What dreams do You have for the New Year?

Here comes Elvis and with this wonderful song!  -

    

 If I Can Dream - love this Song!

Elvis - If I Can Dream (Official Live Performance)

 

Some years seem to go by slow and others fly by. 

How has this one been for You?

I grew up listening to Elvis with my 2 older sisters and remember that day spent crying when I learned of his passing. 

Yes I'm that old and got to watch him on Ed Sullivan and in a few movies at the theatre.

 

I thought this song would perhaps help encourage us to keep moving on with our dreams for better and brighter days ahead. 

I hope it helps encourage us towards peace hope and caring for the people, animals and this beautiful place we all call home, our Earth.

PS. I wonder if anyone else feels this song could have been written for our current time & world these last couple of years. 

I made  a copy of the words and will keep it on my desk to hopefully read daily, and I made another copy for my night table to read before I go to sleep.

It's time now to wish You a Happy New year ! 

Stay safe, enjoy your family, friends, pets and hopefully we will move into the coming year with less fear, violence, death, lies, fighting and more honesty, equality, fairness, safety, and attainable dreams for all. 

Take Care.

 

that's it for 2022.

Thank You for your continued support.

PSS. One last thing. 

Back in the late spring I decided I needed to learn to play this song on my guitar then soon after I hurt my finger and still can't play chords.

My singing ability isn't good either but I'm hopeful and having Fun - that's what counts and Elvis does it so much better. 💖

Hopefully I'll learn to play it soon. 

Dona Anderson

Let's welcome us all to 2023!

Bye for today

A beautiful Christmas Gift to us. André Rieu - Home for Christmas

Just in time for sitting in that cozy chair with my old favorite blanket...

Dona Anderson

I hope you love Andrés concerts too.

This is a special time of year when we're indoors, seeing the snow fall, watching those old Christmas movies or listening to your favorite songs again and getting together with family.  

The concert above is awesome so Enjoy and share with your family and friends as well.  We all need some good entertainment to help us relax and feel like normal life has returned again.

It just might be one that becomes your every year treat. 

PS. I got to go to the movie theater several months ago for a new concert the orchestra performed that absolutely filled me with joy. The audience in the movie didn't want it to end and neither did us watching.

Honestly I don't think the musicians wanted to leave either but they must have been exhausted.

I'm hoping Santa brings me the DVD for Christmas. 

André Rieu Happy Together.

 

Too many decisions

Have you felt like we have too many
 decisions to make these days.

Dona Anderson

Back in the Summer I took on the task of reducing some of the old Christmas Cards in the cabinet.

I was surprised that they went back over 20 years. The Box was full.

Each one was opened and read and 2 piles were made - one for keeping and the others were for leaving, though it was hard to make that second pile. 

It was nice to see some family names of ones no longer here and pictures given out for children that are now adults. I loved the art and drawings of the grandchildren along with the big letters when they were just learning to make the words.  

I also loved how beautiful many of the cards were and from the pile I only had 2 that were the same. 

Christmas cards have greatly reduced over the years due to the newer ways to communicate and each year we get fewer in our mailbox. But I still do love to get a few and think that we're remembered by others after many years apart.

  This is my Card box. 

  yes it's a special box I've kept that had tea in it from Oprah for  attending her live event in Seattle years ago.

 The Tea was Great and so was the event!

 So when I was doing this post I thought of the one I wrote  last  spring - 

Here's the link. post I wrote about boxes.  

What's in Your boxes?

PS. I had to share this photo from last year.

Timing really is important.

Our Westie Girl Kelsie has many beds and she loves this spare one for some reason so every once in a while if the door is open she'll go and snuggle with the pillow and at Christmas I put out these teddies for fun.

In the photo below that's her hiding with the Christmas Teddies.

It was so cute how she played innocent and looked the other way.  

Thankfully she stayed there long enough for me to get the camera.

                     Must Love Dogs in this house.!

That's it for today. 

New posts every Tuesday so please visit again and check out the Archives for over 700 past posts you to view, save & share - more decisions. 😊

Wellness  resources at the link above.

