Over the years I have done a few fashion focused posts and one of the things that came up in the survey I recently did is that some of you would like me to bring them back and would enjoy a fashion post now and then. So… here we go. Now, I am not a fashion blogger and don’t plan on being a fashion blogger. My daughter Tessa Leigh has that part of the blogging world covered! But I do love clothes. Just a little (my family is laughing over that one!)
I actually spent four years in college getting a degree in Clothing & Textiles. Which basically means I can sew and can identify all the major fabric groups and know their basic characteristics. I learned how to draw and illustrate as well as make and fit a pattern from scratch including a hand tailored wool suit that still hangs in my closet. Also, at one time I had a mannequin I made myself that was a near perfect replica of my body. Her name was Matilda. Unfortunately Matilda is long gone and she is no longer a near perfect replica of my body. I think she’s put on a bit of weight since college!! We had to wrap our bodies in plastic wrap and then tape, cut ourselves out of it and then fill the mold with foam that hardened. Really!
During those four years at college I also learned to love clothes, even more than I already did. That love for clothes and fashion has continued over the year and has become “my one weakness.” (That’s for all my Larkrise to Candleford friends!)
So occasionally on the blog, I’m going to share with you some of the outfits I’ve been wearing and some of my favorite clothing/fashion pieces of the season.
The one piece I am wearing right now more than any other piece in my wardrobe are my chambray and denim shirts. If you were going to purchase one new piece for your wardrobe this Spring let it be a chambray or denim shirt. From here on I will refer to it as a chambray shirt but it is interchangeable with a denim shirt. Now for a little textile lesson for you – chambray is a light weight fabric with a colored warp and white filling yarns. It is a lightweight, lighter colored denim. Denim is a coarse, twill cloth. Basically denim is heavier than chambray.
I actually love a chambray shirt so much I have four of them in my closet. Each has it’s own personality and it’s own place in my wardrobe.
From bottom to top:
1. I love the small polka dot on this shirt. It gives it just a bit more character and interest than the solid shirts but I can pretty much wear it just like I would the other shirts. This shirt came off the clearance rack at Anthropologie a few years ago but I noticed that Old Navy has a darling polka dot chambray shirt right now!
My favorite thing to wear a chambray shirt with is colored jeans. It will go with any color jean. I am asked a lot by people, “How do I wear colored jeans?” and my answer is usually “with a chambray shirt!” Here I show it with my mustard yellow colored jeans but it would work just as well with the green or red or whatever color you have! Right now my favorite colored jean is the Rockstar Jean from Old Navy – Grab them when they go on sale for $19.95! Just be prepared to go up a size or two. They look cute with a pair of flats or tucked into boots. I just throw a statement necklace or a scarf on with the shirt and I’m good to go. My boots were also a Nordstrom Rack find this year and are by Miz Mooz. Love the shorter little boot for my short legs!
2. This is my loosest fitting chambray shirt. It is from Target a few years ago . It is my go to shirt when I need something quick, easy and comfy to wear. I had a nasty head cold last week and actually spent two days in my pajamas which rarely happens. The third day I got dressed and this was my go to outfit! Loose chambray shirt, scarf (from Target this year) and a pair of black jeggings. The jeggings are a nice heavy fabric and are super comfy. They are by Joe Jeans and I picked them up at Nordstrom Rack a few years ago. I wear them with my black ballet flats (Sperrys from Nordstrom Rack last week) or my new “Merry Christmas to me from my in laws” black boots. They are from Macy’s.
3. This is the newest addition to the Chambray shirt collection. I wanted a lighter colored one for this season and I found this light chambray shirt at Target. My fashion blogger daughter gave me this darling skirt from J Crew Factory outlet for Christmas and the chambray shirt was the perfect thing to wear with it. The skirt had so many possibilities with all that fun color. I added a cardigan, a gold necklace and a pair of tights with tiny little dots on them. The shoes in the photo are actually NOT the ones I wore with this outfit. Not sure what I was doing when I took the photo. I wore a darker brown pair of Mary Jane style heels from Target. I also added a dark brown belt on top of the skirt at my waist.
4. The shirt on the top of the pile is my darkest shirt and is a very soft denim. It is a little tighter fitting than the other shirts so I like wearing it under pullovers, etc. so I don’t have as much bulk which always adds a pound or two! Here you can see how great it works with colored denim. I put it under my favorite polka dot sweater from Old Navy, added a statement necklace and my black ballet flats.
