Pinks and a Happy New Year To All!

How about a trip to the Bahamas so you can sit on this fabulous pink beach?

Some pretty pink bubbly beverages in pretty flutes. Ah...bring the new year in with style.

Pink Champagne Cupcakes. You can find these at Betty Crocker's website.
Stop by Beverly's and thank her for hosting our weekly Pink Saturdays. I will be a participate for three years! Happy New Year Pink Saturday!

 One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this:  To rise above the little things.  ~John Burroughs

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched.  Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential.  ~Ellen Goodman

End of the Year Thoughts: VIVIAN

Today I heard from my friend Vivian! We have known each other since we were young teens! She is one of those people who sticks by you and never acts judgemental! I love her! I never tell her enough! She is a great gal and she likes her coffee with lots of sugar ! She never married but had a huge crush on a guy named Ed for most of her youth! Vivian lives in the same house she grew up in and shares it today with her younger brother. They lost their mom this past March. No one told me. I am sad. I loved Jessie. She was a hard working awesome lady. When Vivian's dad passed away she and her mom were blessed to travel to Rome and meet the pope, who at that time was John Paul II. It was one of those once in a lifetime trips and they were tickled to be there! Vivian went on to survive ovarian cancer. I can not even imagine that pain! I have survived three major neurosurgery's but cancer! I think Vivian is a hero. I love her like a sister. Once she and my own sister Mary held me while I was sick! We had gone out to a club, ah... the old days....and I ordered a Long Island Iced Tea! Not realizing it was "happy hour" I drank two of those and could barely stand up! I remember my older brother telling me "What were you thinking, you had alcohol poisoning?" He explained the fact that my drink contained enough hard liquor to tranquilizer a big guy like him! At the time I weighed around 120 lbs. soaking wet! Ha Ha! So Vivian held my head and my hair as my sister drove us to her house. She told our folks we were going to watch movies and those girls cared for me never leaving my side! Is that a friend or what?  Granted my sweet sis cared for me but she was blood so I thought she had to! Vivian knows some of the darkest secrets that I have! I trust her like I trust God and since the two of them have known my secrets since we were teens I figure they are not going to rat me out now! Hee Hee! Vivian worked for the Holiday Inn alongside her mom for many years. They were "laundry ladies". Talk about an honorable and thankless job! Both my late mother and my favorite aunt Ang worked in the laundry too except they worked for a different laundry.
Did you know that Vivian means Vivacious and Lively? It is Latin and I am sure her mom must have had a 6th sense that Vivian would be a firecracker! She is fun and lively and she always makes you feel comfortable. She is of Mexican heritage and she is one incredible lady.
Today I am sad because I was not there for her. Now I will make up for it. I will  be the friend I once was long ago. I will always treasure Vivian and I will visit with her and we will reminisce about her folks and particularly her mom because Jessie was a quiet, sincere  and beautiful lady. She had a passion for her faith and I think after the untimely death of her own husband she she kept her faith and was so courageous caring for her family. She was one of the kindest ladies I knew. I will help Vivian carry on the beautiful legacy of her mom and her dad. I am hoping she has lots of photos tucked away so she can make a memory book.
Is there someone in your life you need to reconnect with? Don't hesitate, do it today. Join me by writing a personal note or letter to them. Let's bring back the old fashioned writing letters and cards like we did in the past. I truly believe it is an incredible way to communicate with those we love and cherish.
When I visit Vivian I will post photos. I am sorry I can't get to my photos from my oldest daughter Noelle's wedding. I have a great shot of Vivian alongside our mutual friend Kathy O'Gane!
Ah...Kathleen O'Gane, that is another story for another day! Stay tuned!

A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.
Elbert Hubbard

A friend should be one in whose understanding and virtue we can equally confide, and whose opinion we can value at once for its justness and its sincerity.
Robert Hall
 
A friendship can weather most things and thrive in thin soil; but it needs a little mulch of letters and phone calls and small, silly presents every so often - just to save it from drying out completely.
Pam Brown

A hug is like a boomerang - you get it back right away.
Bil Keane

A man's growth is seen in the successive choirs of his friends.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world.


Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.
C. S. Lewis

Friendship... is not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything.
Muhammad Ali


I always felt that the great high privilege, relief and comfort of friendship was that one had to explain nothing.
Katherine Mansfield

I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world.
Thomas A. Edison

I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar.
Robert Brault

Mighty proud I am that I am able to have a spare bed for my friends.
Samuel Pepys

Never explain - your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway.
Elbert Hubbard

Never have a companion that casts you in the shade.
Baltasar Gracian

Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend.
Plautus

Nothing so fortifies a friendship as a belief on the part of one friend that he is superior to the other.
Honore de Balzac

One's friends are that part of the human race with which one can be human.
George Santayana

Silences make the real conversations between friends. Not the saying but the never needing to say is what counts.
Margaret Lee Runbeck

Since there is nothing so well worth having as friends, never lose a chance to make them.
Francesco Guicciardini

The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.
William Blake

The friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you.
Elbert Hubbard

The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing... not healing, not curing... that is a friend who cares.
Henri Nouwen

The language of friendship is not words but meanings.
Henry David Thoreau

The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend.
Henry David Thoreau

The only way to have a friend is to be one.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

The real test of friendship is: can you literally do nothing with the other person? Can you enjoy those moments of life that are utterly simple?
Eugene Kennedy

The sincere friends of this world are as ship lights in the stormiest of nights.
Giotto di Bondone

There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.
Thomas Aquinas

Think where mans glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends.
William Butler Yeats

 

 

HAPPPY NEW YEAR 2012

 Be always at war with your vices,
at peace with your neighbors,
and let each New Year
find you a better person.
       Benjamin Franklin


If it didn't bring you joy,
Just leave it behind.


Let's ring in the New Year
With good things in mind


Let every bad memory go
That brought heartache and pain


And let's turn a new leaf
With the smell of new rain


Let's forget past mistakes
Making amends for this year.


Sending you these greetings
To bring you hope and cheer


Happy New Year


     Author Unknown

"In the New Year
May your right hand always be
stretched out in friendship but
never in want. " 


          An Irish Toast

"A New Years resolution is something that goes in
one year and out the other." Author Unknown



Come visit Jenny and let's all ring in the New Year in style with her and all the wonderful people who participate in Alphabe Thursday!

A Different Blog Post: RIP BEN BREEDLOVE

I was playing around on my laptop and getting ready to come over and visit here in blog world. I came across these wonderful videos by a young man, Ben Breedlove. He passed away on Christmas night at the tender age of 18. He suffered from a condition called hypertrophic myocardiomyopathy. He tells the stories of how he cheated death three times and there is a photo collage of Ben and his friends and family. He was wise beyond his years and his love of God and family really made me smile. Teens get a bad rap today. I think there are lots of good teens out there doing good deeds to improve our world. There are many that live wonderful lives enjoying the daily routine of being a happy teen! Ben was just a normal kid with a life threatening heart disease. Yet he lived his life to the fullest. He talked so candidly about cheating death and explaining what he remembered of the events surrounding these medical emergencies that he experienced before he lost his life to the disease a few days ago.

I am thinking Ben must be sharing heaven with our Lord. I have been reading comments left on the FB page and this kid witnessed to so many! He fearlessly conquered death and I am sure he is enjoying the joys of heaven with our Heavenly Father and Christ our Lord.

My heart goes out to those close to him, his family, and friends. I pray that God will give them the grace, the strength and the courage to withstand this difficult time. I wish  had known Ben personally. He was a hero and I think he would have made an excellent friend.

