Marching Forward

How the heck did we end up in March already?  Heaven help, the time is zipping by and I feel like I'm getting left behind in a daze.

One thing that has me out of it - my health is having weird issues again.  Tummy and chest, scary stuff when you say chest issues.  I'm still trying to pay off the crazy bills from June so I really don't want to go somewhere and have more bills pile up.  I'm trying to stay calm and convince myself it's all tummy related like I was told it was so quit worrying that my chest hurts, too. *sigh* Do you pray? And if so, can you say a prayer for me? Thanks.

I also have an acquaintance - the wife of an old boyfriend (99% of the time I end on good terms, so no hard feelings) - she has some serious health issues with major surgery coming up at the end of the month.  March 23 to be exact.  I told her I believed in God and was sending up prayers for her, her family (they have three kids) and the doctors.  It's really serious stuff, so if you wouldn't mind saying a prayer for them, too, that would be great.  I appreciate it greatly.

I'm so excited - I introduced one of my online friends to one of my real life friend's online store and she loved it! I mean, I love her stuff, but it was so cool to connect someone else to it, too.  You are welcome to visit - she was interested in calligraphy and it just so happens my friend sells calligraphy teaching kits! I know, how perfect!  www.leenmachine.com Go ahead and click it - you know you want to. :)

Have you heard about these people who role play online by stealing other people's photos of their babies and children and such? They make entire role play lives around these photos of kids they don't know.  Seriously, go to twitter or instagram and look for #rpbaby.  Completely terrifies me of having pics of the sweet nieces online.  I'm sure someone thinks that's harmless, but I think it's horrible. Thoughts on this anyone? Because I'm half tempted to just take down the blog and keep my private instagram and private facebook.

On a much happier note, I'm heading to my brother and sister-in-laws for supper tonight and I'm taking Vulture Dip.  Sounds totally gross but it's yummy.  My brother is bonkers for it.  Just so happens I found the exact recipe I use online - here it is.  The blog is called "Food from the Forest" but she has the recipe there if you'd like to try it.  Think spinach, cheese, tomatoes, picante sauce... it's good, trust me.  I'll probably pass on it to play it safe, but I'm glad to bring him something he loves.

Ok, let me go get ready to head for their house.  I'll post cute pics again soon - once I figure out how to easily watermark them before posting. :) Happy Hump Day!

LOVE Toddler artwork

I'm sharing the post on my Pressed Clovers blog here, so you can easily head over there and check it out.  I post more craft-related things over there, tutorials and such, less personal things. Feel free to go see the LOVE Toddler Artwork I finally finished - AND ADORE!

GO SEE MORE at the Pressed Clovers Blog! :)

Thankfulness before Thanksgiving

I have two people still posting their thanksgivings in Facebook for the month of November. Go girls!! I decided not to do it this year, but don't mistake that for be not being extremely grateful. 

I spent quite a bit of time last night reviewing my thankful/prayer journal from this year. I wrote up a long blog about it, only to have this app Bloggo, eat it. I'm not sure I'm thankful for Bloggo right at this moment. 

I am thankful for the many answered prayers. My immediate family is here for another year. Dad is doing ok with his bladder cancer and so many people have shown their love & support of my family. Prayers have gone up in a fierce way. We are waiting for his biopsy results in December. Regardless, seeing the love and support from so many has impacted us in great ways. Thank you. 

To look back and see prayers answered: all the sick I've prayed for, from the young to the old, the simple requests and special requests. Not all were answered how I would have liked but I also know God's ways are greater than mine and His understanding is much greater than mine. Those I lost this year hurt my heart but God is always there. 

I prayed in ernest about my finances. Out of the blue I checked www.fpu.com and found a Financial Peace University  class being held five minutes from my house. This doesn't happen-I live in the middle of nowhere!!!  I'm moving so very slow but I feel good again. What a blessing!!

I've had my share of ouchies and lessons learned. People have let me down and disappointed me. People I care about. But that was also a blessing as it taught me to turn my troubles over to God and let Him judge and decide how to handle others' issues. 

I've often thanked God for the Christian bloggers, photographers, shop owners, friends, and pen pal!!  Y'all have no idea how wonderful and inspirational you are!! Ladies of Faith, you are so appreciated and a great blessing to my life! Thank you so much!!!

