sunshine returned

last week

i shared a quilt top

it reminded me...

.

of sunshine

all day long

i was singing

john denver's

famous song

on that day

i wished to send

some sunshine

to polly and her family

last evening

that sunshine

came back to me

in the form of

a beautiful peachy

flower

from kristen i'm sure

oh where, oh where...

is the catalog

with this stamp set...

.

each time a new stampin' up!

catalog comes out

i study it

page by page

over and over again

often memorizing the content

until i need it

that is

to find a sample

of the just so perfect stamp set

that i need

right this minute

then i can never

remember which

catalog to go to

sigh...

for abigail...

new little wonders

so full of grace...

.

and sugar

and spice

and everything nice

welcome to life

precious little girl

a promise to my boys...

i saw this circulating

on facebook today

and love the message...

.

but my boys

will never see it

if i don't post it here

so here goes...

i will stalk you

freak out on you

lecture you

drive you crazy

be your worst nightmare

embarrass you in front of friends

and hunt you down like a bloodhound

because

i LOVE you

when you understand that

i will know you are a

responsible adult

you will NEVER

find someone

who loves you

cares about you

and worries

about you more than your

MOM!!!

so true

love you tj and matt

even when you think not

remember this post

sunshine...

on my shoulders

makes me happy...

.

sarah and i

were busy busy busy

in the store today

we finished

this quilt top
it reminds me of

sunshine

so all day long

i've been thinking of

john denver

and his song

sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy

sunshine in my eyes can make me cry

sunshine on the water looks so lovely

sunshine almost always makes me high

if i had a day that i could give you

i'd give to you a day just like today

if i had a wish that i could wish for you

i'd make a wish for sunshine all the while

wishing for a little

sunshine today

for polly and her family

thinking of you dear friend

i love free...

have you signed

up yet

for my panera...

.

i'm so glad i did

look what was waiting

for me

in my inbox today

a free pastry

i sure love those

cinnamon rolls

and i also

love free

and speaking of free

check this out...

stretch...

every january

disney on ice

comes to town...

.

and my sweet sarah

declares she is taking me

for my birthday

this year we lucked out

with front row seats

toy story 3

was the feature

i had forgotten about

the pretty purple octopus

until he almost

landed in our laps

it brought back memories

of a letter i had written

describing the feeling of being

strangled by the tentacles

of such a creature

what a difference

one year makes
today i was thinking

i'm so blessed
to have found so many

loving and accepting

arms

that have wrapped around

me just like

stretch with his smiling face

and that is a wonderful

birthday feeling

fifty + one...

just one year

ago

i was counting...

.

down

to the big 5-0

i declared

to use the significancce

to establish a more

peaceful

and harmonious

life style
it is truly amazing

what one is able to

accomplish

by simply focusing

on the positive

gone are the negative

influences

both things and people

as hard as it was to let go

of some

it is purely refreshing

to experience

a life cleansing...

texas butterflies...

i had a sweet

surprise

delivered today...

.

an early birthday present

from

sister mayer and sister webb

two texas gals

sent to snowy cleveland, ohio

on their mission trip

they baked me

purple

butterfly

cookies

i'm so touched

by their sweetness

and thoughtfulness

next week they will return

to the store

for a very special evening

a celebration for

kristen and her family

hope you can join us too

either in person

or in spirit

big bear hugs...

the outpouring

of hugs

and support...

.

was overwhelming

thank you

for the emails

the cards

the phone calls

some days

life is like a carnival ride

with ups and downs

and highs and lows

yet with friends and family

by your side

it feels like

buzz wrapped up in

lots-o-huggin bear's big arms

and that's a good feeling

a divine treasure...

twenty three years

ago today

i was blessed...

.

...with a miracle

our first born son

he made me a

mother

he has taught me

so much

he made me

a better person

i am not always worthy

of his love

yet he continues

to bless me with his

gifts

of love

caring and maturity

beyond his years

i love you so much

dear son

happy birthday

happy birthday sweet angel

there are times

when life does

not seem fair...

.

today

a family should be

celebrating

watching presents

being torn open

laughing

watching candles

being blown out

clapping

singing happy birthday

cheering

instead

they are looking through photos

heartbroken

visiting a grave site

angry

reflecting on memories

sad

around the world

friends are thinking of them

lifting them up in spirit

praying for their strength

you are in our hearts

joany and paul

ashleigh and brad

carly will not be forgotten