Living Life Beautifully

I was lying in bed thinking. I've been sick for, well, today will be my third day.  I feel so much better today but I have little to no energy.  I should probably be napping because it's what my body needs at the moment. I was thinking about how fast this year flew by.  I have my vision board in front of me and it was put together a year ago.  So many of the things written on it have come to fruition or close to it. We lost people these last few years and they made changes to our thinking.  It is amazing what power some people have within their life.  There are people who I didn't know well, that effected me with how beautifully they lived their last days.  There are people who left us quickly in hard ways. There is such power in the lives of some people. I notice that turning on the news has such power over our lives.  feeling the pain that others go through, or the fear the news puts into you, makes your heart race and pulls you down. I h...

I just spent an hour typing up a really good blog post only to lose it due to an error. What's funny about that, is the post was about having peace when stuff happens. So I guess I was being tested.  And I think I passed.  :) I was talking about magic moments in the day.  There are these moments throughout the day when something happens, or you see something, or hear something that is just so cool. A sunset with amazing colors and this glow to the edges as if it's on fire.  Seeing a mocking bird bopping the head of a baby buzzard sitting at the top of an electrical pole. Hearing the sounds of cicadas on a cool summer evening. Most of us don't realize these moments happen because we don't really look for them. I'll ask my husband what was his favorite part of the day and he tells me he didn't have one. That got me thinking.  How sad to live each day not looking for the cool parts. I live my life with my faith as my foundation. Every night a...

Good almost afternoon!!! Gosh, it feels like forever since I've posted a blog. I'm sitting here at my desk where I have all my little encouraging things on a vision board in front of me and to the side is a digital photo frame, that was given to me by one of my dearest friends, that has a rotation of photos I love.  Pictures of family, friends, pets, and special days. The busy month of may has gone and June is stressful with taxes due, doctors appointment, health insurance ending, and drivers ed for the youngest. But I'm choosing to stay in peace. I have complete faith that the month will all work out with God's help....just watch. Hopefully July will be a little more gentle with us. I think everyone is a little nervous about the world right now.  I keep seeing political post that are stretching truths and causing people to fear the future. Our new president is trying to run the country like a business, because that's what he does, and i...

Today started out as a good day.  My youngest graduated last night and the day was going to be a, catch up on housework day.  May is always so busy and our home turns into a disaster that never seems to get cleaned up. Then my dad drove up.  My dad hasn't been to my home in two and a half years.  I was actually excited to see that he came to the house.  He wanted to bring Alex a graduation card. Well.....He seemed like he didn't want to be here.  I asked how he was doing. I took him out to see the chickens and Henny, our Road Island Red, wanted to go from my lap to his.  He took her, told her not to crap on him and then handed her back within a minute or less.  He didn't seem interested in anything about me or his grandkids. He said nothing positive.  He didn't compliment anything.  I thought to walk him through the garden, but he just said, "I see that".  So...he left.  My husband came in from the back of th...

My house is such a mess. I bet more women wake up with that thought than anything else. I've been walking around trying to organize stuff.  I have Alex's camping things to put away and I just swept the pet hair off the floor.  If you came to my home and you knew my family...you would think it was going to be perfectly clean and organized.  However.... I was not born with that gene.  I was walking around this morning and it was as if I could hear the words of my mom and grandmother and mother in law, who are now in heaven, as they would tell me what a mess and that I need to clean and declutter my house.....etc....etc....  I'm laughing as I tell my husband this and then I looked up and said, "shhhhh......  this is how I stay married". I told my husband that he is very lucky that I found God, because I would be the crazy screaming lady, that I was before, who has this idea that if I don't keep it perfect, I'm a failure. I would...

Today is Wednesday.  It's incredibly humid outside but the sun is out and it's still so pretty. I've already had a busy day. We have a pond that lost all it's fish a month or so ago due to frogs....I think. So we cleaned it out and put in new fish.  Well, for the past two days the frogs have been mating in the pond and kill at least two fish each time.  Then, I have to go out and pull the strings of tadpole eggs out, take out 20 % of the water and refill.  This has been two days in a row.  I love frogs.  But the one that was run over in my driveway last night did not make me sad. The pond is so pretty when little fish are swimming around. I also found out today that the chickens love bananas and watermelon. Bruce is still working on the hen house and we pray we can make it safe so nothing can get in to hurt them.  Maybe we can finish it this weekend so they can have some stretching room.  They are getting a bit big for the coop they sit i...

It's a beautiful windy cool day perfect for taking a bit of time outside. I went out this morning and did some reading in my "Quantum Wellness" book. Our young chickens kept me company. They run around like they are on a race track, round and round the cage.  The hen house my husband is building will be finished in perfect time for them.  They will need the room.  Henny is a good sized sweet girl who needs more space soon. In the book I'm reading it's talking about visualization.  It goes into replacing old pictures in your mind with new ones. I didn't quite understand until she said something about the old voices in your head. It made me think of how you can get on pinterest or look at a home décor magazine and after a while, your ready to redecorate your living room.  It's kind of like encouraging your brain with positive things, instead of listening to the same old recording of your mothers voice telling you your lazy or a friend telling you you...

Ah.... Let us see if this blog post crashes and burns like the last one did. I can honestly tell you I have no idea what I'm going to blog about. I have no subject in mind. So....  We will see what comes out of my head. I'll start with what a beautiful day it is outside. I'm in the kitchen at the table looking out two large windows onto the garden. The garden is really a mess.  It needs organizing and cleaning up.  I have random junk laying around along with a hose that has three splices, one leak, and about 20 kinks in it.  I should name that hose.  It needs to be a name that fits it's extremely annoying personality.  I could call it the cursing hose, although the hose is not the one that curses when we use it. My pond has no fish.  None.  They died.  It was sad. I think the frogs over produced in it.  I need less lily pads and more fish. I need fish built like a Tonka truck. My kitchen table is full of stuff...

