HI! OH my gosh. I have not had the writing bug in a long time. Its my passion and my art side and yet im in a winter season as far as writing goes. Thats ok.... A friend of mine has parents who are on Facebook and the internet as they are retired etc. She was telling me that they think of the internet as the local news paper ;) You know...when the newspaper boy / girl would drop off a real live paper wrapped in plastic at 5 A.M. and you would start the coffee brewing and then in your slippers go and get the paper. Rain or snow it was there!

 The headlines were always real live news! There was local news and the news team would go get the facts and they would just state the facts as correct as they could do with all their research. There was also state and world news. Again....just the facts and not too much emotions involved. There was a opinion page...and there people could muster up all sorts of bogus stuff and most did not read into that page....or if they did read they took it with a grain of salt. NOW....We have the internet and twitter and Facebook where people can just put up any old info. YES if you go to the real news cnn or in my case sfgate then you get real news yet many elderly people go to weird sights and think of it as the old news paper and if it is published its right....... Wow.......

just read the below on facebook and wanted to keep it here. I have been reading the Grey series and my take on the whole thing is the same as below! Its not about kinky sex and force etc its about trust and love and Mr. Grey can be trusted and is the kind of man we all dream about. Here is the post below: MEN ARE AFRAID OF SEX? Men are mystified by women's sexuality - actually we're terrified of it. Our greatest fear? That we'll disappoint you, that you'll dream about or find someone is better or bigger than us and that you'll never open yourself to us again. As a woman, you make yourself vulnerable by revealing an experience or describing a fantasy. As men, we hear the details as a challenge to us to deliver it precisely as described. We think you're like us and that every detail is something you want in real life exactly as you imagined it. Your romantic fantasies have us mentally calculating the expense of the trip to the exotic location and the legalities of being arrested on the beach or in the waterfall. Your more vivid ones make us fear we need to be some kind of endowed gymnast to avoid disappointing you. What men don't realize is that the most desirable quality for a woman isn't muscles, sexual gymnastics or impressive endowment, it's a partner that a woman trusts enough to simply EXPRESS herself openly to. The reason 50 Shades of Grey was popular wasn't because it was well written (it wasn't) or the specific sex it described, it was because the man described was confident and utterly unembarrassed about his own sexuality and created a safe space for the woman to express both her curiosity and limitations. Most men are stuck - we don't intend to be, we just have fewer places than women to have healthy conversations about sexuality. We grew up on a diet of dirty jokes and pornography with the guys while publicly the puritanical beliefs from our families, our churches and sex Ed classes made us think everything we wanted was dirty. We're terrified that someone will discover that we're deviants if we reveal out fantasies or inadequate lovers if we open up about our insecurities. At our core we suspect that women don't want sex, that we have to convince you to like it so that we can get it. It's almost inconceivable to us that it's something you'd actually want or think about. Because they fear your sexuality, Nice Guys lack bravado inside or outside the bedroom while Bad Boys try to keep up their 'show' when their clothes come off or reveal themselves as the timid boys they really are when things become genuinely intimate. A conscious man realizes that a woman is open when she feels seen, safe, respected and supported. An exceptionally conscious man understands that foreplay for a woman begins the moment sex ends and that she will be open to him as long as she continues to feel seen, respected and supported. A conscious man doesn't disconnect (roll over, turn on the TV, leave her alone to clean up). He knows that as long as he adores her and never stops showing that he supports her that she never turns *off*. She might not think about sex the casual way he does, but if he proves to be magnificent in her *little* things he'll find her magnificently available with his *big* things. Graham R White

