Simply Sunday: A Happy Life

Wow! It's been a long time since I've been on here.

This morning, I was sitting here in my peaceful, quiet home and I started thinking about my crazy life over the past months. I feel like I have had to fight to find those peaceful moments to just pause, think and regroup. No one said having a big family was simple and easy, but it is so worth it.

Just a bit ago, Lucy was snuggling on my lap and she looked up at me and said, "You make me happy." She then squeezed my neck tight and said, "We have a happy life, right mom?"

Such a simple question, yet it has made me think of so many things. 

And the one thing that stands out the most is that, 

YES.....we have a happy life.

We have a crazy and chaotic life.

We have a life filled with challenges that can be tricky.

We lots of people who live in this house, who all have their own individual trials.

But, yes.

I do believe we have a happy life.

And I believe we have a happy life because we have each other.

We have a home full of cute little people who make decisions every day to find happiness.

They choose to be happy.

As I watch them do this, it makes me very proud of them.

Am I happy?

Yes.

I am.

I have a happy life because of them.

Simply Sunday: A Happy Spirit, my friend Amy.

Today I'm grateful for my new friend Amy.

Just look at her cute face.

How can you not completely love her already?

Why Amy?

Well.....SO MANY reasons, but most of them are 

personal to the two of us.

But, I will do my best to share some of my reasoning with you.

I haven't known Amy that long. 

 In fact, really just a very short time.

But, I love her so dearly already.

I feel like Amy knows my heart

And I feel like I know hers.

Because our sweet friendship is new, there are many things I don't know about Amy. 

But this one thing I know for certain.....

Amy has a happy spirit.

She really does.

She has gone through a challenge lately that has been a bit tricky.

And yet, she remains happy.

She chooses to look at all the great things in her life.

And in doing so, she hangs on to her happy spirit.

I love that about my sweet Amy.

Because she's like that, it makes her so easy to be around. 

It's contagious and it makes me want to follow her lead.

 

 Today, I'm grateful for Amy.

I'm grateful for her goodness.

I'm grateful for her example.

I'm grateful for this sweet new friendship.

And I'm very grateful for her happy spirit.

We would all be better to follow her lead and be happy in spite of the challenges of life.

I love you Amy-girl.

My Kindness for Today?

A week ago, we had a craft day at the church.

I was busy teaching a class, so didn't have the chance to do some of the things I signed up for. 

Well, meet Sarah, my other cute new friend.

Her and another friend Ava (no picture) decided to do my craft for me.

They had other classes to go to, but instead they sat and made these for me.
And they made them SO CUTE!

I will always cherish these little homemade trivets because they were made with love.

I'm so grateful to have such happy and loving people in my life.

Thank you, my new sweet friends.

Simply Sunday: Grateful for some wonderful people.

I got up this morning and started thinking about what I would write about today.

As I went through the day, I realized that today I was feeling grateful for the people I shared my day with.

I'm grateful to be a member of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
And I'm so grateful to share my life with some amazing people!
I can't introduce them all to you, but let me share
a few of them with you.

They all mean so much to me,
but for many different reasons.


Right now I have the wonderful blessing of working
with the children at church.
And I can't tell you how much I love them.
It does my heart good to walk in the room and to see them all sitting there.
I see their smiles, I hear their excited whispers to each other,
I see them truly listening and wanting to learn.
Then I hear their voices.
The voice of a child is one of the best sounds.
Well.....almost all the time. :)

I love all these kiddos.
But, the voice of this one stands out from the rest.
This is my little buddy.
He loves coming to church, but he loves singing time even more.
It's hard to describe what I feel when he sings.
We sing a song, The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock.
And this little cutie sings it with so much excitement and volume.
It makes me smile every time. And it makes me so thankful that I get to see him every Sunday.




Every Sunday we sit on the same bench. I think people know that the Blaylock Bunch needs the big long bench right up front.
We always sit in front of these two.

And I love it. I really have two moms here. This is Mama Penny and I can't imagine life without her. She is wonderful in every possible way. And then there's her cute little husband. Sitting in front of him has become one of my favorite things at church. He's H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S.  He sits behind us and makes the funniest little comments under his breath. And the funniest thing is that I don't think he knows how much we can hear. Well.....he probably does now. HAHAHA! 

