SALE/ CHARITY SALE!

SALE/ CHARITY SALE!!!  From now until the end of January, all regular hats of any size are the same price as the newborn size in that hat!  This includes the scoodies.  (Excludes animal/character hats, baseball hat, and fireman hat.)  For every item that is sold in my shop during this time, I will make and donate a preemie hat to a local NICU.  So...the more items sold...the more items donated for premature babies.  Please help me help these precious little babies!

Thankful

Yes, it's true, Thanksgiving is past.  But I find that every day I'm a little more thankful for all of my blessings.  Life gets really, really hard...actually terrible at times.  But I have found, that no matter how hard life gets, if we look for it, there are always blessings too.  Here are a few of the things that I am grateful for:

Color.  What would life be like if everything was just different shades of black and white?

Air.  If the air was suddenly gone...how would we breath...or live?

Seasons.  I'm not a real fan of snow and cold.  But my husband loves to ski!  And I love water!  So snow is a good thing!  I love looking out at the snow covered trees and ground and feeling like I'm in the middle of a Christmas card!  I used to hate the fall, because it always led to winter.  But the last few years, I have learned to enjoy Fall very much.  The beautiful colors are invigorating!  It is amazing to me, that during the changing seasons, you can stand in the same spot, and everything looks totally different!  Many people love summer and the fun outdoor activities.  Summer is a challenge for me, because I am allergic to the sun, and the heat makes my lose all my strength.  But oh, how I love the beauty of summer!  And then....there's my favorite!  Spring!  I'm strengthened and filled with joy when I see all that seemed dead, revived and living again!  Just thinking about it gets me excited! 

Life.  Everyone has to die at some point.  But I'm so thankful to know that life goes on.  I can't wait to see my Daddy, and friends who have passed, again.

Running water...indoor plumbing.  Every day when I shower, I realize how awesome it is to have indoor plumbing, and clean running water.  We often take such a gift for granted.  I can't imagine having to get up in the middle of the night, and run out back to the outhouse.  Then there's the smell...and cleaning of it.  Uggh!  So glad we can just flush a toilet!  And when we are thirsty, all we have to do is to turn on the fosset.  Amazing!

Music.  Wouldn't the world be dull if we didn't have any music?  And there are so many varieties of music.  Something to match every mood.

Photography.  Wow!  I'm sure that I will never travel the world, but I can travel there through pictures!  And how amazing is it to see a gorgeous landscape or sunset that has been captured by someone's lense? 

Literature.  How incredible to be able to travel, and live another life temporarily as we read!  It's better than the movies, as our creative minds see everything around us in the story.

Art.  I love the fact that there are so many ways to express ourselves through art! 

Talents.  I have several talents, but there are many things that I cannot do.  What a thrill it is, that someone else has those talents that I don't!  How blessed we are to be able to enjoy the talents of others!

Variety.  I thrive on variety!  Life would be mundane if we all wore the same clothes, all the trees were the same, if we all liked the same things!  Thank heaven for variety!

Words.  How on earth would we express ourselves, if we didn't have words?

Shelter.  Hopefully, we don't have to know what it is like to not have a home or shelter.  Especially in the very cold or very hot seasons.  Do we take for granted the fact that we have a bed to sleep in, water to drink, food to eat?

Children.  What a joy!  Yes, I raised 8 children.  I'm not naive enough to think that children are a constant joy.  Yes, they bring heartache, worry, and sorrow too.  But what a joy! There's nothing like hearing your child say, "I love you, Mommy!"

Friends.  How lonely life could be without friends.  Everyone feels at some point in their lives, that they don't have a friend.  So reach out and give a kind smile to others.  You never know when it might brighten their day.  You also never know when you might gain a lifetime friend because of your kindness!

Light.  Oh my goodness!  I'd hate to imagine life without light!

You!  I'm thankful for you!

These are only a few of the things I am grateful for.  I'm so sleepy and need to go to bed.  But take a few minutes, and think of all the little things that you have to be thankful for.  If you look for it, there is always something good. 

As I always like to say....."Make it a great day!"

Amazing Lady Who Helps Preemies All Over!