Have a great day and stay well and safe over the holidays. 

🎄

ebook available at this link 

Another Year that will not be forgotten

 

Moving on but not forgetting

Dona Anderson

When was the last year we had a break from all that's been going on ?

We had another year with too much stress, death, loss and destruction ...

So let's change the Story to help us Feel better for a few minutes.

I'm sure we could all make a long list of what went wrong these last few years, so instead lets leave that and remember the GOOD Stuff from the same couple of years.

I know it'll take a bit to focus in on it and remember the Good.

The last few years have been hard but often the good stuff is there too that we need to remember.

There's been lots of change everywhere and I guess our lists may all be very  different.  

What things stood out for You?

What things were You thankful for?

Thankfully the daily news is not all bad.

Maybe you had lots of support you never imagined.

I saw a lot of people helping others, bringing them into their homes and providing a safe place.

I saw food being made and served to the hungry

Pets being rescued and looked after

Vaccines made and continued to be given out

Medical workers helping others when they needed it too

Food Banks getting donations and sending them out

Countries helping other countries

Friends starting to gather again

People smiling 

Change being more readily accepted and tried

Zoom and other things helped people connect

Working from home saved time, money & more

Things started to open up again

Traveler's hitting the roads and skies

Those were some I quickly thought of - what are yours?

What's on your list?

PS.  when I worked I was always proactive in getting things started or done ahead of time to lessen the stress of something happening later on so I guess I've been also doing this the last 12years with these now over 700 posts.

The weeks go by so fast that my getting a few posts ahead doesn't last long. 

I think it was easier at work as I knew what I needed to do but here it's made up and different every week - not like a work done report kind of thing.

As we head in 2023 I'll soon be nearing 800 posts. 

This was Never imagined in my wildest dreams and mine are pretty weird.

I'll try to continue to bring you relaxation, inspiration, peace, hope, music and more to support your Wellness and Self Care. 

I hope you've had many favorites or ones over the years you've connected to for some special reason. 

In my Book Moving Forward from the Heart the first meditation is titled, 

So Much More to See

 and the last one is titled, 

You became the Beauty

In between these two are 71 other meditations to support your day & life to  

Discover your own true self as you

slow down and listen. 

Information on all Resources at this link.

Bye for now and all published posts are

in the Archives to view, save and share.

The photo message above is great  as a short meditation & offers you 5 moments for relaxation and inspiration. 

It's from the meditation Close your eyes on page 60.

Thanks for sharing at the links below.

Take Care and thanks for your visit. 

What do you get with Wishes & Stars

When You Wish Upon A Star

Wishes and Stars together

sung by Jiminy Cricket (Cliff Edwards)

Always a Family Favorite.

I feel like I'm back watching the black & white

TV and it's Sunday ...

Time for a singalong and some star grazing.

This song takes us back to a very different time in our lives, and the world.

I enjoyed it thinking that Santa lists are getting ready and later looking up towards the stars for his sleigh.

We didn't get a TV until the early 1960's and Sundays were usually spent around the house and then our Sunday supper. 

It's the early 1960's when if the family was not at the kitchen or dining room table we were in the living room in front of the TV on a Sunday night for a our couple of weekly shows. 

Walt Disney and Ed Sullivan. - times were starting to change. We would never have believed how much.

No video or recordings back then so we had to watch it when aired. 

We had the TV tables out and ready for that first note of the music. 

It was fun to run out to the kitchen to get our supper, 2nd helpings, or dessert during the commercials. 

A little freedom from the rest of the week at the supper table..

Simple quiet times.

PS. it was a time of aprons, pies cooling outside on the porch, lots of dishes to wash and hopefully leftovers for the next few days. 

Later on it was a time when the boy friends came to Sunday Supper. I guess to see what us girls might cook later and to see if they really wanted to hang around.

 

I always wondered what their Mothers thought.  Was she alone -  hopefully not and she had someone to eat with.

It was a time when Mom kind of catered to them - I wonder now if she was hoping to marry us off. 

Not too soon - we were all 4 years apart so it would take a while.

