ShaRe YOUR storY...

my evening did not end with the 3 scrappin sisters. i went to visit my fRiend who i haven't seen since may. here it was 9:30 pm and i had and hour drive home and i felt i needed to see her. you know sometimes in lifE we don't know why but, we need to do it anyways. well, can i just tell you i am so glad i did!! you know who your true fRiends are when the call, e-mails and visits are few but, in time of need you know who will be there. i hope she knows i will ALWAYS be there for her and her famiLy. my feeling of being there hit home for me. she has been dealing with some true hard issues with her daughter. her daughter is a spit image of me when i was a teen. though she is so much prettier than i was back in the 80's. i felt like i was reliving my teenage years all over again. i felt i needed to talk to her. i felt i needed to share with her MY story. it's not something i am proud of or even like sharing but, it needed to be done last night. i hope i made a difference in her. i hope she knows that there is light at the end of her journeY. i hope she knows how much i love her, her parents and siblings love her, her family and friends love her. she is beautiful, she is taLented, she is smart and athletic. all these things and many more. this life is so hard, this life is a test. some pass some fail. i hope she will strive to succeed. to continue to WANT her liFe, her futurE! whatever that may be. i know i do. you are special and loved. i only wish when i was your age i had someone who would come talk with my mom and i. someone to say i've been there, done that and i know what you are going through and i UNDERSTAND!! i do...i truly do. so i may have ended my night by driving home at 2 in the morning with that hour drive. it was MY choice, i wanted too. i wanted to be right there where i was. i felt i did something that needed to be done not only for them but, for me. i shared MY story. my life was touched last night, my life will never be the same. i will continue to share MY story if it will save a LIFE!! i love you gals. *hugs* connie

ps. "d" please listen to this first song and the many others that follow. remember YOU are loved!!

what a gReaT cause...

thaNks jaquetta, jo and jaelyn for a wonderful event!! i didn't get all 3 sisters here but, jaelyn was there. glad to help out any way i can. you should be very proud of all your accomplishments yesterday. the cause was for breast cancer, for research, for a cure for your friends, and families for your aunt! *hugs* connie

ScRap PinK @ 3 scRappiN siSteRs...

no time to blog now. running out the door to go to a scrap pink crop at 3 scrappin sisters. i am doing 4 make-n-takes for them at their event. getting really excited! scrap pink is for breast cancer research. it's a great way to support, donate and have fuN all at the same time. $10 of the costs will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. way to go you SisTeRs!!! hope to see many of you there. *hugs* connie
"Never discourage anyone...who continually makes progress, no matter how slow." Plato

tHaNks rhOnNa...

"It's not that some people have willpower & some don't. It's that some people are ready to change & others are not." James Gordon

thanks rhonna!!! what a great way to start my fabulous friday. don't have time to blog right now. busy day but, i wanted to share this wonderful quote. try to write more later.
*hugs* connie

{music}

don't know if you knew that i have a playlist on my blog. a group of songs i have chosen that have been very inspirational to me and my writing. today i am scrapbooking {my art journal, yeah!!!} listening to music, in my pj's {yes it is 2 in the afternoon} dancing and singing. i am having my tErrifiC thUrSdaY!!! come on...turn it up and take a listen!!! you may want to put your oWn tunes on and shake YoUr groovE thing!! ;0} isn't mUsiC gReaT?! have a good one. *hugs*

tErrifiC or toRturE thuRsdaY?? {mY} choice...

