Water Colour Morning

Fairy Dust

We do not have to feel guilty about finding happiness and a life that works. 

And we do not have to take on other's issues as our own to be loyal and to show we love them.

The Colours of Cold

Question for the Week

What is your least favorite household chore?


Anything 'inside'?  I'd prefer to be doing the outside chores--which includes clearing out the garage since I can have the garage door wide open.
Anything that traps me inside is my least favorite.  Which is why he-who-likes-house-work does the house work and I don't.  That's not to say I don't do it on occasion.  Usually it's the dead of winter when I delve into clearing out cupboards, rearranging furniture and doing some 'overhauls' of the inside space.  There's not much I get to do outside once winter settles in.  It gets a bit harsh out there.

I can't say that stripping off the wax and putting down new layers of wax on the entryway, bathroom and laundry room floor are on the list of top three things to have FUN.  I like the end results--but the process to get there is stinky and messy and time consuming.
*laughing*  That being said, it's about time to do that again given it's not been done for a couple years now.
Ummm...next weekend maybe!  

Fairy Message for Today

 You have to live on this 24 hours of daily time. Out of it you have to spin health, pleasure, money, content, respect, and the evolution of your mortal soul. Its right use, its most effective use, is a matter of highest urgency. --Arnold Bennett  

We have 24 hours to accomplish all we need tor mental, physical, and spiritual growth. 

Just because morning meditations have been read, the work or school day is completed, and the day is waning doesn't mean growth time is over.  

The first 12 hours of a day are usually spent housecleaning, raising children, working, running errands, and so on. By the time the activities have ended, we're ready for the second 12 hours: contemplation, relaxation, communication with family and friends, socializing, eating dinner,  sleeping.  

Our most effective use of each day means believing we can accomplish something. 

There is time to be grateful for each day's experiences. 

There is time to build relationships with ourselves and others. 

Each day there is time to grow.

..and fence go bye bye, too.....

Camera go bye bye....so does Mel

....NOT that I'm thrilled about the first deal.
Makes me a bit skeptical about this particular make and model.  *sigh*  And the other one, same make, takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'.  Fact is, it's sitting in the car with photos on it cuz it continues to go everywhere with me.  But the new fancier one with the bigger zoom--is boxed up and on it's way to New Jersey.

I have all the pieces, mind you.  But camera go bye bye.

Definitely something on the lens inside the camera.  Definitely been there since I first got it.  And definitely two days past the 'return date' from the store it was purchased from.  *laughing* Isn't that just how it goes!  The good news is the folks himself dealt with were kindly and polite and helpful.  And the good news is camera's en route for the correcting or replacing. AND I still have my trusty one with the scratch on the lens.  :-)

AND I went to my first training.  Well, not my FIRST first--but the first since I busted the left leg two December's ago.  Yup--in the car, driving in the subzero weather for better than an hour.  One stop, of course.  I was hoping to not stop, but yup--about 30 minutes into the deal I needed a walk about.  But it was good.  (not the training....though I believe today will be better)  It was good to be able to walk in and greet folks in the agency I'd not been able to be involved with (in person) for better than a year.  Lots of faces I didn't know--but it was good to introduce myself and harass the lot.
Yes, I remembered to take fidgets with me so I didn't get into too much trouble.  And I didn't harass too many folks.  (savin' that for today, dontchaknow!)

So--YEAH!!!  Getting to different sites for agency business is a third of my job.  I've not minded NOT going, mostly cuz I don't like meetings. *laughing*  But I actually discovered I mighta missed being present for them to share my voice.
And I discovered folks mighta really missed having me in them.  Kinda weird getting a round of applause for simply showing up--or maybe it was because I was sitting in the back (so I could stand as needed without being disruptive) that folks were clapping.  *laughing*  I'll help 'em change their minds.  I'll sit in the MIDDLE today.....AND I'll take the sand castle in a box.  :-D
THAT'LL help 'em come to appreciate my absence in a whole different way.

TFTD

Connection is not just about making time for family and friends. It's about a sense of caring for other people. It's about connecting with the human spirit even when there is no national crisis.

If we give lip service to love, how can we not be kind to the individuals we meet along our journey, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation?

Make this week about making the connection--about making the time to connect with others.