When it came my turn, my future hubby always helped out. He liked to be the one washing the dishes, and still is. 

PSS. Not long after the Beetles, others came and so many shows changed. 

Thanks to Ed Sullivan for so much during those years. 

He opened the World up!

.

Encore - 2022 Summer of Music all in one place.

Encore - 2022 Summer of Music all in one place.

We had 9 music videos to enjoy over the summer and here they are again all in one post for you to view, save and share. 

There were many favorites and I hope you had a couple. 

It was wonderful to see that they traveled the world thanks to your shares and are available for you to share with others and save your favorites for those  relaxation days we all need and as winter settles in we may need some feelings of inspiration and healing found in several of these. 

I always like to go on You tube and see the comments from others. In this huge world we are so similar and love and enjoy the same things.

Here goes. 

Week 1 Secret Garden - You raise me up 

Week 2 Celtic thunder - Amazing Grace 

Week 3 A beautiful melody to enjoy - Soft, Emotional

Week 4 Father Ray - Singing Priest 

Week 5 Susan Boyle I Dreamed a Dream 

Week 6 Dana Winner,  One Moment in time

Week 7  A beautiful song from India Arie, I am light

Week 8 That great Tango scene from the movie Scent of a Woman

Week 9 Eva Cassidy Over the rainbow. 

A wonderful song for this years ending

PS. Thank You to all the viewers and I hope these videos offer you some memories, relaxation and inspiration to carry you through the winter or the season where you live.

I'll let you know the 3 most watched later in the new year.  I hope it matches your top 3.

 Here's a One rose wellness message for you today.

Soften your whole body

and invite a smile to fill your

face and your heart...

Take care and have a great week ahead.

How many years do we have to do housework?

 Do You like to Dust?

I didn't get that gene but still must do it.

Dona Anderson

In our family, it's my sister. She loves to clean.

Hi, Thanks for visiting today and if you're new to this blog. I publish posts weekly, on Tuesdays. 

I've seen the list below several times and this time I thought I'd share it.

As we're moving through Fall with Winter approaching ... what will we do.

Back when I was little there was always the spring and fall house cleaning of the cupboards, drawers, closets, windows etc. etc.

That was on top of the weekly cleaning. 

I don't know if this is still a thing now or not - maybe not so frequent or planned.

With that out of the way it was then time to think about Christmas and hoped to find something to do over the long cold winter, which wasn't much. 

I love this list of things to do - very doable. 

 

Thank You Rose Milligan,

A wonderful selection of things to do that connect you to nature, friends, art, music, books and more.

PS. Even if You do some of these already it's the connection and knowing that it's an activity that fills you with many wonderful feelings and emotions.

Those feelings that fill your heart with Joy.

A time when hours pass by like minutes.

yes Old Age is approaching ...

It's already here for me.

Maybe time to hire someone to do the dusting soon.

Thanks for your visit today. 

Over 700 posts in the Archives that you can view save & share.  

Have a great day and week ahead. 

Thanks for sharing at the links below. Together we're spreading wellness around the world.

Take Care!

I don't know the title yet but

 maybe the Word Contentment is involved.

Dona Anderson

“Rather than being your thoughts and emotions, 

be the awareness behind them.”

― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

Why don't we feel like we think we should or want to?

We're all Human and that means we all have many choices to carry around.

From happy, to sad, to wanting more, being satisfied, or being lonely & anxious to grateful, calm, and at peace.

And, there're many words for all those feelings & emotions mixed in what we carry within us. 

                                             

                                           Do you say to yourself any of these ...

Why do I start to cry at a beautiful piece of music.

Why do I feel lonely and sad when I have so much to be thankful for.

Why am I tired and stressed out every day.

Why do things irritate me so easily

Why... Why... Why...

How many things make you mad, sad, angry, frustrated, unhappy, stressed ... and then you wonder why you're tired, mad. sad, and stressed.

What can we learn from our feelings and emotions to help us build that awareness we need to support us when we need it. 

See if any of these lines below connect to some of your feelings - what is your word that's missing at the end.

