First of all, I want to say that I’m what you would call a very happy person.  It hasn’t always been this way.  As a matter of fact, I spent most of my life feeling very unhappy.  Oh I had many reasons why, which don’t need any explanation as I choose to put them in the past.  I no longer have a need to keep retelling my story and hanging on to all the reasons why life was not good.

If you know me now, you know that I have much joy in my life, hence the name of my blog.  I have a fantastic husband, wonderful children, step children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and two of the best pups in the world.  I’m rich in friendship,  and enjoy an abundance of all good things.  Little things bring me joy.

Having said all that…. I was wandering around the house today and looking at some of the things that make my heart smile.

I thought I’d share them with you.

I love my tea pot collection.

I got my teacart at a little antique shop in Missouri.  I love the picture of the tea cups and teapots above.

My coffee table in the living room

Here is another little table I love

Here is my guest bathroom.  My daughter in law put this  up on the wall for me –
“Everyday holds the possibility of a miracle.”

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This is in my office/craft room.

My mother made this cute little dress for me when I was 2 years old.  That’s 60 years ago!  On the side is a picture of me wearing it. Don’t you just love the rickrack?  I think it’s so darn cute.

Love my family pictures.  I have so many more I need to get up there.

 This is the guest bedroom.

I love the little shelf with the plate and little girls that match.  So adorable.

No blog post would be complete without….

 Sugar Plum and Meeka

 So these are just some of the things in my house that make me smile. I saved a lot for another time.

Have a most wonderful day!

I told you I would show you, so here goes….

My first cake of this class.  It certainly isn’t perfect, but I had a good time.

Ha ha, cute huh!  We decorated cupcakes this past week.  Didn’t do too well on those, but I took them as a treat to our book group last night and everyone loved them.  I kept a few to put on my tablescape.

This coming week we are going to decorate another cake with the flowers that we will be making at home.

Well, enough of that.  However, I must say that it tasted good.  I had a couple of slivers (just to see what it tasted like) then I tossed it out.  I just can’t see eating a whole cake by myself.

On to my next hobby, sewing.  I finally got my spring table runner all together.

I had to lay it on my sofa as I just finished tablescaping my table (which will be in a future post).

 I love the way it all went together.  I can’t wait to do a tablescape using it.

If you remember my Christmas wall hanging (which it too large to hang so will go over the back of my sofa at Christmas time),  I am actually going to put these together at the same time.  I have all my materials to back them and quilt them so that will be at my next sewing lesson.  I think I might be a little better at quilting than I am at cake decorating.

Thanks to all of you who commented on my son’s cellulitis of his leg.  He was able to make it back to California from our house but ended up in the hospital for the next three days – which included his birthday!  Apparently it got much worse.  I have seen a picture of it and my oh my, it looked horrible.  So deep deep red and swollen.  I won’t share it because you really don’t want to see it, trust me.  He is home now and back to work.  He is a teacher and can sit at the front of the class with his leg propped up.

 Last but certainly not least, the latest pictures of my girls.

Sugar Plum, she always sits so nice when I want her to pose, although she wouldn’t smile!

Ha ha, here is little Meeka who decided her picture would be best taken lying down and ignoring me.  Silly girl.

Just a quick note to say that it’s all back to normal now.

Son Brian, daughter-in-law Linda (along with one of their dogs, Pancho), and son David (along with this three dogs, Luke, Goldie, and Biscuit) came last week and left today.  I was so sad to see them go.

We were so busy having fun, sightseeing, playing games outside on the back patio, playing with the dogs, Goodwill shopping, church on Easter, movies, eating out, eating in, going to the movies,  BBQing and working around the house.  It’s so good when my kids come and help me do things I can’t do by myself.  I got new shelves in the TV room closet!  Now I can stack all my new treasures on them.  I got a book shelf put together for my office, we hung pictures, decorated hubby’s TV room, fixed the sprinklers, hung the rope lights around the patio, and so much more.  What a productive week.