And last but so not least, I'm thankful for this relationship God is creating between me and Him. I have really enjoyed reading His word and learning how to be more like Him. I won't say it's always comfortable but it is beautiful. 

I have a loving family, peaceful home, good job, wonderful friends, blessed church family and God. Life is good. Here's to another year of thankfulness!!

{Review} Minute Clinic... and other fun stuff.

Find the closest Minute Clinic to you!

Monday I was in such a great mood! Then Wednesday I ended up at the Minute Clinic with this ... whatever this is. The crud? The evilness? You know, the coughing, hacking, sneezing, feeling like you've been run over by a truck... yeah. That. I must say, I love the Minute Clinic! In and out quick, no waiting, no appointment needed, Ohhhh Yeahhh. AND they are running it through my insurance and billing me. Since my regular doc runs about $97 a visit, this should be cheaper and quicker! Let's all cheer! She was very knowledgeable, thorough and

A bright popcorn treat! 

How wonderful of a friend do I have that sends random gifts for no reason - and I receive it on my Doc Day!? LOVE IT! :) I thank God for my friends over and over because it's such a blessing to have these people in my life.

(On a side note:)
I gotta tell ya'll, right this minute I'm watching my co-worker go bonkers trying to run away from yet kill a spider at the same time. It's awesome entertainment (but I'm so thankful it's on her side of the room and not mine.)  Oh my, she has found success and is now celebrating the squished spider. Teehee!

OK, I'm hoping ya'll can help out a fellow blogger - her daughter needs at least 100 people to take a quick Google Survey - like 5 questions? - as part of her 8th grade science project.  Who wouldn't want to help out for that? You'll stay anonymous, so no worries. Just click the link below and help a chap out.  Thanks!

CLICK HERE TO HELP THE KID WITH HER SCIENCE PROJECT

Consider this the good deed of the day.  Her mom's blog is Mice in the Kitchen, so check her out, too. 

I'm off to write letters (I know, real letters with stamps and everything!) and do some work.  I hope ya'll have a great Thursday and are getting ready for FRIDAY! WOOP WOOP!

Happy Monday!

For a Monday, I'm pretty dang happy today.  Maybe because I came into work a tad bit late today, so I wasn't running around all rushed this morning. And I overslept with no worries, so that definitely contributed to my happiness level today. :)

I had the sweetest comment from Gayle at Miss Kopy Kat. Ya'll, if you don't follow her, you really want to start.  She is the Craftiness Queen! LOVE her tutorials and great ideas.  Seriously, check out this wreath, which is what she is featuring right now.  Admit it, you all want to go buy a wreath form and some mesh and get this awesome wreath rocking on your door.

I told her I wish she were my neighbor because I'd ask for some one-on-one remedial wreathing making.  In case you don't remember it, you can see my wreath #fail here.  My crafty talents do not extend to wreaths.  So maybe I'm glad Gayle isn't my neighbor, because she'd be really showing my house up and it would make me look like a crappy neighbor.

Anyway - all this to say, she asked me what I ended up doing with my weekend! I had THE BEST weekend, and it wasn't because of anything special, just the time with family.

Saturday I went shopping with my Mom, something we haven't done in ages! At one time, we shopped every weekend, all day long, until we were exhausted.  My bff would call just to ask if I were in Belk with Mom, because she pretty much knew that's exactly where we were. So Mom and I actually skipped Belk and went to the outlet mall about 30 minutes from the house. Started on our Christmas shopping for the girls (aka Sweet Nieces). Good times.

Sunday, went to church and headed to Mom & Dad's for lunch with Katie & the girls. AH was super snuggly, which is one of those cherished things because at 11-years-old, she isn't quite as snuggly as she was at one point. She's growing up!!! What the heck do you buy an 11-year-old for Christmas? Any suggestions?

Anyway, Macy was SO HAPPY to have her sister home. She just kept kissing and hugging on her, it was just precious.

Here is big sister waiting patiently for her kiss from little sister

Then little sister attacked, trying to get her arms around AH for a hug, but wasn't quite able to reach like she wanted.  So she kept burrowing her face into her big sister's neck, trying to share the love. It was hilarious! 

