Good Morning Sunshine !

9:40:09 PM EDT
Feeling Hopeful

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Oprah Winfrey

Being a blessing to others can

— and should — mean action,

but the wise ones remind us it starts

 with an attitude of heart:

When we are truly "in our heart,"

 when we are truly caring,

we think about other people as 

much as we think about ourselves.

And when we say to ourselves,

 "I hope that I'll be well;

I hope that I'll have enough,"

right away our mind goes to other people,

and we hope they will be well and

we hope they will have enough.

And in that way, every time

we think about ourselves,

we are also thinking about

the needs of other people and

recognizing the basic humanity

and the basic beauty in every

human being in all diverse cultures.

 Joan Borysenko

 

GOOD EVENING EVERYONE!

Just thought I'd let you all know that I'm alive and well but have been having some major computer problems.  I have defragged and run a virus scan on my laptop this evening and now it is once again working.  NO virus so it must have needed the defragging.

I don't have the pictures downloaded from this past weekend yet, but soon I'll have them in one of my entries.  Thursday into Friday we had rain...Saturday the sun came out...and today it rained again.  Still no grass at the campground, but now we have some straw layed down along with some more grass seed. 

I had a great dayweekend with the 'camping' babes and heard from all my children one way or another.  It's a blessing to me that they are all doing well. 

I'm working on the big computer as I make this entry, hopefully defragging will help it out too.  It  is not good to have 2 computers and both not working right.

See you all in the morning!

 

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Despite our own problems, most of us start each morning wanting to bring something good to the world today. And — however awkwardly or incompletely — many of us succeed! Today we can celebrate our intention to be a blessing to others without expectation of reward

Celebrate, respect, enjoy, give to and make the most of life. It is a gift more precious, more positively powerful than anyone can imagine.

Ralph Marston

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And BEAUTIFUL!

MA

 

graphics by:

Written by marainey1 Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

5:19:46 AM EDT
Feeling Hopeful

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Oprah Winfrey

If the moon were visible only one night a year, just imagine how much we would anticipate and celebrate that night. Yet because it is such a common sight in the sky, we often fail to even notice it.

Look around you. How many of the things within 10 feet of you would you sorely miss if they were gone? How many other things which bring real value and sustenance to your life do you take for granted? Actively appreciate all you have.

What you value and truly appreciate will grow stronger and bring you even more good things.

Ralph Marston

GOOD MORNING,

I’m leaving for the campsite after work today as I have a vacation day tomorrow. I’ve scattered the vacation days out so that just about every other week or so from now til the end of October, I’ll have an extra day to spend at my little place in the woods.

After years of working and with very little time off, I’m enjoying this haven in the woods more than words can say. It might not be everyone’s idea of refuge from work, but it is just what the doctor ordered in my case.

Up to this point I haven’t done much exploring of the campground and as I need the exercise, maybe this weekend I get to do just that. Hopefully I’ll have some pictures of other parts of the campground for you come Sunday evening.

Have a great week end every one and if you’re a mom or have a mom don’t forget to CELEBRATE!

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

O Lord, omnipotent Father, we give you thanks for having given us children. They are our joy, and we accept with serenity the worries, fears, and labors which bring us pain. Help us to love them sincerely.

Through us you gave life to them; from eternity you knew them and loved them. Give us the wisdom to guide them, patience to teach them, vigilance to accustom them to the good through our example.

Support our love so that we may receive them back when they have strayed and make them good. It is often so difficult to understand them, to be as they would want us to be, to help them go on their way. Grant that they may always see our home as a haven in their time of need. Teach us and help us, O good Father

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And BEAUTIFUL!

MA

 

 

graphics by:

Written by marainey1 Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 3 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

5:42:57 AM EDT
Feeling Hopeful

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Oprah Winfrey

Life moves fast.

Make it count.

CELEBRATE!

Celebrate Your Life! is all about living your dreams today, not just wishing for them in the future We each have only the moment we are in; we are guaranteed no more than this. Make it Count

Celebrating Your Life is about renewing and rediscovering your gratitude for each and every day. Don’t wait for an event or occasion. Make your own events and occasions. Avoid the trap of routine and busy lives and find what matters most and celebrate that regularly

GOOD MORNING !

HAVE YOU LAUGHED TODAY?

 A good sense of humor helps us all get through the everyday adversities of life. After all laughter is the best medicine. I've been laughing a whole lot more lately. I laugh at my self more and more every day. I find humor where before I’d be crying. I guess it is because I’d rather laugh than cry.

