Primary Inspirations

I was waiting for an appointment the other day and I saw this children's play table. I loved the primary colors and was inspired to pull my camera out and just take a few pictures from different angles. I would love to get these framed!! So here is a bit of color for your abstract viewing pleasures this evening.

Such is Beauty

This is another topic I was given by my therapist and one I've been wrapping my head around all weekend. It's a topic of "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" or "why is an elephant seal so ugly to some, but a glorious creature to others." As I've been scouring the web for resources, I've experienced quite a variety of emotions. Two emotions have stood out in particular, anger, and that cutesy thing we girls do when we smile and go aaawww how cute.

When it comes to animals, it's really easy to say "ugly" is cute. My chihuahua, Gucci, has some permanent birth defects. His tail is crooked from broken spots in his tail. His forehead is lopsided from having a permanent open fissure and hydrocephalus. He walks funny from his little legs being a tiny bit messed up. Anyone who looks for chihuahua perfection may call Gucci ugly. To me, he is my handsome little man and he is the most adorable little thing ever. 

I looked up the elephant walrus along with many other "ugly" animals. I found many animals that I certainly wouldn't classify in my own personal opinion as beautiful, but I did see a beauty in them all. Especially when I saw pictures of them with their young. It was quite humbling really to see how majestic creatures are when you look past their exteriors and see them interacting in their natural environments. And for your viewing pleasure, here is a gorgeous male elephant seal with a huge smile:

Now, it was very easy to stay pretty cheery while I looked up animals. There were many cute baby anilmals and such as that. But then, I got to thinking about people. So many people are so concerned about what others think about them. That makes me angry. So many people compare themselves and others to "society's standards." Judgement upon how others look is everywhere, especially on social media.  Well it appears that "standards" are no longer the norm. Different is the norm. Different is beautiful. Being yourself is beautiful. Each and every one of us is beautiful. I am overweight. I have thinning hair. I have double chins. My butt is way bigger than I wish it was, but you know what, I am beautiful. My boyfriend says I'm beautiful. My kids say I'm beautiful. I may not be beautiful to someone else, but that someone else probably has their own beautiful person. It doesn't matter if you are beautiful or perfect to everyone. Don't worry so much about other people's opinions.  It doesn't matter if you are accepted by everyone. It doesn't matter if everyone you meet on the street doesn't look at you and check you out. What matters is that you know that you are beautiful, because of and regardless of everything you see in the mirror. You are beautiful because of what lies within you. You are someone's beautiful. You will be someone's beautiful.  Don't judge someone if they are not beautiful to you. That person that you just walked past and deemed as "ugly," is beautiful. Maybe not to you, but to someone. We have to see the beauty inside ourselves and then learn to not judge others. I know i'm horribly guilty of casting judgment. I must work on this. I also must work on seeing my inner beauty. 

One of my goals for 2017 is to take better care of myself inside and out. I feel that this will make me feel more beautiful to myself. This blog has really opened up my eyes to the way I look at others. And it also makes me realize that I shouldn't worry about what others think about me. My opinion is the one that counts.  I think I am going to put on my most beautiful smile, since smile are very healthy, and go cuddle with my very handsome Gucci. Please feel free to leave a comment if this blog has helped you at all. 

20 Things That Make Me Happy

~My kids~ their smiles, their laughter, their love, their bantering, their everything
~My dog just being his loving, little Gucci self
~My amazing boyfriend's love and thoughtfulness
~My daddy and his silliness. I have the best daddy in the world!! 
~My brother. He is the kind of man I hope my daughters marry one day.

~Brand new stuff. I love when things are brand new and look so pretty on display. It doesn't matter if it's kitchen towels or makeup or a shower curtain, or new clothes, or even new cleaning supplies or groceries. It just makes me happy to see everything displayed all new, nice, neat and orderly. 
~The crisp scent of the air in the fall
~For the room to be really cold and to be under a nice cozy blanket when I'm ready to sleep
~Random roadtrips
~When packages come in the mail for me

~Giving someone a gift that I know they are gonna love and getting to see that happy look on their face
~Puppies. Just laying on the floor and being crawled on by puppies.
~A clean, organized, smelling good home
~When someone give me presents. I love presents!
~The color pink

~Trying out a new recipe and it being a success
~Zen moments of just relaxing with a cup of tea
~Gucci dancing round in circles when I come home because he is so happy to see me
~One of those hugs that just envelop you and holds you just right and lets you know that everything is gonna be okay
~Seeing the view count on my blog rise. It make me feel accomplished and that makes me happy.

Happy New Year!!

Good Morning 2017!! It's a brand new year and time for new beginnings. The past few years, I have not made any resolutions because I know I'm a hypocrite, and the odds of me sticking to my resolutions are slim. This year I'm determined to make a change. I am going to make some resolutions and I am going to hold myself accountable for sticking to them. I have got to make some changes. I can't just lay here and wait to die. I can't do that to my kids and to the others who love me. I'm worth more than that and so are they. So here it is, my resolutions for 2017.

1.  I will stick to my blog. And try to find out more about myself in the process.
2.  I will go gluten free. I have to. My body is demanding it.
3.  I will go to a doctor about my medical issues and begin getting them taken care of.
4.  I will start my days off with positive affirmations.
5.  I will obtain an income.
6.  I will cut out potato chips and soda pop.
7.  I will exercise more and lose weight. 2 pant sizes down at least this year.
8.  I will go see my daddy at least once.
9.  I will make greater attempts to see my sons.
10. I will paint more and sell some of my paintings
11. I will begin saving money to move to Spokane.
12. I will do more to show my boyfriend that I appreciate everything he does for me
13. I will not beat myself up so much.
14. I will put more effort into my appearance.
15. I will have a wonderful 2017!

I'm sure I will think of other things later that I failed to put into here but this seems like a pretty good starting point. 2017 is going to be a great year and I'm ready to start it off grand. I've recently heard that positivity attracts positivity so I'm going to be as positive as I can. Let's do this 2017!!