For My Love

Then

Now

In 1 month, Jon and I will celebrate 4 years of marriage.

How is it possible that 4 years have gone by already?

I've known this crazy man for 8 years. We've been a pair for 5 1/2 years.

It most certainly has not been a walk in the park...more like a marathon, or so it feels. But still in the park. We've had some storms, but the sun always shines. I'm beyond grateful to have him by my side, holding my hand through life's challenges and journeys.

And once again my feelings are being translated through music. It's another one of those cheesy songs, but it's pretty perfect if ya ask me...

Be Attractive...

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.  For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.  For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.  As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others. 
- Audrey Hepburn

Bounce This Along!

U.S. Postal service sent out a message to all letter carriers to put a sheet of Bounce in their uniform pockets to keep yellow-jackets away.


Use them all the time when playing baseball and soccer. I use it when I am working outside. It really works. The insects just veer around you.


All this time you've just been putting Bounce in the dryer!


1. It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them. It also repels mice.


2. Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle.


3. It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.


4. It repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.


5. Eliminate static electricity from your television (or computer) screen.


6. Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling..


7. To keep soap scum from adhering to your shower doors, wipe with Bounce.


8. To freshen the air in your home - Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.


9. Put Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner.


10. Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.


11. Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing. 


12. To freshen the air in your car - Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.


13. Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan..


14. Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket. 


15. Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the loose hairs.


16. Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds.. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.


17. Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.


18. Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.


19. Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight. 


20. Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away.


21. Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. It will keep them smelling fresh.


22.Wet a Bounce sheet, hose down your car, and wipe love bugs off easily with the wet Bounce.


23. Put a sheet of Bounce in your suitcase when traveling, it will help keep mites or any other critters out of it.  While you are at it, travel with several Bounce sheets and run them up and down your bed linen before getting into bed, it will cause all the critters already in your bed to run.  Keep a sheet in your suitcase even after you have unpacked to protect your suitcases from bugs nesting in it.

You Won't Relent

The worship team at our church started playing this song a couple weeks ago.

It is another of those songs that gives me goosebumps and makes my knees weak.

It is another of those songs that entirely overwhelms me with His Love.

It is on repeat.

The last months have completely required me to let go of whatever outcome I'm hoping for and just give it to God. He has and will bring more out of this time than I can ever imagine.

Like in the song, there doesn't seem to be anything that can quench this thirst for His Presence. I know He is around me always. Filling my day with things that remind me of the Bigger Picture, and His love for me, keeps me moving positively forward.

This Home Runs on Love...

I'd have to say this is a bit more than accurate. Without the amount of love that these small people of mine express on the daily, we'd be oh so lost.

Sometimes their expression of said love are a bit strange. Like when Isaiah gives kisses and blows raspberries at the same time. Which, of course, leads to uncontrollable fits of hysterical laughter. I've never seen a kid laugh so hard as when he gets slobber all over his mama's face while giving her 'smoochies." His laughter makes my heart swell up to a million times it's normal size...if that's even possible. For arguments sake, we'll just say it is. Mmk? ;-)

Janice-May has started laughing this husky little laugh. She's so manly for such a little girl. It's rather hilarious. [as soon as I catch it on video I'll post it] That leads to bounds of laughter from a very amused mama.

However, to be able to find humor in such things, there must be a plethora[Jon says I use that word too much...I probably do, but it just sounds good] of coffee involved. Today, for example, I had three cups before noon, and then found myself making another pot when the kids woke up from naps. How sad. Just to clarify - it is only the mama and daddy that consume coffee. The babies aren't allowed, but I'm pretty sure they're tremendously thankful their parents ingest this liquid life[heaping sarcasm]. But...we're all alive, fed, clean[mostly...we did have some dirt uni-brows today - I'm not joking], and fairly amused with the adventures of our day. So all is well. Right? Right.

More often than not, I find myself grinning from ear to ear about something these babies of mine have done. A few days ago, after Janice-May woke up from her nap, Isaiah was asking oh so concerned if she had a good night night and if she wanted a fruit snack. His questions were adorable...her answers even more so. Nodding her little head while Isaiah held her hand and shared his snack [a rare occurrence, might I add.] Or when they're playing in the little playhouse outside, and Isaiah opens the door for her. So freaking cute! That, too, makes my heart swell up to a million times it's normal size.

