Down with Trolls.

Sadly the trolls are out there.  Remember my enchanted gift to the park?

I was informed by some friends that they couldn’t find it when they visited the park, so I had to go check for myself.

‘Sigh’, they were right.  Some trolls had come and carted off my fairy door just as I feared they would. 

Dumb trolls.

Of course I’m thrilled it lasted so long.  Three weeks feeding the imagination of children was something to be happy about.

So in order not to let the Trolls get the upper hand.  I’ve used the random generator to choose three lucky winners from the participants at my Magical Second Start to the Right Adventure.  I so wish I had something for all the participants because I loved visiting everyone.

Winner of my Fairy Dream door (on the left) is:

Surviving Grannies Guide to Happily Ever After

The Winner of my Cottage Kitchen Fairy Door is:

OLDE BAGGS ‘N STUFT SHIRTS

And finally my good-luck wood Ebony ‘Believe Necklace and Earring set goes to:

Witch Way

Congrats again ladies.  Please be sure and send me your addresses to I can send a little enchantment your way.

So Take That Trolls.  You can’t snuff out our imagination no matter how hard you try.

Second Star To the Right!

"And straight on till morning."
That, Peter had told Wendy, was the way to the Never land.

Welcome, welcome to my adventure in staying young at heart.

Be sure to visit all the other wonderful adventures of participants listed here on the left side of this post.

There are a few things that are key to having a youthful heart. The first of which, is the ability to DREAM!

‘To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe. ~Anatole France

And sometimes if we dream hard enough we might actually be able to fly.

This summer my children and I took our adventure to Never Land. Here is my Lost Boy and I as we discover the second lesson in staying young at heart is the courage to EXPLORE!

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ~Mark Twain

And chances are good that while you’re exploring you’ll find ways to save those memories. Lesson Three in Staying Young at heart – CREATE!

Don’t just daydream, Create those dreams.

Make those dreams a reality.

All it takes is Faith, Trust and a little Pixie Dust.

Create a place where your imagination can soar… where you can remember all of your adventures both real and imaginative.

“Some pursue happiness - others create it.” ~Author unknown

Look at what magic a few discounted garden trellis’s, clothes pegs, thrifted sheets, curtains, and a few fairy lights and wings can create. An outdoor room perfect for learning the fourth step in staying Young at Heart. - IMAGINATION!

With a little Imagination you can be anything you want to be.

Princess as Tiger Lily and her garden.

Believe me the garden is real, as is the Princess and her dwelling.

As for Itchy the Dog, well she can only dream she’s as helpful as Nana. Personally I don’t think she quite has the imagination skills to make that dream a reality.

With a little Imagination and an enchanted shell necklace…

Maybe, just maybe you’d grow a mermaid’s tail.

Sorry, I just couldn’t resist the classic little mermaid pose.

Hope loved being a mermaid and even insisted on acting out the Fifth Lesson in Staying Young at Heart – FINDING JOY!

And you bet she enJOYed every moment singing like Ariel.

Joy is not in things; it is in us. ~ Richard Wagner

Ever notice how something as simple as blowing bubbles can entrance and entertain a toddler for hours. For them it’s Magic!

And MAGIC is our Sixth Lesson in Staying Young at Heart.

“Love and magic have a great deal in common. They enrich the soul, delight the heart. And they both take practice.” ~Author unknown

And finding ways to make the magic last is a talent and gift to be cherished.

Yesterday evening in the parking lot of our grocery store I spied two children pointing at the sky. I stopped loading my groceries and looked up to see the most beautiful pinkish popcorn shaped clouds in a brilliant blue and lavender sky.

It’s Magic to witness the beauty in the small moments. The Sunset, the twinkling stars, the smell of a rose.

Sadly, the two children and myself were the only ones in the entire busy parking lot that embraced the magic and soaked up it’s beauty and joy. How much of this magic do we miss as we hurry through life?

Lesson Seven in Staying Young at Heart – DISCOVER!

Try new things. I’ve honestly never made a Sand Castle until this last week.

With just a bucket to scoop wet sand and a stick I made a Discovery.

I discovered what kids everywhere know - that it is actually quite fun to build and create and discover new things. I’m already planning Castle number 2.

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” ~Plato

Lesson Eight – PLAY

When was the last time that you played an enjoyable game? If you quit playing because it is a child's sport, then you are wrong. As George Bernard Shaw said, "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

And while you’re playing – Beware of HOOK!

Hook was so focused on being number one and squashing anything and anyone that annoyed him he lost sight of the true treasure life can bring us.

And that true treasure isn’t gold, wealth or high esteem from your fellow pirates.

Sometimes we bury that treasure, neglect it, and forget about it.

Thankfully, there is usually, and band of people willing to help remind us of the importance of Lesson nine – FRIENDSHIP

“If out of all mankind one finds a single friend, he has found something more precious than any treasure, since there is nothing in the world so valuable that it can be compared to a real friend.” ~Andreas Capellanus

More often than not some of your dearest friends are family.

The adventures you have with your friends and family can either help you become more like Hook or they can help you stay young and nourish your happy heart. So do you surround yourself with leeching pirates or magical fairies who constantly sprinkle pixie dust on your head and take you for enchanted adventures?

My wee fairy girls helped me create a magical village in the branches of a cedar tree in our backyard.

Filled with fairy homes reminding us of some of our families past fun adventures.

