved.


will you join me?
will you share your sweet moment with us
by linking to: SWEET SATURDAYS!!

and last but, not least---
i wish you the merriest
and the most magical christmas ever!

that you can feel the love, hope and wonder
this time of year brings.

be blessed.

simply sweet

it has been busy around our house.
a time for adjustments and new normals.

we recently moved my mother-in-law into a care center.
she has alzheimers and the whole family (as a united unit)
made the decision that it was time, to get more help with her care.
the center is amazing, the staff are all wonderful and i am growing attached
to these sweet elderly people, who all smile when i walk down the hallways!

this week,  a few of the sweet moments that i
collected. noticed. treasured. soaked in and savored:

1. field trip to the pumpkin patch with the grandson (cider doughnuts!)
yum! sweet!
2. coffee date with my husband. we sat side by side in the coffee shop
i had a book in my lap and he was on his ipad. no words were needed. 
sweet moments.
3. a skype date with my 5yo grandson who lives overseas, hearing his laughter &
meeting his newborn baby brother (via skype) who was born last week!
these skype dates are so sweet and i treasure each one of them!
4. at the care center, we were sitting around with mom and a few residents;
my 4yo grandson broke into song-entertaining many of the staff and the elderly!
simply adorable.
5. living in the beautiful pnw means sometimes it is hard to walk
outside but, this week i was able to get outside and
go on a few wonderful walks. seeing trees with their orange and yellow leaves
seeing beauty all around me.
6. laughter. yes. sometimes that is all you can do. either laugh or cry.
i choose laughter and joy.
7. i entered a giveaway on instagram and won! i will be receiving it soon!
whoohoo!

life is made up of a lot of little things, that is what makes it special.
sometimes with all the hustle and bustle of life though, it is hard to
recognize those small sweet moments.
to take the time to see these moments for what they are: sweet.

it is my prayer that this week you are blessed with
many wonderful, sweet moments.
that you can stop and take a moment to soak them in.
may you be filled with joy as you remember to savor them!


join me will you?
sweet moments are all around us if we take the time to see them.
i am linking up to:

                                                       SWEET SATURDAYS

just breathe

right now

in this moment

i am knee deep in 

wedding planning.

our youngest daughter

moved to california

and wants the wedding there

at the church she met

her future husband.

this all sounds wonderful

until we take into the equation

how far away i live

and how we plan to get to california

and all the travel plans thrown in with the

wedding plans.

what's a mother of the bride to do?

take each day
one at a time.

just breathe.

In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Philippians 4:6

i cannot

and will not let

the planning & the financial worry

take away the joy.

her joy

or our joy.

the daughter that is going to be married

is our third and last daughter.

our baby girl.

i want only happiness

always for her.

so i will

smile.

take each day as it comes

and

just breathe.

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.

joy. hope. thankful.

this is on my heart today as
i am thinking of a sweet family
from our church who lost their little infant son.

it is so hard sometimes to see
our way through the darkness
but, sunday at church our pastor said
something like this:
if you want to get out of the darkness
then step into the light.

oh, to be surrounded, comforted
filled with the light!

we do not always know the reason
things happen to us or to those we love.
but, i do know that it all works together for
good to those who love Him.

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

James 1:2

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials

Psalm 71:14
But as for me, I will always have hope; 
I will praise you more and more 

may the Lord Jesus
surround this young family
in His love and may they
see His light all around them.

weekend fun

a weekend filled with love.

my husband and i woke on saturday morning
and went to the near by bay to watch the tail end
of a sandcastle contest.
we went with our daughter and grandson...

after that we went up the road a bit
and walked/hiked down to the ocean
on a wooded trail.

we ended the weekend
by a good old riverside baptism,
yesterday after church;

nineteen people from our congregation
and our sister congregation,
were baptized.
what a beautiful thing to witness!

today i woke to rain slapping against
the windows & laundry piled sky high.
but, the joy from the weekend past
will carry me.

i will hold on to & cling to happiness!

i find that for me,
the good always outweighs
the ugly. :)

i look for and appreciate the good
that is in each day.
sometimes, i have to admit... it is harder than others
but, i do see the good!

so today, i pray today that you too
have joy that you can fall back on.

when the ugly seems to
be overwhelming.
when it seems like your back is against that wall;

i hope you can seek and find joy in your life.

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!

weekend photo extravaganza!

we left on friday mid-morning
for the 5 hour drive to see my husband's
two sisters and family.

it is truly, our home away from home. :)

first thing that happened?

a flat tire on the freeway!
my husband put on the donut spare tire
and we took the next exit three miles away.
stopping at a brake and alignment place;
a real mom & pop kind of place...
where they dropped everything and began
fixing us up with a tire!

funny how things work,
we told him our daughter was meeting us
in portland but, lives in california
and he was from the same town!

such kindness to drop what he
was doing and help us.

we met our daughter's new man
he is so sweet.
we really liked him!

he is a pastor in california and
the joy i witnessed on her face
was immeasurable!

in fact, the joy and happiness
they both had, just overflowed!

it was wonderful to witness.

we played tourist this visit
which was pretty fun!

we went to multnomah falls, oregon
it is amazing there!
the view was so beautiful.

God's creation is perfect!

i wish i had a copy of

the picture of my daughter and eddie

at the falls;

it. might. be. my. favorite. picture. ever!

yes, the three of us stood in the rain
for something like 20 minutes to get these
voodoo doughnuts.

it. was. so. worth. it!!! :)

then it was off to
bonneville fish hatchery
where we fed giant fish
and viewed these
GINORMOUS sturgeon!
they look prehistoric to me. :)

my sister and i

(actually my husband's sister, but i claim her and love her dearly!!)

my husband and i 

with his sister and her husband.

my husband and i 

with our youngest daughter and her man.

our daughter & her man

along with her aunt and uncle!

and last but, not least
we went to menchies for frozen yogurt;
there was a sign that i adored
and i leave you with
it's simple but, valid message!!