Things that make me SmiLe

My last post was such a downer that I thought I'd better let you know that I do find reasons to smile! Here are my top teN: (in NO particular order!)

1. My Husband. Couldn't do life without him. He makes me smile everyday. (Even if I roll my eyes a little with my smile!)

2. My Darling Daughters. Seriously - one of them is usually making me laugh - which comes AFTER the smile!

3. My Home. I LoVe my home. No really- I do. It is my sanctuary. It may be small by some standards. Plain to some. Not in the best 'o neighborhoods, but it is where I find peace. I consider it a privilege and an honor to have a home and to be able (so far) to be a stay-at-home-most-of-the-time kind of Mom.

4. My Sisters. I have the best. One is blood related and the others are connected by marriage. Some of them I am closer to than others. They are my friends, psychologists, counselors, listening ears. They cry with me, worry with me, sometimes solve my problems - but mostly are always there for me. I (heart) them more than anything!

5. Crafting makes me smile ALOT! Currently, I have been updating our home. I seriously need to craft/create. It soothes me somehow.

6. Reading. I've been reading ALOT! No - It doesn't matter what. I read at night to fall asleep. They are mostly silly romance books. CLEAN of course. I've been buying them at thrift stores. 75 cents, 45 cents or 25 cents.

7. Movies. Clean - uplifting kind of movies. My movie of choice right now is "Lark Rise to Candleford. Seriously SO GOOD. They make me feel good inside when I watch them. They make me appreciate my many blessings. LOVE them!

8. Our garDEn! I really love planting, tending and watching everything grow. Of course, the picking and eating are pretty good too! Right now I am watching our tomatoes go crazy! I picked 4 cucumbers today! And I harvested all our carrots earlier in the week. YUMS! What a blessing it all is.

9. See's Chocolate. A mother's day gift from Vaughan. I know they won't make me smile much longer 'cause I've almost finished them. But seriously, they are delish. I savor each one. And I confess. I don't share.

10. Prayer. Lots of prayer. I've prayed more this month that I have in a long time. I've been working on a goal of saying my morning prayers. I wouldn't say I've accomplished it yet - it's not quite a habit. But I love talking with my Heavenly Father in the morning. It has helped me so much. I'm so grateful for prayer and my connection to heaven.