That Time I finally Updated My Blog!

I know, I know! I'm horrible!!!!

Yeah, I've been slacking on my blog posts. No, I've not got a good excuse.

I got a new computer because the old one decided it was to tired to work anymore after 4 years... So I was all ready set go to get back to my blogging, and writing in general. Then the new one decided it just didn't like it's new owner and gave me trouble. Thankfully, I have a tech savvy boyfriend who keeps showing it who is boss!

Finally it's up and running, so I've got to play catch up. I'm going to start a December Writing Challenge since I did one in October/November. Then I'll start doing my writing projects and working on book 2. I've still got a few things to finish for book one when I get the chance.

Right now though I'm busy busy getting Christmas presents made for some of my favorites. I have 3 quilts to finish. Hoping to get them done this and next week, but it means working non-stop.

In the last month I've patched up a quilt, mended part of another quilt, mended some of my own clothing, and made 7 pillows! So making three other quilts, patching up the quilt I started to mend and then mending my own quilt... yeah I'll be staying busy for the next few months. In addition to that I'm still doing my VHS to DVD project. That one is slow going but I'm working on it!

Thanksgiving was amazing, I was surround by a 4 year old, a two year old, and two babies who are both just a few months old. Got to spend some time with my boyfriend and his kiddos too. It was a blessing.

I'm going to try harder and harder to blog more though. Maybe once life calms down after the holiday rush! We'll see though. :) Well it's time for me to get working on one of those quilts again! Much love my sweeties!

MERRY CHRISTMAS and I hope your Thanksgiving was amazing.

That Time of Year Again

Hello Hello!

First and for most let me choose this November 5th to post something special:

Remember, remember!
The fifth of November,
The Gunpowder treason and plot;
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder treason ...
Should ever be forgot!
Guy Fawkes and his companions
Did the scheme contrive,
To blow the King and Parliament
All up alive.
Threescore barrels, laid below,
To prove old England's overthrow.
But, by God's providence, him they catch,
With a dark lantern, lighting a match!
A stick and a stake
For King James's sake!
If you won't give me one,
I'll take two,
The better for me,
And the worse for you.
A rope, a rope, to hang the Pope,
A penn'orth of cheese to choke him,
A pint of beer to wash it down,
And a jolly good fire to burn him.
Holloa, boys! holloa, boys! make the bells ring!
Holloa, boys! holloa boys! God save the King!
Hip, hip, hooor-r-r-ray!

______________________________________________

Now that that's over with, The coming events are Thanksgiving Day, my birthday, Christmas and New Years. The hustle and bustle of the season is just beginning and Christmas shopping is happening. Decorating has started, as have the holiday foods. It's beautiful.

I'm so excited about this time. I had the best Halloween this year, getting to spend it with my boyfriend and his kids. We carved pumpkins, went trick or treating and it was just an awesome time. I look forward to this holiday season having those 4 in my life.

Theres not much else to talk about in this post. I'm working on writing again and look forward to getting more done! But I will blog again later.

If You Are Happy and You Know It...Write a Blog

Sorry It has been so long. After my last blog I had a family reunion then went on a little, happiness time. I don't like to share a lot of details on my life so the details of that will be limited. Anyway, I'm still on my happiness time... With the exception of an up to par computer. Yes, my computer has been giving me trouble so my blogs have been scarce. I've been wanting to blog for a while though so I braved my computer, booted it up and here we are!

The month of September was actually less painful than Septembers past because I have a wonderful man in my life. One that I know my father would approve of. The reunion I usually dread wasn't half bad this year, minus a few misunderstandings. I got to spend some quality time with my brother, sister-in-law and their whole gang, and was able to step up and help quite a bit with our reunion. Then it was off to happy time. The man in my life is so special to me and his little family is just as special. I love my time with them and am so thankful for them being in my life. A level of contentment and happiness that I have never known has entered my life full force allowing me to open up a part of my heart to so many new people. I'm blessed and so thankful.

It's amazing how so many things can go wrong but because of the presence of God in your life, and the presence of those that God has put in your life... you feel nothing but joy.

I have also gotten to my healthiest weight since high school. I'm down to what I was while dad was sick, and a total of 40 pounds from my goal weight, according to my last weigh in! I cannot wait to continue this journey, knowing how much support I get from those I love the most. Winter time is harder to lose weight in but if I continue on this path, by next summer I hope to be at my goal if not just 20 pounds from it. The amusing thing is, I have been avoiding buying new clothes, until last month when family members pestered me, mainly because my pants were WAY too baggy. Shirts I have, they are easy to buy and pretty inexpensive if you know where to look... pants... different story so I usually wear those until they are falling off, even though I hate extremely baggy clothes. I hate shopping for new pants even more. Oh well, it's actually a blessing that I have to get new clothes so no complaints here. I'm really excited about it in the long run.

There isn't much else going on. I'm TRYING to work on book two though it's a little more difficult with an annoying computer. I have a new writing technique that I'm trying though and I'm excited to get my series out and published, hopefully by next summer! I need to sign off now and get a few other things done before my computer decides it hates me again. So See ya later my bloggery do readers.

