Virtual Fieldtrip of Paris

Date night to France!  Okay, so for part of Logan's Christmas gift, it included date nights around the world, one each month.  This month we are visiting Paris / France.  Join in our virtual fieldtrip with us, and then create your own date night ideas to go along with it!  Here goes....

This one is kind of a historical one, and is interesting - Virtual fieldtrip to Paris  


Another link to a video of the ten top attractions in Paris









There now we have visited Paris for the year!  Keep watch for more travels around the world as we visit one or two places each month for our date night!

Healing Comes From Nature

Sometimes I find a quote that just speaks to me.  I love herbal healing and learning everything about it.  Sometimes, I get so busy in life that I forget what my true passions are, or they get pushed to the side because life gets in the way.  Why is it that we need to get physically sick, before we remember what we know?  Did that make sense?

I was looking for some answers yesterday, due to some health problems, and the answer came to me, "remember what you have learned and put it to use!"  Healing comes from nature!

Got it!  Why is it?  So now I am committed to again get back to the beauty of natural and herbal healing.  I need to learn more, and I need to re-adjust my schedule, my life, to get back to what it is that is important to me.  Done!

I love all things herbal healing and essential oils! I love all things preparedness and helping people!  And I love all things about making memories and being happy!  Priorities - focus on these things!

Thus,  I have almost finished my Emergency Preparedness E-course, and I will turn your focus to that soon.

I am working on my Basic Herbal Healing E-course and it will be finished soon as well.

I am excited for both of these, and so much more!

In the mean time - remember all things started with nature - God put it here for our use!  Let's use it to heal our bodies and souls.

Love Davilyn

Habits of Happy People

February has been a tough month for me.  Lots of doctor appointments, lots of stress, really busy, and at school, the kiddos have been a little bit crazy!   I have been trying really hard to keep remembering that camping, spring, creeks, greenery, outdoors - it's all right around the corner!  Next week we get a break from work and the kiddos for a week and it is much needed for sure.  However, it doesn't mean a break from "work" so to speak, because that will be when a really good spring cleaning and de-cluttering comes into play here.  Ah the joys!

But all in all, life is great!  What would it be without a little stress now and then right?  We all have our happy places that we can go, when stress gets to us, when life hits us hard in the face, when we just feel like we want to cry a little.  Sometimes it is really hard though, to remember that happy place when you don't feel like being happy.  Here are some of the habits that happy people try to implement in their lives, and I promise, they likely don't do all of these, but perhaps next time you are feeling like you just got slapped in the face again, or you want to cry, perhaps you could try one or more of these things and see how it makes you feel.  Even better, work on one or two each month and make it a habit in your life, and before you know it, you will find - voila!  You are a Happy Person!

This post is filled with Og Mandino quotes.  They make me happy.  They help me to ground myself in what is good for me.  They offer incredible insight, so please take time to read,  ponder and apply them in your life, and you may find meaning and understanding on happiness and who you are meant to be!  All of the quotes in big colorful letters are from Og Mandino!  What a brillant, happy, grounded man.

Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.  Og Mandino

• First off, happiness is a choice, just like being angry, sad, or excited.  You can choose to be happy.

Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new.

• Learn to be grateful for things.  Happy people recognize blessings in their lives and are grateful people
• Learn to forgive others.  Let's face it, people are never as smart as we think they should be, and as a general rule, we do stupid stuff.  Learn to forgive stupid, mean, things, because guess what?  They, more often than not, don't know they are even being stupid.  Perhaps they need this list.  Regardless, forgive them, and you will find a burden lifted off your heart.

The only certain means of success is to render more and better service than is expected of you, no matter what the task may be. This is a habit followed by all successful people since the beginning of time. Therefore I saith the surest way to doom yourself to mediocrity is to perform only the work for which you are paid.

• Be a positive thinker.  Take care of your thoughts - do a little spring cleaning of your own and get rid of the negative thoughts that keep you going in that circle of woe.  Negative feeds off negative, and nobody likes a negative person, so train yourself to look for the positive in people, in life, and soon that is what you will see.   You will be able to look beyond the negative and see happy, positive.
• Money isn't the end all, be all, and it really can't buy your happiness.  Ya, I will be the first one to admit that I would like a little more money in my life too, but I have learned through years and years of trials of money, that it doesn't buy happiness, in fact it usually does the opposite.  But..... learn to deal with your station in life, no matter what it is, you can be happy if you control it properly and accept it for what it is.  You can be happy with lots of money or with very little money, either way, you choose how you will be.  Learn to spend money on experiences and not things.  It is the things that will leave no lasting happiness, but experiences with family and friends, creating those happy memories, that is what will bring the lasting happiness.  Og Mandino said my all time favorite quote: 
  

  “I am convinced that the greatest legacy we can leave our children are happy memories: those precious moments so much like pebbles on the beach that are plucked from the white sand and placed in tiny boxes that lay undisturbed on tall shelves until one day they spill out and time repeats itself, with joy and sweet sadness, in the child now an adult.”

• Create some good friendships that you can trust and fall back on time and time again.  One good friend is better than a hundred that drag you down into their pit of misery and negativity.  Good friendships will encourage you.  You can laugh when you feel like crying.  You can cry when you are laughing.  A good friend, a really true good friend, is worth more than anything.

