Sunday Sayings and My Word for 2018 . . .

It's been so long since I've blogged.  I've been posting on Instagram almost daily for the last month or so.  It's become a bit of an addiction in all honesty.  I've noticed a good number of the blogs that I follow post less frequently now due to Instagram.  If you'd like to follow me, I'm Crickleberry Cottage there as well.  : )

Have you picked your "word" for the new year?  This is something I've done for the last several years, ever since I saw it popping up all around "blogland."  It took me a few weeks to come up with a word that I haven't used already.  I always seem to be drawn to the same few words.  This year, I've gone with . . .

. . . "FORWARD."  I feel like it's the perfect word for me right now.  : )


Have you picked a word??


Many blessings to you.  If you're living in the northeast I hope you're staying warm.  We're in the midst of cold weather like we haven't experienced in a few years in my part of  New York.  It's actually been in the negative digits.  I haven't left my house in five days.  I even told my husband that I'm rethinking moving north when he retires.  I little warm weather with the sun beating down on me while sitting on the beach sounds good right about now.  That would last for about five minutes though and I'd be looking for a beach umbrella and air conditioning in no time.  Who am I kidding??  : )


~ Wendy

Sunday Sayings . . .

A few quotes that resonated with me this week.  How I love a good quote!!  xo


Happy Sunday!! ~ Wendy 

Sunday Sayings . . .

Really makes you think, doesn't it?  : )


Have a beautiful Sunday ~ Wendy  xo

Sunday Sayings . . .

Hoping you have a beautiful Sunday and a peaceful week ahead ~ Wendy xo

Sunday Sayings . . .

I'll be posting more about this quote on the private blog that I created.  If you'd like to join in, please leave a comment or message with the email address that you'd be viewing and/or posting to the private blog from and I'd be happy to add you.  Sometimes there are things that we don't want to share publicly on our blogs.  I created "Speaking Our Truth" to give us a safe, private, judgement free space to share these kinds of things.  : )


Many blessings for a beautiful Sunday ~ Wendy  xo

Sunday Sayings . . .

It's been a crazy week around here.  School ended.  Our friends moved in with us until my husband and my friend's husband finish ripping out their bathroom and putting a new one in.  Their house is has been having lots of problems lately and horrible mold has been showing up in their bathroom.  They found lots of leaks behind the walls and pipes not up to code and, long story short, decided it would be best to take everything apart and start from scratch.  My honey knows how to build a house from the ground up so he and our friend are doing the work themselves.  In the meantime, there are two very happy seven year olds that are thrilled to be having a week long sleep over.  : )  The mamas are holding up well but this mama doesn't do well without "alone" time and that's been next to impossible.  This is the first time I've had a chance to even go on my blog while they're all at the playground.  It's been going very well and we'd honestly do anything for our friends.  We know they feel the same way about us and, these days, honest and caring and happy people seem harder to find. It's amazing to me how the Universe puts people in your life when you seem to need them the most.

Amazing grace!!

Wishing you a beautiful week ahead!!  xo

~ Wendy

Sunday Sayings . . .

I've been feeling under the weather this weekend.  A sore throat and very achy but I think I've turned a corner today.  : )

Happy Fathers' Day to all of the wonderful men out there that have taken on the responsibility of raising the child or children they've helped bring into this world.  There are far too many that choose to walk away.

Wishing you a beautiful week ahead!!  xo


~ Wendy

Sunday Sayings . . .

Many blessings for a happy Sunday.  My thoughts and prayers are with the people of London.  There are truly no words for any of this.


~ Wendy

Sunday Sayings . . .

Many blessings for a beautiful Sunday ~ Wendy  xo

Sunday Sayings . . .

Wishing you a beautiful day!!


~ Wendy

Sunday Sayings . . .

Wishing you a beautiful Sunday!!

~ Wendy  xo

Sunday Sayings . . .

Wishing you a very happy and peaceful Sunday ~ Wendy xo

St. Patrick's Dinner at McDonagh/Valentine Cottage and a Sunday Saying . . .

Friday night we feasted on corned beef with all the St. Patrick's Day trimmings, compliments of my husband. 

The chef.  : )

We caught up with friends and family that we haven't been able to spend much time with lately and these two besties got to run around and play for a few hours. 

The many faces of Megan and Gracie!!

Lucky indeed!!!   🍀

Happy Sunday to you!! ~ Wendy xo


 

A Sunday Saying and Battening Down the Hatches . . .

We're getting ready to batten down the hatches here in New York.  There is a rather LARGE nor'easter heading our way apparently, complete with snow measuring in feet not inches and high winds.  We're more inland so the wind won't be as bad for us but we're still piling up the porch with firewood just in case we lose power.  After spring like weather last week we're now in the midst of twenty degrees below normal temperatures.  I'm hoping the little buds popping thru the ground will be able to survive. 

Son number one, Connor,  headed out today to catch a plane to Wisconsin for his first ever business trip. He'll be gone for a week, including St. Patrick's Day.  : (   He's so calm about traveling alone.  I don't know how I'd feel about it.  I'm the first to admit I rely way too much on my husband when it comes to the details of getting to the airport and checking in and all the other things that go with it.  Since he was very young, Connor has been pretty much fearless when it comes to new experiences.  I've always tried to give my kids their freedom and their wings as often as I can.  It's so different from when I was a child and we were free to roam and not have to check in until dinner time.  We were safe and never really worried about bad things happening to us.  Not that bad things didn't happen.  We were just blessed to live in a town where we felt safe.   I made him promise he'd text when he was safe and sound in his hotel room.  Thankfully his flights there and back shouldn't be effected by the weather.  How ironic that he's avoiding a snow storm by going to Wisconsin.  BRRRR!!!

