Bettering....everything!

I'm sure that this post will be for my benefit only. I'm sure I don't have many visitors anymore. And I'm so sad about that.
So yes...it has been a very long time since I last posted. There are so many reasons for this...some personal and some not so personal...but the point is this: I'm ready to blog again. I have had quite a few things happen in the past few months, from being a mom of 4 extremely busy boys, to PTSA presidenting, to room momming, to health problems in my family and extended family. I'm not saying my life sucks. I'm not saying that my life is all roses either, but to be honest...I can say that I DO LOVE MY LIFE! I love the good and the bad that is dealt to me every day. It's easy, hard, fun, not fun, happy and sad...all at the same time sometimes. And for these reasons, I have put things on the backburner....especially things that I love...that bring me personal joy. So what's the point to this rambling? I am ready to bring them back to the front burner...slowly. I have given myself the break I needed, and I'm ready to better my life, temporally and spiritually. To better my family. To better my friendships. To better my skills and talents. To better my curiosities.
So in the next while I hope you will bare with me...if you are even still here....as I get order back into my life. As I explore new ways to better a lot of aspects in my life. And hopefully give me your advice!
This post may only make sense to me, and that's ok. I need to get my feelings and thoughts down in black and white. And I plan on doing this more often now. I miss it. And I'm ready for it back.
Thanks for listening to me ramble....

Friends....how great are they!!!

Seriously! How great are friends? I think they rock! I don't know where I would be without mine. I love that I met my best friend in 7th grade health class, and ended up marrying him. I love how I can see my friend at the bus stop and end up standing there on the sidewalk and talk for over an hour and wish that we could talk longer. I love that I can go to dinner with a bunch of friends with the intent of eating dinner and swapping our cards, and end up laughing until we are crying and almost peeing our pants. I love that I can go and get my hair done and talk with my friend and know that I can say anything and it won't shock her, and that she will understand what I'm talking about. I love that she can do the same with me. I love that I grew up with my friend, who is also my sister. I love that my mom is my friend. I love that I learn from friendships lost. I love that I have a red headed friend that is true to her red hair...and that's a great thing!!! I love that I lived by one of my truest friends for 4 years, and even though we don't talk a lot, or see each other much, yet whenever we do see each other it is a true friendship that picks up where we left off last. I love that I have friends that I have only met in person once or twice, yet it feels like I have known them my whole life. I love that I have friends that teach me things, and they don't even know they are doing it. I love these people that I call my friends! Don't you just love your friends?

Simply Simplify...

So with a couple of days of summer behind me....I have realized that I need to "lighten up" on some things. I realize that my house is not going to always be clean, especially with 4 boys around. I need to not be frightened that someone is going to come to visit and there will be a mess, because there most likely will be. I need to not worry about things that are out of my control, and take care of things that are in my control. And to do these things, among others, I need to simplify a few things in my life, but I'm not quite sure how to do that...so I am turning to you, my friends, for advice. How do you simplify things in your life? How do you choose what to simplify first? Please comment, even if you never have before!!! I would love some advice.

How much can one person take?

Yes...I feel as though a bit of a whimp. I have always considered myself pretty tough when it comes to pain...but this is kicking my butt! I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled on Friday. And I am still down. I can't believe it. I thought I would be back to the real world by Monday, but ummmmm..NO! and how much of this stuff can one person swallow? I can't wait to eat a big juicy hamburger!!!!

Saturday was awesome! I was able to go lunch with some old friends, made new again, and meet some friends that I was so excited to be able to meet! We had a great time. We went to the Blue Lemon for lunch and went to a quilt store right next door. I was so mad that I didn't take a pic of us all, because I did have my camera of course, but Haley drew a picture so we are covered!
Thanks gals....I had a blast and can't wait to do it again!

Cute Little Pillow

I recently was put into our Young Women's Presidency. I am in charge of the birthdays so I decided to make the leaders a cute little pillow for their bdays. Here is my first one....

The Power of One Word

So, I have a friend who has inspired me just from reading what she is doing with herself this year. She got the idea from her sister in law, and now I am stealing it, and hopefully you will too. I think this could be a very powerful tool that anyone could use in their own personal life this year. She has chosen one word that sums up what she wants to achieve for herself this year....how cool is that? It seems like we are so hard on ourselves to be perfect, but if we work on one thing, which could be so much in itself, how much better we could feel about ourselves.
Here is what is on her blog.....
"Your word can be anything you want it to be - it does not have to be soulful, or clever, or original. It can be practical and tangible. Don't worry if someone else has chosen the same word as you - this is just for you. You don't have to be creative - just be true.The idea behind the one little word concept is to give yourself something to focus on throughout the year. "A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow."It can be something tangible or intangible. It could be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not your mother's word or your spouse's word or your child's word - this is YOUR word.One little word can have big meaning in your life if you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities. And here's one thing that is totally interesting: sometimes a word will pop into your brain and it will not make any sense to you right now. Give it some time. Let it percolate a bit. I have often found that our hearts speak to us in very unique ways. Maybe this is a word you need to hear but just aren't ready for it yet. Again, be open to the possibilities."
I have pondered on this for a few days now, and believe me, I have had many words run through my mind, but I have zeroed in on one! Here it is....
AMBITION....
The meaning of this word is this.......a strong desire to gain a particular objective; specif., the drive to succeed, or to gain fame, power, wealth, etc.
...eager desire
I am focusing on the desire part of this word. I have all the desire for certain things in my life, but if I don't have the ambition to accomplish these things, the desire means nothing. So there you have my word....AMBITION.....
What's your's going to be?

Inspirations?

This is such a hard time of year for me. The hustle and bustle of the holidays, which I really do love and miss, is over. And it seems to be hibernating time around here. I have so many projects and ambitions churning around in my head, but I can't seem to grasp them long enough to make them reality. How do you get through this season, and actually accomplish something? Please share!!!

New Year,,,,New Aspirations

So, yes, it is the new year. I have a new outlook on my life for this year. I hope for it to be absolutely wonderful, in all aspects of my life. My wifehood, motherhood, sisterhood, childhood, friendhood, spirituality, creativity, emotionally, and physically. My goal is to ramble on this, my personal blog, and hope to make new and old friends again. I hope you will join me on this journey this year. I will keep up on my creations and goals here too. Unfortunately, you won't see pictures of my family here. They are tucked in safe and sound on my family blog. So I will be back with what the plans are for tomorrow, and I invite you to read, comment, and join me this next year.

Koosheram pics...

Here are a few pics I took of the scenery in this past week. It was beautiful, quiet, relaxing and absolutely wonderful!I know... COWS? Yes, I had to take pics of these cows! They were so cute..and I loved the mom and her baby looking right at me!

I thought this was a cool little ol' barn, truck and tractor....

Hi All!!!

I decided to have a blog space where I can show my cards, tins, and all of that kind of stuff. Most of you already know that I stitch, but since I already have a website for that, I will just post my "paper stuff" here. If you want to check out my website it's....www.myhuckleberrycottage.com