2017 Is Going To Be The Best Yet!! Right??

2017 is going to be so good! Let me get some heck yeahs and some cheers! Sure, 2016 wasn't quite what many of us had hoped, but hey, what election year is? I'm going to recommit with the things I was doing in 2016 and keep moving forward. After all, there is no such thing as standing still. If you're not moving forward, you're moving backwards! And it doesn't matter how fast---baby steps are awesome!

My Post Monday - I had so much fun writing my  (mostly) once-a-week posts about anything I wanted to write about (because it's called #MyPostMonday) and also finding the week's best original content on the internet, which I link and feature on Twitter under the above hashtag. I turned my love of stalking into a regular thing, and apparently you like me to bring the content to you as well! Thanks so much! 

Basically I wrote about whatever was on my mind and sometimes I went there. During the course of 2016, I revealed that I am indeed a Christian, an LDS Christian. My definition of Christian is someone who believes that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World and died for all of us, so that we might live once again beyond physical death. I believe that what we do beyond that amazing gift is up to us, but He is ever merciful and ever kind. No human being is so hopeless as to be beyond His infinite mercy! He is there when we are sad, lonely, depressed, angry, or dejected. We just need to call upon Him and have that humble, believing faith! He is available to all of us!! I think that in these troubled times, it is wise for anyone to invest in His amazing promises, which you can readily access in the scriptures!

In one post, I admitted that sometimes I felt envy and jealousy. I'm happy to say that I have overcome so much of those feelings in the past year. It's like I took my own advice in the post I wrote. I identified jealousy as a time sucker and gave 4 ways to overcome feelings of jealousy! It's called living abundantly and it is so freeing! And so it went from there throughout the year--me talking about things that I was concerned about or interested in. I even lamented the end of Downton Abbey, one of my all-time favorite t.v. shows! 

I hope to continue My Post Monday's and I hope you will continue to drop by and check them out when you can! Better yet, subscribe to my updates! (Right Side Bar) 

I also continue to write about health & wellness, fashion and do reviews and giveaways! Be assured I have some great ones lined up for the upcoming year! Thanks so much for your support and your readership! They help me continue to do what I love to do---blog for you!

Determination Could Save Your Life + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I sometimes wonder exactly how much grit and determination I would have if I were stuck out in the wilderness and no one knew where I was. Would I just lay down and hope against all hope that someone would rescue me, or would I do everything humanly possible to find a solution? If my recent experience of running out of gas on the freeway is any indication, it might be a very sketchy situation for me if I were in a more precarious scenario. 
I am a work-smarter-not-harder kind of person. But somehow my gas tank filling habits are definitely on the dumbed down side of my thought process, I am always seeing how far I can get before I absolutely have to fill up. 
And so I found myself trying to get home after work on fumes, constantly glancing at the gauge to see if I could make it to the next gas station. Fortunately, I was going downhill on the freeway and close to the exit, which I took, as my car slowed down---70, 60, 55---What made matters even worse was it was also the day I forgot my phone, so I couldn't call anyone. (Yes, it was a Monday and it had been a hectic pre-Christmas weekend.) There is obviously more than one way to run on fumes!
 I waited in the car with my flashers on for a full 26 minutes, not knowing where any gas stations were. I finally decided I needed to hoof it to someplace, any place, where there was a phone because no one seemed to want to stop and help this hapless woman, chilling in her car, flashers going, just barely off the exit ramp. I saw a distant building approximately 2 miles away that looked like an office setup. So I got out of the car and started walking. I hadn't walked 20 yards when I realized that on my right was a gas station that had been obscured by a small hill. That was my ticket to success and I was soon happily on my way. 
I could have waited in my car indefinitely, waiting for who knows what. I'm embarrassed that I waited for as long as I did.

Image - John Lloyd

And then there's the recent story of a woman who walked for 30 straight hours to find help when her family became stranded around the Grand Canyon because it was closed for the season. She wasn't about to give up. Her twin sister said that her personality is "Do it, or die trying."  She ended up eating pine twigs to keep herself from starving, drinking her own urine trying to keep herself hydrated and finally found a ranger cabin, breaking a window to get in, where she collapsed, barely conscious. Fortunately she was found. I've got to say, I admire her courage and her unwillingness to just lay down and give up. 
I think this kind of determination applies in a lot of different situations, not just life or death. What about you? Do you have the determination to "Do it, or die trying"?

 Today is "My Post Monday!" It's all about original content from bloggers who care to share what is on their minds--from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!) 

