Aurora Borealis

I know some people don't like these, but I think they're fun ... fun to read, and fun to play along. So, thanks Sandy, for the tag!

The Tag game goes as follows:
Go to the 8th folder in which you store your photos
Select the 8th photo
Post it to your blog and tell the story behind it.
After following the above instructions, you are ‘supposed’ to tag 8 other bloggers.

I'm going to let you go ahead and tag yourself if you're interested in playing ...

No kidding ... this scanned newspaper picture was my #8 in my #8 folder. I coached my middle daughter's 7th grade basketball team. Oh boy! It was super fun!!! In fact, this team BEAT Juneau's team (the one with Willow Palin - Sarah Palin's daughter). Not only that, we took 1st place in the regional tournament and we all got trophies. (yup - me too) But the real story I want to share is this: We were traveling with 2 other teams from our home town of Sitka. To get anywhere, we had to fly or ferry ... of course, it was a lot less expensive to ferry, so we took the 17-hour overnight trip on a huge ferry - sort of like a mini-cruise ship. So fun! BUT .. we had a crazy girl traveling with us. Crazy scary. And a brat. She was on one of the other teams. Well, the other coach traveling with us was sick when we arrived at the school we were staying at. We were camped out on the gym floor and I was the only adult in charge - the main coach had taken cold medicine so she was out of commission. This girl was a real trouble maker. Everyone was trying to sleep and she kept turning up her music, or rattling potato chip bags, etc. Finally I walked over and took everything away from her. She went ballistic and took off. I was finally able to rouse the other coach who took off after her and I tried to calm the rest of the group. Of course, by now everyone was awake. And everyone was afraid for their lives. (I didn't go that far, but when I was talking about how tired we were all going to be for our games I said something like "Sheesh. We're all gonna be dead in the morning." and that set of a whole series of screams) All of this leads to this: we woke up just in time to watch a major show in the sky - the northern lights began dancing. Even with no sleep, we won the tournament the next day. (and the crazy girl didn't kill any of us).

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.

John Muir

new-do week 7

Remember to enter this week's giveaway: an autographed copy of Aspire.

Brad and I went to see Mystere on the strip last night ... that was after a vigorous half hour of swimming. I had Bryan snap this really quickly as we were headed out the door for my week 7 shot. Mystere, by the way, was AWESOME. People flying all through the air, a little laughter, a lot of gasping and oohing and ahhhing!

and now ... a sweet thought:

"Sometimes when I consider the tremendous consequences from little things ... a chance word ... a tap on the shoulder or a wink of an eye, I am tempted to think there are no little things."

Emily Dickinson

Friends, what little thing by another person has been BIG to you?

New Giveaway!

First things first:

My new friend, Kelley at Kelley's Breakroom has given me this oh-so-happy award ! Thanks Kelley! (BTW ... her blog is a great read if you need a little get-away from your life!)

and for those of you who want to participate in award receiving and passing on, I hereby bestow this happiest of awards upon:

Deb at Sparkling Scrapbooks, Sarah at Cracks in the Pavement, Meredith at Count It All Joy, Katie at Where's Katie?, and

Short Southern Momma

Now, GIVEAWAY announcement time!

We surpassed 150 followers this weekend (YAY!!!!) so I'd like to direct your attention to Kevin Hall's live-changing book, Aspire.

ps ... the book the winner receives is autographed!

Just to tickle your anticipation, on one of the early pages in this book, Mr. Hall says:

"I was completely unaware that the path I was following would lead to the discovery of one of the most meaningful gifts of my life. This gift would come packaged in the form of a word, a word with the power to transform one's life forever."

HA! I knew that would get you!

To enter the giveaway simply leave a comment.

For additional entries:

* be a follower

* facebook about this giveaway with a link to it

* blog about this giveaway (3 entries!)

* tweet about this giveaway and link back to me

* what single word carries great power for you? share in the form of a comment for 2 more entries

Oh - and you can let me know how many entries you get all in one comment if you like - not necessary to leave a separate comment for each entry. Good luck! Winner will be randomly picked and announced on Saturday, July 3rd.

I'm a guest! check it out ...

Hey all ...

My 1st guest post is going up 1st thing Sunday at

A Taste of T by Tanya ... check it out if you have a chance.

AND

This Sunday I wanted to leave you with this thought regarding inspiration. Call it what you want - but you all know what I'm talking about ... the feelings you get, promptings, direction, inspiration ... that you know you should act upon:

"As each impression came, I carefully wrote it down. In the process I was given precious truths ..."

Richard G. Scott

When I lived in Alaska I heard him speak about the importance of acting on impressions immediately, and if that's not possible, write them down. The more we act on these promptings, the more we will receive.

