For All Sons and Daughters

I know it’s early, but as a Mom, daughter, daughter-in-law and aunt, I think it’s an important day to honor the women in your life.  Now as a woman, I think we ‘get it’ especially if we’re moms, but for those of you who find that Mother’s Day sneaks up on you, I have an easy, fun and inexpensive solution that will make you want to hug me!  Let me help you ROCK Mother’s Day this year ~ let’s take the opportunity to reach out to the “Most Important Woman In Your Life” to tell her how much she means to you.  She can be the woman who gave birth to you, the woman who raised you, the woman who loves you, the woman with whom you’ve had children.

Just to list a few:

Mom, Grandma, Godmother, Mother-in-law, Step-mother, Wife

Friend who acts  like your Mom, your sister who’s a Mom, your daughter who’s a Mom, your Great Aunt who’s like a Mom

Perhaps you have 2 Moms, the Mom of your children…I could go on and on!

When you think about it, you may have many women to acknowledge this year on May 12th!

So, let me help you make it easy.  Stay right there on your computer.  It doesn’t matter what time it is nor where you live for you can send a real paper card directly from your computer right now in time for Mother’s Day.  You can even send a video of the kids or of yourself!  You can send jewelry, Mrs. Field’s cookies, a book, a special coffee mug or even a gift card!  You can even make something special for Mom in the photostore ~ have a special picture?  Upload the photo, click and position it on the canvas print or a coffee mug or a t-shirt and press add to cart!  Voila ~ personalized gift made and mailed for you with the click of a button!

There are no excuses to miss Mother’s Day this year!  You don’t need to go out and peruse cards at the store ~ you can do that here on your computer with SendOutCards!  You can choose from our card catalog or you can make your own card ~ use your own pictures ~ your own videos ~ and make cards for all of the Moms in your life!  It doesn’t take a computer wiz to do it either ~ there’s an easy tutorial to help you or just click and drag!  My kids make their cards this way and find it to be so much fun!  You can too!

Just Click HERE!   The account is free, you pay for what you need and your card is printed, stuffed into an envelope, stamped, addressed and mailed for you ~ and you can even add a gift if you choose.  Instead of paying big bucks at the card store, finding a stamp, then finding a gift and mailing it all on time, why not let your new SOC (SendOutCards) assistant do it for you!?  Save some money for yourself and Mom ~ she’ll be so proud that you did!

Happy Mother’s Day to All!

Send your card today so that it gets there in time!

Shine On!

xo

The video below is from SkitGuys ~ for Mothers of Sons, this is a must see ~ and for sons of Moms, this one’s for you too!  Heck, it’s for anyone with a Mom.  Thanks to TheSkitGuys, you never disappoint! ♥

http://skitguys.com/videos/item/my-mom

I Feel the LOVE ~ Blog of the Year 2012 Award!

With my surgery coming up quickly, I apologize for putting both of my stars into one post, but I would be remiss in not sending my heartfelt thanks to my dear ShareChair at  http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2012/12/02/long-overdue-award-post/ and also to sweet Marcia aka Who’s Your Granny? at http://mmeara.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/an-award-for-wyg-wow/  for nominating me for the Blog of the Year 2012 Award!  I am so honored and I appreciate their kind words about my blog!  Please make sure you get on over to see their blogs!

Now as to the award.  This is slightly different from the others as you can add extra stars to it every time someone nominates you for it.  That’s a fun variation.  Here are the rules, as explained by the creator of the award, and my nominations for other bloggers, as well.

The ‘rules’ for this award are simple:

1 Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award

2 Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award.

3 Please include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award – http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/our-awards/blog-of-the-year-2012-award/ and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)

4 Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them

5 You can now also join our Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Facebook group and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience

6 As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars…

 

 

Yes – that’s right – there are stars to collect!  Unlike other awards which you can only add to your blog once – this award is different.  When you begin you will receive the ‘1 star’ award – and every time you are given this award by another blog – you can add another star!

