J.J. Devine's Blog

A day of inner works...

Good evening, everyone!!!

These last several months have definitely been some of reflection and inner workings. One way I've been working on this is by heading out to the waters with my sister. We grab the kayaks, find someplace we haven't been, and we take up the challenge of being one with nature.

Today, was so enlightening, so confirming, so needed, that I told her before we ever got off the river I would be blogging about today, LOL.

See, I've been doing something this summer that would mean absolutely nothing to anyone other than myself, but I decided to collect mementos from the different areas we visit. About a month ago we went to the Seven Pillars. I collected my first set of stacking stones, which is a way of allowing me to bring about balance within my life, along with patience. I decided that every trip we take this summer I will find stones that speak to me and collect them to help remind me to work to the goal of balance and patience within my life.

So, yes, today I collected a few more stones to also remind me of today's lessons whenever I look at them. 

I also collected a few mussel shells, because they were beautiful. A golf ball, because where we found it was completely out of place (we did find like 3 or 4 more on this little peninsula we stopped on, just strange, LOL).


We had a blue heron that stayed with us throughout our journey today. From start to finish, he was always there leading the way. He would fly on ahead, sometimes allowing us to paddle beside him for a few moments before he took off and waited for us up river a little ways. I looked up his spiritual symbolism, of course, and found out he was the perfect guardian for us today. His symbolism stands for: self-reliance, spiritual awakening, meditation, inner peace, and divine connection. All fitting for our day and our deep conversations as we paddled down river. He did leave me a couple of feathers floating in the water, which I of course, graciously accepted. When birds bring enlightenment to your life, they normally leave a feather behind as a gift and a reminder of their lessons. I have quite the collection of feathers from over the years, LOL.

Another symbolism on the water is definitely the Dragonfly. Most of you know my passions for dragons already, but the dragonfly, well, I adore them as well, Dragon is in the name, ya know, LOL. Usually, they ride along on my leg or toes as we paddle downstream. I always let them ride along for as long as they like. Their symbolism is lovely: change and light. Reminding me to hold onto the joy in this life and try to always show my truest colors in this world around me.

As sis and I met the challenges of rocky waters beneath us, it reminded us that life comes with challenges every day. We are faced with decisions on how we handle the challenges. Like those kayaks getting stuck on the bottom, rocks of all sizes in every direction, rapid waters flowing past us, we could have said, "Nope, the water is too shallow to navigate today," and we could have quit. But as we reminded ourselves numerous times, on many many rock bars, "We were not raised to be quitters." So, we soldiered on through the rough waters to the smoother waters ahead. 

That's life. Life comes with bumps in the roads, smooth sailing, and sometimes more than our share of things to overcome. But you don't quit, you put your eye on the smooth waters ahead and keep going until you reach them.

If you keep your focus on the bad things that happen in this life, well, your focus on the outcome is always going to be bleak. Even if the bad things you're going through at the moment are truly life changing, there's a reason for them being there. Find your focus, move yourself in the direction of the positive and even if you have to crawl to get there, start moving.

We spoke some on depression as it seems to plague this world today. People want to say the reason it wasn't a 'thing' back in the day was because medical research has come a long way since then. Sure, medical research has come a long way, but in this author's opinion, sometimes a long way can also be too far. A good deal of the time people are low on Vitamin D when they are depressed. Sure, a supplement can be helpful, however, there is one sure fire way to get that magnificent vitamin, sunshine. How many people today hardly go outdoors? And when they do, because they are TOLD, they lather up in sunscreen. A product that is beginning to be linked to skin cancer, interesting, hmmmmm...


I can't stress enough, get out in that sunshine and enjoy life as it should be enjoyed, freely and openly. I supplement my calcium and vitamin d every day because my body can't maintain it, but just because I supplement does not mean I won't be about absorbing what God gave us naturally. Because I HATE feeling depressed, lost, consumed. 


I come in from a day of kayaking down the river and I feel so refreshed, so alive. I feel at peace once again. AND I'm not saying everyone should go kayaking. If it's not your cup of tea, then by all means don't do it, but get outside, let the sunshine absorb into you, feel the energy it provides from just being out there. They can make all the lightbulbs in the world and never be able to provide you with real sunlight advantages, regardless of how it's advertised.


The good Lord put things in place to give us what we need in this life. We only have to seek them out. Most are right under our noses.


In this life we are stronger than we give ourselves credit for and at least 80% of what we go through we put ourselves in the midst of. When we are down, a good deal of the time we want to get others to be down with us, just as when we are celebrating something in life, we want others to celebrate as well. Life can be a double-edged sword if we allow it to be.