Quilt Crazy

Things that make me happy....

....the wee angel that slips into my pocket, every day.

....sunshine sparkles on the freshly fallen snow.

....Mr. Eagle showing up RIGHT after I tuck my camera in the case.  LOL  Makes me laugh.

....the big, blue mason jar.

....my first training,  an hour away.  (well, first since I broke my leg...)

....forgetting my cane down the hallway--and the look on the kiddo's face when I ask if she can retrieve it for me.  LOLOL

....star shaped, happy yellow sticky notes.  :-)

Fairy Permission

How we define an easy life may differ because everything is relative. Some of us were raised in prosperous homes, which might have meant we weren't required to seek work or do chores around the house. 

But that kind of privilege didn't guarantee an easy life. Wealth doesn't eliminate the possibility for abuse of many forms.  

To some, the easy life simply means there was little stress, few problems to contend with. Parents were supportive; school work came easy; friends really cared about us. 

Maybe we feel lucky if that's how our lives evolved, or maybe we feel now that we need to make up for our lives of privilege. Let's seek the counsel of others if that's the case. 

It's okay to have had the easy route. That doesn't mean we have to pay for it now.  The important element is that we spend the present however we really want to. 

If we want to be more serious, that's acceptable. 

If we want to be lazy, that's okay too. 

If we want to have a positive impact on someone else's life, perhaps someone who had a harder life than we experienced, that's admirable, but not necessary. 

No one is grading us.  

Today I'm free. 

The past isn't of concern unless I make it so.

Open Field Dawn

Fairy Thought

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.... --Antoine de Saint Exupery

If we look at the world through suspicious or angry eyes, we'll find a world that mirrors our expectations -- a world where tension will mount, arguments will abound, strife will be present where none need be. However, our experiences in some manner bless us, and we'll recognize that if we look upon them with gratitude.

Everything in our path is meant for our good and we'll see the good when our hearts act as the eyes for our minds.  When we see with our hearts, our responses to the turmoil around us, the fighting children, the traffic snarls, the angry lovers, will be soft acceptance. When our hearts guide the action we can accept those things we cannot change, and change those we can. And the heart, as the seat of all wisdom, will always know the difference.

Nestled in winter

TFTD

Competing with others - Attitude  

Some of us never liked close competition. We preferred to be clear winners or not to compete at all. We didn't like to have competitors breathing down our necks.  

This attitude kept up from doing our best, and we made a mistake when we thought we were competing with others. 

We're actually competing with ourselves at all times, trying to do better than we did yesterday. The presence of other people only helps us to set performance standards and goals.  

Once we accept the idea of self-improvement, we can delight in competition. We can take satisfaction in situations where, though we were not number one, we came in a close second instead of a sullen last.  

I'll know today that I'm always working with others but only competing against myself.

More...

Once again--stir crazy and wanting to go on an adventure of some sort...is a tad on the 'unadvised' side.  It's the high winds driving snow across the roads.  So--if I had to stay in put, I guess it's good to wander about at the antique store and snag a few more blue jars for here and there.  Mostly for storage of keepsakes at this point.  Marbles, buttons--sea shells even!  And then there's the one or two that lights are going to go into.

And that means I'll be using them to display on a shelf or atop the dresser/television armoire/cabinets or who knows where.

Actually, I was thinking about shelves in the coffee nook area.  Oh, but that would mean my travel poster would have to go.   

At this rate, it'll be spring before I can actually get somewhere to locate what I want so I can redo the area........and that's not even touching a can of paint.  Mostly cuz I know he-who-won't-like-me-near-a-ladder would go upside down if I talked about painting a wall at this point in time.

k........stick to decorating the wall....on a day that he's outta the house and won't witness me using the ladder.

:-/  

Daily Reading from the Reading Fairy

The feeling of belonging is a gift.  The feeling of belonging - knowing that we have a place - is one of the most important gifts that two people can give to each other. When we agree to commit ourselves to a relationship, we give each other a key to pieces of our daily lives. We allow others to be there with us in a way we would not let others.

That means that we can expect to have a place that does not have to be renegotiated every day. This feeling of belonging is a gift, but it must be received. In essence, we say to the other, "I take my place here in your life because we have our relationship. I will relax. I don't stand at the door and knock. We have already told each other that we are included in each other's lives."  