He keeps me thoroughly entertained. 

I LOVE THESE TWO.

And I owe them a debt of gratitude for too many things to list.

My Kindness for Today?

Well, that came from this cute lady.

I got the sweetest card from her today. 

Sometimes it's the small things that mean the most.

Thank you Ginger. 

I love you.....so very much. 

Then, the highlight of my day was Charlie.

He is so very dear to me.

But, he's very sick and not doing well.

Charlie hasn't been to church for a while, and I miss him every week. 

Today he was there and it made my whole day.

I love you Charlie. I love that you are my friend.

I'm grateful for the example you are to us all of endurance and strength.

So, today, I'm feeling grateful for my church family. 

I could tell you something good about everyone.

They are so good to this crazy Blaylock Bunch, 

and they make our life here in Tennessee a very happy one.

Simply Sunday: Make It Work!

The other night I was sitting on the couch watching tv 

while Ricky was studying.

I glanced over and tried really hard to hold my gut giggle in. 

I got up very slowly and quietly walked to the cupboard 

where my camera was.

Very stealthily I made my way back to my spot on the couch.

Then.....

CLICK

I got this beauty!

Once I took the picture, I finally let my gut giggle out.

In the middle of my laughing I asked him what was with the two pairs of glasses?

He then told me that the bottom pair was for reading,

and the top pair was for when he wanted to watch the tv.

I laughed again and then thought,

"HOW DARLING IS THIS MAN?"

The more I think about it, the more I love it.

Here sat a man who did what he needed to do to make it work.

And he does this all the time.

In his mind, there's never a problem without a solution.

Sometimes the solutions are hard, and sometimes he's not quite sure what the solution is.

But, he absolutely knows there is one.

He's not a quitter.

And he's been a great example to me.

Life is quirky.

It's full of crazy things that don't go the way we think they should.

Sometimes we are faced with things that 

we have to fix, solve or figure out.

It's life.

And it can be tricky.

But, I love Ricky's attitude of.....

 

Don't get me wrong.

He gets discouraged just like everyone else.

But, soon, he's trying to figure out how to make it work. 

It's comforting to be with someone like that. 

He makes everything seem ok.

He makes it easy to believe that there really are
solutions to problems.
That there are ways to get through tough things.
He never tells me that we won't go through tough things,
or that everything will always work out the way we want it to.

But, he ALWAYS reassures me that things WILL work out and that everything will be ok.

And I always believe him.
  

I love people like that.

I love Ricky.

Simply Sunday: My Belief in Jesus Christ

My Happy Sabbath

I had a wonderful day at church today. 

Nothing huge happened.
No grand or glorious moments.

But, I felt complete peace.
I felt strengthened.
I felt recharged to deal with my everyday life this week.

But, the best part of Sundays for me is having one day a week that is set aside to focus on Jesus Christ.

I can't tell you how much I love Sundays.
I need that one day a week that's different from the rest.
I need that one day where life slows down, where I REALLY focus on the things that are most important.
I love the 'feel' of Sundays.
I love that they feel important.
I love that I get to spend the day with my family.
And I love that on Sundays, my thoughts turn to the things that are most important to me.

Since this blog is a journal in some ways for me, I want to express my love for my Savior Jesus Christ.

No matter who you are, no matter what you believe, no matter what you call Him, you can't get away from the fact that He really does make everything better.

For me personally, I need my relationship with the Lord. 

I need the peace and strength that He gives, exactly when I need it. 

I need the reassurance that comes when I rely on Him.

I need the help only He can give when I feel weighed down.

Simply put, I need Him.

I believe that He's real.

I believe that He knows me personally.

I believe that He loves me.

I believe that He stands by ready to help and guide.

I believe that He cheers me on and wants
the very best things for me.
I believe that He lives.
I believe that He understands my fears, my hopes, and all that
is in my heart.

And I love Him.

Today, knowing who He is fills my heart with a great deal of joy.

Simply Sunday: A Happy Heart: A Child's Heart

I know I've said it before, but I love my Sundays. I've been thinking a lot today about the pressures of life. It's so easy to get lost in the day-to-day stresses of life, and I don't enjoy that. I believe that life is meant to be enjoyed, regardless of our age or circumstance. Yet, for some reason that's really hard to remember as adults.