This, right here, is what I live for...not just the coffee [more sarcasm...but seriously] but the love and laughter, too.

Real Women

Excuse me while I throw this down, I’m tired of hearing the idiocy repeated by people who ought to know better.

Real women do not look like just one thing.

Real women have curves, and not.   They are tall, and not.  They are brown-skinned, and olive-skinned, and not.  They have small breasts, and big ones, and no breasts whatsoever.

Real women have big hands and small hands and long elegant fingers and short stubby fingers and manicures and broken nails with dirt under them.

Real women have armpit hair and leg hair and pubic hair and facial hair and chest hair and sexy moustaches and full, luxuriant beards.  Real women have none of these things, spontaneously or as the result of intentional change.  Real women are bald as eggs, by chance and by choice and by chemo.  Real women have hair so long they can sit on it.  Real women wear wigs and weaves and extensions and textured rubber swim caps with the plastic flowers on the sides.

Real women wear high heels and skirts.  Or not.

Real women are feminine and smell good and they are masculine and smell good and they are androgynous and smell good, except when they don’t smell so good, but that can be changed if desired because real women change stuff when they want to.

Real women have ovaries.  Unless they don’t, and sometimes they don’t because they were born that way and sometimes they don’t because they had to have their ovaries removed.  Real women have uteruses, unless they don’t, see above. 

Real women are fat.  And thin.  And both, and neither, and otherwise.  Doesn’t make them any less real.

There is a phrase I wish I could engrave upon the hearts of every single person, everywhere in the world, and it is this sentence which comes from the genius lips of the grand and eloquent Mr. Glenn Marla.

There is no wrong way to have a body.

I’m going to say it again because it’s important: There is no wrong way to have a body.

And if your moral compass points in any way, shape, or form to equality, you need to get this through your thick skull and stop with the “real women are like such-and-so” crap.

You are not the authority on what “real” human beings are, and who qualifies as “real” and on what basis.  All human beings are real.

Yes, I know you’re tired of feeling disenfranchised.  It is a tiresome and loathsome thing to be and to feel.  But the disenfranchisement of others is not going to solve that problem.  Solidarity has to start somewhere and it might as well be with you and me. Just saying.

Now I Know My A B C's

A: authenticity - be real, be yourself, speak your truth.

B: beauty - is everywhere, we need to open our hearts and our minds to find it!

C: compassion - take the time to care for others, ask how someone is and listen.

D: daring - be brave, take risks and have adventures!

E: extraordinary - think outside of the ordinary, go above and beyond mediocre!

F: funny - be funny, see the funny, laugh at yourself, don't take things too seriously.

G: generosity - be generous with your time, your love and your abilities.

H: happy - keep it simple, tune into what gives you butterflies and you will know happy.

I: intuition - listen closely, sit in silence, don't talk too much and you will truly hear.

J: joy - feel the joy in each and every moment, joy is in everyone, learn to release it.

K: kindness - the simple act of kindness has the power to change lives.

L: love - use the word often, you cannot have too much love, the more the merrier!

M: memories - our most precious gift from one generation to another, share them often.

N: nice - be nice, always, expect nothing in return, feel the inner and outer glow.

O: organised - it really does make life easier, make some lists and break goals down into pieces.

P: passion - discover your passion and follow it, don't do anything without your passion.

Q: quiet - meditate, remove yourself from the noise of life for at least a few minutes a day.

R: reflect - don't dwell in the past, simply reflect with an open mind and be gentle on yourself.

S: self care - do at least one thing a day that nurtures YOU.

T: thoughtful - consider others and what you can do to make them feel loved.

U: unique - look for the thing or the person who stands out from the trend.

V: vivid - life is filled with colour, and colour improves our mood, live in full colour!

W: wonder - always look at life through the eyes of a child, see everything as a miracle.

X: xtra - develop a career that is true to your passion and always do that little bit xtra every day.

Y: youthful - the feeling of youthfulness need never fade, hold it tightly in your heart and never let go.

Z: zany - be a little silly, don't be afraid to be different.