I love my post Blog Hop

Hey all I am so excited to be a part of the blog hop...so come on link up, look around, meet new people and have fun

Welcome to the I Love My Post blog hop where we invite you to link up your favourite post of the week, to show it off and hopefully receive some love from the others partaking in the hop! If you are yet to participate in a hop they are really simple to get the hang of all you need to do is 'hop' around, hopefully finding some new great reads!  The Rules are simple. 1. Check out and follow the hosts (Number 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in the linky) Leave them a comment if you would like them to follow back. 2. Choose at least 3 other blogs and hop on over and leave them some love, plus let them know how you found them - I'm sure they would love it if you followed as well! 3. Have Fun and come back next Saturday. Please just don't link up and click off to make this successful everyone needs to hop around! Your Host’s this week are: Sarah from Life in a Break Down Bex from Futures and our lovely co-host’s are: Terri  from Rambling Momma Sophia from Something about Sophia Kelsey from Stories of Kel Dawn from Dawns Distasters If you would like to be a future co-host please get in touch with Sarah by emailing her at: sarah@lifeinabreakdown.com I would love it if you would tweet, share on facebook or place our button on your blog, the more sharing we can get happening the bigger this hop can become! <center> <a href="http://www.lifeinabreakdown.com/"> <img src=" http://imageshack.us/a/img268/1971/ilovemypostnew.jpg" /></a></center>

Thank you too all of you who made sure you actually followed the hosts and co-hosts last week! Say hello to Dawn from Dawn's Distaster our Featured Blogger of the Week!

Dawn has co-host with us before so it's lovely to have her back again and have her as our featured blogger, you really should make sure you pop over to her blog as it's a really great read - I think my favourite post from her this week has to be her book review, I loved reading as a kid and it's good to see in this day and age some kids still get involved in reading. ~ Sarah If you fancy being next week’s featured blogger make sure you follow all the rules give you hosts and co-hosts a follow and Sarah could be calling on you next week to come and feature with us.

friday Confessional

I am linking up over here 

Friday Confessional

I confess that i don't know how i would stay sain during this christmas season if i had to decorate my house my self- i had two ladies come and decorate and they did awesome

I confess im not looking forward to going home for Christmas, i am content to stay here with my little family 

I confess i am turning into a scrooge this year...wanna go as cheap as i can

I confess my husband still gives me butterflies every time he looks at me.  Even after being together for 15 years 

What do you want to confess? 

Be blessed and have a great weekend 

Thankful Thursday

I am linking up every Thursday from here on in and Thursday will be Thankful Thursdays

 I think we need to count our blessings each day that we wake up because truth is not everyone wakes up every morning... so each day find something you are thankful for....

I am thankful for: 

1) This man and this child

they are my entire life- i cannot think about what life was like before marriage or before Brooke- i dont even know what we did with our time...although we didnt have much time between marriage and pregnancy, but she brings me to much joy to this family. My hubby- my best friend and soul mate for life. 

2) My Church 

Every time i think there is church i get so excited because we have an amazing church here.  When we first moved we attended another but then we found this one and it is a blessing indeed

3) My parents

 from a very young age they instilled in me the love of Jesus, and took me to church every time there was an opportunity, we didnt have a lot of money growing up but they showed us love and did everything they could for us. Even know my parents are there for me when ever i need them for what ever i need them for. 

4) Cozy Scarves

My Secret Santa sent me a beautiful pink scarf, i am so in love with its coziness

5) Hot Tea- 

there is nothing that a hot tea cannot fix...

I have so many favorite's that it is hard to name them all 

but i think my most favorite is anything Chai

6) The chance to get to go home with my family and inlaws for Christmas just makes me all excited, it has been 6 mths since i saw my parents, so it will be good to be together again. 

What are you thankful for today?

Christmas at our House

All about Christmas at our House This post will be picture heavy so it may take a while to load I wanted to blog about different traditions we have here and how we decorate and what better day then a Wednesday to do just that

So this year i didn't put out a lot of decorations because we are not going to be here for Christmas Day, we weren't even gonna do a tree but we decided we would anyway and we got it for a really good price. 

So here is a tour thru my home during Christmas ....