I am always in awe of the cheerful dispositions my grand’babes’ have. They are so full of excitement and it bubbles right out of them. I seldom see them sad or gloomy. What a blessing they are to me.

Our dear Lord blessed me above all my dreams with 7 dear and unique children and I’m very thankful for them and now I’m being doubly blessed by their children. There are plenty of every day reasons for celebrating each and every new day.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Today, loving God, we pray for our mothers:

who cared for us when we were helpless

who comforted us when we were hurt

whose love and care we often took for granted.

Today we pray for:

those who are grieving the loss of their mother,

those who never knew their biological mother,

and now yearn for her

those who have experienced the wonder of an

adopted mother's love

the families separated by war or conflict.

Lord, give them special blessings.

Keep us united with you and with each other, so that we can be

and become all that we are meant to be.

Amen.

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And BEAUTIFUL!

MA

Written by marainey1 Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 1 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

5:15:32 AM EDT
Feeling Hopeful

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Oprah Winfrey

Never again clutter your days or nights

with so many menial and unimportant things

that you have no time to accept a real challenge

 when it comes along.

This applies to play as well as work.

A day merely survived is no cause for celebration.

You are not here to fritter away your precious

hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much

by making a slight change in your routine.

No more busy work. No more hiding from success.

Leave time, leave space, to grow.

Now. Now! Not tomorrow!

Og Mandino

Nobody expects us to be always productive, never to relax. But there's a difference between relaxing and wasting time with menial tasks--and it's up to us to be sure that what we're doing is helping us to grow and mature and become the people we're meant to be

GOOD MORNING !

Someone once said I’m just thankful that wrinkles don’t hurt. That is something to celebrate for sure. Each day it seems I’m finding more and more. I’m always amazed that inside I’m still the me I always was, but outside I’m getting older and older.

Oh I know the parts and pieces inside of me are probably wearing out too, but in my heart I’m still the same. I think now I know the meaning of the phrase ‘Young at Heart’ .

We are supposed to have some more Spring showers here today but it is warmer and things are bright and colorful everywhere you look. Even with the dark clouds there is plenty of evidence that the sunshine has been around.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Celebrate what's working in your life and in your world, and those few things that are not working will hardly be able to even slow you down.

Celebrate what's working, and it will increasingly work even better for you.

Ralph Marston

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And BEAUTIFUL!

MA

 

graphics by:

Written by marainey1 Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 2 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

5:43:47 AM EDT
Feeling Hopeful

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Oprah Winfrey

To All Moms:

This is for all the mothers who have sat up

all night with sick toddlers in their arms,

wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners

and cherry Kool-Aid saying,

 "It's OK honey, Mommy's here."

Those who walk around the house all night

with their babies when they keep crying

and won't stop.

This is for all the mothers who show

up at work with spit-up in their hair

and milk stains on their blouses

and diapers in their purse.

For all the mothers who run carpools

and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes.

 And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave

birth to babies they'll never see.

And the mothers who took those babies

and gave them homes.

This is for all the mothers who froze

their buns off on metal bleachers

at football or softball games on

any given night instead of watching from cars,

 so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me?"

 they could say, "Of course,

I wouldn't have missed it for the world,"

and mean it!

This is for all the mothers who get

after their kids in the grocery store

and swat them in despair when they stomp

their feet like a tired 2-year old

who wants ice cream before dinner.

This is for all the mothers who taught

their children to tie their shoelaces

before they started school.

 And for all the mothers who opted

for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach

their sons to cook and their daughters

to sink a jump shot.

This is for all mothers whose heads

turn automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?"

in a crowd, even though they know

their own off spring are at home.

This is for all the mothers who sent

their kids to school with stomach aches,

assuring them they'd be just FINE

once they got there, only to get

calls from the school nurse an hour

later asking them to please pick them up.

Right away.

What makes a good Mother anyway?

Is it patience? Compassion?

The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner,

and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?

Or is it heart? Is it the ache you feel when

you watch your son or daughter disappear

down the street, walking to school

alone for the very first time?

The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread,

from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand

on the back of a sleeping baby?

The need to flee from wherever you are

and hug your child when you hear news

of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

For all the mothers of the victims

of all these school shootings,

and the mothers of those who did the shooting.

For the mothers of the survivors,

and the mothers who sat in front

of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who

 just came home from school, safely.

This is for mothers who put pinwheels

and teddy bears on their children's graves.

This is for young mothers stumbling

through diaper changes and sleep

deprivation and mature mothers learning to let go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.

Single mothers and married mothers.

Mothers with money, mothers without.

