monday music inspiration and a special gift

this is what i chose for today....i LUUUUUUUUV Jack Johnson and this song....well, just listen you will know what i mean!!

"she gives me presents....with her presence alone"

(what a great lyric!!)

also...this weekend i received one of theeee sweetest,

most thoughtful gifts ever from my

dear friend Nicole back in Arizona....

it gave me tears and made my heart smile BIG.

don't you just love getting fun little

packages in the mail?!?!?

Look...she even has sweet little heartwings!!! Thank you my friend!!!

Wishing you all a wonderful Monday.

Sending love xxoo

yes....you can

(my little heartwingsister that tells us "yes you can"...3 simple words we so quickly can forget)

when you start hearing those little voices in your head....

those little gremlins as i like to call them....

simply remember this....YES YOU CAN!

and then go here and watch this absolutely inspiring

little snippet of positiveness.

happy saturday my friends.

sending love

xoxox

SAY WHAAAAAAAT WEDNESDAY AND I'M FEATURED!!

it seems like it was just Wednesday and here we are....back again!!!!

so lately i have been thinking quite a bit about dreams.

not the kind we have when we're sleeping

(although i did have one about George Clooney the other night....

and i did NOT want to wake up!!!)

but the kind that we have for our lives.

the dreams and hopes we have

for not only ourselves

but for our children,

our friends, our family.

so that is what brought me to this question....

DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOUR ANSWER WAS (AS A CHILD) TO THAT SO OFTENLY ASKED QUESTION

"WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP???"

and if you do....

IS IT THE SAME AS WHAT YOU ARE DOING TODAY

OR WHAT YOU ASPIRE TO DO???

Please share....are we truly "awake" to our dreams???

and secondly....i am featured here

by the lovely and super talented Lindsay.

I was so flattered that she wanted to feature me

on her blog and interview me!

Her questions were so much fun to answer...

I hope you all stop by and take a peak!!!

It truly made my week so much brighter!!!!

Thank you Lindsay!!!

sending love and cheers to your dreams (George Clooney and all!!)

xoxo

MONDAY MUSIC INSPIRATION

HAPPY MONDAY!!

the song i picked today is from one of my

favorite movies...this song always

makes me happy so i thought it would be fun to share!!

i love looking through the eyes of my 7 year old!!

she has quite the imagination and somewhat

helps me stay in touch better with mine!

oh...how i wish as we got older some of that

innocence and the ever presence of our imaginations

would remain longer....that it was easier

to find a way to not let our everyday

stresses be so strong.

SO...give yourself the gift of

"pure imagination" today!!!!

sending love

xoxox

and for something warm and fuzzy to watch...go here to this gor-juss mama's post!

....friday thought

this morning as i was walking, listening to a podcast....something was said that hit home for me and i wanted to share. so here goes.....

"if you want your dreams to come true...then wake up!!"

it really resonated with me just how much truth there is to that statement.

it is one thing to dreams our dreams....but another to actually

wake up, put one foot in front of the other to make

them happen! so, for me, it is time to take some

action towards my dreams!!!

thank you all sooooooo much for the kind comments and

words of wisdom from my last post!

it always means so much to me and it really truly helped me

in knowing i am not alone in those moments

and others get "stuck" too!!!

happy happy happy weekend to you all!!!

i am fortunate enough to have a little time with my girlfriends

this weekend in Laguna!

Thank you to my fabulous hubby for hanging with the kiddlies!!

sending love!

xoxoxo

also.....a BIG congrats to this incredibly talented artist...

one of her paintings made the cover of the

May/June 2010 Somerset Studio Magazine!!!! whoot!! whoot!!

such deserved success!!!!!

SAY WHAAAAAAAT WEDNESDAY?

HAPPY HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!!

so....i have to be honest....as of late i have been "feeling stuck"

....and this feeling is like a wave that comes over me, then washes away,

comes over me, washes away.....

it is a feeling i am not too fond of.

it is a feeling that creates anxiety within.

with that being said, this post and question are a

bit on the selfish side...

today, i want to know...

what do you do when you are "feeling stuck" to feel "unstuck"

especially when the trusty old ways aren't really working??

hope you are all having a wonderful week so far....

mine has been filled with ups and downs...ebbs and flows...

sending love! xxoo

...friday forget-me-not

(my little heartwingsister inspired this week by all of my dear friends)

it seems like over and over again this week i am being reminded of how fortunate

and blessed i am to have such amazing friends around me...

friends that i can laugh at the silliest of things with.

friends that send me sweet emails of love and encouragement.

friends that send me birthday wishes with some of

theee sweetest messages written inside.

friends that will call and reach out in a time of need.

friends that visit me on my simple, silly little blog and take the time to

leave comments and advice and sweet sentiments that make me smile.

friends that i play phone tag with and when we connect it is blissful.

friends that are new in my life but feel like they have been in it forever.

friends that "lift me up".

so...today...

don't forget all those beautiful souls around you that lift you up.

don't forget to thank them and...

don't forget to not only

be the lift-ee... but also the lift-er!!!

