Daubin, Dakoda, Don Diego and a Tiny Kitten (& an Old Friend)

It was brought to my attention last night that I have not blogged since June
5th ...thank you Diane! She is my ever so faithful blog reader, advice giver, baby sitter, store organizer, therapist, best friend, and neighbor (or pesty neighbor so she says). I am so blessed to have the neighbors that I do. Not everyone is as fortunate as I.

Finally on Saturday night I was able to go to the farm that my mother-in-law volunteers at. Makenna and Melissa (Diane's daughter) were already there. I have not been to the farm since the fall. I missed it so much. Don Diego is my alpaca boyfriend. He is such a love....with very bad breath. LOL! He lets me scratch his head and his neck and he will even lay his head on my chest. He is the sweetest. My mother-in-law had to groom a horse after she drove us around the farm on the Gator. The kids did not want to get off the trailer so I decided to take the wheel. It has been a very long time since I raced anything around. I got the hang of it quickly and before you know it I was racing Shannon on her 4-wheeler. The kids were screaming...GO FASTER! The German Shepherd Baily, was chasing us. This one little boy who was sitting next to me in the front begged me to go down this path in which we were very unsure of where it lead. Me being the daring one decided to try it. Well, it was barricaded with pine tree branches and other trees. There was no turning back so I made everyone duck and we went through it. We survived but were covered in Daddy Long Leggers. Apparently we went through a nest. Well that ended the adventure since Makenna and this other little girl were screaming. It was a lot of fun though. It brought back all those memories of racing my go-cart and my motorcycle around my parents property.

When we got off, my mother-in-law was riding a horse. We watched for a while and played with this tiny kitten that had more spunk than any kitten I have ever seen. And, this kitten had NO fear. Recently the barn cats delivered a litter of kittens. There was only one who would come out of the hole in the barn. He let us hold him and play...sooooo cute. I was asked if I wanted to ride Daubin, a horse that is boarded there but unfortunately the owners never come to see or ride him. Of course I jumped on that chance. What a sweet horse. I was able to learn how to steer him. It is very peaceful to ride. I totally enjoyed myself. Dakoda is a new rescue horse that they just got. Makenna wanted to ride him all by herself. She had no fear at all. She got right up there and looked so tiny. She had so much fun that it was a chore to get her off. I think she could have ridden him all night long. I am sure that this was one of many trips I will take to the farm this summer. Animals are one of my absolute favorite things. Then to get me out in nature racing around.....it is just such a joyful, peaceful experience.

I needed to blog about how The Secret recently worked for me. About three months ago I had asked the universe to bring an old high school friend back into my life. I have wanted to thank him for helping me through some really tough times. We lost touch after our senior year. At the Farmer's Market this past Sunday I was helping some children make Father's Day cards for their dads. There was this guy just standing there at my booth drinking coffee. I didn't recognize him until he smiled and said hi to me. It was Shawn. And of course I ran to hug him since I was over joyed that once again The Secret delivered what I wanted. I asked him why he was there and he said it was to get coffee. ??? The Farmer's Market was the only place he could get coffee?? Didn't matter because I knew why he was there. We talked briefly and he has mentioned that he will come into my store to see me sometime soon. All day I kept thanking the universe for delivering what I had asked for. Now I know I will get my chance to thank him for all he did for me our senior year.

Remember, ask and the universe will deliver. Just be careful what you wish for.

What I am thankful for today:
Shawn
The Secret
the farm
Don Diego
Daubin
the little kitten
Dakoda
the Gator
kids laughter
my health
the health of my children
the health of my friends
Diane
Crossroads tonight with the girls!
the walk with Jenny last night
her fiance' Mark for making me laugh
My mom for helping me get ready (tonight) for this huge birthday party at my store on Sunday.
All the people who are helping me and coming to my Open House on Saturday.
Sally's Card Club being full
Sally's Stamping Class being full
the new people I am meeting at the Farmer's Market
getting adjusted on Sunday (been way too long!)
the Healing Hands ladies who were next to my booth
eating dinner with the Borelli's last night (thanks for the presidential drink Rudy!)
Bryer's Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream with sprinkles (thank you Diane!)
Gavin who was so sweet and helped me at the Farmer's Market and told customers that I taught him everything he knows about scrapbooking....LOL!!! What a great kid!
school being over soon
SUMMER!! WHHOOOO HOOOO!
days at Long Island Beach State Park with my Gal Pals and their kids!
Melinda who inspires me constantly
my open mind
all negativity being eliminated from my life
loyalty
forgiveness
honesty
love

Long Walks and Ice Cream

Yes Jenny I took your title....it was just too perfect. Jenny and I went for a long awaited walk last night. We have not been able to walk much this week at all due to the weather and her being 'under the weather' as well. I think Jenny will agree with me that negativity in someones life can totally break down ones spirit. And, when you are no longer feeling positive your body can harbor illness whereas, when you are totally in harmony with the universe and feeling positive in every way possible, illness cannot exist. Hence, why I have not been sick. There was only one night that I had to leave the store early and come home to clear my head. I knew if I didn't do this I would end up like Jenny and not feeling so well. It is so amazing that one negative person can ruin someones day. And, of course there is no way to be completely away from all negative people. All we can do is try to find the things we appreciate about that person and focus on that so that the negative aspects of that person are not our focus. Because Jenny and I care about the people in our lives so much, it is hard to not allow those who are negative to consume our lives. We just have to keep picturing them in joy. We also have to ask that we are only surrounded by positive people. It has worked for me. I am only surrounded by positive people in my life now. I am so thankful that Jenny is feeling better.

