Star4Laughs: January 2014

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

2014 Bookshelf Challenge

The other day I had a stack of Books beside me, trying to decide which Book to read next. One of my most Favorite things to do! :) When my son asked me if I'd heard about the Bookshelf Challenge. I said No, what's that? And he told me that at the beginning of the year, you clear off a Bookshelf, and as you read Books throughout the year, you put them on your emptied shelf, and at the end of the year you can look back & see all you've read this year!

I thought What A Great Idea! I'd love to be able to look back at the end of the year & see what all I've read that year! To sort of relive your year in Books! I'm game! So, lets do it! What do you say?!

I, for one read all year long! I almost always have a Book with me, and can read just about anywhere! For those of you who read on a Kindle or hand held device, maybe there's a virtual shelf you can create to list the Books you read this year! Or if you're on Good Reads, you can create a Bookshelf on there! Check mine out here. And Friend me while you're there! :) We can get Ideas for what to read next from each other's Bookshelves!

I'm on my 3rd Book so far this year! There will be times in the year, that you'll go through Books quickly & other times it will seem like you have no time to read at all. And both are okay! I'll check back through out the year to see how we're all doing, and what our 2014 Bookshelf looks like!

So, who's in? The Challenge is on! Lets read together! And make 2014 a Great year!

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Give Me Five: Life Lessons We Could Learn From Dennis Rodman!

Okay, yes, Dennis Rodman is all over the news right now. And well, I have more time on my hands right now since I'm not working, so why not turn him into a Blog Post?! So I've come up with 5 Life Lessons we all could learn from him! Yeah, you heard me, we can actually learn a thing or two from this character, so hold on to your hats, here we go . . .

Life Lessons we could all learn from Dennis Rodman:

1. It's Okay Not To Look Like Everyone Else!

Always be yourself!

2. If At First You Don't FAIL, Try, Try, Again!

Now for most people it's the opposite,

"If at first you don't succeed" but he did it backwards!

His succes came first . . .

and since then it's been failure

after failure!

3. Never Be Afraid To Try Something New!

Life, after all, should be an Adventure!

Why not? Take the shot!

4. Keep Your Friends Close & Your Enemies Closer!

Okay, so maybe he isn't the best example of Friendship

Nuf said!

5. Always Think Before Your Speak!

If you want to actually be heard & taken seriously:

Think first about what you want to say

and then use diction to actually say it! :)

Okay, so there you have it! 5 Life Lessons we can learn from Dennis Rodman! Numbers 1 & 3 I actually like! :) Your Welcome!

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

My Word For 2014

Have you ever thought of picking a Theme Word for the new year?

A word you'd like to live by throughout that year.

I have!

I remember giving my son "Find a Date in 2008!" ;)

But this year I don't have a catchy slogan,

just 1 word:

Hope has always been one of my favorite words!

When I was pregnant with Twin girls 16 years ago
who were due in mid October

I wrote in my Journal that if they were due closer to Christmas

I would name them Hope & Holly!

When 2013 ended with me loosing my job & my families Health Insurance

as a tried & true Worrier

my first instinct is to crawl into bed & cry!

And just stay there!

But you always have a Choice!

You can look at all the negative & dwell on that

or you can try to see the positive in things!

I always try to be positive, but sometimes it's much harder than it seems.

I've always said: When life hands you Lemons,

throw them at someone!" :)

Just kidding!

but the point is you can always find something positive in every situation!

So, going in to 2014

I'm choosing to have Hope!

Hope that I'll find a better job for me soon!

Hope that my family will be Healthy & Happy!

Hope!

I love the above picture,

I put it as my Twitter Cover Photo at the beginning of the year!

This year, I'm choosing to live on Hope Street! :)

Because when you have Hope you have everything!

So what do you need in your life this year?

What would your word for 2014 be?

Friday, January 3, 2014

2013, The Year In Review

Let's see, what can I say about 2013? It was a Great year! And at the same time it was a not so great year! It began & ended with loss; we lost my Father in Law in March. 1 Year after loosing my Mom! It's always hard to loose people we love, and when you see your kids hurting, it's even worse. Then 2 weeks before Christmas I got "let go" from my job. It is the most stressful job I've ever had in my entire life time, and though the timing was really terrible, it's actually been nice to have time off during the Holidays. We still had a Lovely Christmas! Yes, we had fewer gifts this year, but our kids are older & they understand. And most of our shopping was done before hand. But now that the Holidays are over, I can't afford to be home, so please pray with us, that I find a job quickly. And with loosing my job, we also lost our Health Care, so my new job needs to include that as well. Thanks so much.

But, 2013 brought some really great stuff too . . . Kyle got a new job & a Girlfriend! And is very happy with both! :) Katie is very sweet, she's a Nurse, & seems to be really good for Kyle! He's also very involved in Music & Jr. High Ministries at his Church. Zach and Kendra are still together & going strong, even though she lives 5 hours away! Zach got his Associates Degree and started ASU this year, working towards his Bachelors Degree in Wildlife & Restoration Ecology. He's studying to be a Wildlife Biologist. Erica & Lexi turned Sweet 16!! We had a big Breakfast At Tiffany's themed party! It was so fun! Both girls also got to go to their first Concerts! Erica saw Taylor Swift & Lexi, Paramore! Their Favorites! We went on an Adventure & had a Great Vacation in Durango Colorado. John & I celebrated 26 years of Marriage! He is working Full time at CrossRoads Church, which is a Interim position. So he is also looking for a permanent position as well.

So, as you can see, we are entering the New Year with open arms! We're ready for new, we're ready for change! As 2013 leaves us with all it's great Memories, that we will treasure for ever, we will let all of it's Sadness be washed away, out with the old, in with the new! Here's to a Happy New Year! Looking forward to see what 2014 holds in store!