Woof

I was looking through pictures on my computer and ran across this one.  I laughed out loud and decided it is photo that needs shared.  This is Boomer... he is suffering the indignity of wearing a New Year's Eve headband.  He is the most tolerant dog, isn't he?  He let me put it on him (I mean, he let SOMEONE put it on him) and promptly curled up and fell asleep with while wearing it.  Maybe it was his way of dealing with the humiliation! 

Jonah's EB Auction

I am so excited!!!!!   I recently donated some of my work, a tote bag and a baby quilt, to Jonah's EB Auction. (Go HERE to read about it.).  The proceeds from the items that are auctioned for to an organization called Debra (Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association of America).  A friend of mine has a baby girl with this disease, which is how I learned that something this horrible even exsisted. 

The auction closed about an hour and a half ago, and I am super excited about the money that my donations had raised. It makes me happy that I was able to help a little bit to support parents who care for children with EB.

The Best Coaches I Could Ask For

Last night was Evie's party and award ceremony for her school swim team.  Her coaches this year were so wonderful.  They acknowledged each and every child on the team individually.  They announced where they placed in the final Diocesan meet, individual best times, and/or where the kids had big improvements in their race times.  They took the time to make sure every child felt noticed and good about what they accomplished that year, and I know that all of the parents appreciated that as much as I did.

Thank you so much for an awesome year, Coaches Don, Natalie, Steve and Michelle.  You made it a great season for out kids.

A Happy Place....

Making snickerdoodles and dancing around the kitchen with my kids while this song plays...   It is snowing and yucky outside - but life is good in here!

45 Years

Today is a day when I am having a hard time feeling the sun around me.  I am tired and cold and sick of driving in the snow (a foot fell last night, after several beautiful days that resulted in all of the snow that had previously fallen melting off).

BUT - I was in Starbucks, getting a mocha (extra hot!) for my kiddos adopted grandma who watched them today while I was working.  While we were waiting for our drinks to be made, I overheard a gentleman next to me say something about being married for 45 years, and even though he said it with a smile, he rolled his eyes.  I jokingly asked him what was going on with the eye rolling when mentioning how long he has been married.

He very quickly corrected my thinking - he told me he was rolling his eyes at how quickly the time had passed, that he had a wonderful wife, four children and lots of grandchildren and he could not be happier.  He said he loved his life.  He was very genuine and spoke with love about his family.  It was so great to have someone talk about how happy they were in their life. 

He really boosted my spirits and brought some light into my gloomy mood.

Sunshine-y Art

Such a happy print!  By Elissa Hudson on Etsy.

Day Off From School

Tomorrow is one of the rare days that I have to work and Evie and Nathan are off of school.  Typically I have the same days off as they do and it is not an issue to find someone to take care of them while I am at work. 

Today my sunshine is the fact that I have 2 different people offer to watch my children for me.  I am grateful that it is not something I have to worry about.  They will be well cared for and in good hands and that is something I am appreciative of and grateful for. I know that is not an easy thing for every family, and I am very blessed that I have people in my life who are so good to my kids.

Laughing Rocks

Laughing with a friend is the best way to lift my spirits.  I love that I have a friend who I can laugh to the point of tears with.  I love that we can be cracking up and everyone else looks at us like we are insane, because they also heard the "joke" and have no idea why it is so funny to us.  Tonight I got to laugh with her over the most ridiculous things and it hit me how lucky I am to have her.

I love you, Claire!

Roll Down Those Car Windows!

Today's sunshine came to me in the joy of being able to roll down the window a few inches and turn off the heat in the van while I drove around Erie today.  WOO-HOO for 47 degrees!  HEAT WAVE, BABY!

I was very close to singing loudly along with Kieth Urban, but decided that scaring people in the cars next to me and causing accidents with my tone-deaf self would ruin the warm temperatures for everyone.  (I'm sure I was not the only one enjoying fresh air!)

Days like today remind me the grey skies will end somtime.  YAY!

A Herd of Bears

I just finished up this herd o' bears (what is the real name for a group of bears?  I was going to say flock, just because I liked the sound of it!).

They will be heading within the next week to an organization called Konbit Sante, whose mission is to get better health care in place for the people of Haiti.  They will be part of birthing kits that will help women have healthy deliveries.  Several friends jumped on board with me to get 10 kits together.  (look here if you want to see more about this.)

These little bears, as well as some blankets, and handmade hats, are an extra gift for these sweet babies coming into the world.

While I was making the bears I was thinking about my own children, and my nieces and nephew, and how each of them has had a "buddy" or blanket that was/is such a comfort to them.  I love the thought, and so hope, that just maybe one of the herd could be that comfort and security to a child somewhere in the world.  What an amazing and powerful thought. 

3 Sweet Peas Jewelry

Have you ever purchased something you loved so much you just had to share it?  I had a necklace custom made with my children's names and birthstones and silly words they accidently made up.  I LOVE it so much.  The independant designer's work is impeccable, and it makes me so happy to have my kiddos with me.  (3 Sweet Peas Jewelry).

I added a link to her shop on my Facebook status several weeks because I wanted to share her awesomeness.  As a result, several friends ordered from her also.  I love that they love their custom jewelry as much as I do - and it makes me happy to spread the word about this great shop. 