This is for you all. So hang in there

"Home is what catches you when you fall

- and we all fall."

Author Unknown

GOOD MORNING !

Just a few thoughts on Mothers for you all today! This coming Sunday we’ll celebrate Mother’s Day here in the USA. All of us were blessed with a mother and some of us are blessed to be mothers. The world couldn’t get along with out them for sure and I for one am thanking the good Lord for them!

I’m back to work today and will have a busy day for sure. I’m sipping the good coffee here and trying to convince myself that I am awake and ready to go off to work.

I put up pictures today of our Star’s first communion and the party for him and his sister our Angel who celebrated her 5th birthday too !

Next weekend I have DDIL#5’s birthday and DSIL’s Birthday too. It is a busy time of year in our family. I do hope your week is off to a good start!

We can all celebrate the fact that we’ve been blessed with another day and try to make it the best we can.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Do not let what you cannot do

interfere with what you can do.

John Wood

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And BEAUTIFUL!

MA

 

 

Written by marainey1 Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 4 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

8:28:35 PM EDT
Feeling Hopeful

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Oprah Winfrey

What reason do I need to celebrate life?

A birthday, a wedding anniversary,

or a holiday are all reminders that

there is something to celebrate.

Yet every day can be a celebration of life.

I celebrate life by praising God.

Praise can be a quiet time of

communion with God or a

joyous hymn of thanksgiving to God.

I celebrate by recognizing

the life of God within others.

We are all unique expressions

of God's creativity,

and I treat others with all the honor

that I would great masterpieces,

for indeed we are.

I rejoice in every expression

of life I perceive.

The song of a bird,

the beauty of a mountain,

the fragrance of a flower,

the softness of a kitten's fur all

give me reasons to celebrate life.

Unattributed

GOOD EVENING EVERYONE!

I'm finally home from my weekend travels.  Today turned out to be a beautiful sunny day here in northern Ohio.  The breeze was a little chilly but the sun was nice and warm and oh so welcome.  We had lots of Spring Showers Friday and Saturday .

I put the pictures of the camping part of my weekend  above for you all to see, but the grandson's First Communion and the party at DS#3's house afterward will be posted for you all to see tomorrow.  It's getting late in the evening and I still have loads to do around  here so I thought it best to divide them up. 

All too soon the weekend is just about over, but it was full of good times and lots of happy moments so I'm a happy camper in more ways than one.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

 Everything is created from moment

to moment, always new.

Like fireworks,

this universe is a celebration

and you are the spectator contemplating

the eternal Fourth of July of your absolute splendor.

Francis Lucille

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And BEAUTIFUL!

MA

 

Written by marainey1 Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 5 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

5:29:34 AM EDT
Feeling Hopeful

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate

Oprah Winfrey

Celebration is a kind of food

we all need in our lives, and each individual

brings a special recipe or offering,

so that together we will make a great feast.

Celebration is a human need

that we must not, and can not, deny.

It is richer and fuller when many work

and then celebrate together.

Corita Kent and Jan Steward

GOOD MORNING !

It is F R I D A Y and you know what that means. I’ll be headed to the camper after work and I won’t have an entry til Sunday evening. As always I’ll be taking lots of pictures.

 It’ll be a busy weekend as I have to come home early Sunday morning and drop off the beagle and then head on to our Star’s First Communion and then after that go to the little party for him and also for his sister our Angel who is 5 years old on Saturday.

It’ll be a double celebration and also a whole lot of driving for sure. They live another couple of hours away from me

Have a great weekend! You all are always in my thoughts and prayers.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

The clouds above us come together and disperse;

The breeze in the courtyard departs and returns.

 Life is like that, so why not relax?

Who can keep us from celebrating?

Lu-Yu

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And BEAUTIFUL!

MA

 

 

graphics by:

Written by marainey1 Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 7 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

5:22:02 AM EDT
Feeling Hopeful

The Angel of May brings the blush and promise of spring.

May's angel rejoices with us as we take heart

at the sight of trees ad shrubs in bloom

and relish our anticipation of the fruits to come.

This angel of spring reminds us that this is a time

of awakening the seed within ourselves.

Perhaps we have a deep longing, an artistic talent

never explored or a friendship never quite attempted.

This angel of May will help us discover this potential,

nurturing our spirits as we can dare to fulfill

this hidden promise and bring forth the

fruit of a life fully lived.

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Oprah Winfrey

GOOD MORNING !

There is an old saying that advises us to turn the lemons that life deals us into lemonade. No matter what age we find ourselves, life does, on occasion, present us with some very difficult challenges.

