Out of Dreams…

Out of dreams can come amazing ideas. I dream a lot. I remember a lot of what I dream. I’ve often been mad at myself for not writing things down from dreams I’ve had because sometimes I forget some specifics, like song lyrics I made up in a dream that were pretty dang good! Maybe if I had written them down and/or recorded myself singing them, I’d realize that they weren’t all that good, but for a moment I was a serious superstar.

Anyway, as you may be able to tell, I love to write. I have always loved to write. When I was young, I loved to write in journals/diaries and I went through a phase where I was really into writing short stories. I came across some of them a few years ago when we were getting ready to move. Although they were pretty juvenile due to having been written as a pre-teen or young teen, they were still pretty decent and I found myself kind of impressed with the depth of some of the things I wrote. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I’m some amazing writer or something, but it really just was something I enjoyed.

That brings me to now. Friday morning, after my husband and kids left for school and work, I decided to lie back down for a bit. It was the first week of school, all of the sports/band schedules had started up and I had babysat a couple of days too and getting up super early all week had just pretty much kicked my butt. Seemed like a good excuse to go back to bed for a bit.

I ended up falling asleep and having one of the most vivid and detailed dreams I have had in a really long time. It was so intense and real feeling. I was me, but much younger, the place I was in was unfamiliar and the people I was surrounded by weren’t anyone that I know in real life. There was so much mystery around what was happening in my dream and what I was experiencing. I woke up and just kept thinking about it. I got up and threw in a load of laundry and ran the dishwasher and all I could think about was this dream. So, I decided I was going to write it down. As I was writing it down, I decided that it was a story that I would love to read as a book or that could totally be a movie that I would be interested in seeing. I love suspense-thriller type books and movies and it fit into that genre perfectly.

I decided that with my love for writing and just how I can’t seem to stop thinking of this dream, I am going to do something with it. I started writing it out and adding some different things to it and I’m loving the creativity I’m feeling. So, I’m thinking I’m really going to work at this in my spare time and make a little short story out of it. I’m excited about it. I haven’t felt creatively excited in quite a while, so I’m really into this.

I can’t wait to share my dream/story with you when I’m finished. I’m not sure how long it will take me to finalize it, especially since I’ve really just begun, but I’m so excited about it that I just wanted to share that it’s happening. There is just something so refreshing and thrilling about getting a creative idea and actually executing it. I hope that I will execute my vision as well as I’m imagining.

What about you? Do you have anything you’re feeling passionate about creating right now? Anything you’ve created lately? I love to see how different people are in their ideas and how unique our creativity is. Just another reminder of how unique God created each of us to be.

Reading

I LOVE reading, but I’ve noticed that since facebook came to be and pinterest and all that good stuff, I don’t read nearly as often as I used to. I have realized that almost the only time I read now is when I’m camping, just before I fall asleep.

That makes me kind of sad, but also makes me excited for all of the camping I have coming up. I am currently finishing up a book that I started on my last camping trip called The Memory Collector by Meg Gardiner. It’s a suspense thriller type of book and I love books like that. I’m almost done with it though and since I have a Kindle that is filled with books that I haven’t touched in about a year, I decided to charge it and bring it with me on my trips I have coming up.

I’m not sure what I will read first, but I did download a bunch of Karen Kingsbury books at one time because I have had them recommended to me a ton of times, so maybe I’ll start there.

Do you like to read? What are your favorite books? I would love some recommendations because I plan on getting back to reading like I used to and spending much less time on the computer. So, what do ya have for me?

Breaking Free

When I started blogging again a couple of months ago, I felt this pressure like I needed to post something every single day. I was afraid that if I didn’t, I would have people lose interest and just end up not following me or reading anything anymore.

Before I went on my last long vacation, I stayed up until 2:00 in the morning (even though I had to get up at 6:00 to get ready to leave) and typed up and scheduled posts for the entire time I was gone. That made me start my vacation ridiculously tired. Why in the world did I do that?

What I realized is I was starting to post things just for the sake of posting and not because they really had much importance to me. That’s not at all what I want this blog to be about.

You see, I did the blogging where I did a ton of reviews and got a bunch of free stuff and while that was really awesome for a while, it started to just get overwhelming. Deadlines for reviews and just tons of stuff started making me feel like it was something I HAD to do instead of something I WANTED to do. Then my blog became nothing but reviews and giveaways and lost all of the things about it that had at one time made it a therapeutic and enjoyable thing for me.

In other words, my goal for this blog is not to have a blog that makes companies want to approach me for reviews. It’s not to impress or have thousands of followers (of course, I would be fine with that though). This blog is a place for me to share things that I like and things I don’t. A place for me to share my struggles and my successes. A place where I hope that I can connect with other people and where I hope people can find encouragement.

So, I’m breaking free from the feeling that I have to post something every single day because why post something just to post it? Why post something that really has no meaning to me or just feels like a burden? I’m not doing that. I’m posting things I actually WANT to share with you and nothing else. So, if you don’t see anything for a few days at a time…it may be that I’m on vacation with my family or we have a lot going on or that I just don’t feel like I have anything of real value to say at the moment.

