DECEMBER!

LostBumblebee ©2015 MDBN : DECEMBER FACEBOOK COVER IMAGE 72 dpi (not for print)

Oh December- It's the most Wonderful Time of the year... can you hear it, can you smell it... It's beautiful, stressful, full of crazy relatives, phone calls, cookies, Christmas trees, extra stuff in my house, friends, wine, cheer, sadness, Advent, church, more people, food, chocolate, lights, snow, worry.... it really is the most wonderful time of the year... if we keep in mind what Christmas is all about.

Instead of worrying if you've done enough... know that Jesus did it all, celebrate that and know you are enough.

Christmas in our world can cause so much pain, hurt and frustration... try to focus on what really matters to you... don't load up your credit card, instead make stuff, don't spend money on stuff no one needs, spend time instead... don't do what doesn't fill your heart... gently bow out of invitations you don't want to say yes to- and do what does fill your heart, another evening with hot chocolate and popcorn watching a christmas movie with your family, is doing Christmas. Driving around looking at the lights with your hubby, IS Christmas. Don't compare what is important to you, with what is important to someone else... if you don't have time to decorate your house because it takes you away from spending time with those you love, don't decorate your house...

Pick and choose this year what will fill your heart and soul and make you happy... leave behind comparison, which leads to feelings of inadequacy - choose your peace and happiness instead... know you are enough, your children want you, not stuff... your husband wants you, not stuff... be present, be in the moment, capture it in your memory, and if you remember, take a few photos...  this will be the best Christmas yet!

Share the love,
M.

Check out my Advent Calendars:

Rustic Christmas CHEER Calendar, a fun and inspirational way to celebrate the Christmas Spirit throughout the holidays:
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/247817498/christmas-advent-calendar-rustic-holiday?ref=shop_home_feat_1

Calendrier de L'Avent en Français (Bible): 
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/247943589/calendrier-de-lavent-en-francais-25-4x6?ref=listing-shop-header-0

CHRISTmas Scripture Advent Calendar Version 2:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/258695253/christmas-advent-calendar-version-2?ref=related-4

LostBumblebee ©2015 MDBN : personal use only
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Meet Edrisa!

Remember I had mentioned I was working on a little something something?... Well I was... and here goes... We (You + Me) are sponsoring a little Boy! The LostBumblebee Blog Community has been so generous with their support of our Living Life On Purpose 2015 goal, I wanted to give you the opportunity to continue living your life on purpose.

This Blog was originally created as a place of healing for me, and that is exactly what it has been. You know our struggles with fertility, you know my heart, you know me, you know our goal this entire year has been to live our lives on purpose. Live outside of ourselves, beyond our borders, to give, to love, to heal... And you are part of that journey. And now I want to introduce you to a little someone...

His name is Edrisa.
He was born in May 2013.
His mom left to get doughnuts and never came back.
He was severely anemic when found.
He was almost dead.
He was rescued.
He needed blood.
He healed.
He is hilarious.
He is a ham.
He is kind.
He has a sister.
He is no longer alone.
We are his new family.
We will support him.
We are living our lives on purpose.

From now on, all of our $1 Donate to download will be going toward supporting him, and eventually I would like to be able to support more than just Edrisa. I want our Blog Community to be about giving, Living Life on Purpose and living it out loud. Sharing our love with those around us, and giving beyond ourselves. Together we will make a difference. Can we change the world? maybe not, but we can change Edrisa's world.

I met Edrisa early in October, he would stand at my feet and swirl in my skirt. Finally one day he just held his arms up and basically said, 'lady you need to pick me up'. And every since that first day of picking him up, every time I was at the Baby Home, Edrisa was in my arms, he would search me out, find me, arms up, 'UP!'. He healed a place in my heart that was hurt and not open, he made a bigger difference in my life, than I ever could in his.