I may or may not have told this story before, but I once knew a lady who was on hospice. The nurses from hospice would come and find her out walking alone each day. They would tell her, "You shouldn't be doing that, you're going to die." She always responded with, "I will if I stay in that bed. But I'm not ready to surrender yet." Six months later she was taken off hospice, because this lady was going to live come hell or high water. She's outlived several family members and is still taking her daily walks to this day and enjoying her grandchildren that she wanted so badly back in those days. It's been more than 20 years ago now.


We're given a life to live. It's not over until God says, "Come home." I've told my children in advance my own wishes for whatever the future holds for me. Because frankly, I'm getting older and things in life happen. One thing I know for sure, is I came into this world kicking and screaming and the plan is to go out the same way. I will always vote for myself quality over quantity because I want to savor every moment the good Lord and Lady allows me to have.

Because at the end of the day, we all will just be pictures on a loved one's wall after we're gone. I want my children and grandchildren to look at my pictures and say, "That was my mom/grandma and man she was one hell of a woman."

Everyone have a lovely night!!!

Blessings to all!!!

Only a few more days...

Good evening, everyone!!!

Well, the edits are finally done. In just a few short days I am hopeful in having Into the Darkness back up and out there. 

I'd like to be started on another editing project by this time next week, which means Into the Darkness needs to be uploaded and done by then. 

I'm not sure if I'm going to get back to Darkness Brings Desire or Passionate Pursuit next week, but the way I have it figured I will mull over that decision during my 12-hour shifts over the weekend :)

It has felt really amazing being back in the writing saddle once again. For so long I just could not make myself sit down and work like this again.

Then I started going to the gym, then finding the Total Body Enhancement that includes red light therapy and things just started falling into place. So much of the stress of the last few years just fell away. Between my old job aggravations and the covid ordeal, I guess my stress levels were just too high to focus.

Then as you know a month or so ago, I got a gym membership and told myself I would do this. I needed to reclaim my mental health. I'm just tired of things stealing that from me. And worse yet, I'm tired of myself allowing it. I needed to reclaim myself and being a writer was part of that. 

I knew if I just sat down and started, I could get that feeling back. But it had been so long since I let myself just enjoy the process of creating a storyline, or even a story. I had all but forgotten how to go about it.

Changing jobs was a huge benefit to starting the process. Spending time in nature another wonderful stress reliever. The gym membership, well, that was icing on the cake. It allowed me the time to just refocus and revamp my inner self. Something I realize now was a must.

I cannot express this enough...

If you find yourself drowning whether it be in a job, an emotion, a situation in life, whatever it might be, find a way out. You can't hurry things, but you can find a starting point.

For me the starting point was finding relief in nature. My sister and I would lose ourselves in the woods, picking berries, searching out plants and their uses. Anything that got us outdoors and helped us leave the world around us for a few hours. We were each other's therapists so to speak.

Then, changing jobs. Understanding that no matter what job you work at you're just a number and can be replaced in a moment's notice if necessary. So, finding a job that suited me for my needs was highly important. Because if I need to work at a job, I need one that is not going to add to my stress, but allow me to come in, do my job, then walk out those doors when the shift is over and not have to worry if they will call me in five minutes. It was also important to me to find a job that I could work not just to pay the bills, but one where I could save up, have something left over at the end of the week and not stress if I would have enough to even pay the bills at the end of the week. 


So, you see the job change was a huge factor in helping to relieve stress. I like having a job that my only responsibilities are making it to work, doing my job to the best of my ability, and at the end of the day, I walk away knowing I'm paid a decent wage to do my job and that's all. Not being expected to ensure the other people are doing their jobs, or even being conned into doing someone else's job so they don't have to learn new things coming at them, under the bullshit belief that you were working toward something more.

Don't stay someplace where your stress levels rise up just thinking about having to go. I may work 12 hour shifts these days, but I can honestly say I don't have the anxiety I had with my 8 hour a day job. I really don't even mind the hour drive there and back, LOL. 

So, all in all, dig deep within yourself to figure out what the core to that stress is. What is stopping you from moving forward in your life? What is keeping you from your happy place? Can you change any part of it? Can you change all of it? If so, do so. If not, then ask yourself how can I be happy where I am today? What can I do to help me change up my life? Then seek that out.

I knew for me, my happy place within my soul is when I have time to spend each day at the keyboard. The rest of my life falls into place when I have my writing time. I knew I needed to get back to myself, and to do that I had to get back to the keyboard.

The last few weeks I have felt more like me than I have in a few years. For this I am grateful.

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!








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Keep On, Keeping On...

Good evening, everyone!!!