I hope you’ll all be ok with that. Thank you so much for following my blog and reading my posts and for all of the awesome feedback that I get. Keep it coming! If there are topics you would like me to maybe touch on or things you love about the blog that you hope I will continue, please let me know!!!

Wish List of the Moment

Oh stuff. Stuff is fun. Let me be clear that I am not a “stuff-focused” person by any means, but I still like some good stuff. So, here is my wish list of the moment of some pretty nifty stuff that I think would be cool to have. Check it out.

I totally want a super sweet Beach Cruiser like this one. I need a new bike and I’m all about the vintage look of these bikes. I can totally see my dorky butt riding this around the campgrounds when we go camping. These things are awesome!

As you may have noticed if you follow my Instagram, I am loving Alex and Ani bracelets. I have two so far, but there are definitely more I want. Here are a couple of the ones on my wish list.

I’m a huge fan of the Life is Good brand. I got a tire cover for our camper off of Zulily sometime in the winter and I absolutely love it! Well, I love zip up hoodies and when I saw this one, I thought it was perfect. I love the color and the simplicity of it. So cute!

I would love some plastic adirondack chairs for on my deck. Just something I can go out and sit on without having to get cushions out like I do for my patio table chairs. I like that they lean back a little and you can get the little ottomans to go with them too.

So there are just a few things I think it would be fun to have. What’s on your current “wish list”?

Share a Song Sunday

It’s Sunday and that means it’s time to share another song. Today I would like to share a song with you that is just a fun song that I can’t help but sing along to whenever it comes on. If you know it, you probably feel the same. I do have to say though that this is probably one of the weirdest videos I have ever seen.

Anyway, hope you have a fabulous Sunday!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

We’re headed later this afternoon over to my husband’s parents’ house for yummy food and fireworks. Whatever you are doing to celebrate today, I hope it’s great!

If you’re hanging out at home and want to do something fun with the kids, here are some cool ideas that you can be creative with to celebrate!

Favorite Things – 2nd Edition

Just a fun little post to share a few more of my favorite things with you…

I love the Bible, but I also really love The Story, which is basically the Bible in chronological order and more in a story format. Now, it doesn’t replace my Bible, but I do enjoy using it sometimes for my devotion time and then will look things up in my Bible for more detail if I want to. My Dad told me that he has tried to read the Bible several times and just found it so confusing, so I ended up buying a copy for him as well and he really likes it. If you’d like another great way to read the Bible or are looking for something that is an easier read, you should definitely check it out. I was lucky enough to get both of the copies I bought from Family Christian when they were on special for $5.00 each and that’s for hardcover!

I listen to Christian music and Praise and Worship music more than any other kind of music because even though I love many other kinds of music, none of it has the depth and meaning that these genres do and no other music gives me such a positive feeling. While there are many that I love, my absolute favorite Christian artist is Kari Jobe. It’s strange because I typically am not a big fan of female singers. Not sure why, I just never really have been. There is just something about Kari’s voice though and you can see her passion and sincerity when she sings. I was so blessed to be able to see her in concert and sit in the front row and it was such an incredible night of praise and worship. I was moved to tears several times and absolutely loved worshiping with her. Her songs speak right to my heart and I just love them. Here is one of my favorites…

POTATOES!!! Potatoes are my favorite food. I love them mashed, boiled, baked, fried…any way you can make them. Seriously, add some onion, butter, cheese, sour cream, etc. and you’ve got yourself something delicious. I could live off of them (though not very healthily).

Scrabble. It’s my favorite game. If you play with me, I will probably beat you. I love it. Brian and I have some seriously heated and competitive games of Scrabble. I don’t play around. This is the set we have.

Cheez-its. My most favorite snack food EVER! I cannot be trusted alone with a box of Cheez-its. I’ll devour those puppies. Mmmmm, now I’m hungry.

So, there are just a few more of my favorite things. Are any of them your favorite too?

Monday Musings

I had such a great weekend away with my husband for our anniversary and just got home today (we got to stay an extra day! Yay!) so I was not prepared with a scheduled post today. I had such a good weekend away though and feel refreshed and excited about some new writing topics. I’m looking forward to sharing some things with you this week.

For today though, I just want to say how incredibly thankful I am for family, for love and for life. It’s so easy to get comfortable in a good life and kind of forget just how blessed we are. There is such value in STOPPING. Just stopping and really thinking about what you have.

Now, I know not everyone has a happy marriage or the family they had hoped for, but EVERYONE can find something to be thankful for in this life. Afterall, you’re alive. That’s reason enough to be thankful.

I was really paying attention to all of the people I saw this weekend and was noticing how some of them are so incredibly different from me, yet they want the same basic things I do. They want to be loved and to enjoy life and to laugh and be happy. I watched people who were about as opposite of me as could be and yet, they were finding the same kind of peace and enjoyment as I was out of doing the same things. We’re all different, but we’re really all the same.