So yeah, there is a lot of text for you. :)  Last but DEFINITELY not least, please hug a veteran today.  Where would we be without these brave men and women?! I can't imagine! So thankful to them and to their families.  Thank you so much. 

Friday's Letters. :)

Oh yeah, hip hip hooray, FRIDAY IS HERE! Come on, do the Friday dance! Woop woop...woop woop...

Now let's focus on our Friday's Letters:

Dear Mom, do you know how old I feel when you give me these toys from my childhood? (just kidding, I love it!) The cutest thing - this Queen Busy Bee that had a string to pull it behind you as you walked.  The wings go crazy spinning, like the busy bee that she is! She is now a feature in my china cabinet, with all the other old stuff.

Dear Autumn, I am sooo enjoying the beautiful sunrises and sunsets in my day.  I love the pinks, yellows, oranges, and reds - in the sky, in the leaves, it's just good stuff.  So be prepared with a lot more photos of random driving shots (like this one, taken from my parents house, looking towards the back of my house) because as long as we have pretty skies, I'm snapping and sharing.

Dear Pressed Clovers, I'm focused on you this weekend.  I have to get some orders completed and my own Christmas presents in the works so I won't have so much pressure during the holidays. :) This is a paper bag album under way - one I stayed up too late working on this week!

Dear 31 Days, I'm happy to have found a new topic to blog about.  I went back and read the sad posts about Muffin's passing... I can see the total slump in my posts for the past several months. So this is good... I'm happy. :)

Ya'll have a great weekend and believe it or not, I'll post this weekend with more from the 31 Days series!  Now go link up with The Sweat Season! :)

Awww, thanks Morgan Family!

I'm feeling very special this morning, because Leslie & Matt Morgan at Did You Hear About The Morgans chose me for their Liebster Award! :)  Many thanks, ya'll, I'm very honored.

I've had the Liebster Award twice before (read here and here) and it just tickles me pink because someone out there thinks I'm cool enough to share me with their peeps.  I'm glowing with happiness! :)

So Liebster, what is that?  Basically, in German, "Liebster" means kind, love, happy, friendly, - you know, just down right awesome.  I do have many blogs I follow but most have been nominated for this award or have more than 200 followers, which is one of the stipulations for the award (to have less than 200 followers).  I hate not to pay it forward, but know I still love ya'll. :)

SO, as part of the awesomness of the award, I should answer the 11 questions Leslie has asked of me! Drum roll please....

1. Favorite comfort food?  I never fix them for myself, but mom's pinto beans and cornbread always hits the spot.
2. Favorite movie of ALL TIME? Oh holy night. Maybe Animal House? :) 
3. Favorite hobby? Scrpabooking! 
4. If you had a full Saturday without any plans, What would you do? I usually spend those scrapping for my business.  OUtside of that, I shop with mom and visit with my sister and nieces.
5. #1 item on your bucket list? Yeah I don't have one of those. I need to make one.
6. Favorite memory of high school/college? Most of those days were good ones to me. A million friends all in one spot from 8 - 8 (due to band practice) what's not to love?
7. Favorite dessert? Tiramasu
8. Current favorite TV show?  Big Brother! Bachelorette! and NCIS OH And DOWNTON ABBEY!!!
9. Favorite ice cream flavor? Mint chocolate chip maybe?
10. Favorite Vacation Spot?  I don't think I've found it yet. :)  I usually do the beach, love the mountains... but I think there is a perfect spot I haven't discovered yet. 
11. Favorite Restaurant?  The Clock in Gaffney. 

Ok folks, more than you'd ever want to know about me. :)  Thanks again to The Morgans for sharing some love with me.  Ya'll go have a great hump day!

What's been keeping me busy?!

I wanted to show ya'll what I've been up to and what's been keeping me busy.  My Etsy store, Pressed Clovers, has been hopping with specialty orders.  Having the customer come up with the requests usually leads to GREAT ideas that I wouldn't have thought of on my own, but I then fall in love with - precisely what happened with these. I'm going to share a few pics from the recent books, but you can see more at the Pressed Clovers Blog, or PC Facebook page. Or heck, visit the store and make your own request for an awesome book!