Sooner or later all mankind will realize that the greatest cure for all the ills and wrongs, the cares, the sorrow and crimes of humanity rests solely in acts of love. Love is the greatest gift from God. It is the divine spark that everywhere produces and restores life. To each and every one of us, love gives us the power to work miracles with your own life and those we touch.

• Make family your best friends.  Family will always be there when everyone else moves on, so fostering good family relationships, is a great habit happy people make.  Loving to be around your family, there really is nothing more satisfying, and joyful - real joy - than laughing and spending time with those you love.
• Get outside more - so true.  When you are feeling down, go for a walk.  Sit in your back yard and soak in some sun, reading a good book, or better yet pulling a weed, or planting a seed or two.  When I need a good therapy session, I get my hands dirty in my garden and, without a doubt, it helps me be happy.  The sun offers us all that great vitamin D, our happy pills from nature, and fresh air, always helps to clear the brain fog leaving us with clarity and understanding of what is truly important in life
• Serving others, doing things for others, always - always,  allows us to take our eyes off ourselves and see that others have problems too, and they are most often problems that make ours seem pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things.  Service, will make you happy, it will allow your heart to heal, and you may in the process, find a good friend.    

Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.

• Smile even if you feel like crap.  There is enough research out there to scientifically support this, but I promise if you try it yourself, you will be able to emotionally feel the difference in your own happiness.  If you don't feel like smiling, that is when you need to straighten your shoulders and put a smile on your face the most.  It will make others smile, and in turn make you much happier.  Kind of the fake it till you make it theory, but you are faking it - while you make it happen.  Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward the life that God intended for you with grace, strength, courage, and confidence.  Og Mandino
• Meditation can go a long way to helping you find that inner peace.  Regardless of what faith you have, everyone needs a happy place, a peace within their soul, and meditation can help you find it there.  There are many, many free apps, and videos on you tube, etc that will help you with any meditation that suits your feelings, and even your beliefs.  It will help your brain calm down, and center you in life, with more clarity and purpose, more compassion, and understand.  Give it a whirl, slow down and meditate.

How do I change? If I feel depressed I will sing. If I feel sad I will laugh. If I feel ill I will double my labor. If I feel fear I will plunge ahead. If I feel inferior I will wear new garments. If I feel uncertain I will raise my voice. If I feel poverty I will think of wealth to come. If I feel incompetent I will think of past success. If I feel insignificant I will remember my goals. Today I will be the master of my emotions.

I will greet this day with love in my heart. And how will I do this? Henceforth will I look on all things with love and be born again. I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. I will welcome happiness as it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.

Meaningful Moments

Grandma’s Meaningful Moments

Jax eating berries on the bench

I am sure that all Grandma’s have meaningful moment’s with their grandchildren.  If for some reason, you don’t, then I strongly encourage you to make them happen.  Make ever moment count with them.  I want to share with you some of my meaningful moments with my grandson’s.

On the bridge in Paradise Creek

I can’t even tell you how much I love the moments when they wrap their little arms around my neck and give me a great big hug.  There is a very little time in their life, when they feel like this is okay to do.  You need to take advantage of every one of these little hugs when you can.  They love to snuggle up until they turn about two, and then if you are lucky you can catch one once in awhile.  Then a couple of years later, they will hug again, but only because they know they should, not because they really want to.  I am not sure yet when the time will come again when they will love to hug their Grandma, but I will take what I can get until that time.

Target Practise at the farm

I love when they love to have sleep overs.  I know that I probably spoil them a bit, and perhaps even bribe them to have sleep overs, but that’s okay, I am allowed to do that.  I figured I earned that right because I raised their parents. Those times when we stay up late watching movies, eat popcorn or other goodies, and sleep in, are lots of fun.  I look forward to more of these.  These are meaningful moments that hopefully they will remember as they grow up as good times.  I can't wait until I can take them camping with us.  You know the Grandma and Grandpa camping trips.  I look forward to that special time together, just us and nature, exploring and experiencing new things.  Creating special memories.

And yes, we zombify sometimes

When we all get together and the house is rockin’ and kids are playing, we are making memories.  Small moments in the grand scheme of things, but many meaningful moments make up the plethora of memories we keep with us.

More meaningful moments: d is for ddddrrrama (grandma) haha Xander you are so funny, bonfires with Wyatt, sleep overs with Wyatt, Jax building line ups of cars, smiles and coo’s from Logan, ,

Reading books

playing at the park, walks in Kin Coulee, wiener roasts at Kin Coulee, dressing up as super heroes, birthday parties, kisses on the cheek (my cheek), falling asleep with the little guys, reading stories and telling it wrong so they correct me, eating strawberries at Grandpa’s farm and stuffing our pockets, playing in my creek, playing in my sandbox, playing with the rocks, eating raspberries, swinging in the big tree, oh we have fun!

For all you Grandma’s out there, make as many of these little meaningful moments count as you can.  It will hopefully create bonds that will last forever.  Wyatt asked once, if one of my grandkids was 18 and being a problem, would I still let them come in my home any time?  I said absolutely, my door will never be closed to my grandkids,

Snuggles

and has never been closed to my own kids.  There will always be an open door policy for all of my kids and grandchildren.  There always has been. Nothing can change that.  Just because they might make some dumb choices, doesn’t mean we still can’t love each other and make more meaningful moments count.  We all make dumb choices sometimes, we get through it, and move on.
 
Make those moments count.