Hot Chocolate and Sleds

Today was a Winter Fest at Frontier Park.  My Evie and Nathan had the best time playing in the snow, going on a carriage ride, checking out the snowmen... But the highlight of their day, what they told me about first when they got home, was what my friend Kathy did for them. 

She was manning a booth for her work, and while she visited with my kiddos, she got them hot chocolate (which is soooo one of their favorite things on earth!) and then she asked them if they wanted to borrow the sled they had brought for her little girl. And the best part, for me, was Evie's play by play of her and Nathan taking turns sleding and that for the "grand finale" they went down together.

Hot chocolate and sleds!  Better than gold to my kids!  If there was a sunshine moment for them today, it was Kathy!

Locker Room Sunshine

There is so much to love in this photo!  First, of course, are the beautiful and crazy little girls (my daughter and my niece).  We are in the locker room at Penn State Behrend before the big swim meet I wrote about earlier.  They were excited and nervous and more than a little bit silly!

The girls on Behrend's swim team use this locker room during the swim season and they decorate the lockers for each other.  They cover the lockers with words of encouragement, inspirational quotes, and personal jokes.  It is so great to see the love and heart that go into what they do for their friends.  The locker my girls are standing in front of says "Caution, Dangerous When Wet" and it was one of their favorites.  This is them making their own "dangerous" faces - they are super scary, aren't they?!  I am not sure who was laughing harder, the girls or their mom and I!

Soles for Little Girls

My daughter and nieces are amazing little girls who have decided they want to have a shoe drive for Soles4Souls.  They presented info to the principal at their school and it is set to take place in a few weeks.  (I know I will be writing more about this as it all unfolds, I am soooo proud of these girls!)

I was telling this story with my wonderful cousin and friend, Michelle, who immediately shared my pride and excitement about how big their hearts are.  And then yesterday the girls received a box in the mail from Michelle, who had purchased 8 pairs of children’s shoes and had them shipped to the girls for their shoe drive.  She wrote them the sweetest note telling them how inspired she was by them. 

Michelle made their day.  They were so excited to look through the new shoes, and talked about how much the children who would wear them would love them.  She made them feel so good, and so proud and I love her for lifting them up and showing them how amazing they really are.

It is Really Still There!

It was just great to get a reminder that the sun really is up there, hidden behind the clouds.

It made a valiant effort to peek out today. 

Just Keep Swimming...

My Evie had her last swim meet of the season this past weekend.  I had been talking to her about working hard to get her best times of the year.  She was part of the freestyle relay, and did fantastic.  Then she competed in the individual freestyle.  And got her best time ever!!!  I was so crazy proud of her.  And as she finished and got out of the pool, her awesome coach greeted her with a big smile and told her that she had made her best time.

The look on her face was so amazing.  Watching her beam at doing so well... her coach pausing in the midst of the craziness that is a swim meet of this size to tell her she did well and let her know he was proud of her...

I call that sunshine!

First sunshine finding test...

You are looking at my van. Stuck in my driveway.  I took this photo from the house on my cell phone (Not really sure why it has this purple tint to it). I had my hungry 4 year old and a trunk full of groceries and a van that would not move either forward or backward.  Awesome.   After putting away the groceries and getting my son set up with lunch and a movie, I spent about 25 minutes in my futile attempt to get it out of the driveway. 

And where was the sunshine in this moment?  In my sweet elderly neighbor who brought over her shovel and a bucket of rock salt to help me.  She wanted to shovel with me, but settled for chatting with me while she shivered in the cold, since I would not let her. (Did I mention it was about 17 degrees?)

There was also sunshine in my dad, who came to help me after I realized me shoveling the van out was a lost cause. 

Yay for passing the first test - bright moments were really there!

Be my own sunshine

It is February in Northwestern Pennsylvania.  If you live in this part of the country you have a pretty clear mental picture from that sentence – Grey. Cold. Gloomy skies.  By February it has been this way for months and it has gotten OLD!!!! 

I realized years ago that I run on solar energy.  I am happier, smile more, have more patience, and a million other good things before I am even conscious that the sun is shining.  I find myself laughing at things that would drive me crazy others days and THEN step outside or look out the window and see blue skies and sun.  My body somehow registers the sun before my brain lets me know it is there.

The problem is – I still live in Northwestern Pennsylvania. And it is still February.  If I wait for the sun to shine before I feel brighter that could be months down the road. Thinking in terms of "months" is worst case scenerio, but it is, sadly, a possibility!)

So these are the options I have:

1.       Continue to feel yucky thanks to my internal solar energy being at really low levels. I bet you can guess that is really not what I am hoping for.

2.        Go tanning.  I miss the days when I could do this while ignoring the fact that it is so bad for me.  It does work – that awesome glow of unhealthy, skin damaging rays from a bed of fake sunshine.  Aahhhh.  Reality check.  It is bad. So I am going to stick with that not being an option as I would like to see my children grow up.

3.       Move to Arizona. The sun hangs out year round there.  Not a bad plan, except that all of my family lives here and they are too awesome to be replaced by year-round sunshine.

4.       Find some internal sunshine.  And do my best to soak it in and spread it around. 

And there it is.  That is my goal.  Notice the sunshiney things around me that brighten my life.  Look for the good things that the grey skies can’t take away.  Be my own sunshine.  (okay, that was super-cheesey.) And recognize the sunshine in the people around me.  Search for it shining in other places. And do my best to be sunshine for other people.