My Daily Inspiration

































































































Your Own Inner Light to Guide You


There comes a time when you must stand alone.You must feel confident enough within yourself to follow your own drAllow eams.You must be willing to make sacrifices.You must be capable of changing and rearranging your priorities so that your final goal can be achieved.Sometimes, familiarity and comfort need to be challenged.There are times when you must take a few extra chances and create your own realities.Be strong enough to at least try to make your life better.Be confident enough that you won't settle for a compromise just to get by.Appreciate yourself by allowing yourself the opportunities to grow, develop, and find your true sense of purpose in this life.Don't stand in someone else's shadow when it's your sunlight that should lead the way.

















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Famous Quotes

A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway. -- Fr. Jerome Cummings

Remember, the greatest gift is not found in a store nor under a tree, but in the hearts of true friends. -- Cindy Lew

Who finds a faithful friend, finds a treasure. -- Jewish Saying

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

"Who finds a faithful friend, finds a treasure." -- Jewish saying

What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies. -- Aristotle

Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow.Don't walk behind me, I may not lead.Just walk beside me and be my friend.-- Albert Camus

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

The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.-- Abraham Lincoln

Hold a true friend with both your hands. -- Nigerian Proverb

"A faithful friend is the medicine of life." -- Apocrypha

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.-- Anonymous

Alyssa Mason and Jocie

Alyssa Mason and Jocie

11/25/08

Thoughts of Thanks

As I have been working today I find myself now sitting in thought. A lot has gone through my mind today. We had a beautiful lesson on Thanksgiving last night for family night. During that lesson my brother-in-law told us a story that really got me thinking. What are we truly grateful for... of course we are greatful for all of the things we have and probably take for granted each day. A home, clothes, food, ect... Then my mother in law said "but look around this room" this is an eternal family. For that I am truly greatful. So many things have happened in our lives and continue to happen each day. Some challenges, some exciting. It all depends on how we look at it. Our challenges can become our biggest strengths if we allow ourselves to learn and grow from them. I have seen and felt heart ache and felt joy. Experienced some very emotional things as well in my life. As I reflect on this year I think about many things. Many things I took for granted and now find to be some of the most important aspects of my life. I have a wonderful family. I have wonderful friends. I am greatful for all of the things that each and every person brings into my life. For that I feel truly blessed.

11/22/08

It makes me want to marry you all over again







Both Jenny's brothers are on missions. So they had the funniest cut outs of them so they were still in the line.

























Jocie and Mason loved their "jobs" as book signing girl, and present arranging boy






Yesterday we had the privilege of attending the wedding of my niece Jenny and her new husband Tanner. What a wonderful feeling to be in that room and to hear those words. The look on their faces were so happy and peaceful. I know that they will have a beautiful life together. Jenny is one of my very favorite people so it will be hard to have her move away. I love our talks and fun times together. I have to say Tanner is perfect for her! What a gentleman. He comes from a family of all girls so he defiantly knows how to treat a lady. At the lunch after the ceremony I got to play a duet with a very talented cello player Elliot. We played "Over the Rainbow". It was so nice. The reception was so beautiful and elegant. I just love weddings. I love seeing the bright smiles on everyones faces and the happiness that fills the room. It makes me think about my own marriage and the excitement I have for Jenny and Tanner. I truly married my prince and I love him so much. Weddings make me want to marry him all over again.

11/6/08

What is my view on Halloween

Notice the fake blood, ax, and spikes. The days of zip up animal costumes are over. Now he is a dead biker?
Jocie and some of her friends.


The candy bowls... Tools of the devil. Just remember GREEN BEANS!

A bowl of cute little pumpkins. Aren't I festive LOL!

I contributed the bone guy this year.