1) The Den 

These 2 snow people sits below the fish tank . I have had them since we got married. 

This sits by our front door and it says "let it snow"- i don't really want it to snow though. 

this is a candle holder with snowmen and penguins( my favourite) and this was given to me from my grandma before she died so it is indeed special to me and i take the best care of it, it is always wrapped well and stored each year. 

Living Room

  

the mantel has the nativity scene 

 This is my village- every year i buy one or two pieces to add to it, some day i hope to have everything. 

 this is going down the stairs to rec room

 this guy sits right by the door to say hi when you come in

 more snowmen- these are by front door to "welcome"

Kitchen/Dining Room 

another Snowman display 

This is just a very basic and easy to make center piece, bought some fake ever green branches, had some flowers and ribbon it it with some cranberries amongst it, inside of the jar is a candle floating in water and cranberries. 

 

Back entrance has 2 more snowmen and a silver NOEL sign 

This little guy sits on back of the toilet, we have wonderful conversations in there :p

So as for Traditions go:

Christmas Eve is my favorite time to spend at my in laws - my mother in law throws the best Christmas Eve party. Every year she has a crowd of people over- we play games, sing songs, chat, and eat lots of delicious food.  Then we exchange presents once everyone besides family has left- it is so much fun. We always sing : on the first day of Christmas song...each of us adding something in each time. 

then we would go view Christmas lights- they have some awesome displays back where we used to live, not sure what it will be like this year.  

We have started some traditions as our own family as well...

last year we stayed home as a family of 3- Christmas Eve- i cooked nachos, wings, and other yummy stuff... we had Kristi and Bennett and Malachi over and our pastor- we laughed, played games and enjoyed the evening. 

I think Christmas eve is my favorite time of the whole season. 

I also read the Christmas Story to Brooke before bed on Christmas Eve and she also can open one present which is usually her Pj's.  

This Christmas we are with my parents :) We will visit Inlaws for New Years. 

Christmas morning we open presents, relax, sleep and eat a delicious turkey dinner. Then Brooke can choose what she wants us all to do and we all check out everyone's gifts and then sometimes we nap because after a turkey dinner we all need sleep 

So whats your Christmas Traditions?

Weekend Recap

Spent the morning volunteering at Brooke's school- i have been helping out in the library, and i am loving it.   Never know when a full time job is coming from volunteering. 

Got home just after lunch and then did a general tidying up. 

Packed our bags and packed Brooke's bag because she was going to a sitters for the night while hubby and i went 2 hours away for his work Christmas party.

I usually dislike his Christmas parties because his co workers are so smart and i never know what they are talking about, so i was hoping this year would be different. 

We left town around 5 pm- dropped Brooke of at sitters and we left town for the drive to Moncton. Was a clear night and we made it in good time, got to hotel checked in, got our room, showered and got ready for the party.  

We get down stairs and got our drink tickets and met some people from his team- his manager is the sweetest lady ever, then met another co workers wife- we hit it off so well.  They served a beautiful dinner and dessert, then we hung out with people and had fun. We laughed late into the night, 4:30 am before i slept at all, i love laughing with friends old and new.  Hubby won a Ipod Nano, i hope i get it for Christmas. :p The Co workers wife - Dale... her and i had a great chat about something that has been heavy on my heart for a while i will post about it soon i promise. 

 Beautiful Christmas Tree in Lobby 

 I love this man!! 

 because we didn't get to bed til late Friday night/Saturday morning, we decided breakfast would be at 10:30 in the hotel restaurant, we were gonna meet my cousin but they couldn't make it, so we ate with friends from the party.  Around lunch time we left for the mall and i needed to visit David's tea for the giveaway i hosted.  So we managed to find David's tea and walked around the mall, ended up buying a Christmas present for Brooke ( i wish i could post here but she reads my blog) and a movie for being such a good girl for the sitter {not like i doubted} We got home around 4 pm, then i went right to the hospital to see my friend Naomi- she ended up in there on Thursday night with a ruptured appendix and her bowel ruptured as well, doctors told her she is lucky to be alive right now because it was ruptured for a few days and if she was much longer it would have been too late, when i saw her yesterday she was in a lot of pain and was very sick, gave her a hug and told her we were praying. Please remember her in prayer as she has a long recovery ahead of her. 