 

There are a total of 6 stars to collect.  Which means that you can check out your favorite blogs – and even if they have already been given the award by someone else – you can still bestow it on them again and help them to reach the maximum 6 stars!

Need to know more? Check out our FAQ page

And Congratulations! on being chosen for the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award.

Nominees: Here are the 6 awards in thumbnail size for your sidebar – feel free to Right Click and save any of the images on this page:

**********

Okay, now to fulfill the only real rule for receiving the award–my nominations for Blog of the Year.  Hope you have time to collect all six stars before the year is up! I am sure you will because these are awesome bloggers! Hugs to all of you! 

http://deepandwonderfulthoughts.wordpress.com/

http://womenswindow.com/

http://inspired2ignite.com/

http://enchantedseashells.com/

http://sharingmemyselfandi.wordpress.com/

http://momentumofjoy.com/

http://evatenter.wordpress.com/

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/

http://marciameara.wordpress.com/

http://letlifeinpractices.com/

http://russtowne.com/

http://thoughtsfromanamericanwoman.wordpress.com/

http://elisacashiola.com/

http://help-me-rhonda.com/

http://russelrayphotos2.com/

http://davidkanigan.com/

http://brainsnorts.wordpress.com/

Please check them out as they are sure to become favorites in your Reader!

Shine On my friends!

Congratulations to YOU!

xo

A Surprise Thanksgiving Blessing

Yesterday was a sad day for me.  I guess the upcoming first Thanksgiving is sad and that shouldn’t be a surprise since most people I have spoken to have told me that the first year is hard to bear…so I know that.  I believe in synchronicity as well ~ so when I decided at the last minute to brave the grocery store and ran into the neighbor of my sister-in-law who had lost her Mom 2 years ago, we began talking and ended up in the health aisle for 45 minutes, catching up on our lives and telling our sad stories to our kindred spirits.  We laughed, we cried, we understood, we hugged and others around us went on with their shopping while we bonded, we connected and we allowed ourselves to be understood by another soul.

And it felt good to open up and be heard, be understood and be loved.

When I arrived back home, I was tired and sad.  I had other errands to run, but I felt I needed to just ‘be’ for a few minutes and that’s when synchronicity hit for the second time that day.  The doorbell rang, followed by loud, insistent knocking at my front door.  I wasn’t expecting anyone, but on my porch was a delivery man with a beautiful flower arrangement with a gorgeous candle in the center.

Who would send me a Thanksgiving table arrangement that is simply so beautiful?  I anxiously opened the card to find that my friend Mary Louse, a childhood friend with whom I’ve rekindled a friendship via FB and by my Dad’s death.  Inside the card, it read:

Let there be a bright light and not an empty chair at your table.

And I burst into heartfelt tears of gratitude right there on the spot…what a blessing to be thought of in such a special way…and what a special message to make my sadness and bereft feelings lighter to bear…yes, lighter (pun intended)…and as I lit the beautiful candle, I said a prayer of thanksgiving to Mary Louise, to God, to the Angels and to whomever gave me the synchronicity of such a special day of angelic hugs no matter where I was.  I am blessed…and I am ever grateful.

So today, on Thanksgiving Eve, my thoughts go out to all of you ~

May you know how much you mean to others,

May your bright light of kindness shine through the darkness,

May you know that you are loved.

I give thanks to all of you who read my blog…and for whose blogs I read and enjoy.

Thanks for being YOU!

Take everyday to show your love to others.

xo

P.S.  I had to use the program Snip-it again because of the way the 3 panel card was laid out ~ I couldn’t seem to copy it properly so please bear with me!  But this is the card I sent her…I wanted her to see the extraordinary flowers which encompassed the table arrangement.  Aren’t they beautiful? xo

Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Nor’Easters ~ Help!

I feel like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz…truly…it’s been one thing after another here for this Jersey Gal.  Hurricane Sandy last week gave us downed trees, power outages, loss of food, loss of life ~ not to mention destruction of property in overwhelming proportions.  Sandy devastated the surrounding areas and many, including my sister and Mom are still without power.  Now I know that we can’t compare Sandy to Andrew or Katrina…but still…and she arrived on Monday October 29th.

