Today is the fifteenth day of my June ‘Accentuate the Positive’ challenge! To hit the halfway mark, what could be more appropriate than sharing a few smiles among friends?
That is it folks! Fifteen down fifteen to go. 🥳
Wherever you are, whatever you do, I hope you have something to smile about today. 🙂 See you tomorrow!
It is day fourteen of my June ‘Accentuate the Positive’ challenge. What could possibly be more positive than the mighty and majestic tree? Fun fact… All of the trees in these photos are in Regina, Saskatchewan – a city that was founded on a treeless grassland.
I never really understood how anyone could hug a tree. They generally seem rather hard, lumpy and scratchy for that kind of intimacy. I can however appreciate their unique beauty, the strength they draw from the earth, and the awe inspiring sight of their branches reaching up to the skies.
That is it for day fourteen! Only sixteen more days to go!
Thank you for dropping by. I hope to see you tomorrow!
It is the thirteenth day of my June ‘Accentuate the Positive’ challenge. Being a Sunday, I thought this would be a good day to spotlight my siblings.
Denise was firstborn. She brought stubborn determination to the family, a serious talent for organization, and deep love and compassion for all things innocent or vulnerable – especially dogs, birds, and butterflies. 🤗
Jeanne came second. She brought beauty, elegance, and charm. To me, she has always been a cross between Jackie Onassis and a Disney princess. Over the years she has raised a family, bees, sheep, and a wayward duck. She has lost a husband, remarried, and survived cancer. She has done it all with genuine graciousness and without EVER having a bad hair day. 😐
Pete is my one and only brother. He has always been calm and quiet with a droll sense of humor thrown in. Being ten years older than me, we did not associate much as kids but I do have one memory of the two of us. I was in Grade one so Pete would have been in Grade 11. We had a huge blizzard. The next morning there was tons of snow around so my mother told Pete to walk me to school. He dragged me over or around every mountain of snow between our home and the town school only to find out that all classes had been cancelled for the day. Being brotherly, Pete dragged me all the way back home. I have a feeling Janice walked their daughters to school. 🤣
After Pete, my parents reverted to yet more girls. Elaine brought creative genius and talent to the family. She has done it all and she does it all incredibly well – cooking, baking, crocheting, needlepoint, crafting, plus extensive home renovations. To this day, Elaine tracks every family birthday, anniversary, and the like and sends us all beautiful handcrafted cards. 💝
Lorraine and I grew up more as twins than sisters. (I wasn’t the evil one 😇). Lorraine was, and remains, the firecracker of the family. I have never kept up with her physically or mentally – few if anyone could – but we have always made any time better together. 🥳 🍸
Teenie is my sister Denise’s eldest child and only daughter. Since Teenie is only a couple of years younger than me, we have always had a sisterly relationship. When she was young, she would come for extended visits. I got to experience having a younger sibling and she got my favourite dress with the pink pinafore and my Campbell soup doll. She was the sweetest thing and unfortunately I was a bit too young to appreciate her at the time. We are good now!
So that is it! Thirteen days down with seventeen to go!
Have a nice Sunday and I hope to see you tomorrow!
Day twelve of my June ‘Accentuate the Positive’ celebrates the diversity of our Saskatchewan weather.
We seldom have dangerous weather but we do get damaging hails, occasional tornadoes, and our roads get treacherous during a winter storm.
In the past 14 days we have had +31c days, snow, more +31c, fog, thunder, lightening and rain, flash flooding, and wind! Now it is calm and sunny. 🌞
Twelve days down, eighteen to go!
Wishing you a wonderful day, regardless of the weather and I hope to see you tomorrow. 💞
I am not much of a traveller, but when we do go anywhere I try to book us nice accommodations. For the eleventh day of my June ‘Accentuate the Positive’ challenge, I decided to share a few photos of our hotel stays.
Typically we stay at chain hotels that offer a pool, breakfast buffet, parking, and reasonably priced suites with a fireplace, hot tub, and cosy sitting area. Once in a while we stay at a higher end boutique hotel. They are nice when we are looking for something quieter. Occasionally, I manage to book something off the mark but we make up for it with a nice supper. 🤗
Eleven days down and nineteen to go!
