Lessons From A Donkey In A Well

I have no idea who to give credit to for this story.  I've seen it so many times and while it fills me with sadness at the beginning of the story, it lifts me up by the end.  Since I saw this again yesterday, I figured I'd share it with all of you in case you needed to hear this today!

Poor donkey!

Without further ado, I give you Lessons From A Donkey In A Well.

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

MORAL :
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.

2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happens.

3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less from people but more from yourself.

That's right!

Ribs

So You Think You Can Meow?

If there is one thing anyone who knows me could say about me, it's that I have such a heart for animals. I've had pets all my life, and I am sure that has contributed to why I love them so much - they have literally always been a part of my family, and I genuinely cannot recall a single period of my life where we did not have pets.

CiCi and MuChi say, "Hello, everyone!"

There is little in the world to match the joy your heart feels when you come home from a long day at work to little faces who are literally dying to see you!  Wagging tails, spinning in circles, happily barking and jumping - that's what Dusty and I come home to, and there is just nothing better. 

On the flip side of this coin, though, lies a deep passion in my heart for fighting animal cruelty.  Because I have raised animals from babies to adulthood and I know the endless love they have for their humans, I simply cannot tolerate animal cruelty and I genuinely have no idea how someone could do it.  It makes me ill.  In fact, our local news has covered multiple stories lately about dogs that were found so neglected that their collars had never been adjusted from when they were puppies and were so embedded into their necks that the collars almost severed their trachea!  I mean, come on!!!!  These poor animals did not deserve this type of treatment, and I just cannot comprehend why someone would get a pet just to treat it like that.  (The same lack of comprehension goes for parents who choose to have children and then refuse to take care of them, but that's another story for another day).

This post is actually a happy one though, and it falls in the middle of the road between the joy of pets and the horrors that pets can experience.  This past weekend, Dusty and I were on a mission to "fall" for our home.  What this means for me is that I needed mums and a pumpkin for around our mailbox.  We stopped at a local nursery after church and picked out said mums and pumpkin and went to check out.  In the greenhouse, there was this little box or crate made of wood and metal.  Inside, there was the tiniest fluffy kitten!

I commented to the woman running the business that I loved that she brought her kitten to work and that it was so adorable, and she told us that it actually wasn't her kitten.  She said that on her farm, cats have kittens in her barns all the time and just leave them there, and that this particular kitten was rescued that morning.  When I asked her what she meant by rescued, she informed me that she has two pit bulls that do not do well with small animals, and often times, they are the ones who discover the left kittens in the barns.  She told us a long and drawn out story, but the bottom line was this:  she had to find a customer to take this kitten by the end of the day, or unfortunately, the kitten would have to be put down.

Obviously, I was horrified, but I am seriously not a cat person and I was thinking of who we could call that could take in this little baby when I heard Dusty say, "Well, okay, we'll take her."

Wait, WHAT?????

So that was that.  We brought home mums, a pumpkin, and a kitten.  Happy Fall, y'all!

I will say this with the utmost sincerity.  She has been such a little love.  While CiCi doesn't really know what to make of her and typically ignores her most of the time, MuChi is obsessed with her!  He thinks she's his baby, and even though it took him a few days to realize her purring was not her growling at me, he just loves her to pieces.  (Sidebar: MuChi also doesn't understand why "Aww, she wants to play with me!" ends up being, "Mom, why does she keep hurting me?" but every day is getting better than the last).  It's been really interesting to see how they learn to deal with each other and figure each other out.

Also, while I generally love the more predictable temperament of dogs over cats, this little princess royally whooped up on both of my precious pups in the potty-training department. 

Oh, you think I'm kidding?  I'm not.

So, the only obstacle we had to overcome now that everyone was getting along is - what to name her?  At first, I thought about naming her Kelly Clarkson, because let's face it, she is Miss Independent.  But, that was too cumbersome.  Then, I thought about naming her MiMi after one of my favorite characters in the Broadway musical RENT.  But Dusty vetoed that after trying to say, "CiCi, MuChi, and MiMi" in sequence (heck, even I couldn't do it more than twice).  Then, genius struck.