This counsel has had a powerful impact on my life. I'm more at peace knowing that I'm actually getting around to the things that are of real importance rather than spinning my wheels each day catching up on laundry, making meals, earning money ....

Any thoughts on inspiration you'd like to share?

tagged!

Before I get to my tag, I need to share will all of you a beautifu post I read today....

Please visit my friend Clare for a dose of reality and inspiration!

picture from weheartit.com

Now ... more fun stuff: Melissa from Oh, My Darling tagged me with some fun questions, let's hope my answers have some amount of entertainment:

1. What's for dinner tonight?

2. What movie star would you choose to play you in a film of your life?

Isla Fisher .. for no reason other than that she's incredibly cute & fun in Confessions of a Shopoholic!

3. What's your biggest fashion faux pas?

I wear pajamas ... a lot ... not just inside my house. Can't help it - they're SO comfortable. I know - all of you fashion-bloggers are shrieking right now. Sorry.

4. Which song always puts you in a happy mood?

Blue October's "Life's Like A Jumprope" ... it makes me start jumping around :)

5. How crafty are you, and what has been your best project?

Not as crafty as ANY of you readers. Best project: It would have to be a card - I used to make cards a lot, and someday would like to make more ... Honestly , I was tempted to find a neat project online and post the picture as my own project - but my conscience got the best of me.

Now .... I tag:

Ana at Live and Enliven

Brand new blogger Barb at Barbs Heart Strokes

and

Desiree at Simply Simon

Have fun girls ... grab those 5 questions and list your answers :)

Everyone ... have a great weekend!

Friday Pretties

This week's Friday Pretties are snapshots from around my home ...

candle from ikea

shells from off the coast of Guam; sea glass from the Alaska beaches

For more Friday pretties visit Joyce at I Love Pretty Little Things

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in an ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.

- Mother Teresa

Private Invitation!

Hey blogging friends!

This is amazing ...

Nathan Ricks will be doing a 20-minute telephone presentation

just for me and my friends!

(this is true! It's a private presentation!)

Nathan Ricks makes about $500k

(not per year: PER MONTH)

and has helped more than 500 others become millionaires.

This call will certainly be motivational!

It will take place at 7pm MDT on Thursday.

If you want in invitation, leave a comment with your email address and I'll give you the phone # and access code.

(please feel free to comment no matter what, but only ask for the invitation if you promise to attend ... limited space)

So glad I can share this with you!!!

new-do week 6 ... CAN YOU BELIEVE IT'S BEEN 6 WEEKS?!

Yup - that's a clip in my hair!

Can you believe how long it's getting?!

I'm going to need a trim soon so I don't end up with a mullet

(thanks for the constant reminder, kids)

Ok.

Enough with the hair.

Guess what's coming up ....?

You guessed it: A GIVEAWAY!

Just waiting to hit 150 followers ... and here's a peek at what's coming:

yup ...it'll be autographed! So get your blogging friends on over here to up our followers quickly ~ hurry! This book is burning a hole in my pockets.

anyone remember this?

Charlie Brown's HAPPINESS IS ...

two kinds of ice cream; ... knowing a secret;

... climbing a tree! Happiness is ... 5 different crayons; ... catching a firefly, setting him free.

Really, as Charlie Brown teaches us, happiness is found in the little things.

What makes you happy today?

serendipity

Hey friends ...

THANKS so much for your well-wishes

with my Oprah network audition

It went well.

No call back yet ... but I'll keep you posted.

So anyway, there I was, 5:30 am standing in a very looooooong line

on a sidewalk on a beautiful hill in Laguna Niguel

to get a wristband with a # so I would get an audition.

My daughter Brooke was with me and we were chatting when all of a sudden I thought I heard someone say "Denalee".

What?!?!! In a line of a couple of thousand people in a place I've never been?!

I turned and immediately recognized my friend, Loa, way back from

Donny & Marie Show days!

Holy SCHMOLY! That was 30 years ago!!!

Loa is the all-time-best make-up artist.

And she's my friend.

So the hours in the sun waiting for our turns ended up being very sweet time remembering some of the crazies we worked for, catching up on husbands, children & grandchildren, and laughing a lot. Before we even got our auditions the day was a success!

The combination of Loa, Brooke and Loa's husband David ... well, I couldn't have asked for a better morning!

Friday Pretties

If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall.

Nadine Stair

for more Friday Pretties check out Joyce's blog: I Love Pretty Little Things

PS: I'm headed to LA for an in-person audition for the new Oprah Network ... audition on Saturday morning, so cross your fingers for me!

