tuesdays treasures

i was really taken with this idea that we have little hidden (or not hidden) treasures around us that hold something very meaningful. i have many items around my home that are held onto because of a memory, or a person, or because it is simply something that i knew i would treasure. i like the idea of sharing those items and explaining their meaning...even if it just helps me to revisit that little treasure and celebrate it for another moment. so with that in mind, i would like to join in the "tuesday's treasures" a few times....(i can't wait to unpack all my other treasures!!!)

this is a treasure of mine. it was made with great care and love from my sister. she was very busy getting ready for her wedding, but being the very thoughtful person that she is, she wanted to give all of her bridesmaids something special and personal. a special box was made for each person - lending her creativity and time to each personality. inside there were little treasures as well, but it is the box that means so much to me. i LOVE this box. the colors, the sayings, the love that went into it, are always admired and appreciated. it has made 3 moves with me, and i am afraid that it is starting to show its age, but i suppose that makes me love it even more. thanks corkster, for making something that i will always hold so dear.

shake, shake shake...

..shake, shake, shake,...shake your booty! ahem...i am pronouncing today (whatever day it is that you are reading this) shake your booty day. it is therapeutic (trust me, i am an expert...plus i just got done doing it) and it just makes you feel so darn good! here are the instructions for joining in the "saturday afternoon dance party".



1) right now make the decision that you will not feel embarrassed nor will you try to control your movements. for the dance party, you MUST be willing to "dance as if no one is watching"



2) choose a song that you love - or use the one that should be playing right now (it is a GREAT one and the one i just recently used)



3) make a choice to grab a loved one, a baby, a child, or just wrap your arms around yourself



4) turn the song up LOUD



5) dance your booty off with reckless abandonment! do the robot, hop around, conduct the orchestra, jerk your body around like a breaker, try the mashed potato, any movement you please. But most of all.......SMILE, LAUGH, LOVE, and DANCE!

thankful thursday

music makes the world go 'round, and i am so thankful for it! music makes me sway, makes us fall in love, makes us giddy, takes us back to a lost memory. it makes us groove and twist, it makes me swoop and swish. it fills up a room with a quiet sound. music can reach down deep in your soul and speak the words that ache to be heard. music makes the day go faster, it lightens a mood, it makes me dance - in my chair, in my room, out in the kitchen for all the neighbors to see. it makes me sing, it makes me cry, it cures a backache, a heartache, a soulache. ahhhhhhh...it is MUSIC!

some of my new favorites while i work: michael buble, colbi caillat, and across the universe soundtrack

New Year Wishes

Well Hello! i have received a few "encouraging" words to update this space here. this was what i was afraid of when i first started this blog...that i would not have enough to talk about. i guess it isn't that there isn't enough to talk about, it is just how much to share, when to share, time to share, and then there is the need to sometimes just draw inward and settle there for a while. however, i think i have done that long enough and there are some good things to share with the lot of you who read my meager blog.

first of all, on new years day we received an offer on our house and accepted it! we are sad to be leaving our .75 acre lot with huge shop to store all of kyle's grown up toys, but we are glad to be moving into something that is closer to town and a bit bigger for the two of us. we have not found a house yet, but we are actively looking and may have found something that seemed to call out to both us "i would like to be your home!" we are waiting on a few finance details and then we have decisions to make. with us both being in boxes for the last 6 months, we are excited to move forward!

also, last night kyle was wishing very hard for it to snow...not just snow, but dump. his wish came true, and it has been snowing all day long (so far!). he gets very excited when weather hits because it provides opportunity to pull someone's car out of a ditch, possibly swerve the truck, or just the "danger" element that so drives him! how the two of us ever get along absolutely amazes me!

with those two wishes coming true in such a short amount of time...i'd start wishing if i were you!!!! here's to a happy new year, full of possibilities, and, of course,... wishes.

thankful thursday

i am thankful for sunsets. there are times when you happen to glance around at just the right moment and the magic of nature is truly overwhelming. i think sunsets do that. it is amazing that almost every night, there is an opportunity to witness something so beyond me and my capabilities. there is an opportunity to see something remarkable right outside of my window. and every time it happens, i have to take a moment to breathe in the sight and try to thank nature, in all of her beauty and majesty, for giving me something that stops me in my tracks. she is AWEsome!

I AM...

i started this idea of recognizing all of the things that 'i am' and celebrating them about a month ago, but did not do anything with it. i am trying to start that up again though because i think it is something that we don't do enough of. it goes to the idea that just being is something that we should pay attention to and rejoice in. i invite you again to do the same on your blog or in the comments! what fun! so, at the risk of being corny or cheesy or just plain silly, here we go.....

....a student of yoga. i have been going twice a week for about 8 weeks now, and i am really enjoying all of the things that it is encouraging my body to do. like my life, i think my body has been "stuck" in the same position for the last 5 years! yoga is pushing, pulling, stretching, and twisting my body into asanas (poses) that i never knew it could do. that does not mean, unfortunately, that i move through the poses with ease. i creak and groan, pop and moan as though this body was a haunted house! my shoulder, my hip, and my knee are all testing the limits, but, along with the rest of my body, they are all starting to loosen up, as long as i don't push too hard and i congratulate my body on what it was able to do for the day.

this is my warrior 1 pose ... flawed, but the "spiritual warrior" nonetheless

i like what this new endeavor is supposed to do for me. i like that it creates a flow within my muscles and organs while it brings focus to my body and what it is trying to say at 31. flexibility, peace, calming meditation, and the extremely important focus on oneself are other reasons why i am so taken with this new practice. i am hoping to reach a new kind of physical awareness with my body. i have so many aches and pains and "issues" with this vessel, and i'd like to understand what is causing so many of them. i also think yoga helps to bring about more positive thoughts as i allow my body and mind to embrace, yet quietly challenge its limits. i am intrigued by what it has to offer me and what it will teach me about this vessel that i use every day. thanks for being a part of me today! namaste.

HAPPY DAY!

happy birthday sweet pea! you are such a gentle, observant, loving soul who brings sunshine and warmth to all who know you. i hope your day is so happy and love-filled. i will be thinking about you ALL day - just missing the stuffing out of you!!!!!!!!! happy number ONE!