Quotes to live by

"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" ~ Robert Schuller

Thanksgiving

Thursday was Thanksgiving. We were able to visit with family that we hadn't seen for a while. It was really very nice. We had a good time and the food was great. And of course there was a tasty turkey. And with the eating of the turkey came the food coma there after that lead to sitting around watching TV.

There were several commercials on TV that encouraged you to give thanks for what you have. One commercial was from St. Jude's Hospital and they said to give thanks for your child that can leave a dirty mess in the house because they are at home while these sick children were living in a hospital. Another commercial was for an insurance agency that showed so many who after hurricane Sandy are living in terrible conditions; no food, no water, no clothes, no shelter, no home, and even though it wasn't mentioned in the ad there are those who have lost loved ones as well. The commercial was giving thanks for those employees who themselves had suffered the same as the clients but instead of focusing on their grief they were reaching out to help.

I know there are many hardships in life and they don't take consideration of what time of year it is or what is happening in our lives. They come and go in their own time and we are left to adjust and accommodate accordingly. I myself have lost loved ones on Thanksgiving Day and have helped my husband through a lay off during Christmas. As hard as these things were there were also many things to be grateful for. There were many reaching out to aid and help and many blessings that came to us and if I had been lost in grief I wouldn't have been able to recognize them let alone receive them.

I am sorry if you are finding yourself suffering at this time but I know that if you are able to take a moment to find the blessings in your life you will see that there are many more than you realize and knowing this will help to comfort you and give you the strength to pull through. There is a song by the Mama's and the Papa's that says, "It's darkest just before dawn." Hold on, count your blessings and you will soon see the sun rising on the horizon lighting the way out.

So grab a piece of paper and pen and write a list of all the things you are grateful for. Do not edit what you write; you are the only one who needs to see this list. And if you feel you are unable to think of anything I will start you off with some ideas.

1. I am grateful that I can breathe on my own.
2. I am grateful for my two feet that I can stand on.
3. I am grateful I can see.
4. I am grateful I can see my children.
5. I am grateful I can hear my children laugh.
6. I am grateful for formula that helps me feed my baby when I have less milk to feed her.
7. I am grateful that my teenage daughter wants to change the baby's dirty diapers.
8. I am grateful that my teenage daughter was able to laugh about the baby spitting up all over her like a water fountain.
9. I am grateful that my husband sends me to bed to get some rest and stays up with the baby.
10. I am grateful for the technology that allows me to see my mother even though we are in different states.

Now take that paper and pen and get to writing. You will feel better after you do it. Even if it is only one thing, write it. Do this every day and before you know it you will find that you feel better. God bless you that your hearts may be light and your pockets heavy.

Quotes to live by

"It's not about sophistication. It's not about facilities. It's about doing a job well." ~ 2012 London Olympics

A time to reflect and change

It has been a whirl wind around here. My little girl is already two weeks old and it feels like it is going by way to fast. I love the time that I have spent with her but it doesn't feel like I have been able to be with her enough. It feels like time is just flying by and each moment is more and more fleeting.

I think I feel this way so strongly this time because this is going to be our last baby and I want to enjoy it and remember everything. I only wish I had this same desire which each of my other children regardless if they were going to be the last or not. There are so many other things I would have made wait and enjoyed the moments with them more. In the end I don't remember if my house was as clean as I wanted or if I got back into shape as quickly as I would have preferred. What I wish for is to have more memories of the time I spent with my children.

Next week is Thanksgiving and it can be a time to reflect and find gratitude in our lives. I am grateful that I have this new perspective and desire to appreciate my children and the time and memories we are making together. It is helping me to see how important some things are while recognizing just how unimportant others things are that I have made such a priority in my life. To everything there is a season and I feel that now is a season of reflection and change for me. I am reflecting on how I have prioritized my life and it is helping me to change my life and make the important things the priority that they should have been all along.

I don't know how you celebrate thanksgiving but I want to encourage all of you take time this next week to reflect on how and what you are spending your time and resources on and see how this list measures up to what you consider to be what is important and you really want in your life. If what you are spending your energy on is for the things you hold dear; good for you. If it isn't on what you value and treasure most then maybe it's time for a change.

Give it some thought and make sure that what you love most isn't playing second fiddle to lesser things.

Quotes to live by

"Making good decisions doesn't make life easy, but it can make it easier." ~ Forever Strong

Welcome the New Addition

We welcomed our baby girl into the family this weekend! Our little girl Rose was born early Saturday morning. It has been a busy week but one that is well worth it. Sadly our other children all came down with a virus and have been sick most of the week as well. Fortunately my husband was able to stay home so that the baby and I were able to keep our distance from all of the others until they were better.

It has been an exciting journey bringing this little girl into the world. I look forward to writing about it and sharing the insights I have learned from my experiences. I hope that you are able to find something to be grateful for and celebrate this week. Find something to put a smile on your face and enjoy the moment. I can tell you from experience, the moments are what counts and they are fleeting. My baby is already a week old. So take a moment and enjoy it before it passes you by.

Recipes

Since I am resting while I wait for the baby to arrive I have been working on updating some of my neglected pages. I'm pretty sure that by the time I get this posted the baby will be making her arrival. So exciting!

I have updated the recipe page with some of my favorite recipes. Take a look and see if something catches your fancy and give it a try. I highly recommend the corn bread and baked oatmeal. Yumm! These are not only healthy but they taste really good. I am looking forward to making these myself again once the baby gets here. These last weeks have really limited the amount of things I can do and unfortunately for me and my family cooking has been one of these things. I think we are all tired of boxed mac n cheese, hot dogs, and pancakes.

So have fun and check back often. I am aiming to get recipes up on a regular basis.

Quotes to live by

"Rudeness is the weak mans imitation of strength." ~ Eric Hoffer