My September Jam

I'm honest about a lot in this life and one thing I'm most honest about is that September is not my month. From September 1st to about Sept 16th I completely shut down, am easily agitated, and just difficult. I try not to be, I fight it hard.

I know a lot of it comes from keeping everything in, I always have and probably always will. But I remember things during this month.

The death of my father placed a cloud on my moms and my life. With the recent book publish and wonderful and in my life I'm only just starting to see the sun again in that area of my life. It's been 14 years.

I posted something on facebook a few days ago that describes it the best for me:

Disclaimer before the post: I'm not posting this for sorrow or pity, or even to ask for prayer. I'm posting this because it's on my heart and I want to get it out. But also because I know there are others out there that will understand. More than that there are people out there that need this for their own situations. They haven't quite found the strength I've found, they need to hear someone else is struggling, but that because someone else has made it through, they can too. So, here it goes...

This is the time of year that I absolutely hate the calendar because no matter how much I fight it, I find myself counting the days until the 11th-13th of September, and not in a good way. People say it should get easier, and it does in a sense. 14 years ago I dreaded every day as my dad's health declined and dreaded them even more after he died. Now I only dread the days he was in a coma, died and the days leading up to his funeral. But I know they are coming and that's what makes it hard. The memories flood back and nearly drown me in the sorrow, as I fight to keep my head above water and swim for my life back to the safety and happiness of what my life has now become and more than that to the safety of my heavenly fathers arms. I know that once the "crap days" as I call them pass everything will be alright. Just as much as I don't want to remember the pain and sorrow I felt at 15, I do want to remember my fathers last words to me. I do want to remember how my family, HIS family came together after he died, how we held each other. I do not want to remember harsh words spoken to me by some family, or even by some peers.

So anyone going through loss, whether old or new, you are not alone. All loss is different, every person is different. But one truth holds firm, loss in any form is hard, it stinks, but somehow, some way, you get stronger, even when you don't want to. My love and prayers are with you and if you need someone to talk to, send me a message. For all the pain my dad's cancer and death caused, it's like a friend of mine told me once, my dad didn't survive cancer but my mom and I survived it as his caretakers. Because we survived we can now help others.

Why do I share this story, not to get attention but to spread the story of a man who once said to my mom and I "If one person comes to Christ through my story then it will have all been worth it." Isn't that profound? If we share the story of our struggles, think of the people we can help, the stories we can add to, the people that will see God through them.

____________________
Because of my September experience my September jam has been "Wake Me Up When September Ends" Then yesterday I started looking for September songs in the hopes to find one that will keep me out of this funk I get in... and I found one by Rosanne Cash, sang by her and her dad Johnny Cash. Lyrics of that are below:

There's a cross above the baby's bed,
A Savior in her dreams.
But she was not delivered then,
And the baby became me.
There's a light inside the darkened room,
A footstep on the stair.
A door that I forever close,
To leave those memories there.

So when the shadows link them,
Into an evening sun.
Well first there's summer, then I'll let you in.
September when it comes.

I plan to crawl outside these walls,
Close my eyes and see.
And fall into the heart and arms,

Of those who wait for me.
I cannot move a mountain now
I can no longer run.
I cannot be who I was then
In a way, I never was.

I watch the clouds go sailing
I watch the clock and sun.
Oh, I watch myself, depending on,
September when it comes.

So when the shadows link them,
And burn away the clouds.
They will fly me, like an angel,
To a place where I can rest.
When this begins, I'll let you know,
September when it comes.
_______________________

I can relate to this so much and just wow.... Now I've got two sad September Jams... I guess I'll have to listen to Say Geronimo all month instead. lol...

Will The Bullying Never End

Bullying comes in all shapes, sizes, ages, and situations...

Often those that get bullied are the ones who don't fit in to the perception someone else may have of normal. They may look weak to those that bully, may be naive...

But one thing I've learned in my years as both someone who has been bullied and seen others be bullied, is that as horrible as it  is, if you allow it to, it WILL make you stronger...

That being said, I'm 29 years old, I've been out of college for a little over 11 years, I've been out of college for a little over 5.

I've got a sweet face, and I look anywhere between 16-20 instead of my actual 29.

In middle school I was slightly bullied because my mom was a teacher, that being said, it was verbal and never physical. In high school my freshman year was bully free, I watched and defending some of my friends that were bullied for being special needs.

When I was in the 10th grade my father died of cancer and that is when I was bullied both at school and online (this was before cyber bullying even had a name.) People would message me telling me that it was my fault my dad died and if they had a kid like me they'd want to be dead too. It made no sense, but it hurt, bad. So, I was home schooled for a year and a half. My senior year wasn't too bad. Then I took a year off between high school and college.

