Join Me For a Coffee?

I love flowers. I love looking at flowers. I love taking pictures of flowers.

They are so pretty. Glorious and vibrant.

They always brighten my day. I don’t like to smell them – I have allergies. But I sure love lookin at them. Did I already say that?

Problem is I rarely take the time to enjoy them.

As I get older time flies by so much faster. And faster. And faster.

The days, weeks and months pass by and I can’t remember what I did with all that time. I need to slow down and enjoy the moment.

I’ve been doing much better – living in the moment that is.

I am always in the moment with my granddaughters. I smile. I feel my heart swell. My whole being sits in peace and joy.

I need to do this when I’m not with them too.

I thought you just might like to slow down with me. Just for a little white. And enjoy being present in the now. So let’s take a moment to stop. Look at the flowers. And just be. In the moment.

Grab a coffee and join me.

Ahh. What can I say. This Black Eyed Susan is stunning. The colour soaked petals pulling your eyes to the center where you can get lost in the minute details we would other wise miss.

I love the composition of this photo. My eye is drawn into the image on the bottom left flower then up to the center cluster of blossoms. I pause to enjoy the sun rays dance on the petals before I glance down to the bottom right flowers and back to the left where I began to repeat the whole process.

These delicate white bell flowers stand at attention all in a row but it’s the cluster in the foreground that demand you to stop and appreciate their beauty.

The colour of these flowers is just amazing. I tweaked the pictures just a bit to add warmth and make them stylized.

Are you still with me? Bored yet?

This flower makes me laugh. This little cutie is right smack in the middle.. Saying Hi. Look at me. I'm right here.. Smile.

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Well thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed reading this post. 

And don't forget to stop by my Etsy Shop, Little Shop of Treasures or check out a few other posts.

If you would like to receive my blog updates please subscribe via email or follow me on Twitter, Pinterest or Blog Lovin.

I look forward to reading your comments. Make my day and leave one! We all learn and grow together when we share!

How Gratitude Changed My Life

Hi. I am so happy you decided to stop by for a visit. I hope everything is good with you.

I'm actually feeling pretty excited today. I have a guest blogger here. Her name is Nicole Nemeth but she prefers to be called Cole.

If you haven't guess, Cole is my daughter. Isn't she beautiful? She is here to talk about gratitude and how it has changed her life.

Cole has her own blog. It's called Peace and Chaos.

Please give her a warm welcome. Yahhh Cole!

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Hello and Welcome!

My name is Cole. I am a journalism student, and a mother.

I hope to be able to inspire, encourage and support other young moms. 





Life can be hard, and it can be much harder once you have a little one depending on you for everything, and even harder when you’re not quite independent yourself. Without my family and friend’s support I don’t think I would have made it even this far. 


But I believe we can have it all, and deserve the best for not only our children but ourselves, too.

I had my daughter Sidney when I was 17 with my boyfriend Nick. Over the past few years we have grown and matured a lot. Even through everything we’re still growing and maturing every day.

Chasing dreams, and achieving goals; my blog is about what it’s like to be a young parent through the struggles and successes we face every day.

Being a parent is the most difficult, and the greatest thing I have ever experienced.

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Here is my gratitude story.

Gratitude is something I've been exploring for more than a year now. It's been a life changing experience for me and so I want to share how I first started learning about the benefits of gratitude and how it's helped me.


Last summer while I was working at an art studio I fell into a pretty bad depression. I had a ton of support from my co-workers, supervisors, friends and family but if you've ever experienced depression you know that other people just can't help you. 

I ended up seeing a doctor and got antidepressants which kept me neutral, but I wanted to feel happy, or even just content, not neutral. Sometimes neutral is worse than sadness, it's like you don't feel anything at all. You're just numb.


Finally, I realized that if I wanted to feel happy again I was going to have to do something about it.

So one day after work I went over to the public library and wandered around the self-help section. The first book to really jump out at me was The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. 

I had heard about The Secret before. I knew there was a DVD, and my mom tried to get me to listen to the audio CD a couple of years before, but I had brushed it off. 

All of a sudden I found myself curious about it. Reading The Secret helped me to view life a little differently. 

Mind you, I don't believe that just thinking things will make them exist. I truly believe in working for things and such, but I took what it had said and applied it a little bit differently to my own life. I started thinking that things were possible.

But I needed more than that.


Then one day I came across another book by Rhonda Byrne called The Magic and it was exactly what I needed. 

