By His Grace I Can.

I've been pondering what kind of giveaway I could do and it came to me last night! For the person who gets the MOST points, I will mail* a box of my FAVORITE things that contribute to my intentional happiness and inspiration.  I'm not going to give details beyond that, but it will be awesome!  It'll be a package that I would LOVE to get in the mail :0) Instead of doing a drawing, the prize will be awarded to the person who gets the most points by the deadline, Monday 4 March 2019 11:59PM MST.  The winner will be announced Tuesday 5 March 2019 at 10:00PM MST. Here's how it'll work.  Each entry is worth a different point value.  You can do as many entries as you'd like , you just need to make sure to comment (Either here, on my Facebook page or on my Instagram) with ALL of your entries AND points by the deadline. 1 point for each Like/Love your favorite posts on Facebook and/or Instagram Comment on momentous activities that you have impleme...

My Grandpa was one to document everything.  Either by nurture or nature I inherited that same zeal.  Those who have been around me enough know that a picture is probably in order each time we hang out.  I am the self-proclaimed selfie queen.  On occasion for me a selfie is to document a good hair day or a day when I'm feeling extra beautiful, but in general it's because I want to remember so many of the tiny moments that make up my life.  Today in therapy we talked about the importance of identifying and saying how we feel.  Too often we subconsciously label a feeling as "bad" and repress it and glaze over it.  Without receiving the message that it intends to deliver, it will manifest in other times and other ways.   When I got home I had the thought to look through some of my selfies from the past several months and identify which feeling/feelings I caught with each snapshot.  I've gotten in the habit of not only documenti...

I have always loved music. I grew up in a home where there was often inspirational music playing, my mom using her angelic voice to sing us lullabies and classical music accompanying us on morning rides to school. I was part of a children's choir for several years then Acapella and madrigals in high school and choir in college.  My hubby & I have sung in several church choirs together over the years and even a few duets. Many a stressful & grumpy morning wrangling the kids to church has been instantly pacified when singing the congregational hymns.  Time and time again my heart has been softened by beautiful music, preparing me to receive what God needs me to hear.  Music moves me almost like nothing else can. When I started using a momentum tracker a little over a year ago, I quickly realized that for me music is a simple way to fill up my tank throughout the day.  Music often puts words to my feelings in ways that I can't quite articulate for myself....

This morning I'd only been awake for a few minutes when I heard my oldest daughter scream.  It was one of those screams that you don't ignore.  One that signals some sort of danger or at least fear and pain.  I ran downstairs.  Between quick panicked breaths and sobs she was yelling at her brother to stop kicking her.  It's important that I note that this particular brother deals with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) and, although at the core of him is a heart of gold and beautiful intentions, at times it is as if he changes into Mr. Hyde.  The ensuing interactions are usually abrasive and hurtful both emotionally and sometimes physically.  I have told him on several occasions that if he is doing something that is hurting someone, they have asked him to stop and he persists, they have my permission to protect and defend themselves. (We also talk about getting out of the situation, but sometimes my son bear holds them and won't let them out.) Appar...

It was 3 years in to our marriage when I realized how much my husband did to keep me happy.  I think he knew all too well what my "unhappy" looked like and wanted to keep it at bay.  I don't blame him.  I was emotionally volatile and when triggered would usually melt in to tears and the silent treatment would ensue.  Almost anything offended me so egg shells were often the path that he unfortunately had to walk. It made me sad (and honestly insecure) to think of what he was holding back to avoid the stress from my emotional setbacks.  Thankfully that sadness started working in my heart.  I wanted to be less concerned about me and more concerned about him, but I didn't know how long the path would be. Over the years things got better.  I learned to give more than I took, but my anxiety and depression fueled my compulsive behaviors.  Social media felt like an easy, instant and accessible escape from the day-to-day when being a stay-at-home ...

Last week with Parent Teacher conferences, my kids had early out every day.  Today rolled around and I was feeling on top of things. I'd set my kitchen timer to remind me to pick up my Kindergartner at the normal time, was putting my baby down for a nap and helping my home schooler with photography before slipping a coat over my PJs and heading out the door.  Just as I was about to leave I got a call from the school to let me know that my son was waiting in the office to be picked up.  I was puzzled for a second then it clicked.  My brain had combined the early time (10:50) and the normal time (11:35) and I was planning to pick him up at 11:50!  Instead of stammering for an excuse, I chuckled, explained the mix up, apologized and thanked her for letting me know.  The exact same thing happened last Fall the Monday after Parent Teacher Conferences. You see, creativity runs deeply in my family.  Consistency, not so much.  I was the girl in high s...

Last week my twin & I had a birthday.  Let's just say we're now tipping towards 40! When I woke up that morning I was alone in my room.  One of the very first thoughts I had was, "You're all alone on your birthday.  If your kids loved you, they'd be in here with you."  Thankfully I'm getting better at filtering my thoughts so I quickly identified who this thought was coming from and countered it with my own thought. "Oh what a way to wish me a Happy Birthday, Satan.  Nice lies !"  And I took it as an invitation to pray to my Heavenly Father and ask for His truths about me.  I quickly felt how much love my Heavenly Parents have for me and how much they'd want me to feel it, especially on the day celebrating my official beginning here on Earth.  How grateful I am for being able to recognize the lies and turn to the truth. Today at church we were talking about the prophet Elijah and the Priests of Baal. I thought of this experien...

This last year my therapist has helped me  to identify the elevating truths and victories in any given situation.  Often times I've come in to his office focusing on the negatives and what seems to be going wrong.  He somehow is able to find the positive perspective and points out the truths and victories. As time has gone on I have tried to do the same for myself.  I try to see the victories instead of focusing on my "failings." Today I was hurrying to get ready to take my second grader to his SEP meeting.  He was anxious to get going and before I knew it barged in to my bathroom, blurting out, "Mom are you ready yet?"  I had just gotten out of the shower and looked up to see my son's startled face.  We try to teach privacy in our home so it caught both of us off guard.  As quickly as he'd come in he walked out of the bathroom and shut the door behind him.  I figured that he was likely feeling sheepish about what had happened so I pu...