I love his big grin!

It’s a new year and I don’t like the new me. I will continually need help discovering who I am and I will continually be made new. It’s exciting to know that I can learn from past experiences. I will not become lazy again.

I believe that this is a practical world and that I can count only on what I earn. Therefore, I believe in work, hard work.

I believe in education, which gives me the knowledge to work wisely and trains my mind and my hands to work skillfully.

I believe in honesty and truthfulness, without which I cannot win the respect and confidence of my fellow men.

I believe in a sound mind, in a sound body and a spirit that is not afraid, and in clean sports that develop these qualities.

I believe in obedience to law because it protects the rights of all.

I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.

I believe in my Country, because it is a land of freedom and because it is my own home, and that I can best serve that country by “doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with my God.”

And because Auburn men and women believe in these things, I believe in Auburn and love it.
-George Petrie (1945)

I would love to be in Elizabeth Bennett's shoes! She's so quick witted, and while that usually gets her in trouble, it also attracts the most dreamy man. I love awkward situations and that's what most of Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship consists of. I giggle through the entire book. And even thought they are both prideful and prejudice against people not like them, the passion that comes from thier disagreements is undeniable. I'd give my right foot to have an encounter with Darcy in the woods.

A time comes in your life when you finally get it…when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out…ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying and blaming and struggling to hold on. Then, like a child quieting down after a tantrum, you blink back your tears and begin to look at the world through new eyes.

This is your awakening.

You realize it’s time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or for happiness, safety and security to magically appear over the next horizon.

You realize that in the real world there aren’t always fairy tale endings, and that any guarantee of “happily ever after” must begin with you…and in the process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are…and that’s OK. They are entitled to their own views and opinions.

You learn the importance of loving and championing yourself…and in the process a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval.

You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you – or didn’t do for you – and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected.

You learn that people don’t always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and everything isn’t always about you.

So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself…and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance.

You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties…and in the process a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for.

You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you’ve outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with.

You learn that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a “consumer” looking for your next fix.

You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life.

You learn that you don’t know everything, it’s not your job to save the world and that you can’t teach a pig to sing. You learn the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake.

Then you learn about love. You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You learn that alone does not mean lonely.

You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO.

You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs.

You learn that your body really is your temple. You begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin to eat a balanced diet, drinking more water, and take more time to exercise.

You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty and so you take more time to rest. And, just food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play.

You learn that, for the most part, you get in life what you deserve, and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is different than working toward making it happen.

More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You learn that no one can do it all alone, and that it’s OK to risk asking for help.

You learn the only thing you must truly fear is fear itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your own terms.

You learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom.

You learn that life isn’t always fair, you don’t always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people…and you lean not to always take it personally.

You learn that nobody’s punishing you and everything isn’t always somebody’s fault. It’s just life happening. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls.

You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you.

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.

Then, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less than you heart’s desire.

You make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

You hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind.

Finally, with courage in you heart, you take a stand, you take a deep breath, and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can.

I’m finding my way back to sanity, again
Though I don’t really know what
I am gonna do when I get there
Take a breath and hold on tight
Spin around one more time
And gracefully fall back in the arms of grace

I am hanging on every word you say
And even if you don’t want to speak tonight
That’s alright, alright with me
‘Cause I want nothing more than to sit
Outside Heaven’s door and listen to you breathing
Is where I want to be

I am looking past the shadows
Of my mind into the truth and
I’m trying to identify
The voices in my head
God, which one’s you?
Let me feel one more time
What it feels like to feel
And break these calluses off me
One more time

‘Cause I am hanging on every word you say
And even if you don’t want to speak tonight
That’s alright, alright with me
‘Cause I want nothing more than to sit
Outside your door and listen to you breathing
Is where I want to be

I don’t want a thing from you
Bet you’re tired of me waiting
For the scraps to fall
Off your table to the ground
I just want o be here now

- Lifehouse

Scarlett: The Sequel to Gone with the Wind

-Store your open chunks of cheese in aluminium foil. It will not mold and stay fresh longer.

-Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

-Add a teaspoon of water while frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

-To make scrambled eggs really rich, add in a teaspoon of sour cream, cream cheese or heavy cream and mix.

-For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed; Melt Andes mints and pour over brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

-Add garlic at the beginning of a recipe for a light taste. At the end if you want a stronger taste.

-Mini Snickers Treat; Chop up with a food chopper. Peel, core and slice apples. Place in baking dish and sprinkle candy bars over the apples. Bake 350 for 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or by themselves.

-Heat up leftover pizza in a non-stick skillet on the stove, over medium heat. Keeps the crust crispy.

-Easy Deviled Eggs; Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal and mash until they are broken. Add remainder of ingredients, seal and mash until blended. Once ready, cut off tip of the bag and squeeze mixture into the egg.

-When buying a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. More mix for your cake/cupcakes, less calories and sugar.

-To warm biscuits, pancakes or muffins that were refrigerated, place in the microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will help keep the moist and help it reheat faster.

-Wrap your plants in wet newspaper. Weeds will get through gardening plastic. They will not get through wet newspaper.

-Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up shards of glass you can’t see very easily.

-Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep mosquitoes away.

-To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle with Cayenne pepper. The Cayenne pepper doesn’t hurt the plant but the squirrels will not come near it.

-To get something from under your fridge, add an empty paper towel roll to your vacuum hose. It can be bent for flattened to get into narrow openings.

-To reduce static cling; Place a safety pin inside the seam of your skirt, dress or slacks.

-Before you put your sticky ingredient into your measuring cup; Fill with hot water, dump out the water but don’t dry the cup. Next add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it slides out.

-For a foggy window; buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in your glove box, Works better than a cloth.

-To unseal an envelope, place in your freezer for a couple of hours. It unseals itself.

-Use conditioner to shave your legs. Cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs smooth.

-To get rid of fruit flies; Fill a small glass with 1/2 apple cider vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid. Mix well. The flies are drawn to the cup and will be gone forever.

-Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They ‘take it home’, eat it and can’t digest it. It may takes a few weeks to see results, especially if it rains, but it works.

-Take out your dryer filter and run it under hot water. Does the water stand on top of the screen? You have a film from your dryer sheets on the screen. Every 6 months or so, take this out and clean it with hot soapy water. Let air dry & replace. Failure to do so can cause your dryer to work overtime drying your clothes and ultimately can cause your heating element to go out in half the time

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chilliest land
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

- Emily Dickinson