devo anyone??

want a quick and fulfilling daily devotional?

our daily bread is bible based and pertinent to our everyday lives...and you can read it online, download it to your PDA, listen to it online or even go old school and order a free devo book that they will mail.

another great resource available online that my hubs and i have used for years, is the oswald chambers devo, my utmost for his highest...you can read a few of these HERE.

if you have a fav christian author, like max lucado or beth moore, many of them have their own websites that you can read devos there too...go spend some time in god's word. find some renewed strength.

danyele @ a thorn among roses

Ideas To Celebrate The Everyday!

1. Plan a picnic. Call some friends and then pack fresh fruit, sandwiches, and maybe a bottle of wine. Find a shady tree or a peaceful spot...Maybe even a picnic under the stars!
   
   


2. Meditate while you walk. Stroll through a familiar part of town and focus your mind on its sights, smells, and sounds. If other thoughts pop up, acknowledge them but return your concentration to what's around you.





3. Fine Dine @ home....put out your best linens, your finest dishes,create a beautiful centerpiece from things you have laying around, or simply light a candle. Create an inviting place to sit and celebrate the everyday!
   
   
   
   


4. Sit in the sun for 10 minutes a day...Feel the sun rays on your shoulders and the warmth on your back...The sun may help you produce a natural chemical that induces the feeling of JOY! And you get a dose of vitamin D!
   
   
   


5. Dance...Turn up the music and just dance...No one has to know! Leap in the air like Flash Dance and twist and shake like you are back in the 50's ...You will laugh and feel happy instantly! Do this with your kids, too! I dance silly in the morning to make my kids smile! Sometimes I make them join in...though they act like they don't like it...They end up laughing and being silly along with me! And the best part, they walk out the door in the right mindset to take on the day!
   
   
   


6. Cruise in your car..Like when you were young and free...We forget that first taste of freedom! Grab some CDs and hit the road! Open that sunroof or roll those windows down and feel the wind in your hair! Think about how you used to feel and recreate it! You could even rent a revertible for the day! Go all out! Maybe even that your sweetie along for some back seat smooching!
   
   


7. Paint a picture...Get a canvas or something to paint on and grab some paints...Let your imagination flow through the paint brush...If you want you can use your fingers too...How fun if you and your sweetie painted one together one afternoon...Be playful and laugh! You may even want to get silly and drab a little on his nose...But be ready to get some back! :) Hang the painting somewhere special!
   
   
   


8. Pay it forward...Every kind deed offered to you...Do a kind deed to someone else....
   
   
   


9. Walk outside and look for simple beauty...The sound of the birds, a budding flower,the way the wind is blowing through the trees...Act as though you have never seen this before...How does it make you feel? Relish in that feeling...Don't let the everyday make the simple gifts less than what they should be...A gift from God...A simple miracle...Now if we could only find that same beauty in ourselves...We'd be so much more happier!




10. Write a note thanking your neighbors for being "neighborly." Stick them in their mailbox or doors...It will make their day!




11. Be in the moment...Instead of worrying about your bank account balance or something you forgot to do, focus on the here and now...So, often we are not present in the moment...Our minds are off worrying about the future...If we can learn to be completely present...we will be happier and healthier for it!




12. Laugh out loud!...Just simply laughing raises levels of endorphins and other pleasure inducing hormones and lower production of stress hormones...Look around you and find ways to create more laughter with your family and friends...Grab a funny movie, remember something funny that happened, dress your pet up, tickle someone, or make a silly face out of nowhere...You get the point!




13. Use scents to create happiness.... Research has proven that aromatherapy helps create different moods and relieves stress...Rosemary lowers anxiety levels and increases alertness...It is a great scent to give to a student before a test! Lavender increases relaxation....Look into how different scents can help you! And by the way, a smelly house or moldy building can depress you...So, keep your home smelling fresh with flowers, oils, candles, and good, old housekeeping! Want to be nature friendly...Look for ways to clean and freshen your home with vinegar,lemons,baking soda, and other natural cleaners!




14. Spend time alone...Although relationships are important and bring us joy... sometimes you need time alone to recharge and reflect... Take yourself out to lunch, catch a movie, or simply spend an afternoon reading a book or magazines, visit a local bookstore, or flea marketing or antiquing....Do things that make your happy...You'll be able to give more of yourself to all your relationships!




15. Count your blessings one by one.... People who stop each day to reflect on all the positive things in their lives... experience a sense of well-being,live a more abundant life and are more healthy! Write out a list of what you are thankful for today!

I hope this got your mind thinking of more ways to create a happier life! We all have the ability to change how we live and can create a happier life NOW!

I heard this quote on Rachel Ray's show...It was a quote her Grandfather used to say...It touched me...

