♥ From my house to yours ♥

The Valentines have been addressed, and yes, they were store bought (fine, Internet bought), and being delivered as I type.  Actually, the mail lady (☺) just grabbed her note and chocolates out of our mailbox. Teacher gifts were created (You can find the tutorial here, Thank-you Jen! We purchased our sanitizer at the $1 store, for $1 ☺, instead of rub-on transfers, we used decorative stickers with clear backgrounds ~ 8 sheets, $1.99 on clearance at Michael's and pipe cleaners instead of wire and beads)

The house is decorated, well kind of (Thank-you bloggy friends, for my new fabulous accessories, you ARE the best).

And the Salmon is thawing for tonight's dinner.

Why?

Well, today is Valentine's day ~ The day we tell the people around us that we love them.

But WHY?

Saturday, we received a phone call extending the sad news that a dear family friend had passed away.

He was a Young "old" man.
Happy
Thoughtful
Prayerful
Playful

He was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, and the outlook was not good.  He was a man of God and he fought.  He won too. He won more time with his family, his beautiful wife, and his friends.  He won the hearts of many with his outlook on life, his prayerfulness, his optimism and his spirit.

Of course, there are the standard word said, "he's in a better place" and "he feels no pain".  While these words are true, they do not fill the whole left behind by this great man.

Which, brings me back to today, Valentine's day.

Why not celebrate the ones you love everyday?

Why not let those who are important in your life, those you are thankful for and those you should be thankful for know how you feel everyday?

A quick note.
A kiss (ok, not just anyone gets a kiss ~ don't go kissing the newspaper delivery person, if you want them to come back, and not with a lawyer!)
A hug (see above disclaimer)
A word of thanks
A letter via "snail mail"
A simple thank-you
A smile
Your undivided attention

Something, somehow, someone EVERYDAY.

Not just on a "holiday".

So tonight, it's Salmon, tomorrow, it may be leftovers, but you can better believe, they will be hot, on a clean plate and served with love and a smile ~ as long as no one yells "ewwwww GROSS" before they even sit at the table ~ HA! ;).  After all, it's nourishment for the body as well as for the soul.

Have a beautiful day my friends and know I am thankful for you today, and everyday!

♥

Jim ~ you will be missed!

(Jim, Sassy and Grandpa ~ hunting 2007)

A Glimpse

God is everywhere,
in everything,
you just need to stop and look around and savor.

A glimpse of God on our vacation:

the beauty of change

The beauty of a sunset

(I'm a sucker for sunsets☺)

and a full moon

the beauty of animals 

a loon

Click here: to hear their sound

bald eagles

(you'll have to take my word for it, I was a little slow with the camera)

hummingbirds

and

black squirrels

Beautiful

Amazing

God

EVERYWHERE!

Have you caught a glimpse?

When the dog bites....

When the bee stings,
When I'm feeling sad...

I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel soooooo bad....... (wow, I kind of got into the song a little bit)

Or maybe it's just when winter seems to drag on, the high temperature for the day is suppose to be 7 degrees. I woke up to this:

 and the wind might just blow you down the street ~ that's when I remember some of my favorite things. And I thought I would share them with you.

Mmmm, a nice hot cup of coffee

My warm and cozy slippers

Running shoes ~ nothing like getting out (to go into the health club) and getting some natural endorphins going

Aquaphor ~ perfect for my nails and lips on these

cold, dry days

Nail Polish ~ I never paint my fingernails, but I love to have my toes beach ready. You know, just in case we win the lottery (that we don't play) and are forced to go on a trip to a tropical island.

This rug ~ no really, it is perfect for the kid's wet boots and prevents me from accidentally stepping in wet, snow spots.

and yes, this mud room is in desperate need of a change and my head is full of ideas, but one of our favorite things is the"art wall" where we hang all of the kids pictures ~ we see them every time we come in and out of the house ~ it makes us all smile :)

These lounge pants from NY and Company ~ so comfy, they have long sizes, and they were only $13.00 ~ so I also have a pair in charcoal gray and brown.

Candles

Reading materials ~ pleasure and inspiration

Music ~ lots of variety

Oh, and lets not forget this brilliant ball

Ok, so my items are a little random. I would also like to point out that these are just a few of the simple daily things I am thankful for and enjoy (lets not forget remote car starters on days like today either). However, nothing could make me smile more than my family! I mean really who could resist a face like this (breakfast and all)?

What are your simple, everyday favorite things?

A field trip

Grandma and I decided to take the kids to the local science museum one day while she was visiting.

For your viewing pleasure ~ a day at the science museum:

Can you guess what this is a picture of?

Be creative.

Here is Sassy exploring the way a car works:

Action ~ we always knew he was full of "hot air". Alright, maybe he is exploring wind and using the blower for this, but he is full of "hot air" and is quite the conversationalist ~ once he warms up of course.

Hmmm, my little scientists at work:

Exploring cells through a microscope ~

And in a more hands on way ~

Smiley, being her sweet, little, laid back, patient self.

And no science museum trip would be complete without going back in time:

Ok, the real question:

Have you figured out what this is yet?

Well?

It's a very close up picture I took of a giant bubble!

What did you think it was? I would love to hear your thoughts.

And a reminder ~ beauty is all around us ~ we just need to look.