Rays of Sunshine #3

This is my time to push the positive and ignore the negative in my life. Here are my recent Rays of Sunshine.


~~Scott is loving boy scouts! He is working hard to earn his Bobcat Badge at next week's meeting.

~~Sara is doing an awesome job in 4th grade. She'll make the Honor Roll for sure and maybe the Principal's List (all A's)!!!

~~Scott is playing hockey again!!!

~~My brother is coming for a visit this weekend!!! Haven't seen him since July.


YOUR turn!!

Make Suds.....Not War

If only it were this easy.

Fiction Friday!!

I know. I'm such a tease!!! I promised a new story LAST Friday and didn't deliver. And again this week, I'm behind the 8 ball with homelife and work and writing took a back seat. BUT.....I can give you a taste!

She awoke a little later than usual. The warm sunlight filtered through the lace curtains kissing her face while wonderful sounds drifted to her ears. Most mornings those wonderful sounds were the sweet songs of the chickadees getting their breakfast from the backyard feeders. But today, the songs were even sweeter—happy, laughing children’s voices rising up from the kitchen.

“Let’s put chocolate chips in them!!” “I want to make her one shaped like an “M”!!” Then the older voices chimed in. “Let’s keep the noise down or Mimi will know
what we’re doing!” “Oh, yeah, PaPa! It’s supposed to be a surprise!”

Time to Check the Girls!!

Mert over at Almost Somewhat Positive came up with this great idea to remind us to do our monthly self breast exams. If you can't seem to remember to do it, just pick a day, put it on your calendar, in your blackberry, post-it note on your mirror. What ever you have to do. Mert calls it Frisk the 15th because you do it the 15th. I LOVE it!!! So it's the 15th.......so go feel your boobies!!!

ETA: I messed up the cool graphic and it's late so I'll fix it later. :)

Freebie Coffee?? Count me in!!

Want a free sample of Dunkin Donuts coffee? I just got mine! Click above for yours but hurry they are going quickly!!!

41 is.....

Forty-one is :
· the 13th smallest prime number. It is also the sum of the first six prime numbers (2 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 11 + 13), and the sum of three primes (11 + 13 + 17).
· The atomic number of niobium.
· The New General Catalogue object NGC 41, a spiral galaxy in the constellation Pegasus.
· The number of the last symphony of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (note: '37' is not in the canon).
· "#41", a song by Dave Matthews Band.
· The number of times Paul McCartney sings the phrase "Let It Be" in the Beatles #1 hit Let It Be (song).
· Charlton Heston's designation as a galley slave in the film Ben-Hur.
· The victim number that appears on Dr. Lucy Lynskey's forehead in the Peter Jackson film The Frighteners.
· The precinct number that appears on the NYC police car in the film Ghostbusters during the earthquake moment of the film's climax.
· Worn by and retired for Brian Piccolo, running back for the Chicago Bears. Died June 16, 1970 of embryonal cell carcinoma.
· In Christianity, 41 represents the 39 lashes Jesus received before the crucifixion, plus one for the spear in his side, plus one for the crown of thorns.
· The international direct dialing (IDD) code for Switzerland.
· C-41 process is the film developing process for 35mm color negative film.
· George W. Bush's nickname for his father, George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States.
· Montana is the 41st state of the United States.
ME! I am 41 years young today!! Happy Birthday Me!!!

Fiction Friday

I've gotten the writing bug again and I want to share some of what I've done. I don't know what it is about autumn that seems to get my creative juices flowing! I'm going to do a "Fiction Friday" project. It probably won't be every Friday but I'll try to keep up with it. I mostly write short stories and personal essays. I don't know how good they are but I enjoy it.

I'm working on a story that I hope to have finished by next Friday. It's an "alternate" if you will of this story that I originally wrote in college and then refined 2 years ago. Stay tuned!!!

By the way, here's a story I wrote 8 years ago when my first born was a baby about nursing in public. I am honored that breastfeeding.com still has it on their website.

Friday Fill In!

1. Sweet dreams await me.

2. It's been a long week especially for me.

3. Silliness is infectious!

4. I'm going to be a creepy witch this Halloween.

5. Outstanding or not, it's done.

6. A nice soft pillow is what I want right now!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Canes' Hockey, tomorrow my plans include haircuts for the kids and costume shopping and Sunday, I want to rest!!

Thought for Today~~October 9, 2009

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

~~Albert Camus

Rays of Sunshine #2

Way back in February of this year, I started a project called "Rays of Sunshine". Well, started is probably being generous since I hadn't posted any more "rays" since then. BUT, I love the concept and I'm going to keep it up. It's my way of focusing on the positive. So here are my recent rays:

~~Both children absolutely LOVE their teachers!!

~~Sara has gotten two "Cool Moves" awards at school for exceptional performance in class!!

~~Scott is FINALLY reading chapter books, doing an awesome job and LOVING them!!

~~We have started building our patio again!