It's been a month now since I started on this path and I have to say I am going to toot my own horn here, because frankly, sometimes we just have to be proud of ourselves.

I started this journey off with doing 10 minutes twice on the walking machine with 2.0 incline, and 2.0 speed, 25 times each on 4 machines, and a 10-minute hydro-bed massage. Today, I am up to 25 minutes twice on the walking machine with 3.0 incline, and 3.0 speed, 40 times each on 8 machines, 15 minutes in the total body enhancement, and 10-minute hydro-bed massage.

All of this is 3 days a week, with my other 2 days of exercise still being my 12-hour shift workdays of walking, lifting, pulling, and stacking.
What has this done for me? Well, it's definitely helping me shape up. I'm not really focusing on the scales, so I couldn't tell you if I've lost weight or not because it was never about that to start with. I feel more energetic, which was another goal of mine. It's also helped me catch up on podcasts I enjoy LOL.

Garden Weed still goes occasionally, but I've told myself, I'm going regardless if anyone attends with me or not. Because it's not about who goes with me and who is there to keep me doing what I need to do. It's about me taking a stand for myself and doing what I need to do for me.

When I was a young teen, my granddaddy took up jogging. When we would visit my grandparents, I would jog with him. So, when I feel like giving up these days, I still hear his voice, "Keep going, sugar." Something he always told me when I was ready to just quit jogging and tell him to go on without me, LOL.

When the granddaughter goes with me, I find myself thinking how granddaddy was with me. Encourage, but don't push. Like I said before, it isn't about anything other than what we do for ourselves that matters. 

I've spent my time on the hydro-bed working on my meditations. I'm wanting to adjust my mind-frame a bit and my focusing needs some work as well. Not to mention I need to work on my moodiness a bit more too. I've been feeling a bit lost lately within myself and I know from past experiences this just means a change of some sort is just around the corner. Not sure what this change is all about, but I feel it coming and frankly, I'm hoping it comes soon. I'm tired of this limbo feeling.

I'm sure a good deal of my moods is just the fact that spring is here, but we've only had a handful of days even worth being outdoors. It's either too cold or too rainy, or something of the sort. I crave outdoor time and after winter this craving becomes almost unbearable at times. I'm looking forward to helping the daughter-in-law with her flower beds and the granddaughters with their table gardens as well as planting my own beds once again. These are things that I know will help snap me out of this funk.

Well I guess I should do some other work tonight. 

Everyone have a lovely night!!!

Blessings to all!!!





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Admiration comes in all forms...

Good afternoon, everyone!!!

I've been doing a great deal of self-work over the years, but recently I came across a few things to help me in this journey.


One was a woman who puts out videos, Doing Hard Things Every Day, @newnikki730 (If you plan to hate on this lady, do NOT follow this link, she doesn't deserve negativity) This lady is so inspiring, and her message is for everyone not just people trying to lose weight. Though her journey into weight loss is truly fantastic and I commend her for keeping her eye on her goals and pushing that mark. That alone is inspirational, but her message is so much more than that to me.

Doing hard things every day is not easy regardless of what 'your' hard thing happens to be. Whenever I find myself stalling, I hear her voice encouraging me to do hard things. Recently, my oldest granddaughter (you may know her as Garden Weed here) and I started going to the gym together 3 days a week. I thank Garden Weed every time we go for keeping me doing hard things :) This young lady messages me first thing in the mornings on the days we are to go, asking if we're still going. Tomorrow morning she's even calling me to ensure I am awake at the discussed time for tomorrow's workout. We've agreed we can have no excuses for not going.

We've asked each other the hard questions, "Why are we each doing this?" "What is our main goal by doing this?" This way we know how we can help each other achieve our goals. Which is perfect for us. We even allow ourselves a small treat for reaching out goals, Starbucks Refreshers :) afterwards :) She's been very good at helping me find the machines I need to help me achieve my goals, and I do my very best to encourage her to meet the goals she sets for herself to gain muscle strength for her cheerleading tasks.

This doing hard things isn't just about our gym days for me either. I've been applying this in all aspects of my life. I have been fully acknowledging my weaknesses in life and trying to address them. Which brings me to number 2 on my list of self-work.

Grace...

I have always been a firm believer in "signs" that come upon you and give you pause in life. The word 'Grace' has been coming to me several times over the course of the last few months, telling me this is something I need to investigate.

I've found I have issues with wanting to be a kind person at times but then I find myself frustrated with being kind to 'some' people. Let me explain...

