Thoughts
Thoughts and feelings on the challenges and gifts of life.
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A Somerset Life and Giveaway * Winner Chosen
So I picked a name out of a hat and the winner is . . . . . Marianne B in AZ. Congratulations. I’ll notify Stampington to send your copy of Somerset Life your way. Thank you Stampington! Some of you are familiar with Stampington and Company’s beautiful publications. For others, maybe you have never had the pleasure to experience these amazing periodicals. They are so beautifully done. From the artwork collected, the well written informative and inspiring articles, the thick lovely pages, layout and more, each issue is packed full of creative goodness. Stampington’s family of publications span so many creative venues; Bella Grace (photos and stories), Art Journaling, Bella…
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Getting Creative with the Crock Pot ~ A Quick Delish Meal
My crockpots are so well loved. I have a family of crockpots; a large one, medium sized and one for keeping things warm like dips or appetizers. I also have a tri crockpot station that keeps three things warm at a time; great for entertaining. Well, these last couple months have been the busiest in a long time with graduation and award ceremonies, friends who are graduating, overtime and being short staffed at work, getting ready to move our girl to Montana for college, and so much more. I work full time (ten hour days), head to the Dojo (Karate/Kickboxing) and then home to fix the family something filling. I’m…
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Ode to the Power of Community
I’ve been a little MIA here on the blog but thought I’d share why. A dear friend and co-worker was diagnosed with lung cancer about a year and a half ago. She has been such a fighter. She has never smoked and lived a pretty healthy life. The cancer metastasized and has spread everywhere. She’s currently on hospice and I’ve been spending time attempting to be a support to her and her family. In fact, her work family has been amazing rallying around Joel. She is a single mom of two wonderful boys; ages 9 and 14. Oh the heart! It’s been amazing to see the outpouring of love and…
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DCWV Planner Review – Love
Hello all! I’m thrilled to share with you DCWV planners. You may know DCWV (Die Cuts with a View) as a leader in paper crafting, home decor, and beautiful jewelry supplies. They have been a long standing strong company in business for over 20 years. They do an amazing job and offering inspiration, creativity at a great value. At first impression while opening the box containing this beautiful DCWV planner was the feel of the cover. The cover is made of a faux lovely leather, my specific planner, red in color. I love the soft feel of it. I also loved the color and quality. The planner seems sturdy and durable…
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Capturing Memories in Your Planner
There are so many planners that I absolutely love ~ some that I own and some that I’d like to own. I use certain planners for certain things as many planner girls do. Oh the beautiful designs out right now. I’m excited to review a new planner here in a week or so . . . stay tuned. It’s in the mail and I’m thrilled to share more. Today, I thought I’d share why I chose Heidi Swapps’s Memory planner this year. Life can get so busy, right? Isn’t that why we need planners? In the midst of the ‘getting it done’ and ‘staying organized’, I still want to cherish and preserve the…
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Martial Arts – Yes Arts
A few months back, a friend and I had a conversation about breast cancer and then kickboxing. This friend owns multiple martial arts studios. I shared with him that I’ve always wanted to give kick boxing a try. Lo and behold, about a week later I had a pair of pink boxing gloves on my desk with a gift certificate to try out kick boxing. Well, I fell in love with kickboxing and martial arts. I attend United Studios of Self Defense (USSD) Mission Viejo North. I had never been exposed to martial arts (except in the police academy when we were given one weaponless defense course). The Sensei’s (instructors)…
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Wishing You Joy in the New Year
Some years are more difficult than others. We all know that life holds ups and downs . . . it’s like a roller coaster. But oh we do have the choice to scream or hold on during the adventure and enjoy the peaks. I am hoping and praying a beautiful 2017 for you! Know that you have enriched my life journey and for that I’m grateful! Warmest wishes!
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Warmest Christmas Wishes ~ A Brief Message of Hope
While we may celebrate differently, while this Christmas may hold heartache, loss, trauma or joy, peace and love; I pray you can know the HOPE of Christmas! May you know peace, joy, love, and the gift of His and your loved ones Presence. Each day is a gift! I pray you can open these next couple days and thoroughly enjoy the contents! I was talking with a friend today about how we have been through; some tough life stuff. I imagine you have too! We chatted about the fact that even in the tough and ugly stuff, there is HOPE and what I call ‘gifts in the journey.’…
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~ 100 Days to Christmas Countdown ~
‘We need a little Christmas . . . right this very minute’ . . . Yes! The countdown is on and over at Paperless Post they are celebrating 100 Days to Christmas Countdown. I was inspired by Christmas cards over at Paperless Post. Feel free to check out their Christmas cards here as we prepare for the season. So in tune with Christmas, we were chatting recently about Christmas traditions. No, it’s not too early as I’ve been planning my Logan’s tradition (more to come) since August 1st per their request. Christmas is such a time of hope. While most of the time Christmas is joyous, there are those times where…
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The Strength in Scars
Scars . . . we all have them. Some are visible, some not. Some are emotional, burned onto our soul while others are there for the world to see. Some are scars we just see. Some we hide, some we can’t. No matter, scars are reminders of where we have been, what we’ve endured and how we’ve made it out with the choice to tell our story. It’s been not quite 3 1/2 years since I had a double mastectomy due to a breast cancer diagnosis. About a year after this major surgery and several surgeries after that, I endured some very deep emotional scars due to a tragedy that took place in our…