It didn’t end well though because David woke up yesterday morning with a very bad infection in his leg, cellulitis.  He had a very high fever, a pounding headache and a throbbing leg.  He spent the morning in the ER for IV antibiotics and other meds.  He felt good enough to drive home today, but he’s still not well and his leg is still very swollen and red.  Even when our kids are full blown adults with kids of their own, we still worry about them.  I guess that’s what a mother’s job it, right?

So I’ll be back to blogging soon but first, I have to catch up with all the bloggers I follow.  I have missed everyone so much and can’t wait to see what’s new in everyone’s life.  See you soon!

 Sugar Plum and Meeka wanted me to post that they are very excited that spring is here.

 They have chosen to wear their bright yellow “necklaces” for spring.

Sorry about the pictures.  I’m still learning.  They are very shadowed, but you can see their necklaces just fine.

They are outside on the lounge chair by the pool just waiting for summer.

 They also got a new bed.  It’s so puffy!!!

I asked them to pose in such a way that you can see their pretty yellow necklaces.

 Wish I had a bed that puffy.

Happy Spring!

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year.  Rebirth, newness, time to start over and let go of the past.

I made a conscious decision around five years ago that I would set my intention every morning to live in JOY.  It must be working because I am certainly “enjoying my life”  so very much.

I am living the exact life I want to live.  Hubby and I often remark to each other how great life is.  It’s not that “stuff” doesn’t happen, because it does.  It’s also not that we have become complacent because there are still more things we would like to do, more places we would like to see and just plain lots more living to do.  We are blessed to see most of our family very often.  Those that live far away, well, we just don’t see them often enough.   We have so much to look forward to.  I wrote a post awhile back about the new twin great-grandbabies we are awaiting.  Well, so far we have found out that they are identical and most likely girls.  Sometimes I wonder, can it really get any better?  Then it does!

Here are some of the things that Spring holds for me.

1.  Continuing on my  sewing lessons.

I just finally finished sewing together my (for next year) Christmas wall hanging.  I haven’t done the quilting yet, but here it is so far.  Actually it’s so big, it might just be a quilted throw to go over the back of my sofa.

Here is the fabric for my spring table runner that I’m also going to quilt.  I’m going to sew it together and then quilt them both at the same time.

I love these fabrics.  It’s going to be so pretty.

2.  Retaking cake decorating classes.

I took cake decorating lessons a little less than a year ago and I didn’t finish the last one.  I was less than impressed with myself.  Here is a picture of my first cake.  PLEASE DON’T LAUGH.

 I’m pretty sure I can do better this time around.  No matter what, I will share my photos.

3.  Volunteering

This past month I started volunteering at church in the office.  It’s been 12 years since I worked in an office.  A lot has changed, but I’m having a great time.  I couldn’t ask for a better bunch of people to work with.

4.  Walking my girls.

 All I have to say is “let’s find you leashes” and both their heads pop up and they are ready to go.

5.   GET READY FOR SUMMER!

Should have already started this one, but I didn’t.  I need to lose the weight I always gain over the holidays.

I have always wanted a pool and we have one now.   It always looks so inviting.  I better start getting ready for it!

Here in Arizona, we are able to use the unheated pool almost 6 months a year.  You can’t beat that!

6.  Blogging

I have found this great community of bloggers.  I follow Doggie blogs, tablescaping blogs, home decorating blogs, craft blogs, food blogs, well, blogs just pretty much about anything.  I have learned so much about others and about myself.  There are some wonderful people out there and I’m so happy to have met you all.

These are just a few of the things I’ll be busy with for the next few months.

I truly believe that Life is ALWAYS Good, no matter what might be showing up at the moment.  Experiences come and go, some we label  “good” and some we label “bad” but  one thing I know is that these experiences are transitory.  Life, with a capital “L” is always Good.  God is Good. I believe people are inherently Good.  I keep a Good attitude.  I stay grateful and I count my blessings.  I look for the Good in every situation.  I usually find it.  Maybe not exactly when I want to, but I do find it.

 Just in case you wonder, the new header is a picture of the front of our home in Missouri.  Spring time in the Ozarks is without a doubt the prettiest I’ve ever seen.  I miss the green, but I have lots and lots of pictures to enjoy.   When I start to get homesick, I pull out the ones where the snow is covering everything and poof! no more homesickness.