This sense of belonging stands in sharp contrast to those feelings of isolation and alienation that we can feel in so many ways. It does not mean that one person owns the other or that no boundary or separateness exists. But the joy of connection frees people in relationships to fulfill themselves and carry on their lives while in the close comfort of one they love.

Quilt Barn #64

Question for the week

What's the weirdest reason you had for being late to work?



Haha.....believe it or not, I made 'the list' at the work place.  I have a gal who keeps 'the list' just for our entertainment.  It's a fun thing.  She sends out a formal 'welcome to the list' email.

*ahem*

"There's a cherry picker in my driveway and apparently the fella who parked it.....ran down to get funnel cake--for breakfast.....apparently...  But don't worry....the other fella's calling him on his cell phone.....which....apparently......is sitting right there on the trucks' seat next to him and it's got a lovely ringtone......  k.....this could take a while...."

Yup--fair week in Mel's world.  True story.

Believe me--it's tame compared to some of the others that made 'the list'.
I'm sooooooo glad I'm one who plans to arrive 30 minutes early.  LOL

The FYI Fairy

How we treat other people comes back to us – always.

Offering others understanding and compassion changes how we perceive the world around us on a daily basis. Our acts of love inspire love from others. What we send out to the people who share our path changes, ever so subtly, the complexion of each life we touch. In fact, the whole world is changed by even the tiniest of acts.

The simple truth is, our own attitudes often determine what kind of experiences we'll have. Anger and resentment won't bring us peace. Suspicion and accusation will backfire. Most of us have tried to control all the people and all the experiences in our lives. And we have failed. Now we are realizing that the love that comes back to us is the love that we express.

I will feel love today from at least one person if I offer it to many.

It's coming!!!!!!!

  

Gotta love that I have two boxes chocked full of cards--with a head telling me "You'll be using those up soon enough....."  Now, logic tells me that each of the boxes hold about 100 cards.  :-/  

k......I could STILL end up using at least one box...which would mean I'd only have one box left....which would mean that I oughta be making some cards.  :-/

*laughing*  No, I don't NEED to make cards to be participating in the Month of Letters.  Like that's required?  Nooooo.  But it's kinda become my excuse rationalization justification tradition.  February's Month of Letters arrives....and I indulge in card making so I can send off a letter or 23.....or more.....

I will say--I enjoy participating (and making cards).  And I enjoy being the recipient of someone else's participation, too.  My mailbox gets something more than advertising and monthly bills.  I get to scribble and send off my ramblings -- AND put them into black and white, here.  AND I get to indulge in card making!!  (oh yeah.....mentioned that....)  

So--  *laughing*  It's all about MEMEME!

Wooohoooooo!

**  NOTE TO SELF:  Have he-who-will-groan-when-I-dig-out-card-making-supplies pick up Postage Stamps!!  (it's only fair.........*laughing!!*)

Daily Reading

If all you care about is what’s in it for you, there won’t be much in it for you. If all you care about is what other people think of you, people won’t think very highly of you.

What you care about has a powerful impact on the way your life unfolds. So instead of caring so much about what you think you need, put your energy into caring for all that you have.

You have life, and great possibilities, and other people with whom to enjoy it all. You have a universe filled with beauty and wonder, and the opportunity to create new meaning and value.

Give loving care, attention, gratitude and support to the abundance with which your world is filled.

Give your care to making a difference, and continually put that care into action.

Lift up life by caring for it.

Finding perspective

"I have to get past that 'I want to be normal' thing.  I need to let that go.  That is never going to happen.  This is it.  It's taken me a long time to accept that "normal" is gone.  And I still don't know that I accept it.  But I need to.  And I need to find joy in what my new 'normal' is."

