Thoughts of the Day
My life has qualified me as "experienced" on such topics as Army life, parenting, mental health, loss and grief, multi-tasking, and adapting to all things new (good, bad, or indifferent). I will share my thoughts on these topics and hopefully you will find some calm in the chaos knowing that others have been where you are.
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What to Buy for a New Foster Child
If you have applied to become a foster parent and are waiting to hear more about your placement, then you might be wondering what you are going to need to purchase to prepare your home for the new arrival. It is important to make sure that you are providing your foster child with a safe, stable, and loving environment where they can heal and thrive from whatever may have happened during their past. While it can be difficult to know exactly what to buy until your foster child arrives and you have had the chance to get to know them a little bit better, there are a few basics you…
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17 Ways to Express Gratitude This Thanksgiving Season & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #302
With Thanksgiving just two days away, I thought I would share a list of thoughtful ways that we can express our gratitude this holiday season. Gratitude is a conscious and positive emotion that exhibits a readiness to show appreciation for the kindness of others as well as thankfulness for any and all good things, tangible or not. But the conscious act of gratitude is much more than just practicing good manners. Gratitude requires recognition and acknowledgement of the goodness in others as well as the ability to be actively thankful for all of the positive things in our lives. When we make a conscious effort to recognize and appreciate the…
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10 Romantic Gift Ideas for Your Beloved
When it comes to expressing your love, there is nothing quite like giving a romantic gift. Whether it is for a special occasion or for no occasion at all, a romantic gift can show your partner just how much you care for them. However, with so many different gift giving options available, choosing that one special gift can be overwhelming. So I have put together a list of 10 romantic gift ideas to consider for your beloved. 1. Flowers There is nothing quite as romantic as receiving a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Whether you go for red roses, pink tulips, or a more unique arrangement, flowers brighten up everyone’s day…
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10 on the 10th: November 2022-10 Memories of the Holiday Season & Link Up On the Edge #321
I know that I have been saying the same thing each month, but seriously, how quickly the time is passing by! How has another month already gone and we are a third of the way through November? I cannot answer those questions for myself, but I can answer Marsha’s 10 on the 10th questions! 10 on the 10th is a monthly series with Marsha of Marsha in the Middle, Leslie of Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After, and Gail of Is This Mutton? Each month, we are presented with 10 questions about a common theme and asked to share our answers in blog post form. This series is such a wonderful way to share…
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A Wabi-Sabi Worldview & Link Up On the Edge #320
Decades ago, I was introduced to the Japanese art of kintsugi, which is the practice of repairing broken pottery with a lacquer made of powdered gold, silver, or platinum. It is similar to the maki-e technique, which is a Japanese lacquer decoration used in all sorts of mediums from paintings to vases to decorative boxes and other trinkets. Kintsugi (“golden joinery”) or kintsukuroi (“golden repair”) is not just a practical art form for repairing damaged pottery, it is also a philosophy which views breakage and repair as an important part of the history of an object. The philosophy of kintsugi highlights rather than disguises where damage has occurred. By filling…
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Transition & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #297
Merriam-Webster defines transition as “a change or shift from one state, subject, place, etc. to another.” The Cambridge English Dictionary defines it as “the process of changing, or a change from one form or condition to another.” And Dictionary.com describes transition as “movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another.” These seem like simple enough definitions to explain a rather profound concept that permeates the entire human experience. Life often seems like it is an endless series of transitions. We are constantly changing from one state to another on the most basic levels as well as on the deepest levels of our existence. We learn from each experience whether it was a planned…
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You Deserve to Be Seen and Heard & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #296
Last week I was doing a yin yoga class with affirmations for healing and one of the affirmations really struck me as something that needed further investigation. The exercise of using affirmations during meditative yoga practices is not meant to convince ourselves of the truth of any one affirmation. Instead, the practice is focused on finding which affirmations make you feel uncomfortable and then exploring the reasons for that discomfort. The affirmations are simply meant to prompt further self-examination and introspection. The affirmation that really struck me during this particular yoga session was I deserve to be seen and heard. When working with affirmations in yin yoga, it is important…
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10 on the 10th: October 2022-All About Birthdays
Oh boy, how quickly the time is passing by! Another month has come and gone and we are already a third of the way through October which means it’s time for the next 10 on the 10th with Marsha of Marsha in the Middle, Leslie of Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After, and Gail of Is This Mutton? Each month, we are presented with 10 questions about a common theme and asked to share our answers in blog post form. This series is such a wonderful way to share more information about ourselves and to learn interesting new things about others. Anyone is invited to join and answer the questions. It is a great…
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Historic Church Tour in Clayton, New York & Link Up On the Edge #315
A few weeks ago, I mentioned in my travel inspired Thrifty Six post that we went on a historic church walking tour in Clayton, New York, to celebrate the town’s sesquicentennial. I had intended to share this post a few weeks ago, but you know how life can intervene and quickly change our plans and intentions. In the three and a half weeks since sharing my thrifty travel outfit that I wore for this walking tour, I had three Style Imitating Art posts, two Songful Style posts, one Good Buy/Good-Bye Book post, a room makeover post, a paid post about toys to boost kids’ imaginations, my Reiki certification announcement, and…
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It’s Official! I Am a Certified Reiki Level II Practitioner & Link Up On the Edge #314
I had the most extraordinary weekend two weeks ago and I have been so excited to share it with you all. But then I caught the Back-to-School Crud and skipped my post last Friday altogether, pushing this one out another week. I did allude to it earlier this week though. You may have caught the Reiki reference in my crud poem… “...I used yoga and Reiki And resorted to prayer. No matter what I did The crud still made its way here..." It was a very intentional reference and I did use this cruddy sickness as an opportunity to practice my newly learned Reiki healing techniques on myself. While my…
