LOVE List

Have you ever had one of those days where you find things that are truly lovely.

Moments that spark joy

Here were a few of mine...

Lunch with a new friend
Looking at lovely white baptism dresses with my Mini B. and pinning them to her board.
Seeing God's hand in the details of my life.
This beautiful living room set up, below
The voice of my sister who is in Colorado and coming to visit tomorrow
My other sister and her true concern for my family
Talking to my Mom
A text from my dear friend and the banner she sent me hanging on my mantel.

Life is good

This is from Four Chairs Furniture...I am in love with it.  Isn't it lovely.

Monday Musings

I have read this story several times and it always is something I need to be reminded of.  I hope you will take a few minutes to read it. We all are creating things that go unseen and unoticed by anyone other than God.  And yet why is that not enough, to know that the creater of all beauty and light see's our creations and not only notices but is honored by our efforts.  http://powerofmoms.com/2012/07/the-invisible-woman/

Listening to the Postive-Week 2

I have had one of those weeks that every time I turn around I hear this silly voice in my head telling me "You can't" or "It's not worth it" or "I deserve this treat" . I hear this voice the most when I am striving for good things in my life. Usually at the beginning when making changes are really, really difficult. I found this quote and it is sooo true.
I went to a Health Evening once and the speaker talked about turning that voice around. For instance saying, "I am smarter and stronger than that cookie." or "I deserve to be healthy." instead of "I deserve that dessert."

There is really something to the power of positive thinking and positive talk. This week as you strive for a healthier and more powerful you, try kicking out the liar thoughts and replacing them with some truth.
"You can do hard things."
"You are strong."
"You deserve to be Happy and Healthy."
"You deserve to feel great in your skin and clothes."

Then make the choices that will lead you to those goals. Good luck this week beautiful women.

March Madness Health Fest Begins...Motivation Monday

My sisters and I are having a March Madness Health Fest. We are each contributing an item to a Relaxation/Health Basket and then each day we can earn points for eating vegetables, drinking water, sleeping 7-8 hours, and working on our personal health goals. Whoever has the most points at the end of the month gets the basket.

Each Monday I will be posting a Motivational Thought for all of us. This week I had to put this picture up:I'm not sure if it is actual motivation. But the point of all of this is to feel good in our skin, to feel like the top picture even if we don't look like it all the time. Being healthy isn't about being skinny it is about feeling great. Feeling healthy, feeling good about ourselves. When I eat healthy I feel good. When I get enough sleep I am happier. When I am exercising I feel powerful. Even if I don't always look fantastic, I start to believe that I do. So here's to feeling good in our skin and to loving our bodies enough to truly care for them.

And to anyone else who might actually read this blog I challenge you to find a couple of friends, a sister, a brother or even a Mother -in Law, but find someone to start a March Madness Group with.

And to my girls Good luck this week, I know we are going to ROCK it.

Snowy Sunday Morning.

My kids have been sick this week and we have been busy helping some friends with various things, plus we have been De-junking like crazy. All in all it has built up a culmination of chaos in our home. I am behind it seems in everything and my house looks like it has imploded.

I lay in bed at 6:30 am willing the alarm clock to turn back time just one more hour, since my head was throbbing and I longed for just a little more sleep. Lil' Monkey at some point had made his way into our room, and was cuddled up beside me. He is my cuddle and I find that I want to just cuddle him and keep him close and young.

When I was a new mother I read everything I could about sleeping, feeding, and parenting in general and stressed myself out on a regular basis about all the things I wasn't doing right. When Clutch Powers or Mini Boden would come in to our room in the middle of the night, we usually let them stay out of pure exhaustion, but I tried not to cuddle them to much, because I was so fearful of letting them get out of a sleep rotation. They both sleep fine now, so fine in fact that they no longer come into our rooms and I wonder if I missed an opportunity somehow to cuddle them a little more. I still hear the statements from those books in my head, but with Logan I have chosen to disregard them and whether that is the reason he is my cuddly one or maybe just because it is part of him. I try to tune out what every one else says and just enjoy a precious moment with my little one.

So I lay in bed this snowy Sunday, holding my little one's hand and feeling content to let time slip by for a few minutes. To not rush to my next meeting, or appointment. To not get up and frantically try and clean the disaster I knew was waiting me downstairs. But to just be in the moment with my little one who will grow up too quickly and no longer need me in this capacity.
I find at least for me that it is in these moments when I rely on what I think is best instead of what others think or expect, that I truly find peace as a mother.

I find that I am happy as a mother. There will be time to pick up toys today and that will happen because order balances out my soul. But for this moment I wanted to live in that moment and hold Lil' Monkeys's little hand that keeps growing, and hear his breathing and know that I was being a good mother.

Loving Downton Abbey

Almost seventeen years ago, my sister introduced me and the other women in my family to a wonderful show called "Pride and Prejudice" - the Colin Firth version. From the moment I finished that beautiful rendition of the Jane Austen classic, I have been hooked on BBC and Masterpiece Theater productions. I am a total and complete BBC and Masterpiece geek and proud of it. A few weeks ago my sister (same one) told me she was hooked on a new Masterpiece production called Downton Abbey. Over the next few weeks I realized that I was one of the only people not in the know.

I have spent wonderful moments folding laundry and cooking dinner with my new friends from Downton Abbey, and I can't wait till next week when the newest episode comes out. Check out the website here. Plus Dame Maggie Smith is in it, how could you go wrong. She is just brilliant.

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year! I love the New Year. I love getting rid of all the merry making and going stark, clean and minimalistic. I love the hope of spring eventually. The promise of change. I am a theme girl. A good theme helps me to focus and direct myself. I have been trying to come up with a good theme for 2012. Something that rhymes or is catchy. Nothing has come to me. Then looking through the paper and ad's today I saw the theme for the Young Women in our church. "Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations." D&C 115:3. If it is good for the YW why not for me. And although it was super difficult for me to arise this morning for 9 am church. I have found my theme. I love that there is action involved. First we have to get up, then we have to shine forth. That means not being sullen or fearful. Shining is bright, hopeful and full of light. The light of God.

Today Mr. M talked in church. He talked about looking upward instead of sideways. He told the Max Lucado story "You Are Special" about the Wemmicks who put stars or dots on each other depending on how good or bad they are perceived by others. It is only when we turn to the Master and realize that we were created to just be ourselves when we focus on what the Master thinks more than on what others think that we are truly able to let the praises and critiques of others mean little to who we really are. It is in that moment that we are truly able to Arise and shine Forth.

May you all have a Bright and Joyous New Year!