Life. Is. Good.

It's weird how we go through stages... somedays all seems dim, and other days all seems well. I know for a fact that we can change our mindsets to believe what we choose. I really do believe happiness stems from a heart of gratefulness. Imagine if we woke up every day and the first thing we though was how blessed we are to be alive, to have a warm bed, food to eat, clothes to wear, hot water for a shower... a job to go to... perhaps you have children, parents, grandparents who are part of your life. There are a million little things to be grateful for, we just have to remember to speak them. Speak the gratitude, shift the attitude and just wait and see that Life is indeed good.

Share the love,
M.

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Life Is Good.
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It's October!

It's October! You know what that means for Canadians? It's Thanksgiving time!

My American friends celebrate in November, but we Canadians celebrate in October. Some say it's because our harvest comes sooner, annnnnnd so does our winter...brrr. The first known Canadian Thanksgiving happened by the explorer Martin Frobisher in 1578 on the island now known as Newfoundland. Thankful for a safe journey across the treacherous Atlantic Ocean..

We celebrate now for many different reason, and we all have them. In our culture which is no longer agrarian for most people, we still take time to give thanks for our year, our health, our personal tidbits and favourites. Some celebrate the season merely because the Pumpkin Spice Latte hits the store, but I think it goes much deeper than that.

Gratitude in every day of our lives is required to live a fruitful life. We must take the time to stop and look around and show gratitude, speak gratitude, and live gratitude. In the world we live in today, it is so important. Waking up safe and warm is something to be thankful for. A hot cup of coffee, breakfast, running water- all worth celebrating and being filled with gratitude over. The simple things we take for granted, others don't have... the world we live in doesn't give those opportunities to all.

So in this month of Thanksgiving, let's give thanks for all of the things we are grateful for, our families, our friends, our experiences, our meals, our coffee, our dogs, our jobs, our lives... in everything give thanks.

Print of these reminders... and in everything... Give Thanks, live gratitude, and...
Share the love,
M.

LostBumblebee ©2017 MDBN Give Thanks
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LostBumblebee ©2017 MDBN Give Thanks
Psalm 107:1
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Thanksgiving.

This weekend coming in Canada is Thanksgiving... we celebrate thanksgiving in Canada because we are truly grateful for the life that we have, for a bountiful harvest, for peace, and so much more;

In 1879 Canadian Parliament proclaimed: A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed...

How awesome is that? Now this is just for our Canadian Parliament... Martin Frobisher the arctic explorer was said to have celebrated it in 1578... and way before that our First Nations and Native Americans were celebrating their harvest festivals.

Thanksgiving is a heart celebration, a small moment in time to stop, breathe, look around you, see that God is good, and that we have much to celebrate. We are truly blessed. I've never been in a situation so bad, or frustrating that if I took a moment, I couldn't find something to be thankful for... I just have to take that moment.

This will be my third year not being in Canada to celebrate one of my absolute favourite holidays -Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter round out this girl's trio of celebrations- and I am kinda sad about it. I miss the crispness in the air, I miss the craziness of trying to get 100 dishes to the table at the same time, I miss trying to squeeze 15 people around an 8 seater table... I miss that moment of looking around at the chaos, whispering a thank you, and feeling absolute peace in my heart.

There are no markers here in Vietnam to show us that the seasons are changing- I'm sure the Vietnamese people have markers, I'm sure they see that the seasons are changing- but I don't. It's hot, wet, and hot and wet, and somedays it's wet and hot. That's about how I see it here... So no way to be reminded that the seasons are changing... to stop and give thanks, to see the coloured leaves...

I haven't decided what I will cook to celebrate our personal Thanksgiving, or if I will order a roasted chicken for the Mister... how I will make stuffing with no spices? where to find orange sweet potatoes? What about pumpkin pie? I have no idea... but what I do know for sure is that I will take a moment, and sit and ponder this crazy life that I am so grateful for.

What is your heart grateful for this Canadian Thanksgiving?
Share the love,
M.

LostBumblebee ©2016 Give Thanks to The Lord
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LostBumblebee ©2016 Give Thanks
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LostBumblebee ©2016 Give Thanks to the Lord for He is Good.
 Facebook Cover Image - Personal Use only (not for print 72dpi)

Empty house... happy heart.

Wow, who would have thought that emptying out our home and packing up would feel right? Of course there is anxiety, and stress... but there is so much happiness too. Our lives are not what we would have planned... this jet set kinda life isn't what we thought we would be doing, we thought we would be raising tiny humans to be highly functioning members of society... but alas, we are just raising ourselves and are somewhat functioning members of society- and more so somedays than others!

