Sundays

Sundays are my day to rejuvenate and prepare for the week. It is the day that I can evaluate my faith, desires, relationships, and more. It is the one day of the week that almost always has a slower pace. I love Sundays!

And so today, I spent time thinking about my week ahead and what I want to be able to say about it when it is over. I think the quote I've picked for this week will be a guiding force.

"Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. It is the words that speak boldly of your intentions. And the actions which speak louder than the words. It is making the time when there is none. Coming through time after time after time, year after year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of; the power to change the face of things. It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism." ~Abraham Lincoln

Here's one of my favorite photos that I took this past week for the 365 Photo Challenge I'm participating in.

P.S. - Sundays would be even better if they weren't followed by Mondays when you get to go to work :)

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Laughter

Back when I was with Paper Crafts magazine, I would go to the CK Scrapbook Conventions and teach. Often I would go into the crops to hang out and give away some prizes, as well as share my latest Laffy Taffy jokes. (Laffy Taffy was one of the snacks the CK staff usually had on hand.)

Now, I know these jokes are sometimes juvenile at best, but there is something about reading these jokes that just makes me smile. And better yet, you get to eat a piece of taffy. My favorite flavor is Banana and I am NOT a fan of Cherry. 

On Monday, I arrived at work and discovered a bag of Laffy Taffy - from a co-worker whose made up joke I compared to Laffy Taffy jokes. I have enjoyed the taffy and of course sharing the jokes.

So tonight, I have a few of my favorites from this week (and one blast from the past). And remember, laughter is the best medicine! Enjoy!!

1. What do you call a lazy baby kangaroo?

2. How do you get water into watermelon?

3. What kind of teeth can you buy with a dollar?

4. What lake tastes good with french fries?

5. What do you call a cow with a twitch? (this is my all time favorite Laffy Taffy joke and the only one I can recall from memory)

Scroll down for the answers, but try and guess first.





Answers


1. A "pouch" potato
2. Plant it in the spring!
3. Buck teeth!!! (now you're really laughing, aren't you??)
4. Great Salt Lake (in honor of my state of residence)
5. Beef jerky (you were thinking milkshake)

Now, don't you feel better??

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An Inspiring Process

It's Sunday and time for the quote for the week. I am finding that picking the quote is in itself an inspiring process as I read pages and pages of quote. So many things to think about! 


This week, I read about influencing others, motivation, positive thinking, and more. The selection process is hard since so many carry messages that I want as part of my week. But a choice must be made and so this is my quote for the week:

Each person's work is always a portrait of himself. --Samuel Johnson    

I'm looking forward to an inspired week!

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Car rides

Cleo needed her allergy shot so we headed for the vet today. She was so excited as she and I headed out to the car, but once she realized Mabel wasn't joining us, her doggie brain determined that this likely wasn't a pleasure trip. And so the talking began.

When she has something to say, she makes this throaty, whining sound. It can mean she's excited or nervous. In this case, it was nervous since it was accompanied by shivers. But a quick trip to the open window calmed the nerves and she enjoyed the breeze blowing through her lips while her ears whipped back and forth. The cutest part of car rides with Cleo is when she spots a person - she gets so excited and really starts talking. There were several times that she talked to the people and kids in cars next to us and they returned her enthusiasm with smiles.

After the brief vet visit, we stopped at A&W to pick up an ice cream cone - the reward for enduring the vet's office. Once again, her excitement got the best of her and she started talking as we placed the order at the drive up speaker - I could hear the girl taking the order giggling. When we got to the window, she offered a doggie treat, but I explained to her that the ice cream WAS the treat. Cleo thoroughly enjoyed her ice cream cone, we finished our drive home, and now she is exhausted and curled up sleeping next to me.

Car rides with hounds is definitely an adventure, but so worth it to see their excitement and watch them talking to people passing by.

Life is good!
 

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Sleep vs. Exercise

Being the non-morning person that I am, each night there's a great internal debate over the setting of the alarm clock. Knowing that I've set a goal to exercise I set my alarm for 5:50. Morning arrives and my alarm goes off and if I'm really good, I get up, talk to Mabel while lying on the floor and go exercise. But most mornings one of two things happens. 1) I get up, talk to Mabel while lying on the floor, and then reset my alarm for 6:45 before climbing into bed, or 2) the alarm goes off and I reset it for 6:30 or 6:45.

The thing is, I'm not opposed to exercise as long as it is later in the day. So why not exercise at night? If I got home before 6:30 at night, I might be more interested. But by the time I get home I just want to eat and collapse. Yes, I realize this is one of Dr. Oz's 10 deadly sins. 

So somehow I'm going to need to make peace with early mornings. I think I'll make that my focus for next week :)

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Getting Inspired

New week, new inspiration. Part of inspiration for me is actually creating. So often I absorb others creativity, but forget to do my own creating. Today I spent time making jewelry - one way I enjoy creating. Some of the projects were simple and only required me to put on the finishing touches while others I started from scratch or enhanced an existing basic design. All met the end result - I created. 

So this week's quote ties into creating. It a reminder to me to plan into my life time to make things, whether they are crafts, cooking, or something else. I need creativity in my life on a regular basis.