I'm re reading a book called "Quantum Wellness" by Kathy Freston. I read this book years ago.  I don't remember much about the book but I see that I underlined quite a few things in the first few chapters.  I can't read much at the moment because of my eyes.  I get about 30 minutes before they get blurry. So...I thought this might be a good book to read in small sections. What I noticed, is that I read the book before I did counseling. So....I'm getting a little more out of what I'm reading. I also notice that I'm doing what the book says to do. In fact...I've been doing what the book says to do, for quite a while, and didn't know it. The idea is pretty simple.  It's kinda like the butterfly effect. Small things can lead to big changes. Baby steps.  She says, "Our development is an  unfinished and ongoing story", "We are creating ourselves and our world as we go". Where are you now, and where do you want to b...

It's cloudy and wet outside but still a really pretty day and a little cool. I've already fed chickens, the cat and let the dogs out.  I've walked the garden and pulled some weeds. I've made my coffee and drank it. I'm not sure what to do with the day. Yesterday I rested from all the Easter ness. I love my little family.  We had Taylor on skype for most of the day but I miss him. It's funny carrying around a computer so he can see all the silliness and listen to all the conversations. I look forward to when he's on leave and can visit again.  We usually get that once a year because he's so far away.  This year our youngest graduates from High school.  Then, I am officially done with that stage of life.  I have been a mom for almost 27 years. I'm not sure life would have been all that great without those precious little adventure makers. Gosh I adore them. The garden is growing.  The neighbors chickens did a  number on my carrot/spin...

Today is the day after palm Sunday. We had church service lasts night and the message was about truly realizing what was done for us. He talked about how life is eternal for people who believe.  How we leave this earthly body and "into God's hands we commit our spirit". Luke 23;46. "Into Gods hands" really got me.  Pastor Ray painted this picture of God holding Jesus like a beloved sleeping child who felt safe and content. When my mom passed away I had just gone home to nap.  I don't know why I left the house.  I was there the entire time and then, knowing she would pass soon, I went home and fell onto my bed completely exhausted.  I got a call that she was about to pass and I drove to the house.  She had been gone for three minutes when I got there.  I walked over to her bed and I cheered.  I cheered. My family all looked at me like I was crazy.  But in my eyes, I was the only one who had the right response to my mom's passing....

It is another absolutely beautiful day outside!!! Although....I tend to think every day is beautiful in it's own way.  But today it really is beautiful in a more popular sense of the word.  :)  Blue skies, sunshine, warm and a soft breeze. I'm in the kitchen.  I was unloading and loading the dishwasher while watching "the Secret" on Netflix.  If you've ever watched it....it's a very different way of looking at things.  I think I agree with much of it.  I know that different attitudes can effect my day.  I know that I used to believe too much in what I was told I should be.  I was supposed to be the perfect wife, who cooked dinner every evening and kept her children in line.  I was supposed to train my husband to be a certain way.  I was raised to wear makeup every day and look nice for my husband, to keep a perfect home.  Children weren't supposed to make messes outside of their room.... etc...... I learned that all those t...

At the moment, I'm sitting at my kitchen table looking out at my garden through two windows.  It's cloudy outside and in the low 70's.  It has the look of a winter day, even though we haven't had much of a winter here in Texas. The garden is a mess of weathered plants and weeds.  There are a few good things growing, like mint and rose bushes.  The bulk of last years produce has frozen off to leave a bunch of dead sticks and lots of potential for the next spring garden.  I'm going to make a lot of changes this year.  I will fill the beds with homemade compost and rotate my planting to see if I can get a better bug free yield. I haven't totaled up the produce from the last year but I'm pretty sure it was double the year before. I think growing a garden is one of the healthiest things I've ever done for my mind.  The hope and excitement you get from a seed that is sprouting and getting to harvest and eat your own food, feels almost like a miracle of n...

It is the start of a new year...... And... it has been a challenge so far. It always seems so hopeful when a new year starts.  It feels like you have the opportunity to start over and do it all right.  The actual fact of the matter is that very little is up to us.  We can do our best but life has it's moments that go far beyond our control.  It is such a wonderful thought to have a spirit of peace and go with the flow. To spend each and every day looking at the beauty and blessings of life and ignore all the bad. The reality is, that the bad comes, and you can't stop it. You go through it for a time and then you pull your bootstraps up and go on with trying your best to do your best and think of the beauty and blessings of life again. This year we will lose our insurance,  we have had to use all our savings for medical bills, owe way to much property tax at the end of the month, we lost our sweet tiny cat Maggie, and we feel overwhelmed and down in the d...

It is a cold, wonderful, winter day. I love the cold.  I love winter. Sitting by the woodstove, drinking chocolate coffee, watching Harry Potter movies one after the other while I do laundry, taking care of little chores here and there and all the animals are curled up in different spots sleeping the cold day away.   2017 has started out really busy for us so far. We have so many things planned for the year, God willing. My house is so full of stuff and every room has a work space.  We do not live that minimal life everyone longs for.  We have many things and find them fun. We are a family that loves memories, old toys, old things, and traditions. The house is drafty, the way old farm houses are, and it makes you think of how things might have been.  You imagine the family in the kitchen where the cook stove kept everything warm. There was a door on the kitchen to keep it warmer, and at night the children would leave the kitchen, run quickly...