My girlfriend Stacey and my dad always use to laugh about a funny story and thinking on it yea it was very funny. :) Our family use to go camping each summer to Pinecrest Lake in Sierra Nevada. It was two weeks of a grand fun time and my dad would spoil us all and I mean spoil. We got to go to the snack bar when ever we wanted and basically just got spoiled for two weeks.. When I turned 15 I brought my friend Stacey up with me to scout out boys. We were good shy girls so we just scouted and decided who we liked or did not like! My dad decided to cash in on having two older teens with him as my mom is afraid of water and he had always wanted to go sailing in a small little sail boat. The kind with a surf board as the bottom! I being more cautious then Stacey always told him NO....and so Stac and dad talked me into this thing and I did it. Being the Cheryl that I am I asked before getting on that surf board with a sail "Dad, what If i fall off"? He said "Cheryl, you wont fall off" and then I said again "Dad, What if I fall off"? and he said "You then make sure you fall off and not let the boat hit you and you go feet first and I will pick you up" He said with a smile as he had 15 years of talking me into stuff. Off we went. I did not like it from the get go as dad had always owned a big fishing boat or a ski boat and not a sail boat and I knew this! Who sails on a surf board out in the middle of a lake I thought and of course all I thought of was just how i would land in the water If i fell off ....Well the surf/sail boat was on its side alot like people that did not know what the heck they were doing. You had to move with it and the first time it went way off to one side....I JUMPED! I am NOT kidding. Off I went with my dad yelling "Cheryl, NOOOOOOO"....:) So here I was in the middle of Pinecrest lake with dad yelling "wait there"! and where was I going to go anyway? Stacey laughing so hard that im sure she was hurting and me just in the middle of the lake. Then....the meneuvor to collect me back on the surfboard! Mind you my dad had never sailed a surfboard before and i know that and what he had to do is come straight at me and end up a food away on one side to grab me...and I did not like that and as soon as he got close i swam away screaming bloody murder "NO"! My dad yelling "Cheryl, stop and stay and let me grab you" and i was all "ahhhhhhhhh waaaaaaaa nooooooooo"... After a long time and you would have to ask Stacey how long and im sure she remembers this my dad finally got a hold of me and he was not happy and did not yell and after five minutes he laughed and laughed and i was all "I want back to the beach with MOM".... This reminds me of how sometimes we jump overboard in life before we need to and we just sabotage ourselves so we do not have to feel the pain or be in control of the fear. I have done that with a few things in life and I NO longer do that. I no longer jump just in case things tip over in my life. I ride it out and if life tips me over i can deal with it because why jump into the pit when life may have other grand plans? And....If we do jum just stay put and let someone grab you and pull you up! Trust... Good stuff.

I want to talk about the IZZIES that come into our life at the most unexpected times. I call them Izzies because they remind me of the Izzy in the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" Ladies who are wise beyond even their older years and who touch our lives in magical ways. I met a real Izzy in Colorado Springs and her real name was Izzy! She was a very spiritual lady who helped all those around her and helped out all her neighbors and friends. She talked to me about love and the love she had for her late husband and gave me hope that there are such great men out there as we ate some goodies she had made! She passed away a few years ago and I had a tug on my heart and then a smile as she is somewhere with her husband the great love of her life. Then I met Mary this last June. She lived across the street from my daughter and when I arrived in Calif I was having a bit of moving anxiety and Mary was truly a Izzie! She would call me over and we sat on her porch a few times a week where she gave me the best advice and I took it. She also gave me advice on how important it is to love your home and be content in your home! She too loved her late husband and was a super homemaker who cared for her kids and husband. She too was loved and helped her friends. She too gave me great goodies to eat! Izzies always feed you!!! A month before she passed Amanda and I took her to give a friend a pie at Christmas as this friend is all alone! What a lady she was. Mary collected tea cups and gave me one and forever I will look at it and remember how this lady touched my life when my life so disparately needed touching. She loved her family and home and her collections and she will be missed. Izzies can be your mom, sister, girlfreinds, women you meet in the most unusual places!! Now...I want to be a IZZY in life...oh yea....

I was watching a video from Debi Silber last night and she talked about the "ONE MORE PRINCIPLE" and how you just add ONE MORE thing to your day in one or a few areas to make great changes in your days , weeks or months to follow. She covered a few areas and I decided to write about how I am planning on doing "ONE MORE" thing in my year or months to follow. Nutrition: I plan on keeping up my semi vegetarian diet and plan on adding more raw foods into my life and to share the recipes on a blog. To stay clear of white sugar even when im out because it seems i am eating out or not at home alot so splurging more then once a week is NOT ok with me. As always gluten free.....and ONE MORE CHOICE TO DRINK WATER ...LOTS MORE WATER! Mindset: Having the correct mindset it very important in your emotional health as well as what it does to your relationships. To think positive and change your verbage from the "I Can'ts" to the "I Can" and listen to your self talk..Are you kind to yourself??? One more vegetable to your dinner, One more raw food, One more choice to replace water with soda in a day, One more lap around the block when out walking / jogging, One more kind act towards your kids or partner in a week....etc. Good stuff..Thanks Debi (Mojo Coach)!!!