So you are wondering where the ice cream comes into play...On our walk we decided to hit Vassie's for some ice cream. Nothing like taking a long walk on the road to a healthier body only to purchase an evil fattening ice cream cone (with rainbow sprinkles). However, Jenny and I have been extremely well behaved in the eating department. So, one ice cream cone is not going to kill us...it may add a few inches to the hips...but it is nothing we cannot walk off. Our motivation is fed off of each other. I am so thankful to have someone who is able to motivate me the way she does. We laughed the entire walk. I call our walks my therapy sessions. (It is a lot cheaper than the therapy sessions I go to once a week.) We always laugh and try to think positive. We talk about what we are thankful for, how our day has gone and how we wish it would have gone. We tell jokes, talk about funny movies we have seen and all the stupid moments that we have had. One came up last night about me. When I was living with an ex named Bob, Gavin was about 2 and not sleeping through the night. After a few months of sleepless nights...I was a mess. I woke up in the middle of the night because I had to go to the bathroom soooooo bad. I walked out the door, turned to go into the bathroom and walked directly into the wall. Oh yeah, it was loud. Bob almost needed to get in the bathroom due to laughing so hard. Funny thing is that I never fully woke up which is a good thing since I could have really hurt myself. Thankfully I was so relaxed that I didn't even bruise. Bob actually had a hard time falling back to sleep since he was so awake laughing, worried about me since I came back to bed and fell right asleep! Jenny and I talk about things like that. It is a wonderful thing when you can laugh at yourself. It is even better when you have a friend to laugh with you. So you know, bras make excellent money holders. Only problem is they are only good for bills. When Jenny and I got tons of coins back we put it in the jar on the counter that said, "pretend I am a cow and tip me". We left laughing...we tipped the cow! See why I am so thankful for long walks and ice cream? Thank you Jenny for last night and for giving me an excellent title to my blog today!

Today I am thankful for:
long walks
ice cream
funny moments
laughter
motivation
my health
rainbow sprinkles
positive people
mall walkers...ha ha ha! (Jenny will understand)
music
Vassie's
Jenny
playing My Little Pony with Makenna this morning
life lessons
an open mind
my positive attitude
a healthy mind, body and spirit...minus the ice cream (:

Time to Myself & Snow Buddies

Last night was an interesting night. Jeremy was taking Makenna to 48 Hours Video to pick out a movie so I decided that it was a great evening for hot tea, candles and a bubble bath. My back was bothering me due to the way I slept the night before so I used this opportunity to pamper myself. Unfortunately this opportunity doesn't pop up often enough. I did give Jer some money to purchase Yes Man if they had it, with full intention of watching it when I got out. In fact, I was going to call Diane to see if she wanted to join me since Rudy is out of town on business. In the tub, I wrote in my Gratitude Book. By the time I was done I hear, "MOMMY! We're back!" That was short lived. I told her she could come in the bathroom. Her eyes lit up like big saucers! She said, "Mommy it looks so beautiful in here with the candles and the lights off!" Thank God for PartyLite! LOL! Before I could blink an eye she was naked getting in the tub with me. She loves the bubbles. I thought to myself, it is never to early to teach a child the importance of relaxing and taking time to yourself. I only hope as she grows, she will appreciate time to herself as much as I do. Makenna started swimming in the little space she had calling herself her T-dil...aka turtle. I asked her what her name was and she said "Tie". Then she told me that I was a t-dil and my name was Bow. Ha ha ha! I said hmmm, bow and tie turtle. How funny. When we got out I allowed her to blow out the candles, something us PL Consultants never do, we always SNUFF them out. However, it is more fun at 3 to blow them out. We then put her movie in which was Snow Buddies. I never ended up watching Yes Man with Diane because Makenna wanted me to watch the movie with her. If you have never seen this movie, I highly recommend it. There is a Golden Retriever puppy who I swear read The Secret. Everything out of her mouth (yes, they could talk in this movie) was very positive and sounded like a quote from the book. I just started laughing. The concept of this movie was amazing. Not that a small child would get it but still it was great for an older child and adults. Makenna was just very impressed by the talking dogs. I think that is what kept her attention. Anyway, the entire concept of this movie was how life moves you into places at the right time. It shows how one mistake, or at least that is what you would think it is, is actually meant to happen in order for your life to fall into place. And, even though it may seem like a horrible position at first, the outcome and experience is amazing. What I learned from this movie was that although we go through trying times, we will end up in a better place when it is all said and done. We just need to keep the faith and believe. God will put us in places where we are like, Hello? Why am I here? If you have doubts or feelings of confusion, just pray. You will get your answers whether it be through someone you meet, a lyric in a song or a sign or headline. Just be open to it and accept the signs with open arms. You will be amazed at the way your life will turn and how you will get this feeling of peace knowing you are doing the right thing.