Today, I found an amazing lady who makes preemie items and donates them to NICU units all over.  She is amazing!  She also creates all her patterns, and gives them for free.  She is making these and mailing them on her own dime.  She could really use help with not only monetary donations (which ALL go to the babies), but also with crocheted or knitted items, and fleece blankets.  She gives the dimensions of the needed blankets.  In the last year this is what she herself has made and donated:

Totals sent so far:  Blankets ~  604,
                              Hats ~ 423,
                              Gowns ~ 37 
                              Cuddle Sacs ~ 26
                              Warmer Blankets ~ 15


AMAZING!

Here is her blog:  http://preemiehats.blogspot.com/  Please go visit her!

Make it a great day!!

Healing From Tragedy and Loss

Today, I watched a video about a couple who lost their 2 year old baby girl.  The story was something that could happen to anyone...a heartbreak and loss of their precious little one.  Their whole life was wrapped around that little girl.  And then tragedy struck, and she was gone.  Pain filled her mother so much that it was difficult for her to breathe.  She thought she would die.

Over time, she shared her grief and her healing in the form of a blog.  Now, she and her husband have a website to help others through their grief.  But not only does this website help others through grief and loss of many kinds, but they collect donations to help other families to purchase headstones for their loved ones.  Their website can be found at agoodgrief.com.

If you or someone you know has suffered much grief and heartache, this family and others who have written and shared their stories, may be able to help you find comfort and peace.

A Life of Service and Love

My post today is in honor of a man who had a great impact on my life, my Daddy.  Dad was human, like everyone else...not perfect.  But he left me a great heritage that I hope to emulate.

Dad had several health struggles:  Kidney stones, multiple allergies, migraines, heart problems, several strokes, etc.  But his own struggles never kept him from serving others.  My Mom has had MS for about 45 years.  Up until about 5 years ago, he cared for her at home, while also working to make a living for them.  A little over 4 years ago, we moved Mom to a local care center, and moved Dad in with us.  Mom was needing 24 hour care, and it became too physically difficult for him to care for her.  It broke his heart to have to leave her in a care center.  But we all knew that this was an unwanted necessity.

Dad's living with us was truly a blessing.  We never had to take care of him...he took care of us!  He always worried about being a burden, but it was impossible for him to be a burden.  He was truly a joy.  He worried about me and all my health problems.  So, knowing that I would have much to do on my days off from work, he would take care of the laundry, vaccuuming, etc. on the day before my days off.  No matter how often I told him that I could take care of it, he continued to give his time and efforts to blessing my life.  He also wanted to help my husband in some way, so he mowed our lawns and took care of the flower garden. 

But he didn't stop there.  He always wondered who he could bless in some simple way.  Often, I would find him mowing a neighbor's lawn.  Sometimes, he would even attach the lawn mower to an old motorized wheelchair, and tow it several blocks to mow a friend's lawn.  On trash day, after the trash trucks emptied the cans, he would walk up and down the block to take everyone's trash cans in for them.  He still didn't stop there.  Often, he would walk several blocks to replace the trash cans of strangers back into their yards.  I often heard him lament that he wasn't doing enough for others.  Giving service was constantly on his mind.  Many of our neighbors still comment about his kindness to them.

These are only a few examples of my Daddy's kindness and caring for others, but hopefully, they will give you a little view into the life of a simple man with a great heart.  I hope to be able to honor him with my life, by perhaps touching and blessing the hearts of a few.  He is truly a hero in my eyes.

10 Ideas for Inspiring Creativity

I was just over visiting my friend, Kimberly's blog.  She has some great ideas for inspiring creativity.  Take a peek and get excited!

http://kimberlyglesenkampanartistsheart.blogspot.com/

You know, there’s an old saying:  “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”  It may sound a little quirky, but it is so true.  Life is so full of challenges, and even really bad stuff.  But when you’re in the middle of the “yuck,” if you can take a deep breath and look around you, you will see that there is still much to be thankful for!  If we can take the time to look at all the things we are grateful for, the difficulty of our challenges can be put in a better perspective.  Life is all about perception.  Finding joy in the little things can bring a peace within, and help us to cope with the hardships going on all around us.