Girlfriends

When my kids were little the only way I survived three little kids a husband and a cat was through having great GIRLFRIENDS! They were there when i needed them. I remember when my middle one was little I had a short phone cord and she would do naughties just out of my reach when i was on the phone and I would NEED my girlfriend time who had little ones of her own and so I had to weigh out the consequences of hanging up. Had a roll of toilet paper...NO WAY... not worth hanging up. :) Had my make up bag about to mascara the white carpet...bummer had to hang up :) Then........ah......we got a 25 foot cord and I will never forget that first week when I could run and catch her as far as the living room while chatting away with my savior not missing a beat (moms are brilliant at multitasking).....If shock was funny you should see a 2 year old that thought mom was on a 2 foot cord and her whole world ended when we finally got a cordless.....and I could chase her down the hall..... Girlfriends

2012 CHERYL'S YEAR IN REVIEW

This year has been a very busy year packed into 12 small months! Huge! I started the year off In Colorado working at Primrose Preschool and loving my job and ended the year living in California and working for a company called “I DO” MG! I moved from Colorado because I felt a calling to California. I did not know why I had a calling to come back to the home of my growing up years except that my children were there and I needed to be near them! Here are some of my highlights and low lights! I was made Teacher of the month last spring in CO and it was a honor to be recognized as my work with the kids mattered so much to me. I reached the second to the last weight loss goal of 135 from 190 a few years ago. Yea! Size six zipped right up thanks to my coaches and Debi being one of them who sent email just when I needed it. Dance your pants off! I started taking dance lessons and loved it. Learned to Cha Cha and line dance and swing (Move those hips! Great self esteem booster! I plan on more lessons in my future! Did a few 5 mile climbs! Yea, I climbed the Rocky Mountains! Still want to score new hiking boots! Then the MOVE. When I first moved to California I let my stinky mindset just run away with my brain. I was negative, fear filled and became what I said I would never become again “A Victim” and even though I was full of the knowledge of what NOT to do and how to have a healthy mindset. I simply choose to run with the negative. I ended up gaining ten pounds or so and feeling awful. What does a healthy California / Colorado girl do? She picks herself up and she simply changes back to the healthy person with a positive mindset and hangs with good healthy people and fuels her body to win! She moves a hour each day (walking or jogging) and she does this in ONE WEEK! Yes, six months of being in a room sad and icky and all it took was ONE week because I had the tools from my life coaches! In Calif I have river rafted for the first time, went on a very small (2 seats) air plane with NO roof, walked around the whole of San Francisco on foot and spent time with all my kids! (Now i know I was meant to spend time with my grown babies and to see that they are fab so im free to go now and be FAB) Now I have a great job and great future ahead and I am happy and full of faith. Yes, Life is good! 2013 COME AND GET ME!

1 MORE THING!!

Today I was listening to a video from http://www.mojocoach.com and Debi was talking about how we can do 1 thing each day to improve our life. JUST 1 THING in a few areas. Or just do 1 of them…. If you omit soda from your diet and you add 1 glass of water each day you could loose weight in just a few weeks time. How about giving your kids 1 extra hug or word of encouragement each day, look at your spouse in the eyes for 1 min each day and tell them you love them with your eyes, lift your weights 1 extra time when you think you are all done, walk or run 1 extra block each day…make 1 phone call to a loved one or old friend each day or week! and on and on…….Take 1 negative thought each day and replace it with a positive thought….. My plan is to keep eating gluten free and to get back on my vegan eating MORE RAW food each day and to post recipes here. Keep looking out….