This mother has taken a photo of herself on Mother's Day since her first son was born - and it was time to give him a book (which you know will be passed down to his daughter) of his mom on Mother's Day.

Want to see more of this book? Click here to see the PC Blog which will show you more!

The next request was from a mom in PA that keeps a scrapbook of her son each school year, which includes the holidays.  She wanted the ability to put more than one photo on each page, so I worked up 13 pages of cuteness for her son.

To see more of this book and the holidays included, Click Here for the blog post about it!

I had a close friend want a baby girl scrapbook for a special child that the parents have prayed for and wanted for many years.  Blessing has been granted and special delivery will be here soon!

Trust me, I know some of these pics are less than stellar, but sometimes I'm in such a rush to ship, I just need a few pics to get approval from the customer. No Internet at the house sometimes makes life difficult. :) 

Are you ready for the last book today?? It's an ADORABLE Halloween book, which just turned out C.U.T.E.  This mom is putting all her son's Halloween costume pics in one book, with journal pages to write about her memories of each one. Love this. 

See the rest of the book by Clicking Here. I really do love these ideas that folks have been coming up with, and plan on using what I've learned on my new projects.  So exciting!

What are your thoughts?  Ideas for books, likes/dislikes, recommendations??? Please share!

Every Day In May - Blog Love

Today is all about blogs that I love. I have a few. Not that I know these people, but I religiously read their blogs.

No. 1  Tiny Green Elephants. A family with one womb child and two heart children from Russia. I've never seen anyone so upbeat, positive and loving. I often end up in tears.

No. 2  Miss Copy Cat. She inspires me to be crafty and try new projects. Love her creativity! :)

No. 3  Sidewalk Shoes.  Pam is awesome. She declares herself a food blogger, but in reality she is an awesome photographer, cat lover, wine enjoyer, avid reader, and one heck of a chef.  I also follow her photography website, Sidewalk Shoes 365.

No. 4  Costal Charm.  Man, I'd love to have this sense of style in my house.  Love it!


I'm sure there are plenty others but I'm tired, running short on time in this day, and I'm typing on a phone. So I'll add the rest tomorrow! :)  (I did add a few - and fixed my link!)

Whopper Malt Ball Cake - So Yummy!

Recipe is here at Bonbons & Biscotti

Ya'll, seriously, I created this cake right here (ok, not this very one since this is from the website I got the recipe from, but mine looked like this!!) and it was SO STINKIN' EASY! And tasty, which is always a good thing, right?

My mom loves Whoppers so I thought she'd really get into this.  Click on the blog title in the photo caption to get the recipe but let me just say this:  smashing up the Whoppers was by far the hardest part.  Ok, well, that and worrying about the spider I had tried to kill midway through creating this deliciousness.  I really do need a man in the house for the sole purpose of killing bugs/spiders because that is something I do not enjoy.

Sorry, focusing back on the cake. Imagine chocolate graham cracker crust. It goes up the sides somewhat (I failed to do this and I see now why it's better to bring it on up the sides). Imagine tasty vanilla ice cream with Whoppers crushed and mixed inside.  A delicious layer of chocolate covering the top... Oh yeah. It's perfect for a summer day. Cold ice cream, Whoppers and chocolate. Oohhhhh yeahhhh.... bow bow, chic-a chic-a...

Next time I'm thinking of using chocolate chip cookies because FOR THE LOVE OF PETE it's hard to crush Whoppers!! Whoa Nelly, I had no idea! The can I used to smash them on the chopping board is now a square.

By the way, this is another Pinned It Did It project! I love that I'm actually doing some of these pinned things! So go - right now - GO! to Bonbons & Biscotti and get the recipe. Make your own deliciousness! YUM!

Spring Swap Box!

I am SO EXCITED!  You know how I told you before these boxes seems to pop up just when I need them?! AWESOME! BOX TODAY!

So I tried a different swap program through Katie at Tomorrow With a Smile and I really enjoyed it. It's small, you and your partner give each other gifts and I noticed you really get to know your partner a little bit better.  Like, I'd love to meet my partner from this swap because she's totally awesome and we found several things we have in common!