2 Ways To Show People That They Matter #LIGHTtheWORLD

A couple years ago at the high school where I work, they handed out hoodies and these hoodies had a motto on them that read, "You Matter Because You Exist". Now I don't know about you, but this particular saying doesn't really do it for me. I am aware that there are millions of people "existing" in this world that don't seem to matter to anyone. Granted, some of these very same people seem to be the happiest! I think they must know something that some people don't! 

Christmas is a wonderful time of year to show people how much they really do matter! Love truly is the magical word for the season! We all want to feel loved all the time, but isn’t Christmas a wonderful time to share some extra love to the lonely, the needy, or someone whom you are very thankful for or who is extra special to you?

No monetary compensation was received for this post. This site uses both affiliate and non-affiliate links for reference purposes.Thanks for your readership and support!

Featured below are a couple of ways to show a few special people that they are loved, and needed! It is in keeping with the #LIGHTtheWORLD  campaign from Mormon.org, where they are helping us honor Jesus Christ during the 25 days of Christmas by doing the things He did each and every day He was alive on the earth! 

These are two ways to remind people how truly loved and valued they are--especially to the Savior Jesus Christ and to our Heavenly Father!  Each involves a free printout I discovered at Polka Dot Poplars, and a little bit of glue, paint, and thought!

Brown Paper Packages 
Use the free printable to create a small package to deliver to someone! I had a brown paper gift bag saved from another year.

 I used a hot glue gun to make a little envelope for a candy bar, along with a message saying "Brown paper packages tied up with string, Oh you are one of His favorite things!"

Wall Art Motivation

Using the free printable, I made some wall art. I found frames at my local thrift store and spray painted them 'heirloom white'. 

Before

 The message by Dieter F. Uchtdorf is so reassuring that you are of infinite value and worth. Not just because you exist, but because you are loved by the most wonderful being in the Universe!

After

 It is the goal of the #LIGHTtheWORLD Campaign to help illuminate the earth with His light during this very special time of year. I hope that you will have a wonderful Christmas and feel how loved and important you are to Him, even Jesus Christ!

The Risk Of Confiding + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Image - Shawn Heiner

 I sometimes wait out the rush hour traffic if I happen to be running late. I'll stop off at a local bakery or the library and read or catch up on e-mails. Somehow last Friday I ended up reading a short story autobiography-type narrative and it sucked me in! 
It was about a woman telling about her life, starting when she was in college, rooming with a bunch of girls weaving in and out of each others' lives, and especially one particular friend. She described her as a Russian girl, sometimes very animated and other times very sullen and withdrawn. Through the course of their association, they became better friends than just roommates.  They ended up appreciating each other enough to do good things for each other, knowing more about one another than the normal chat-it-up at lunch things. Yet as the years rolled by, there were some things neither of them ever divulged to the other.  The narrator had been abused by her boyfriend and never chose to tell her friend because of an opinion her friend had voiced about abused wives and girlfriends being weak and co-dependent. They lost touch for a few years and by the time the narrator found where her Russian friend lived, the husband informed her she had died. When she asked how her friend had died, he vaguely said she had been sick. Finally, after some research, she found out that she had died of cancer and had fought it for some time. Her friend had never told her that she was ill and suffering. 
 How much deeper friendship might they have shared if they had chosen to share their secret trials? I suppose it had risks to it. Either one of them might have exposed themselves, only to find themselves rejected. It's always a risk.
We choose what to curate about our lives and how we reveal who we are to the world. Some of us are blatantly authentic, choosing to risk rejection for revelation. Some choose carefully and are very veiled about what they reveal about themselves. And understandably so.
I actually have a story of my own--of friendship lost! But it is because of confiding, rather than hiding. In high school I was best friends with a girl from another country, let's call her Flo. She came as an exchange student and we hung out a lot together. We had so many great talks and fun times. It's like we found so many similarities despite being from different countries and cultures! We were like soul sisters!
But we lost touch over the years. She went back to her country, got married, and ended up back in the States with her husband. But some years later, we connected, met up, talked and laughed again. During that time, she divulged something that happened to her when she was a girl. It was pretty heavy. because it was about abuse of some form. It was hard for me to deal with at the time because I hadn't walked in her shoes. Right after that, something really hard happened to me. It was tragic and hard. I told her, and I know it was hard for her to deal with. She hadn't walked in my shoes. I told her that she wasn't helping me. She responded back in kind. We lost the friendship. Too much pain to deal with. We discovered that those innocent times in high school had become more complicated and that there were things beneath the surface that were too hard to deal with. It's been 20 years since we last connected.

 After reading that story in the library, I am realizing that I don't want to let such a real friendship go, even though the things we both went through were hard and hard for each other to understand. The thing is, we did confide and reveal our hidden selves. And no, we weren't able to deal with the revelations. But time is a wonderful healer and a teacher. I think that I'm ready. I'm ready to go back and pick up where I left off with Flo. I think I'll be ready to be the friend that she had hoped I would be!

