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Archive for the ‘Art and Crafts’ Category

Friday’s Fresh Five! (5/20/11)

Posted in About me, Art and Crafts, Creativity, Entertainment, Gift Ideas, Helping Others, inspiration, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on May 19, 2011| Leave a Comment »

“Don’t lose sight of your goal.” I seem to be saying that a lot lately – whether it’s to myself or to one of my children. It appears, though, that the squirrels in my yard never lose sight of their goals!

#1- Gift of Trees
A couple of weeks ago my hairdresser and I were chatting about buying graduation gifts. She mentioned Trees For a Change to me. For a nominal fee, a tree is planted in a U.S. National Forest that has been devastated by wildfire. The recipient receives a gift card and information where his tree is planted. Give a different type of green gift to the graduates in your life. Make it one that impacts the earth in a positive way. And what a perfect gift it could be for that someone who has everything – think Father’s Day!

#2 – Shadow Art
This type of art is fascinating – these artists take the study of light and shadows to a whole new level!

#3 – Do You Have a Problem In Your Life?
Whether your answer to this question is yes or no, you’ll want to take a look at this graphic. Yes, it’s simplistic, but it does help to put worrying into perspective.

#4 – One Word
One of my daily goals is to write everyday. Sometimes writing comes easy to me and sometimes it’s like giving birth. One Word is a site I love to go to warm up my brain and start the flow of words. It’s very simple: one word appears on your computer screen and you have just one minute to write about the word. If you’d like to share it, submit it to the site. It’s entertaining to read what others have written. The best advice is offered by the site’s creators, “Don’t think. Just write.”

#5 – Never Too Old
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
C.S. Lewis

What about setting a new goal or dreaming a new dream this weekend?

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (5/6/11)

Posted in Art and Crafts, Creativity, Entertainment, Gift Ideas, Holidays, inspiration, Style and fashion, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 6, 2011| Leave a Comment »

My mother is a poem
I’ll never be able to write,
though everything I write
is a poem to my mother.
~Sharon Doubiago

#1 – What’s a Mom Worth?
Although we all know that moms are priceless, an ABC News article puts a mom’s yearly price tag at $61,436. The researcher under-categorized the duties that moms perform. For example, omitted is the category of performing noninvasive brain surgery on a daily basis – how do you put a price tag on that? Click here for the breakdown and see what you think.

#2 – Make a Photo Mosaic!
On last week’s Friday’s Fresh Five, I posted a link to a photo mosaic depicting Van Gogh’s Starry Night. This week you are just a couple of clicks away from making a photo mosaic of your own. It’s easy to do – just follow the few steps on the site (“Browse” and “create my Image Mosaic”). An added feature is that you can download your mosaic and print it. Create a frame-worthy piece of art for your mom for Mother’s Day!

#3 – How to Tie a Scarf
After working in women’s retail clothing for a couple of years, I realized that many women need assistance accessorizing their outfits. One of the easiest ways to accessorize is to use scarves. But herein lies a problem: most women’s knowledge of tying scarves is very limited. To the rescue is this site. It’s devoted to the many ways to tie all different types of scarves. If you’re buying a scarf for Mother’s Day or if you receive a scarf for Mother’s Day, you’ll want to watch these videos.

#4 – Wrap It up
Now that you bought your mom a gift, how are you going to package and wrap it? Here’s a link to packaging templates. Click on the template you want and print it up. Depending on the size of the package you need, you may have to enlarge the image before printing. Remember, “Good things come in small packages.”

#5 – Mothers
The noblest calling in the world is that of mother. True motherhood is the most beautiful of all arts, the greatest of all professions. She who can paint a masterpiece or who can write a book that will influence millions deserves the plaudits and admiration of mankind; but she who rears successfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters whose immortal souls will be exerting an influence throughout the ages long after paintings shall have faded, and books and statues shall have been destroyed, deserves the highest honor that man can give.
~David O. McKay

It’s the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have . . . One pair that see through closed doors. Another in the back of her head . . . and, of course, the ones in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and reflect ‘I understand and I love you’ without so much as uttering a word.
~Erma Bombeck

Becoming a mother makes you the mother of all children. From now on each wounded, abandoned, frightened child is yours. You live in the suffering mothers of every race and creed and weep with them. You long to comfort all who are desolate.
~Charlotte Gray

Before becoming a mother I had a hundred theories on how to bring up children. Now I have seven children and only one theory: love them, especially when they least deserve to be loved.
~Kate Samperi

A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take. ~Cardinal Mermillod

Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers, and sisters, aunts and cousins, but only one mother in the whole world.
~Kate Douglas Wiggin

Celebrate your mother not just for one day a year. Celebrate her your whole life long!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (4/22/11)

Posted in About me, Art and Crafts, Entertainment, Health, inspiration, Travel, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 22, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Today is my Mom’s birthday and I’m wishing her many more: sunny days to warm the freckles on her face, happy memories to fill her heart, big and little reasons to celebrate, moments to laugh with the grandkids, cherished years with my dad, enjoyable times with her friends, hugs and kisses from her children, trays of lasagna and enchiladas, and people to love and be loved by. Happy Birthday, Mom!

