Category: Smiles

Which Way??, #SoSC

The fun of playing with fellow bloggers and their challenges or prompts really gives you a chance to be creative. Linda G. Hill has a Saturday prompt with a weekly theme to get you creative. This week’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt  is Weigh/Way/Whey used in any manner as you desire – one word or all words, your choice.

I chose to go way out on a limb and include a photo I really liked from Irene of Heaven’s Sunshine and include silly poetry with it. Hope it brings a smile, as those who read me regularly know how I feel about smiles = happiness = kindness.

Bridge to Sunshine

Which Way Now?

I stand here and ponder where this bridge and path leads,

Is it the correct way or will it lead me to more weeds.

I know I must go soon as my hunger begins to grow,

My thoughts now ridiculous, ‘curds and whey the way to go’.

But which way is right will weigh heavy on my mind

For if I choose the wrong way my peace I will not find.

Anita Neal

In finding your peace, I hope it comes with joy and with the joy you feel I hope you are able to share kindness.  Remember Kindness is a choice so I hope you chose to be kind.

kind ripples

Word Power, Good and Bad

Time to be serious. The blogging world is a wonderful place for friendships, creativity, sharing amazing photographs and…expressing opinions. I am a Christian and those who read my words know that my main platform is kindness. In December of last year I wrote a post about taming the tongue vs being kind. I have linked it in case someone wants  to read or reread it. Words have power whether they are spoken or written and that power should never be misused to hurt any living being. Animals may not understand your words but they KNOW your tone and can tell if you are being mean or kind. And way too often we wound instead of bless.

“Words have such great power to bless or wound.” Sarah Young

(Pictures courtesy of Google Photos)

I was reminded this morning with my morning devotion of the importance of watching what we say.

“The ability to verbalize is an awesome privilege.” Sarah Young

Ephesians 4:29 tells us – “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Now as I read that I also realized that those who listen could also be bystanders. People all around us everyday are watching to see what we do in any given situation and will use it accordingly. God gave us two ears but 1 mouth for a reason. James 1:19 tells us – “be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. 

Being in control of our mouths helps gain control of any situation but we must always control with love. In this way, your speaking becomes more positive than negative and the response you receive in return will be more positive than negative. With more positive energy in the air, more joy will be allowed to infuse the area.

So I encourage you to be mindful of your words, spoken and written to allow for a more positive world that we live in and let the joy of our hearts fill the earth.

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Kindness, joy, peace, happiness…..

(Pictures courtesy Google Pictures)

Always try to end with kindness…and here is one of my most favorite pictures to date to help you smile.

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Dogs DO smile!

SMM, Week 2 – June Bugs in July

I guess I ought to be grateful that my germanium is the only thing being eaten by these wretched creatures but dude, go away, this is July and even it is almost over.

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Guess he is trying to make himself look big with hairy legs raised for battle which I am sure are used for holding on. So I thought it odd that a lily has hairs way down toward the center of its throat. Wonder what they are used for.

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And the spots are actually raised. So much amazement in close photography of things you never saw or thought of before.

Come join in on Heaven’s Sunshine of Macro photography and see the amazement of the close up world.

As you enjoy and smile on the beauty you see, share that smile and the kindness it reflects to all you come close to. It may just brighten a dark day they are having.

KINDNESS10

 

Harvesting What You Plant

We all love the joys of being able to eat the products from our garden. Nothing quite like the tomatoes fresh from the garden. Being from the south, we love our tomato sandwiches.

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Others enjoying their endeavors from the garden are the planters of the sunflowers…

Its fun watching them now begin to eat on the sunflower seeds from the flowers that they planted from the dropped seeds of the feeder. I wonder how they will feed on the sunflower that produced a three bloomer; I have never seen that before.

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Enjoy the beauty around you and share the smiles you feel.  Maybe that smile will produce kindness to share as well. We should always be kind.

kind smiles

The Art of Relaxation, SoCS

Max n Mimi 2 (2)

Good day. My name is Mimi and this other…’doginthehouse’ is Max, he lives downstairs. Do excuse his goofy look, he can’t help it, he is a basset. The humans think he is adorable…whatever.

Due to my human’s excessively busy schedule this summer, she has totally forgotten how to relax so when she saw what the prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday by Linda Hill was, she went straight to the back of the house and became unconscious for awhile. The theme of the Saturday prompt seems to have something to do with being conscious, so  my goal is to give you proper instructions on the art of relaxation while remaining to be conscious at the same time…at least most of the time.