 Today is "My Post Monday!" It's all about original content from bloggers who care to share what is on their minds--from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs or vlogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!)

Empowering Children & Youth To Perform Small Acts Of Meaningful Service #LIGHTtheWORLD

 Things are getting crazy this time of year--we have parties and functions to attend, all the gifts, all the food, all the Hallmark Shows, decorating, and everything else! This time of year, though, is a time to be reflective and remember the reason for the Season! I feel like it's a great time to give more than just monetary gifts! It's a time to teach youth and children about the joy of service! 
I received no monetary compensation for this post! This site uses affiliate and non-affiliate links for reference purposes. Thanks for your readership and support!
I am participating as best as I can in a campaign that is helping me find ways to serve others and stretch myself a bit more this season. I'm trying to find a way to incorporate things into my already busy life--things that may not be huge, but can make a difference! It's called #LIGHTtheWORLD. When we remember all of the things that Jesus Christ did for us throughout His life, non-stop, I think that I can do just a little bit during the 25 days of Christmas of what I know He would want me to do as well!

 
At my school, I've decided to help the students (9th - 12th grade Behavior/Special Ed Resource Room) recognize when they are being helpful and thoughtful. It's really simple--I used fun, colorful, free printables to recognize little things that the kids do every day that are above and beyond the call of duty. I saw a boy help retrieve someone's backpack that had fallen down the stairs. I saw someone else bring Christmas gifts to his fellow classmates, I saw someone let another go in front of them in line. I saw someone give a special snack from home to someone else who was having a hard day. I saw someone use polite words when feeling annoyed. All of these things make everyone's day brighter, happier, easier and more joyful. When combined, these things do make a difference!

 For the last week of school I am handing these tickets out from my special box and on the last day before Christmas Break, students will be able to redeem each ticket for a small treat from my gift basket! It's full of small items I have retrieved from the Dollar Store, Craft Stores, and left over from other activities. They seem to love this kind of thing. They love the recognition, they learn how to be helpful, they learn that even the small things matter! 

Of course, this same thing can be done in the home with the kids! They love to be recognized for the good they do and this is an easy way to do it!
Even if you are super busy, just the small things can make a huge difference during this time of year! 

Get fun craft ideas and other printables at Lollie Jane!

How To Eliminate Pain From Your Life! 'Forever Painless' by Miranda Esmonde-White

I don't often do book reviews, but this had to be done because of my total dedication and belief in Essentrics, Classical Stretch, and anything having to do with Miranda Esmonde-White! Ms. Esmond-White has done the Fitness Industry a HUGE favor by taking it from it's infancy to a better understanding of how the human body works, and how to keep it healthy, pain-free, and young throughout life! 

My Snowman + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I've almost recovered from Thanksgiving! This Thanksgiving was particularly wonderful for me, and sad at the same time. My son will be leaving to serve an LDS mission in LA this January, so the Thanksgiving Table will be missing a son for a couple of years. You awesome folks in California, be nice to him, he's just a big lovable guy, with plenty of faults, but he wants to share a message about Jesus Christ and he's trying really hard to represent Him correctly. I've seen him improve himself so much! It's just what he has chosen to do, and I support him wholeheartedly! It's actually kind of a miracle he has even chosen to do this. Maybe I'll share more later!
In other news, we have been having an unseasonably warm November and the outdoor sporting industry was really getting worried, since ideally, snow should have been plentiful in the mountains in October! But we've been having some pretty high temperatures for this time of year, until Thanksgiving Day! The snow came floating down, covering everything! Nothing like a white Thanksgiving! 

Image: Michael Wiercinski

This snowman reminds me of a poem my grandmother wrote and included in a compilation of her poems. She was a high school English teacher and had a gift with words. The poem talks about a snowman that she built that is so funny, quaint, and imperfect. But she likes him anyway because it is hers. She is the one that made him what he is. Anyway, you get the feeling that she is talking about something else when you read it! I love my friends and family because they are the ones who have ended up with me and I know them well, because I had a part in creating a bit of who they are! 
                                The Snowman 
I kicked in the new fallen moist white snow. 
I thought I would make a man, 
And just like the man I should like to wed
I will mold him if I can.

So I picked out the cleanest, whitest snow 
And rolled up a round big ball
Then plastered and patted and stuck on more
For he was to be right tall!

His shoulders would have a dignified, gallent air
And a proud high brow--
I'd make him long fingers and thin pressed lips.
If only I knew just how.