Have a nice day and I hope to see you tomorrow!
I am ten days into my June ‘Accentuate the Positive’ challenge and it is time to go a bit deeper. Today’s post is a peek into my soul, spirit, inner-being exercise routine. Meditation my way. 💞
Through the years, I have made several attempts to start meditating. I was too busy running in circles to slow down long enough to get far with my efforts, so they inevitably petered out.
Last year, after I retired, I took a lot of long walks with Kat. What started as a means to strengthen my respiratory system and take a few pounds off my pooch became so much more. I reached a place of peace and tranquility that I had never experienced before. It was a place where meditation came easily.
At some point I discovered a world of meditation on YouTube. For me, it was meditation made simple! There are videos available for guided meditations, chants from indigenous and religious persuasions, music to meditate by, and more.
The following are a few of the meditations that I have found particularly helpful and effective for me. If you have never meditated before , I suggest you note the following:
1. Never listen to these videos, or any meditation videos or audios, when driving or in an any situation where you need to be awake, alert, or cognisant.
2. I recommend using headphones or earbuds for maximum effect of any of these meditations.
3. These videos are ones that I would recommend trying because they work for me. They may not work for you, but I hope that does not discourage you from searching for something that does. I believe that our spiritual, inner-being, or soul well-being is as important as our physical and our mental health.
4. Meditation does not replace professional medical, psychiatric, or psychological care. Consult your professionals if you are at all concerned that meditating could affect any condition affecting you or any treatment that you are undergoing.
5. These videos may occasionally make you uncomfortable, especially if have very strong religious or anti-religious beliefs. Personally, I find I can easily ignore any momentary discomfort caused and in some cases I have come to realize that I have unconscious beliefs that I am quite happy to rid myself of.
This last meditation, is the one that I found the most challenging for me. As I was listening, I had a flash of memory from my childhood. I grew up in the Catholic Church and attended mass frequently – Sundays, holidays, funerals, weddings and on random weekdays. Like myself, the church has changed along the way. Back sixty-some years ago, there was a place in the Mass when everyone struck their chest three times and each time professed “I’m not worthy…I’m not worthy…I’m not worthy”. That was harsh! It bothered me then and now I find it totally bizarre. Who and why would anyone ever think this was reasonable or rational? Why would any creator place us in a world of trees, flowers, mountains, oceans, skies, and sunshine if we were supposed to feel unworthy? What is more, why would I keep anything so wierd tucked into a dusty corner of my mind? I am glad I dug it out and seriously questioned it. I am glad that this meditation made me feel uncomfortable. For me, it worked. I feel worthy and I wholeheartedly believe we all should! If there was no hope, why would we even strive to be better?
That is it for today. One third of my challenge down, two thirds to go. 😊
Have a nice day and I hope to see you tomorrow! 💞
It has taken me nine days but here it is! The focus of my June ‘Accentuate the Positive’ challenge for today is everyone’s favourite – FOOD. 🥘
The title of this post was my son Dan’s motto growing up. (Ok it is the Pillsbury motto but Dan used it a lot). He loved to eat and now he loves to cook (and he still loves to eat).
Nine days down and twenty-one days to go! I think I might crush this challenge. 🤔
Have a great day and I hope to see you tomorrow. 👋
Our yard is not bursting with color yet, but we do have perfect little blossoms popping up here and there. For day eight of my June ‘Accentuate the Positive’ challenge, I have chosen to share a few of my favourite little buds.
Spring is such a great time of year! Everytime we go outside there is a new treasure to be found. 🤗
Eight days down, twenty two to go. Have a lovely day and I hope to see you tomorrow! 🌞
Day seven of my “Accentuate the Positive” June challenge. It seems like a good day to share a few photos of Canadian waterscapes that Dan and I have visited and enjoyed. The beauty and tranquility never gets old. 💞
One week of my June challenge completed! I hope to see you tomorrow.