I typically don't get out of bed every morning ready to party the day away. I get out of bed and deal with real life. Kids who are amazing.....but, they are real kids. A life that is wonderful.....but, it's the real deal with real stresses, just like everyone else. And everything else in between. I think I'm generally a happy person, so at the end of the day, I want to feel like I really enjoyed it. And on the not-so-enjoyable days, I want to feel like it was still worth it. I don't want to get so hardened by life that I don't feel those things any more. How do I do that? Well, my kids are my best reminders.

I looked out the window the other day and four of my cutie-cuties had created their own little world in the backyard. I watched them as they dragged logs over for their seats, they had made wands out of sticks and flowers, they created some makeshift cauldron which had some scary looking magical potion in it, all while enjoying their left-over Easter candy. They laughed and danced around the yard. They used 'magical powers' and had the time of their life.

I loved watching them.

It brought back memories of my own childhood. Then I started thinking of our other children. They are all clever kids and know how to entertain themselves. We don't have many fancy gadgets and gizmos in our house, and we don't typically go out to places for entertainment. They also know better than to tell me they are bored. All these things have made our kids good at entertaining themselves. They laugh with each other, they play with each other and they use their imagination. They are learning that life is what you make it. They are learning that no one is here to entertain them. They are learning to create their own happiness.

And I love that for them.

There is a childlike innocence you feel when you are around kids like that.

When I see them in action, it's a good reminder to hang onto that little part of me inside that still knows how to have fun. The part that knows how to create happiness and the part that can still enjoy life like I did as a child. It reminds me to not get lost in the seriousness of life, but to still make time to be silly, to laugh and to enjoy the fun little moments that make your heart happy.

I agree. 

I don't want to grow up completely.

I want to hang onto those childlike tendencies. I don't want to just live my life, but I want to love it.

Watching my kids play, hearing them laugh, seeing how they love their lives makes my heart happy today.

A Happy Heart: Simply Sunday: A Voice of Warning

We have a big round driveway in front of our home. With a big family, it's great to have many options for parking, and different options for getting in and out. 

I typically park in the middle of the round driveway, right in front of my house.

But, yesterday I pulled straight in, and decided not to pull in front of the house because I was in the shade and was planning on leaving again shortly. So, I put it in park and got ready to get out. But, then I had a random thought, "just pull up the rest of the way." Without even thinking about it, I turned the car back on and pulled up in front of the house and went inside.

A couple minutes later, there was a loud noise. When I walked by the window, I saw it.

A HUGE branch had broken off a large tree and had fallen right where my van had been previously parked.

When I went outside, I realized how big the branch was. The trees that line our property on both sides are enormous. I love them because they give us some great shade, but when the limbs come down, it's no laughing matter.

And this branch was no exception. I realized that if I had not listened and moved my van, it would have been crunched.....REALLY CRUNCHED.

(the picture really doesn't do it justice)

I was immediately filled with gratitude for numerous things.

One, a voice of warning that came.

Two, my immediate response to listen to that voice without hesitation. I'm grateful that I was taught by really wonderful parents that I should always listen when I get thoughts like that.

And three, the knowledge that someone greater was aware of us and our needs.

I'm so thankful for that small whispering voice that came.

Having a van that isn't crunched.....well, that makes my heart REALLY happy!

Simply Sunday: My Birthday

Well, it's official. I'm another year older and it was a wonderful birthday.
Can I just say AGAIN how wonderful my family is?
Ricky treated me to a wonderful dinner out and my kids were very good to me.
Every year I get the best homemade cards from them and to me, they are treasures. A lot of our kids are boys, so they don't tend to be all mushy and gushy like us girls. But when they make me a card, they always try their best to communicate what they are feeling. It's such a special treat and I keep every single one. 

Having birthdays in the middle of your life is an interesting thing.

On most days, in my confused brain, I still feel like I'm 18. 

My memories from growing up are still so vivid in my mind, and those moments don't seem as far away as they really are.

It's strange.

Emotionally and mentally, I don't feel 44. Some will laugh at that. But, I just don't. Not that I know what 44 should feel like. But, I thought that when I hit my 40's, I would have it all figured out. Because when I was growing up, the people in their 40's had EVERYTHING figured out! They were perfect in my eyes! 

HA!

Now I'm here and I see how ridiculously untrue that is.