This is the outfit I wore to church on Sunday. I have been wanting a striped skirt and I happen to find this cute black and white knit striped skirt at Old Navy this week for about $22.00 -right in my price range. The other thing I liked about this skirt was the length! Even as short as I am (5’2″) a lot of the skirts are just too short for me. I did end up shortening this skirt about an inch. It is super comfy.
I loved the way the outfit came together with my my denim shirt and gray cardigan. I gave it a fun touch with the leopard belt and then wore some black textured hose with my black kitten heel pumps. I texted my two daughters a photo of the outfit before I left for church just to make sure it had their approval! The crystal necklace is a new favorite that came from Forever Love – cheap!
As you can see, the possibilities are just about endless. You can basically wear a chambray shirt with anything you would wear a white shirt with. The only thing I don’t like to wear a denim shirt with is a pair of jeans that are the same color denim. Too matchy matchy for me but a lighter weight chambray shirt with dark denim can work.
So – what do you think? Do you own a chambray shirt? If not, are you ready to go out and buy one! Would love to know what you like to wear it with!
{giveaway closed}
I also have a fun fashion focused giveaway for you. I have shared with you before how much we like Shabby Apple at our house. When you leave a comment today letting me know what is your favorite Shabby Apple piece and as well as liking Shabby Apple’s Facebook Page you will be entered to win a $50.00 gift certificate to Shabby Apple.
Shabby Apple is also offering a discount code to all my blog readers for 10% of until Feb. 27th! Use the code: yourhomebasedmom10off.
“Liking” Shabby Apple on Facebook is an eligibility requirement for anyone entering your giveaway. Contestants must have a USA shipping address to be eligible for entry.
We went directly from Christmas into Valentine’s Day at our house. A few days after the Christmas came down the Valentine’s went up. My house always looks so naked after the Christmas comes down that I can’t handle it so I have to put up the Valentine’s Decor.
I’ve had fun the last few weeks tweaking it a bit and adding a few new fun things. During the holidays I found these fun stars made out of yardsticks on Pinterest and I made a couple for our church Christmas party.
A few days ago as my husband and I were strolling through Home Depot (that is what empty nesters do) I walked by t he yardsticks in the paint department and thought – if I could make a star why not a heart! So I picked up 3 more yardsticks at 68 cents a piece! I had red spray paint at home so I was good to go.
Yardstick Heart DIY Tutorial
I had Jim cut the 3 yardsticks into 8 pieces. Six pieces that are 12 inch long and two pieces that are 6 inches long.
I then spray painted then red.
Then play around with the shape and get it just the way you like it.
Then use hot glue to glue the pieces together. If you want a more distressed look you can sand the pieces. I suggest doing it before you glue it together rather than after. I did it after and ended up having to reglue some of the pieces.
I then wrapped the heart with white lights. All my lights were packed away with the Christmas stuff in the attic so I bought a 50 strand of lights at Joanne’s. They have them in the bridal section.
I especially like how it looks at night.
The lights are definitely optional and it looks great without them too.
Which way do you prefer? With or without lights?
I can’t quite decide! What’s your vote? Leave me a comment and let me know.
I think my father in laws old vintage typewriter has taken up permanent residence in my front entry.
I added a few vintage red books along with a few pieces of my milk glass collection.
The piece of subway art I had done for the Wedding Carnival was a perfect addition to the Valentine Decor.
My love affair with bottle brush trees continues. I made some Valentine trees by bleaching and dying them. I’ll have a tutorial on how I did that tomorrow.
I love the little banner I hung along the front of the dresser. I used some vintage Valentine’s I purchased off of eBay last year along with some letters I cut out on my Silhouette Cameo machine.
I have a touch of Valentine’s in my family room too. I had various letters from different projects left over and my red berry wreath worked perfect for the O of LOVE.
I love filling different size jars with holiday candy for quick and easy holiday decor!
My little cupid from Goodwill loves sitting on a cake stand surrounded by love sentiments!
Be sure and cast your vote in the comments – with or without lights!??
Many of you mentioned in my recent blog survey how much you enjoyed my book recommendations and wished I would share with you what I am reading more than once or twice a year. So because I aim to please I will be sharing with you monthly what I am reading. I hope you will also share with me what you have been reading.
So the final book count for my 2012 Book List was 45.
That was slightly up from last years 42 but down from 2010’s 53 books.
