Kindness girl

There are three rules at my house:

1. Be kind.

2. Be kind.

3. Be kind.



So you can imagine my excitement when I discovered the very KINDEST website in the world!!



It is http://www.kindnessgirl.com/



Patience Salgado is just a beautiful person. Inside and out. I learn so much from her...daily. Here is a photo taken by Patience...the one and only kindnessgirl!

She has these great ideas for what she calls Guerrilla Goodness.

One of her latest kind adventures included cotton candy!!

Patience inspired her neighbors, family and friends to get together and give out cotton candy to people as they drove by...

I SOO wish I'd been there!

Cotton candy is about the most perfect food!! :)


These painted rocks are beautiful reminders that kindness can be creative and always

oh-so-beautiful!

I LOVE the idea of leaving post-it notes with kind messages on them...

everywhere for everyone to find them!

We actually DID this idea for students who were going to summer school...the yucky kind of summer school. See my post with our copycat kindness!!


Well, we are gonna be doing some Guerrilla Goodness at our house!! We enjoy doing random acts of kindess, but these are a bit different....they are intentional, happy moments that are created and gifted to anyone and everyone.

Watch for some Gracious Girlie Goodness (because that is what it IS at our house) coming your way....

and check out Kindnessgirl...my mentor

and let us know how YOU are intentionally practicing kindness!

Jr. Miss 2010--you read that right!

I'm only a year behind, right?

*Big "Wish-I-were-more-timely-with-things" *sigh*

Jr. Miss--Indiana

It is Junior Miss Week...which means that we are a host home for girls who stay in the area to compete in the state competition.

Our first year, we hosted two beautiful girls who are now in their sophomore year of college!

Cindy (had the coolest dance ever!) and Emilee (won the academic award)...

We decided that we wanted to be a host home EVERY year!! :)

In 2010, we had Cassie and Abby come to stay with us!

They are both such beautiful souls! And, as you can see, we had so much fun with them!
We had an excellent time...and they BOTH won the Fitness part of the competition!

Then, on the last evening, Cassie was named Indiana's Junior Miss!

!

So, the cool thing about that is that she comes back this week to lead the program for 2011!! (AND she is staying with US---again!!)

YAYYY!!

That SMILE!!

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight!
--Phyllis Diller

Sophie's smile is sweet and contagious!

I just LOVE it!

I just love my Sophie!!!

CHEER-FULL Friends and the Half-time Show

Izzy's cheer squad performed the half-time show at the high school game...

Lots of cheer going on here...

Cheer-full times...

Izzy's Homemade SNOW Cone...

HAWAIIAN PUNCH + SNOW=HOMEMADE SNOW CONE!!

Izzy decided that she needed to make a REAL SNOW CONE...
So...she ran out to the freshly fallen snow....
Packed her cup fullllllll....
Poured just the right amount of Hawaiian Punch...and Voila! (Wha-lah)...
only the best snow cone ever!!!

Check out the RED tongue!!!

A close-up of the concoction

PURE Satisfaction!!

Don't you just LOVE those days when you have the idea AND you actually DO it!!??
I do!

Sunshiney Walk...

It had been forever since I'd taken Sunshine for a proper walk...

So, I said the words...

"Do you want to go for a WALK??"

Well, she bounded straight up in the air...

several times...

it is so gratifying when you can make someone happy...

even if it is a dog...

Hee hee! :)

SNOW DAYS!!!

We have had two snow days...and I'm just now posting...I needed to be documenting these precious days...oh well...I lived them instead...maybe I can document in hindsight???
I DID get a picture of Izzy's new hairstyle she tried...it was so cute! She is creative and so much better at doing hair than I ever was!!

What else have I been doing with my time??

• I gathered things for taxes...
• Did a TON of paperwork...
• Sorted out my school bag...(can you say...BIG mess??!!)
• Shoveled...
• Crafted...
• Comforted my sick Sophie...
• Baked cookies...shared some...ate some
• Played games with the girls
• Read...
• Cleaned...
• ATE too much...

Mary Oliver quote that I'm loving right now at two in the morning...
"Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it."

Well, I'll tell you all this astonishing fact that I've been paying attention to for the past three days...We have been cooped up in our little house since 4pm on Monday--no one going anywhere...and there have been NO cross words. No one mad. No one pouting. No one whining (well, maybe me, but I'm the mama!!) :)
It has been a beautiful time being together... I love snow days...and these beautiful girls!
*Big happy Sigh*