Today I heard so many sad stories on the news. Two young children died from gunshot wounds here in Colorado. A woman in Parker, Colorado was gunned down in a McDonalds parking lot by her estranged husband. A Sudanese man working here and supporting his family was murdered in his car moments after driving to his home from his job. I don't tell you these heartbreaking stories because I want to make you sad. I want to share the hope I saw in each story. Children die from playing with guns because some adults do not expect a child to handle a loaded weapon left lying around! Yet there are safety classes and locked cases and cabinets to store dangerous weapons.  People with good hearts will embrace the families who have lost these precious children and they will somehow move forward . I can not imagine the loss of a child but somehow there will be kind souls who will come forward and make a difference. A fifteen year old girl in Parker ran across the parking lot and cradled the dying woman in her arms. A stranger. Her children ran screaming from the restaurant. Yet strangers came up and held those three children in their arms comforting them. The gentleman murdered, in what appears to be a random act of violence has a beautiful wife and children. They spoke about him today. I know in my heart many will come forward and help this family. It is the little things that can make a difference in a big way.

Light a candle, say a prayer, remember these beautiful hearts taken so quickly from their families. Try to commit a random act of kindness because it can help balance this crazy mixed up world. Don't let the sadness of these stories effect you, go make a difference.

I know where you are you must see so many similar stories of violence. Let's all make a gesture to help  in whatever way we can. We can make a difference, one person at a time.
Then remember Ben and read and see his story It will make you smile.

[Kid Cudi] 
No light to guide my way 
I'm goin' blind down the hill 
Nothing that no one can say 
I'm gonna find my will to live 
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/w/wzrd/brake_20989524.html ] 
No light to guide my way 
I'm goin' blind down the hill 
There's nothing that no one can say 
I'm gonna find my will to live 

No, I won't brake 
No, I won't brake 

No light to guide my way 
I'm' goin blind down the hill 
There's nothing that no one can say 
I'm gonna find my will to live 

No, I won't brake


These lyrics are from a song written by Ben's favorite artist Kid Cudi.


"No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave."  Calvin Coolidge, American President


"The Lord is close to the  brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18


"As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.- says the Lord " Isaiah 66:13

Love is... A Beautiful Blue Monday

After all the festivities we are settling in to a quiet Monday. See the little blue rug and pants on the little Love is... character? I thought they would be cute for Marydon and all the ladies at Love is... and Sally and all our Blue Monday crowd!

Hope your holiday was perfect! I am sharing some of our phamily photos here:

 I was Zach's Secret Santa! He received a new winter jacket and matching gloves! He is Rebekah's beau!

Jeremy received a retro Bronco t shirt from Noelle's phamily.

Grandpa Roger with Devin and the girls, Alexis and Jaslin in the background.

Hannah and grandson Colton.

Hannah and Rebekah.

Tarrah, Andrew, Jayden (grumpy) and Lex.

Rebekah and Jayden (wide eyed).

 This is a favorite photo. Sweets and I were getting ready for his office Christmas party  Dec 11, 2011. Rebekah shot this timed shot of her and I.

Santa baby and his daddy. Another favorite photo.

Some of our Christmas fare.

A truly favorite photo, Avery,Nick,Jeremy,Hannah,(back). Rebekah,Roger,Anne,Colton and Noelle (front). We played Cranium and Apples to Apples late into the night. We did not wake up until ten this morning! The two of us never sleep in like that! But we had a beautiful Christmas.  Today we are relaxing and catching up on a few household duties before getting back to work tomorrow.

Glad you stopped by. Hugs and lots of love to all of you.

My Merry Pink Christmas and Spiritual Sunday

I have some photos that I took that I would like to share with you as I wish you and yours a beautiful and blessed Christmas season! It is thawing out and we are grateful to be safe and warm. During this joyous season I always think of those less fortunate who are out in this bitter cold. I wish I had the financial ability to help so many in need. But I do believe as long as each one of us can help one person it turns into the domino effect and many can be helped with only a generous heart and a kind word. Merry Christmas to all!

 Hello Santa. He is an animated guy with a Christmas wish!

Some pretty gold lights twinkling in my Sweets office lobby.

A different kind of Christmas tree. Pretty white pointsettas with  golden branches grace the front lobby of his office building.

 The planters are filled with the white pointsetta's but they switch the flowers out each month. It is always fun to see what they will have next month!

 I hope the true meaning of this celebrated season is in your heart this year. May the goodness and grace of God fill your hearts and minds this season.