Every child begins the world again ~ Henry David Thoreau

When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies. And now when every new baby is born its first laugh becomes a fairy. So there ought to be.

James Matthew Barrie

New-do week 5 ... well, sort of

We've had a glorious couple of days ... Brooke & her family have been here from out of state and Trevor and his family from out of the country. It's been months since we've all been together.

So I didn't want to waste time trying to get a decent picture of my new-do week 5. Instead, I'll post this pool picture.

Nothing sweeter than family being all together!

Playing at the pool is my new favorite family activity ... what's yours?

sunshine

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy

Sunshine on the water looks so lovely

Sunshine almost always makes me high

(lyrics by John Denver)

More playing in the sun for us today ...

How about you? Will you see the sun?

hope

First, a BIG thanks to Marla at Butts and Ashes for this sweet award!

I now pass this award on to:

Lisa at The Sentimentalist

Olivia at 406 Olivia

my friend at Slam Dunks

and

my friend at Closet Full of Hopes and Dreams

now:

I have to admit, I'm not a big Old Testament reader.

So I was surprised when this verse in Lamentations was pointed out to me:

"It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord."

(Lamentations 3:26)

(doesn't this sweet picture of 4 of my kids evoke feelings of hope?)

I used to think that if I were being positive (hoping) about something, I'd have to have control over it to make it happen. Now, with the years of life behind me that I have, I've learned that I can work my hardest and hope for the best. But it is truly a virtue to quietly wait. (to me this also means accepting God's will over my own)

Any thoughts on this, dear readers?

"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it." George Moore

Winner of Alyssa's book is Sandy at SandyAlaMode (drop me an email with your address Sandy)

painting by my daugher, Brooke, representing all our homes

Home, the spot of earth supremely blest,
A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest.
~Robert Montgomery

What makes your home the sweetest spot on earth for you?

Friday Pretties

Lest you think I don't appreciate the truly pretty things around me, let me explain why this Friday Pretties includes a picture of my cousin Ben. (yup - I really am related!)

It's not that I think Mr. Franklin is particularly attractive. It's the numbers next to his face.

I'm not a big money lover. In fact, I would love to go back to the barter system and forget about money all-together. BUT today, this money looks especially pretty.

Someday I'll share the details about the mean and (dare I say?) corrupt cops who cited me for something I didn't do. For now let me just say that instead of $678 I had the fine reduced to $297 and it was due today. Desperately not wanting to pull from the money that pays legit bills (things we honestly do owe) I thought long and hard. And yes, I prayed. (I believe our Heavenly Father wants us to pray over everything of concern) Just before going to the bank, and then on to the courthouse, I thought, "shake the piggy bank". "Piggy bank? Who keeps real money in a piggy bank?", you ask. I do. Sometimes. I'd totally forgotten about these 2 $100 bills that have been there for a few months. And as much fun as it would have been to find these right before a shopping splurge, the real beauty is that they were there for a need.

THIS is why Ben is my Friday Pretties this week.

For more Friday Pretties, be sure to visit Joyce's blog:

I Love Pretty Little Things

Another sweet surprise for today: Britni at Antika Moda gave me this LOVELY award! Thank you!!!! (I love your blog too, Britni!)

And I love SO many of your blogs (that's why I follow you!), but I'll pass it on today to:

Sheryl at Simply Sheryl's

Natalie at The Cooking Chics

Elaine at Clothed Much

and

My friend at Everton Terrace

But I also want to say that the truth is that I LOVE all of your blogs ... so please! if you want, grab the award, post it, and pass it on!

oxoxooxx

beauty

This is me in 1989 ... most of you probably weren't even born yet :)

"In every man's heart there is a secret nerve that answers to the vibrations of beauty."

~Christopher Morley

What special beauty hits your secret nerve?

new-do week 4 and Q&A

So, it's been 4 weeks since the BUZZ ... it's growing fast, isn't it!?! Last week I was complaining about the single horn and was concerned that this week I'd have 2 horns. Well, the 2 horns have merged into one natural faux hawk. I wonder what next week will bring ..... ?

On another note, Debby at Inspired Design tagged me (my 1st tag! Thanks Debby!) for this Q&A session. So here you go:

1) What is the most interesting trip you have taken?

It would have to be my 1st trip to Bali, Indonesia when I was introduced to the Monkey Forest. Brad & the kids and I were walking through the forest with darling little monkeys everywhere. We had peanuts to feed them and they'd just come get them out of our hands. The next day we went in with bananas and they jumped right on me and snatched the whole bunch. Brad, being the guru of all-things-nature that he is, got a new bunch of bananas and told me to "watch how it's done". He secured a banana between his hands and held his hands high above his head. He would give the banana to a monkey when he was darn good and ready to. 10 seconds into the forest and a HUGE monkey jumped up to his shoulders, climbed on top of his head and hissed, baring his teeth ... Brad yelped and gave the monkey the banana :)

2) What is you favorite item of clothing? Why?