It's really funny, when I shared with my Dad we were headed overseas for two years, he made a very remarkable statement... it took me a little while to get my head wrapped around it, and make it part of my own philosophy. He said "Miss, you don't have kids... you don't need to live your life as though you do. There is no reason for you to have the house, the two cars, the close to school proximity, the backyard... you don't need any of that, unless that is what you guys want. You're living your life as though you are tied to it... you aren't. You and Duy have freedoms that others don't have... you also have loss that others don't have... But whatever you do, don't get stuck living your lives for someone else... or, for Pete's sake,  don't live it because that's what you think is expected of you... live it for yourselves..."

It took me a long time to think about this, to really embrace it. Is this selfish? Can we actually live our lives for ourselves and not be idiots? We don't have children, not because we don't want children, but because at this time-it's not happening (you can read more about our fertility issues here: Why I do -what I do! ) But what is happening is an opportunity that perhaps we would not have had, if we had children. I'm not saying our lives our better or worse... they are just different... and that is ok...  It took me awhile to learn that living our lives for ourselves did not mean selfish at all... Duy and I are consciously living our lives on purpose, what should we be doing, what are we called to do, where are we called...  How will we give when we arrive... after mulling this over... I realized that living our lives for ourselves, didn't actually mean selfish at all, it meant honouring what God has placed in our lives, and living it for Him, no matter where we were or what came across our path...

So looking around this empty house, my heart breaks a little... there is no pitter patter of tiny feet, no baby toys, no backpacks and sneakers at the door... but there are boxes... boxes that hold the past adventures of our lives, and hopes and dreams and expectations of future adventures, together with the man I love. The man who has stood by me through thick and thin, loved me through chubby days, skinny days, and now chubby days again... he has loved me through poking and prodding at the fertility clinic, 4 rounds of IVF, he's loved me through, loss, heart break, laughter and tears... and now we are so blessed to have this amazing opportunity ahead of us that we get to take together...

It's just another adventure along this journey we call life... no matter where we end up, as long as we are together, we will be home... as long as we are living our lives on purpose we will have peace...

So no matter what you are going through at the moment, just know... the life that you had planned may not be the life that you are living, and that is ok... look into the life you are living and find the diamonds, find the gold- hold onto the positives and focus on just how awesome life is, even if it isn't the one you had planned... there is always something to be thankful for...

Share the love,
M.

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LostBumblebee ©2016 MDBN
Home is wherever I'm with You
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Live Gratitude.

In the big things,
in the small things,
live gratitude.

In the pain,
and in the joy,
live gratitude.

Through laughter,
and through tears,
live gratitude.

It truly is a choice-
It is not happy people who are thankful, it is thankful people who are happy.

Take a moment today- live gratitude.
Whisper it in the joy of simple things- the green grass, the blue skies- and hold onto it in midst the hard things, whispers of gratitude will change your life. I promise. I am living proof.


Share the love,
M.

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Shout Out!

I just want to take a minute and thank all of the bloggers who have shared, promoted and blogged about my work. I am so honoured that they choose to promote my art. If you haven't taken a look at my FEATURED ON! Page, please take a peek. There is an enormous list of blogs, webpages etc. that have featured my work.

I specifically want to thank a few today who have continually shown me love and support. I want you guys to wander over to their sites and check them out!

MeInLilaPark is a blog full of free patterns and printable created by Sandra. Sandra has been so encouraging as I started out blogging and creating, she is an inspiration to me about generosity and giving!

Little Gold Pixel is a blog full of design, freebies, parenting stuff, photography, music- basically it is chocked full of inspiration and fun that is the life of Vanessa. Vanessa is a LosAngeles based designer and writer, who ran across my work somewhere on the inter-web  and has been a continual inspiration and encouragement to me!

Hello Bee! is a community about trying to conceive, pregnancy, parenthood.  The blogs are written by real moms and moms to be, you can get great advice about everything and anything relating to parenting. Plus they have generously shared and promoted many of my prints that are for children and babies!

Fab'n FREE! is a blog full of free goodies, all rounded up by Carolynn, she rounds up random freebies plus loads of stuff she creates herself! It is a fountain of freebie awesomeness!

Just Busy With Life  a blog about life, kids, and everything in between that makes up a full and beautiful life!

Zen Shmen! a blog about home decor, living life, DIY and so much more!


As I work on my fundraising event for tomorrow, I am reminded of this over and over again -"No one has ever become poor by giving"- Anne Frank.

Throughout our fundraising (it's been over 365 days!) I really felt that we needed to stop and ask what the Orphanage needed- Even though our personal fundraising is not finished yet, we still have a ways to go- but I really felt we needed to look outside of ourselves and give. The Orphanage said they needed a diesel generator and a water pump, it will cost $2000- I immediately said yes, we will do that.