That's not ME doing the talking.  That was me doing the listening...to the sister....who's tried for a year plus to gain some ability to swallow liquid and has held on to the hope to eat 'normal' foods again.
She had her tongue cut out...her face ripped open, her tongue cut out and a hunk of her forearm grafted to the stub they left, hoping to give her the ability to talk and eat (to some degree).  And then they poisoned and nuked the #!%€ out of her,  hoping they'd cut out and killed off the cancer cells.
We hoped that, too.
That's been our biggest hope.  And to date...no sign of the cancer.  But we all know cancer lays in the weeds and waits.  So we continue to hope and pray and celebrate the small victories....and the miracle that she's still here with us.
Do we give a #!%€ if she's able to snarf down pizza?!....no.  She's huggin' her husband, holding hands with him as they wander through Disneyland...enjoying her ride through "It's a small world" cuz it's the only one she braves.

G-d has a very effective way in helping me gain perspective.
Oh, I know I'll still whine about my piddly arsed "loss of normal".  I'm a whiner.
I also know it's a piddly arsed loss.  And much like the sister, I'll be working on finding joy in what that new "normal" is.
We can do that together.

Running in the cold

TFTD

You have great plans, and yet life is always getting in the way. You intensely wish to move forward, but all sorts of things seem to constantly interrupt and impede that movement.

But do those unexpected and unwelcome interruptions really have to get in your way? The fact is, you don’t have to let them.

Sure, you must regularly deal with the urgent, pressing matters that come your way. But that doesn’t mean those unwelcome interruptions have to take over your life.

Instead of seeing those interruptions as negative, distracting influences, you can just as realistically choose to see them as positive opportunities. Just because they weren’t in your plans doesn’t mean they aren't a part of the plan.

Decide that there’s something positive to be found, and you’ll find something positive. Decide that the interruptions won’t really interrupt you, but will in fact provide you with additional ways to move forward, and that’s exactly what will happen.

Learn to welcome the unexpected interruptions. They’re always going to come, so make the choice to make them work in your favor.

pffttt

Doing 'finger to keyboard' is NOT the same as doing 'fingerS to keyboard'.  It's just not.