I will do something to help someone, then get frustrated when I have to keep going back to help that person with the same thing over and over for reasons that are beyond my control.  Now, I'm not saying they can't or won't learn how it's done, because I know the exact reason it is taking so long for them to figure things out and frankly, it's not their fault. This is where I feel compelled to be of assistance, however, I can't be frustrated with them for why it is taking so long for them to pick up what they need to know. I hope that makes sense. 

Everyone learns at their own rate of speed, which I am fully aware of that. So, when guidance can only be given in broken spurts, it is going to take a little bit longer for them to pick up on things. 

This is only one aspect of where I need to learn "Grace" in my daily life. 

I also need to show more grace in my daily life. See, I've gotten used to just being to myself, which isn't a bad thing really, but sometimes we do interact with others and internally I need to show more grace when it comes to those times, LOL. I have to not be so stingy with my time. I do love my alone time, but I do need to venture out into the world a bit more and allow myself to be gracious about venturing out.

Sure, I go to my sister's house and spend a great deal of time with her over the course of the warmer months and sometimes during the colder months. In my mind, I've told myself this is plenty of sharing myself time, LOL. But I know I need to keep up with being a bit more social on the off season. Don't be so cooped up and try being a bit more outgoing during the months I just want to hibernate.

I also need to find a bit of grace for myself. Remind myself of the things I used to love doing and make time for such things once again. I've pushed a good many things aside and mainly because I am not showing myself enough grace throughout the week.

As I've told my granddaughter, "No excuses." Yet, I find ways to make excuses to myself for not doing what I otherwise would enjoy doing.

Each year I try to add something to my self-improvement list of things to do. This year I am working toward 'doing hard things every day,' and 'showing more grace in all aspects of my life.'

My life consists of working toward goals. This keeps me focused and self-aware. Because in this life we can only control ourselves and this is a well-known fact I try to keep in the front of my mind daily. So, working toward something each day, whether I succeed or fail for that day, I am always working towards it.  When I fail, I reaffirm my goal and start over from that point. If I succeed that day, I make sure to tell myself I'm proud of me for making it through that day without any slip-ups :) Because frankly, we all need encouragement, even if it is we ourselves giving out that cheer.

Everyone have a blessed day!!!

Blessings to all!!!




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After 4 years things are FINALLY starting to come together...

Good afternoon, everyone!!!

I wasn't sure I would post about this topic and by doing so I just may be jinxing myself, (hoping not), but over a four-year period I have become quite the self-proclaimed expert on this topic.

About 4 years ago, give or take, I decided to stop coloring my hair. It was becoming quite the hassle as the hair color wasn't covering all the gray and I didn't want to go to the extra cost and time it would take to get highlights quite often and such. So, I decided to go all natural. Let those grays do their thing and just be happy with it :)

Well, one thing that seemingly came with going gray for me was scalp psoriasis. They say it happens sometimes as you get older, and boy did it happen to me. Or so I thought...

After about a year and a half of fighting this myself, using dandruff shampoos and eczema and psoriasis products, trying to find anything that would help, which some did to an extent, I finally asked my doctor what she thought. She of course prescribed a shampoo which seemingly helped a great deal more than the other things I was trying, but nothing ever quite cleared it up completely.


It wasn't until about three weeks ago that I was on yet another research binge on the topic that I found what I believe to be my answer.


In my family, several of the women suffer from allergies. Now mind you, I've never been one of those women, but my mother and sisters are highly allergic to many things. So, allergies never even crossed my mind because it just wasn't something that I ever had to worry about.


However, as I was reading comments on a particular psoriasis page someone talked about my specific issue. Where it would clear to a certain point but would never go completely away. She discussed the blister like areas that would pop up randomly, along with the dry skin issues, and such. She then proceeded to discuss how going sulfate free helped her.


It was like a lightbulb went off and I immediately wondered if my problem wasn't more of an allergic reaction versus completely a psoriasis ordeal.

So, three weeks ago I went completely sulfate free to test this theory. Now, from here I will go into the new steps I've taken to help in this healing process along with the steps that led up to trying to figure this ordeal out. The things I've learned and the things I've tried. Why??? Because if you have this issue then you know the answer to that question already. I will also talk about the mental health of this ordeal and how it affected me.

When I decided to go sulfate free, I had a few things in mind: 1. the shampoo and conditioner needed to have Keratin and Hyaluronic Acid in it. Keratin because I had switched to a shampoo and conditioner with this in it and loved the way it helped my initial look and feel of my hair. In researching, I found as we age Hyaluronic Acid is something we produce naturally in the body but slows down the older we get. So, with the dry aspect of my scalp I decided that would be beneficial.

