Monday, February 28, 2011

Heeding Life's Hints!

Good morning!  Have you ever had a “hunch” about something? You know, that gut feeling that has words or an action “on the tip of your tongue,” but you squelch it? Then days, weeks or months go by – and you realize the intuition you ignored was right? Maybe you had a reason to ignore it. Maybe everyone else disagreed with you and you couldn’t find one fan of your idea or action. Maybe self-doubt got in the way – or fear – or anxiety. Whatever the reason, you ignored the hunch only to learn later, that “hunch” was there for good reason.

Maybe the only thing more frustrating than not knowing an answer, is realizing we knew the answer, but didn’t act on it. For whatever reason, we didn’t listen to intuition’s whisper.

Kobi’s quote reminds me that intuition always has a purpose, though sometimes we can’t see it. But these “heart messages” should be heeded and well considered. Even without support, sometimes we have to “Take the leap and build our wings on the way down.”

Your Turn: Is there anything in your life right now where you have that “gut instinct” about what to do next? Take a moment today and honor that intuition. Listen to it; don’t squelch it. These moments of intuition are blessings about the directions we need to take in our lives.
By: Brook Noel

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

I love these soo much I had to order them and haven't figured out quite yet what I'm going to do with them!  I am open to any ideas or suggestions!!!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Shiny Sequin Bible By Tommy Nelson Publishing

This is the Shiny Sequin Bible by Tommy Nelson Publishing and is the International Children's Bible.

I was so excited to get  this Bible and give it to my niece as a gift!  I was sure she would love it with the adorable box it comes in!  The pink cover is so CUTE with it's sequined harts and flowers!  I know as a little girl this is something I would have loved to receive!  In the back of the Bible are some nice colored maps, a nice dictionary and an index which are all helpful resources!

I did also try to find this bible on amazon.com and on barnesandnoble.com and was not able to find it on either website.  I was able to locate it on Christian Book.

The translation of this Bible is the International Children's Bible.  This did make it easier for a child to understand verses throughout he Bible.  I did also like the section that had verses aimed at areas such as, doing good, scripture memory, & happiness. However, I was a bit disappointed in the size of the font for young girls and I had expected it to be more of a study bible with more questions or easier reading.  My niece is 8 years old and is in advanced reading classes so for her it is fine, however if anyone was much younger than this I think it would be quite difficult to read and use.  I think it's fun for a first bible but not sure she'll keep it as she grows up and not sure she'll even use it much now.  I think it would have been a lot better if the font was bigger and more of a study bible  - even a few pictures throughout would have broken up the pages and made it more of an inviting Bible. I think this version is just to mature for young readers.  However, I think this is aimed at younger girls - might be a good version to start with in elementary but will need something different as they grow and mature.

Thanks to Booksneeze for the complementary copy of this Bible for reviewing purposes

Sunday, February 20, 2011

do we perceive beauty?

In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About 4 minutes later:

The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.


At 6 minutes:

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At 10 minutes:

A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.
At 45 minutes:

The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
After 1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:


*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?



*If so, do we stop to appreciate it?



*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?



One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made...



How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?



Enjoy life NOW .. it has an expiration date.

Friday, February 18, 2011

I thought I'd share my favorite song this week.  This is originally sung by Chris Brown - but I have to admit that I don't care for the way he sings it. I found this by looking for new ringtones for my phone and now when Dave calls I prefer not to answer because I like the ringtone so much!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

BELIEVE......

Hi Everyone - I ask that you please take a minute to visit this blog -  HERE.  I met Kaere through an online workshop I took, and her Dad could use some positivie thoughts sent his way and to her family.  Thanks!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Valentines Day!

After being together this many years - Valentines doesn't mean we need to go out and buy expensive gifts or do extravagent things - but it is nice to get each other a card and spend some time together.  So I bought some salmon and "cooked" those!  Yes, I still call it cooking when you open the package and put it in a pan and put the food in the oven!  Let me tell you - this was some of the best salmon I've ever had!  It was No Name Salmon: No Name® Premium Salmon Fillets
I made these along with some potatoes and a salad!  It was nice to actually sit down at a table and eat together instead of rushing around or getting fast food or sitting in front of the TV!    So the salmon comes with those plastic pop up timers in them that tell you when they are done.  I knew it when I bought them but didn't give those little things much thought. I get to D's and I start opening the individually wrapped fillets and realize as I am doing this that I am pretty turned off by those little poppers - just thinking of them now makes my face cringe!  I think they bother me because that's just not a natural thing to be in the salmon!  Once D was home he had to take care of the salmon and pull out the little poppers because I couldn't even stand to think about them!  It's just not normal!!!

However, in natural Winter Widow Status I did end up sitting alone for about an hour while D talked on the phone about snowmobiles!  What would an evening have been without this event?!!!!! 