Faith...What is faith? I just Googled it and got the following: Complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. Faith.....wow...... The fires this week in Colorado Springs which has been my home for the last five years before two weeks ago I moved to California, have rocked my world. I have been weepy and have had a sad feeling all week for the people that have lost their homes and for my friends that were scared and had to leave their homes. I have heard from them all and none of them have had fire damage! I am so grateful that they were spared! Faith.....You know...I lost alot of faith in the last two months. I had some people that judged me unfairly in the name of their religion and brought up the past and do some pretty nasty things to me and I just said "no more" and went anti religion for the last few months. In moving back to California and seeing the miracles in my life, my three kids and then the fire thing...I have began to find a new faith! A few people have said to me "wow, you got out of Colorado in time"...and I have said "I would rather be there helping.....and yet today I have had to relook my spiritual path as I am a very spiritual person and have alot of intuition and yes faith. I have to see it for what it was. I fled Colorado Springs because of the real fire that was coming and because I believe that a personal fire was coming and I was led out! I was out of work and out of money and there you go. Did my higher power take me out of Colorado because of the fire? No.....He took me out because of the emotional fire that was coming and he has a great plan for me in California. A grand great life ahead of me.... Do I see it now? NOOOO Faith.... Where am I with religion? or God. I am praying again. I am believing in God and the universe and the ability for direction and to know that there is a plan and its good. Am I a Christian? No.....I am a child of the universe and Its good and I do not need to label myself. Is my faith renewed? Yes....yea....

VANITY AT ALL COSTS?

Last week I got up and just before I got my tired bod in the shower I looked in the mirror and there it was..NO NO NO....The top of my blonde hair was a dark blonde mousy streak / or the dreaded roots. I was going to Sallys and playing kitchen beautician and doing a good job of it I might add because one of my girlipoos told me how and its cheap to do my own bleach / sun streaks etc. Yet, that is not the point of what im going to write about here. Vanity? Maybe. I have that streak of dirty blonde and little GREY hairs. Not many mind you (see denial here) and for that im most grateful to the universe! Yet I have a few around my ears and I am not ready to deal with that. :) and yet I just said it here for the world to read "CHERYL HAS LITTLE GREY HAIRS" There universe...Bla ....nanny nanny nanny...You can not bother me now that im in acceptance mode! Ok...Now what? Most of my girlies say "Go to Sallys again silly" ..... The last time I put that bleach on my head it burned my scalp and burned my eyes and the burn was not a real burn just a feeling and yet it made me feel like I was nuts to do this to my body. The stink and ammonia in my nose was just dreadful and felt so TOXIC! I eat organic, 99 percent vegan 99 percent of the time! I use things like organic healthy dish soap to clean and wash my clothes in and only put minerals on my face now and then I go and put this toxic and i mean TOXIC nasties on my head near my brain for vanity? And ladies I have done a survey and talked to men and they do not like / and I mean almost all of them / like 99 percent do not like hair dye and they do not like lip stick. Dont write me and tell me about your man who loves your sexy red lips because I said 99 percent! :) And 99 percent hate and I mean hate with a capital H ....Hair dye...and they do not mind grey and love that you look they they do because they are not going to Sallys and dying their hair. So we are doing it for ourselves...and the men who do not realize we dye and bleach our locks... So now what for this girliepoo with the vanity issues? Well I have not made a decision. I do know i will not dye my hair in anyones house again and expose them to toxic stinks! So if i do then i have to dye in the garage :) see how this will be a pain? I do not hang around people who would even let me be toxic around them. Here are my choices: 1. Let it all grow out and be mousy and grey streaks around ears: NOT......NO....... 2. Use peroxide on roots to keep it a bit sunny...doing that now and it wont help grey but its ok as long as its a bit lighter. Warning: test this out as some become a nice orange. 3. Use the sun and lemons. I may do this next week .... 4. Use a natural product from whole foods and go darker. Like a henna? Any other Idels will appriciated. In saying all this I have seen alot of ladies natural that are my age and they are simply beautiful. I do know that I will give this all up maybe at retirement? maybe not....... Or ....I may cave and back at Sallys this California Girl goes!

Personal Style

Personal Style
by mscheryl60
I have been thinking alot lately about clothing and how it defines us. I am in the process of finding my own personal style and with a limited budget and alot of excitement!.

Thrift stores can be the answer! I see some women who wear the same theme always. Sporty polo shorts and jeans or shorts or the lady who wears floral prints and pinks and pastels! I love that about them! I do have a style that I cling too and that is just ok as its me! I like to change up my look for the occasion and mood! I even have a cute little black leather skirt that needs to be worn someday.