In college I was a youth ministry major, it was me, about 4 other girls, and classes full of guys. So the guys chose to pick on me. I thought that because I was in college the bullying would stop, but no, this was worse. The thing is most of those guys didn't realize what they were even doing till I called them on it in a sermon my senior year of college. How did I do that? I preached a sermon about how everyone has a thorn in the flesh and instead of judging others for theirs we should all accept and celebrate the differences of others.

That being said, once college was over I REALLY thought the bullying was done, but the truth is, there are even some adults that bully. Just recently I bullied on social media by someone that thinks I'm a fake celiac. This time, I had so many people defending me, and I also realized that I'm stronger than I used to be. That experience in college taught me to stand up for myself instead of ignore. Ignoring works to an extent but it doesn't change how the words may make you feel. Standing up for yourself CAN change that though, because there is an amount of self-worth in defending yourself.

Another recent  situation is a young girl who thinks she's just "picking" people, there is a fine line between picking on someone lovingly and bullying them. That line can EASILY be crossed. When you pick on someone because you wish you had something they did- that is bullying. It might not be severe, it might not do damage, but it still hurts and you might be planting a seed of negativity that could grow to something as BIG as suicide. THINK about your actions, friends! Please.

Let's do our part in making sure that the bullying that feels like it will never end, does end, at least in our circles.

The Day That Movies, TV Shows and Books Change Lives.

I'm a sponge.

Not the kind of sponge that soaks up water, not the sponge you can find in a body of water.

But still, I am a sponge. This is not be confused with a chameleon. I do not become like those I'm around, camouflaging into my surroundings. I am my own person.

But watching movies and tv shows, and reading books... I soak up what I watch or read.

For an example, when I was just a child I LOVED old movies, you would find me watching movies like Heaven Can Wait (1943) with Don Ameche (He died in 93 on my birthday, I cried when I found out.) I was in love with him, even though he was 85 when he died, I knew him as the handsome and charming  Henry Van Cleve *sigh* Anyway, I'm digressing. Point is Heaven Can Wait and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

In both Chitty Chitty and Heaven Can Wait there are different variations of "They kissed so that means they now have to get married." I didn't realize until watching both of these movies as an adult that they shaped my view on that matter, but my parents spent most of my teen years teasing me about how as a kid, whenever I watched a movie where a couple would kiss I would gasp and say "Now they have to get married!"

^A Sponge.

When I graduated college in 2010 I was very depressed by October of that year, having not found a job I started my own Jewelry business, but more than that I found this amazing show that had been canceled earlier in the year, Ugly Betty. The story of a young woman, considered ugly by the fashion world, thrust into that exact world as the assistant to a womanizer. The show is full of the ups and downs of these two people, from opposite worlds. It saved me from deep depression. I soaked up the show, learning life lessons from it, that it would take pages to write about, but that's not the point of this post. Charmed was the same way. General life lessons, and also time management lessons, they came from these shows.

Books are another thing I am a sponge about. I have four favorite books of all time that I've read tons of times each. Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks , and Sophie's Heart by Lori Wick. They've taught me so much about patience, kindness, naivety, and many more things.

Sometimes being a sponge is not so good. Entertainment can teach us about violence, anger, hate, especially in todays society. It's all about what we choose to surround ourselves with.

 Did anything you watched or read as a child or even adult effect you in a spongey way? (lol)

Jambo Bwana Hakuna Matata

Hello Sir, No worries.

That is what Jambo Bwana Hakuna Matata

I've seen other things that say Jambo Bwana means "Hello friend" or "Hello Mister."

But for this blog we will use "Hello Sir"

I first heard Hakuna Matata from Lion King like most children but a few years ago I was looking for different versions of the song Hakuna Matata from The Lion King. I have found a Portugese version which I love listening to. However, during that particular search that I'm speaking of I found Jambo by Boney M.

The moment I heard it, it became one of my favorite songs of all time.
Jambo Bwana Hakuna Matata 

The point of this blog is... well I'm sure you'll see soon.

As I said, one of my favorite songs, I LOVE it. My boyfriend and I often greet each other like that when we talk or see each other, just because it's fun.

Lately though I haven't been feeling so "no worries" In the midst of all the good things in life I can't help but wonder when the craps going to hit the fan. I try to not think like that. I'm happy for the first time in a very long time. I mean truly happy. I finally feel like my life is going somewhere with the publishing of my book, I've got an amazing man in my life.

However other things have been going on, the health of some of the people closest to me is declining, I recently had some gluten accidentally, I've been sick from that ever since. It's just been one thing after another and Through the whole thing Hakuna Matata has been hard to hold on to, and when I worry I worry about EVERYTHING all at once! It's like a big worry storm that wont go away until it's smacked out of me (please don't hit me, I've also had a migraine coming and going for a week now)

The point is, I want the people in my life who are sick to feel better. I want to get back to my writing, and I would like to see the boyfriend. *sigh*

I guess you and I both have to keep remembering Jambo Bwana Hakuna Matata. Have a good time, enjoy the summer (or whats left of it since schools are back in session and it's been crazy hot... falls almost hear though!)

Ta Ta! lol