Please stop by Beverly's and wish her a Merry Christmas and thank her for always sharing these weekend Pink's with us

.

  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7.

Pl ease stop by and visit Charlotte and thank her for always putting this eekly post otgether with each one of us and wish her a beautiful and blessed Christmas. 

Merry Christmas to each participate of this encouraging meme. We have made many friends as a result of knowing individuals through these ladies Beverly and Charlotte.

Remember the true reason for this beautiful season. Christ the King was born. He lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen

Hard Candy Christmas

I love this Dolly Parton song! It is a classic.

I always got this old fashioned hard candy for Christmas in my stocking!

A google image of a similar Christmas tree my folks put up each year. Ah...the memories.

I am sharing this with Jenny and all the wonderful participates of our weekly Alphabe Thursday . I am way behind decorating my tree with just 4 days to Christmas! But at least it has lights on it!

We are waiting to see if this snowstorm turns into a blizzard! We are scheduled to get at least a foot in the Denver metro area. At least that its what they tell us! So my mind has been on the sinus/head cold I am getting and the snow! The white stuff that brought frigid temps to us! It is so pretty but only if you can stay inside and watch the fluffy white stuff falling on the ground!

 A warm and cozy fireplace...ah...

Enjoy the warmth of this season with those you love.

A TERESA UPDATE AND A HUGE THANK YOU!

I heard from Teresa today! She is going to be out of her office until Tuesday the 27th getting ready for the holidays with her family and preparing for a surgery. Her biopsy from the Gyn doctor came back negative which is actually positive as far as getting good results go! Praise the Lord! But she is going to have the D and C during this break and they will do further pathology. Let's keep praying that she gets a total clean bill of health!

Here are her words:

Anne,

Thank you so much for the awesome card, your kind words mean a lot to me.  Your "blog group" is amazing!  I received several cards with caring thoughts and wishes from so many different states, it brought tears to my eyes.  People like you and all that took the time to send a message to a stranger just reassures my faith that there are still a lot of good people in the world.  Please let them know how much their words meant to me.  I haven't heard from the doctor yet on my results, I'm hoping sometime this morning, I would sure like to know what I'm doing on my days off!!  I will let you know as soon as I hear anything.  Thanks again, I really appreciate you!

Take Care and Love,

Teresa

I already gave you the good news before I posted her actual email ! But I thought you would like to see the words here. I will keep you updated with her surgery. She is a wonderful lady and I appreciate all of you more than you can imagine!

I will be posting all week so stop by again .

Love is....

The gift of love! I thought this sweet little love is... presents well for Marydon and all the ladies who participate with Love is...

It is also blue so I may share it with Sally and all the Blue Monday participates!

A blue baby for your morning smile:

I will get my Jayden's Santa photo up later this week! He has such pretty blue eyes that he looks so good in blue! This fellow is happy! I think he adds a nice blue tone here today!

 Blue Christmas tree lights to sparkle your day!

Please visit the ladies who host and all the wonderful participates. Have a "Love"ly day and a blue Monday too!

Let's Get Organized!

All my January 2012 magazines are arriving! They all have the same theme, "Let's get organized". I feel like a slug! My Christmas tree is not up and I am lucky that I have a huge window decal of the Nativity in my front window! I have two Nativity's frame on the walls. One is a cross stitch I found at the thrift store and the other one our middle daughter made 10 years ago ! We are doing a Secret Santa at our house so it means my Sweets, Nick and I just need to shop for one gift each, for our Secret Santa! I guess I need to heed the organizing articles and put them to good use!
My oldest daughter received a cool gift for her birthday December 13th. Here is a google image of it:

Cool pink tools to work with this:

And the ultimate pink kitchen tool:

I hope you stop by and wish Beverly well for hosting each week. Perhaps Christmas week I can post some real pink around my house!

Enjoy more pinks by visiting lots of pinkies this week! Enjoy the weekend!