terrific thursday, right? well...to me it is torture thursday. woke up this morning with only 3 1/2 hours of sleep. for me this is torture! i am the one that needs at least 8 hours to be a happy camper, lol. i stayed up way to late. then you get to that stage where you have your second wind and can't go to sleep now. yep, that was me last night. then when i went to sleep i was restless all night long. so really don't even think i got a full 3 hours. though that was MY choice, right? that is what i have been finding all morning...choices. it started with mY attitude, then the kids, friends and now mY blog! i feel like i keep repeating myself sometimes. then i think if i keep repeating it, it must be something i need to take a closer look at. we all have choices to make in our lives. some good, bad, ugly, scary, difficult whatever it may be. we all know that with these choices there are good results and bad ones, right? so what choices are you making? i was dealing, yes dealing with my younger son this morning and gave him a choice...clean the dishwasher before i took him to school or not. he decided he would walk. so i decide he would be grounded. he decided "no". i decided "if you keep it up no football game tomorrow". choice? do the dishes before i take you to school... his final decision was... they were done before i came back out to the kitchen. was i wrong to ask this? was he wrong to disobey his mother? questions we all at some point think about and choices we have to make. sometimes our choices are ones we really don't want to make. maybe because you don't want to, you don't want to hurt someone else or you just don't want to ask it. quoting a friend this morning..."we think we are being inconsiderate but really, we are just being true to what we want". is this not truE? so well stated. thank you for that. :0) we have a choice. today you will make many. be true to what you want!! then live with what you have decided. good, bad, ugly, scary, difficult...whatever. have a terrific thursday! *hugs*
ps. didn't get to touch my art journal. so sad. i will try again today. here is my fRont cover and an inside page. got all of my pages doNe and ready. i am sooo excited!!! now all i have to do is write, get caught up, put in pictures and embellish!! terrifiC thursdaY...it was, it was!!

to all of my FRIENDS...

If kisses were water, I will give you a sea.

If hugs were leaves, I will give you a tree.

If LIFE was a planet, I will give you a galaxy.

If friendship is life I will give you mine.



i received this from one of my good friends who is also my sister in law. thought it was too good not to pass along to all of my friends out there. thanks sis, love ya!!

woNdeRfuL wEdnesDaY and thaNk YOU...

wednesday, wonderful wednesday!!! i just got back from lunch with two of my very favorite friends jo ann & rhonda. at my very favorite resturant {like we have very many here, lol}. i just lovE mexican food. i could eat it everyday! what a wonderful treat it was. only wish... more time together. again, never enough time. so i asked them to take a picture with me. 1. i never have me in pictures 2. i don't have my friends and i together in hardly any pictures 3. i wanted to post it here. problem... someone does not like their pictures taken and two she would never let me post it. so i am obeying her wishes {until i talk her into letting me} and not posting the most awEsomE picture ever taken by a four year old!! rhonda's son was with us for lunch and he is the one who took our picture. can i just tell you he did an amaZing job!!!! if only i could show you {hint, hint}. i am so excited!!! i get to sit down tonight and do some scRapbooKing!!! i am gonna do some work on my art journal. i am sooo not caught up on it. i have been accomplishing my {21} day challenge but, my art journal has gotten shafted. i am hoping to get caught up but, we will have to see how it goes. i will try and post some pics later if i can. i have been thinking again. i know, i do do it every so often. i have gained so much from this {21} day challenge. i have meet some wonderful ladies also involved in the challenge, been a happier person... mom, wife and friend. i have been uplifted to a place where i have decided i don't want to come down from. along this journey i am discovering mE. i am finding out things about me that i like, don't like and things i need to change. i am finding the rEaL connie. the connie that has been hiding out for so long. i want to continue to bring her out. i want others to know mE. i want my friends to know mE. the rEaL mE!!!! i am full of lovE today. i have had many tell me how touched they are by my blog. let me just tell you that was not my intention at all. though the thought and sound of it has made me feel truly honored, truly blessed! i did not expect to have so many comments and so many people viewing this blog of mine. for me it was just a way to find mE again. a place to share my journey with family and friends. if you have been taking this journey with me, i hope you have found something inspiring in here. i hope you are discovering YOU!!! i hope you are reading my words and taking it to heart. i hope you are sharing your joy and happiness with others as i feel i have been doing. i wish you much happiness in your everydaY!! may you know that with the rest still unwritten... i have gained more than you will ever know. thaNk yOu for taking the time to lurk here. thaNks for being mY friend!!! have a great evening! *hugs* connie

just a reminder...

with the help of you, we can help a family!!! please check out all that is being done for the armstrong family. every little bit of help is truly appreciated. here are some links where YOU can get involved. have a terrific tuesday.