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To start you day off right, you need to relax with the morning sun shining to warm your coat and get your blood pumping. This is especially important in the winter months. Max doesn’t care much for the bright morning light but his large ears are useful in hiding his eyes while he himself, looks relatively unconscious.

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As the day goes, the sofa is a favorite place for comfort while allowing you to be ready for the occasion protection mode you may need to get in.

On those really hot days, there is almost no way to cool so you just have to get by yourself and do the best you can.

In the winter, the sofa where mom had been sitting is the best, still warm. Good for snuggling down.

But I guess if you have had a really tough day, being unconscious is always a option if there is not other way for recharging.

We hope you enjoyed our instructions on the proper way to relax. Have a safe and blessed day.

Oh, and always, always remember smile and to be kind as much as possible.

animalkind 12

Bicycling for Two; BOTD

She said: I told you this was the wrong way. You missed that turn back there.

He said: Last thing I need is a back seat driver, especially when you are still eating.

She said: No one said you had to leave the table earlier.

He said: You and your friends were crowding me. 

She said: Do you want me to come drive?

He said: No, I’ll just turn around at the next corner.

Bikeride

Thank you for reading my silliness. He sat there for the longest time while she still ate. I had to write about it. It reminded me of many road trips. Granny Shot It has a Bird of the Day Challenge and while people are showing beautiful pictures of many different birds – I have my yard birds and firmly believe this pair of Goldfinches is a couple. They are always together.

I hope my quirky writing made you smile and if it did then share that smile and the warmth it brings to others. Not everyone is having a good day with smiles, so if you share yours, then maybe they will smile and create a contagious condition called smile-a-thon. So smile often and be kind and remember God loves you.

kind smiles

Double Up for Cee, FOTD & #5

Since Cee has the wonderful lists for challenges, sometimes a single post could quality for multiple challenges. I am a major list person so I appreciate lists. So today my daylilies have really started blooming and this picture fits for two of her challenges, the FOTD and things of 5.

 

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Five Yellow Daylilies

I do so enjoy my flowers. They bring me joy and happiness as they grow and bloom. Even the unexpected ones planted by my helpers, the birds. When life makes you smile, remember to share that smile to help brighten someone’s day.

kind smiles

My Birds Flowers, FOTD, July 8

In joining in with Cee’s challenge of Flower of the Day, I present to you my guest helpers – the birds in my yard.

The birds have been most helpful this year in making sure I had sunflowers growing in the yard since I did not plant any this year. And they showed some variety as some are taller, some flowers are larger some have different color centers.

The one above has the largest leaves and flowers. It’s bloom is a bright yellow like the petals. You can see it is taller than my mailbox and shepherd’s hook.

These two are taller than the one by the mail box, their leaves are smaller and they themselves have different color centers and petal structure. One is orangey yellow with short fat leaves and one is brown with long skinny leaves. I still have others that have not quite opened yet so we will see how they come out.

Sunflowers are like a large version of a daisy – they are a happy flower. I hope you seeing these happy flowers today will bring you a smile. And if it does, then share that smile and make someone else’s days brighter.

kind smiles

 

Sunday Fun, Night on the Town

He said:  Hey hon, there is a new place to eat in town. Let’s try it.

She said:  Is this another one of your hole in the wall places.

He said:  No, I promise, it’s the good stuff. And I hear its fresh.

She said:  Hmmm. Well, the kids are gone and it would be nice for just you and I to get out together.

He said: Great. I hear they have two separate menus but they just hung a fresh bag.

She said:  A fresh bag of what?? Gross.

He said:  Trust me hon. You will love it. I promise.

She said:  I have always been told when the phrase ‘Trust me’ is used to fly, fly, away.

He said:  Just come try it.

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She said:  You are so right. These thistle seeds are the best and so fresh.   He said:  TOLD YOU!

Chuckle and smile along with me as I enjoy my goldfinches. I did just hang out a new bag as they devoured the last one – even with all the rain we have had. You can see to the side of the picture the sunflowers the birds planted. That one bloom should open this week. I will post pictures of the flowers my birds have planted sometime this week.

Have a great week and remember to always be kind. Even when you don’t feel like it or they don’t deserve it. It will make YOU feel better.

kind smiles