A Prayerful Request

My friend Teresa is going through a difficult time! She has been getting treatment for breast cancer and had a set back! Ugh! Life is cruel to good people. she is such a wonderful lady. She does the billing for the office where I work. Her husband took a job in Wyoming and they moved there nearly two years ago. She is a first time grandmother with a super sweet baby boy just a few hours away from her. She has a good heart. A kind soul. A graceful woman with tremendous faith. But she is having a rough time. I am asking anyone who would be kind to send her a greeting. A word of encouragement in the form of a card or letter. I know many women have been down this road and I know you probably know the exact words to say to her because you fully understand the set backs, The rigorous treatment schedules. The many appointments with various providers. I just want to brighten her day more often because she is a doll! Today I was at  lunch and she called me. The other gal I work with took a message and said Teresa said it was not urgent. I called thinking I forgot to send a path report with the OP report on a patient she was billing insurance for. She said no, I had sent all the documents she needed. She said she wanted to hear my voice because I was kind! I listened! I said encouraging things to her. Talk about a girl having her day made! I was grinning from ear to ear!

I know I should make this short and sweet but I was going to post a similar blog anyway before I found out what Teresa was dealing with!
Did you know when I was thirteen years old I requested a pen pal from Tiger Beat magazine?

I loved Paul Revere and the Raiders and Peter Noone of Herman 's Hermits (photo above) along with the Monkees. I really wanted to meet a California girl pen pal and received hundreds of requests! My father thought I was insane! He said the mailman was going to be mad at me! Ha Ha! So I selected several and wrote letters to them. All these years later I am still friendly with Barb. She was one of the California girls that wrote to me! I was so excited. I thought I was  a teen celebrity! It made me so happy to get all that mail. There is something aobut a personal message that makes me happy. My friend Lynette is the first person to send me a birthday card and I don't think  she has missed one in all the years we have known each other. Age 3, crashing tricycles on the sidewalk in front of "Annie's" house my neighbor lady as a kid!  We are still friends. It means so much to me when she sends a greeting my way! Karen, my playpen buddy since we were old enough to sit up together! She is in Idaho. She is a colon cancer survivor. Do you know the first thing she did when she recovered from her cancer? She called me to warn me about the perils of colon cancer and she wrote me a letter!
A personal hand written note can literally save someones life.
Take my friend Amelia, I meet her through my doctors office. She lost her only daughter to breast cancer close to Christmas two years ago! She is an exceptional lady. First class and she remembers me each year with a Christmas card addressed to myself and my phamily. I love knowing her!
When our unborn daughter died in 1987 I was devastated yet even today I keep that stack of cards and letters in a box so I can reread them! It still gives me great comfort to know how many people cared about me and still do!
So if you can take a moment to send Teresa a card  or note let me know. I will give you all the detail in sending a card her way. Also Suzanne was very kind and posted on her blog too.
Thanks everyone and enjoy the weekend! It is coming our way soon!

"F" is for Fruitcake

Welcome to the "F" addition of Ms. Jenny's weekly learning lesson! I love participating in this alphabet fun! Keep the brain sharp! I like to use my imagination, I always have, so I put my post up and I start thinking about the next letter! It is so much fun!

Let's talk fruitcakes!

Now I have L O V E D Jimmy Buffett since he sang all these silly songs ! He can have a bit of colorful language so please forgive me! I had to share it! If you can not load the video here go to www.youtube.com/.

You either love a fruitcake or hate them! Now I am talking about the holiday cake many receive as a gift! I was visting Suzanne. She is the Colorado Lady who decided to bake her own fruitcake. Her story involved a cookbook she inherited from her grandmother and inside it, she found a recipe for a fruitcake. By the time she bought all the ingredients she said it cost a small fortune! You should visit her and read the story. I was being very clever and I said to her, "Suzanne, why don't you Texas girls buy your fruitcake from Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas?" She said "I thought they were too expensive until I  made my own!" I know about these fruitcakes because I worked with  a doctor who was a native of Texas and he bought them for us at Christmas. After a few years he starting bringing us fruit, oranges and grapefruits because that seemed healthier but I always enjoyed those fruitcakes and think I may have to order one one of these days!

I hope your holiday season is fabulous, fun and full of family and friendship! Please visit Jenny and all the participates of Alphabe Thursday!