Who was my partner?  CHRISTINA! from Once Upon a Giggle! She's totally cool, shares a blog with her sister (which I totally didn't get at first glance because I wasn't giving it my full attention. Bad Bethie.)  She has a way of writing that just cracks me up and I love reading her adventures with her son.  I really enjoyed having her as my partner AND she made one heck of an awesome Spring Box that I ADORE! Woop woop!

So let me tell you the story of this package. Christina sent it and immediately left town.  I think I sent mine to her the following day and promptly lost my receipt which has the tracking numbers on it. Ugh. Anyway, I waited and waited... no package. I thought bad things about the Post Office. I finally told Christina - I haven't gotten it yet, I'm so sorry! 

Um. Yeah, so... it seems a coworker put the box in the floor on the side of my desk, where another box of random work crap is located. So who knows how long it's been sitting here in my office, but I had no clue it was here! So when I cleaned up today, I found it! And I'm so excited !

 This is what I found when I opened the box.  Which I needed packing peanuts for a gift this coming Christmas for Macy (yes, I already know what I want to buy her... I'm addicted to that little girl, what can I say?!?!)  But how much fun is this?  This awesome lime green peeking through!

Then I get this awesome box out and it just screams SPRING FUN-NESS!! Even my coworker was interested at this point - a wrapped package inside the cool box! We REALLY wanted to know what was inside now!

And it did not disappoint!  Do you see the shredded paper - love it!  The card was TOO CUTE (she didn't know I grew up with bees! My dad was a beekeeper when I was a kid!)  Two awesome journals that are small enough to fit in my purse. I wanted a way to write down prayer requests so I wouldn't forget them - solution! These cards are THE BOMB (outdated lingo, I know) but I love them! They are wonderful and almost my favorite part. Until you smell this candle, which is so Springy! Agave juice and fresh lime. Wow.

... then there was the chocolate. I say was. Ok no I haven't eaten the ENTIRE bag in the last 30 minutes. ... but that's as much as I'm willing to admit to at this point. :)

THANK YOU CHRISTINA, you totally rock and I'm so glad to get to know you better. Katie, thank you for including me in this swap because I really enjoyed it!!

Check out the other amazing swap boxes by visiting Katie's linkup here!

Me. Sewing. Seriously!

Ya'll, I haven't sewn anything since home ec class in 8th grade. Or was it younger than that? Whatever, it's been over 20 years, easily. And I've never used an internet pattern.. But I have now.

One of the blogs I follow, Grits and Giggles, asked for testers for a pattern. So I let her know, if you need me, I'll be glad to try. Yay, she chose me to test one of her patterns! I've really been wanting to learn how to sew for Macy, so here was my chance!

I'll skip over the drama in the store where I planned to buy fabric and left ticked and empty-handed and instead show you the dress I made with lots of help from mom!

Get the pattern HERE on Etsy! You know you want it!

Welcome to the Lindsey Reverse Knot Dress by Grits and Giggles! The joy of this dress is how the straps feed through the button holes in the back, making it very adjustable! We made ours a bit on the large size for growing room, but she's good to wear it now thanks to the adjustable straps!



The straps make a cute bow in the back, which is stinkin' cute!



It really wasn't hard to make, and now that I've done one, I could do many quicker. And you can really make it look different! Check out some of the other testers here and you'll see what I mean!

So there is my first handmade Macy dress! If you are sewing machine savvy on a Kenmore, please let me know. I bought one at a yard sale with no book. :( Thanks ya'll!

Friday's Letters And Confessions

Because no letter is complete without pics of Sweet Niece

Dear sickness, I've been polite in asking you to leave my family alone, but you haven't listened. I'm about to put my butt-kickin' boots on and take care of businesses. (I hope this sounds scary enough that you'll leave without a fight...)



Dear Atlanta, your traffic sucks.

Dear Alabama, your road work sucks, but your welcome center is beautiful.

Dear cancer, you suck. End of story.

Dear Hydrocodone cough syrup, you don't suck at all, you rock!

Dear blog friends, I'm so enjoying getting to know you through blogs, comments and conversation!



Dear God, thanks for many blessings, thanks for keeping Pop well so he can take care of everyone else. Especially while I'm gone

Link up with Ashley here!



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Friday Confessions!

I confess...I hadn't cleaned out my car in over a year and found quite a few things I've been missing. Oops.