This year I have given some of the books I read a rating system (1-5 stars) There are a few 2.5 books on this list. Those are the ones I don’t recommend or didn’t finish. Sometimes I don’t finish a book because the language is bad or it is what I would consider R rated but sometimes I don’t finish a book because I just don’t like the subject matter or the story. That was the case with a few books this year. That doesn’t necessary mean someone else won’t love the book. I did not rate most of the non-fiction books I read, mainly the fiction. I don’t give out too many 5.0. The majority of what I read falls in the 3.5-4.0 range. A book has to really wow me and make me want to read it again to get a 5.0.
I’d love for you to leave a comment at the end and let me know what some of your favorite books are that you read this past year.
Disclaimer: We need to take personal responsibility for what we read and watch and we all have different standards so please be sure and check things out. Although the majority of what I read I would consider rated PG there may a few books that I have read that don’t meet with your personal standards so please be a responsible reader. I don’t want to offend anyone.
This was a book club choice and probably not one I would have read on my own. I ended up skimming quite a bit as they were stories I was familiar with. Did enjoy reading about how the author believes God had intervened in History to make America the amazing nation it is today.
I had to read this book because my son Clark has always said it is his favorite book of all time and Clark is a reader. Probably not my favorite book of all time (not my favorite genre)but a fun departure from the usual type of fiction I read. A science fiction book set in Earth’s future, the novel presents an imperiled humankind who have barely survived two conflicts with the “Buggers” and are preparing for a third invasion.
I have been on a bit of a Paris kick this year. This book is a prefigure to the book Suite Francaise which I also read this year and takes place in France in 1910. The author is a Jewish women who was sent to a concentration camp and died. The book wasn’t published until five years after the author’s death. The book is a story of war, family life and star-crossed lovers.
In my attempts to become a runner this year I read several running books and this was one of them. Although it is geared more for the “younger mother” I learned some great tips and ideas from reading it.
This was also a book club read. We were brief participants in a couples book club. This book got lots of attention around here. Picked as a top read by the Multnomah County Library (a Portland author) it got rave reviews. I did not like it at all but had several friends who loved it. Full of racial tension, The Girl who Fell from the Sky follows a group of characters involved in an incident where an entire family falls to their death from a rooftop. Only one young girl survives – and the majority of the story follows her as she tries to make sense of her life after the tragedy. I can’t really tell you why I didn’t like but I didn’t. (PG 13 for language and sex)
7. A Simple Act of Gratitude by John Kralik
Instead of focusing on what he didn’t have, this author decides to be grateful for what he does have. This book chronicles his journey to write 365 thank you notes in one year.
If you are a flower lover like me you will enjoy this book. Using the Victorian language of flowers, a woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.
Set in Victorian England, The Wet Nurse’s Tale is the story of young Susan Rose, who must find work as a wet nurse when her baby is taken from her. Susan attempts to balance other peoples’ babies with her quest to regain her own.
More of my love for Paris. Set in Paris in the 1860s, hundreds of houses are being razed, whole neighborhoods reduced to ashes by the order of Emperor Napoleon III, Rose Bazelet is determined to fight against the destruction of her family home until the very end.
The Night Circus or Cirque des Reves is a circus that arrives without warning, simply appearing when yesterday it was not there. It was a bit slow getting into it but I totally enjoyed the story. A little mystical magical romance for summer
Although I am still searching I really enjoyed this book and took quite a few notes while reading it. Some good thought provoking ideas and suggestions that I am trying to incorporate into my life. I always try to read one or two non-fiction books each summer for personal improvement!
Although I am not planning on running a marathon I did pick up some good tips from Jeff. I like his run/walk approach to long distance running but I think a 1/2 marathon was enough for me
I aways like to read one or two classics each summer and this was my first one for the summer. I had never read it before. Jim and I listened to it on a long car ride and he enjoyed it too. The life and labors of a Chinese farmer.
This book was recommended to me as one that “anyone who loves Downton Abbey, will love this book.” Well, I love Downton Abbey and I enjoyed this book. I didn’t love it but it was a good read. It is the story of a wealthy American girl who marries a British Aristocrat. Sound familiar? The two main American women in the book and mini series even have the same name! The beginning is slow but if you hang in there it gets better. Tessa and I listened to this and both enjoyed it.
This book has been a continuation of my run on books that take place in Paris that I have been on for the last year. This book is about Paris during WWII and the Nazi occupation. When Irène Némirovsky began working on Suite Française, she was already a highly successful writer living in Paris. But she was also a Jew, and in 1942 she was arrested and deported to Auschwitz, where she died. For sixty-four years, this novel remained hidden and unknown.