Do I know how long it's been since I fired up the laptop?  Do I even know if the laptop still works?
Do I know how long it's gonna take to update and install everything that's not up to date and installed IF the laptop still works?!?!
Oyoyoyoyoy...

~~~

The good news is the laptop still works.  The good news is the antivirus system is now updated, which took a good chunk of FORever to happen.  And I'm now 29% complete on my Windows updates!  Woohooo!

'Cept it's getting later than I want and I've yet to get to the duckies and bubbles.......which I'm about to do WHILE the laptop downloads more updates for Windows.......while the antivirus wants to update more programs on the laptop like Adobe and IE and who knows who else.
THEY ALL WANT UPDATED.......  NOW.  And of course one thinks their update is more important than the others.
*rolling eyes*

Right......duckies and bubbles.

Zackly! :-/

Things that make me happy....

....drawing smilies in the snow on himself's Jeep.

....getting in the car at my leisure and just going.

....hearing the Physical Therapist say ".... 98 degrees".

....rummaging through someone else's 'old stuff'.

....holding the door for someone on crutches.  LOL  

....having coffee with Mr. Eagle.

....tossing out the VCR's and finding LOTS of room for himself's DVD's.  Woohooo!!

Today's Reminder from the Fairy

Be where you love to be by loving where you are. Enjoy life by enjoying the moment you’re in.

See the beauty that is all around you, in even the most ordinary of things. Feel the truly astounding miracle that is your existence on this day, in this place.

Allow yourself to be filled with wonder and appreciation for all that is. Know that there is unique positive value to be discovered in every turn of events, and choose to make the most of that value.

There is every reason to expect the best of yourself and your world right now. There is every reason to live this moment with passion, purpose and love.

Open yourself fully to life, and see how truly good it is, right now.

Mr. Grumpy Feathers

The quest for "normal"!

Okay....truth is the new web log page is really kinda cool.  And the other truth...zackly how much time do I actually invest in reading what I write?  (Seriously...the answer is "darn little to none" as evidenced by the typos and grammatical errors!)

So...yes, thank you, I'd love to keep this one.
The majority of my time is spent on this "new post"page...simple truth!!

In the mean time...I think I will make a journey into the archives.  Himself and I were trying to define what "normal" was for me....so we'd know where to put our energies and we'd know how to guage where I was really at.
We stared at each other after some disagreements and we both had to confess that it's been 13, going on 14 months...and we can't remember what "normal" was.  Sad but true.
So...a trip through the archives will happen and I'll try to rustle up some recall so I can add it to my list.
PRETTY sure my nighttime "normal" didn't include parking myself on the couch with the television on, leg propped up on a pillow, staring mindlessly at the stupid stuff they put on every channel we get and mustering up enough energy to do my P T exercises and soak with duckies and bubbles.  LOL. Now that last bit with the duckies and bubbles I KNOW is "normal" for me, so I haven't forgotten everything.  :-/
I'm just not sure I have the stamina for what WAS "normal"...not at this point anyway.  I wanna get there NOW, of course....which ain't gonna happen.  But first....a search for where I was prior to this lovely one year PLUS adventure.
Which means I'll be looking at this new web log deal quite a bit.  LOL. I'm sure I'll like it even more!!
;-)

Thought from the Fairies

We have no right to ask, when sorrow comes, Why did this happen to me? Unless we ask the same question for every joy that comes our way.

  —Philip S. Bernstein

All of us have reasons to be grateful. Usually, the word implies we have received something. We often think of gratitude as that warm feeling we get from someone else's generosity. We are particularly grateful when we get unexpected gifts from those who owe us nothing. Within a family, we expect such acts of love because we are close to one another.

But gratitude doesn't always come from being a receiver. Gratitude is warmest when it accompanies the joy of being able to give without expecting anything in return. We find it isn't enough to feel grateful. We have to express our gratitude by showing kindness and service to everyone around us.

Gratitude is the greatest of all heart-openers. When it enters the heart, love pours out. For every kindness we receive, gratitude inspires a hundred acts of giving.

Afterglow

Slow but sure

I oughta be in the meeting--I'm not.
I oughta be considering trying to drive to see the Bug--I considered it.....roads are snow covered and that was the end of my consideration.
I oughta be getting in the car and landing in places near me, just to have a breath of air and a different space--I'll be doing that at some point.
I oughta be fixing something in the crock pot for dinner then--yes thank you, I think I'd like to do that.

11am will come and the sun will have had a chance to do it's thing and roadways will be much less hazardous.  I just suck at waiting.
And I'm NOT so great at accepting change 'without Mel's prior approval'....as witnessed by the meltdown when I saved a template that's now mine.
*sigh*  Which is exactly why I needed the meeting and the drive to see the Bug.
THAT used to be 'normal'....


I'll get there--first things first.  Regain the ability to actually drive for longer than 30 minutes without the need to stop the car and get out for a walk around.
Actually.....the first thing is GET UP and get the crock pot goin'.  LOL

Reading for the Day

Empathy we can give. Empathy we can find, and it comforts. But our pain, the depth of it, can never be wholly shared, fully understood, actually realized by anyone other than ourselves. Alone, each of us comes to terms with our grief, our despair, even our guilt.

