Bonjour Happiness!

Hello Friends,

It has been a long couple of months 

since I've written.

I live in an area

affected by the recent floods, in fact

today, my high schoolers just

got to go back to school at Lyons

High School.  Driving

past the mud, piles of debris

and devastation this morning, I am

thankful.

I am thankful for the Blessings.  The community and the school bonded

together in helping one another.  Relief workers came and many

are still here. I got the blessing of an extra teenager for a couple

months too!  

So in the bustle of life these past couple of months,

I am reminded that the Blessings come in many forms...in the piles of laundry,

in the pleasure of having teens in my life, in the teaching of Sunday School,

the substitute teaching, the leaf piles, a cup of coffee, Pandora radio, 

a day to myself, furniture rearranging, a little baby that

came and turned the world upside down, so many

blessings to reach out and touch~

And time to create.

Here's a sampling of what I've been up to.

I call them 'Snow Biddies.'

Snow gals and guys with

personalities!

That's Mrs. Beachy above

and Bertie here.

I am having a blast making them.  You can find them at

http://www.magicfairycandles.com/   

in Longmont.

I've also been working on

making French Hens.

Birds I've paper mache'd out

of old French textbooks, with

pearl eggs, banners and

yep, glitter.

Here's Gertie.

Thanks

http://theadventuresofbluegirlxo.blogspot.com/

for the inspiration to dye those little trees.

They look perfect snuggled

up next to the Snow Biddies.

Here's Frenchie.  Okay, did I say how 

much fun I was having?  I love

giving them names too!

Making bird nests with Morning Glory vines and glitter.

Okay, my pictures aren't exactly in order, but you get 

the idea.  I am thankful for the blessing

of creativity and time to play,

it meets a need in me.

In tweaking a line from Chariots of Fire,

"God made me artistic and when

I create I feel his pleasure!"

Remember to look for blessings.

God is in the details,

joyously,

deedee

Brighten the Corner Where You Are

Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do,

Do not wait to shed your light afar,

To the many duties ever near you now be true,

Brighten the corner where you are.

Refrain

Brighten the corner where you are!

Brighten the corner where you are!

Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar;

Brighten the corner where you are!

Here for all your talent you may surely find a need,

Here reflect the bright and Morning Star;

Even from your humble hand the Bread of Life may feed,

Brighten the corner where you are.

are you brightening your corner?

or filling it with complaining,

adding to the discord around you?

I was.

I'm ready to get 

back to brightening my corner

'cause drama and negativity

don't do anyone

any good.

even if you didn't start it.

even if...

you can let it go.

get back on track.

back to 

brightening.

those small moments

and gestures can

mean the

world.

someone 

needs

your smile 

and

encouragement

today.

blessings,

deedee

drama

I am weary

of the 

drama

of the ex.

for a week and a half

it's been barf

after

barf.

then today

i read in

my 

daughter's

 devotional

book 

and it said

be thankful.

in this.

and

at the end

of the day.

i am thankful.

that i no

longer live 

in the 

drama

on a daily

basis.

we have

peace.

we have

laughter.

we have

joy

and

hope

and

marvel.

i am

thankful.

i am

free.

i can give

up

the 

drama

i don't

have to

participate

in it.

i

 can

choose

peace,

joy,

contentment.

Lord.

this

drama

sucks.

it is

emotionally

draining

me;

i give

it

to 

You.

and ask

kindly

for

the

stamina

and

courage

to

live

free.

Art Show

My daughter

had an 

Art Show

last night.  She has

been burning the

midnight oil, framing and matting

her photos and painting other

works of art.

She is gifted in

so many ways and has

a heart that yearns

to seek after God, live

in peace and 

minister to others.

What a

BLESSING

it has been

to get to be her mamacita.

Way to go dear one!

I love your whole face.

Mama

Her Happy Heart

I have been teaching as a

long term sub for the

last three weeks.

I have been

challenged

and 

have learned so stinkin' much!

I am working with

children who have

special needs

and yes,

there have been

some days

I wanted to cry,

but it has taught me several

very important things...

1.  Be direct in simple terms.

This one actually has helped me in parenting

my own teenagers...in fact one day

my 15 year old son looked at

me and said, "You looked like you really meant that!"

Yep, I needed that lesson.

2.  Celebrate the simple victories!

and

my favorite...

3.  Be a 'bucket filler.'

If you  haven't read the Bucket books,

they are a must!  

4.  Treat students as smart and valuable people, no matter their level

of 'smartness.'

There is a 5th grade teacher I have had the privilege of

observing on several occasions, she so gently

brings the students back to what they

are supposed to be doing,

while at the same time making them

feel like successful little people.  What a gift she has.