At last I'd finished--but down his cheek
Was a deep wrinkle of soot
He held up a cane in a thick pudgy hand
And had a big clumsy foot.

He looked at me through his wide black eyes,
And perked a humourous grin.
I said to myself as I walked back in,
"He's fat instead of thin."

I looked at him often through the door 
And I'd wonder how long he'd stay,
He wasn't at all the man I'd planned.
But I liked him anyway!   --Helen M. Livingston

Today is "My Post Monday!" It's all about original content from bloggers who care to share what is on their minds--from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!)

Argan Oil For Massive Beauty Benefits!

I, like you, have read and heard a lot about breakthrough natural products. When folks start touting the benefits of these natural products, I tend to be a tad skeptical because I think it must be the newest fad! I think that it will be here for a time, and not be talked about much after the next fad arrives. There have been a few things, however, that have come and stayed because of legitimate benefits. Examples come to mind such as coconut oil, kale, and green smoothies. These natural products are so healthy and the benefits have been proven! Argan oil is one of these remarkable natural products that is almost miraculous in its proven benefits!  

The product comes from Morocco and is the "liquid gold" of the region. The oil comes from the kernels inside the nuts. It takes a lot of hard work to remove the liquid and can take up to 8 hours of labor to remove the oil from the nuts. It was once a well-kept beauty secret among Moroccan women, but now the cat's out of the bag and women like you and me can benefit.

There are two ways argan oil is utilized. The first is culinary. In order to have a good tasting oil, the nuts need to be roasted during the extraction process. The second is for beauty. The raw oil is extracted and used on hair, nails, skin, and lips. 

Loved And Lost (Mostly Loved) + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

This week my heart hurts a little more for those who won't be with their loved ones. Everyday people die, that's just how it goes. But during the holidays it seems a bit more tragic. I know my mom died just 2 days before Thanksgiving. It was hard, but at the same time, it turned out pretty nice because it made it easier for our working family members to come in and be with us during that hard time. We were able to come together and reminisce about times with our mother. It would have made her so happy to see us all together like that on Thanksgiving!

Today a school bus carrying 35 children in Chattanooga crashed and 6 of them were killed--So tragic for so many people. My heart goes out to the families who have to endure this loss and try to make sense of it in their own minds. Although I don't know any of these children or their parents, I do know how it feels to lose someone who is your world and when they are gone, your world goes with them. There is a time when you feel as though you don't want to go on, that you'd rather just lay down and not try. It hurts so badly. But even in that sadness and grief, you might say that you were one of the lucky ones--who knew, loved, lost, but mostly loved.

Image - Mark Smith

Today is "My Post Monday!" It's all about original content from bloggers who care to share what is on their minds--from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!)

 

Silver Jewelry Is Appropriate For Any Occasion

That Thankful Holiday is upon us and I'll be seriously busy this week! I've got two dinners to do, one at my sister's house and one at mine! Imagine this---I'm going to be doing Thanksgiving on Black Friday! I know, I'm going to miss out on some deals, truly, but I would never miss out on an opportunity to have Thanksgiving with family! So you're welcome! You can have my place in line! 😭😭😭

 For Thanksgiving, I'll be running around trying to get everything up to taste expectations, because with my family, the most important thing about Thanksgiving is the food! My boys will practically move a table centerpiece to the floor if it gets in the way of turkey accessibility. So yes, we'll have some decor and nuance, but really, it's all about the vittles. We'll be doing turkey, ham, mashed potato casserole, sweet potato casserole, chicken avocado salad, pie, trifle, cranberry sauce, and beverages!! And at my sister's house, we'll be doing all that, but also prime rib! Good times!
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For my own personal look, I've not decided yet what I'll be wearing--that will be more spur of the moment. I know it will be fun, but more comfort-oriented. I DO know my jewelry will be from Montana Silversmiths! I'll be going simple--no ultra-fancy, clunky statement pieces to get in the way of food prep. Here are the pieces I've chosen.

Montana Silversmiths Jewelry is one of the largest suppliers of fantasy and western jewelry in the U.S. They have been awarded several times for their quality and selection! I chose the cuff because of it's fun design and the beading on it! I love the way it looks! I chose the ring to wear in place of my wedding ring when I am working and busy with my hands. It is beautiful and easy to wear! I chose the delicate earrings and necklace set because they are small and simple, yet add incredible sparkle! The earrings are very well-made and so lightweight, I don't even know I have them on! All of these pieces are made with 100% sterling silver along with other alloys, depending upon the design. They are timeless pieces that I can wear for years to come and possibly pass down to one of my granddaughters, if I finally ever have grandkids! Their prices are great, with a rich range of options, too! I would love to receive a gift from Montana Silversmiths any time!