Knowing that we are not alone in what we suffer, makes the difficulties each of us must face easier. We haven't been singled out, of that we're certain. Remembering that our challenges offer us the lessons we need in the school of life makes them more acceptable. In time, we'll even look to our challenges as opportunities.

Suffering prompts the changes. It pushes us understanding, for relief, for security, for acceptance. It's not easy to look upon suffering as a gift. And we need not fully understand it; however, in time, its value in our lives will become clear.

Soooo......

......have ya ever played around, pushed a button and gone:

O.M.G.!!!!!!!!

And you try not to panic.....and ya realize the 'back button' ain't gonna save ya.

Right.

Soooooooo........

After how many YEARS of not messing with my template--I've now successfully MESSED WITH MY TEMPLATE


O.M.G.!!!!!!!

k......It'll be fine.  It'll be fine.  It'll BE FINE........
I'll.......have a cuppa coffee and practice my deep breathing.

Winter's decorations

Fairy Reminder

Today, we can, each of us, look back on our lives and get a glimmering of why something happened and how it fit into the larger mosaic of our lives. And this will continue to be true for us. We have stumbled. We will stumble. And we learn about ourselves, about what makes us stumble and about the methods of picking ourselves up.

Life is a process, a learning process that needs those stumbles to increase our awareness of the steps we need to take to find our dream at the top. None of us could realize the part our stumbling played in the past. But now we see. When we fall, we need to trust that, as before, our falls are "up," not down.

Tinges

QOTW

How do you get rid of your hiccups?




Most times they make me giggle--'cept when they happen at one of 'those' times.  Ya know......The inconvenient times....when you've got to speak and need them to go away.
It's the typical 'hold my breath' solution.
A drink of water and holding my breath.
More holding of my breath.
Another drink of water and more breath holding.
Repetitious swallowing while holding my breath....
And deciding I'm just plain gonna look silly while I'm up there speaking as I'm walking to the podium or wherever I'm mandated to speak......THAT generally does the trick.  Probably the tinge of fear about looking silly that does it, actually.

But if there's no audience--I'm really not feeling a high need to "get rid of 'em"-- They make me giggle.

Today's Fairy Reading

As children, we looked to our parents for love, for clothes and food, for an indication of who we were. If our needs were met, we felt secure. 

As developing adults, we still seek love. 

We continue yearning for security and all too often our self-definition comes through someone else. But a healthy sign of our growth is revealed each time we extend love to another with no thought that love is owed us in return.  

We can show our love in myriad ways - a genuine smile, a note of appreciation, an unexpected favor, perhaps flowers, or a phone call. Warmly giving another attention in any form is an act of love, one that will be repaid in full by someone, at some time.  

The ease with which we genuinely love others is directly proportional to our commitment to loving as a priority in our lives. 

To love is a decision first, an action second, a value next.

The Light of Love

Today's Reminder

The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be either good or evil. --Hannah Arendt  

How often have we found ourselves in a predicament and innocently saying, "How did I get into this?" When someone has been injured by our actions because we failed to think about them, do we take the responsibility? If a friend is unfairly treated on the job, do we take a stand for him? When we know people are starving, what do we do about it? When our loved ones say they are lonely and wish we would talk to them, how do we respond?  

Today,  we have chosen to live by our values. We cannot sit passively and fail to live up to those values. Each situation is different, so we must think about what is called for. When we do not think about our reactions, we are in danger of adding to the evil in the world. When we act upon our principles, we feel more hopeful and wholesome.

Turning the corner

Things that make me happy....

....the new "breathe" mug.

....thrift shops, even when I don't make a purchase.

....redecorating the coffee nook.

....omgosh--the new camera!  Woohooo!!

....going shopping ON MY OWN.

....wandering around the house with nuffin' for that left leg.

....discovering sweaters I forgot in the guestroom closet.

Today's Reading

Cultivating Authenticity

Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we're supposed to be and embracing who we are.

The idea that we can choose authenticity makes most of us feel both hopeful and exhausted. We feel hopeful because being real is something we value. We feel exhausted because most of us know that choosing authenticity is a huge undertaking.

Choosing authenticity means

Cultivating the courage to be imperfect, to set boundaries, and to allow ourselves to be vulnerable;

Exercising the compassion that comes from knowing that we are all made of strength and struggle; and

Nurturing the connection and sense of belonging that can only happen when we believe that we are enough.

Authenticity demands Wholehearted living and loving - even when it's hard, even when we're wrestling with the shame and fear of not being good enough, and especially when the joy is so intense that we're afraid to let ourselves feel it.

Mindfully practicing authenticity during our most soul-searching struggles is how we invite grace, joy and gratitude into our lives

.

Clearly, I need to dust.....

House cleaning

Too much STUFF.
One cupboard gone through....and it's still TOO MUCH STUFF.
It's everywhere.
Not enough open-ness.
I need boxes and trashbags....and a standard.

I know...If I ain't used it in the past six months, toss it.