One week later, on Monday November 5th, we had an earthquake in Ringwood, NJ  ~ just one week after Sandy hit…which personally I didn’t feel where I live.  A 2.0 magnitude which was reportedly heard as a loud boom for those awake at 1am in the morning.  For an area which is still power deprived, still cleaning up after Hurricane Sandy, I just can’t imagine the fright that the earthquake gave those who felt it.

And then, last night…just two days later, a Nor’Easter hit us.  A Nor’Easter is defined as a macro storm blowing in from the northeast.  Weathermen had been telling us that we would experience heavy rains and high winds in my area…instead, we received a heavy mantle of white snow to the tune of 5 inches at my home which was pretty to watch as it came down, but only if you were happily bundled in a warm home with heat and food.  Luckily for us, we have power, I had made homemade chicken soup and we had heat and each other.

It’s the simple things in life my friends.

Shelter, food and love and not necessarily in that order…but for now, yes, in that order.

So I’m asking for help here…not for myself but for those who need it…for those who’ve lost everything.  The Red Cross is a charitable, well-known, hard-working group who are here, providing water, shelter, clothing, blood for hospitals and funds for those who need it.  Perhaps you would like to help but don’t know what you can do…below please find some links ~ you can donate from your cell phone by texting ~ you can donate blood for those who need it ~ you can donate online if you choose.

If you can’t do any of the above, then I simply ask that you take a moment to give…

Thanks for the littlest to the biggest blessings that you have in your life. 

From shelter and food, to love and family…to health, to wealth and to an abundance of clean, fresh air that we breathe…to water, to blankets, to smiles and to heartfelt hugs which are abundant when you choose.

Click below to…

Donate to the Red Cross!

Be thankful, be generous…be blessed.

Thank you from my heart.

xo

Life is not a race…

LIFE IS NOT A RACE

BUT INDEED A JOURNEY.

BE HONEST.  WORK HARD.

BE CHOOSY.  SAY “THANK YOU”

“I LOVE YOU” AND “GREAT JOB”

TO SOMEONE EACH DAY.

LET YOUR HANDSHAKE MEAN

MORE THAN PEN AND PAPER.

DREAMING DOES MATTER.

IT ALLOWS YOU TO BECOME

THAT WHICH YOU ASPIRE TO.

APPRECIATE THE LITTLE THINGS

IN LIFE AND ENJOY THEM.

SOME OF THE BEST THINGS

REALLY ARE FREE.

DO NOT WORRY.  TAKE TIME FOR

YOURSELF ~ PLAN FOR LONGEVITY.

While wandering this week, I found this sign on a wall in a store and loved it.  I snapped a picture of it as I enjoyed the sentiment.  I thought you might like it too!

Happy Saturday!

Enjoy the weekend!

xo

P.S.  In 2 minutes, I made this card…just took my picture, added a template around it and voila!  Have you got any pictures that you would like to make into a card?  SendOutCards makes it easy, inexpensive and fun!  Let me know if you want to try it ~ my treat!

I Wish You Enough

Subj: I WISH YOU ENOUGH…an excerpt from an email I received yesterday.  Enjoy!

Recently I overheard a Father and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the Father said, ‘I love you, and I wish you enough.’ The daughter replied, ‘Dad, our life together has been more than enough.. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Dad.’ They kissed and the daughter left. The Father walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, ‘Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?’ ‘Yes, I have,’ I replied. ‘Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?’.. ‘I am old, and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is – the next trip back will be for my funeral,’ he said. ‘When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, ‘I wish you enough.’ May I ask what that means?’ He began to smile. ‘That’s a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone…’ He paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and he smiled even more. ‘When we said, ‘I wish you enough,’ we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.’ Then turning toward me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory. I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting. I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye. He then began to cry and walked away. To all my friends and loved ones, I WISH YOU ENOUGH. xo P.S.  Card was designed by me for this occasion…and thanks Ali.