Sunday, December 6, 2015

* NEW THOUGHTS ON FOLLOWING MY BLISS *

Last week I had one of those moments where a thought just popped into my head and made perfect sense. I was in bed, trying to go to sleep, but my brain had other ideas...ha ha! Get it...my brain had other "ideas"!? (Sorry for the groaner, but I'm still going pretty much on lots of coffee and a lack of Zzzzs... due to working three full days and three half days last week.)

So...the thought that popped into my head was all about "following your bliss"... and isn't that what my blog and I are all about?! You've seen the following poem on my side bar:

"Follow your bliss.
If you do follow your bliss,
you put yourself on a kind of track
that has been there all the while waiting for you,
and the life you ought to be living
is the one you are living.
When you can see that,
you begin to meet people
who are in the field of your bliss,
and they open the doors to you.
I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid,
and doors will open
where you didn't know they were going to be.
If you follow your bliss,
doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else.”
-- Joseph Campbell

 

Both of my part-time jobs just happened to come along, when I wasn't even looking!

"...you begin to meet people
who are in the field of your bliss,
and they open the doors to you.
I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid,
and doors will open..."
 

And yes, both jobs are rewarding and fun, and yes I'm following my bliss!

And then a powerful thought: Stop worrying about whether I'm writing or not writing...Enjoy where I am at this moment, and the writing will come.
~~~
 
When my friend, Robin Theiss, first told me about Joseph Campbell's quote, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I immediately felt like those words had been written especially for me. I still find it very powerful every time I read it. 
 
I hope all of you are following your bliss, but if you aren't, please give it a try.
 
Wishing you all a beautiful, blissful 2nd week of December!


 
 
A horse drawn carriage on Main Street in old St. Charles, Mo.
This was taken in December of 2009.



Tuesday, December 1, 2015

* YIKES, IT'S DECEMBER! *

Right now, my two part-time jobs are kickin' my butt! Yesterday when I got into my car, I had to stop and think which job I was going to and which highway I needed to get on! LOL

Actually, it's not that bad, but I'm looking forward to working only one job after this Saturday. (Have I even mentioned the two jobs? Long story as to how I came upon the second one and got hired the day of my interview, even after I was AN HOUR LATE for it!)

My posts will probably be even fewer this month, but I hope everyone knows that you're always in my thoughts. Maybe I'll just post a photo or two every now and then....



 
December 2008


... like these two wacky pictures of myself from December of 2008. Gosh, it doesn't seem that long ago!

~~~

Welcome to my newest follower, Dawn.
 
I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thanks so much.
 
P.S. - Dawn, please leave a comment with your blog or website. When I click on your photo, a link pops up for about one second and disappears before I can even click on it.
 
 
                                              ~~~
 
 
"How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?" - Dr. Seuss
 
 

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

* MY COUNTDOWN TO THANKSGIVING - DAY 8 *

* Countdown to Thanksgiving *
 
Wow, tomorrow is Thanksgiving! How did the fourth Thursday in November arrive so fast?!
 
 
I just love these adorable pilgrim salt & pepper shakers!
They're from the grocery store, Publix, which is in the South.
My sister, Marian, sent them to me as a little gift in 2010.
 
Both of these photos are a bit blurry.
I'll have to take new pictures,
just as soon as I dig through more boxes! J
 
I was a bit melancholy the first couple of years we didn't have all of our grown kids and grandkids over for our Thanksgiving get-together. We always had our dinner the Saturday before most actual holidays, because it just made it so much better for them. No pressure and/or guilt about trying to make it to X number of houses, and X number of dinners....but this year, I am feeling much happier about going to one of their homes tomorrow! All I'm bringing is a couple of bottles of wine!
 
 
 
One of my favorite Thanksgiving/Christmas movies:
Miracle on 34th Street...the original, in black and white.
 
 
Fred: That baseball player sure looks like a giant to me.
 
Susan: Sometimes people grow very large, but that's abnormal.
 
Fred: I'll bet your mother told you that, too.