Every good picture leaves the painter eager to start again, unsatisfied, inspired by the rich mine in which he is working, hoping for more energy, more vitality, more time - condemned to painting for life.--John French Sloan

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Who I am today

I joined the group Your Life Spelled Out on Facebook. She sends out journal prompts each day. I have loved having these ideas to get me started writing. Today's was particularly meaningful, so I thought I'd share it.

Prompt: What influences have shaped my life as it is today?

There are so many things, people, experiences, etc. that have influenced my life that I don’t know that I can list all of them. Here are the first few that popped into my mind.

There was a kindergarten teacher (Glenna Clark) that I was a teacher assistant for when I was in 7th and 8th grade that taught me how to love and nurture those little kids in her class. She showed me how to guide them as they learned and grew in confidence. She is the reason that I wanted to teach school (which is what my Associates degree was for).

My religious beliefs are a major part of who I am. I know that I am a daughter of God. I know that there is a plan for me and that one day I will return to his presence. I know that Jesus Christ lived and died for me so that I can be forgiven when I make mistakes. My faith has kept me going through difficult times. It gives me hope and direction.

My two best friends have made a big impact on my life. They are examples of true giving of themselves and anything they have. They will do anything for you and are loyal beyond words. They have supported me through good times and bad. And they are always there when I need them. 

So, what has influenced who you are today? It doesn't need to be just people, it can be books, experiences, or anything else.

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Mornings

Anyone who knows me well would NOT describe me as a morning person. It's not that I'm unpleasant in the morning it's that I don't like getting up in the morning. I enjoy sleeping in until my eyes come open on their own. Alarm clocks should be outlawed! I'm famous for setting my alarm and when it goes off either hitting the snooze or renegotiating with myself how long it will take to get ready and resetting it.

Now it's a new year and I'm trying to exercise in the morning (that's a whole different discussion). So today I got up and drug myself downstairs, exercised, showered, and then promptly laid down on the couch for a power nap. Yes, I did say power nap. I set the kitchen timer for 20 minutes, laid on the couch (joined by Mabel between my knees), and dozed until a subtle beeping awoke me. I have to confess that I did the power nap yesterday too.

So, my plan for tomorrow: get up on time, exercise, shower, and skip the power nap. I need to be to work earlier and I'm not sure the pre-work power nap is a good habit to form.

Mornings!

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In a word

I know several people that select a word for the year. And so this year I decided to pick a word for 2010. The word is:

As a way of focusing on my word for the year, I'm going to find a quote for the week - one that I will post here and print so that I can read it often. My hope is that this will help me keep the word inspired a regular part of my week. Enjoy!

“If I have been of service, if I have glimpsed more of the nature and essence of ultimate good, if I am inspired to reach wider horizons of thought and action, if I am at peace with myself, it has been a successful day.” --Alex Noble

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Christmas is officially over

This is one of my least favorite days of the year - taking down Christmas. It signals the official end of the holiday season. I miss the lights on the tree and bannister. The house looks empty. But I know that life must return to normal and that Christmas can't last all year. So, I'll enjoy the few Christmas songs I leave on my iPod all year, look at the gazillion pictures I took of the trees, and if all else fails, I'll plug in the tree I keep in my room all the time. More importantly, I'll try and keep Christmas in my heart all year long.

Good bye for now my beautiful Christmas things.

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Life with hounds

I love our dogs! Their tails are wagging when I walk in the door (sometimes the whole butt!). They love going for walks. And no matter what kind of day you had, they love you.

But, there are times when they aren't quite as cute. For example, Mabel feels that as "the princess" she should be able to sleep wherever she wants and if someone is in that spot, they should move. Now, you need to know that we have six dog pillows throughout the house, so finding a spot is not the issue. The issue is, which spot is the preferred spot. For the past two mornings, Mabel has decided that the place where Cleo is sleeping is THE place to be and so she proceeds to bark at her in hopes that she'll get annoyed and move (which rarely happens). The real problem is that the need to have the sleeping spot is happening around 4:00 am! And I hate to admit it, but I'm getting older and when I get woken up in the middle of the night it is sometimes hard to get back to sleep. Such has been the case the past two mornings.

So, tonight I'm hoping that Mabel is happy with her sleeping place and doesn't feel the need to proclaim her princess status in the wee hours of the morning. Sleep well little hound.

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What makes me happy?

I joined a group that provides daily prompts for journaling. This is been great for me since I'm not a big journaler, okay, I should be honest, I haven't journaled since High School.

Today's prompt was "What makes you happy?". So, here's a portion of my list. Most of these things are little everyday things. I won't bore you with the others :)

• Not having to set my alarm clock
• Sitting with the hounds stroking their bellies or ears
• Really good chocolate
• Making something that turns out like I had envisioned (like a card or a piece of jewelry)
• Reading a good book
• Watching snow fall
• Being with friends
• Singing a favorite song at the top of my lungs

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It's a start

I recognize I'm a little late to the blogging game, but I'm here now. And I'm still unsure as to what this blog will be but I'm thinking it will be much like my life - a little of this and a little of that. While I'm not as easily distracted as some people I know, I do tend to jump from one thing to the next. Which reminds me of the movie Up! An oft repeated line is "Squirrel!" That really does apply to me at times.

So, here I am - it's a start!

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