We'll look at the emotions later. 

It's Ok if you add in some more lines if needed ... 

We're just taking a look for now.

The word I'm stands for I AM and this powerful word connects us to our feelings and emotions. 

I'm more sensitive some days than others so I'm feeling   

My body hurts more lately than it used to so I'm feeling  

My sleep isn't very good most nights so I'm

I forget to eat regular meals everyday so I'm

I'm not exercising very often so I'm 

I don't get out to my activities every week so I'm 

I don't see my friends as often anymore so I'm,

Here's some words that may help for building Awareness

Emotions before may be  - Depressed, Sad Stressed Angry Lonely Teary Anxious Gloomy Nervous 

Emotions After could be -  Joy Valued Energized Eager Grateful Needed Admired Carefree Forgiving Healthy

How we change things around is up to each of us. 

Love this quote below by Maya Angelou. 

"Do the best you can until you know better, 

then when you know better, do better." 

Will you let it take You there.

PS. How we breathe also affects our feelings and 

emotions so here's a photo message of mine with words 

from my book Moving Forward from the heart. © 2015

A full healthy breath celebrated.

Take Care and thanks for your visit today.

We're living in very stressful times and our list may be longer than usual so give yourself a break, phone a friend, rest often, eat good foods, go for a walk or sit outside, and take a few extra breaths.

Links for sharing below 

and, I hope you end with I am feeling better.

Visit the Resources page for information.

Celebration of Life.

 

Remembering lives well lived.

Dona Anderson

After living here long enough to become a senior I was very glad to join one and then 2 senior centers that are full of activities and people who are enjoying this time of their lives by getting out to be with others, share stories, laughs, do activities like music, choir, cards, crafts and lots more. 

It often feels like family outside of home.

The sad part is when you learn someone can't attend anymore or have passed away.

In the last few years we've had several friends not connected to the centers pass so we knew about their lives and became part of their activities but at the center you may just know them from the activity you both attend and some days a hi or how are you may be all the time you get for conversation. 

But even that can bring a big shared smile on your faces each time you meet again.

"A Friendly greeting or acknowledgment can create a feeling of welcoming and belonging and let someone know you care"  

This last year has had even more sadness ... some years are harder than others.

I've learned a lot about their lives since from the paper, and I'm amazed at the stories. Many moved across continent's, countries and one lady moved 20+ times.

Many were quite active in volunteering, hobbies and supporting others. 

One lady at 89 was still driving and loved reading, being on the computer and doing activities  to support her self care. 

I noticed they didn't complain much even when they certainly could have.

I noticed they were always happy to get out, see others, and join in however they could.

And, they all seemed to be happy with what they could do more than talk about what they couldn't. 

The stories all seemed to show a busy full adventurist life that led them to this community to retire and for some to find the work they loved the best. 

Each had a life very well lived,

and we'll miss them all.

 PS.  Quote above is from the meditation Words to be savored and treasured on page 75, in my book Moving Forward from the Heart.

Todays quiet place to rest.

Bye for today & take care.

You never know how a small injury will affect your life.  I hurt my finger back in July and was told it would take months to heal - coming up to month 4 soon.  

Missing my activities and friends.

 

Love Theme from...

Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet - 

   Joslin - Henri Mancini, Nino Rota

This is Amazing

Dona Anderson

By now You know I often share a music video I find that's  Amazing.

This one has it all.

Spectacular Performance

Beautiful location

Incredible Musicians

From start to finish

It wasn't only my eyes that shed a tear - check out the reviews from others over the years.

Their stories of watching the movie and listening to the music many times years ago, and the love they had and shared that is still felt.

Music sure can connect us to our inner heart where stories and many memories rest, and it can instantly fill our soul bringing us tears and other emotions.

It's been a few years of tears, loss, sadness, stress and more.

Our minds and hearts are full, tired but we have to keep going.

These reviews showed me that their losses were for someone or a time remembered that was deeply felt, loved, missed and it helps us all when the stories are both shared and heard.

We have to keep going.