Then fear crept in, what have I done? We don't even have our finances full yet, oh no, am I going to have to put this on my credit card, shoot, how is this going to work?

Fear immobilizes, it steal, it freaks people out and it can paralyze you! Did I sit in fear for a little while, YES. Am I still freaked out, ya, a little, but do I know that it is possible? YES, do I believe that we will raise this $2000 YES. AM I PUMPED about our Fundraiser tomorrow night? YES. Do I have peace that all will work out. Yes, you want to know why? Because I am not in control. I am not the end all and be all- I am merely a vessel by which is funds will flow to those in need.

Duy and I are very excited, and at times totally overwhelmed and freaked out. But is God in Control? Yes.

So today I wanted to share about a few of the people who have shared my work. Did they know they were exposing hundreds if not thousands of people to this crazy Living Life On Purpose Uganda 2015 Journey we are on, probably not, but am I grateful for them, YES!

So take a minute and go to their blogs, show them the love that they have shown me, and then print off this print and remind yourself, that it is better to give than to receive... and you will never be able to out-give the blessings and promises that you have in and over your life!

Share the love,

M.

LostBumblebee ©2015 MDBN
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LostBumblebee ©2015 MDBN
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LostBumblebee ©2015 MDBN
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Life is.

What I've learned about life -is that you make it. You make it what you want it to be,  because if you don't, it will make you-  and I'm not really interested in merely being a product of life's circumstances.  Are you? I didn't think so...

So what are you doing about it? Me? I guess I'm rewriting what I thought life was all about. You know sometimes I feel like I have to do something in order to live, such as our Living Life On Purpose Journey 2015... but as big as that is, it's not my every day life. My everyday life is probably just like yours, it's all of the little things like grocery shopping, doing the running around, banking, paying the bills, working, etc. ... that's life. That's living. It seems so simple. I mean, it's the conversation you have with the bank teller, it's the smell of the fresh produce at your grocery store, it's the happy dance you do when your favourite coffee is on sale. That's life. That's living.

How you interpret those simple things, is how you define life. It can go two ways, you can hate the little things and try to get them out of the way as fast as possible, so you can start living. (Like wishing away the work week, so you can have a life on weekend).  Or you can embrace those things and live all week long. The simple acts that we all do are the acts that make up our lives... and they are good, they are precious, and they are real.

For me lately, life really is all about enjoying the simple things with the people I love. Spending time talking, walking, working, shopping, with family, my friends, and sometimes even alone (you know if you smile at someone, you are never really alone in the world. There is always a connection to be made with your fellow human).

So all of that to say, for me, Life is enjoying the simple things, together. That even includes going to the DMV (SAAQ in QC- which I had to do this week), Grocery shopping, a movie... My life is full, it's full of little things that fill my heart with great joy, because I choose to embrace the simple, and love the people I do the simple stuff with.

So instead of letting life make you, why not make your life? Make it full by changing your perspective on what it means to actually live.

Share the love, and the simple things...together.
M.

Just a little reminder: *Please note all free printables and images are free for Personal Use. They may not be used for resale or commercial use without written permission. >> If you are using these images on your website or your blog you must link back to www.lostbumblebee.blogspot.com

Please visit our INFO page.

Thank you :)

M.

All LostBumblebee® Prints ©2009-2015 Melissa Dawn Baker-Nguyen

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Rain.

I'm away from home on the other side of Canada in beautiful British Columbia, and it is incredible. There are flowers blooming and the temperature is well above freezing... it's a very different world than my Narnia like back yard at home. Who knew such a place existed North of the wall, up here in Canada.

One thing I will say though, is it takes rain to keep this place green and lush... and rain we have had. But I love the rain, it clears the head, cleanses the soul and makes everything smell lush. As a tribute to the rain.

As a tribute to the rain...

Life isn't about waiting for the storms to pass... (everyday life brings complications, frustrations and difficult decisions and situations) it's about learning to dance in the rain (having a heart of gratitude, looking beyond the present situation at the big picture, stop looking in, start looking out)

I am daily learning to dance in the rain of my own life... there are so many people, along the way, who have helped me look beyond the current situations of my own life, believed in me, challenged me, and encouraged me, and are dancing in the rain right along with me...  Surround yourself with those people.... and Learn to dance in the rain!

Share the love,

M.

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YOU ARE WONDERFUL :: LIVING LIFE ON PURPOSE 2015 UPDATE.

I just wanted to give you all an update on our Living Life On Purpose 2015 Journey.

