FIVE THINGS

that are INSPIRING ME RIGHT NOW. Every day I try to find time to check facebook and to blog hop. Usually I can find sources of humor (I mean the total laugh out loud variety), inspiration, and love. It's kind of a guilty pleasure that is part of my daily ritual, but it does help keep me happy and grounded. Today I am being inspired by:

1. The Happy Self - Normally I would shy away from sharing anything that has even a hint of religious or political content. But when a post makes me pause and really think, I know it is meant to be a learning experience for me. Dayne, who usually discusses happiness on his blog, in this post talks about the book On Life After Death by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and interviews someone who had a near death experience. For me, the crux of this particular post really lies in your definition of spirituality. While I do not subscribe to any organized religion, I do consider myself a very spiritual person. This quote from Teilhard de Chardin really sums it up for me: "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." If that quote peaks your interest, check out Dayne's post. If not, skip it. I promise it won't hurt my feelings.

2. The Art of Choosing Joy - I have followed Kolette's blog for quite some time now and her positive attitude about life never fails to boost my spirits. Today's post, "The Gift of Gratitude" is no exception. She offers the idea of giving "Gratitude Journals" as gifts this holiday season and includes several different photos and ideas for creating them. And they are GORGEOUS!

3. Ali Edward's "Yesterday and Today" class at Big Picture Scrapbooking. I'm really enjoying Ali's templates and word art and the ideas she gives us for layouts. Here's my latest layout:

And yes, the blonde with the sun suit falling off her shoulder is me!

4. The many blogs of my classmates in Shimelle's "Blogging for Scrapbookers" class. Among today's favorite posts are Stop, Drop & Roll and Brought to You By the Letter "B".

5. My never-fail staples: Stacy Julian, the Queen of "Simple" - a scrapbooking philosophy that speaks to my soul and Cathy Zielski, Design Guru and generally guaranteed source of morning chuckles - friend her on facebook (it makes her feel popular) and you'll see what I mean!

Now if you actually take the time to click through to all those links and don't manage to find at least one thing that makes you smile or laugh or speaks to your soul - well then we simply have nothing in common and I guess you might as well skip over my "favorites" lists in the future!