(4.0 stars if you are looking for a sweet and simple read)
This is a fun new series I discovered this summer. If you are a fan of the Mitford Series you will enjoy the Harmony series. They are sweet, simple easy reads about a quaint little community and all the characters that live there. You may just want to move to Harmony after you are done reading it just like I wanted to move to Mitford!
This book was recommended to me by my good friend Marsha and I loved it. I read a library copy and took copious notes while reading the book. Marsha and I then went down to Powell’s Books and each bought a copy. Jim also read it and I am ready to reread it. Donald Miller is a Portland author and the book is Donald’s story of how he learns to edit his life into a great story which is something each of us can do. We can edit our own life and make the choice to live a great story. This book is a celebration of the beauty of life. I loved it and it has changed how I look at my life.
I have been an Anne Tyler fan since reading The Accidental Tourist in 1985. I think I have read every book she has written. This book is a story of loss and recovery and how the main character (a man) learns to live with and deal with loss and how to say goodbye.
This book came on recommendation from my husband who is a big history fan and a Bill O’Reilly fan. Although not my favorite book of the summer it was an interesting read and I learned a lot about the history of the Civil War and President Lincoln’s assassination that is not printed in your average history textbook.
This is the story and book written by popular blogger Nie Nie who survived a near fatal plane crash with her husband. It is a story of struggle, courage and amazing spirit. Caution: You may shed a tear or two. I have been a follower of Stephanie’s blog since the crash so most of the story I was familiar with but it is always inspirational.
If you are looking for a good murder mystery this summer and if you are a fan of Bones or any of those CSI TV shows you will enjoy this book. Amazon describes it as CSI meets Age of Reason. The story takes place in England in the 18th century and is an enjoyable murder mystery/ forensic medicine type tale. Really enjoyed this book.
If you enjoyed The Help you will like this book. This story takes place on a plantation in the 1800?s and is the tragic story of what life on a plantation as a slave was like. Despite the terrible things the slaves endured they enjoyed family and love amongst each other.
I am always a sucker for a Jane Austen themed book. This author’s story is what happens after Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are married and includes a mystery and a murder trial. If you always wished Pride & Prejudice and want more of Lydia, Mr. Wickham and the rest of the characters of Pride & Prejudice you might enjoy this read.
30. A Good American by Alex George (2.0 stars – do not recommend)
Enjoy the first half but the second half was way too much teenage sexual angst. (PG-13)
Thoroughly enjoyed this book! Historical fiction is my favorite genre and this is the story of Tess, an aspiring seamstress who is a survivor of the Titanic. The story then focuses on life after the Titanic and the story of some of those who survived. Documentation of real testimony is used and lots of questions are left to be answered. The story includes romance, fashion and a look into history.
This book was written by the author of one of my favorite books – Molokai. It was my top read in 2008. This story is of a young “picture bride” from Korea who arrives in Honolulu in 1914. A story of moments of love and loss as well as woes, dreams, triumphs. Her strength and determination helps to overcome abuse as she constantly strives to better her circumstances. One of my favorites of this year’s list.
Spanning from the 1930s to the present day, from the Wharton Park estate in England to Thailand, this novel tells the tale of a concert pianist and the aristocratic Crawford family, whose shocking secrets are revealed, leading to devastating consequences.
Another historical fiction book set in 1915. Having lost her mother and sister on the Titanic, Sybil tries to find answers through a crystal ball. A good raed.
This is one of the books I read this year that I didn’t finish. It doesn’t mean it is not a good book. It is a true story of survival that takes place in Africa in 1815. I just got tired of the
barbarism, murder, starvation, death, dehydration, and hostile tribes and that they had to constantly drink their own urine.
Dr. Dyer explores intention—not as something you do—but as an energy you’re a part of. We’re all intended here through the invisible power of intention. His book looks at intention as a field of energy that you can access to begin co-creating your life with the power of intention.
I was mainly attracted to this book because it was about pie and the author lived in Portland. When her husband dies, Beth Howard gets in their RV and travels the country baking and giving away pies in her attempt to comes to term with his death and find purpose in her life.
This was another one of those good reads that leaves you feeling good about the world. In 1929 four friends gather in the attic of one of their homes and write down their dreams for their lives on a piece of paper. The papers are then put into a blue bottle and hidden away. Decades later the bottle is found and a report tracks down the women and stories behind the bottle.
Life has taken those four girls’ dreams of love, fame, and faith on a path filled with seduction, betrayal, and loss. Little has turned out as expected—and yet every choice, every tear has led each of them to a special place. A Hallmark movie of a book.