Have a nice day. 💞
Being such a nature loving sort, many would think that I would be the regular camper type. They would be wrong. My camping trips have been few and far between. Regardless, I did enjoy the camping trips I have been on, so I decided that they would make a good subject for Day 6 of my June ‘Accentuate the Positive‘ challenge.
The first time I can remember camping was when my kids were quite young – early elementary school age. We were living up north and we joined my sister Lorraine and her family at a cabin by a lake. I really do not remember much about that occasion except being darn cold. I am sure we had a good time, but it was a darn cold good time!
My next camping trip involved taking my Mother and my three teenagers to the Four Season Resort at Cypress Hills for a full week. I had been on my own with the kids for a year. I had scrimped, scraped, and saved every cent that I could to ensure we had the best vacation ever! It was STELLAR. And it was camping! Even if some people think that renting a condo by a lake with indoor plumbing, a television, and a microwave (plus all the other conveniences of home) isn’t real camping. We did have a wood fireplace and one of those manual barbecues that burns charcoal. Since none of us were experienced fire starters, we used up every scrap of paper we had and a gallon jug of fire starter – but we had fires – BIG ONES once they got going!
I rented a canoe for the boys and got Mom, Jen, and I a little paddle boat to pedal around the lake on. Son Dan, Jen and I went horseback riding. Dan & Jen went back but, since I was black and blue, from my waist to me knees from our first day out, I took a hard pass. We all went mini-golfing and son Dan and I played a round at the real golf course early one morning. The golf cart ended up in a gully. I was not driving. There was even a sign that said “Do Not Drive Golf Cart Into the Gully”!
We all passed a lot of time hiking around the area. Mom and I lounged on the condo deck overlooking the lake, while the kids spent time off on their own. We barbecued most of the time – although we did have a couple of meals at the restaurant in the resort hotel. In the evenings we would light a fire in the fireplace and hang out in the livingroom of our condo. One night there was a huge thunder storm with heavy rains and strong winds. Our power went out, so we built up the fire to provide light since nobody thought to bring candles. (although Mom did have an extra roll of aluminum foil in her purse 😂 ) We had a very big fire that night. The condo was still lit up the next morning. 🤦♀️
Although we had a great time and I was so proud of taking my family camping, life got busy and we did not have the opportunity for another such family adventure. However, when Dan and I got together and started planning our wedding, he decided to take me wilderness camping for our honeymoon – to show me how it is supposed to be done.
We went to a secluded, lakefront area on Lake Diefenbaker. When we got there, the mosquitos were so big and thick and angry at our intrusion that they were rocking Dan’s little Jeep. He left me cowering in the vehicle while he set out mosquito repellant torches and set up our sleeping tent, a net dining tent, and rustic wilderness washroom facilities. The next day, he put his little motor boat in the lake. We were comfortable, we were alone, and the scenery was breathtaking. We had an amazing time. Dan took me out fishing. I didn’t catch anything except Dan’s hat and his fishing line. The week flew by. On the way home, we stopped at a small motel in Moose Jaw for a bath and a good air conditioned sleep in a real bed. It was heavenly! Especially the bathroom. It was pure white, bright, cool and sparkling clean. I could have slept in there.
Since our honeymoon, the only times we have been out camping have been to Loon Lake, to meet up with sister Lorraine and her husband Jerry at their camper. Their camper had all of the conveniences of home – except with a generator to run them. Theoretically, you could make toast and flush the toilet – but not simultaneously or you blew the generator. The area was gorgeous. Jerry brought up their four quads one weekend so they could take us for a full tour. I had never been quadding before. I hit a tree. Actually, I hit a rock on the trail, bounced into the ditch, and hit a tree. Fortunately, there was no damage done – except to my dignity. 🙄 We always have a great time visiting with Lorraine and Jerry so it was all good!
We haven’t been camping for a few years now, but I would not count it out in the future. Maybe when Dan retires. Maybe we could buy one of those luxury camper vans that you plug in. I could really enjoy that!
Six down, twenty-four days to go! Have a nice Sunday and I hope to see you tomorrow. 😎
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 