We are in fundraising full throttle! We are raising money like crazy people, (at least I feel like I am going crazy!) I am constantly trying to come up with new ideas for the blog, Etsy and basically anything I can do to help raise these funds.  It feels awesome and very scary all at the same time!

I want to thank you - each and every one of you- who has clicked that donate button. Every bit counts, 1 dollar or 100 dollars... big or small, it all adds up and it is making this journey a reality. You have heard my heart and you are sharing the love and you are inspiring me to keep on going.

Just think... even a little nobody Canadian girl can do something so wildly out of her comfort zone because I have your support, not just financially, but emotionally. I appreciate all of your kind words, and you sharing your stories. You are making this a reality. I cannot thank you enough. 

Our main sources of raising money are, selling my art work (family portraits + paintings), creating and selling Journal Cards, Illustrations and Prints on Etsy. That along with all donations that have come in via the blog, we have raised just under half of what we need.

With that half, we have bought our tickets. We will be working at a Children's Village in Uganda for what accidentally turned out to be 5 weeks, instead of 4...ooops ? or YAY! Either way, it is what it is.  We leave our cozy little home and head off to the great unknown on the 27th of September and we will be back on November 3rd. I am freaking out. I am excited, and I am scared, and nervous and well, freaking out.

Please connect with me, share your stories, let me hear your heart. You hear mine every day. I love to hear from you. Your encouragement is undoubtedly one of the highest honours you can give me and I thank you for that.

Please Pray for us as we continue to work our butts off, creating revenue and income to help in this journey and we'd like to leave the orphanage a financial gift to continue to help in paying for the children's education, healthcare, and love care. It takes a village to raise a child... and it takes a BIG village to raise an orphan... we are that village.

I cannot say thank you enough, you have grown my heart so big it is popping out of my chest. I am so honoured by each and every one of you. YOU ARE WONDERFUL !

Share the love,
Missie + Duy

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Welcome to the GongShow. Make it Happen, Mama Said.

I love the saying "Make it Happen" - I am of the belief that you can change your world by doing something... anything, a teeny tiny step can be the beginning of a huge change... and then today started!

Here is a rundown of our morning:

a. Woke up this morning to Timothy the Dog crying (this makes me so nervous, a few days ago I was falling asleep and the last thing I said to my hubby was... I'm scared that something will happen to Timothy.) (Insert emoticon with HUGE eyes and gaping open mouth.)

b. Today was suppose to be my first day back to the gym... I've been off for 2 weeks due to an injury- I'm finally feeling 96% and I was all game to head back, because the sooner I start slowly working out, the sooner I get to be on the squash court. (I love squash!) But because Timothy was in pain, I decided to stay home with him... and that is ok with me, I love him.

c. The car wouldn't start, so no problem, it has a new battery, so we will just boost it from my little car, perfect. Not perfect. wouldn't start. Ok, no worries, Hubby decides to take my little car. Um, not today,  my little car now refused to start.

d. My Mom called. She is so full of wisdom and kindness and will never ever skimp on time and effort when a prayer for peace is needed... Thank God for praying moms.  At the end of our conversation she started singing this song to me, she said "Miss, sing this to yourself a few times today... cause tomorrow will be different".  Yup, she is the best.

So, today we have a choice, what kind of day are you having? are you having a MAKE IT HAPPEN kind of day? or are you having a MAMA SAID THERE'LL BE DAYS LIKE THIS day?

I'm kinda chuckling about today, it seems so off, yet it is all part of life- just a little tiny piece of it. Are things going wrong? Yup. Will I survive? Yup. Will tomorrow be different? Yup. Will this afternoon be different? Yup.

Am I going to make it happen? Yup. Did Mama tell me there'll be days like this? Yup.

Share the love,
M.

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Just Breathe.

Breathing- a natural phenomenon of taking in air and nourishing our cells which our bodies do it without us even thinking about it... and yet sometimes in this world we live in, with the hustle and bustle, we still forget to just breathe.

We hold our breath when we are nervous, we hold our breath when we are frustrated, we breathe shallow breaths instead of deep nourishing breaths...

Breathing deeply can change your body and your mind. Take a moment, even though it may not seem like there are enough moments in the day, take one, just one and make a conscious effort to stop, now take one long deep breath. Take a moment to look around your world and breathe in gratitude and breathe out thanksgiving.

Gratitude and thanksgiving will change your heart, change your mind and ultimately change your world. I know this to be true. I am living proof that gratitude can change everything.  I make a decision daily, a conscious -albeit sometimes difficult- effort, every-single-day, to look around me and be thankful.

What are you thankful for today?
Share the love in the comments below...
M.

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Live Your Life On Purpose!