armstrong blog http://www.tracyarmstrong.blogspot.com/

arizona and utah fundraiser http://www.armstrongfamilyfundraiser.blogspot.com/

rusty pickle http://www.rustypickle.typepad.com/

legacy scrapbooking http://legacyscrapbooking.com/catalog.php?category=298

{not enough time...}

no time to blog now. so much to do. so does this count as a journal entry? i did write something, lol. don't we all say this though...there is never enough time. anywho...i will try and check back later. *hugs*



did have to throw this in...love rhonna's thought today!! "A strong postive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug." Patricia Neal

in my daughter's eyes...

it's monday. i don't know about you but, my mondays are always busy. with it being the start of a new week and trying to get the day going smoothly for all is a big deal in our home. does everyone have everything...back packs, homework, lunch money, sports gear and the list goes on. oh, and what about the weekly schedule for everyone. yeah, that is a chore in itself. so to my monday madness...it WILL be a good one!!! last friday my daughter decided she no longer wanted to go to the school she has been attending for the past 6 years. with our move in july she wanted to go to the new school {we moved to the adjoining town 10 minutes from our previous home}. i explained to her that if we transferred and she didn't like it there, there was no going back. she proceeded to tell me she knows and that she was ready. ok, then we will get all the paper work and you can start tuesday. she said i want to start monday. i informed her that she need to get all of her things from her old school and say good-bye to her friends. again she told me so confidently...i got everything i need and i already said good-bye to those that i wanted too. did this ever shock me!! my little girl {who is almost 11 but, the size of a 6 year old} made this choice all on her own and she was ready to start a new chapter in her life. i learned a valuable lesson from her. sometimes we need to make change in our lives. for the good, for the i don't know why or just because. are we all not trying to be a better mE? trying to make our life here on this earth a passing one. we all have our struggles and challenges. believe me i have plenty. but isn't that why we all decided to come here. to have a challenge set in front of us and to see how we would handle it. are you passing? kinda' reminds me of high school...just barely making it. that is my life most of the time...barely making it. there have been many {to many to count} times i have wanted to give up and have almost done so. many times when i felt i just can't do it any more. why me, comes to mind, right? i have those same questions, same issues, same struggles as many of you out there. pretty much feel like i can say...been there, done that. believe me i have! then today...remembering my daughter and her willingness to give it a try. go to a new school where she will know 3 people, have a new teacher, new principal and a new start. if she can do it, i can! i can make those changes in my life that are difficult, that don't want to be done. i can make it another day with a smile on my face and being grateful. everyday is a new day...a new chapter of our lives. i may not know why God throws me all these curve ball and i keep striking out. why can't he send me those down the middle fast balls. those ones are easy to handle. then i remind myself... he never said it would be easy, he only said it would be worth it. we are ALL worth it!! each and everyone one of us. our lives are WORTH IT!! hope you all hit a home run today, i know mine is going out of the park!!! *hugs* connie

how are you doing {21} day challengers? it's day 10 for most of you {13} for me. are you hanging in there, have you fallen off. remember get right back on and keep on going. do it for you, do it for your family and friends. make YOU important!!! make YOU count! keep up the good work.

will you live like you were dying?...

today is my dad's birthday. haPpY biRthDaY DAD!! see we have only reconnected 2 1/2 years ago after 27+ years apart. i grew up with my mom being my mom & dad for so long until she remarried when i was 12. can i just tell you that for those of you out there searching for that loved one, your family or friend keep on trying. i wasn't sure if i wanted to reconnect with my dad. it had been sooo long and i had the thought in my mind that i was truly better off with out him, NOT!! by giving up all the hurt and anger inside i found a little part of my heart that had been buried for so long. when i allowed him in, my heart was finally complete after all these years! i gained so much more... 2 brothers {leo jr & tony}, a step mom {cindy}, a niece {kylie} and nephew {austin}, soon to be a sister in law {amanda} and many aunts, uncles and cousins {to many to name}. WOW!! how could i not want more people to bless and touch my life. i am truly blessed! i know i keep saying it, but it's true. i sit down to write and read over what i have written and it is clearly stated time and time again that i am. why would i want to let myself be unhappy? why would i not want to get up every morning and live each day to the fullest? why would i not want to make new friends and reconnect with old ones? why would i not want to tell my husband and kids i love them everyday? why would i not want to live my life as it were my last? as tim mcgraw sings so clearly... live like you were dying. what do you want to do that you have not? what do you want to change? what is something you keep putting off? saying to yourself tomorrow, another day or when i have some extra money... that never comes? is it sky diving, bull riding, getting a tattoo, doing a marathon, writing a book, apply for the amazing race or just waking up every day ~ ALIVE? what are YOU waiting for? why not start today and JUST DO IT!! i know i will be making my list today of things i want to do or accomplish in my lifetime. i know it's gonna be gReaT when i get to start crossing some of them off. take a few minutes and start your list today. keep adding to it and then feel complete when you can cross off what you have always wanted to accomplish. go for it!! what will it hurt? look at what you WILL gain! *hugs*