​Next, I came up with a new regime of hair washing day (every other day). 1. Hot oil treatment. I have always been a fan of hot oil treatments, whether it was once a week or once a month. It's just something I've always been a fan of so, I decided to get back to doing that. So, now on wash day, because I call this a scalp emergency, I wet my hair with warm to hot water, then use either Coconut oil or Sweet Almond Oil, wrap my head in plastic wrap and a warm towel and leave on for an hour to two hours before washing.

2. Shampoo with Naturavis Keratin and Hyaluronic Acid shampoo. This is the sulfate free shampoo and conditioner I chose for myself. I was my hair twice.

3. I rinse my head with an apple cider vinegar and water (1 part apple cider vinegar, 2 parts water). This stays on the scalp for 5 minutes. Apple cider vinegar is like an antibiotic for the scalp. It helps with buildup, but it also helps with healing the skin. After 5 minutes I rinse my hair and scalp.


4. I use the Naturavis Keratin and Hyaluronic Acid conditioner combing this through my hair while the conditioner sets on my hair for a few minutes. Then I rinse with as cold as I can stand it water.

5. I put in a good leave in conditioner and anti-frizz serumJust because that is good for aging hair.

6. I use a fine-tooth comb to comb out my hair and the effected scalp area.

This has helped a great deal. I still have a few areas that are still healing, but I remind myself it took 4 years to get in the shape it was, and today, it is way better than it was. They say it can take up to 4 weeks to really notice a difference, but I am already noticing a HUGE improvement, so I call that a win win. 

Now, before I started this regimen, I had tried the hot oils, a wide variety of shampoos and conditioners, along with the prescription shampoo, Clobetasol Propionate. All which would help to a certain degree but never completely stopping my issues. I used just about every cream on the market, from hydrocortisone creams to eczema and psoriasis creams, which helped some, but never completely.

My scalp would burn, itch, blister, and drive me completely insane. That last part is definitely not exaggerated. After years of dealing with this, it not only becomes an obsession, but a major distraction in your life.

I began to notice the burning, itching, and blistering would become worse after shampooing. Making me dread hair wash day. Which really made the comment on the psoriasis page stand out to me on going sulfate free.

Mentally, it was starting to really take its toll on me. I was becoming obsessed with picking at my head. Something you should NOT do, but it was becoming a habit I couldn't kick. I was constantly distracted by this issue, never seemingly able to truly focus on other things.

Now mind you, when this issue first started, I was under a great deal of stress, which I found out, made this condition a lot worse. After I left the stress of the other job behind, my condition did get a lot better, it just wouldn't clear completely. So, I knew there had to be more than I realized and continued research was the key.

This affected my entire existence. The constant feeling of needing to scratch, pick, and do anything to make it stop, was a daily part of my life. I would get hopeful, then feel shot down when it would flair up again. It was enough to drive me insane at times. The constant feeling of infection like areas where it would feel like it was on fire was maddening.

I will say since going sulfate free, that burning has stopped all together. I haven't had that since the first week. The sting of the apple cider vinegar solution has gone from 'ouch' to soothing since that infection type feeling has vanished.

I still have a few spots of dry skin or drying blisters. That's to be expected because like I said, it has been 4 years of this going on and it is going to take a minute or two to completely dry the blisters up all the while trying to keep the hair, scalp, and hair follicles from drying out. No new areas of irritation have presented themselves, which I call a win as well. All in all, it's a process.

Hopefully, this blog will help anyone else suffering from this issue. Sometimes what may start off as one problem can turn into another issue without us even realizing it. I fully believe mine did start out as psoriasis but later turned into an allergic reaction.


Learning to deal with stress in different ways is also very important when dealing with things that can trigger stress. Recognizing and remedying stressful situations quickly are very helpful. Maybe another day in the near future I will blog about this topic, :) 


I hope this helps...


Everyone have a lovely day!!!


Blessings to all!!!

2023 off to a good start and other things...

Good evening, everyone!!!

​I love that time right after the holidays when you put the decorations away and begin the organization of your 'normal' house.

For me this is a time where I make the extra effort to organize and clean. I make sure things are starting to be put where I want them to go.

This year it feels a bit more put together because of the new flooring that we put down right before the holidays and the delivery of our new furniture. Instead of putting the house back the way it was with Christmas right around the corner, we opted to just go ahead and decorate for the holiday season at that time. So, finally, after a couple of months, we've finally gotten our house back :)

This along with the oldest granddaughter needing to earn money has gotten me in a real 'let's get this done' sort of mood. Keeping that girl working for the next few weeks has really made me think about what I want to accomplish around here.

This week, we pushed the mark and did a good clean as well as got completely caught up on the laundry. I even took part of the week to do a clean on the washing machine, dishwasher, and yes, even the oven. I will say I highly recommend the vinegar and Dawn dish soap method for oven cleaning. It works beautifully.