#1 – Why I Rule!
Need a little pep talk or just need a daily affirmation or inspiration? It’s as easy as going to Tell Me Why I Rule and clicking on the button. I clicked on the button and this came up: You have learned that everyday may not be good, but there’s something good in every day. A great reminder for all of us!

#2 – Find the Rock
Last week I linked to a computer game that tested reaction time. This week I offer a link to a game that tests your concentration. It’s a shell game – you must keep an eye on which coconut shell is hiding the rock.

#3 – Art Lesson: A Painting Within A Painting
If you appreciate fine art or even if you don’t, you will definitely be impressed with this painting. The amazing details of a painting done by artist Giovanni Paolo Pannini in 1757 are revealed by zooming into the piece frame-by-frame.

#4 – Survival Tips
Would you be able to survive if you were lost at sea or lost in the snow? The site Survive Nature offers survival tips for for six different scenarios. Not being the outdoor-type, I cannot vouch for the accuracy of these tips. I don’t know about you, though, but I’m storing the information in the back of my head!

#5 – To Be Beautiful . . .
“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Have a beautiful weekend!

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Tie-Dyed Eggs

Posted in Art and Crafts, Creativity, Holidays, Kids, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 19, 2011| 4 Comments »

Unwrapping a tied-dyed egg is a little like opening a present – you don’t know what you’re going to get! This fun technique for dyeing eggs uses men’s silk ties as the color source, so these eggs are truly TIE-dyed! If the men in your life will not relinquish any of their ties for this project, just purchase some at your nearest thrift store. I found this technique on Mommy Knows and thought – of course a clever mom would know about this no-mess technique for dyeing Easter eggs! This is a great project for all ages!

TIE-DYED EGGS
Components:
100% silk ties
Scissors
String or dental floss
Saucepan
Water
Vinegar

Directions:
1. Collect old ties and with a pair of scissors, cut open the back seams of the ties.

2. Cut out the triangular pieces of decorative lining and discard.

3. Cut out the white lining and save.

4. Cut out a piece of fabric large enough to wrap around the egg, wet it, wrap it around the egg, and gather it at the top. Tie top with string.

5. To keep fabric in close contact with the egg shell, wrap string all around the egg.

6. Cut a piece of the white lining fabric and wrap the egg in it and then tie it with string.

7. Put the eggs in a pot of cold water and 1/4 cup vinegar and then cook for 20 minutes.

8. After eggs cool, enjoy unwrapping your creations!

Linnell’s Notes:
1. A good looking tie does not necessarily translate to a good looking egg and, likewise, an ugly tie does not make an ugly egg.
2. I found that the less traditionally-patterned Jerry Garcia ties are great for this project.
3. Pale-colored ties did not turn out as well.
4. I cooked the pale-colored fabrics in a separate pot from the strong-colored fabrics, so the color would not transfer.
5. I didn’t have time to experiment, but the original instructions suggested wrapping strips of fabric around the eggs to create different effects.

Happy Easter!!

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Make a Wine Lover’s Chalkboard

Posted in About me, Art and Crafts, Creativity, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 2, 2011| 2 Comments »

For a person who likes to collect things, recycle, and drink wine, this was the perfect rainy day project for me! Several years ago I received a small, child-sized chalkboard as part of a gag gift. Being the perfect size for a desk top message board, I decided to hang on to it and figured I’d put it to good use one of these days. Well, that day arrived after I spied a project I liked and could easily make myself, while browsing through Etsy, an internet shopping site for handcrafted goods. After about a half hour’s worth of work – most of which was spent on deciding which corks to use – I have a wine lover’s chalkboard, complete with a little shelf to store the chalk! I made good use of the chalkboard and recycled some of the corks I’ve saved, not to mention, I have a decorative way to display messages! Now, what to do with all the rest of the corks I’ve collected?

Supplies Needed to Make the Wine Lover’s Chalkboard:
1 small chalkboard with frame
Hot glue gun and glue stick
About 2 dozen wine corks, depending on the size of the chalkboard
Scrap paper
Chalk

Directions:
1. Select the wine corks for the project. I looked for corks that had interesting phrases or designs printed on them.

