Choose Happy....It's a Choice!!

....because I'm a quiz addict....Interesting that over half of these photos are from the most difficult and painful parts of my life thus far....my divorce and losing the dream home I had waited so long for, my baby's cancer battle....starting over in the kind of life I never wanted to have to embrace, all happening at the same time. Finding the happy moments in everything is a choice, and one that's worth making!!

My biggest happy has been my kids since the day I found out I was going to be a mom. ❤ I recently had someone tell me I was too good of a mom, meant as a criticism. That my kids were too much of a priority in my life, etc, etc, etc. Someone criticizes that part of me, and I instantly don't like them and they quickly find that there's no place for them in all of my happy moments to come...

Mama Bear. That's one of the very BEST parts of me.

Wonder Woman....is a Bear?!?!

Just made a quick pit stop at home before having to go pick up my football-player-in-training & found a box at my door.....look what it is!!! An early Valentines Day surprise!!!

I needed that surprise....and the laughs that accompany it....so much

Dressed to impress and ready to conquer the world!!!

Trust, Faith, and a Daily Devotion

When your daily devotion hits you right upside the head & right where you are...from Streams in the Desert....

Surely, I am with you always (Matthew 28:20)

"Never look ahead to the changes and challenges of this life in fear. Instead, as they arise look at them with the full assurance that God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. Hasn't He kept you safe up to now? So hold His loving hand tightly, and He will lead you safely through all things. And when you cannot stand, He will carry you in His arms.

Do not look ahead to what may happen tomorrow. The same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you His unwavering strength that you may bear it. Be at peace, then, and set aside all anxious thoughts and worries". ~Frances de Sales

He will silently plan for you,
His object of omniscient care;
God Himself undertakes to be
Your pilot through each subtle snare.,

He WILL silently plan for you,
So certainly, He cannot fail!
Rest on the faithfulness of God,
In Him you will surely prevail.

He will SILENTLY plan for you
Some wonderful surprise of love.
No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
But it is kept for you above.

He will silently PLAN for you,
His purpose will all unfold;
Your tangled life will shine at last,
A masterpiece of skill untold.

He will silently plan FOR YOU,
Happy child of a Father's care,
As if no other claimed His love,
But you alone to Him were dear.
~ E. Mary Grames

Future Crazy Cat Lady....

.....because a wise Christian woman lives by faith, but always has a plan for the future in mind....

Collecting & winning over neighborhood cats serves a purpose...
Haha. ;)

Trust His Heart

....that moment (or those moments) when clarity is shed on something that didn't work out despite your best efforts and you've been kind of wondering WHY NOT ever since....

And you say, "WOAH, nellie. Thank you, Lord"....

He knows best. Yes, He does.

Do you ever wonder just how many bullets we dodge, thanks to Him not working out the things we thought we wanted??? 

Some Days, I Need a Little Bit of the Diva...

...because. Some days, ya need a li'l sass to get 'er done... 

Sometimes, music just hits you right where you are, ya know???

She Always Gets Back Up.

Just because.  Life is hard.  Being a mom is hard.  Single mom-ness is hard.  REALLY hard.....and we never feel like we're doing enough, being enough, etc, etc, etc.

This.

10 Facts Every Woman Should Know

10 Facts Every Woman Should Know:

1. Everyone has rolls when they bend over.
2. When someone tells you that you're beautiful, believe them. They aren't lying.
3. Sometimes we all wake up with breath that could kill a goat.
4. For every woman unhappy with her stretch marks is another woman who wishes she had them.
5. You should definitely have more confidence. And if you saw yourself the way others see you, you would.
6. Don't look for a man to save you. Be able to save yourself.
7. It's okay to not love every part of your body....but you should.
8. We all have that one friend who seems to have it all together. That woman with the seemingly perfect life. Well, you might be that woman to someone else.
9. You should be a priority. Not an option, a last resort, or a backup plan.
10. You're a woman. That alone makes you pretty damn remarkable. 
- Austin Blood

On Reserve....

....gonna leave this right here.

Because if I hear one more well intentioned, well meaning, "you're too pretty to be single", "you're too good of a catch to be single, "you're too.........to be single".....Sigh.

All filed under:: Things not to say to a single mom....or single woman, for that matter.

How 'bout, "Know your worth & don't settle" instead??