Not my typical genre so I only gave it a 3.5 but I really enjoyed this piece of Young Adult fiction. A dystopian novel takes place in Chicago where society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue. If you liked Hunger Games then this is your book!
This book almost made a Twitter user out of me. If you’d like a better understanding of how social medial works and more specifically Twitter I highly recommend this book. The power of Social Media is amazing!
I am a big fan of Kate Morton and have read all of her books. Highly recommend them! This is a story of mystery, thievery, murder, and enduring love. The story takes place in the countryside of England where a crime takes place. Fifty years later, Laurel works to uncover the family secret and the crime she has memories of witnessing as a child. The story takes you from the London Blitz through the 60’s to present day.
The sequel to Divergent (there is one more book to come), Insurgent continues the story as Trish the book’s heroine must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.
By the same author as the Blue Bottle Club I decided to give another one of her books a try. It too, was a “good read”. The story of four friends who have been seperated by life and time come together when a tragedy strikes. They have a bittersweet reunion and are forced to confront the falsehoods and also embrace the truth in their lives.
I am a big fan of Adriana Trigiani and have read all her books. At the end of each book I always end up wishing I was part of a big Italian family. This story is a riveting historical epic of love and family, war and loss, risk and destiny, inspired by the author’s own family history.
45. The Book of Mormon – If you are interested in receiving a copy of this book please let me know. It is my goal to read this book of scripture at least once a year, every year!
So now it is your turn. What did you read in 2012? What was your favorite read of 2012? What are your reading right now? Please share!!!
This week I posted a photo on instagram of a project I was getting ready to work on with a group of girls from church. I got lots of requests for more info on what we were doing so I have decided to share it today on the blog.
You see, I have a new calling or job at church. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints we all have a “job” or a “calling.” We have a totally lay ministry which means no one is paid to do anything. We are all volunteers. I was recently given a new calling – that of Activity Day Leader. As far as I am concerned this is the best calling in the church. I get to play with the 8-11 year old girls twice a month. How fun is that!
Even though most of you aren’t Activity Day Leaders, you may want to try out some of the things we do with your kids, with your Brownie Troop, home school group or your grandkids so I will periodically (about twice a month) be sharing what we have been doing!
For our activity last week we made a Valentine Advent Calendar. In each heart pocket there is an act of love for them to do each of the 14 days prior to Valentine’s Day.
I needed a project that was fairly inexpensive (ended up being about $2.50 a girl) and was easy enough for them to complete in less than an hour.
I purchased heart shape doilies from the Dollar Store along with ribbon. Each banner has 14 hearts so requires 28 heart doilies. We also used about 2 1/2 yards of ribbon per banner.
I found the idea on Tip Junkie where the idea originally had you sewing the hearts together. It looks prettier that way but we just didn’t have time for that so we used a stapler. I had each girl bring a stapler from home. They put a staple at the bottom and then 3 on each side, leaving the top open to form a pocket. The hardest part of the project was pulling the doilies apart. They are very thin and it’s easy to get 2 or 3 instead of one. I did this ahead of time and then placed two doilies back to back so they were ready for the girls to staple. I even prestapled a few in each girl’s pile because I was afraid we wouldn’t have enough time.
I had cut out vinyl numbers on my Silhouette Cameo that they put on each pocket. You could also use stickers or just hand write the numbers on the hearts.
We then or rather I hot glued the pockets onto a piece of ribbon. This is the trickiest part of the whole thing and even though I used a cool glue gun I didn’t want to risk the girls burning themselves or anything. We placed the heart pockets down the 2 1/2 yds of ribbon, overlapping them slightly so it wasn’t quite so long.
They were then hot glued to the ribbon. After placing them on the ribbon, you need to open up the pocket as the glue comes through the holes in the doily and you don’t want your pocket to be glued shut! This is the tricky part and the part where you end up with hot glue all over your fingers so a cool hot glue gun is definitely recommended!
I photo copied the hearts that go inside of the pockets with the little acts of service they are to do each day leading up to Valentine’s Day. The original was in color but I copied them in black and white for the girls since there were 3 sheets and I wanted to save a little money. The example though is in color (it was prettier that way!) You can print off copies over at Tip Junkie.
They were then ready for the girls to take home and hang up!
If any of you out there are Activity Day Leaders I’d love to hear about some of your favorite activities!
So after the sugar load of the holidays I had decided I wasn’t going to post any sweet recipes – at least for a week or two. Well, I lasted about one day.