haPpY saTuRdaY...

well soccer is over and i can now sit down and think. i decided {and i think i might even have it sunk in} that we make our own happiness. if we choose to get up and be grumpy or have a bad day we chose that. if we crawl out of bed and put a smile on our face and say... today is gonna be a good day, it WILL. so i guess i just need to keep reminding myself this. this is a hard one for me. another one that i have to remind myself on. for some it comes easy, for others... seeing my kids play today put a smile on my face. seeing my parents watch their grand kids, put a smile on my face. talking to friends...a SMILE!! see it's a choice. what did you choose? what WILL you choose? i am now on day 11 of my {21} day challenge. the group is on day 8. i did fall off the bandwagon a couple of days, but like i said earlier i am doing many. it's ok to fall, we just have to remember to pick ourselves up, dust off and try again. this quote was for day 7 on rhonna's blog. is this not so true? "change your thoughts & YOU change YOUR world". think about it for a minute. little ol' me could change mY world. anything is possible, if we try. continue to try this weekend. i know i will. have a wonderful saturday!! {think of me as i finish laying my daughters flooring.} *hugs* connie


ps.. today is tracy's birthday. the one we are doing the fundraiser for. please take a couple of minutes and wish him a wonderful one. i know it will truly lift his spirits.

breathe...

well, i think today is my down day. i might need to go back and read my last few blogs to get this girl in happy mode. you know i am just having one of those days. a day where nothing seems to go right. a lot on my plate and a lot to try and get accomplished today. if i write on my blog i can at least scratch this off my long to do list. any of you out there have those days? what do you do to get past it? it's friday and i should be excited for the weekend but, with 4 soccer games all different times and places i don't think i will be enjoying my weekend. i take that back!! i will enjoy watching my kids play and take many pictures. i just feel like i need a break!! a break for myself. if i don't take care of me, who will? i mean taking a true timeout!! what it would be like to sit and scrapbook, take a hot bath, go out to lunch with some girlfriends, get a pedicure...anything!! i hear you jo ann. she is the one that reminds me to take mE time. maybe i just need to take 5 and have a little quiet time. no music, turn off the phones, off the computer, tv off and just sit and hear myself breathe. truly breathe.... yep that is what i am gonna do. i'll try and post later and let you know how i'm doing. have a great weekend!!

haPpY biRthDaY littLe bRoTheR...

wanted to wish my little brother, happy 33 today. i know i am the big sister but, it doesn't help when i am the short one in the family. so for you... i wish you all the happiness this life can give you!! celebrate today with those that you LoVe and that LovE You!! wish i could be there to celebrate with ya. love you, my bullfrog!!

smiling inside and out...

what a morning. i feel i have accomplished so much and it's only 9:30 am. maybe that is a sign that i need to get up earlier, NOT!! i am sooo not a morning person. today my son received the student of the month award at his jr high. his dad and i were both able to be present for this. it made me really think this morning. then this song popped into my head...mY wIsH by rascal flatts. how blessed we are to be mothers and fathers. are our children not our most prize possession? are they not an accomplishment in itself? today i am just way to overwhelmed at the moment to write. i read rhonna's inspirational thought this morning and that is all it took. then i finished reading and noticed she quoted me. ME!! did i really say that, did i inspire someone else? i am honored and floored that she felt that way too. it is true though. through this journey i have been taking this last week i have discovered something. i discovered...mE! where have i been hiding? i am liking mE again. i am finding mE! thanks again rhonna. today i am adding a few pictures that inspire me and make me smile.

quote i found today, so fitting...