While there are many things I'm still working on, there ARE SOME things that I've figured out.

My childhood myth: I planned my life. I knew where I would live, how many kids I would have, had my list of the PERFECT qualifications that my husband would have, and just KNEW that I would have the perfect life and that everything would go according to plan. 

My Reality: Life really, honestly is what you make it. It's not perfect. Things don't always go the way you plan them. And you have to be flexible, patient and accepting of your life to really be happy with it. There are really hard things that we'll go through. And I've learned that with each hard thing, I am a stronger, better person. I've learned to really be grateful that my life didn't turn out exactly how I planned as a child. It's so much better.

My Childhood Myth: I think I really almost believed that money grew on trees. I had awesome parents, who had 10 kids, and I don't remember doing without the things that were most important. If we needed something, it was there!
My Reality: As I got older, I realized that there was no magic money tree, but magical parents who made every sacrifice necessary to take care of the family they loved. And I love them for that. I WISH money grew on trees. But, I'm also surprised at what we can actually do without. It's been an amazing experience to have this many kids. Very difficult at times as we try to meet everyone's needs, but they ask for so very little. We have learned that wordly things don't bring happiness. But, these nine kids sure do.

My Childhood Myth: That I would marry a perfect man and that I would be a perfect wife. We would be in love, and live happily ever after.
My Reality: Well, I didn't marry a perfect man, but he is perfect for me. I am also not the perfect wife. But, I believe that I am perfect for him. We make each other better. We make each other stronger. And we make each other happy. But it is hard work. It's a choice we both make every day. Marriage is definitely work. It's requires constant focus and effort. But, I do still believe that I will live happily ever after.

My Childhood Myth: To be as valuable as others, I needed to be as skinny, have the best clothes, be as pretty as them, sing as well as them, be as smart, etc. etc. etc.
My Reality: That I am just as valuable and as loved.....just the way I am. I'm not the skinniest, the prettiest, don't have the newest, most stylish clothes, don't do many things as well as others, and I'm definitely not the smartest. But, I really like ME. I've worked really hard to be ME. And although I have insecurities like everyone else, I'm so much more comfortable and content being just me.

My Childhood Myth: I would be the PERFECT mother. I would never lose my temper. I would have fun crafts and games ALL THE TIME, I would cook elaborate fancy meals, I would be the perfect teacher of everything good and important, my kids would be perfectly well behaved, they would think I was the COOLEST mom EVER.....all the time. And in our home you would never hear a cross word, because I, the perfect mother, would know how to solve all things.
My Reality: Well, it's just that. It's reality. There is no perfect mother. And I am no exception. But, I love the chance to try to be a really good mom. I have days where I do better than others, and other days when I feel like I totally blew it. My kids have challenges, some of which I know how to help with, and others that I have no clue. But, I try every day. And on some days it's really hard. Harder than I ever thought it would be. But, worth it. Soooo very worth it.

So, although my reality is so different than I pictured when I was growing up, it's wonderful. It's challenging, it's hard, it's filled with many things I have to struggle to figure out, but it's also really great. My life is filled with happy and joyful moments that balance everything out. If I let it. I'm grateful to have been on this earth for 44 years. It's been a crazy 44 years, and I hope I have many more. 

It's been a very happy birthday.

I'm so happy I'm here living this crazy life!!

Simply Sunday: Do Not Run Faster

Enough.

Today I've been thinking about a lot of things. 

Lately we've had a lot of sick kids, crazy schedules, stressful "stuff", 

and life has just seemed a bit more out of balance on some days.

I even stopped taking time to post things on my blog to try to find some balance again.

I grew up in a home of 10 kids.

8 of those 10 kids were girls.

And 8 of those girls are over achievers.

We all have a struggle at times finding our balance.

And it's mainly because we all love to give.....and we all love to give the best we can.

And then after we give the best we can, we sit and kick ourselves for not giving more.

hahaha! 

I have sisters who will read this and they will KNOW that I speak the truth! 

And then they will laugh.

There are some days when all that I want to give and all that I need to do, just isn't possible.

 And that can be discouraging.

I was sitting the other night, with 20 gazillion things that I needed to do...and wanted to do. But, then Lucy came up to me with her book and wanted to read it. I told her, "We'll read it in just a little bit", but she came back.....and then came back again. I stopped and looked at her and realized that nothing at that moment was more important than sitting down and reading a book to her. 

