An Open Letter to My Kids About Summer – by M. Blazoned

Welcome Summer! School is officially out and the kids are already in full summer mode. While scrolling through twitter, I came across this post by M. Blazoned. Her humor, although right on point makes for a perfect read as you and your children begin summer vacation. Enjoy!

An Open Letter to My Kids About Summer

Hey Kids,

Feel free to leave your stuff wherever you want this summer. Half-finished smoothies in the family room? No problem. I got it. Socks in the hall. I’m on it. Dishes in the sink? Keep ‘em coming. Legos? Everywhere? Love it. Oh, and feel free to drag your blankets all over the house and abandon them the moment you no longer want them. I’ll fold them lovingly for you and return them to your rooms.

And doors? Shutting them is optional. I’m right behind you, so, seriously, don’t worry about it. I love when the wasps get in and the air conditioning gets out. Who are we to be sequestered in our climate-controlled house? Open door policy in this house. We have endless money.

And it’s totally fine to leave your wet bathing suits and towels on any surface, from the floor to the banister. I love heaps, but be creative! Oh, and putting them on painted wood surfaces is the best. I’ll grab them so they don’t warp the wood. You’re busy. Stop. Get back to your Netflix. Friends is not going to binge-watch itself.

(to continue reading click here)

So here’s to us parents, and a summer filled with love, laughter and hopefully a great sense of humor to get us through our days, while making wonderful memories! Happy Parenting!

Blessings, Danielle

 

Become a lake – A story of wisdom

An aging Hindu master grew tired of his apprentice complaining, and so, one morning, sent him for some salt. When the apprentice returned, the master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water, and then to drink it.

“How does it taste?” the master asked.

“Bitter,” spit the apprentice.

The master chuckled and then asked the young man to take the same handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake, and once the apprentice swirled his handful of salt in the water, the old man said, “Now drink from the lake.”

As the water dripped down the young man’s chin, the master asked, “How does it taste?”

“Fresh,” remarked the apprentice.

“Do you taste the salt?” asked the master.

“No,” said the young man.

At this, the master sat beside this serious young man who so reminded him of himself and took his hands, offering:

“The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container we put the pain in. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things… Stop being a glass. Become a lake.”

unknown author

This is a beautiful reminder that we all carry with us, a handful of salt… if we wish to see the good we must dilute the bad.

Blessings to you all and a very Happy New Year ~ Danielle

A simple winter hot cocoa bar

Christmas week is here! Can you believe it? I can clearly remember counting down to Christmas as a child and it seemed to take forever! Time sure has a way of sneaking up on us, am I right?! Sure the stress of the Christmas deadline can tend to take a toll but I am not going to let it steal my joy. As much as I have to get done this week, I am being diligent in setting aside time to truly enjoy the season..  I make a point each morning to have my coffee in front of our Christmas tree to admire its beauty and all our decorations. We’ve taken a longer drive home to ooh and ahhh over all the Christmas lights that brighten the street. We make popcorn and watch Christmas movies as a family. And of course, we drink hot cocoa with all the fixings!

Today You Can

Good morning and happy Wednesday to you all! We determine how our day will be… happiness is a choice, I just love how Today You Can, reminds us to change our perspective and we will change our attitude. Choose well and go out and make it a great day!

 

Today You Can

Today you can choose to count your blessings
or you can count your troubles.

Today you can live each moment
or you can put in time.

Today you can take action towards your goals
or you can procrastinate.

Today you can plan for the future
or you can regret the past.

Today you can learn one new thing
or you can stay the same.

Today you can seek possibilities
or you can overwhelm yourself with the impossible.

Today you can continue to move forward
or you can quit.

Today you can take steps towards resolving your challenges
or you can procrastinate.

You see today the choices are up to you
in deciding what you do today.