I hope that wherever you are today and no matter what kind of day you’re having, that you will stop for a moment and reflect on just how good life really is, even if you’re in the midst of hardship or hurt. There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for and if we’re honest with ourselves, we know that without the rough times, we wouldn’t be able to appreciate the good times nearly as much.

My hope for you today is that you will realize just how blessed you are and that you will be a blessing to others. May this Monday be the start of a fantastic week for you!

Ponds, Puzzles and Dogs

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, we were at my Mom and Dad’s house from Saturday through Wednesday, watching their house and their animals while they went to Cooperstown, New York to watch my cousin’s son play baseball.

They only live a little over 10 minutes away from us, yet it feels like a completely different place. They have a log home that is in a private setting with a pond. It’s gorgeous and my kids love it there because they can swim and drive a golf cart around on the trails behind the house and there’s a lot of space to play games and have a bonfire and all sorts of good stuff. They made sure to get good use out of the pond over the past several days and Asher even jumped off of the dock into the pond for the first time. The surroundings are just gorgeous.

Another nice thing about being over there is it just gets us away from the normal routine at home and we tend to do more things that don’t involve technology. Brian and I love doing puzzles and playing games, so we decided to get a good puzzle to take over with us, since we were going to be there for a few days. Brian decided to get a little crazy (yeah, we know how to have a good time) and get a 2,000 piece puzzle. That’s the biggest puzzle we’ve ever attempted. We started it Saturday evening and I finished it on Wednesday afternoon before heading home. It was painful to have to take it all apart after just getting it put together. We worked on it every day for several hours, so it was a pretty hard puzzle. I did get some pictures before I took it apart though. It was a nice, relaxing thing to do while we were there.

Don’t think it was all fun and games though. The main reason we were there was to take care of their animals. They have a Golden Retriever/Yellow Lab Mix, 2 cats and a Miniature Pinscher. The big dog and cats are a breeze…the miniature pinscher is a whole other story. She was bit in the head by a big dog when she was just a few months old and almost died. My parents loved and spoiled her to the state she is now. She’s mostly normal, but not quite. The thing is, she is SO SPOILED that if she doesn’t get to sleep with you, she does this siren sound that is one of the most horrible things you have ever heard. I’m not even kidding. A couple years ago, she did it while we were there watching her and it woke everyone up and Asher was crying and everyone was completely freaked out. You absolutely would not believe that that kind of sound could come out of such a tiny animal. So, I had the “enjoyment” (NOT) of having to sleep with her. Don’t get me wrong, Brian was in the bed too, but he can’t get anywhere near me without her growling. She can’t even open her mouth to bite anyone or anything, so it’s not like it’s threatening, just annoying. In the morning when he would go to leave for work, he would tell me goodbye and as soon as he started to lean toward me to kiss me, she would start growling like crazy. Kind of funny. Oh, and she doesn’t just sleep next to me, she has to be wrapped up in a blanket and in my arms to be happy. Totally obnoxious. So, here’s how I slept for four nights.

So, that’s what my weekend and week have looked like so far. Anything amusing going on with you this week? I bet you aren’t sleeping with tiny dogs like they are babies! LOL

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

I know you just sang that. LOL Really though, I’ve got to be honest in saying that I had to schedule posts to get me through to today because I was gone animal/house sitting for my parents since Saturday and I needed a quick idea to post for today. So, here’s what you get.  In case you ever wanted to know what some of my favorite things are…and even if you didn’t.

Coffee – Oh, how I love coffee!!! Coffee is such a comfort to me. I like it when I’m happy, I like it when I’m sad, I like any time of day and anywhere. I love it black (that’s how I drink it most often) and I like it with flavored creamer on occasion too. I love iced coffee also. Brian HATES to order it for me at Tim Horton’s because I like a large iced coffee with 4 milk. Yup, that’s how you order it and he hates saying it. I like to make my own iced coffee at home with just black coffee and a little bit of 2% milk too. My most favorite cold coffee drink most definitely comes from Starbucks though. I am a Venti Iced Vanilla Latte girl all the way! I make that sucker last for 2 or 3 hours (which drives Brian crazy because he can’t resist sucking it down in minutes). Oh man, it’s soooo good. I want one right now!

Butter Pecan Ice Cream – It’s really my most favorite of all the ice cream flavors. Brian calls me an old lady because he says only old people like it, but I’m fine with that. He’s even had to admit a few times that it’s pretty good, but he still makes fun of me when I order it when we go out for ice cream.

                                                                                                                               

Crocheting – I love to crochet (another thing for Brian to call me an old lady about). It’s just so calming to me and it’s so fun to create things. I have made a ton of different things over the years, but these ear warmers and baby items that are pictured are probably my most favorite of the things I’ve made.

So, there ya go, just a few things that I love. What are some of your favorite things?