I thought I would also share tonight some of the ideas we've come up with the last couple of years for gift giving for our parents. Sometimes it's hard to come up with ideas for people in our lives who just go out and get the things they want or need throughout the year, so gift giving can be difficult when trying to find a gift.

Pinterest has been our best friend a good deal of the time when trying to come up with homemade gift ideas :)

Last year we came up with the idea of making one of those rock mats for our mom and dad. Instead of just spelling out "Our Family Rocks" we upped the game by adding to the rocks we placed on the mat each family members name. It turned out amazing.

Our mother's birthday and Mother's Day are very close, in fact some years her birthday falls on Mother's Day. So, we made a plan and invited anyone in the family who could make it, and we put together a lovely flower bed around their back deck placing the mat we made at Christmas as a centerpiece.

So, right after Christmas last year we came up with the plan for gifts for the parents this year. Each family was to make a steppingstone representing their family. It turned out amazing and surprised the parents :) Of course the same plan goes into effect for our mom's birthday and Mother's Day this year to place these :)

I can't wait until next year :) seeing as the plans are already in order :) I would share our ideas, but mother reads my blogs LOL.

I go back to work this weekend after being off for the holidays. However, I am glad to be going back. It's time to start getting the rest of the year started on a more normal basis.

I feel so refreshed and ready to start this new year off on the right foot. I have to say anyway, it's headed in the right direction and that is a good feeling for sure.

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!





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Bring on 2023 I'm well ready...

Good evening/morning, everyone!!!

It's been over a year now since I made some major life changes. Changes that definitely needed to be made. In some aspects of life, the relief was immediate. In other areas it's been getting used to the new schedule and getting myself completely back on the right track.

So, needless to say, seeing as 2022 was mentally and physically healing for me, I'm truly hoping 2023 is spiritually and creatively healing as well. Because frankly, I need to get my whole self-back in balance.

I promised my sister I would share a little bit of our family Christmas in this blog post. As any of you who have read my blogs know, we changed up Christmas a few years back doing homemade or second hand/flea market type gifts. Last year, sis and I did opposite baskets for the families of our nieces and nephews. It turned out really cool. She did outdoor and summer activities baskets, and I did winter indoor activities baskets.

This year we decided to stick with a family minded theme only we gave things a BIG twist, LOL. All three of us sisters pitched in and bought experiences for all of the kids and their families.

What are experiences you might ask??? You know like season passes to the zoo, the Science Central, Wolf park, camping, ect.

Now, that wasn't the entire gift. You see, we could have just given each of them a gift and left it at that, BUT, that isn't how we sister work, LOL. No, they had to play games that we enhanced after our family game night searches, LOL.

We started with five boxes all Christmas wrapped one inside the other, with the final box holding an envelope inside saying they could not open until the last of the games were played. Now mind you this game sounds simple enough, however, we NOT only made them wear oven mitts to unwrap the boxes while the next person in line tried to get doubles on the big dice, we picked up for this, but they had to put on a flashy Santa hat, a flashing red nose, and a light up Christmas bulb necklace before they began trying to unwrap the gift, LOL. Oh my, was it funny.

Now mind you the kids had no idea we were planning this so imagine their surprise when they got to my sister's house and the normally present crowded dining room, wasn't so crowded, LOL. Then when we announced to receive your gifts, you have to go through our little torture, LOL.

​Our next game was that saran wrap ball. You know the one that you pass around the circle while the next person tries to roll doubles on the dice. Yeah, that one. But again, we threw in a twist. We had these cards that had things on both sides that you had to do. Whenever one of those fell out of the roll, they had to stop, pick one of the two activities, do it, then they could continue trying to unwrap before the next person rolled doubles.

We did a Family Feud final round game. Asking our parents how they would answer certain questions about Christmas. The kids had to guess their answers. Of course, we made it fair, asking our parents to give their first and second answers. 

We also did a Jeopardy round. Our board was made up of three categories, Who said it? Who did it? What Year? Everything pertained to someone in our family. Some of the questions were even a little family history for all the kids. The points ranged from 100 to 400 and whoever had the most points at the end won.

They also had to fish for candy canes with a homemade fishing pole where the hook was another candy cane and the candy canes they were fishing for were placed around the top of a bucket. Then another was wrap a present with two team members from two of the teams. Unfortunately for them, each team member only had one arm they could use, because we used a Santa scarf and tied their other hands together behind their backs, LOL. They also had to do a game where they were blindfolded, holding a spatula that was as tiny as we could find, LOL. In front of them was a Christmas bucket, and about 24 tiny bows. Their partner had to stand across the table from them and try to give them directions on where the bows were and they had to scoop them up with their little spatula and put them in their bucket, LOL. Good times, good times.