PS. Often when I write a review it usually seems to be an immediate response, coming from the heart or somewhere else. 

This makes me think it is something that has been there a long time and no thought was needed to write it.  

I guess it was just sticking around, waiting to get out.

Thanks for your visit and love when you share with others so these posts posts get to travel the World.  Links below.

Did You do this too.

 

Write out some of Mom's recipes
before You left Home?

Dona Anderson

I sure did, and it was over 50 years ago.

I started with a lined notebook and filled it with those ones from everyday things to special occasions and Sunday suppers. 

Later on of course the book was full of flour, butter and other things from being well used so about 25 years ago I decided I had to do it over again.

the title -   

It's about Time 

Moms' Best.

A collection of recipes then came from mothers on both sides, grandmothers, friends and of course ones I made up.

The title was prefect for several reasons. 

*The history of the old recipes

*The years of memories attached

*The task of finally starting over

*The change from at home moms to working

moms with less time

*We couldn't read a lot of the pages anymore

* Recipes needed updates for less fat & sugar

* Some not wanted anymore

* Kids leaving home and wanting those basic

instructions added in like temp & time 

*My sisters also wanted a copy

As I was taking too long to get it done with other things to do, my Husband took over  the typing task to get it finished. (such a good helper he is)

Wow, I never counted it before and was surprised that there were 120 pages with 388 recipes. 

Even though I changed many recipes before, others now need to be deleted or updated again. 

And now again much later we have more books of recipes from ones online and my husband loves to make soups and other things to share. 

It's a time now when stores are normally full of things we didn't know what they were or are, lots more spices, vegetables, boxes and cartons of ?? fill the shelves. 

I often wonder about who buys all the other stuff that we never do.

PS. This salad I made in the Spring from a mix of stuff in the fridge and it was fun to put together and made with Fruit, Vegetables and the lettuce growing in the window.

To my surprise it was quite good and a way to use up things in the fridge/freezer.

A little Balsamic vinegar, Olive oil, the strawberry juice and a few spices made the dressing. 

I forgot the lemon on this one and I wasn't sure of what spices to use so that's for next time.

It's fun to get those few day old goodies and create something different, tasty & healthy!

Now it's that time of year for markets to be selling those big bags of potatoes, onions apples and other things to store for the winter.

And lots of pies, jams, and goodies being made now to fill up the freezer and cold rooms. (Well maybe not here, freezer is full and I have to have room for my fruit cake.

And, it's that time of year when I'm  complaining 

we have to go back to store bought tomatoes.

Take care and have a wonderful day.

Thanks for sharing with others at the links below.

And, No, I won't be redoing the recipes again 

so that task is crossed off the list.

 

I like to visit the book sales to find recipe books that have a beautiful cover that then becomes my Kitchen Art.

Take Care and let's get together again next Tuesday

or whenever You have time.

 

You'll Never Walk Alone

Sissel Kyrkjebø

You'll Never Walk Alone

Dona Anderson

Every song she sings is a Gift to us.

Her beautiful voice captures us from the beginning.

An inspiring song that's sung many times and places to bring hope and strength to it's listeners to be strong through hardships, sadness, triumph and more.  

The softness and strength in her voice both seem to come from her soul.

PS. Some of my takeaways were,

There are many storms in life

Be proud of where you came from and where you're going

Things will get better

Be hopeful and keep going towards your dreams.

As we're nearing the end of another year that was full of many emotions, loss, sadness, hardship and more my wish is to send you strength and recovery for all the heartbreak of these last several years and that peace be restored.

The world needs to heal.

Thanks for your visit and links to share below.

All posts remain in the Archives and are free for you to

view, save & share at your leisure.

Take Care and have a good week ahead.

Look up to the stars - what do You see

 

The Stars make me Dream

"I don't know anything with certainty, but seeing  the stars make me dream."

~Vincent van Gogh~

Here's a little clip from a post back in 2019

Story time - I have to tell you about one night years ago we got up around 2 am to watch the stars.

We had the blankets and pillows all ready to lay outside and hope for something special to happen. 