We couldn’t resist adding a Mermaid Lagoon as well.

So many fun memories from a truly unforgettable summer.

I promise our adventure to a Youthful heart is almost done. It does take a little work to be a kid. Don’t forget lesson number ten - BELIEVE

Believe in dreams, joy, magic and everything else and no matter how dark the night, how bitter the trial, you’ll be surrounded by peace, comfort and hope for a brighter future.

Isn’t that what being a child is?

I do believe in fairies, I do! I do!

I believe in Light. It’s enchanting.

And helps us find the way when life is dark and worrisome.

Michael: Mother, can anything harm us after the night lights are lit?
Mrs. Darling: No, Precious. They are the eyes a mother leaves behind to guard her children.

The final and most important lesson in staying Young at Heart is LOVE! To Love Life and Family is the truest source of joy and happiness we can ever find.

So the secret to staying young and having a happy heart is simple. Dream, Explore, Create, Imagine, Enjoy, Magic, Discover, Play, Friendship, Believe, and Love.

Now if your a kid, this post was unbelievably long, probably a wee bit boring and your itching to visit all the wonderful other party participants listed on the left hand side of my blog. Check them out then go create some youthful magic of your own. But before you leave drop me a comment. Say Hi or Tootles? Whatever floats your make-believe boat and you could win a little fairy packet. I'll pick a winner next Saturday!

And Thanks for letting me share my adventure to a youthful heart!

To be Honest…

It’s happened again. This time my friend Joni from college, who found me last month after nearly 20 years out of touch, gave me a little blog thingy.

As always there are a few little RULES to me accepting this here little honor. And since I crave a pat on the back every now and then I’ll be good and follow the rules. They are as follows.

1) Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.
2) Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with “Honest Scrap.” Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon.
3) List at least 10 honest things about yourself.

I thought I’d keep you in suspense on who my lucky brillant seven ladies are and thought I’d give you 10 honest things about myself.

1. I’m a freaking yeller (have I tarnished my glowing image that you have of me yet?) Didn't holler today though - I whispered. Which is why I'm venting in this post now.

Every now and then I try the whispering technique to get my kids attention and they just don’t hear me. Or they scream in my face, while I whisper. Or they get this shocked look on their face like, ‘Who are you and what have you done with my mean mother.’ Don’t know where I picked up the nasty habit of yelling, didn’t grow up in a home where it was present, but I’m trying to get rid of it. Yesterday Hope was playing with her dolls and she had her mommy doll yelling at the baby doll. O.K. so I really need to work on this one.

2. I’m a freaking weight-loss hypocrite. That sixty pounds I lost two years ago. It’s sneaking back. I’ve gained half of it back. and 24 of it since November. I’d like to blame it on the stress of the whole house falling apart and dealing with a O.D.D. Bi-polar teenage child. Truth is, I turn to this…

when I’m feeling this…

Princess asked if I was pregnant. Yes she did! So I think I’ll have to get this shirt.

That’s o.k though because all my clothes are busting at the seams. I am working on it though. I’ve exercised an average of 5 days a week for the past three weeks and I’m trying to work on the whole compulsive eating thing. Why couldn’t my addiction be that of a compulsive cleaner instead.

3. I STILL addicted to…

Even going to the midnight DVD release at Borders on the 20th.

4. And because of my addictions I see a counselor.

I call her Young and Gorgeous because she is! Better yet she doesn’t call me a fruitcake to my face.

5. One of the books I picked up from the library this week is…

I’ll let you know how this book is as soon as I finish.

6. The other book called.

7. Sick of my negative honesty. Here’s a change. I’m fairly good at creativity and crafty stuff. Most things I can figure out by just looking at them and trying to recreate. Don’t ya just hate me for that. Everything except knitting. Someday I’ll pay someone to teach me how to knit.

8. Holiday traditions are huge around our home. Love sewing costumes for Halloweens, helping the Leprechauns visit for St. Patrick's Day and we celebrate Easter for an entire week. I just love Holidays.

9. And even though my kids drive me to eating – I love them to pieces! Especially when they say Thanks Mom! or I Love you,’ or squeak out something cute like this. I threw down Chicken enchilada's for dinner tonight and Hope took one look at it and said, ‘Ewwwww, that’s yucky. I don’t want any.’

So of course I had her say the blessing on the food and reminded her that she needed to ask Heavenly Father to help her eat her food and help it taste o.k.

She said the prayer and near the end asked that God would make her food happy. Apparently it worked because she chowed it down and said, ‘It’s a miracle, it tastes happy.’

Now if only I could have my O.D.D. child pray for making his homework happy.

10. I married the most awesome Prince in the world. He never yells at me or puts me down in any way. Sometimes he’ll make suggestions on ways I can cheer myself up but he never criticizes me even when I’m definitely wrong. And he cooks. And cooks good. How lucky am I? Sorry ladies he’s all mine. I’d be stupid to let him go.

Well there you have it – 10 honest things about me. And the honest recipients of this little blog ditty….

This is the hardest part because there are so many deserving Here’s 7 I go back to again and again and again.

Faith from Has anyone seen my Cape?

Trenadoll of Just for Today

Rkimedes of Kernel Dump

Sara of A Shower of Roses

UTMOMOF5 of My 5 little Monkeys

Mel of Mels Thoughts & Whatnots

Debi of Who Says 8 is Enough?

Congrats Ladies.