I've left a huge part of my heart in Uganda. Being home has been hard, not because I am unhappy, but because I miss my new Ugandan family. Because the needs I saw there are so vast and hard to even comprehend- let alone share with others...  All I can do is pray, share love, try and share my story, and live my life on purpose...

Join me in living life on purpose and changing one little boy's world.
Share the love,
M.

If you would like to contribute to this cause, kindly donate $1 per download, I wanted to make it easy to everyone would take part- If you'd like to 'adopt' your own little person, please visit Nurture Baby Home's Website and start your support as soon as you can. Together we can truly make a difference!

Here are some photos so you can print them and put them on your fridge, pray for Edrisa and all of the children at Nurture Baby Home in Masaka Uganda.

Ps. Scroll down for a beautiful JOY Printable that can be printed, framed, or have it printed for your Christmas card!

LostBumblebee ©2015 MDBN
Living Life On Purpose 2015
Nurture Baby Home Print: 4x6

LostBumblebee ©2015 MDBN
Living Life On Purpose 2015
Nurture Baby Home Print: 4x6

LostBumblebee ©2015 MDBN
Living Life On Purpose 2015
Nurture Baby Home Print: 4x6

EDRISA THE HAM!
LostBumblebee ©2015 MDBN
Living Life On Purpose 2015
Nurture Baby Home Print: 4x6

LostBumblebee ©2015 MDBN
Living Life On Purpose 2015
Nurture Baby Home Print: 4x6

LostBumblebee ©2015 MDBN
Living Life On Purpose 2015
Nurture Baby Home Print: 5x7

LostBumblebee ©2015 MDBN
Living Life On Purpose 2015
Nurture Baby Home Print: 4x6

LostBumblebee ©2015 MDBN
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LostBumblebee ©2015 MDBN
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LostBumblebee ©2015 MDBN
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Monday.

my incomplete versions of this hummingbird :)                  

Was your Easter Amazing?  Sometimes holidays are hard for me, especially my favourite holidays. I feel the older I get the harder it is to enjoy a holiday, I look forward to it so much, and then it falls flat, it doesn't live up to the expectations I have placed on it.  Easter is one of those holidays. I love the idea of a new beginning, of celebrating the resurrection, of spring in the air... a new dress, something that looks like a breath of fresh air... family photos in the sun, church together... dinner... conversation.  When we were little, Easter always happened at my Grandparent's house, I remember all of us cousins eating in layers sitting up the central stairs of their home, all dressed in our Easter outfits... with a 1 pound chocolate bunny waiting to be eaten. It was loud, still too cold to play outside, filled with smoke, and usually a race of some sort, or a sporting match was on the tv. My Uncles would turn up the volume, my Grandma would come in from the kitchen and turn it down, this was the routine of the day. Sneaking the volume back up, and out She'd come and turn it back down. The kids would just giggle and sit closer to the tv.

My own family is split all over the country, sure, my hubby's family is near, but they don't celebrate Easter and never have. I want so badly to create some traditions of our own, I try, it ends up not happening... No family photos, no new dress... no celebration. One thing that did salvage this Sunday was going out to dinner with a friend of ours, and her whole family- eight of us. It was awesome. Sure, it wasn't my family, but almost. It was probably the highlight of my weekend. Does it make me sad my family is not together on the holidays, yes... but can I go back to being eight years old when the world made sense? no...

Next year, I will have to write down my expectations, and try to create new traditions, and follow through... This past Christmas, I wrote out my expectations of Christmas, (what are you looking for, what is most important, what would you like to happen)... I wrote down exactly what I wanted to happen, I wrote out how I wanted to feel (calmness, joy, reflection), and what was most important (time with our families, a time of relaxation for my hubby, quiet time with my hubby)... and then made it happen, it was wonderful, the only thing we didn't do was our annual puzzle... But I was ok with that - I  had no lingering feelings of unhappiness, of incompleteness. I had no sadness when I went to sleep... I knew that my expectations were clearly written down, and they had happened.