Marley from the Haunted Mansion


The Grim Reaper


I will have several entries on Halloween in the days to come, but I wanted to express my thoughts on this bizarre holiday. So in a women's perspective it is so fun to dress your kids up for Halloween and see them so eager to walk door to door saying "trick or treat". At that point in their lives you can control how much candy they really have. 10 houses and they are done and they eat a piece and go sweetly to bed. You can dress them up like animals, fairies, or any other whimsical character. Well the age has come upon us where they are much to "cool" to trick or treat with mom and dad, for fear that someone might see them. LOL!!! So now we get to spend $50 on a costume they will wear one time, and then they are so over it. It has to be perfect in all ways or they will die of humiliation. Of course every boy costume now involves fake blood. Not my favorite part. Oh, and heaven forbid the cute boy down the street sees you without the cutest costume on the block. Then you have my style and Sterling's style of Halloween decorating. You will laugh but mine in very "Tai Pan" and his is very "Nightmare on Elm street." He really does have quite a touch for scaring the crud out of every 2-6 year olds that walk past our house. We are taking music, black lights, ghosts, strobe lights, and don't forget the GRIM REAPER... As for me I put out cute place mats and cute little witches at the table. So Sterling goes to the store to find scary music. When we got home we popped it in and could not believe what we were hearing. It was quickly put back in the bag to be returned. You can't listen to them so how did we know it was the devil inviting us to hell. Oh my gosh!!!! Around 3 am the next day my insomnia kicks in. I decided there was no better time to go to Wal-Mart to complete the costumes and return the "music". I ended up with 50 spooky sounds for kids. PERFECT! Oh and Elmo says BOO. More appropriate for our neighborhood. It did look great and the kids had a great night. This is the #1 reason why I hate Halloween. It is the ENORMOUS Tupperware of candy that speaks to you in the night. EAT ME!!!! EAT ME!!!! Especially for about one week a month when all you can think about is chocolate. So I had a mental talk with myself out loud. "Alyssa, ( I say) remember your goal. You are doing so well. only a few more pounds to your goal. That is great!" Then the force of the freaking chocolate walked my body into the pantry. I stared at it for a while, and then thought about how many hundreds of crunches are involved in that tiny little bite size Kit Kat. I over came the force of chocolate and ate a bag of steamed green beans. It was so exciting! NOT!!! So if any of you need to over come the force of the ridiculous chocolate bowl just remember green beans are sooo delicious.

Does she have to live in the house?

"Hi Boomer this is Zoie can you hear me, wanna hop the fence and go play with our pall Charlie?"
Just another day for a very spoiled dog. Napping all day. Eating, playing. Oh yeah she is so suffering LOL!!!

So I love this dog... don't get me wrong. I have stated that before, but DOES SHE HAVE TO LIVE IN THE HOUSE????? I have made her a wonderful little "doggy world" outside. She has a $250 dog house, a play set that she climbs everyday so she can talk to her friend dog Boomer. She has a garage, a heat lamp. What more does an OUT DOOR DOG NEED???? I get so much flack from the kids. "But mom she is sad, she is a part of our pack." Well I clean up her poo, feed her, and play with her every day. I also buy her the biggest bones I can find. So tell me this from these pictures.... Does she look sad? Does she look like she isn't enjoying her doggy life? LOL!

Good Bye Mr. Sun

Mason and Tallon on their daily club house adventure
My garden was huge this year. Can't wait to try new things next year.


When it is warm enough that the garden hose doesn't give you hypothermia :)
Blue skies mean SUN, HEAT and FUN!


My get away from the world and read a good book spot.
I want to grow 100 of these next year. They were so beautiful.




So it is officially snowing and I am COLD. I hate the cold. I do not find snow exciting in any way. Nothing about playing in this dreadful stuff makes me happy. Plus your floors are sick and dirty ten times faster. That just means more work for mommy. I spend most of the time in front of the fireplace trying to burn my body and get hot. Lately for the past month or so I go to the gym and lay in the sauna for 30-45 minutes. Just to feel heat. It is now time to get ready for back breaking snow shoveling. Oh don't get me wrong I am not that big of a baby... Just a little bit of a baby. Maybe if I was into winter sports it would be different. I just never had a really cold day as a child and have never gotten used to this thing they call SNOW! So good bye Mr. Sun. Good bye for a few long cold months. I took pictures of some of my favorite things so I could look back at the warmth, and beauty. I love gardening, yard work, hiking, walking outside with the kids. Watching kids play, that's a biggy. I baby my plants and they were so beautiful this year. So I will go put on my boots, thermals, tube socks, scarf, hat, and jacket for now. Winter brings a lot of beauty, it is just to cold to touch it!

11/2/08

Doggy Beauty Parlor

So after a while of healing Emerson was given the "OK" from the vet to be groomed. Emerson is a grumpy old man, but still likes to show off a good hair do. So here he is in his little carrier off to the beauty parlor. He actually likes seat belts. He can tell he is going somewhere special so he gets all excited. I saw this "Do it yourself" dog grooming place so I thought I would give it a try. Since he about bit the last groomers face off LOL! I was going to attempt it myself. Well, at this place you can bring you dog and bathe them, shine them all up and make them pretty for a fraction of the cost. The people felt so sad for Emerson and his sad little abused past that they took him in for a professional groom. He was showing off like crazy. When he would get nervous he would jump up and put his paws on my shoulder like little sad kid. So while Emerson was at his spa day I thought I would run back home and get the huge dog, that barks at anything that moves, so she too could get a bath. The kids had such a fun time bathing her. It is the perfect doggy shower. I should put one of these things in our house. It is defiantly a lot easier than me running around like a crazy person with a garden hose in the backyard to get the job done :)

Since Halloween was coming up I couldn't resist the "grease lighting" look. It was so good for Halloween.

Mason, Jocie and Tallon giving Zoie a bath. It was a little difficult transporting them all home that is for sure.

No wonder Zoie was running all over the yard trying to stay away from me. The hose is freezing! This place had warm water, and special doggy shampoo. I can't put her in our shower or we go through 2 bottles of Drano .
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