Not counting PJs? OK ... it's gotta be my flower skirt. So comfy and cool in the summer!

3) What is the funniest thing that you have experienced?

This is a hard one because my life is filled with FUNNY. But here's one: When we lived in Alaska we had pet ducks. Two of the ducks flew away leaving one by herself. Ducks hate being alone, so we headed to the lake where there was a plethora of ducks, to catch one and bring home. My daughter and I were alone on this caper and we both have a propensity for getting the giggles. Especially when together. We found it was way too hard to catch a big duck - they look slow, but they're not! So we targeted a mama duck who (we rationalized) had so many babies she wouldn't miss one. One was sort of lagging behind, so we thought we could catch it, no problem. Even with it getting stuck between rocks while waddling to the lake, Brooke and I were unsuccessful. This is because we both started laughing so hard we had to cross our legs and hold still. (Most of the time when we get the giggles it's WAY more inappropriate, ie: funerals, weddings, church)

4) If you could speak to one type of animal what would it be?

Either a bear or a duck. We also had bears in Alaska. Well, WE didn't have them, but they'd come through our yard. Some bears have such kind looking faces ... if I could talk to them, I'm sure we'd come to a good understanding about them eating our garbage if they would just put what they didn't want back into the trash can.

5) What would you ask said animal?

Oh - didn't see this before answering the question above. Well, if I were talking to a duck we'd just have a little chat. They're such content little creatures.

6) Who has made the biggest impact on your life?

Hmmmm. Good question. I'm going to change the question a little because as I ponder on all the people who have influenced me, I can't pick just one. So, of all the people I have never known personally, not including Diety, I'd say that Sir Thomas More wins. He was an amazing person whose integrity surpassed any I know.

7) What was your favorite childhood tradition?

Another one where I've got to change the question because there are way too many to list just one. Instead, I'll tell you about when I was 7 or 8 and we lived in southern California. We had a huge field of boulders behind our house and spent hours and hours playing on them. Kids have great imaginations, so my siblings and I named the rocks. The elephant rock was a favorite, but I also remember spending hours on the "house rock". It was really big and flat on the top .. on the side, there was a natural ramp that would take us down among smaller boulders. Good memories. We used to catch lizards like crazy in those boulders. But I think I actually ended up with way more lizard tails than whole lizards :)

8) What was your biggest decorating faux pas?

Hahahha .. this is awful. speaking of "faux", I got way into HGTV at one time and decided to do a faux finish on one of our living room walls. I learned from HGTV to not be afraid of color (I'm afraid of it again) Anyway, being the sensible shopper I am, I bought mis-tinted paint at the local store and went home to work on my masterpiece. I thought the wall would be a soft gold, and that I'd sponge it on. It came out bright yellow and looked like we were hosting a Cub Scout Blue & Gold Banquet. So thinking I did what any non-decorator would do. I grabbed my bottle of Old English, dumped it on sponges and covered the wall in that. The wall stayed that way till we sold the house.

I'm passing these questions on to:

Brooke at S&B

My friend (whose name I don't know) at Wandering Thoughts of a Scientific Housewife

Deb at Sparkling Scrapbooks

Tiffany at Dancing Branflakes

and

Alfie at Coffee and Silettos

a house without books is like a room without windows (Heinrich Mann)

"Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house."

~Henry Ward Beecher

It's been so BLASTED HOT here that I don't want to even open my blinds, much less step outside.

So instead, I lose myself in books when I get a spare minute.

What do you do when it's too rainy, too hot, too blustery?

To celebrate 100 followers (THANK YOU!) we're having a GIVEAWAY ...

my blogging friend and author, Alyssa Goodnight is offering an autographed copy of her book

"Unladylike Pursuits".

I've just ordered my own copy of Alyssa's book and am anxious to read it ... so to whet your appetite I'll have to leave you with words from those who have already indulged:

"first rate historical romance" "fast moving plot" "feel good ending"

Sound good to you? Me too! Thanks for your donation to celebrate our 100 followers Alyssa!

Here's how to enter:

* leave a comment

Additional entries:

* be a follower

* blog about this giveaway

* follow Alyssa's blog

* email friends & family about this giveaway and include me in the email

(lovely.silver.strands@gmail.com)

* facebook about this giveaway

* tweet about this giveaway

* vote for me again for the new Oprah Network