The last two years have been a discovery journey for me and I decided to only do what I love and that means clothing and food and my house decor.You can find your authentic style by taking a small trip to a mall or thrift store and you do not have to buy a thing! I went through a book called "Simple Abundance" a few years ago and what the author suggested is to take a trip to the mall and just spend a few hours on a discovery journey. What calls out to you? What colors do YOU love! Go to a art store or better go to a paint store and get color pallets and see what colors call out to you! For me its black and deep reds and whites and cobalt blues and on and on....:) I do not care for yellows and oranges and browns! They not pleasing to MY OWN eyes.

I have decided to make every day count when I get dressed. I am going to start slow as my budget needs to be observed and to get dressed up even when I go run errands. Recently I was out and did not take time to make my hair look its best and did not put on my perfume etc and a man I was interested in called me to come see him and I had to go right to his office and from that day on I have decided to dress as if he may call at any time and he may! In saying that why not get dressed up just for ourselves! Why not make our homes pretty and soft to our own eyes?

A girl needs to have a few outfits at all times for any occasion ready and I for one need to take my own advice. A little black dress and shoes and a purse? You are then set for anything that may happen in the evening! A nice pair of jeans that look nice and fit! A few cute tops in the colors you LOVE! A few winter sweaters! A office jacket / blazer and a blouse and skirt or slacks! A super cute pare of flats, a nice pair of winter boots and cute little flip flops! They are so cheap / like 2 dollars that you throw them away when they get old! How about a vintage dress with hells to match, A long flowing hippy shirt (what ever floats your boat) ....and on and on......Oh yea..and one more! The dreaded bathing suit. YES.....they have all sizes. I for one need to get on this …..Then you are set and if someone asks you to a pool party you are set and do not have to go out getting any old thing.

One of my favorite looks was this little black knitted vest that buttoned down the front and was long and had this cute little beige undershirt to go under it. With it came a little silk calico paisley print pleated skirt that was mini / just above my knee. I wore black tights and black boots with it. I felt so pretty in that outfit!

The point is that getting dressed is a art and we are the artists and our own bodies are the canvas! We need to create with style and color and and let our inner beauty shine!

MEAN WHAT YOU SAY AND DONT SAY IT MEAN

SAY WHAT YOU MEAN AND MEAN WHAT YOU SAY AND DON'T SAY IT MEAN...WOW...That is what Carolyn has been telling me for years now and somehow I missed the boat yesterday. Or the last few days. What I did was delcair to the world and to my friends and yea to the man that is interested in me with a huge stinky.... "I hate Valentines Day" :) Yes.....some of you are going to say "Cheryl, What in the heck were you thinking"?

I set here and ponder this fact of lack of judgement on my part with a tad of disappointment in myself and alot of humor. I really meant it or thought I meant it. Valentines day has been this big huge let down and so I put up a guard on my heart and shout to the world "I hate it" I even told the person that im interested in that Valentines day is "SINGLES AWARENESS DAY" and he did laugh (he thinks im funny sometimes because I am funny sometimes:) and yet I knew this was not the correct road to go down with this man as it is negative.

I will not go into my personal details. Lets just say that I put crappy Valentines into the Universe and guess what dear readers? Cheryl got what she wanted and what she put out there. Yea....

How did I handle it? I went out and bought a purse. ;) Like any California girl..When the going gets tough the tough go shopping. I did get it on sale with a gift certificate :)

Now where am I this morning. I am in my lifecoaches old saying "STOP AND START" I stopped hating Valentines day and started thinking that Its not true...Say what you mean and be honest. I hated how it was handled in my past for years and years and now I no longer have to do the ol hate thing. I had a great day with the kids yesterday and even a powerful day. We had the four year olds set in a circle and say what they love about the child next to them and a few little boys said "I love her and im getting married to her" that was so stinken cute :) How can hate even be on such a sweet day :) NOT...

I talked to each of my three beautiful Children yesterday :) I am blessed..beyond anything i could have imagined being a mother.

Off I go to another chapter in the Cheryl story...Life is good (MG)

Dancing!

