Look what I found!!!

This book may not mean anything to most people, but to me it was my favorite book as a child. The pictures have stood out vividly all these years in my mind. I remember reading these books every time I got to the library when I was young. I loved them so much. I found them online after years of looking because I could NOT remember the title. I stumbled across them and ordered 3 of the series.

If you aren't familiar with these, and they are OLD so you probably aren't, but they are so sweet. They are books told with beautiful photographs of a doll and her adventures. It makes me so happy to read them with my girls. They are enjoying them too which is so much fun for me. Here is a look inside...The Lonely Doll by Dare Wright

Good Eats

My new favorite salad...
Try it!

STRAWBERRY FETA SALAD

Mixed Greens
Sliced Strawberries
Walnuts (sugar coated are good in this)
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Thinly Sliced Purple Onion (optional)
Any Pink or Red Wine Vinagaerette

Mix it all up with some dressing. YUM!

I wish I had a picture but I had to eat it ASAP!

Rose Colored Glasses

Life has been kicking me in the backside lately. One thing to tackle after another. I am witnessing miracles among the madness however, which is the best I could hope for. In typical (goofy) ME fashion, when faced with gray times, I go on a quest of sorts, searching my life for SOMETHING, anything uplifting... and I always find some morsel of hope!

My daughter is doing better on some medication for her extreme anxiety. Never a fan of medication, yet there comes a point when you've tried everything else and it's time to bite the bullet. She has reacted marvelously to it... making me wonder WHY I waited so long to get my happy, singing, sweet, hugging, sleeping daughter back again. Man, how I missed her. The miracle of modern medicine.

Then there is my always eventful (almost) 16 yr old. He is always getting himself into situations. Sometimes he has NO idea how dangerous they are. On Monday, he was thrown off a four wheel ATV and into/over some barbed wire. He was knocked up pretty good, scratched and ripped, and really sore and miserable. In the car the other day he told me that he was still in shock from the whole accident. He had been on those machines (we do not own any) many times with his friends and had never had anything like this happen. Then he paused and said, "I should have landed on top of some sharp boulders, I came down on my back Mom. When I opened my eyes I was laying on the ground in a clearing, surrounded by those rocks and I was expecting to be paralyzed or broken, but I could move." To me, that is a miracle. He got UP and walked for help (he was the rear man in the line of boys on the machines). The boy must have guardian angels working overtime these days. You KNOW Mom is on her knees for my kids asking for that!

The picture at the top is not one I took but I saw those "God Ray's" yesterday... the sun breaking through a storm cloud, it's rays beaming down like long, golden fingers. My eyes filled with tears. Even in stormy times, light can always reach us, God's love can always reach us. I needed that.

The list of amazing things goes on and on. I have to search for the positive in day to day life. Sometimes it's overshadowed and stunk out by the garbage. We all have to stand up and walk for help when our problems are bigger than we can manage. This is why I value prayer so much as my life line. So glad I have never given up my prescription and use for those rose colored glasses as well. They keep perspective and I sure don't know what I would do without them.

Almost Sixteen

It's way more fun to watch my boy be almost 16 then to remember being that age myself.

My son and his friends are sophomores. The first year of high school here. It's also the year that all the buddies are starting to drive and get licenses, jobs, dates, and think about the big dances. Scary times in my own life as I remember back at that age, but also really exciting. Lot's of drama at that age weither your a boy or a girl... oh how I remember.

The boys come home and eat at our house every day. Thank goodness for frozen burritos. I look forward to it. I love to hear there conversations and get into their world a little. Yesterday they talked about punk rock and how it would be if our bodies were jointed like a barbie and how whacky we would move. That was funny to watch.

Today the conversation was way more serious, centered around President Obama. They discussed how they were going to have to listen to Obama talk on Tuesday at school and how they were all supposed to be Obama-bots from the "indoctrination talk". They also said how they were not keen on having that guy lead the charge in having the government take over their freedom. Interesting, I thought they were all ruled by hormones at that age, they still have a little room in their brains to contemplate anything that affects their future.

Good for you boys for caring so much and wanting a say in that future of yours and not just about the girls you'll see on the weekend. No matter what your political viewpoint, it is GREAT to see the next generation being concerned and wanting to be involved in a time when our country is in such fluctuation with things changing so quickly.