As a team won a gift, they would sit out until everyone had a gift in hand. BUT that wasn't the end. One member of each team (the teams were made up of each family, I believe I forgot to mention that earlier), got in a circle holding the envelope as my sister read a Christmas story to them. Each time she said the word, "Right" they would have to pass the envelope to the right, each time she said, "Left" they would have to pass it to their left.

And if all that wasn't enough, once they opened their envelopes and saw the family experiences inside, they had the option to trade off their experiences with another family so that each gift suited each family.

The laughter was amazing. The fun was thrilling. It was a beautiful night of family. A night I am sure to remember and chuckle about for many years to come.

I feel blessed to be able to finally feel free enough to really focus on what's most important in life. Family and adventure go hand in hand. I had been so consumed in the past with a job that refused to give me freedom even when I wasn't working, to remember this. Your job should never consume your entire existence. It is a job. A place you go to help you provide for your family, that's it. It is nothing more than that, regardless of your position.

Your days off and vacations should not be interrupted by your place of employment. You are entitled to your 'me' time. That job will go on whether you are there or not. Put your best foot forward while you're there, do your job to the best of your ability, and give it your attention during your working hours. But no company, no matter how big or small has the right to consume your whole life. Because there is a life to be lived outside of that place of business. There are children growing up right before your eyes.


Sure, children need to be taught a good work ethic, but they also need to be taught a good relax and play ethic as well. Balance that shit!!! Life isn't all about the job, it's also about adventures.


Everyone have a lovely day!!!


Blessings to all!!!







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One day I'll just be an ornament on a Christmas Tree...

Good evening, everyone!!!

Don't worry I am going to explain this title, I promise.

In our household during Christmas time over the last 30 years, we've honored the ones who've gone on before us with an ornament on our tree. And for sissy, Ali, the grandchildren still make a homemade stocking for her each year to hang from the fireplace next to her siblings and cousins.

I guess this helps us remain closer to our loved ones during a time when it's hard to be reminded they are gone. Each year when someone is lost to us throughout the year, we create or find an ornament that reminds us of them. Something that speaks to us. We put their name on the ornament and place it on the tree. 

Each year the grandchildren come to our house and decorate the tree and their stockings for Santa to fill. I am so blessed to have grandchildren that even though they grow older, still want to ensure the magic of the season for the younger. The two oldest assured me that as long as the youngest still wants to make stockings, they will be right beside her making theirs too. I love their beautiful hearts.

Each year they look over every ornament that goes on the tree, pointing out the ones of our loved ones who've passed on. Sometimes they have questions about the relative, other times they tell us something they might remember about a loved one.

As I grow older, I can't help but hope that one day even just one of them will begin this tradition once their grown and have their own home.

The holidays are times when every family has some sort of tradition even if they don't realize it is a tradition. A special recipe, like the stuffing hubby's mother used to make each year that I still make every year since her passing. Or decorations on a tree. A special time like decorating a Christmas tree with grandchildren. Even the simple things like gathering to make cookies, or a special shopping trip. All of these things are traditions we find ourselves looking forward to each year.

When life is over, we are just memories to our loved ones. A time in a chapter of their lives we hope to have impacted in some way. I think of these things often, not because I wish for death, but I wish for the life I live to one day be remembered fondly by those who remember me. I often think of where my life is headed and where I would like to be in the future. I think about the memories I have with loved ones and how they impacted my life and who I have become.

Regardless, we will all one day be someone's memory. I always tell hubby, the only person that can make or break a relationship are the two people involved in said relationship. You can't expect others to build a relationship for you. You have to put in the effort. You have to involve yourself in the lives of those you wish to have a relationship with. It can't always be one sided, but both ways.

I hear so many people say things like, "They never call." "Why do they tell you this stuff but not me?" "I don't have time to do this or that."

Ask yourself, "Do you call?" "Do you confide in them?" "Do you try to make time for this or that?"

Life is a perception we never want to look at from a different perspective. Is there a reason you haven't heard from a loved one? Do they have a lot on their plate, so any free time feels like a small moment of bliss for them? Just because you have time doesn't mean someone else will have time. Life is busy. Shoot a text, when they have time, they'll answer. If you call and they don't answer, don't get offended, realize life may be hectic at the moment. 

When I plan things with the kids (other than my, "Hey, can you come help me get this stuff cooked up?" LOL) I try to plan in advance. It's something to look forward to, it's something to plan for, and this way they can add us to their busy schedules. I try to go in with options by finding out what works for everyone. When you have 3 grown children and 4 grandchildren with busy schedules of their own, it's hard to find the time sometimes. Then throw in a trucker's schedule and you can say sometimes it's damn near impossible to find a moment.