I am sitting here in my beautiful living room watching the sun rise and the snow falling and its so peaceful and silent. Snow does not make noise that often :) I love Colorado at times like this. I am told that I am a odd one out when it comes to mornings because I always wake up smiling and ready to go and love my peaceful times like today. My life coach says im like Tiger the Tiger and that is true at times and especially in the mornings. I get my inspiration in the mornings and when I wake up all is good and life is great.

I have this writing assignment that is due today. I have to take two different random pictures off the internet and write about them and put them together as if they were separated at birth and just found each other again. So I am writing on my blog to get a writing inspiration.

I have been doing new things in life and will continue to do so! My new adventure last year was to learn to dance. I started with taking line dance classes and had fun with that and it taught me some basic steps of dance and it was a blast. I then moved on from that and found swing dance! I took my first class last night and had so much fun and was sad when the class ended! I will keep on taking classes and growing in this area as its a passion on mine. It takes me out of my comfort zone for sure! We danced to this sexy sultry slow blues song and it was so beautiful! More to tell later!

My other new area in my life is that I have gone VEGAN! I have been on a stall for about a year now at 145 and yea that is great and I feel fantastic and yet my goal is 125 so I have to reach it and for my small frame that is not too small and in fact I will not look skinny at 125. I was doing Paleo (meat and veg and fat and fruit) and my body did not respond to the meat and oil thing. I now eat lots of veggies and grains and beans and things like hummus and pita bread! I do not eat any animal products at all. No dairy and no eggs! I found this wonderful coconut yogurt and soy yogurt at Whole Foods as well as almond cheese! I am going to roast root veggies for next weeks snacks when i get hungry after work. My size 6 new jeans were falling off at work yesterday. Yea.....They run big so I have to be honest here and say I am a size 8 in all pants!

My other goal is to have a health / weight loss support group hosted in my house and am still thinking about when and how to do this. I want to do it on a Saturday morning.

Off to go write my assignment.

Life is good....

Eating Well

(The Picture is Erik and Deb making some great Hand made pasta...

I just got back from a visit with my grown kids and had a wonderful time with them and their partners. One thing that struck me about the visit is how Brandon said to me that it was so impressive that I eat as well as they do on my little income. I buy only the best food and drink and shop at happy places :) like Whole foods and Sunflower and Natural grocers. I eat better then many of the rich people in the USA and I do not spend that much more. People say to me they cant afford to eat healthy? What is the price of health?

I made decision to eat organic, grass fed foods when I can. I eat locally when I can and eat mainly Paleo. Meats, vegies and fruits, nuts and chocolate! Bit of dairy and a few good oils (olive, coconut and grass fed butter) and I use coconut sugar and local wildflower honey, I drink only the best on occasion. A glass of good red wine etc.....I only eat grains for special occasions (dining out somewhere special etc). If it tastes bad I do not eat it. I waste very little.

You can get flyers from the stores mentioned above and get deals. They had lobster tails at Sunflower for 4 dollars a pound this week! Their meat sales are amazing. Whole foods has the best apples and do have sales as well. I do prefer to spend 25 cents etc a pound more for a great apple that is not mealy. Farmers markets are another place to get good food as well as food co ops etc.

The point is that even on a very limited budget you can eat well and feed your family well. Costco has great values on organic foods in bulk as well...


Ok off to the gym.....:)

Happy New Year!

This is my last blog entry for 2011!

2010 was an awesome year and 2011 was even better and I can only suspect that 2012 will out do them all! I started a fun new position at a preschool and met some great ladies and kids and made some lasting friendships this year. I bought a new little car and landed my first apartment which i call "The Hobbit Hole" because its in the basement of a old Victorian house and so cute yet short in the bathroom (If you are six feet tall your head will hit the ceiling) .

I went on a few great hikes around Colorado! A five mile at Palmer Park and the daunting Incline as well as learned line dancing and how to do a simple swing dance and how to Zumba! I started beading and photography!

I am thinking of goals for 2012 and i want to organize myself and keep up with my blog and home journal. To laugh more and play more and to have fun! To spend a day just playing with my camera somewhere fab.....

To let those I love live the way they choose without judgements and criticisms in my head. To love more.....To be in love and let myself fall in love....

Life is grand!

Happy New Year.....