Now I'm off to pop a chicken in the oven.  I hope you're having a beautiful and peaceful Sunday!!


~ Wendy xo

A Sunday Saying that Changed my Life . . .

Note to self: “What is my purpose in life?” I asked the void. “What if I told you that you fulfilled it when you took an extra hour to talk to that kid about his life?” Said the voice. “Or when you paid for that young couple in that restaurant? Or when you saved that dog in traffic? Or when you tied your father’s shoes for him? Your problem is that you equate purpose with goal-based achievement. God or the universe or morality isn’t interested in your achievements…just your heart. When you choose to act out of kindness, compassion, and love, you are already aligned with your true purpose. No need to look any further.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

A friend of mine posted this on Instagram the other day.  At first, I just glanced thru it.  I saw the words "purpose" and "no need to look any further" and was drawn to it.  After reading it once, I slowed down and read it again but this time with the intention of really reading it.  The second time, it brought tears to my eyes and a knot in my stomach.  But a good knot.  What I would call a "knowing" knot.  You know that feeling you get when you know you've just added another puzzle piece to your puzzle of life?  I felt it when I fell in love with my first husband and then again when I fell in love with my second husband (knowing full well that my first husband had sent him to me).  I also felt it four times in the last 24 years when I gave birth to each one of my children.  So now that the youngest one is almost seven and becoming more independent every day, and now that I've turned a half century young I've been trying to come up with some goals.  I've been trying to come up with what my "life purpose" will be from here going forward.  I guess a bucket list of sorts.  Except that I am more of a "go with the flow" kinda gal.  I'm not a goal oriented person.  I'm not a person who feels like I have to be busy 24/7 like so many people I know.  And, guess what???  THAT'S OKAY!!!  Our society is one that says if you're not busy moving , shaking, being or doing then there has to be something wrong with you.  I have a different take on this though.  I think that many people that have to be busy all the time are afraid to be alone in their own thoughts.  They're afraid that they might discover a flaw in their personality and might have to actually (GULP) face their own reality.  The thing that I've been working on is being in the moment.  While I'm sitting here at the computer, I don't want to be contemplating what I'm making for dinner.  If I'm working in my Etsy shops I don't want to be thinking I should be loading the dishwasher instead.  Why do I think I'm not enough just the way I am??  It's conditioning.  It's the way we're brought up.  It's the way we're bombarded with advertisements telling us to be like this and look like that or you're not good enough. 

"God or the universe or morality isn’t interested in your achievements…just your heart. When you choose to act out of kindness, compassion, and love, you are already aligned with your true purpose. No need to look any further.”

I think every town should have this quote up on a huge billboard in their town center.

No need to look any further.


Have a beautiful week ahead!!  ~ Wendy

Sunday Sayings . . .

This one I've printed out and hung on my bulletin board alongside my other favorites for this year so far.  : )


Happy Sunday!!

Sunday Sayings . . .

Just nineteen hours away from home and I feel refilled.  More on this tomorrow.  : )

Sunday Sayings and My Word . . .

For the first time since I've been choosing "my word" for the new year I've been struggling with coming up with just one.  2016 was a tumultuous year for me in many ways.  I try to share most of the happy stuff in my life here but, just like everyone else, there is also the not so happy stuff.  People showed their true colors.  Decisions were made that were thought for sure to be the right ones but ended up being wrong.  Doors that I had kept cracked open with a glimmer of hope were shut.  The lesson of acceptance came up over and over again for me this last year and I struggled with it.  I'm not going to lie.

In working on acceptance though, I have also asked for the wisdom to see my own flaws in how I react to people and problems in my life.  Am I taking something too personally?  Am I being too defensive?  Is my reaction ego driven?  Am I coming from a place of love or a place of fear?  Is the person I'm interacting with coming from a place of love or a place of fear?  So many questions but I'm grateful for the awareness to think this way.

During this new year I would like to grow in different areas of my life.  I'd like to grow my businesses.    I'd like to grow as a photographer.  I'd like to grow in my Spiritual life.  I'd like to grow healthier.  I'd like to grow as a wife, mother and friend.  I'd like to grow as a more loving and caring human being.  I'd like to continue to grow into being the best person that I can be.

My Word for 2017.  : )

Many blessings to you ~ Wendy

Weekending and a Sunday Saying . . .

Another week has come and gone and I've really been slacking in the photo taking department.  I did manage to take a few shots of the pretty little snowfall we had.  Not much but just enough to make everything look sparkly and cover up the dog poop that's been in the back yard since it got cold out.  : )

I also got the remaining Christmas decorations down and put away.  It's pretty late for us this year but our tree still looked so pretty and had lost barely any needles so I took my time with that.  Does anybody else say thank you to their tree for looking so pretty right before you toss it to the curb?  I always do.  : )

Something I've been focusing on here since I discovered it on Pinterest is "hygge."  If you're not familiar with this Danish word then type this in on Pinterest and see the wonderful images that come up.  Oh my goodness!! 

Oh.  And this happened . . .

I thought about finally acting like a "grown up" and then, in the nick of time, I found this . . .

 And, by the way . . .

Here's to another 50 AT LEAST!!!!!  xoxo


~ Wendy