So, we sat and read, "Llama, Llama, Mad at Mama".

I don't want it be "Lucy, Lucy, Mad at Mama", so I'm grateful for the little reminder to re-prioritize what I was doing to make time for that which was most important.

I love this saying. 

To me it's a reminder that I need to have balance. 

I need to be patient with what I CAN do.....and patient with what I can't. 

On some days, what I have to give is an awful lot. And I can do great things. But, on the days when I can't do as much, I'm grateful to know that it's ok. That I'M ok. That what I have to give really is enough. And that even on those days, I can still do great things.

Reading to my Lucy was a great thing.

Sitting and having a conversation with Charity on my bed was a great thing.

Taking some time to go to the boy's room and talking to them about their day was a great thing.

The laundry didn't get finished, the kitchen floor was still sticky and my desk is STILL a mess.

But, what I COULD do, was enough.

And I'm grateful to know that.

Simply Sunday: I Love...Say Something Nice

Today I Love People Who Say Kind Things!

Tonight's post is short and sweet. 

I love kind people. 

I love people who take the time to say something kind.

And I love the difference it makes in my life when they do so.

To say something kind requires such little effort on our part, 

but has the potential to be powerful in the life of the person on the receiving end.

I went in my bedroom tonight and found a very touching handwritten letter, from an incredibly sweet child. 

No big fancy words were used. No beautiful stationary.

But, what that child expressed to me touched my heart in a way that's hard to describe. 

He has no idea.

And I don't know how to adequately let him know what that note meant.

I've had other kind words expressed this week 

by friends who took time out of their lives to do so.

And it has meant so much.

So, today I love kind words.

I love the power that lies in kind words.

I love the thought behind those words.

And that sweet boy?

I love him dearly.

Simply Sunday: I Love...This Too Shall Pass

I Love That This Too Shall Pass!

This is my mother's favorite saying!

I love it, but it also makes me want to punch someone!
hahahaha!

Sometimes, I don't want to hear it. 

I want to just enjoy my pity-party for a moment.

But, I know she's right.

darnit.

My heart is full as I write this post.

Sometimes life can be so hard. 

And right now life is really hard for some very special people I love.

It's so hard to sit by and watch people I love struggle.

They have been in my heart today and it has made me think about 

some of my own challenges that I have been through.

I believe that life is meant to be joyful.
I believe that there's happiness always within our reach.

But, I also know that life will be hard at times.
There's no escaping that.

Challenges and trials are never fun. 

Matter of fact they just down right STINK! 

They can weaken the strongest soul 

and darkest the brightest spirit. 

I've had some doozies, and I've had to figure out 

my own way of dealing with them. 

I will never claim to have dealt with all of my challenges perfectly. 

Matter of fact, none of them. 

But, I've had to deal with them in spite of 

my weaknesses and shortcomings.

I have been discouraged, lonely, heartbroken, afraid,
lacking answers and guidance, and frustrated.

At the time, those feelings have been very powerful and very real.
When I have struggled, I've always known I'm not alone,
but sometimes at the moment, it has sure felt like it.

I have wanted answers that didn't seem to come.
I have wanted to have a crystal ball to see
exactly HOW it would all magically work out.
And I have wanted to have those moments of
discouragement and despair just disappear.

But, just like any other normal person, those things typically don't happen.

Just like everyone else, I've had to struggle through dark moments.
And through my struggles, my faith has been tried and tested.

To me, faith is very real and hope is a must.

I was taught at a very young age that faith was absolutely necessary in this life. My parents taught me to trust in a loving Father in Heaven who knew me personally. They taught me that He was aware of my fears, my weaknesses and knew the things that were very important to me. And that He cared about those things. No matter how insignificant those things were, He still cared.

And I'm very thankful they taught me that.

Because THAT is how I've made it through every trial, 

every heartache and every challenge in my life.

I believe that!

I believe that this life will never be without heartache or challenges. And I believe that there's a purpose for that. I believe that when we go through these things, it makes us stronger. It refines us. It teaches us that we are capable of great things. I believe that our challenges keep us humble and they help remind us that we really do need help. I'm thankful for that too. Because I tend to try to do things on my own sometimes. And with just me running the show, it can get kind of scary!