"You have two choices in life - You can laugh or you can cry. Which would you rather do?"....Author Unknown

Written by Screaming Meme...Editor In Chief

Scream over to my other blog....www.thescreamingmeme.blogspot.com

Note to readers! We have a winner of our Life and Style Makeover! We'll post more information next week!

Happiness Is The Way....

There is no way to happiness...Happiness is the way....I heard that recently on Dr. Wayne Dyer's "The Power Of Intention" video...I love it, because it is simply...true...We chase happiness like it is an ellusion...hoping to grasp it and hold it tight...Feeling as though it may disappear at any moment...like it could be taken from us...But really it is always there...It is present in our hearts...our souls.......Happiness is you....Happiness is the way...My sister is struggling with foreclosure issues...She called me the other day...With extreme anxiety and depression over this...I told her to relax and let go...That that house does not define her...She is complete without it...I didn't know the impact I had on her that day...until she called me yesterday...She said that I touched something deep inside her and she was able to let go and relax...with just a few words..."That house does not define you"... Who knew that 6 words could help her so much...I think that we all need to look around and discover that we are complete...We are whole without any additives...;) We can be happy if we open our eyes to the beautiful journey we call LIFE! Life is good, girls...Life is good...Make this weekend the weekend you let go of the additives and treasure your life...It is filled with so much overwhelming joy...if you simply relax and let go.....and realize that happiness is the way....

Written by Screaming Meme...editor in chief

Written by Screaming Meme...Editor In Chief

What Is True Happiness?

~What do you want out of life?~

~What makes you truly happy?~
~Who do you want to be?~

Happiness?...isn't that the thing that all of us strive to find, to acheive and then to maintain?..... Being happy is not simple to define...We may think that money, high acheivement and luxurious items would make us happy....but, the true meaning of happiness is really more simple....it is comfort, contentment, laughter and joy....

Nobody is happy all of the time, but some people are definitely more fulfilled than others and it doesn't seem to have much to do with money, luxurious items or high achievement.... So, if being happy is supposedly easy why are we all struggling to achieve it? Why do we buy all these things that are suppose to make us happy...only to forget how they made us feel and leave us longing for more?...Because happiness is not found in things....It's found in YOU!

Learn to relax...And don't take yourself so seriously....Stress can cause mental, physical and spiritual problems in your life...One of the major causes of stress is worrying about things that are out of your control....If you can...work on trying to fix the problem....If you can't, learn to let some situations go that are simply out of your control ...Being able to laugh at things...especially yourself...Can be a stress reliever...If you make mistakes, learn from them and move on....

Smile...You would be surprised how much of an immediate difference physically smiling has on your mood. If you smile and force a little laugh you will feel your mood lift.... Laughter is a powerful, positive medicine....Accept the situation, whatever it may be and lighten up with a grin.

No one is happy all of the time.... We cannot change the past, but we can enjoy the present, and look positively to the future...Obstacles will always be in our way, holding us back and knocking us down - it's a part of life. Realize this and avoid becoming down or starting to think too negatively about your situation.

Be thankful always....That is a sign that I have up in my home....It may sound cliché, but learning to be grateful for what you have, rather than what you don't....goes a long way.... If all you ever think about is how you can't afford the things you want, how you're not liked by your peers, not pretty enough or not good at anything... your life will become less enjoyable....Changing the way you think about things and the view you take on your life can have a big impact on you as a person.

Looking around you carefully, realize how lucky you are to have the things you do...whether it be a loving family, great friends, an amazing job or simply a roof over your head.... Remind yourself of why you are fortunate to be living the life you do and focus on making the most of the gifts you have been given..... Everyone in this world has something to be thankful for and realizing that can lighten up your way of looking at life entirely.

Be yourself....Criticism comes from people who are unhappy with themselves...not with you....Sometimes you have to realize that you have to be your own best friend and your own cheerleader....

So, again, I ask you.....

~What do you want out of life? ~

~What makes you truly happy?~

~ Who do you want to be?~

Don't hold yourself back or fake things to become well-liked, or because you're too afraid to be who you really are!! You owe it to yourself to be yourself...

Written by Screaming Meme http://thescreamingmeme.blogspot.com

The Stop Being Offended Game

I recently started pondering on being offended...I always have prided myself on being an open, cheery, and giving person...Me...ever offended? Never...I thought to myself...Well, besides that time that someone misunderstood what I was saying and made me feel like I had a to offend my thoughts...and that other time, when I was left out of an important meeting...Yeah, I was offended then, too...I guess, we all get offended from time to time....When we get our feelings hurt, or we are misunderstood by someone, or we are offended by someone else's words or actions....