This book talks a lot about gratitude! It's the reason I got into writing gratitude lists. It has 28 exercises for you to do in 28 days. Things like; writing gratitude lists, feeling thankful for what you do have and appreciating the people who are in your life.

For months I carried The Magic everywhere with me along with a journal and a pen. 

After I completed the 28 days I would still flip through my copy of The Magic whenever I felt I needed some inspiration, or if I was having a bad day. It was my reminder to feel grateful.

I used to be the most pessimistic person I know. I'm not even kidding!

Now I'm optimistic most of the time.


But learning gratitude can be really difficult for some people. At the beginning I felt like I would never be able to apply it to my daily life and I constantly had to remind myself to be grateful every time a negative thought popped into my mind, which was often. 

Now feeling grateful comes naturally.

Do you practice gratitude? Isu it something new, or have you been doing it for a long time?t


Thanks, Cole


Connect with me on:

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Etsy, Youtube, Google+, Bloglovin

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This is just too awesome. Thank you Carol and Linda for featuring this post.

This is what Linda has to say, "

Darlene Nemeth's daughter, Nicole, talks about gratitude and it's beautifully written."

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I am doing my happy dance.

Thank you ladies for featuring my post.

Check out all the features HERE.

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Well thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed reading this post. 

And don't forget to stop by my Etsy Shop, Little Shop of Treasures or check out a few other posts.

If you would like to receive my blog updates please subscribe via email or follow me on Twitter, Pinterest or Blog Lovin.

We look forward to reading your comments. Make our day and leave one! We all learn and grow together when we share!

And What Makes Me Think These Are The Top Three Posts for 2013?

Hi. I'm so glad you decided to stop by.

I thought the best way to end the year would be to review my top three posts. 

There are two reasons. One, I have a reason to share my posts again. :)  And two, we can figure out what I may have done right so we replicate it.

Well, I looked at my post stats and got confused. I had to stop and ask myself, what makes me think these are the top three posts of 2013?

1.) You Can't Live a Positive Life With a Negative Mind

2.) 8 Reason Someone Envies You

3.) How Random Acts of Kindness Improve Your Life

How do I determine which posts are the most popular - the most successful?

Pageviews

If this is the determining factor, then yes the three posts shown above would be considered the most popular posts.

Comments

1.) You Can't Live a Positive Life With a Negative Mind

• 57 comments including my responses

2.) 8 Reason Someone Envies You

• 61 comments including my responses

3.) How Random Acts of Kindness Improve Your Life

• 60 comments including my responses

These three pretty much seem tied when it comes to comments.

Featured

1.) You Can't Live a Positive Life With a Negative Mind

• Twice

2.) 8 Reason Someone Envies You

• Twice

3.) How Random Acts of Kindness Improve Your Life

• Once

The top two are tied. Unless I missed being featured somewhere which is quite possible. It's rare for a party host to send an email announcing that you have been featured.

Pinned

1.) You Can't Live a Positive Life With a Negative Mind

• RePinned 99

2.) 8 Reason Someone Envies You

• RePinned 4

3.) How Random Acts of Kindness Improve Your Life

• RePinned 67

Well those are pretty sad numbers. Especially number two which would probably put this post way back to tenth place or worse.

It's probably because it doesn't have a pinnable image. I'll have to work on that.

Number one does have the prettiest image.

Shares

1.) You Can't Live a Positive Life With a Negative Mind

• Google Plus 15 Times
• 6 Tweets
• 31 Facebook Shares
• 1 Stumble

2.) 8 Reason Someone Envies You

• Google Plus 13 Times
• 9 Tweets
• 19 Facebook Shares
• 1 Stumble

3.) How Random Acts of Kindness Improve Your Life

• Google Plus 9 Times
• 7 Tweets
• 9 Facebook Shares
• 1 Stumble

These numbers fall in line properly for Google+ and Facebook shares but the Tweets are out of whack. 

So what is the answer? How do I figure out which of my posts are most popular? That is if I am comparing my posts to each other as apposed to other bloggers.

These blog posts were from March, April and May of this year. Maybe they are more popular right now because they are older and time is on their side?

Sorry. I'm not suppose to be figuring out why they are popular but how their popularity is determined.

Ahhh! I could make myself crazy.

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Well thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed reading this post. 

And don't forget to stop by my Etsy Shop, Little Shop of Treasures or check out a few other posts.