The dogs came out with us and after cuddling awhile and wondering why we weren't in bed, they started to walk around and ended up they both had a big smelly poop close by.

Well that wasn't the special thing we had
hoped to happen that night.

After getting up and a few laughs we went back to bed.

Summer seems to offer us those special times to stay up later and feel young again with our kids and grandchildren.

Rolling down the front lawn or a splash of water at the beach on someone always gives us a chance to play even in an unexpected way.

Perhaps the extra glass of wine helps too!

I don't have any memories of having fun with my parents or grandparents other than a card game we played at Christmas so it's a special time for me to be part of, to learn from and definitely want to do more.

PS. Those remember when family times are important

for sharing & saving.

Take Care as we continue to make

our way through 2022.

I hope you're having a good day and there's

something that will make it special.

A nap sounds good to me.

Thanks for your visit.

Links to share with others below and all

posts are in the archives for viewing.

Four ways to live a better and happier life

I liked the different approach he spoke of in his Tedx Talk  

It may help more of us go back to feeling our own happiness again after these last few stressful years.

TEDxSydney Living Better and Happier.

Dona Anderson

Thank You Dominic Price and check out the reviews from others for this video. Very well received.

If some of us have been struggling with a few of these areas in past years, this video may help. 

 

Productivity & profit

People

Planet 

Purpose

It's funny how life leads us on different paths and we can't predict our future even if we think we're doing all things right.

I enjoyed this video as it helped me connect to different times in my life.

In thinking about these 4 topics I kind of slipped back to memories of my parents and grandparents too. 

Productivity & profit - I don't know if they were happy or not. We didn't ask those questions back then. 

We didn't have many people around so not sure about that either.

The uncertainty and stress from previous wars, hardships & illness in their life seemed to linger heavily and I'm sure it affected the next generations as well.

Did they feel productive or that they had a purpose - I don't know that  either ... it seemed to just be a time for work and to do what you had to each day.

Now, Productivity & Profit in my later life are measured in different ways than years ago. Keeping happy, active & healthy are very important. 

Health is Wealth

People in our life has changed many times due to us & others moving to various places over the years.

We have special friends in our heart and lots of great memories of people, places, meals together, travelling and we're always happy when family visits.

I hope Play is included in this part as it's important to have fun, be curious, creative, laugh and explore. 

When it's shared with others it's even more enjoyable.

Friends are great to have and to be.

Planet - the state of our Planet has become More & more critical in many areas and is a concern that we all need to do what we can to help. 

Each day gives us an opportunity to help in some way. 

Every little bit counts.

Purpose as we get older it can be harder to feel. Often we can be limited in some areas but many of the adults and seniors here are busy walking, have dogs, golfing, volunteering, making crafts, taking courses, gardening, travelling, fishing, going to exercise classes, and spend time at the senior centers for music, choir, cards, friendship and more. 

I'm glad that after we moved here I got involved more with Yoga and other wellness activities that led me to writing which includes my Books and Blog.

As I felt the benefits of what I was doing and learning I wanted to share it to help others.

 I think Purpose is a special Gift we give to ourselves

whatever it may be for You.

Often when we're asked to give a number between one & 10 it's hard to say how much do you include in that one figure. 

How do you pick whether it's 7.5 or 3.9. So this -1, 0 or 1 seemed to be quick and not stressful.

Now if I do my score I feel good saying number 1 to 3 things and zero to one while knowing that these numbers do change at various times over the years and they will again. 

PS. the area I scored a zero in I've been aware of for a couple of years and I guess covid and a few other things gave me an excuse to not work more on them. 

Sometimes when we put things in writing it helps us work on it more so here goes. 

Bye for today. 

Links for sharing below.

Love that little teddy, hope he pops up in many other places.

Take Care.

One more for you today

A beautiful song from Enya to carry us through the week.

We're welcoming the fall Equinox in a couple of days as we notice the sun rises later in the morning and signs of fall all around us. 

As nature changes through the year we get to enjoy all it has to offer us. It maybe different than last year but it's all there for us to breathe in, feel its comfort, magic and explore.