I love the people in my life. 

I believe they are capable of great things.

They have great strength and faith.....especially when they don't feel like they do.

Today, 

I love my brave friends.

I love them for enduring their challenges well.

I love them for their humility, for their strength, for their faith and for their goodness.

May you find the peace and strength that you need.

Until then, eat some chocolate. 

Have a good cry.

Punch your pillow hard.

And keep moving forward.....one step at a time.

Simply Sunday: I Love...Small Things

I Love The Small Things

Life really is about the small things. 

It's the smile that says "I'm happy to see you".

It's the child who washes my dirty dish.....just because.

It's the husband who helps catch up the laundry.

It's the friend who writes a loving note.

It's the example of someone who is bravely enduring their challenges.

It's the child who tells the truth.....because in their mind there is no other option.

It's the phone call from a beloved sister.

Lots of small things.

But none of them seem small to me.

And they are all done with great love.

I've been trying to do small things this month. I will never be one of those who always does big, fancy elaborate things. Most of the things I do are small, and sometimes I feel like they may be somewhat insignificant. 

But, I'm reminded that the small things sometimes matter the most.

And it makes me feel better about the small things that I CAN do.

Because they are done with so much love.

Here are some things I've done this week. 

And you'll see right away that it's nothing impressive or grand. 

But, the point is that I did them.

And I know they make a difference.

I wrote things I loved about everyone and stuck them up!

And some just for Big Daddy.

See? 

Nothing impressive.

No homemade paper made from scraps of wood in my backyard, no fancy ribbon that I knitted from Zoe kitty's hair.

Just plain paper and a pen.

Simple. Small.

And important.

The grandness of what we do isn't the most important thing.
It's the fact that we do SOMETHING that lets the people in our lives know that we love them. 

Sometimes the smallest things show it the best!

Simply Sunday: I Love...To Give

I LOVE TO GIVE!

And I owe that to this amazing lady...(and my super terrific dad)!

I just need to go off on a tangent for a minute.

I love my mom.
Actually, I REALLY love my mom.
And I love her expression in this picture.
To me it says "love".
And it makes me get a bit teary-eyed.

...ok.
sniffle, sniffle

Back to the post.

I was taught at a very young age of the importance of serving. It is one of my parent's greatest examples to me. They were always doing things for others. Sometimes these things required great sacrifices from my parents, but that would never stop them.

Now that I'm older.....I understand why.

I've learned that to give requires very little at times, but other times it may require a lot. I've learned from watching my parents, that those are the times when it the most rewarding. Now, don't be mistaken and think that this is always easy for me. Sometimes I know I should do something for someone else and it's hard. Sometimes it's not the most convenient time. Sometimes what is required is not easy. But, I have learned that those are the moments when I need to act on it the most, especially if it's hard.

I have been blessed to be surrounded in my life by those who are such wonderful examples of giving of themselves. Their examples have blessed my life and have strengthened my desire to give, to love, to serve and to find ways to hopefully make a difference in this life. As a mom, I can't think of very many other things that I really want to instill in our kids more than this. I want them to love to serve. I want them to love people enough to want to do this. I want them to be aware of those around them who may need them. And I want them to learn the value of acting on it.

They are great kids and are off to a great start.

When I think of giving of one's self, I think of my friend Kay.

She's darling.

And she's so very special. 

Anyone who knows her will agree with me that her life is about giving.

She would give the shirt off her back if she thought it would help.
It honestly wouldn't surprise me if that had already happened!
I hope not! But, it wouldn't surprise me! :)

SO...

Because this is the month of LOVE, I really want to give.

It really is my favorite thing to do.

Why? I think because it makes me SO happy inside.
Practically giddy at times. 

Anyhooooo...

I thought it would be so fun to give something to you!
If you are reading this, then I may have something for YOU!

I love to make things.
I don't make anything super spectacular, but I've got a few cute little things up my sleeves!

Interested?

All you have to do is leave a comment about something you love...or someone you love.

On Monday, I'm going to randomly draw 10 names and send you something special. I don't want to tell you what, because I want to see who the 10 are. I want to make it something special just for you. There are a couple of things I'm thinking about...and I'm really excited. If you're a guy, I've got ya' covered! I promise I won't send you anything girly. I'm always up for a good challenge! :)

Please make sure you sign your name so I know who you are. I'll contact you for your address if I need it. If I have less than 10 comments, then you'll ALL get something! :)

So, share the love.