I would love for you subscribe and follow along! 

You can also find me:  Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. See you there.

I look forward to reading your comments. Make my day and leave one!

Have a Fantastic Day!

Gratitude Journal Week Two: When Life Gets Sour Sweeten it With Gratitude

I honestly believe in the power of keeping a gratitude journal. It is a simple habit and it only takes a few minutes a day. 

It is the key to a happier life. 

Gratitude Journal Week Two

1. I am grateful to Beth and James for finding us a place to live. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
2. I am extremely grateful for having Honey Bunny in my life because she gives me reason to keep moving when I am down, she is the sunshine in my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
3. I am grateful for having a mattress to sleep on.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.
4. I am grateful for all the moments that get me through the day. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
5. I am grateful to my Mom for loving me unconditionally and always being on my side. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Never under estimate the power of your gratitude journal. It is one of the best tools to give you an attitude for gratitude. And subsequently bring you sustainable happiness. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

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I am so happy and honored - thank you Linda at Crafts a la Mode for featuring this post.

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Thanks for stopping by. 

If your interested, stop by my Etsy Shop, Little Shop of Treasures.

If you would like to receive my blog updates please subscribe via Email or follow me on Twitter, Pinterest or Blog Lovin.

Take Care and Have a Fantastic Day!

Gratitude Journal Week One

I honestly believe in the power of keeping a gratitude journal. It is a simple habit and it only takes a few minutes. 

It is the key to a happier life. 

Once you begin to keep your journal, you will notice how much you were taking for granted. 

A few wonderful side affects of keeping a gratitude journal are:

• overall happier
• keeps you focused on the good in your life rather than the bad
• changes you from a negative person to a positive one
• helps you get through the tough times
• inspires you to share the gratitude with others and improves their lives

Here are two important things to remember when keeping a gratitude journal. You can read the rest of the post about keeping a journal HERE.

My Dollar Store Gratitude Journal

1. Write it down. 

There's something about writing down a gratitude list in my journal that makes it real.  I can go through my list in my mind or out loud to myself but it just isn't the same. Seeing it, and writing it helps so much. 

2. Feel it.

Close your eyes and repeat it then say thank you, thank you, thank you and really feel it.

Gratitude Journal Week One

1. I am so grateful to my Mom for letting Honey Bunny and I stay with her until we can find a place to live. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
2. I am extremely grateful for having Honey Bunny in my life because she gives me reason to keep moving when I am down, she is the sunshine in my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
3. I am grateful for having a roof over my head because being homeless with a small child would be devastating and . .  Thank you, thank you, thank you.
4. I am grateful for all the money I have to make this transitional stage bearable and even enjoyable at times. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
5. I am grateful to Gary for his sensitivity and understanding and helping get through these tough times. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Never under estimate the power of your gratitude journal. It is one of the best tools to give you an attitude for gratitude. And subsequently bring you sustainable happiness. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

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Well, thanks for stopping by. 

If your interested, stop by my Etsy Shop, Little Shop of Treasures or check out my Free Printables page.

If you would like to receive my blog updates please subscribe via Email or follow me on Twitter, Pinterest or Blog Lovin.

Have a fantastic day!

Moving Day

The day of the move was hectic.

I had started packing on Monday. Mom and Nicole helped but the bulk of the packing was left to me. At first I was methodical and organized marking my boxes. Towards the end, I was just throwing things in boxes and people were grabbing ones partially filled.

We had to be out by Friday morning by eight a.m. 

The actual moving didn't start until four o'clock on Thursday. My Mom and her boyfriend arrived to start moving my stuff out. Then within the next three hours my sister and her two daughters arrived, one with her boyfriend. Then Cole arrived. Christina with her boyfriend. Gary and his sister with her daughter. 

I was getting scared that I would never be able to move everything on time but my family came to my rescue. Like a flurry of busy bees, there was a rush of commotion and I watched my belongings go out the door. It was about five o'clock a.m. when total exhaustion set in. We just couldn't move anything else.

We ended up leaving a few items behind because of they were too big to fit in the car and the vans were gone home. 

The above ground pool was left with the swing in the backyard. In the basement was my computer desk, clothing rack and a pile of garbage which I swept into a pile in the laundry room. 

On the maim level I left a tall white cabinet which I used to store my dishes, microwave and canned food. It was still in good shape but I was all out of man power.