Walter & Cheryl

Today I went to my old company where they were having a open house. I talked to old friends and old bosses and I went on a cool thing called the bio mat and almost went to sleep. I was so relaxed! I left smiling and so happy and at peace. It got me to thinking ;)

I went to see the muppet movie with my friend Kevin last weekend. People, I use to dislike the Muppet's. Really. I decided to give them a try. I have never seen any of their movies etc. They just creeped me out..big time. I was in for a surprise and delight. I LOVED IT..serious. I love the muppets! I laughed and was glued to the screen. This is a huge step for me! ;)

The main character Walter was born into a real human family and the trouble is Walter is a Muppet. :) He really did not belong and until he found the other muppets.

That is how it was when I found my old company. :) so today when i visited them all I was so happy...My people....Into health and wellness and happy and positive and accepting me for me....Love you guys. Life is good (mg)

HOW TO START BEING A POSITIVE GIRLIEPOO

I have not been here in a few weeks! I have had more then a few people come up to me and ask me how i stay so happy and positive and I tell them that it was a habit that I had to learn and then practice and develop. Two years ago when I first started practicing it I would be positive about everything all day long to the point of it being silly. Yet, it helped me develop my positive lifestyle. I would say happy things about even the most awful situations and was a bit irritating to a few people and the ones that love me knew that I was in learning mode and they just smiled at me. For months I would spend the whole day just practicing it and saying good things. I smiled....and I laughed.

Now..where am I? I am real now. I allowed myself to go back to Cheryl and what Cheryl believes and I now pull out my positive attitude daily. When a situation is wrong or gross ..I call it wrong or gross now. I do not find the good in all bad every time. Yes, I still will look for good in all and I still smile and I still pull out my positive attitude and yet i am real. People are now able to talk to me and get a real answer and not a Pollyanna "oh lets be glad" answer...

I am sharing this because I believe my two years of just being a positive robot were needed to develop a new way of thinking If you want to be a happier and more positive person I challenge you to go into the Positive thinking boot camp like I did and just think about what you say all day long and only come back with something helpful and happy and do this for months or two years like I did. I still do that 99 percent of the day and when I get into stinky thinking and try to justify it I simply empty the old excuse bucket (mg) and know that its old habits that are creeping up.

Have a great day....and be happy life is good....(mg)

YES, To being READY in life...

Yesterday I came home from work and my landlords had put up some new blinds and etc. I smiled and went on with my night. This morning I got to thinking as I am getting ready for my last chores before I leave for work. Every morning I pick up and usually do the dishes and always make my bed nice. My apt looks cute and in order and I have NO fear of anyone coming in as and I did not know they were even going to show up yesterday. I was just organized in this area.

Now....Is Cheryl organized with her body? Can someone call her up and say "Put on your little black dress" and then Cheryl can go in and feel great? The same with swim suits, shorts and cute little jeans. Yes, I have come a long way and its important to keep the weight I lost off and tone it up.

I want to encourage everyone to organize their food plans and exercise plans today. Get ready because you never know when a big events will just happen or even the little ones where the great jeans look great :)

I just want to remind myself to stay organized in all areas. Like my made up bed...No worries. Its done....

Testing Fences

I got this today and wanted to share it. Its awsome! I sometimes fight against my fences and in the past broke through them. Now I want to be happy in my safe place.....

Thanks Marybeth

Marybeth Whalen
http://www.proverbs31.org/speakingministry/speakerteam/MaryBethWhalen.php


“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” Psalm 16:6 (NIV)

Each morning when I let my dog out he does a lap around the perimeter of our yard and then comes back to ram his body against the gate, just to see if he can get out of the confinement we’ve put him in. He looks over at me as he does it, as if to say, “Just checking.” The other morning I was laughing about what a silly dog he is. Then it occurred to me that I am not that different from him when it comes to the fences in my life.

Like my dog, I have a Master who has constructed boundaries to keep me safe. But I don’t always like those boundaries. I don’t understand why they have to be there. Why can’t I just be free to roam where I please, call my own shots, make my own decisions? Why must there be fences to hem me in?

Like my dog, I am quick to forget that those fences are there for my protection. And so I go around kicking them, testing them, pushing against them instead of accepting them. Instead of trusting, I just feel trapped.