2. Place corks on the wooden frame and rearrange them until you’re satisfied with the layout. By using varying lengths of cork, I was able to avoid cutting any of them.

3. Cover the “slate” portion of the board with a piece of scrap paper to protect the surface from glue.

4. After selecting which part of the corks are to be face up,  glue them down one by one. Start gluing the corks end-to-end on the top border and then work down one side and then the other. Finally, glue the bottom ends of the corks (they should be standing up) to the bottom part of the frame to create a shelf.

6. Break the chalk in half and place the chalk on the shelf.

7. A sawtooth picture hanger or picture wire could easily be added to the back if you want this project too hang on a wall versus lean against a wall.

I’m working on a few other creative ideas for wine cork usage, but if you have any brilliant ideas, pass them on to me. I’d love to hear about them!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (2/18/11)

Posted in About me, Art and Crafts, Creativity, Gift Ideas, inspiration, Photography, Recycling, Travel, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Like a million, twinkling, little lights, raindrops decorate the thin bare branches of ornamental trees and raindrops fall creating overlapping, concentric circles in the already rippled water of the pool. Gusting winds turn bird feeders into revolving circus rides for hungry little birds trying to feed. And as the feeders swirl around and around and up and down, the birds hold on for dear life as they peck away at the seed. Even during a storm, my yard is a source of wonder.

#1 – Umbrella Art
I have rain on my brain these days and with thoughts of rain comes thoughts of umbrellas. I never considered umbrellas as an art medium, but after seeing these photos of umbrella art installations, I’ve changed my mind!

#2 – How Much Rain is A Lot of Rain?
Just how much rain is a lot of rain – it’s all relative, right? My curiosity led me to the Big Site of Amazing Facts to find these answers:

The average city in the United States might receive 25 to 45 inches of rain in a year. New York receives about 43 inches, and Dallas about 32 inches.

In Cherrapunji, India, it rained so hard in 1861 that the rainfall totaled more than 1,042 inches, that’s about 87 feet!

Lloro, Colombia, in South America receives the highest average annual precipitation on earth, which makes it the wettest place in the world. An estimated 523.6 inches (1,330 cm) of rain falls every year, according to the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

#3 -Reuse It!
Other than using it to cover your head from the pouring rain, there are many different ways to reuse newspapers. Here’s a cute and clever idea – make gift bags out of them! The blog How About Orange has a tutorial on how to make gift bags from newspapers. Now when I read the morning paper, I’ll be looking for colorful ads to use for the gift bags I’m going to make!

#4 – Droplets of Water
You’ll be impressed by these amazing and creative photos taken by Steve Wall, an amateur photographer. With his macro lens he captures the reflective beauty of water droplets. After seeing his work you’ll appreciate both the work of nature and the work of the artist.

#5 – Gentle Rain
Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots.
Frank Howard Clark

Whatever the weather, enjoy your weekend!

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How to Make Fizzy Bath Bombs

Posted in About me, Art and Crafts, Creativity, Holidays, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on February 10, 2011| 2 Comments »

“How hard can it be to make them?” I wondered to myself after discovering how much fizzy bath bombs cost at a major cosmetic store. Having been spoiled by my children, who know how calming a good soak can be for their mom, I’ve enjoyed a nice supply of fizzy bombs up until now. With Mother’s Day too many months away to receive my next gift of bombs and with my increasing need for “Calgon, take me away” moments, I went in search of those round, water-softening, delightfully aromatic bath bombs! As I stood in the middle of the store and looked at the different prices, I saw money going down the drain. At $4.00 to $7.00 dollars a bomb and at one bomb per bath, it’s a splurge for someone who likes to indulge in baths! At that moment, I decided to try making my own fizzy bath bombs.

There are many sites on the internet that have step-by-step instructions for making bath bombs. I studied several of them, selected one, and went out and bought the necessary supplies. Because I make my own bath salts, I already had baking soda and essential oils on hand. Although it was an easy process and my first batch turned out reasonably well, I still want to experiment with different molds and ingredients and I’ll definitely try to perfect my technique.

Bath bombs make great gifts. Just pop one into a clear cellophane bag and tie it up with a cute bit of ribbon. Think ahead to Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day. You are only limited by your imagination! Egg-shaped ones would make cute Easter treats. Heart molds could be used for Valentine’s Day or bridal showers. And If secret messages are your thing, Martha Stewart has a page of Valentine-appropriate messages and labels available on her site.