I confess...my feet shouldn't been seen by man or beast until I get a pedi but oh well. Some folks better prepare to be scared.

I confess...I hate the capchas to post comments and usually have to do them twice. And that's ok when my comment posts afterwards, but when I get the "your comment will post after aporoval" um...isn't that a bit overkill?

I confess...weight loss is no longer an option. Seriously. I want to feel cute again, so I am going to HAVE to be better prepared at home and work.

I confess...I feel very guilty about leaving Muffin at home alone. :(

Make your confessions! Link up to Aubrey!

Changing my Word?

Isn't this pretty? Buy it here!

If you have followed along here for a while, you know I choose one word to be my focus for the year, in an effort to see self-improvement within the calendar year.  When I chose "Appreciation," I could see great improvements in my attitude and thankfulness.  Last year I chose "Breathe" and I totally failed.  This year, the word I picked was "Simplify," but I'm discovering this is difficult to implement and measure.  So I'm becoming frustrated. 

Yesterday I mentioned I would discuss further this concept of THINKing before you speak. After being severely chastized through #shereadstruth while we visited through Proverbs about my words, then this THINK poster popped up somewhere... it is one of those things none of us REALLY want to work on but KNOW we need to work on.  You know what I mean?  

I think my problem is two-fold.  I've lost my focus on "simplify."  While I won't completely kick it to the curb, I'm going to add the THINK concept to my yearly word.  This is something I struggle with and hopefully can make some progress in this year.  

Along with this, I shared a friend's blog yesterday.  Today I would like to share another blog with you, because this really seemed to strike in my heart.  Funny enough, both ladies that I have shared are my Cara Box peeps! Cool, huh?  Anna at The Things I'm Learning had someone pay it forward for her, which is inspiring her to do the same for others.  

After the tragic events at Sandy Hook, I wrote a blog post about the tragedy and the triumph over this evil.  America was buzzing with people doing good deeds in honor of those who were killed on that day.  I followed along on Twitter (#26acts, #20acts) and would end up crying at some of the acts of kindness people would perform for random strangers in the name of innocent lives lost. Seeing Anna's post reminded me of the beauty that came from such sorrow... 

I'm not sure where I'm going this year. I'm not sure why I'm struggling with my word. But I believe if I can incorporate all three concepts: simplify and focus on the priorities, remove the gossip and irrelevent talking from my life and pay love forward, I know I'll be a much better person in the end. 

 

Running off at the mouth.

As I was just about to create a post about gossip, I ran across another blog post that I just had to share with mine.  Andrea was my first Cara Box partner and I know God placed her in my life - she's a wonderful inspiration and I love following her instagram and blog.

So here is her post - go read it then come back over here, ok? Her blog is about Speaking Life Into People.  Doesn't that sound awesome?  I think so, too.

I like her banner, too. :)

Anyway, so I've really been reflecting on the THINK method of thinking before you speak.

T:  Is it True?
H:  Is it Helpful?
I:  Is it Inspiring?
N:  Is it Necessary?
K: Is it Kind?

Obviously, this closes down a lot of conversation that shouldn't be happening but we all know it is happening. I'm just a guilty, if not more so, than everyone else.

Now that my attention has been drawn to it, gossip really drives me crazy. I sometimes just have to plug in my earphones and spike up the volume in an effort to drown out it all out.

I write for a local newsprint/magazine and I pretty much have freedom to write about whatever I choose, however, I'm listed as a service writer.  Since changing my job, I'm out of the service market (so to speak) so I try to write about ways to give back to the community or self improvements. Here is the article I just submitted - you get a sneak peek before it's even published.  I'll share more thoughts on this tomorrow...

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Remember the game we played as kids, where the first person would whisper a secret in the next person’s ear, and so on and so forth until it got to the last kid.  We all waited to hear what the last kid would say… and he would announce, “The secret is, ‘Billy ate a goat foot at the dime store counter!’”  What? We would all look at that kid like he’s grown three heads because it was nothing like what the first kid said, which was, “Mary paid a buck for a brand new jumper.”  Of course, we all heard a different version and passed it along until it was nothing like what it started as in the first place.