I prefer to consider these challenges lessons in growth--and our growth comes in all sizes, shapes, and colors for sure.

Living in a home that has become an empty nest is not a pleasant adjustment to make. Gone are the days where my home was a sanctuary that held children bubbling with joy, anticipation, and love for life. My life was filled with some thing happening every moment and then suddenly all was way too quiet

We can glorify our circumstances and have a fulfilling existence by celebrating events in life that perhaps we never realized were worthy of celebration. It’s a matter of choosing to see things differently. Choice. We all have choice.

The answer is all in the perspective one takes. You can't always change your circumstances, but you can change your attitude. All it takes is the decision to stop "enduring" and to start celebrating!

Time is so precious that we really do need to celebrate each day!  That is why my theme for this month will be CELEBRATING.  I hope that you all will choose to celebrate with me as we journey through the merry month of May.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Stop worrying about the potholes in the road

and celebrate the journey!

Barbara Hoffman

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And BEAUTIFUL!

MA

 

 

 

graphics by:

Written by marainey1 Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 6 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

5:19:26 AM EDT
Feeling Hopeful

All of Spring proclaims the Hope

God gives our hearts

Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly

over our nation's deserts.

All vultures see is rotting meat,

because that is what they look for.

They thrive on that diet.

But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh

of dead animals.

Instead, they look for the colorful

blossoms of desert plants.

The vultures live on what was.

They live on the past.

They fill themselves with what is dead and gone.

But hummingbirds live on what is.

They seek new life. They fill themselves

with freshness and life.

Each bird finds what it is looking for.

We all do.

Author unknown

GOOD MORNING !

OVER THE HUMP DAY

Mid week always seems a bit of struggle. I’m always glad when this day is past and I know the work week will soon end. The 5 days of work are now grandly compensated by my little place in the woods, but those 5 days seem awful long sometimes.

Yes, just like the hummer in the little story above, we all do find what we’re looking for. Oh, if only I could understand the faith of the hummingbird. She sits on her perch and belts out a song of joy and exuberance. She has not a care in the world. Her only desire is to let creation know that she is alive and well

My little song is not so exuberant for sure

I owe, I owe

It’s off to work I go….

 

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Go outside, to the fields, enjoy nature

and the sunshine, go out and try to recapture

happiness in yourself and in God.

Think of all the beauty that’s still left in

and around you and be happy!

Anne Frank

In this season of renewal and rejuvenation

May your spirit soar high and

May you be blessed

Not just today, but always.

 

Wishing you a beautiful SPRING !

MA

 

graphics by:

Written by marainey1 Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 5 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

5:27:16 AM EDT
Feeling Hopeful

All of Spring proclaims the Hope

God gives our hearts

If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy,

if a blade of grass springing up in the fields

has power to move you,

if the simple things of nature have a message

that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.

Eleonora Duse

GOOD MORNING !

It will be cold here for a couple of days but it’s supposed to warm up by the weekend which is good for me.

I can’t put my warm clothing away as it is definitely needed some days and since we had a few really warm days I’ve got my summer weight clothing out too. I’ll be glad when I can put some away as my closet is full to bursting with it all.

It is hard to believe that the end of April is almost here and that means a new month and I’ve not even thought about what my theme for May will be, so I’d best get busy with it.

We have lots of celebrations coming up next month too. I have another first communion this coming Sunday for our Star and our Angel’s birthday is also that day. My DS#4’s birthday, DDIL#5’s birthday, and DSIL’s birthday, and DS#3 and his wife's anniversary will all be celebrated in May. Gosh I hope I didn’t forget anyone…it will be busy. Oh, I did forget…Mothers Day is also celebrated in May. I’ll get to sit back and enjoy that one for sure.

May will bring warmer days and more sunshine for us here in Northern Ohio. I’m looking forward to that. We really did have a lovely April for the most part. All the Spring flowers and blooms out did themselves for sure. We had just enough warmth and sunshine to make them really show off for us.

I found myself ready to dose off by 7:00 in the evening yesterday. I made my self stay up til the usual 9:00 but I could have gone earlier. I really don’t want to go to bed when it is still daylight outside.

The longer days are really nice as I now go to work in the daylight in the morning. The ride to work is always lovely as I get out in the country for a while, but when it is dark out it’s not much fun.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

A laugh is just like sunshine.

It freshens all the day

 

In this season of renewal and rejuvenation

May your spirit soar high and

May you be blessed

Not just today, but always.

 

Wishing you a beautiful SPRING !

MA

 

 

graphics by:

Written by marainey1 Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 7 comments: Show Recent | Add your own