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Africa Update! We are so excited to tell you that we have been accepted to go and work in the orphanage. It has been a long journey of back and forth, lots of conversations, applications, letters of reference, etc. But since August 2014 we have been living our life on purpose.   (If you'd like to read about the beginnings of our journey, click this link: Living Live On Purpose AFRICA 2015 )

Financial Update: Oh!!! I am so excited to tell you that we are halfway to our financial goal. Thank you to all who have given, those who have ordered family portraits,  those who have told me they believe in what we are doing and have just given towards our journey, those who have clicked the donation button to the right and gave, those who have bought from Etsy. Thank you, We are so honoured.

Everything little thing counts and we are so honoured. I will continue to create in order to raise funds, please keep checking into the Etsy Shop ~ Everything purchased on my Etsy shop-Affectionately known as LostBumblebee Ink., any special requests I do,  and all funds from my art are going directly to this journey! 

Side Note: I just about bought our tickets last night- I am only slightly worried that a 2 hour layover in Brussels isn't quite enough time, but it is the same airline, so I'm hoping that it is, because we are looking for the least expensive prices so that we can leave as much financial blessing at the orphanage as possible for these children. (anyone been to the Brussel's Airport? how big is it? is the Lufthansa pavilion HUGE??) 

I wanted to create this little reminder for you to- Live Your Life On Purpose. It changes your perspective. Our hearts are so full, our gratitude is at its highest, we are working so hard towards something that is outside of ourselves and way outside of our comfort zone. Even with being so far outside of our comfort zone, I have never felt more peace, knowing that all of the work we are doing is going to impact a these little lives. 

Remember to live your life on purpose... choose something outside of yourself to focus on. Trust me, your thighs won't seem nearly as wiggly or dimply, the size of your butt won't take up so much space in your head, you know those crows feet happening around your eyes, well if you look outside of yourself, you will smile more, and your wrinkles (which are inevitable) will all end up in the right place and you will be gorgeous.  Look outside of yourself towards things much bigger than our own insecurities, go beyond thinking about you- trust me, it does the heart good.

It may not mean Africa for you, it could be the local food bank, it could be reading stories to sick kids at the hospital, it could be buying the homeless guy you see everyday a nice hot coffee, it could be smiling at your fellow human, making eye contact, it could be shovelling your neighbours walkway, it could be taking the time to stop in and visit your Nan at the seniors home and paint her nails... sometimes the simplest acts of kindness can change your world.

Live your Life on Purpose
and Share the love,
M.

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Sense of Wonder.

Someone reminded me recently that it isn't about the big things, it's about the little things. The sunrise, the sunset, the clouds, the colour, the changing of the sky... it's the little things that happen daily that we just ignore, move past, and don't pay any attention too...

When was the last time you saw a sunset and gave thanks? Thanks that Someone out there (much bigger than you and I)  was thinking about you and painted it just for you... The sky is a daily masterpiece that I miss often... the clouds are works of art, that I don't even see...

Help me to not lose my sense of wonder, gratitude and moments that you send my way God. Help me to be childlike in your beauty.

Share the love,
M.

ooooops, I had your, your... so here is the NEW version :)

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Just Do it.

Me at the John Lennon Wall in Prague

Seize the day.
Do that one thing that scares you-
Do the one thing you think you can't-
Do the one thing that thousands of other people do better than you do- and don't care that they do, just do it!

We were leaving the house, I had packed my sharpie to add my mark to the John Lennon Wall in Prague... then we got there... My Friend asked, are you ready? my first response was:
"no, you know what, I think I'll just take in the moment and enjoy it... I don't need to add anything".

Then this thought crossed my mind;
when are you ever going to have the chance to add something to a wall like this again, when will you be back? what are you scared of?

So motivate by an opportunity to seize a moment, make a memories, I grabbed my sharpie and added something personal from me, I was missing my hubby, I wanted him to know, and I wanted to world to know... so I hijacked some guy's awesome work (you know done with spray paint and amazing) They had spray painted a white heart, I hijacked that heart and left a message that means something to me- It wasn't about adding something profound that would change the world, it wasn't about peace, or war, or politics... it was juvenile, it was simple, it was mine.

swallowing my fear, not worrying about anyone else,
making my own mark :)

I stepped out and created a moment. A moment I won't ever forget. A moment that I am proud of. My moment.

Sometimes you've got to stop listening to the fears in your head, and just seize the day! Carpe Diem.

Share the love,
M.

PS. Add your MOMENT in the comments- a moment that you stepped out and made a memories, a moment where you overcame fear, a moment you are proud of! Let's CELEBRATE!

leaving a little love <3

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