(to be honest....i think it feels so much better to be the lift-eR!!!)

sending love! xoxoxo

...SAY WHAAAAAAAT WEDNESDAY?

happy Wednesday....blogging a bit later than I normally like to...but HEY!

it IS still Wednesday!!

so...on Monday i had such a lovely experience of actually meeting a

fellow blogging friend...

FACE TO FACE...YES!!! FACE TO FACE!!!

THIS GOR-JUSS WOMAN!!

....a friend that i have talked to so many times via email or facebook or

comments we leave one another on our posts.

a friend that did a very special post just for me...encouraging me.

(and at this time we had never even met...i mean who does that anyway?!?! THIS special soul does!!!)

a friend who has helped me with advice i've needed on starting an etsy shop,

on whether i should bite the bullet and buy photoshop,

on what kinds of food i should or should not eat, etc... etc... etc....

a friend who i have shared with about the love we have

for our hubby's and how blessed we are

a friend i am so happy and grateful to call my friend!!!

a friend i made through BLOGGING!!

So....dear friends of mine...

that is my question today:

WHY DO YOU BLOG ANYWAY AND WHAT SURPRISES HAVE YOU FOUND ALONG THE WAY?????

I can't wait to hear....

sending love xoxox

....little tuesday thoughts

a new little heartwingsister painting holding a sentiment

i whole-heartedly believe in....

sometimes if we simply are quiet long enough....

we WILL hear those whispers....have faith!!

a birthday wish and many magical dreams

for year #38....working on my "HELLO 38 letter!!"

and an unexpected love note from my sweet little monkey....

this... quite simply made my day....

isn't it the little things??!!!

wishing you all loving magical thoughts on Tuesday....AND

if you want a good laugh go here

and check out the meeting of two blog friends!!!

this blog world is always surprising me!!!

sending love xoxoxo

MONDAY MUSIC INSPIRATION AND A BLOG DATE!!

Happy, Happy Monday everyone!!!!! hope you enjoy today's pick....

i absolutely adore Joshua Radin!!!!

i also wanted to thank everyone for the

special and magical birthday wishes

that were sent my way....

i could feel all the love!!!!

thank you, thank you!!

also....i am getting ready to head out

to meet this lovely beautiful soul!!!!

she is visiting here in cali and we are having a lunch date....

i cannot wait!!!

stay tuned...more to come on that!!

sending love

xoxoxo

Dear 37.....

as today closes in i am bidding you a farewell....

37...

you have been pretty good to me....

you brought me....

another great year with my 4 children and hubby

amazing, new friendships through this fabulous blogging world

a fantastically fun girls weekend at the beach

a trip back to illinois with my oldest and a surprise

visit mid vaca from my hubby (a moment in time i would relive over and over and over!!)

family visiting me in cali

a blast at the U2 concert

a most wonderful day with my mom and dad at dodger stadium....

being down on the field while the Cubs and Dodgers

had batting practice (my dad was in heaven....really fun to see)

new found courage after attending my first art retreat

participation in this terrific cause (check it out...go jump someone!!)

an absolutely magical circle of women....

whom i fondly call my unearth babes (you know who you are!!!)

a deep friendship with this gor-juss soul whom i thank my lucky stars for

many fun times with family and friends...more than i feel i deserve

good health

and last but certainly not least

10 extra pounds....this one,

37...

i am NOT happy about....together with my first gray eyebrow (what the what?!?!?)

and a couple new little whiskers on the chin!!!!!

overall 37 was a wonderful year and i am so thankful....

a year of change, a year of growth, a year of new found awareness,

a year of many blessings and new friendships....

so with that said....

38....

YOU ARE ALL MINE TOMORROW and

I HAVE BIG PLANS FOR YOU!!!!!

sending love and wishing everyone a very bless-ed Easter

xoxoxo

...FRIDAY FOCUS

WHAT

ARE YOU

FOCUSING

ON

TODAY???

ME....

I AM FOCUSING ON LOVE

SENDING IT OUT!!

XXOO