Right.

With that baseline about all I'll be hanging on to is a pair of crutches and some goofy looking brace with absolutely no current purpose in my life or home.

Dumpster.  That's what I need.
*sigh*

TFTD

Our lives are enriched by the contributions of those who lived before us. 

Many men and women gave more than they ever took from society, and now we enjoy the rewards. Some people were fired with a spirit to beautify the world and planted trees that will live for 200 years. Others wrote music that speaks to us from another generation, and others established a government that guides our principles of justice. They gave so much because they knew they were a part of their community and the world.  

Most of us cannot make the great contributions that will make us famous, but we enrich our lives when we contribute freely to improving our community and the world. We do that when we simply say hello to our neighbor, when we serve on a volunteer cleanup committee for a local park, and when we do kind things for another without expecting rewards. We too have beautified and contributed to the world, and that gives us a feeling of peace and self respect.  

Today, I will appreciate all that comes freely to me from others, and I will give what I can to make the world a better place.

HAPPY RUBBER DUCKIE DAY!!!

Of course I didn't forget.  HOW could I forget?!?
I have 'em lined up on the edge of the bathtub, scattered around the vanity AND hanging from the towel rack!
They are r.e.a.d.y. for the bubble party!!!

*happily humming the Rubber Duckie song*

Winkin', Blinkin' and Howzhedothat

Today's Fairy Thought

A truly powerful force in the universe is that of optimism. Optimism lies at the root of our mental and physical health. Feelings of hope can stimulate the body's immune system and inspire recovery from a critical illness.

  

Optimism expresses itself in the persistence and resilience of living things. A child learning to walk repeatedly falls down and picks himself up until he stands erect. A decade after the eruption of Mount St. Helens destroyed the local ecology, life had reestablished itself on this volcano with amazing abundance and rapidity. And despite its hostile environment, a sole dandelion miraculously pushed itself up through a crack in the concrete. That dandelion was optimistic that it could and would survive.  

In the long run, the forces of love and life always triumph over those of fear and death. No matter how challenging the obstacles or difficult the tests, there is always cause for optimism.

Bit by bit

Out this morning with the new camera, catching sunrise and testing out settings on the new camera.....and then a jaunt to the park to watch eagles, of which there were plenty.  No phenomenal photos to the birdies, I was busy watching and those suckers make a lotta distance in short order.

I learned a few things...but I think I took so many photos they all started looking the same.  LOL. But it's all good.  Uploaded, deleted from the camera....ready to go for another day.  I'm starting to feel a bit pressed for material when I'm limited in where I can get to.  Taking photos from a car window gets old even if you stay warm.

I'm braver without the crutch, and I'm moving around the house without any aid other than the wall...the kitchen counter....the coffee table....the bathroom vanity...  LOL.
Okay...so I might need more practice before I start trying to move around in the great outdoors.....'specially in the frozen midwest.
Ah well, take the progress you get and keep moving.....literally.

Sunrise supreme

Daily Reminder

 Love, and love alone, is capable of giving thee a happier life. --Ludwig van Beethoven  

We are making a response to life's every waking moment; our attitudes formulate the tenor of our responses. When the sun warms our bodies and the flowers tease our nostrils, it may be easy to love everyone and smile. 

When we have a negative attitude, we may snarl and all too quickly criticize innocent bystanders, as well as friends and family. 

All we need is to make a simple decision to look with love as far as our eyes can see.  

When our hearts are God-centered and filled with love and laughter, we'll find no experience too difficult to handle. 

No problem will evade its solution for long.  

An attitude of love promises us gratitude in abundance. We'll never doubt that all is well when love is at our center.

....oohhhhh

While he was out I snagged a new tablecloth, placemats and a chicken wire basket I stuck stars on and plopped a jar in to hold the table napkins.  Kinda made the coffee nook warmer...cept now I need a wall hanging to replace the 50's poster I had there.  Chalkboard maybe....dunno....it'll find me.

AND....dinner's cooking.

AND he's happily bringing me home the camera I decided to ... embrace.  Oh boy...it'll be fun, even if a bit intimidating.
I can go on an adventure and experiment!!
That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Fuzzy Things

Reminder from the Fairy

I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure - try to please everybody. --Herbert Bayard Swope  

Principles are rules or codes of conduct we set for ourselves; like being honest, striving to be on time, and taking responsibility for bills and expenses. It is up to us to abide by these principles.  When we compromise a principle for someone else's benefit, we jeopardize the strength of that principle and its importance to us. 

If we want to be honest, then lying to cover up another's actions compromises that principle. 

If we want to be on time and someone makes demands that cause us to arrive late, we have compromised ourselves and let someone else's desire dominate.  

We need to set certain standards for ourselves and abide by them, even if another person will not be pleased. 

To let principles trump over the demands and desires of another is a victory for our inner peace. 

If we are true to ourselves, we will learn we can count on ourselves no matter what.

Just a tad bit