Yesterday,  I was working on my print for today, a stylized humming bird... I see them floating and flitting around, I see them as beautiful and graceful darting about... but what I never see is their little wings flapping at over 50 times per second... I only see the beauty, I don't see the work. I have to remind myself of this when flipping through Instagram during the holidays- I see all of these perfect beautiful families, dressed up in new duds for Easter.... I have to remember that Momma is flapping her wings more than 50 times a second, holding back tears of her own, be it happy or sad, trying to create moments and memories for her family, creating traditions of her own... Her feelings are probably not far from my own...

The amazing thing about Easter, is it's a NEW DAY... a new beginning, a new time of year, filled with Hope, and expectation, and awesomeness... so today as I am up very early typing this... I feel a sense of peace, calmness and hope. Last night, not so much...but today. Yes.

How about you? How do you go through the holidays?
Have you ever written down our expectations? If so, did you find it made a difference?

Share the love,
M.


Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”  -C.G Jung

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Find Joy In the Journey

Sometimes this is easier said than done, ok, this is always easier said than done... lately I have been having a bit of a hard time on Instagram. Seriously, everyone I follow is all of a sudden adding either adoption photos, baby bump photos, or new baby photos. I love it and I hate it.  It's exciting because babies are always a miracle, and it's sad, because I'd like to have my miracle. So I find myself wallowing a little, looking for joy in the journey. Our journey is very different than some of yours, and very similar to some of yours... So how do I find joy in the journey?

Well... I refocus, and then refocus again, and then refocus again...

Here is an update on what is keeping me focused outward:

• The orphanage that we were hoping to go to has officially asked up when we'd like to come. We are working with them to find a time that will work for both parties.  Four weeks is a long time, and yet, it doesn't seem long enough.

• We are working on raising funds to help us be able to go and volunteer with these children for that time.

• I am so busy with graphic work, and art, that I feel overwhelmed, but then I refocus, this is the stuff that is allowing us to go on our Living Life On Purpose 2015 Journey. 

So I guess I'm choosing to find joy in the journey. This is such a weird place to be stuck in, in life. If I could say one thing about this fertility journey, it would be:

...look outside of yourself, don't focus inward, focus upward... focusing on the one thing we don't have is debilitating. Focusing on the Joy in the journey is refreshing, and life giving and life changing. 

How are you finding Joy in your journey?

Share the love,
M.

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Facebook Cover Image (72dpi- not for print)

Peace, Love, Joy & Merry Everything!

Yup it's that time to celebrate, love, joy, peace... hopefully those are values we celebrate all year-every year!

This morning, the coffee is on, Christmas lights are on, I am enjoying the peacefulness this morning...    (I interrupt this blog post for a conversation with the hubby) Well it was peaceful, isn't it crazy how a little spat can change the course of a day?

But I'm choosing to refocus-  I've got too much do be thankful for, I've got too much to do, and there is just too much goodness around me!

When you choose to focus on positivity, hope, gratitude and love, you will always be met road bumps - that is natural, but what isn't always natural, is making the choice to refocus on positivity. It is easier to wallow in pity, frustration, anger and well... basically pout. But you know what-  You've always got a choice. You choose what you focus on!

So today, I will refocus, again, and again, and again- and it will be hard, but it will be worth it!

So here's to Focusing and Refocusing on the important things in life; love, joy, peace, gratitude, hope, and everything else that is positive and refreshing and beautiful!
Merry Everything & Happy Always!

Share the love,
M.

Let's stay connected via Google+
Click on my face over there (on the right) and let's be friends!

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Joy Comes In the Morning...

Oh yes it does!!

"sorrow may last for the night, JOY comes in the morning!"

How true, when I say this over and over again, I get excited...
Yes, I've made it so that it has to do with coffee (and don't get me wrong- Coffee does bring me great Joy- but wow what a verse to get in your heart!)

Share the love,
M.