I want to share with you something magical that is happening inside of me...The magic of letting go of being offended...Who would of thought by making this a part of my life, how much more happiness would come into my life...I use it as a game now...This is how it works...When someone says something that is mean or cruel..or just negative...I stop...breath...and let it go...I don't judge them or get mad...I let them have their own opinion...I don't tell them what I think...or get wrapped up in a negative discussion...And when someone is being rude, like at the grocery store, I don't let my blood boil or say something rude back...I disconnect myself from it...and move on in my day...When I am left out of something...I don't get sad or carry anger...I simply say to myself...let it go...You were not meant to be there...I don't hold on to the anger and dislike the person or persons who left me out...I just choose to be happy...I choose to live a life that will make a difference to my life and the lives around me...When someone wants to talk negatively, I don't chime in and bring myself down to that level...And I don't put myself on a pedestal that says that I am better than them, either...I don't judge the situation, at all..I move forward...Moving forward with an attitude of gratitide...is the only way to stop feeling angry, hurt, or offended...Lastly, When someone is dressed inappropiately or in a way that offends or upsets you, learn to let that go, as well...I have learned to not judge people by the way they are dressed...you know what kind of attire I am talking about...The trashy, scantily clad attire...They are trying to get attention and fill a void in their lives or make themselves feel or look certain way to make themselves feel important or different...You can choose to judge them or to let them be who they want to be...You don't have to agree or disagree...You are choosing to not be offended by it...And not giving your positive energy to it, either...Take this little game...and try it out on the next thing that upsets you...I promise it will be such an uplifting moment...and you'll start using it everyday of your life...

Written by: Screaming Meme

http://thescreamingmeme.blogspot.com/

What if....

If we all did the things we are capable of....
we would astound ourselves...Thomas Edison

What if you could learn to do anything? What would it be? Would it be to be a better person...to learn to be at peace with yourself and to love YOUR life and not someone else's?...To learn to create a life you have always wanted and deserved?...Would be to learn a trade or craft...like sewing, slip covering, decorating, furniture refurbishing, woodworking, cooking and baking like a professional chef, to learn to dress and look like a million, so that you had the confidence to show the world what you have to offer, to learn how to plan parties, holidays, and special events as hobby or a business to entertain your friends and family and community, to design jewelry and accessories that you could easily sell in high end boutiques or a home based business or as special gifts to give your friends and family, to learn to organize your life, home and time... to learn to prioritize them all, so that you could accomplish all your dreams and create a destiny that you know you and your family deserve?...Would it be to learn how to find true love and keep it and to take your intimate relationship with your lover to a deeper and more profound place, while learning to create your own love story along that journey...?Would it be to heal yourself and to build up your self esteem, so that you could create more in your life because you truely felt you were worthy?...Would it be to learn to be a better mother, aunt,grandmother or woman of influence... to teach and influence children and our young men and women to be the best they can be....?Would it be to learn to manage money and finances, so that you could live a more secure life?...Would it be to learn to be an entrepreneur...to create a path for your vision or dream occupation, to learn to plan a business and learn how to market it efficiently?.... Would it be to learn to write, blog, or build a web site to market your business or your family history?

We all have dreams and we all want to learn how to achieve them...I want to hear your dreams or your list of things you want to accomplish in your life...This is something that will be a great asset to you and our Project...This is an assignment, girls.... and I want you to TAKE THE TIME to create a list...Dig deep and think about YOUR dreams....It is so important for you and for us to know how to help each other create a life that is meaningful and cherished....

We all have friends and family that would love to learn how to make a better life along with us...Give them our blog address...It is a simple gift, that could change their lives for the better!

I am looking for new writers for the Project! We need inspiring and creative women, who can help us learn easier ways to live a life we all know we deserve! Email me @ meme.screamingmeme@gmail.com

Written by Screaming Meme~

You can find me over at http://thescreamingmeme.blogspot.com

Inspired....

I once heard that being inspired is the same as being in spirit...I think that when we are inspired by creativity, we are in touch with our spirits...When I am designing or decorating my home or client's homes, I am filled with hope, happiness and a zest for life...I want to achieve and create more of that feeling...Okay, we all are not inspired by decorating, but there is something that triggers you to feel alive! It may be writing, scrap booking, helping others, cooking, sewing, gardening, taking care of your children, or volunteering...It doesn't matter what it is that triggers you to be inspired...What matters is it is triggering that feeling and creating a better life and a more hopeful path...I love that by doing what I love, it is leading me to my better self...What is it that inspires you? We all have a gift and that gift can lead us in the right direction...Leave a comment and let us know what makes you feel alive!

Written by...Screaming Meme
You can find my blog at... http://thescreamingmeme.blogspot.com/ ...I'd love for you to come and visit!...This year, I have many new plans and exciting surprises! I'd love to have you come along and share in the fun! :)

We need writers for this blog...If you would like to contribute, please let us know...Anything that will inspire us to recreate a better home and life is welcome!