5.  Have a happy heart!

This is my favorite.  My teammate was setting goals

with her students and modeled it by putting

her own goals up, this was one of her goals.  I love the fact that

she is teaching this very important life skill and showing

by example every single day,

what a happy heart looks like.

"A happy heart is good medicine."

Yeah, it's in scripture too,

so be good to

your soul

and live with a happy heart.

These are photos of some signs

I did recently, I found

some cowgirl

ones that just

reached my funny bone.

Enjoy!

(A glimpse of my painting table.)

It's time to rock it with 

happiness girls!

Blessings,

Deedee

The Joy of being Home

Some images from travelling...

Loved the swim baskets

and light fixtures

made

out of old goodies at 

Hoodoo Antiques in Portland.

At Saturday Market in Portland,

watching the children

play in the

fountain.

 or not play...

This is Tessie, she sits upfront

on her owner's motorcycle

and wears a helmet too!

Looks like she

stopped to pose for me~!

Hunting for words

on this trip...

and cool places to take

some Senior photos

of my daughter.

We stopped to pick blueberries,

I missed it because there were so

many outbuildings on this 

old farm...

as I headed round the bend

on the very bumpy road,

I felt like I was

in an episode of "Picker's."

Oh my, If I could have

hauled things back to Colorado,

I'd have gone "pickin.''

When we ran into another car coming down the hill,

the driver had to pull off road for us to pass.

Then we got to a house with the

chickens hanging out on the porch!

A ragged lookin' child came

to ask us what we were doing

there....he was about 4, 

guess not many people

just pop in!

Time at the beach is always so refreshing.

Just to sit and listen

to the roar

is 

enough.

Well, for me, it is actually snoozin' on the

beach that makes the vacation

complete.

But home...

I love to come home.

blessings,

deedee

Gone to the Beach

Let me tell you about my mama

In the last 8 months,

she's been in the

hospital and

rehab for

a broken hip,

as well as some other

things....

And so imagine my

SURPRISE

when she

said yes,

to the 

BEACH.

 I live 1000 miles away,

so it has been a

DELIGHTFUL

week.

Day 1, looking

at the BEACH

from the top of the

very steep path.

 God gave me the

best gift

EVER

when He

chose 

my mama

for

me.

The best place to be

is most

definitely

the BEACH.

Day 2,

"Sure, I'd like to go

on down to the 

beach for a while..."

Isn't she so cute!

Day 3

Look at her!

And then, "Yes,

I'd like to go on down for

the fireworks!!!"

So not only was she walking in the sand,

she walked in the sand in the

dark, she's 

AMAZING!

blessings,

deedee

So Much Happiness

So I got to grade

some papers today.

The students read

a sweet

poem 

about

HAPPINESS.

So Much Happiness

It is difficult to know what to do with so much happiness.

With sadness there is something to rub against,
a wound to tend with lotion and cloth.
When the world falls in around you, you have pieces to pick up,
something to hold in your hands, like ticket stubs or change.It doesn't need you to hold it down.
It doesn't need anything.
Happiness lands on the roof of the next house, singing,
and disappears when it wants to.
You are happy either way.
Even the fact that you once lived in a peaceful tree house
and now live over a quarry of noise and dust
cannot make you unhappy.
Everything has a life of its own,
it too could wake up filled with possibilities
of coffee cake and ripe peaches,
and love even the floor which needs to be swept,
the soiled linens and scratched records…..

But happiness floats.

Since there is no place large enough
to contain so much happiness,
you shrug, you raise your hands, and it flows out of you
into everything you touch. You are not responsible.
You take no credit, as the night sky takes no credit
for the moon, but continues to hold it, and share it,
and in that way, be known.

Author Naomi Shihab Nye

It was fun to spend a day reading about HAPPINESS...There is a woman who sits kitty-corner across from me and she reminds me of this poem.  I don't know her, but I get to see her happiness...it shows, it floats from her like the poem, she gets the silent giggles and she shares her happiness by just being who she is....I like getting to catch it...

Is that you?  Does your happiness flow out of you into those you touch?  Do you 'make someone's day?'  I know someone like this, everyday she is purposeful in her showing of love....she makes so many people's day and doesn't even know it.....it doesn't take much, a smile, a word of kindness, letting someone get in front of you in line, a helpful hand....so many simple ways to let your happiness pour out of you....it may be just what someone is needing and you can be that instrument of love...

with joy,

deedee

Who's on the Road to Awesome with Me?

Come on...

Get up...

Let's go!

livin happy,

deedee