{it takes courage to grow up and become who you REALly are}

E.E. Cummings

{21} day challenge and i'm haPpY being mE...

so how did you do? did you have a haPpY day? i know i did!! i went to my mom's for a facial and luncheon and my day made a full circle. she talked about inner beauty not just the outer beauty. she is right you know {aren't they always}. we might think our outer beauty is what counts but, it is truly our inner beauty that shines. this is hard for me, it really is. i have struggled with this since i was a little girl, right mom? now that i am in my 30's i thought it might be time to make some changes in my life. if you have noticed i have a woNdErfuL song on here. i am amaZed and inspired by the words she sings so effortlessly. i remember when i use to sing. makes me want to start again. does singing in the shower or in the car count? so many of you know i attended creative escape a couple of weekends ago. let me just tell ya i had a really hard time wanting to be there. i know, i know what you are thinking...my mood however did change. on thursday evening when all the ladies {and a few gentlemen} arrived i started to get excited. i was in awe at the site of all their excitement. so friday comes and i chose to stay with a teacher all day instead of a group. my amaZingly, talenTed and iNspiRing teacher was mrs. rhonna farrer. her class was very intense though truly inspirational. love ya rhonna. her class was making a journal. not just any journal but, a {21} day challenge art journal. they say that if you do something for 21 days it becomes a habit. she has challenged us to 21 days. i actually got a jump start and started on september 11th. for me this was mY wake up call!! especially on this day. the day that we all remember so clearly like it was yesterday, i started my {21} day challenge. i have many that i am working on. i chose many cause i know myself too well that one, two or even three of them would slip and i would fall off that bandwagon. the one that i have continued with is this...writing. i haven't finished my journal yet. maybe that should be another challenge {21 days to complete my {21} day journal, lol}. rhonna has a special place on her site for us. a place of encouragement, a place where she will give us a quote or a phrase to lift our spirits and keep pushing ourselves to go that extra mile. thanks rhonna...to many, you are our life savers. so to finish this long entry today, another challenge. start small. find something you can do to improve your life, your well being, your family, your kid{s}, your relationships with others, yOuRselF!!! i know i am doing it and it shows. i spoke with my girlfriend jo ann today and she could tell. she is one of those friends i never want to loose. i wish i could keep her in my back pocket. she is the one that kicks my butt when i am negative, when i am down to the ground about myself. she is the one who believes in me and continues to show me the good in myself. thanks jo ann!! truly you inspire mE to be haPpY with ME!!

toDaY I {will} be haPpY...

day two, wow!! i want to thank all of you who have left me comments and encouraging words. an eye opener for me. how? that i am blessed!!! blessed to have so many people that i can call a friend, that touch my life everyday. if you noticed i place a banner on my page. my dear friend kristan asked many of us to share this to all we come in contact with. this is her best friend from high school (lynn) and her family. we are trying to raise money for them and all of the expenses they have and will continue to have. please take a moment and check out their story. you will truly be inspired, touched and appreciative for your life. knowing that every day is precious. everyday is a part of your past, present and the road to your future. you never know what path you will take until you put on those shoes and start walking. i encourage you today to not sweat the small stuff. to find one thing in your life you are happy about. i challenge you to make it about YOURSELF. how hard are we on ourselves? our weight, our looks, to short, not the right clothes, etc, etc. if we could just start somewhere...start with YOU! as the saying goes "if momma ain't happy then no one is happy". is this not true for everyone? tell yourself one positive thing about yourself today. go out and make it a good day. don't worry about what others think, say or how they feel about you. cause today you WILL be haPpY :0) that's all that matters. <3 to all.

the rest is still unwritten...

so today i decided to try something new. i am a lurker on many of my friends and companies blogs. as i read these blogs i find myself getting inspired, finding out about their lives and over all feeling of wonder. today i said to myself... get your feet wet. not sure how many will read my blog, how many will find inspiration or will leave me comments but, i feel it's time. for me it will be a place to write and post about my journey in this so called life. this will be my place where... "the rest is still unwritten".