Inspirational Quote of the Week

The Moth and The Cocoon

A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home, so that he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon. One day, a small opening appeared, and he sat still, watching for several hours, as the moth struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then, it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared, as if, it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. It seemed to be stuck. Then, the man in his kindness, decided to help the moth.
So, he took a pair of scissors, and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The moth then emerged easily. But, it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the moth, because he expected, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the little moth spent the rest of its life, crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was, the restricting cocoon and the struggle, required for the moth to get through the tiny opening, were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth, into its wings, so it would be ready for flight, once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Freedom and flight would only come after the struggle. By depriving the moth of a struggle, the man deprived the moth of health.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Give every opportunity a chance, leave no room for regrets, and don't forget the power in the struggle.

~Author Unknown~

Inspirational Quote of the Week

Random Acts of Kindness with Secret Agent L

I have always enjoyed surprises myself and thus have found pleasure over the years in doing little things for people that make them smile. I love that feeling you get the moment you see the face of someone you care about light up because you thought to do something special for them, no matter how big or small. It makes my heart do a little 'flip flop' and it feels oh so good. But what about a random act of kindness for someone you will never meet and that will never be able to repay you? I just read about a woman who has made it her mission to do just that, meet Secret Agent L. Her tag line is, "specializing in anonymous acts of kindness and day-brightening". How cool is that.

You can sign up to be an honorary agent and Secret Agent L will send you a mission. I am thinking about going undercover myself, I always wanted to be a secret agent (although I will admit, part of that fantasy involved me performing some really killer karate moves as well). Stay tuned for more details and photos on my "assignment". If you decide to perform your own mission or have your own story of a recent random act of kindness you have experienced, I would love to hear about it.

Inspirational Quote of the Week

Tent Decorating with the Barn House Boys

I have blogged about the Barn House Boys and all their fabulousness before but had to share the results of the beautiful tent decorating contest they recently put on for their guests.

If someone put this together for me on my property, I just might consider moving in permanently...

*Photos courtesy of the BarnHouse Images and tent design by Deb Kennedy...

Inspirational Quote of the Week

More Great Girls Room Ideas

Came across some more creative ideas for little girl's rooms. Although many of these ideas would work just as well in a boy's room. Love the acrylic frames that allow you to change out your child's artwork as often as desired and the enlarged photo cut into even sections and framed. The cozy reading area is another great idea that helps keep books organized and encourages reading.

Photos courtesy of Real Simple online. Read more here.

Great Ideas for Girls Rooms

Looking for some inspiration for redecorating a bedroom shared by two little girls, I came across these ideas and loved them. If anyone has any unique suggestions, I would love to hear them!

Photos courtesy of Country Living online. Check out more here.

Inspirational Quote of the Week