And that’s the entire point, isn’t it?  The game was to prove to us as children how all the gossipy whispers you hear may not be the truth and therefore shouldn’t be repeated. Somehow, as we grew older, it seems we forgot about this lesson.

For whatever reason, gossip is one of those things that has really been getting on my nerves lately.  And trust me when I say, I’m not lily white when it comes to this topic. Not at all and I’ll be the first to admit it! Once it was drawn to my attention and I took a step back from having my nose directly in it, I realized how destructive gossip is to every one of us. It’s ugly. It’s damaging. It’s totally not necessary. I’m not just talking about “ugly talk” but just talking about people in general. Sharing the details you know about their life, their struggles, their ups and downs, their history, their family’s history and what their dog did back when you were in fifth grade. Seriously, it’s the Southern way to know all and share all. But understand, adding a “Bless her heart” at the end of a particularly juicy tidbit of knowledge does not counteract its harmfulness.

I saw this poster online and copied it down to share with my coworkers and friends – people that are around me frequently and could hold me accountable to this new life skill I’m trying to implement. The poster said, “Before you speak: THINK.”

Each letter stands for something to evaluate before you say anything.  “T: Is it true? H: Is it helpful? I: Is it inspiring? N: Is it necessary? And K: Is it kind?”  Let me just share with you now – very little that is shared in our society today can fit in these five categories. 

For example, Jane Ann may have gone a little crazy on Saturday night and streaked down the highway in nothing but her nightie. And, I’m sure plenty of people saw Jane Ann in her nightie to verify that yes, it’s true, she did it.  But is sharing her embarrassing situation helpful to anyone?  Possibly if they were looking for her that night, yes. But the next day? No. It’s definitely not inspiring to further hurt Jane Ann when she’s obviously already struggling. Definitely not necessary to do so nor is it very kind of you to share it.  So, why not stuff a sock in your mouth and keep the info to yourself. OR, better yet, why don’t you go talk to Jane Ann and see if there is something you can do to help her.  And you don’t have to tell everyone that you went and offered to help her and when you did you found the said nightie burning in the fireplace, either.

Do you see my point here?  I believe most of us (again, myself included) have become way too comfortable sharing any and everything we know about everybody with anyone that will listen.  The good, the bad and the ugly.  I hate to tell you this, but it’s just not appropriate. It’s actually quite child-like to do so.  To quote Eleanor Roosevelt, “Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people.”  So yeah, that stings a little, but it’s very true.

As we have implemented this in my office, you’ll catch one of them pointing a finger and shouting, “THINK! THINK!” as they know something inappropriate is about to come out of my mouth.  And you know what, I’m thankful for them doing so.  I don’t want to be seen as the slightly crazy and gossipy cat lady that lives up on the hill.  I’d rather be known for being a person with integrity, faithfulness, and discretion. A gossip can’t be viewed as these three things because if you’ll talk about someone else to me, you’ll talk about me to someone else, so you just can’t be trusted.

Make no mistake, gossip isn’t always stretching the truth or flat out lying about someone.  Oh no – go back and read these five points again:  True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, and Kind.  Don’t start thinking you are off the hook if you only share what is true.  Frank Clark said, “Gossip needn’t be false to be evil – there’s a lot of truth that shouldn’t be passed around.”  I can’t disagree with him. 

Is this one of the hardest habits I’ve tried to break? Definitely. I’m not even going to pretend like I’m perfect.  One of my best traits is my ability to quickly snap off a comeback or comment that gets a chuckle from folks. A lot of times that snappy comment is at someone else’s expense and is usually based in truth.  It’s been hard to stop that quick wit and realize a cheap chuckle isn’t worth the ugliness that seeps into my soul for being so catty.  I have found myself becoming a more positive and optimistic person as I’ve slowly been learning to bite my tongue.

It’s not easy, but I hope you’ll consider taking a step back and honestly evaluating if this is something you might need to address in your own life.  If so, try applying the THINK concept and see if it helps you better discern what should and shouldn’t be shared.  I believe you’ll realize the improvement will greatly impact your life, as well as those you were going to gossip about.    

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My First Friday Confession

Ok, so I've seen Carrie do this confessionals one time too many for me not to want to join in! Does that sentence even make sense? Anyway, you get my drift.

