Spread Kindness

It is so easy to get wrapped up with our own worries that we forget what a simple kind word, deed or smile can mean to others. A simple act of kindness means so much, and yet is so easy to do. The joy experienced by both the receiver and the giver is undeniable and instantaneous. 

I was reminded of this by one of Lexi's friends. Yesterday was the one year anniversary of her father's death, and a few weeks ago she posted the following to Facebook: 

"September 12, 2015 is the day I lost the best man I have ever known, my Dad. While my heart is still broken I am choosing to celebrate his life instead of mourning his death. My Dad was the most generous person I know. Always the first to help, the first to care, always the first one to make a difference.  So in honor of Dad we are doing a day of kindness! Big or small it doesn't matter. Be a positive force in honor of a wonderful man. Pay for coffee for a stranger. Put extra change in a meter. Compliment a stranger. Take baked goods to a neighbor." 

I am happy to say that many of her friends joined her in celebrating his life by spreading kindness in his honor. One of the things I did was to create this quotography for her and a variation for others as a reminder of the importance of spreading kindness.

Just the other day I was feeling pretty bummed out about the color of my hair, or I should say the lack thereof. You see, portions of my hair refuses to hold any dye so some of it is a vibrant red while some is, oh I don't know, a silverish mousy brown with a blue green tint. Well, I was at the store when a stranger passing by said "Oh I love your hair! Where did you get it done?" To say the least it made my day, and now I don't feel as bad about the strange look of my hair. 

Has the kindness of another touched you recently? I would love to hear about it.

Weekly Quote

I had this all ready to go for Thoughts on Tuesday, and well let's just say I ran into technical difficulties ... seams yesterday wasn't Monday after all. So here are Tuesdays Thoughts on Wednesday... LOL

Click here for Note Cards and products with this design

Now being as it is actually Wednesday and the day Claudya at Unknown Mami has set aside recognizing the abundance of the universe and making our wishes known, I too shall make a wish.

My wish is to incorporate the above quote more fully into my life. In the past few years so much of what is happening in my life has been out of my control that it has become harder to tell what is within my power and what is not. So Oh Abundant Universe open my mind that I might make the best use of that which is within my power.

I also wish each and everyone one of my readers a very happy day and the abundance of the Universe!

Thought for Tuesday

Thought for Tuesday

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

May peace, joy, love and prosperity join you on your journey.

 I am not sure where I am headed but I would love to have you join me on this journey. 

I had a very low key New Year's celebration ... well actually I slept through it, so I guess that is about as low key as one can get and still be alive. Does that even count as a celebration? Did you have a fun New Year's celebration? Why not leave a comment and tell me about it.

Wishing all a very happy new year.

Bad Day Survival Kit

Let's face it life is bound to throw a few bad days (or should I say off days) our way. Making it through those days can be challenging but if we plan ahead with our very own Bad Day Survival Kit we should be well on our way to a better day. 

Bad Day Survival Kit

Sense of humor: Laughter is a surefire cure for a bad mood and reduces the negative emotions and stress brought on by a bad day. So laugh away, and if you can find humor in whatever has triggered the bad day all the better.

Words of encouragement:  I am not talking about the encouragement received from others, but rather encouragement we give ourselves. On bad days it can be pretty hard to give ourselves encouragement and that is when having a plaque, sign or poster that encourages us can be very helpful. Just seeing the encouraging words can be helpful but is not enough, to get the full benefit we need to say those words in our mind over and over again. Long ago (32yrs to be exact) I purchased a ceramic plaque with the saying below for my first child's bedroom. By the time he was five the saying had become my Motto and the plaque found a new home on the kitchen wall. These encouraging words have gotten me through many a difficult time.

Encouraging products and posters available HERE.

Distraction: Fuming and obsessing about how bad our day is solves nothing and only makes it worse! But what can we do that will make it better?  Distract our minds. We can do this by reading a good book, working out or going for a long walk. As long as it takes your mind off what ever is troubling you and it is a positive action it will help. Distraction that includes physical activity and fresh air has the best results.

Action Plan: Having our very own Bad Day Survival Kit is just the start of changing our bad day to a good day. To really make that change we need to put the Kit into action. To help do that here is the final important item in my Bad Day Survival Kit, the Action Plan. 

Bad Day Action Plan mini poster or magnet available HERE.

This is how I change my bad days to good, how do you change yours?

Wishing you a wonderful Day!

2013 Fragments

2013 was definitely a fragmented year for me. They say the first holidays preceding the loss of a loved one are the hardest. Well, I guess like in most other things I am the odd ball. Yes, the holiday's during the first year after my husbands death were difficult, but this year they have been even harder for me. Maybe it is because last year I was in Virginia not here in South Dakota where my husband and I lived and raised our family, or maybe, it just took a full year for it to truly sink in that he is gone forever. But whatever the reason the fact remains that this year I have felt more fragmented than in the past. So today I am pulling from my archives a few photos I had hoped to share back when I first took them but some how never managed too. 

This shot shows just one of the many parks here in Rapid City. I haven't been to them all but then that is on my to do list for 2014.

I really do like that we have a large back yard that is perfect for gardening and a bit of camping. Now to just pull myself together and actually start doing things in the back yard.

I really loved the way this shot turned out. It is of a girl dancing with a glow in the dark hula hoop. One of my goals for 2014 is to go to more of the outdoor concerts here in Rapid City.

Here are two of my favorites of the designs Mrs. G did on her nails this last summer. 

These next two were taken during one of our down town photo walks. One of my personal goals for 2014 is to get back to taking photos for the pure fun and enjoyment it creates.

With 2013 in the wind and the New Year just around the corner I decided to create a calendar that would both encourage one to achieve their goals and help them maintain their focus. The calendar consists of thirteen motivational quotes about achievement with a text box on the first page to write ones goal for the year and a text box each month to add the monthly goal. The background photos are ones I took last summer playing with shutter speeds at an outdoor concert.

For those that don't care for the text boxes there is a duplicate calendar without text boxes. These are two pages from the calendars. These are just two of the thirteen pages the rest can be seen by clicking HERE.

In my "share" archive was this motivational photo I created last month. Thus I will leave you with this thought to start the upcoming year.

Click here for prints and products featuring this design.

Seeing Beyond The Negative

Being an optimist is not easy. It doesn't mean that one is never bombarded with all the negativity that exists in our world. It is more a choice of looking beyond the negative, searching for and focusing on the positive. Even optimists need a reminder from time to time to look beyond the negative. With that in mind I created the following motivational art design.

Prints and products available in our gift shop

Enjoy the day! Embrace the beauty!

Inspirational Art

This weekend while I was feeling a tad under the weather and snuggled in my blankets trying to get warm this poem came to me. So today I went into my photo archives for some Autumn photos to go with the poem. I hope you enjoy the results.

I couldn't decide which style I liked better so I decided to share both the one above and this next one.

As with all of our inspirational and motivational designs posted here you may copy and use the digital versions as long as you leave the credit in tact. Products and prints of these designs are available in our online gift shop.

Gain Wisdom from Nature

Chase Away the Winter Blues

Chase away the winter cold 

with a warm smile and a hearty laugh!