Our family just keeps growing.  The newest addition is my great grandson.  He was born in January 2008.  We keep quite busy celebrating birthdays, holiday and other events, as you can see here:

 

Luv, Rainbow

"The Awakening"

A time comes in your life when you finally get it...
when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity,
you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice
inside your head cries out...ENOUGH!
Enough fighting and crying and blaming and struggling
to hold on.

Then, like a child quieting down after a tantrum, you
blink back your tears and begin to look at the world
through new eyes.



This is your awakening.

You realize it's time to stop hoping and waiting for
something to change, or for happiness, safety and
security to magically appear over the next horizon.

You realize that in the real world there aren't always
fairy tale endings, and that any guarantee of "happily
ever after" must begin with you... and in the process a sense of
serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and
that not everyone will always love, appreciate or
approve of who or what you are... and that's OK.
They are entitled to their own views and opinions.

You learn the importance of loving and championing
yourself... and in the process a sense of new found
confidence is born of self-approval.



You stop complaining and blaming other people for the
things they did to you - or didn't do for you - and
you learn that the only thing you can really count
on is the unexpected.

You learn that people don't always say what they mean
or mean what they say and that not everyone will
always be there for you and that everything isn't
always about you.

So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of
yourself... and in the process a sense of safety and
security is born of self-reliance.

You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to
accept people as they are and to overlook their
shortcomings and human frailties... and in the process
a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points
of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you
are and what you really stand for.

You learn the difference between wanting and needing
and you begin to discard the doctrines and values
you've outgrown, or should never have bought into to
begin with.



You learn that there is power and glory in creating
and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life
merely as a "consumer" looking for your next fix.

You learn that principles such as honesty and
integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era,
but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon
which you must build a life.

You learn that you don't know everything, it's not
your job to save the world and that you can't teach
a pig to sing. You learn that the only cross to bear
is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get
burned at the stake.

Then you learn about love. You learn to look at
relationships as they really are and not as you would
have them be. You learn that alone does not mean lonely.

You stop trying to control people, situations and
outcomes. You learn to distinguish between guilt and
responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries
and learning to say NO.





You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings
aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs.

You learn that your body really is your temple. You
begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You
begin to eat a balanced diet, drink more water, and
take more time to exercise.

You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and
uncertainty and so you take more time to rest. And,
just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul.
So you take more time to laugh and to play.

You learn that, for the most part, you get in life
what you believe you deserve, and that much of life
truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You learn that anything worth achieving is worth
working for and that wishing for something to happen
is different than working toward making it happen.

More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve
success you need direction, discipline and perseverance.
You also learn that no one can do it all alone, and
that it's OK to risk asking for help.

You learn the only thing you must truly fear is fear
itself. You learn to step right into and through your
fears because you know that whatever happens you can
handle it and to give in to fear is to give away the
right to live life on your own terms.



You learn to fight for your life and not to squander
it living under a cloud of impending doom.

You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't
always get what you think you deserve and that
sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good
people... and you learn not to always take it
personally.

You learn that nobody's punishing you and everything
isn't always somebody's fault. It's just life
happening. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges
instead of
walls.

You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy
and resentment must be understood and redirected or
they will suffocate the life out of you and poison
the universe that surrounds you.

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many
of the simple things we take for granted, things
that millions of people upon the earth can only
dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running
water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.

Then, you begin to take responsibility for yourself
by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never
betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less
than your heart's desire.



You make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting,
and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

You hang a wind chime outside your window so you can
listen to the wind.

Finally, with courage in your heart, you take a stand,
you take a deep breath, and you begin to design the life you
want to live as best you can.

Author Unknown

Much Love....

~Angelsgarden~

Yay!  I've got just about all of my Christmas shopping done, and I only stepped foot in ONE store!  As usual, I do most of my shopping on the Internet, and now that most of the big stores have their own online shopping sites, it makes it even easier for the gift recipients to just go to the local store and return the gifts, if they wish.  I do put a lot of thought into my gift-giving, so I hope that there won't be a need for many returns.

This year, I also put together some homemade gifts, like homemade candy, mixes in a jar, and some personalized calendars and mugs. 

For the calendars and mugs, I logged onto Shutterfly, uploaded a bunch of photos that I had, and put together some personalized calendars and photo mugs.

Soon, I'll be making Rum Balls...for the adults on my list.   I'm using 92% proof rum, so they'll be pretty potent!   Want the recipe?  Well, here it is...in case you'd like to try it:

~~~~~~

Rum or Bourbon Balls

Rated: 5 out of 5 by 55 members Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 2 Minutes Ready In: 7 Days 12 Minutes
Yields: 24 servings

"It isn't Christmas without these!!! They go fast!! Try using bourbon in place of the rum!"

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons corn syrup
1/2 cup rum
2 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place chocolate chips into a microwave-safe medium bowl. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute, stir and then continue to heat at 20 second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth. Stir in sugar and corn syrup. Blend in rum. Add crushed vanilla wafers and chopped nuts. Mix until evenly distributed. Cover and refrigerate until firm.

2. Roll the chilled chocolate mixture into bite-size balls. Roll balls in a mixture of ground nuts and confectioner's sugar, or just plain confectioner's sugar. Store in a covered container for a week before serving to blend the flavors.

ENJOY!

Luv, Rainbow