"This is your life. Do what you love, and do it often, if you don't like something, change it. If you are looking for the love of your life, stop; they will be waiting for you when you start doing things that you love. Stop over analyzing, life is simple.  All emotions are beautiful. Open your arms, mind, and heart to new things and people, we are united in our differences. Travel often, getting lost will help you find yourself. Some opportunities only come once, seize them. Life is about the people that you meet and the things that you create with them so go out and start creating. Life is short, live your dreams."

{ Mothers }

 

{ Full credit: 320 Sycamore: http://granvillehouse.blogspot.com/ }

{ Within }

"I wonder if you sisters fully understand the greatness of your gifts and talents and how all of you can achieve the “highest place of honor” in the Church and in the world. One of your unique, precious, and sublime gifts is your femininity, with its natural grace, goodness, and divinity. Femininity is not just lipstick, stylish hairdos, and trendy clothes. It is the divine adornment of humanity. It finds expression in your qualities of your capacity to love, your spirituality, delicacy, radiance, sensitivity, creativity, charm, graciousness, gentleness, dignity, and quiet strength. It is manifest differently in each girl or woman, but each of you possesses it. Femininity is part of your inner beauty."

{James E. Faust ~ The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints}

"Pretty isn't in a dress, a lipstick, or a perfect body.  Pretty radiates from a confident, feminine, comfortable soul.  Dress your soul in these qualities first, and you will look beautiful no matter how simply you are dressed. "

{Stephanie Nielson ~ NieNieDialogues.Blogspot.Com}

{ God Bless the USA }

If tomorrow all the things were gone, I’d worked for all my life.
And I had to start again, with just my children and my wife.

I’d thank my lucky stars, to be livin' here today.
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
and they can’t take that away.

{Independence Day 2010, Utah}

And I’m proud to be an American, 

where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
{ God bless the USA }

{ Circle of Friends }

"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life."

{Bob Marley}

{ #perceptionISreality }

{ #AttitudeOfGratitude }

{ #realtalk }

{ Be Still My Soul }

{ Our Light Within }

Please "pause the music playlist on the right -------->

{Virtue}
Because I love the Father

I want the minds of men to be lifted

When they look at me

Because I am His daughter

I want my devotion to him

To be what they see

I don't need the attention of immodesty

I am confident in my divinity

I didn't come to earth to compromise

I came here to hold up my light

No matter what the world may do

I’m a daughter of God

And I'm holding on to virtue

I want to lead a life that

Is full of so much good

It attracts the light to me

So I'm trusting in my Father

To magnify the beauty

He has placed in me

I am confident in my divinity

{Jenny Phillips}

I loved this quote from Charity, the girl in the video:

"When I see someone who is modest I feel like they understand who they are."

They know they are a daughter of God.

{the song VIRTUE is #5 on my playlist by Jenny Phillips if you want to listen to it}

{ Create }

{ Those Closest }

laur-laur was our guest of honor this fine day

{ #Truth }

{ Paralyzed, but not Within }

{Stone Harbor, New Jersey 2010} 

{In the name of the best within you, do not sacrifice this world to those who are its worst.

In the name of the values that keep you alive, do not let your vision of man

be distorted by the ugly, the cowardly, the mindless 

in those who have never achieved his title.

Do not lose your knowledge that man's proper estate is an upright posture, 

an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. 

Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, 

in the hopeless swamps of the approximate,

the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. 

Do not let the  {hero} in your soul perish, 

in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach.

Check your road and the nature of your battle. 

The world you desired can be won,  
it exists, it is real, it is possible, it's yours}

 Ayn Rand

{ Lessons }

While we try to teach our children all about life, 

Our children teach us       

what life is all about.

~Angela Schwindt

{ Under Construction: the soul }

:: Put yourself in the position of the one who has hurt you ::

A long time ago you hurt someone, whether in a large or a petty way, 

you did or said something that caused them pain. When you see this person today, how do you feel?

Guilty? Awkward? Uncomfortable?

You ask yourself: Do they remember? Do they still hurt? 

Are they still damaged by what you did to them?

Imagine that a person you once hurt badly comes up to you, smiles, and quietly takes you to one side.

No one else is there to overhear what you both say; this is between the two of you.

It might be difficult to start off. One of you might say,

"Hey, we keep bumping into each other."

The other might say, "How long have we known each other now?"

It might be awkward for a little while.

But if you sense that the other person is genuinely reaching out to you, and you do the same,

you begin to find a place to meet.

If you rebuff someone who is willing to give you forgiveness,

you are setting the old grievance in concrete;

you are making it much, much worse.

Do you really want to do that?

Imagine now that this person says, "You know it took me a long time to let go of what you said 

to me, all those years ago. Do you remember?"

And you feel deeply uncomfortable, and embarrassed, and guilty, and perhaps

a little angry that the other person had brought this up.

But then they say something like, "That was a long time ago, 

and I've been stupid to hang on to it for so long."

What do you say? Do you laugh? Do you shrug it off? Do you start finding excuses 

for the harmful things you once said, justifying them? 

Or

do you say,

"Whatever reasons I thought I might have had at the time,

I must have really hurt you when I said that. Is it too late to say 'Sorry?'

It is never too late to say sorry.

If the person you hurt accepts your apology and smiles and says,

"Why don't we leave that in the past, where it belongs? 

Life's too short to hold on to old grudges,"

then meet them in the middle.

It doesn't matter if they don't actually use the words,

"I forgive you."

 Accept the essence of their forgiveness.

Now, how do you feel?

Relieved? At peace? More calm? More relaxed?

And how do they feel?

Whichever of the two people you are in the situation just described,

try to put yourself in the other person's shoes.

If it was difficult for you to apologize, or to forgive, 

then it was just as difficult for the other person to forgive, or to apologize.

Recognize the effort that the other person has made, and acknowledge it. 

One of you might say of the other, "That can't have been easy, after all this time."

It isn't easy to apologize, or to forgive. You need to make some movement yourself.

You need to leave openings for the other person. You need to help each other,

if you are to reach the goal that will heal you both.

In reaching this goal, you will have created a new bond

of understanding and cooperation between you.

Forgiveness Heals.

Forgiveness

heals the friendship and relationships 

between people.

Forgiveness

heals the people you have forgiven.

Forgiveness

heals the person who forgives.

{spiritual paths

forgiveness

Jay Vickers}

{ Normal Day, }

 "Normal day,

let me be aware of the treasure you are.

Let me learn from you,
bless you before you depart.
Let me not pass you by in quest
of some rare and perfect tomorrow.
Let me hold you while I may,
for it may not always
be so..."

{Mary Jean Iron}

{ Anchor }

"Parents, remember that now is your opportunity.

You may feel yourself harassed as you struggle through the days with children, but

 you are living the happiest and the most 
golden years of your life. 

As you tuck them into their beds at night please be kind to them.

Let them hear a kind voice amid all the angry, vile voices they will hear throughout life. 

Let there be an anchor to which these little ones can turn to when all else fails. 

The Lord help you so to do."

{Harold B. Lee}

{ Grandma's Here!!! }

“Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person,

having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, 

but pouring them all out,  just as they are, chaff and grain together,

certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping,

and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away.”

{George Eliot}

 

We love having Grandma here with us because...

"I love when she plays hockey with me." J

"I like to cook! Grandmaaaa, can we make brownies?!" M 

 "AMMA!!" K

{ All Snazzed Up }

{Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration 
is being wreathed in smiles.}  

Unknown

yes, i made the skirt&accessories.