This year our Christmas is going to be early, due to work schedules and such. Will it still feel like Christmas. You better bet it will. It's not about the day it's about the people who share it with you.


So, I guess you could say, one day I hope to be an ornament on a Christmas tree, for family members to remember, at least for that moment, some of the times we've shared and the happy memories we've made. Because to me, once I am gone, I hope to be remembered fondly by those I love dearly.


Everyone have a lovely day...


Blessings to all...

Out with the old and in with the new...

Good evening, everyone!!!

Last week was a much-needed time away to say the least. We spent a wonderful five days with my sister and brother-in-law in Parke County, Indiana for the Covered Bridge Festival. It was a very enjoyable week.

We did a ton of Christmas shopping at the different booths, flea markets, and rummage sales. Something we four enjoy a great deal even when we don't have an excuse such as a festival, :) 

Now that we're home and a new week has begun, we have started some more home improvements. As I type this the new floor in my living room is being put down :) Hoping to get the new furniture here next week :) This will be the very first time in our whole married life we've actually purchased new furniture. I'm pretty stoked about it :) The roofers will be here any day to put on the metal roof. Then once these are done, the new living room window and then I can start on the kitchen.

Lots of tasks yet to be done, but we are making progress for sure. I'm really liking the changes we've made so far. My new bathroom is really one of my favorite rooms so far :) I love the colors, the flooring, and I even got a great deal on a new shower curtain last week that just accents the room beautifully :)


I'm the type of person who can see the end result before the project has even begun and sometimes that makes it hard to push through the process. Because as we all know everything has a process to get through to get to the end result. I have been working on patience for many years now, and I will probably be working on it for many years to come because of this issue.

Like right now, I'm just ready for all the home projects to be finished and have my house in some sort of 'normal' order, LOL. But I MUST trust the process and know in the end it will be amazing.

Until then, well, I will be patient. I will do what I can around here to keep things livable. I will maintain my sanity by whatever means possible. I will live with things the way they are and be happy for it. Because anything thing else would just be crazy...

Everyone have a lovely night!!!

Blessings to all!!!








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It's Been Awhile...

Good morning, everyone!!!

It has been one crazy year...

Nothing has gone as planned but everything has worked out as it needed to, hope that makes sense.

Lots of moving over the course of the summer. Not hubby and I but family. So, we met ourselves coming and going quite a bit LOL.

I've been at the new job a year now and still love it. In fact, it has helped me gain a great deal of perspective on life. I enjoy the repetitiveness of it, because after I get my routine for the night going, my mind can just go where it wants. I've been able to redecorate a few rooms in this house and add some BOHO to the camper :) We have a couple of in-home projects coming up over the next few weeks, new living room floor, new front window, new roof, and then paint the kitchen :) A good deal of this was planned while working :)

I've also outlined a few books, one of which is way out of my element but one I believe I am going to enjoy working on. I am giving myself a year to start getting serious on the writing. I enjoy it, but I also know I need to get a bit more serious about it. My youngest son and I have been talking about it the last week or so and he's helped me figure out a game plan. One thing is for sure I HAVE to quit treating it like a hobby and start treating it more like a job. I've always worried treating it like a job would take the pleasure out of it, however, something has to get me back in the saddle LOL. 

I found myself in a dark area where the writing has been concerned. Always wanting to get back at it, even trying to push the mark a bit, but then I allow myself to get in the way. You can always find excuses and boy have I found excuses. Not that my excuses haven't been important, because life does have its way of taking up your time as well. It's all a fine balance I am still working on, LOL. I'll probably be working on balance the rest of my life because besides writing I do enjoy living :)

This next week we will be going on a nice much needed trip with the sister and brother-in-law, doing some of our favorite things, flea markets and rummage sales. I've come up with some fun ideas for presents this year, so I need to be on the lookout for a few prize items LOL. I'm looking forward to this little getaway :)


Once I return from this little trip, I am hoping to feel refreshed with not only myself but life in general. I know I've been in this blah mood as of late, and I haven't been able to pinpoint why, because frankly, life is going well. In fact, it has been going very well, so maybe I'm suffering from self-sabotage which I firmly believe in, so maybe that's all it is. I'll need to really buckle down on myself and work on that.

So, I guess you could say I have a good deal of work to do over the course of the remaining time of this year. Between self-work and remodel work it's going to be a busy next few months LOL. 


Everyone have a lovely day!!!


Blessings to all!!!