~~Scott is feeling better and coming out of his shell!

~~Sara is taking Hip Hop dance lessons and loving it! It's helping her become more confident!

Want to share your own rays???

Silpada Sale--Buy a Pair! Save a Pair!!

As this is Breast Cancer Awareness month, I wanted to share an opportunity. I have my own Silpada Designs sterling silver jewelry business and one of the things I love about my business is being able to use it to make a difference in someone else's life.

My goal is to sell 40 pairs of earrings in 10 days to raise money for SHINE FOR LIFE! Your purchase of ONE pair of earrings will help to save a pair...and a life! 100% of the proceeds from your purchase will be donated to the SHINE FOR LIFE campaign to benefit breast cancer research! Can you help???

My Sister in Silpada, Tara Paulitz is battling cancer....AGAIN!
Tara was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2006. Against all odds, Tara's fight brought about remission for two years.

In May this year her cancer returned and she is once again in Treatment. With her faith and spirit, positive attitude and help from God, we know that she will once again be blessed with remission!

I’m sure we ALL have at least one woman in our lives who has fought this same battle. I have several other friends who have beaten or are currently battling breast cancer. My mother in law also fought and beat breast cancer twice. Now I worry…about her, my sister in law, my own daughter and even my husband and son.

Tara began her SHINE FOR LIFE CAMPAIGN with a goal to raise $30,000. She has feared she set her goal too high and wasn't sure she could reach it.... But all things are possible and together we can help Tara reach this goal AND HELP FIND A CURE FOR THIS DEADLY DISEASE... ONE EARRING AT A TIME!

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?
Buy ONE pair of Silpada earrings & your 2nd pair is 30% off!!! Think...holiday gifts, birthdays, anniversaries.. or a treat for YOU!

START DATE: Thursday, October 8th - Sunday, October 18th!

VIEW the jewelry on my website

THEN: Leave me a comment or contact me through my website if you would like to order and I’ll contact you straight away!

Remember your support will help save a pair! Feel free to spread the word!

Together... We can make a difference!

Thought For Today~October 7, 2009

This is the best day the world has ever seen. Tomorrow will be better.

-R.A. Campbell

Let's Mingle!!

Alright then, I was looking around on the web for some inspiration and checking out some memes when I can across this wonderful project. Indigo at That's My Answer has started this "monthly mingle" so to speak and I think it's fantabulous!! It's a wonderful way to meet new bloggers!! All you have to do is sign up and put the lovely "mingle button" in your sidebar. Then each Thursday, visit the blogs of three fellow "minglers" and leave a nice note for them. It starts over each month and don't worry about being late, you can join in at any time! I'm so excited to meet new bloggy friends! Why don't you come mingle with me??

October Memories

The sun hangs just a little lower in the sky today. A cool wind whistles through the trees and around the corner of the little white house in the valley. The air is crisper, cleaner even, with just a hint of a bite to it as it swirls the leaves around me. But still the sun shines on adding just enough warmth to my body. Sweet inviting hickory smoke hangs in the air from the neighbor’s chimneys. I sit in the rocker on the porch watching colors drop from the trees until the wind grabs them dancing them across the sky—a whirling dervish of red, orange, gold and brown. Some engage in a slow waltz, others an almost frantic tribal dance. At the end of her long day, the sun dips behind the mountain top adding her own reds, oranges and golds to God’s canvas. The night’s chill starts to creep in as I wrap my sweater tightly around me, not yet willing give up on the day. Soon, familiar sounds of rattling dishes and irresistible smells of Mama’s beef stew beckon me. I thank God for this beautiful autumn day and join my blessed family. Tomorrow I’ll receive another beautiful gift from God.

Thought for Today~October 5, 2009

Don't borrow someone else's spectacles to view yourself with.

~~Simon Travaglia

Does this look okay to you?

If you happen by here, let me know how this looks. It looks fine on my IE 8 at home but I have IE6 at work and a lot of the elements (header and sidebar) don't show up. So let me know if you don't see everything and if not, what browser you use.

THANKS BUNCHES!!!

I'm going PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness!

OK, so pink really isn't a color I like BUT given it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought I'd give it a try and this beautiful template was as close I could go! :) Thank you Template Mama!! Look for more in support of breast cancer awareness throughout the month! Don't forget to Check the Girls!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!

At least to me, it is! I LOVE Autumn! The crisp clean air, the beautiful colors, the smell of wood smoke from the chimneys! I'm in heaven when the temps start to dip and the leaves start to fall! It comes later around here than where I grew up but it's coming! I can't wait! It signifies a change, a moving on if you will. I've not been around for some time. I've had a lot going on in my life. I miss this blog. Even tho I don't think anyone reads it, I still enjoy doing it. It's a opportunity for me to share my thoughts and feelings and perhaps touch someone along the way. So I'm making an effort to keep up with it better. If anyone happens to stop by on their travels around the net, please leave a quick note and let me know what you think.