As I look back over my life, I can see many fences I’ve tested. When God made me a mother, I questioned the position I’d landed in. Perhaps I’d be better off somewhere else, doing something else.

When God directed us to do whatever it took to get our finances under control, I longed for the days when I could run free with my credit card.

When marriage got really, really hard, I wondered if I was meant to be bound to this one man forever.

When God called me to homeschooling, I resisted being tied to my home and children, slow to realize that God placed me there to teach me things I could’ve never learned otherwise.

As I’ve surveyed the path of my purpose, I’ve found myself wondering if another path would be better—if I am truly where I am supposed to be.

It seems I have struggled with every boundary, pushing against every fence God has ever erected in my life. Instead of seeing the place He puts me as a reason for my safety, I dwell on how it inhibits me.

I can see how those boundaries kept me in a place where He could reach me. And when the time came, I saw the benefits of those boundaries. Through motherhood, I learned to be a servant. Through marriage I learned to forgive and accept forgiveness. Through paying off debt, I learned the blessings of financial freedom. Through homeschooling I learned to lay down my agenda for His. I am a better person—and I know God better—through the boundaries in my life.

Have you struggled with some boundaries of your own? Maybe today you’re looking at the fences in your life and wanting to throw yourself against them instead of seeing them as pleasant places and trusting that within those confines waits your delightful inheritance. Maybe you’ve forgotten that your Master erected those perimeters for your good.

This morning a neighbor knocked at our door. My dog had pushed against the fence and this time it had given way. He had escaped and gone for a romp through our neighborhood, happy and free, oblivious to the cars that could have hit him, the dog catcher who would be only too happy to put him in the pound.

The neighbor brought him back to me and I put him in the fence, this time making sure the gate was securely latched. He still didn’t understand the need for his fence. But I, his master, do. He just has to trust that I have erected the fence for his safety, and dwell in his pleasant place. Just like me.

Dear Lord, help me to stop pushing against the boundaries You’ve erected in my life. Help me to instead see those perimeters as existing for my protection and my good. Let me see where You have me as a pleasant place, no matter where that might be. I want to stop testing the fences and dwell in Your safe pasture, trusting and content. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Little Green Box / Changes

The picture is my new little table from my friend Connie...I just love it and my french press and special coffee cup!

Yesterday I got two items i have been obsessed about. One is my big Brun coffee pot. I bought it years ago and it has been my friend first thing on many mornings and other then that no special sentiment was attached to that pot! The other item was my old recipe box. I have had that sense my home EC class back along ago and have collected alot of recipes over the years.

I have bugged Kevin D and Tami for over a year new to find these items that are stored in their home and they have looked and looked for over a year now and finally came across them a few days ago. I was over the moon with delight. Serious.... I woke up yesterday morning all excited (yea my stuff today) and called my mom telling her how excited I was and after dance lessons I hurried over to their house to get my treasures of long ago :) ....I was truly excited.

After a friendly visit and a relief I am sure that I wont be harping them about the green box and coffee pot anymore I took my items home...YEA......

Ok.......Those items are from the past and of old things and a old life and yesterday showed me a few things for sure.

First off my pot has been stored for two years now and I needed to clean it up before I brewed coffee for my Sunday morning laz...:) I filled it with cold water and turned it on and let it go through a cycle and all of a sudden black smoke poured out of it. I hurried up and shut it off before the smoke detector came on! ok....I had to say good bye to Mr Brun and off he went to the huge green bin out back....bummer...

I then spotted my beautiful Bodum french press and decided that I have moved way on from that old coffee pot and this blowing up of my coffee pot was a way of letting go of the past and to embrace change in my life. Good changes! YEA....Change is good.

Next came my little green recipe file...I opened it up and started looking through the files. They were full of recipes that could actually kill a person let alone a whole family. I kept the few that meant alot to me which were five recipes! and tossed out the ones with white sugar and white flour (most I have never even made ) I do not need them and will not serve them to anyone I love or even those I do not like! I then spotted my Greens recipe book from Erik and Brandon and know that I can make beautiful whole yummy food without harm...again changes....good changes. I will fill that little green box with great yummy healthy recipes. I can hardly wait....

I woke up this morning feeling a step in the right direction and light and free...Life Is Good (MG)