...and receive some in return.

Then share some more love with someone else!

Simply Sunday: All is Well

All is Well

Again, a wonderful Sunday!
 I can't tell you how happy Sunday's make me.

So...onto sharing something that makes me feel stronger, reassured and more at peace.

We all have those sayings in life that click in our minds and in our hearts and just plain work.

This is one of my favorites.

How can you argue with that?

Life can just be plain hard sometimes. There are always things that cause pain, stress, frustrations and worry. And the yucky part is, many times we have no control over those things (unless you have superhero powers...which I don't). We are all going to have them. And when those struggles come, MAN can they be hard! For me, that is where the saying "All is Well" comes in. It's a reminder that even though things are hard, eventually it does get better. It's a reminder that challenges aren't necessarily bad things. It's a reminder that even when I don't see the answer or solution, I know that at some point I will. And it's a reminder that even when things are hard...REALLY hard, things can still be good. I can still find peace and I can still believe in something better.

I added the just breathe part, because quite frankly there are days when that is what it takes. Just breathe. Just move forward one step at a time. Sometimes we don't have the answers and feel like we don't have the strength. On those days we are required to trust and believe...then take a big breath...and keep living life.

Keely once asked me why I always said this. And I told her because it helps me to rise above my fear and discouragement. Sometimes I just need to be able to believe that everything really is ok...or at least it will be. I want my kids to believe that.

When I remind myself of this saying, I somehow feel peace. I feel stronger. And I feel like all really will be well. Even if I don't understand how.

I love sayings like that.

All really is well.
That I know.

Simply Sunday: Best Day EVER!!

I'm learning that the simple things in life make me the happiest. The older I get, the more joy I find in life's simplicities. It takes very little to make me smile, to make me laugh or to make me love someone. For me, Sundays are one of those simple things. It feels so different than any other day of the week, and I love that. We get up, go to church and hunker down for the rest of the day as a family. We don't go anywhere or do anything fancy, we don't do a lot of things that we do on the other days of the week. And because of that it is the most special day of the week. It just feels different. It feels calmer and more peaceful and I feel like I get to recharge my batteries for the rest of the week. So, on Sundays I thought I would share some of the simple things that make me think, that make me grateful, that make me feel strengthened and that make me happy.

Best Day EVER!

Luke started a saying in our home when he was little. When anything good or exciting happened, he would shout,

"It's the best day EVER!"

It has now been passed on to Lucy who says,

"It's the best day EBBER!"
(combined with her "thumbs up" of course)

The other day I told Lucy that we had to go to the bank. She asked if she got a sucker. When I said, "yes",  she says,

"It's the best day EBBER!"

...all because of a sucker.

So, this has started me thinking. I have been paying attention to the things that make the two of them say this. It has been humbling to see life through the eyes of a child. They manage to find joy in the simplest of things. How awesome would life be if just going to the bank and getting a sucker made me feel THAT excited? Unless it's the yucky pink one...why do those taste so bitter? Anyhoooo...my goal this week has been to find joy in the small things. I've tried to find something every day and here are my "best day EVER" moments.

• I was sitting and talking to Ricky on the couch the other night, and he kept stopping and saying, "You are so beautiful!!". I don't remember any better moment in my day than that. Especially when you consider what I may look like at the end of a long day. :) I love him.
• I walked into the boys room to wake them up and even though they are big teenage boys, they still look so young and innocent while they sleep. They are the best boys EVER! :)
• Israel said the prayer at dinner and expressed gratitude for me. Such a small gesture, but it means everything to me. Little does he know that I am the one who is grateful for him.
• Zach pulled Luke up on his lap and just wanted to hold him.  
• Hearing the silence in my house first thing in the morning. For just a few moments I felt like everything in the world was perfect.
• Had a good conversation with a good friend. It wasn't about anything important, but it really is one of those simple things that makes me so very happy.
• Listening to Keely sing her little heart out to some teeny bopper song in her bedroom
• Feeling reassured that what I have to give, really is good enough.

Simply put, this week has been filled with many thoughts of "It's the best day EVER!"