I know in my heart that I was meant to watch that movie last night. And, I am so glad I did.

What I am thankful for today:
signs from my angels
the movie Snow Buddies
Makenna dancing and singing to her audience of stuffed animals lined up on the couch
time to myself
new customers and friends I am meeting through the Farmer's Market
owning the movie Yes Man
my Thermo Web order that came yesterday
Play-Doh (I forgot how fun it is to play with that)
PartyLite candles
hot tea
Wednesdays off
Deigo (even though he will never be a sled dog)
bubble baths
Jamie returning home safely from her vacation
Rachel for sending me the funniest emails, daily
Jenny feeling better
new Avon customers
my health
a great day today
a wonderful night's rest tonight
an awesome day tomorrow

Today IS an Awesome Day!

Last night I thanked the universe for a great nights sleep and an awesome day today. I slept wonderful (put all the cats outside..LOL!) and today has just kept snowballing into this wonderful day. I woke up and immediately started my chores noticing that the sun was beaming outside. Laundry needs to be done, the bathrooms needed to be cleaned and the house needs vacuuming. So, I start with the laundry, drink a cup of coffee and call my neighbor. I had so much running to do in Hellertown that I wanted to know if she could come over at some point and watch Faith and Makenna. Of course she said yes. So I cleaned my two bathrooms, made my list of errands, checked my email and took a shower. I got two loads of laundry done by the time Diane got here. I was thinking the entire morning how thankful I am to have such energy today!

I left the house and went to my store since my rent is due and I needed to put a check in my landlords mailbox. I also needed to grab some things for the post office. I then ran to the bank and activated my new debit card to find out that I actually had more money in my account than I had in my register!! I made an adding mistake.....but a GOOD ONE! I then ran to get gas in my car (nice hot man working at the gas station may I add), went to McD's for a French Vanilla iced coffee, then to True Value. When I got to True Value I walked around looking for the Quart sized paint cans that I need for an upcoming birthday party at my store. When I asked someone where they were, here they were hiding on an enclosed shelf and there was only 11 left. AND they went down in price...WHOO HOOO! So, I purchased all 11 and thought how thankful I was that I was able to get them before they were sold out AND how thankful I am that they were so much cheaper!! I then went into the Dollar General to return something I had bought that was broken. I got an even exchange for a case of water (which I didn't realize they had there) and I also purchased minutes for my track phone at an awesome price! I then went to the post office to see this little stuffed dog hanging on their wall. This dog has been there for weeks and Makenna raves about it every time we go there. However, I am not one to purchase something for my kids every time we are out. Besides this dog was $15.99. Today, I thought to myself, I am going to buy this and it is going to be on sale. There was no tag on it. The postman gave it to me for $3.00!!!!!! I was so thankful that I was able to get it so cheap and to see Makenna's smile when I got home and gave it to her. The highlight of the day was when I got home to call Thermo Web and place my adhesive order. The girl mentioned about May's free shipping deal and when she did I said, "yeah, and it is June 1st." She replied. "That's ok, you placed your order with us last week!" I literally jumped up and down since this saves me like $30! If I could have, I would have hugged the poor girl! LOL! Diane was so wonderful for helping me get my minutes on my phone and set up my voice mail. THANK YOU!!! And of course I appreciate her watching the kids for a little while I run around town. She is the BEST! Did I mention that I got to see my brother's friend Hot Todd run past my booth yesterday while I was at the farmer's market??? I must have Hot Todd radar or something because I knew immediately it was him. There's nothing wrong with a little eye candy....LOL! Oh....... I FOUND MY KEYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All because I wrote in my Gratitude Book last night that I was thankful that I found my keys!! YEAH! And people say The Secret doesn't work!?!?!?!

What I am thankful for today:
My awesome day
finding my keys!
Diane
Diane
Diane
energy
eye candy aka Hot Todd (who believe it or not is very modest)
getting stuff done today
this awesome weather!
Rachel for making me laugh
Jen R for being so sweet (thank you for joining our walk last night!)
Jenny for being Jenny
finding paint cans CHEAP!
my Thermo Web order with FREE SHIPPING!!
Makenna's stuffed puppy for $3
French Vanilla Iced Coffee
hot guy at gas station..LOL!
water
an awesome nights sleep last night
an awesome nights sleep again tonight
another awesome day tomorrow
getting closer every day to a bikini body every second of the day!!
getting all of my chores done
time with my kids tonight