Ps. are you following me on Facebook? I've just uploaded a wonky little video of me and my workspace :)

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1 Million + 1

I have 1 million and one reasons to be thankful... today I am thankful for you, for this community of people who are extremely supportive and encouraging always. I appreciate you.

This weekend is the Canadian Thanksgiving... I am going to miss the festivities, we will be on a plane headed home- also on my list of 1 million things I am thankful for, home. I cannot wait. I am excited to get back to my community of people and Timothy the Dog of course.

I compiled this little list of Thanksgiving, Gratitude, Joy and Fall prints that I've put up over the years- trust me it isn't complete in any way, but just a few to remind us to be grateful :)

Share the love,
M.

http://lostbumblebee.blogspot.com/2013/10/what-are-you-going-to-do-choose-joy.html

http://lostbumblebee.blogspot.com/2013/11/name-them-one-by-one-can-you.html

http://lostbumblebee.blogspot.com/2013/09/every-leaf.html

http://lostbumblebee.blogspot.com/2014/09/its-fall-yall.html

http://lostbumblebee.blogspot.com/2013/10/thanksgiving-treats.html

http://lostbumblebee.blogspot.com/2014/09/gratitude.html

http://lostbumblebee.blogspot.com/2013/09/stuff-it.html

http://lostbumblebee.blogspot.com/2013/09/thanksgiving.html

http://lostbumblebee.blogspot.com/2013/10/happy-thanksgiving-canada.html

http://lostbumblebee.blogspot.com/2013/11/last-minute-detail-thanksgiving.html

http://lostbumblebee.blogspot.com/2013/11/thank-you-and-you-and-you.html

Give Thanks.

Gratitude, always. There is always something to be thankful for, you've just got to look for it, celebrate it,  and give thanks for it.

Share the Love,

M.

I know we haven't even made it through Thanksgiving yet, in Canada -> this weekend and in the USA-> end of November- But if you are starting to think about Christmas- make sure to check out my Christmas Cheer Advent Calendar here >> CHRISTMAS CHEER << or my CHRIST in Christmas advent Calendar here >> CHRISTmas << 

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Maybe. Just Maybe.

Maybe, just maybe this is the key to having a happy, successful, productive life-  oh ya, throw in a little hard work, a lot of elbow grease, the desire to see others succeed and the ability to just keep on going.

Share the love,
M.

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Frankly Darling...

I don't give a hoot.
Whoo me?
Nope I never feel like this.
Ever. I always care.

Ok, I'm lying- sometimes I just don't give a hoot. I've been doing a lot of soul searching lately... I often worry about things that aren't any of my business, my concern, or anything I need to even be thinking of.  Do you find yourself tangled up in this web of 'false responsibility' because it makes you feel valuable or worthy?

I've taken to reminding myself often "not my circus, not my monkeys" sometimes I have to say "not my circus, yes my monkeys" and still have to let it play out as it will.

I can't control everything, cause If I could, let me tell you... lol no, seriously- sometimes we just have to stop, let it go, and not give a hoot how it turns out for our own sanity! Sometimes we women tend to try to fix everything, for our spouses, our children, our friend's children, our parents - and the list goes on! But you know what... you don't have to fix the neighbourhood... you just have to live in it :)

I mean of course apathy sucks! That we take no part in- for causes that we need to stand for, we stand! For changes that we can make, we make! To fight the good fight, we fight! - I'm not talking about this sort of thing, I'm talking about the little stuff that we burden ourselves with, the stuff that tires us out so that when we do need to fight, apathy is just an easier choice.

What are you concerned about today that you need to let go of? What responsibilities are you carrying that really aren't yours to carry, but because you are such a good person, you took it over?
What do you need to say "Frankly darling, I don't give a hoot" about today?

Let it go... breathe... the world didn't fall apart- nope it's not easy, it sucks to not be in control all the time, but on the other hand, the freedom that it brings is marvellous!

Let it go + Share the love,
M.

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