Sunday, February 13, 2011

A Little Love!!

Love much. Earth has enough of bitter in it." — Ella Wheeler Wilcox

"What's the earth
With all its art, verse, music, worth—
Compared with love,
found, gained, and kept?"
— Robert Browning



"Everything that I understand, I understand only because I love." — Leo Tolstoy

"We are most alive when we're in love." — John Updike

"We can only learn to love by loving." — Iris Murdoch

"Love is everything it's cracked up to be … It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for." — Erica Jong


"In true love it is the soul that envelops the body." — Friedrich Nietzsche

"We love because it's the only true adventure." — Nikki Giovanni

"'Till I loved I never lived—Enough." — Emily Dickinson

"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved." — Victor Hugo

"I have found that to love and be loved is the most empowering and exhilarating of all human emotions." — Jane Goodall

"Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone—we find it with another." — Thomas Merton


"Love is a taste of paradise." — Sholem Aleichem

"We are told that people stay in love because of chemistry, or because they remain intrigued with each other, because of many kindnesses, because of luck. But part of it has got to be forgiveness and gratefulness." — Ellen Goodman

"Even when love isn't enough…somehow it is." — Stephen King

"If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love." — Maya Angelou


Friday, February 11, 2011

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage.
~Lao Tzu~

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Meal Planing

I found this website today and thought I'd share!  This appears to have some great features to it!  I signed up for E-Mealz but have found that we don't eat most of the meals (mainly because I'm a picky eater) - but at least on this website you can either add your own recipes or you can sort through recipes they have.  They also offer all meals of they day - not just supper!

Kitchen Monki

 


Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Pujols By Lam & Ellsworth

This is definitely a book for baseball fans!  I was not familiar with who Albert Pujols was before I got this book.  I was excited to read it, because I do enjoy the game, but overall I struggled to get through the book.  It was full of statistics however it did tell you to skip a few pages if you didn't want to read them - that did help, but not for long! I really enjoyed the portions of the book that discussed his wife and his family. Albert is a famous baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals & is considered to be one of the top 20 players of all time (I can't believe I hadn't heard of him after I read this)! Overall I did learn that Albert had some tough times but was able to find God and was able to make something out of his life even though he did come from a family that had struggles.   He knows that God comes first, then family and then baseball!!!   I enjoyed reading the parts about his wife and the foundations that they have. The book does a good description of showing where Albert came from as a child, how we got picked as the 402 pick into the St Louis Cardinals team in the 13th round!!!!!  It discusses what he is doing now and how good he is at what he does in his personal & professional career. 

 I think if you are a baseball fan this is definitely a book for you - if you aren't into baseball and don't love the facts and figures I don't recommend picking up this book.
As soon as I mentioned the name to my boyfriend though he knew exactly who I was talking about - I think he'll enjoy the book more than I did. 

I am required to disclose that I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://booksneeze®.com/> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Monday, February 7, 2011

You Know You're A Winter Widow When......

~You walk into the snowmobile store alone - get to the parts counter and they have your boyfriends parts laying on the counter for you to pick up!  I'm pretty sure they know be my name by now! 

~You know how to change the spark plugs on a snowmobile!  (I have no desire to ever do it though)

~Your significant other talks about a "can" and you know he doesn't mean a garbage can, a canned food product or a bathroom!

~Your significant other spends more time on the phone talking to the guys about 1 issue then you spend together all weekend!

~Your car sits outside in below zero weather but the nice warm insulated garage is full of snomobiles and snomobile parts

So these are just a few I could come up with off the top of my head and I'm sure there are more out there - I'd love to hear some more!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

From Eighteen25!!!

Valentines Candy Dishes
here's what you do:

find:
-a cute bowl or dish (we found ours at target)
-a candlestick holder (we always find ours at thrift shops)
-spray paint (if you choose to paint your candlestick)
-E6000 glue

then:
-paint your candlestick and let it dry.
-adhere your candlestick to your bowl or dish with the E6000 and leave to dry for 24 hours.
-(we usually put something heavy on top to get a tight seal)
-fill it with your favorite valentine candy

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

How Cute Are These?!!!!!!

The wonderful ladies over at Eighteen25 have created these three awesome Valentine cards and made them available for free!  Just download them and use your photo editing program to add the photo.

And if that wasn't enough...
They created a tutorial HERE for a Valentine exchange idea using these cards.
{hint: there's candy inside!}


Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Thinking Warm!!!

It's below zero here today - schools are closed, winds are supposed to pick up this afternoon/evening and be close to -45 below! BRRRR!!! I was looking at the Pottery Barn webiste today and found out that they have videos on cooking & decorating!!!! I found this video and it is a simple dish that would be great if summer ever comes?! Doesn't this look good?!!!!!!!!