happy tribute

today the world lost a wonderful man, a hero of mine & a very special person...
my sweet grandpa dent. 

my heart is broken and aching in a very unfamiliar way, and today i've been grieving.

there is such happiness and peace that comes from knowing that he is in a beautiful, wonderful place - reunited with family and friends.

that inspires me to honor his legacy as i finish my work on this earth.

he will be in my heart always. 

til we meet again,
gramps....i love you so much.♥

happy twins

liv and i both chose red plaid outfits for the day, without the other person even knowing it. :) *great minds think alike, style.*

she thought it was very, very neat that "we'd be twins!"

we were even more twins than we thought...because nearly every picture we snapped to document the occasion, looked just about like this one. :)

happy surprise

one of my very favorite things about chloe is that she is easily delighted.

i surprised her with a set of cheapy unicorn earrings for picture day this morning &
it was as if i gave her a real unicorn. *she flipped

simple pleasures. ♥

happy vision

i love having a vision board.

to remind me of my goals
& most importants. 

i started a new one today.

it lives in my room &
makes me happy. 

past vision boards
here
here &
here

happy prayer

"god bless us to do those small & simple things that need to be done by our hands and do them with a cheerful heart." -marjorie pay hinckley

happy owls

added a couple new sweeties to my collection.
can you guess which one myron & the girls named mr. sparkletubs?

happy promptings

{baby me, circa 1983}

i had an experience today,
as i was sitting in the doctors office waiting room,
that really reminded me how human we all are.

and by that, i mean,
everyone, no matter how they may seem or act,
or what choices they make,
or how they portray themselves or percieve the world around them,

is a person,
with feelings.

a person with expiriences.
and a set of circumstances and past defining moments
that have made them who they are
& have shaped their belief system.

this reminder brought feelings of times
i have certainly felt judged for my life choices & beliefs...
times i have felt belittled and betrayed...hurt and mistreated. 
times when i felt completely misunderstood/misrepresented.
times i felt out of control and disappointed.

it also brought memories of times i have wronged and hurt others.
times i have let pride get in the way of people.
times i have let fear rule my love & faith. 
experiences where i totally didn't handle things right,
simply because: i am human.

we are all human.

and i think, for the most part,
we all do the best we can with what we've got.

we, as humans, tend to put each other inside boxes to protect ourselves.
and sometimes it's to protect ourselves from things the other person doesn't even know exsists.

i don't believe the person who says they don't judge anyone.
you do. we all do.
we are human.
 
we all have stuff.

my struggle is different than yours.
maybe my struggle conflicts with yours.
maybe you don't know about my struggle, and i don't know about yours.

i'm grateful for that prompting today,
during a quiet moment of peace in the doctor's office,
that encouraged compassion in the face of confusion,
love in the face of conflict,
and charity, being, the pure love of christ. 

i can preach all this & tell you with confidence-
that i definitely do not & will not always succeed at remembering this advice.

but i promise to "demand of myself improvement" &
try to break down boxes that i have built around people -

and seek to love and build
the best i can, with what i have.
♥

happy girls

behold, the sweetest self portraits ever, of my 2 beautiful ladies.

you know: it's a good thing that staying organized, following through on a diet, maintaining a clean car, sporting a fresh pedicure & having my eyebrows perfectly plucked aren't the most important things in life.

because i'm sure not very good at them.
{among loads of other more serious things}

one thing i feel like i'm halfway good at is motherhood.
i love those babies something fierce & try my best to do right by them.
they, with only their dad ahead in line, are my most importants.

maybe in the next life, i'll have it all together.
until then, i'll focus on my strengths, keep struggling to better my weaknesses & be grateful for the opportunity. ♥

happy sandwich

wasn't my ham sandwich cute today?
that's all. ♥

happy treasures

we've been moving junk around in the house because mike has been doing some more painting for us. [yay!]

i came across myron's keepsake trunk & it's the tender-est thing ever.
tons of treasures from his childhood, scouts & his mission...
things like baseball cards, patches & his very loved pound puppy from aunt nappy.♥

you know, myron would like to trick you otherwise,
the but the man's got a heart of gold.

his sentimental childhood trunk
and behind-the-scenes service & kindnesses are proof of that.
he'd give anything for his little family & dear friends.

i love him so. ♥ 

happy princess

blondie is a girlie girl.
a rough & tumble girlie girl.
*the best kind.

she loves tutus, dancing, and being a princess.

she also loves messes, mischief, and the outdoors.

she has the strongest opinions & gives the tightest hugs.

she's so special and so loved.  ♥

happy nightstand

i am a self-help junkie. 

non-fiction is where it's at.

there are so many inspiring people in this world. 

♥

happy thoughts

i have definitely learned [during the past few months of some serious self reflection], that my thoughts are what make me or break me. changing the way i think & process information is transforming my life & helping me be a much happier, less fearful person. ♥

i loved the following quote in our young women's discussion today at church....i think i'll print it out and hang it on my fridge to remind me that when discouraging, negative thoughts come...and they will....i can replace them with happy, virtuous ones. :)

"like thieves in the night, unwelcome thoughts can & do seek entrance into our minds. but we don't have to throw open the door, serve them tea & crumpets & then tell them where the silverware is kept! throw those rascals out! replace those thoughts with hopeful and joyful memories; pictures of faces of those who love you & would be shattered if you would let them down.....whatever thoughts you have, make sure they are welcome by invitation only." -holland

happy door

my door just got a whole lot happier.

i took the class {a-door-able decor} at ETC today, taught by the very talented, Lindsey Niell.

check her blog [HERE] for the future holiday wreaths she'll be teaching.

***AND the amazing chevron clutch she made for me for my birthday. [so many fun ideas & tutorials on her blog]

so cute. i love it! ♥