We went to bed early because of the late night before. 

 the normal Sunday morning stuff except alarm didn't go off so Brooke woke us with 20 mins to be ready and out the door, we did it.  

We had made plans with a lady from our church to go out for lunch so i didn't prepare any lunch, but then she had to cancel so we just picked up a BBQ chicken with salads and ate at home. 

I napped as usual, then got up at 4 pm to get Brooke ready for our Christmas Banquet - my girlie is so beautiful 

 Here she is, ready to go 

 it was at the New Maryland Center- it was decorated so beautifully, 2 ladies from our church did it and it was amazing. I took lots of pictures as you can see

We had it catered and they did a super job with the food, so hot and all fresh and delicious. 

Our Bible School students did an hilarious skit pretending to be some people from the church, they did it perfect. 

Then the church gave us a present for all we do, i feel like we dont do much but it was appreciated.  

The students then all came to our house to hang out etc, we had fun

Enjoy the pictures and have a great week

 This guy pretended to be our Pastor 

 My self and Marissa, love this girl 

 here are the students doing their skit 

 Andrew taught her Sunday school years ago, its amazing how we move here and she is here going to Bible School, we love you Jardeine. 

 Brooke and Pastor's daughter- Selah 

 Brooke and Chloe- sweet

 Marissa and her boyfriend Kyle 

 Brooke with Marissa and Jaredine, they are like her older sisters 

we are supposed to get 10 cm (4 inches) of snow tomorrow ( monday)- please i hope not, i am not ready for the weather at all. 

I cannot believe we leave for Newfoundland in just over 10 days, please keep the emails coming for guest posting, i do have several more spots opened.