How to Make Fizzy Bath Bombs
By an eHow Contributor

Materials:
1-1/2 cups baking soda
1/2 cup powdered citric acid
2 tsp. sweet almond oil
6 to 8 drops essential oils of your choice
Food coloring
Large mixing bowl
Small mixing bowl
Candy or soap molds with rounded corners
Witch hazel in a spritzer bottle

Instructions:
1. Sift together the baking soda and citric acid in a large mixing bowl. (Make sure the bowl is completely dry before you begin.) Blend the mixture thoroughly, or the fizzy bomb will be too grainy.

2. Mix the sweet almond oil, essential oil and food coloring in a small bowl.

3. Stir the oil mixture into the larger bowl of baking powder and citric acid, and then mix it quickly with your fingertips. Speed is important, because if you mix too slowly, the mixture can begin to fizz.

4. Rub a bit of sweet almond oil on the inside of the molds, and then fill the molds with the mixture, packing them tightly with your fingers.

5. Let the fizzy bath bombs set for about 36 hours, then tap the molds lightly and gently remove the fizzy bath bombs.

6. Spritz the fizzy bath bombs with the witch hazel, which will help create a firmer outside cover. Allow the bombs to dry for 24 hours, turn over and spritz the other sides.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. Essential oils can usually be purchased at natural food stores.

2. Citric acid is necessary to create the fizzing effect. It can be purchased at wine or beer brewing supply stores, select health food or natural food stores, or online.

3. I purchased plastic Christmas ornament ball molds at my local craft store.

4. Do not forget to oil the interior of the molds for easier release.

5. I wore disposable gloves, so that my hands would not become stained by the food coloring.

6. This recipe made two medium-sized (80mm) balls.

Bombs Away!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (1/21/11)

Posted in Art and Crafts, Creativity, Gift Ideas, inspiration, Photography, Recycling, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 21, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Like Midas, the sun transformed everything it touched into gold as the bride and groom exchanged their wedding vows. “No gifts please,” the invitation read. But what about the beautiful gift they gave to their guests?  Was not the sharing of this glorious golden sunset on their wedding day a gift to others?

#1 – Live Your Life To the Fullest
I found another great list filled with food for thought. It’s from the Personal Excellence Blog and it’s called 101 Ways To Live Your Life to The Fullest. The article starts with this quote from Steve Jobs:

“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drown your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

This list may seem daunting to some of you, but even if only one or two of the author’s suggestions appeal to you, you are still ahead of the game and closer to living your life to the fullest.

#2 – Reuse It!
If you have a wool sweater that you or someone in your family no longer wears, try making a cute handbag/tote out of it. I’ve not tried making one yet, but I’m definitely going to do it. The whole process seems simple enough. I may even attempt to add lining to my handbag! If you don’t have any old sweaters, search a thrift store for one. Click the link for the 30 Minutes to a Recycled Sweater Bag instructions.

#3 – Recycling Is An Art
This is a fun site to explore and inspire. Browse through the pages of RECYCLART to view ways to reuse and recycle “stuff” in a fun and artistic way. This site proves that with imagination anything can be reused!

#4 – Give Yourself a Time Out!
After I saw this gorgeous photo, I had to share it with you! Give yourself a time out to enjoy it. I guarantee you’ll feel much more relaxed after looking at this incredible sunset. Click on the link, then take a deep breath and simply gaze at the photo. Study the silhouette of the canoe and its solitary passenger. Is it a man or woman? Admire the vibrant colors – did you know that blue and orange are complementary colors? Have your eyes find the horizon and then let yourself sink deep into the warmth of its image. See how the clouds are smaller and fainter at the horizon then at the top and bottom of the photo? Notice the movement of the clouds and appreciate the beauty of their reflected image on the shimmering water. Feel better now?

#5 – Point of View
Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.
Rabindranath Tagore

Enjoy your weekend!
And a Happy Birthday to my niece Stephanie!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (12/10/10)

Posted in About me, Art and Crafts, Creativity, Gift Ideas, Helping Others, Holidays, inspiration, Recycling, Travel, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on December 10, 2010| Leave a Comment »

The air was damp and the sky was overcast, but still it was a lovely morning for a walk. The half-dressed autumn trees swayed in the breeze and encouraged their leaves to fall gracefully to the ground. As each season arrives and brings its unique character, I pause to breathe deep and say to myself, “This is the best time of the year.” And it always is.

#1 – Bingo, Anyone?
Breathe a little fun into your holiday gathering. On Christmas Eve each place setting on the tables in my house will have a little something extra – a bingo card. I’m making bingo cards and the markers will be holiday m&m candies. Just a little bit of fun before dinner starts. You can either make your own bingo cards using stickers or rubber stamps or go to DLTK to customize your cards and print them up!