I Confess: 

• I promised myself I would not become a link-up type of blogger. And I still hold to that promise, but sometimes, I just want to join the fun!

• I spend way too much money on the sweetest baby niece in the world, and I just can't help it. I adore her and know she's growing up so quickly!

• Umm...I've eaten about a million pieces of chocolate in the past three days.  DON'T JUDGE ME! 

• I'm ashamed. I took my car to be serviced before leaving on a road trip this weekend (that's been cancelled due to everyone being SICK in my family). Anyway, the guys took E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. out of my trunk to service the spare tire. I'm talking cases of water, a medium-sized heater, a large George Foreman grill, an everday china large serving bowl, numerous purses, shoes, scarves, backpacks, ... I think they charged me extra in labor. #fail - sorry guys! 

I'm off to have a GREAT weekend, I am determined it will be awesome, beginning with a hot bath when I get home (oh please let this come true.. pretty please!).  Ya'll have a good one and link up your own confession with Aubrey at High-Heeled Love! 

Friday's Letter

Dear Weekend, I'm so very excited you are almost here. Not sure why. But I am! :)  Woop woop! Dear Macy Mae, I'm so sorry your daddy is sick but you have been so good for your Memaw. Thanks for visiting me at work and making my day so happy! Dear Pintrest, you are killing me and my time. But I am enjoying finding new projects to torture the nieces with! It's not over.. muahahahaha!  Dear Cara Box, thank you, Andrea, for making me a GREAT box! :) I'm so looking forward to what February's theme might be! EEeiikkk!  Dear Paulene, thank you! :) Your motivational spirit finally got me moving. I've done some form of exercise every day this week (for the first time in about 38 years!) and oh my gosh, my legs are paying for it. But it's ok! I'm happy about it! (You can sign up for motivation, too, just click here!)  Dear Water, why can't you taste like Sundrop or Mountain Dew? :(  Dear Pressed Clovers, I'm so excited to have a Facebook page for you, to have two new books available in your store.  Pretty excited about you in general!

Dear Downton Abbey, *spoiler alert* HOW COULD YOU KILL OFF SYBIL!!!! Oh My Gosh, why?!?!?! She's the sweetest, most cool girl on the show! ARRRRGH! What will happen with Branson? The baby? What will he name it? Does Cora know about Lord Grantham's adulterous kiss? Will that Patrick guy come back into the picture? Why did Mary go to the doctor? Did she lose a baby? *breathe breathe* ... must get my heart rate down... *breathe breathe* Ok ok. So thank goodness for Sundays.  See you on Twitter as we all discuss this during the show? :)   Want some entertainment? Check this out!

Dear God, Thank you. For many many reasons. Thanks for the GREAT reminder to THINK before speaking - one of my greatest weaknesses that I'm focused on improving.

Dear Friends - Thanks for reading/visiting! :) Hope you come back soon.  Lots of hotlinks above, enjoy exploring them when you are bored. :)  Leave me a message so I can go visit you, too!




Join the fun! -

Pinned it, Did it.

Please, let me jump on the "I pinned it then I did it" bandwagon here with this project from this weekend.  Let me start by saying - I could have read the actual blog first before just looking at the picture and jumping in, but what fun is that?!  Yeah...

So anyway, here is the one I pinned, and here is the website you can find it on:

She had a 2-year-old and a 3-month-old.  I was working with an almost 11-year-old and a 7-month-old.  She used drawing paper, I used canvas... a large canvas to fit that large 11-year-old's hand onto.  I probably should have painted the off-white canvas bright white, but I didn't.

Also, USE BRIGHT RED paint. I had red, which I thought would work, but the handprint ended up looking like a bloody handprint. Yeah, that wasn't making me happy, so I filled it in. Then mom said - you took all the wrinkles out! So, I got her to do it in white paint over the red. That didn't show up. So we did pink over the white/red and it showed up better, but WHATEVER. It really ended up being a mess.

Seriously? How can I possibly make this difficult? But here is my result:

I think I need to fatten up my "L" and I may still do that. The dots actually ran after I was done, so I don't know what to do with them.  But regardless, this is what the kids are giving to their parents for Valentine's Day. :)  So there, Pinned it and Did It. Woop woop!