~Catherine Pulsifer

Blessings ~Danielle

Happy Thanksgiving

          As we are getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving day with family and friends, let us be reminded that not everyone will be doing the same. My heart goes out to all those who can’t be with their families and friends this Thanksgiving holiday. For our military men and women, thank you for your service today and always. For those who’ve lost a loved one and for those who long to have someone to love. For those who have had disputes with someone close to them and now feel alone because they haven’t found forgiveness. For those who have to work; who are sick, or unable to travel to be with their loved ones due to health or an inability beyond their means. For the homeless; the less fortunate; for our neighbors, friends and family who may not share what their misfortunes are, but are struggling to enjoy the holidays and make them special.

       Thanksgiving is a perfect time to give thanks for our many blessings and share the gratitude that is in our hearts, today and always. Wishing you and your families, a truly blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!

Blessings ~Danielle

A Journey of Thanksgiving: Preparing for the holiday season from the inside out -DAY 10

Today is the last day of a journey of thanksgiving: preparing for the holiday season from the inside out and I want to thank you for following me on this journey. These past 10 days have made such a difference in how I view my life and the world around me. There were many days, and I mean many that being thankful was much tougher than complaining and it took a lot of determination to not let that thought process control me. Everyone is always telling me that I’m so upbeat and positive and can’t understand how I can always see the good in others or see the light at the end of the tunnel. This isn’t always true, and that is why I made this commitment to take this challenge. I have been reflecting so much on my life and with the holidays approaching one particular story stands out in my mind, and I want to share it with you:

Last year on Christmas morning, I went around the house turning on all the twinkling lights, lit some candles and put on the Christmas music. I love Christmas and I couldn’t wait for my children to wake up; they may be Santa’s little helpers, but the magic of Christmas is something we all hold dear to our hearts and share with each other, even if it’s only for the benefit of another. I snapped this picture of my peaceful Christmas morning and posted it on facebook along with joyous Christmas wishes for all.

A Journey of Thanksgiving: Preparing for the holiday season from the inside out -DAY 9

What have you discovered these past 9 days? Have you made the commitment to find something to be grateful for in all circumstances? Waking up thankful and ending your night with gratitude, is something you can begin at any time. How fortunate are we to have a fresh start each and every day to make a choice to be happy; to see the good in everyone, to look at all we have been given with gratitude. Since I began this 10 day challenge (you can read the original post here) I have been training my mind to look deeper and to see the bigger picture.

I woke up to a snow-covered morning where the sun hadn’t made its presence yet and everything was peaceful and calm. The only interruption to this winter wonderland was Lucky’s pawprints as he pranced around in the snow. He does love the snow!

A Journey of Thanksgiving: Preparing for the holiday season from the inside out -DAY 8

Tonight as our Sunday comes to a close I wanted to pray with you. I had found this beautiful prayer a few months ago and have been saying it as part of my daily prayers. As I was praying today I realized that it is so fitting for this journey of thanksgiving we are on. 

A Journey of Thanksgiving: Preparing for the holiday season from the inside out – DAY 7

Good morning and happy Sunday to you all! Can you believe Thanksgiving is only 4 days away? The end of this 10 day challenge is near and my heart is so full. This journey is helping to open my eyes to a whole new way of enjoying life to the fullest!

I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to write this post yesterday… my husband and I hosted a family get-together at our home that lasted well into the night.

A Journey of Thanksgiving: Preparing for the holiday season from the inside out -DAY 6

Tis the season to be grateful! I have said it before and I will say it again… this is my favorite time of year! This commitment I made to prepare my heart, mind and soul for all the upcoming holidays has truly changed my perspective. I’ve made so many new discoveries about myself since I started this journey… if you haven’t read the original post for this 10 day challenge please read it here. Have you started your journey to new discoveries? I would love to know what your experiences have been since you began.

Throughout this journey I have been doing a lot of crying; which is hard for me to admit, but it’s true… the reality of how blessed you are can be very heart wrenching. So today I want to laugh! I was trying to find a way to incorporate humor into thanksgiving without taking away the purpose of this challenge.