But you see. I woke up this morning and decided to…
Because you see it is my birthday today and I decided to make myself a birthday cake because I also believe that it is o.k. to ….
I really wouldn’t mind if someone wanted to give me this cute little Kate Spade number for my birthday either!
I think I may just have to settle for eating cake for breakfast though.
I found a cake recipe for 3 of my favorite things in the Food Network Magazine – vanilla ice cream, angel food cake and malt. I couldn’t pass up the Vanilla Malted Ice Cream Cake. Especially since it’s my birthday!!
I baked an angel food cake from a box mix and then sliced it into thin slices. Try and remove as much of the brown outer edge as possible. It makes for a much prettier cake when it is all white.
Layer those piece in the bottom of 10 inch tube pan (angel food cake pan). Use about half of the cake
Pour a mixture of 1/2 cup whipping cream and 1/4 cup of malt powder over the cake.
Top with a layer of softened ice cream.
Repeat the process with the cake/liquid/ice cream.
Use an offset spatula to get an even layer of ice cream.
Cover with plastic wrap and freeze the cake for at least 4 hours or as long as five days if needed.
Remove from the pan and invert onto a platter.
Whip together 1 cup of whipping cream and 2 Tbsp malted milk powder for frosting. Whip until a stiff peak forms. Spread over the top and sides of the cake.
Then if it’s your birthday add a candle.
And if you want to get really fancy because it’s your birthday, add some washi tape flags too!
Then just sing Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me!!!
Vanilla Malted Ice Cream Cake
AuthorLeigh Anne Wilkes
Ingredients
1 12 ounce store bought angel food cake or one made from a cake mix
1 /12 C cold whipping cream
1/4 C plus 2 Tbsp malted milk powder
cooking spray
1 and 1/2 containers of vanilla ice cream 1/2 gallon size My favorite is Breyers
white sprinkles if it’s your birthday
Instructions
Bake angel food cake according to directions on box.
Trim the brown crust off the cake as much as possible.
Slice cake into thin slices.
Whisk 1/2 C whipping cream with 1/4 C malted milk powder in a bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes and then whisk again. It will thicken somewhat.
Lightly spray the 10 inch tube pan with cooking spray.
Press about half of the cake slices into the bottom of the pan.
Drizzle half of the cream mixture over the cake.
Soften ice cream and spoon half of it over the cake. Use an offset spatula to get an even layer.
Repeat with cake, cream and ice cream.
Cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer for 4 hours or up to 5 days.
When ready to serve, remove from pan and invert onto a cake plate.
Beat 1 C whipping cream and 2 Tbsp malted milk powder with a mixer until stiff peaks form.
This is my fifth year of choosing a Word of the Year. It has become a fun practice for me. I love choosing a word each year that I can focus on and work on. I love to see how the word manifests itself through my year and how it grows and develops.
I also love the process of selecting my new word, almost as much as having the word. It is always an interesting process and I love to watch the selection of the word unfold in my life.
As I have said before, I don’t find my word – it finds me. This year was no different.
I actually had several words I had been thinking about. None of which I ended up choosing. Then on December 14th we were all shaken to our core by the shootings in Connecticut. It was a hard day. There was a mass of emotion – anger, sadness, disbelief, the list goes on and on. Several weeks later, I still can’t look at pictures of the faces of those whose lives were lost that day without shedding tears. How could such a horrific thing happen and to children? We will never fully understand what happened or why it happened.
That day I was reading through my Facebook feed, like many of you, I came across the quote from Fred Rogers.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.” —FredRogers
I love this quote. We can’t stop the ugliness that happens in life but we can “look for the helpers.” But more importantly we can be one of those helpers. One of the many caring people in this world.
Later that day I came across the following photo in my Instagram feed.
There it was – my 2013 Word of the Year. Or rather words of the year.
We can not rid this world of the bad and the ugly. But we can be a source of Goodness and Light. My word and goal for this year and the rest of my years is to always be a source of Goodness and Light to those around me, to those I come in contact with on a daily basis. To do what I can to bring goodness and light to this world.
These words have a double meaning for me. Not only do I want to be a source of Goodness and Light but I want to live my life so that I always look toward the true source of Goodness and Light. That I live my life in such a way that I am worthy to partake of the blessings that come from the ultimate source of Goodness and Light. My Heavenly Father. I am grateful for the Goodness and Light that is in my life because of Him.
When I think of the word light and goodness I am reminded of a scripture in the New Testament that I love.
So this year, through this blog and with my daily encounters with people I will strive to always be a source of
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