 
 
~~~
 
 

Monday, November 23, 2015

* MY COUNTDOWN TO THANKSGIVING - DAY 6 *

* Countdown to Thanksgiving *
 
The TV show, The Waltons, began when I was a senior in high school. I immediately loved it for several reasons:
 
I like movies and programs about past eras, particularly the 1930s through the 1960s.
 
It was about family values, love, hard work, etc.
 
I loved the way it was narrated by the "real" John-Boy, Earl Hamner, Jr., and knowing that many of the stories were true or based on true events.
 
I dreamed of having a home with lots of kids, parents, and grandparents, all living under the same roof. Since my own childhood certainly wasn't like that, I wished for something similar when I got married. Ahh, the dreams of an 18-year-old girl. Maybe that kind of life was down one of the paths in my future...until that crowbar changed everything! J
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Although my family isn't as large as The Waltons', I'm very happy with the way things turned out! And I have so many friends who are like family members, and that number seems to grow all the time!
 
 
 
~~~
 
 
"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them,
is the true measure of our thanksgiving." - W. T. Purkis


Sunday, November 22, 2015

* MY COUNTDOWN TO THANKSGIVING - DAY 5 *

* Countdown to Thanksgiving *
 
 
Speaking of thankfulness, I was very thankful to have the day off today...and my sweet Vern allowed me to sleep realllllyyyyyy late! (after his one-quick-go-outside-come-back-in-trip at 6:00am)
 
Then I spent a mostly lazy afternoon and evening, watching some football on TV, did a couple of loads of laundry and folded towels that were still in a basket from ___ days ago! (How grateful I am to have those clothes and towels, and electricity to clean/dry them.)
 
 
I also got a few groceries (of which I'm so appreciative)... lunch type snacks to take to work, and a small pork roast, red potatoes, and frozen corn and peas. My supper will be all ready for me when I get home from work tomorrow...because it will cook in the crockpot most of the day. Yum! I can hardly wait to get back home tomorrow!  J
 
And speaking of food, combined with my countdown to Thanksgiving.....below is one of my newest sets of Salt & Pepper shakers which I purchased at a nearby Kirkland's.
 

A turkey in a roaster



Take the turkey out of the roaster,
 and voila' ...
the turkey is the Pepper
and the roaster is the Salt!
 
These are almost as small as they look. Each piece is about 2-1/2" wide. I think they're just so cute! (The least expensive items always bring me joy.)
 ~~~

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that one of my favorite "weather events" happened yesterday....snow flurries! It was so pretty coming down and obviously didn't stick since our weather has been fairly warm.
~~~
 
 
 

“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” — Cynthia Ozick


Saturday, November 21, 2015

* MY COUNTDOWN TO THANKSGIVING - DAYS 3 & 4 *

 
* Countdown to Thanksgiving *
 
 
I forgot all about yesterday's post! I'm so sorry! I worked long hours, (and have the same schedule today) so I thought I better do my post now! J

 
One of my favorite coffee mugs! Harvest Blessings on one side.......


....And a scarecrow on the other!

This is the first cloche I made. (I'd never even heard of them until I saw a post on Marty's blog http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/search?q=Marty


All of these things make me think of autumn, obviously, but especially of Thanksgiving!


Have a beautiful day today/this evening.....wherever you are!

Thursday, November 19, 2015

* MY COUNTDOWN TO THANKSGIVING - DAY 2 *

* Countdown to Thanksgiving *
 
 
 
I never spent Thanksgiving at my grandparents' home when I was a little girl. I'm sure it was because they lived hundreds of miles away from us and time just didn't allow it. I sometimes wished we could be there with them, and would go around our house singing the song in the You Tube video below:
 
 
 
And of course, my wishes also included the snow and the horse-drawn sleigh! 
 
 
 
 
"I suppose I will die never knowing what pumpkin pie tastes like when you have room for it." ~Robert Brault http://rbrault.blogspot.com/
 
(Ahh, my friend Robert Brault has written more amazing words of wit and wisdom than anyone else I know! His books can be purchased on Amazon.)