What Inspires You?

We're midway through January, and I'm glad! Winter already feels long here. The days are so short you blink and you miss them. My translucent skin scares small children. Snow and dirty slush are daily reminders of the season, a season I'm more than ready to leave behind. Even my dog wants spring. She misses our daily walks.

I took this picture on a walk this summer. All that luscious green!

To combat the negative spiral of "winter thinking," I made a list of things that inspire me because I need all the inspiration I can get this time of year.

- My houseplants are the only green around me, and I'm thankful for them.

- New music from the library gets me out of a funk. I'm enjoying a few soundtracks at the moment. (Thanks for Sharing soundtrack and Dan in Real Life soundtrack)

- Healthy black bean dip puts a smile on my face (Tex-Mex Black Bean Dip recipe linked).

- Fruit smoothies in the morning do too!

- I still try to get outside for a quick walk with Sophie if it isn't raining and if the temperatures are above thirty.

- Strong women get me motivated. I cut out a picture of Allison Sweeney (featured in last month's Redbook) and pinned it to my bulletin board. She's healthy and real. I like that.

- Favorite Bible passages lift me up. I write them on index cards and keep them in my office.

- Daydreams help too. It's fun to think of the future, the more outrageous, the better!

- Sports. Practices, games, and all the running in between get me out of the house and talking to other parents.

So many things inspire me! I just have to stop focusing on winter and start focusing on the good stuff!

What inspires you?

Have a terrific day!

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Why April Messes with My Head

April in northern Ohio (or Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin--any state experiencing 6 months of winter) can really mess with your head.

Sure, snow seems fun and pretty when Christmas is around the corner, but by mid-January, I can't help wondering how much longer I'll have to wear my sweaters. I'm not talking about the cute, light sweaters with an open neck or anything, either. I'm talking layers, heavy sweaters, and a blanket on my lap.

By February, my skin becomes translucent. I could star in a vampire movie, and no, I wouldn't be the human heroine. I'd be the almost dead victim or the vampire.

March comes along and a tidbit of hope arises. Maybe we'll have a few nice days. Maybe spring will chug, chug through by the end of the month. Dare we put away our winter coats?

Of course not, silly!

Winter is not over. It's a practical joker, a teaser, the annoying kid on the bus who won't stop mocking you. You will want to slap it.

It's now April 26 and we haven't had two nice days in a row all year. Every day this week it has either rained, snowed, or rained and snowed. On Tuesday, we had a beautiful, sunshine-filled day only to get drenched in a relentless downpour at baseball that night.

The weather makes me want to pull out my hair--and not because the barometer rising and falling has given me a headache, although that happens all the time too.

I stared at my closet this morning. Dare I hang up my T-shirts? Should I unpack my Capri's?

It's the middle of the afternoon and 47 degrees. I will wait on that. I'm still wearing that winter coat, and I predict my boots aren't heading into storage any time soon.

Is your weather driving you to madness, too?

Have a terrific weekend!

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