Upstairs was the vintage cabinet from my room which I used for linens, videos and the t.v.

I felt good knowing that I left the house in such a good state. The lawn was cut and the gardens weeded. Washrooms and kitchen cleaned. Floors mopped. 

I wish I had the time and energy to pick up the garbage in the laundry room. It was actually the only place that I left garbage. The rest was bagged and put to the curb with a few other furniture items that I didn't want to keep.

I also wish I had spent more time working on the house than worrying about coming up with the money.

I was going to give the walls a quick coat of paint. I was going to paint the washroom ceiling and plug in the ceiling fan. I was going to replace another one of the floor tiles in the kitchen. I was going to get the paint off the basement washroom floor.

But I didn't.

I was going to take pictures of our house empty.

But I didn't.

We walked the house and took one last look, locked the doors and drove off.

We were beyond exhausted and feeling grimy. 

I am so very grateful to my family for helping me last minute move. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

And to Nick for taking my Honey Bunny out of the house and taking care of her. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thank you Marcie at I Gotta Try That for featuring my post and one of the most viewed link at the party.

Marcie says, Get this cute free printable from Darlene Nemeth











Unfortunately I cannot allow anonymous commenters due to the excessive amount of spam I am receiving! Sorry for the inconvenience.

Smile and Pass It On

Rate the Smile

Some peoples smiles really light up a room. You know the ones who smile so big their eyes sqwish up. Then the laughter comes bubbling up. I'm sure a few images just popped into your head right now. Made you smile didn't I? 

Unfortunately my smile is not radiating. My teeth are crooked so I very rarely show them when I smile. My eyes do sqwish though. My Mom has a wonderful smile. My daughters' and granddaughters' all have beautiful smiles. The sunshine radiates from them. I see their smiles, my heart leaps with joy and I can't help but smile too.

Smiling is Contagious

Of course smiling is contagious. Someone smiles, then before you know it, someone else's pearly whites are flashing. And it feels so good doesn't it! 

Smiling is a Gift

So share your smile with everyone who crosses your path. 

It's a special gift and it's free. It doesn't cost you anything to spread the joy.

Smiling and Gratitude

Try this. Smiling while saying thank you:

• Smile at cashiers when they return your debit card or pass you the change and say thank you. Don't forget to look them in the eye. 
• Smile at the rude sales person and thank them for their time.
• Smile at the stock person and thank them for showing you where the milk is.
• Smile at your spouse and say thank you as they pass the potatoes at supper.
• Smile and wave at the driver who lets you in through traffic and to the driver who honks their horn and swears at you.

The simple act of putting a smile on your face while saying thank you will uplift the spirits of the person on the receiving end. Sharing your smile with gratitude is an extra special gift and it doesn't cost you anything either.

Lift Your Spirits

Smiling has the power to improve your state of mind even when you feel there is no smile in you. I dare you to try this. Next time you are feeling sad or angry and you are having a difficult time smiling, force a smile. Or even better yet, picture the smiles of loved ones and feel the negative feelings melt away.

Hear The Smile?

Did you know people can hear you smiling when you are talking to them on the phone? Those if you who haven't heard of this, humor me. Smile and talk. Okay now stop smiling and talk. Can you hear the difference? I can and so can the person on the other end of the phone. They may even ask you why you are so happy.

Lead by Example

As I said earlier, my Mom has a wonderful smile. I remember her smiling more often than frowning. She just smiles. All the time. She says people must think she is a bit cuckoo because she walks around with a perma smile. She sure gets a lot of people saying hi to her and sparking up conversations.

When I am talking to my granddaughters, I smile. I hope my smile makes them feel good because Grandma loves them, appreciates them and feels happy to be with them. I also hope my girls learn to smile more often than frown.

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How does your smile rate? When you smile can you feel the happiness and gratitude for that moment in life?

Does all this smiling talk make your feel happy, positive and refreshed? Better than frowning, right?

Thanks for stopping by. Smile and pass it on.

Linked up at http://myfashionforwardblog.com/all-things-pretty-11/#more-2887

Yahhh! Sheryl at The Wilderness Wife has featured this post on her blog. Thank you Sheryl.

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I hope you find this post helpful or at least amusing! Let me know what you think by leaving a comment. I can never get enough of those.  :) And if you know someone else who may enjoy this post, please share it with them.

I would love for you to subscribe by email and follow along! 

I also post on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. See you there.