#2 – Reuse It!
Breathe easier because here’s another idea for reusing plastic water bottles and saving the world from more trash. How about making cute bracelets out of bottles! Check out Dana’s Fashion Blog for complete instructions and pictorial.

#3 – Looking For a Good Book to Read?
I came across an article on LISTVERSE titled Top Ten Best Novels of the Last 20 Years. At first I was just curious, but as I read the article I became intrigued. A lot of these novels are out of my normal reading comfort zone, but Franz Kafka once said, “I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound and stab us. If the book we are reading doesn’t wake us up with a blow on the head, what are we reading it for? We need the books that affect us like a disaster, that grieve us deeply, like the death of someone we loved more than ourselves, like being banished into forests far from everyone, like a suicide. A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us.” That’s intense and it leaves me breathless, but I’m still off to the bookstore to check out those titles!

#4 – Hit the Road
Feel like taking a road trip? MapCrunch is an interesting site where you can “teleport to a random place in the world!” Select a country and click “Go” and an image of a random street in that country appears on screen. Some scenes are breathtaking and some are not. Move your cursor to the lower right-hand corner of the image and you’ll see the address of the scene. A pointer on a map indicates where you are located in that country.

#5 – All Good Things Are Yours
Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours. 
~Swedish Proverb

Take a deep breath . . . there are only two more weeks before Christmas!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (11/19/10)

Posted in About me, Art and Crafts, Community, Gift Ideas, Helping Others, Holidays, inspiration, Jewelry, Photography, Travel, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 19, 2010| 1 Comment »

Full of gratitude. It’s a reoccurring theme on this blog, as well as a meaningful phrase for one of my dear friends. Because I am grateful to have her in my life and because she’s helped me to rekindle my “spark,” I made her this necklace. With less than one week before Thanksgiving, let’s all make the time to stop what we are doing – planning menus, working, cleaning house, chauffeuring kids, etc. – to reflect on the many things we are grateful for and to show gratitude to everyone in our lives.

#1 – Say Thanks!
Although Thanksgiving is celebrated in the United States and Canada as a harvest festival, the island of Grenada and the city of Leiden in the Netherlands also celebrate a Thanksgiving Day. But why only say thanks once a year? Here are a few different ways to say thanks or thank you in other languages. You never know when this knowledge might come in handy – maybe even the next time you go out to eat!! Click here to see the entire list.

Chinese (Mandarin) – Xie_Xie (shieh shieh)
Chinese (Cantonese) Do jeh (tou yeh) (formal: thanks)
Czech – Dekuji (deh’-ku-yih)
French – merci (mehr-see’)
German – Danke (dahn’-kuh)
Greek – Efharisto (ef-har-ris-tou’)
Hawaiian – Mahalo
Italian – Grazie (grahts’-yeh)
Japanese – Arigato (ah-ree-gah’-toh)
Korean – Kamsa hamaida (kam’-sah hum-nee-dah’ )
Malaysian – Terima Kasih (“Tay ree ma Kaa seh”)
Polish – Dziekuje (dsyehn-koo-yeh)
Russian – Spasiba (spah-see’-boh)
Spanish – Gracias (grah’-syas)
Swedish – Tack (tahkk)
Tahitian – Maururu

#2 – Paper Art
When I create my cards, I enjoy cutting and manipulating pieces of paper, but here is a series of photos that takes paper art to a whole other level!

#3 – Spells
It’s November and everyone is as excited as can be! Not for Thanksgiving necessarily, but for the release of the new Harry Potter film. You’ll be grateful that you know the difference between the Alohomora spell and the Finite Incantatem spell. Brush up on your knowledge with Wikipedia’s Harry Potter Spells before you see the movie!

#4 -What Money Cannot Buy
The Norwegian writer Arne Garborg once wrote this:
It is said that for money you can have everything, but you cannot. You can buy food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; knowledge, but not wisdom; glitter, but not beauty; fun, but not joy; acquaintances, but not friends; servants, but not faithfulness; leisure, but not peace. You can have the husk of everything, but not the kernel.

Being grateful means being appreciative – for the what, why, where, and who’s we have in life. We’ve all heard that money cannot buy happiness, but that trend of thought does not stop there. To be inspired by others check out this Marc and Angel Hack Life blog post or check out this site which allows people to post their thoughts on what money can’t buy.

#5 – Gratitude
“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” — William Arthur Ward

Be grateful you have a weekend to enjoy!


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