Love you all

Laughter

Laughter is the Best Medicine THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF HUMOR AND LAUGHTER
Humor is infectious. The sound of roaring laughter is far more contagious than any cough, sniffle, or sneeze. When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy. In addition to the domino effect of joy and amusement, laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in the body. Humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use. Laughter is strong medicine for mind and body “Your sense of humor is one of the most powerful tools you have to make certain that your daily mood and emotional state support good health.” ~ Paul E. McGhee, Ph.D. Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert. With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health. Laughter is good for your health §  Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after. §  Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease. §  Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain. §  Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems. The Benefits of Laughter
Physical Health Benefits: §  Boosts immunity §  Lowers stress hormones §  Decreases pain §  Relaxes your muscles §  Prevents heart disease Mental Health Benefits: §  Adds joy and zest to life §  Eases anxiety and fear §  Relieves stress §  Improves mood §  Enhances resilience Social Benefits: §  Strengthens relationships §  Attracts others to us §  Enhances teamwork §  Helps defuse conflict §  Promotes group bonding Laughter and humor help you stay emotionally healthy Laughter makes you feel good. And the good feeling that you get when you laugh remains with you even after the laughter subsides. Humor helps you keep a positive, optimistic outlook through difficult situations, disappointments, and loss. More than just a respite from sadness and pain, laughter gives you the courage and strength to find new sources of meaning and hope. Even in the most difficult of times, a laugh–or even simply a smile–can go a long way toward making you feel better. And laughter really is contagious—just hearing laughter primes your brain and readies you to smile and join in on the fun. The link between laughter and mental health §  Laughter dissolves distressing emotions. You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing. §  Laughter helps you relax and recharge. It reduces stress and increases energy, enabling you to stay focused and accomplish more. §  Humor shifts perspective, allowing you to see situations in a more realistic, less threatening light. A humorous perspective creates psychological distance, which can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed. The social benefits of humor and laughter Humor and playful communication strengthen our relationships by triggering positive feelings and fostering emotional connection. When we laugh with one another, a positive bond is created. This bond acts as a strong buffer against stress, disagreements, and disappointment. Laughing with others is more powerful than laughing alone Shared laughter is one of the most effective tools for keeping relationships fresh and exciting. All emotional sharing builds strong and lasting relationship bonds, but sharing laughter and play adds joy, vitality, and resilience. And humor is a powerful and effective way to heal resentments, disagreements, and hurts. Laughter unites people during difficult times. Using humor and laughter in relationships allows you to: §  Be more spontaneous. Humor gets you out of your head and away from your troubles. §  Let go of defensiveness. Laughter helps you forget judgments, criticisms, and doubts. §  Release inhibitions. Your fear of holding back and holding on are set aside. §  Express your true feelings. Deeply felt emotions are allowed to rise to the surface. Bringing more humor and laughter into your life Laughter is your birthright, a natural part of life that is innate and inborn. Infants begin smiling during the first weeks of life and laugh out loud within months of being born. Even if you did not grow up in a household where laughter was a common sound, you can learn to laugh at any stage of life. Begin by setting aside special times to seek out humor and laughter, as you might with working out, and build from there. Eventually, you’ll want to incorporate humor and laughter into the fabric of your life, finding it naturally in everything you do. Here are some ways to start: §  Smile. Smiling is the beginning of laughter. Like laughter, it’s contagious. Pioneers in “laugh therapy,” find it’s possible to laugh without even experiencing a funny event. The same holds for smiling. When you look at someone or see something even mildly pleasing, practice smiling. §  Count your blessings. Literally make a list. The simple act of considering the good things in your life will distance you from negative thoughts that are a barrier to humor and laughter. When in a state of sadness, we have further to travel to get to humor and laughter. §  When you hear laughter, move toward it. Sometimes humor and laughter are private, a shared joke among a small group, but usually not. More often, people are very happy to share something funny because it gives them an opportunity to laugh again and feed off the humor you find in it. When you hear laughter, seek it out and ask, “What’s funny?” §  Spend time with fun, playful people. These are people who laugh easily–both at themselves and at life’s absurdities–and who routinely find the humor in everyday events. Their playful point of view and laughter are contagious. §  Bring humor into conversations. Ask people, “What’s the funniest thing that happened to you today? This week? In your life?” Developing your sense of humor: Take yourself less seriously One essential characteristic that helps us laugh is not taking ourselves too seriously. We’ve all known the classic tight-jawed sourpuss who takes everything with deathly seriousness and never laughs at anything. No fun there! Some events are clearly sad and not occasions for laughter. But most events in life don’t carry an overwhelming sense of either sadness or delight. They fall into the gray zone of ordinary life–giving you the choice to laugh or not. Ways to help yourself see the lighter side of life: §  Laugh at yourself. Share your embarrassing moments. The best way to take ourselves less seriously is talk about times when we took ourselves too seriously. §  Attempt to laugh at situations rather than bemoan them. Look for the humor in a bad situation, the irony and absurdity of life. This will help improve your mood and the mood of those around you. §  Surround yourself with reminders to lighten up. Keep a toy on your desk or in your car. Put up a funny poster in your office. Choose a computer screensaver that makes you laugh. Frame photos of you and your family or friends having fun. §  Keep things in perspective. Many things in life are beyond our control—particularly the behavior of other people. While you might think taking the weight of the world on your shoulders is admirable, in the long run it’s unrealistic, unproductive, unhealthy, and even egotistical. §  Deal with your stress. Stress is a major impediment to humor and laughter. §  Pay attention to children and emulate them. They are the experts on playing, taking life lightly, and laughing. Using humor and play to overcome challenges and enhance your life The ability to laugh, play, and have fun with others not only makes life more enjoyable–it also helps you solve problems, connect with others, and be more creative. People who incorporate humor and play into their daily lives find that it renews them and all of their relationships. Life brings challenges that can either get the best of you or become playthings for your imagination. When you “become the problem” and take yourself too seriously, it can be hard to think outside the box and find new solutions. But when you play with the problem, you can often transform it into an opportunity for creative learning. Playing with problems seems to come naturally to children. When they are confused or afraid, they make their problems into a game, giving them a sense of control and an opportunity to experiment with new solutions. Interacting with others in playful ways helps you retain this creative ability. As laughter, humor, and play become an integrated part of your life, your creativity will flourish and new discoveries for playing with friends, coworkers, acquaintances, and loved ones will occur to you daily. Humor takes you to a higher place where you can view the world from a more relaxed, positive, creative, joyful, and balanced perspective.