What's my favorite show? 

You KNOW this!

Who happens to be the host of my favorite show (who I also happen to adore)?

So pretty! (And I love her British accent!)

Do you see where I'm going with this?  If not, I'll be happy to help you along.  Meet the newest, purr-fect addition to our happy farm home, Little Cat Deeley!

Pretty much the story of her life at our house so far.

Clearly, there has been lots of catnaps. Dognaps? Okay, just naps.

Dogs with bones for being good to her? Cat with dogs.

The way kittens sleep absolutely cracks me up!

Is this not the cutest face???

Welcome to the family, Deeley!  In the few short days you've been with us, you have already stolen our hearts, and we are so happy to have you!  We went to a nursery to buy mums and a pumpkin, and we came home with the best fall addition to our home of all!  We love you, little girl!

Your Momma,

Ribs

Do You Remember?

It's easy to let things that you "just know" fall by the wayside when you're busy and being pulled in a million different directions.  We all have those nuggets of wisdom in our heads that we pull out of the mental filing cabinet and apply to the various situations in our lives when they're relevant, but then we get caught up in the shuffle of life and back in the filing cabinet they go - locked away.

Something that I constantly need to remember is that God is in control of absolutely everything - He knows what will happen before it occurs and sometimes, He brings me in on that knowledge!  It really is awesome when I get that feeling that He is involving me in His plans.  In fact, one of the things that I love most about Him is that He never takes our relationship for granted.  He always makes time for me, He always pursues me, and He always remembers me, listens to me, and meets me where I am.  When I think about that, it makes me a little sad and disappointed in myself when I ponder the fact that I don't always reciprocate His kindness.  Sometimes a whole day will go by and I'll wonder, "Did I even take one second to stop and THANK HIM for all that He has given me?"  Guess what?  On some of those days, or many of those days if I'm honest, the answer is a resounding, "No."  But He loves me anyway.

Some days, I'll have an amazing day at work, and I fail to acknowledge that I only succeeded because of the gifts He gave me.  He is still happy for me and He still wants to be a part of my life.

Other times, I find that I am only reaching out to Him when I need something.  This has been done to me in different times in my life, and I remember how awful I felt when I realized that the majority of the interactions of those relationships were based solely on how I could be of help to them and not with any concern for me.  How unfair that I treat God that way!

I guess the point is, I need to remember that every day of my life, when I rely on myself, I limit myself to only having access to human power.  When I continue to pursue God and make our relationship a mutual one instead of a one-sided one, I have access to supernatural power!  When you look at it that way, and ask yourself which sounds better, it seems so very simple!

Bottom line, I always need to remind myself of the following nugget of wisdom:

No matter if my life is going beautifully or if I'm in a season of struggle, God is always there and He's always Lord, and I'm pretty confident that there is nothing more comforting than that!

Happy Hump Day, Everyone!!!

Ribs

Not Welcome Here!

Okay, folks, I must set the scene on one of the most horrifying events that has ever taken place since handsome hubs, Dusty, and I moved into our home.  It was a morning just like every other morning - I was rushing around, getting ready for work and going over my to-do list for that day.  Dusty had left work work already, as he'd been called in early.

I grab my breakfast, my water, my work bag, and my purse (can you imagine how full my arms were at this point?), and I leave the house just like any other day.  But it was not any other day.  That day, I had a morning visitor.  Not a welcome morning visitor.

This is seriously just to the left of my front door, and just before you reach the stairs.  This is definitely the most efficient way to get to the car, especially when I was as loaded down with things as I was this particular morning.  Going out and around the back was simply not going to work.

What did I do?

I COMPLETELY FREAKED OUT, STARTED HYPERVENTILATING AND PRAYING.  Duh.

Then, I called Dusty.  Four times.  He was busy at work by this point and probably didn't even hear the phone.  I wanted to just jump in the car and go to work but I was plagued with fear that this little bugger would get into our house somehow and attack our puppies!  It was one of those completely irrational fears, and I do know that.  The fear of not knowing where it had gone was almost more crippling than the fear of the fact that it was chilling on my front porch.  Cul-de-sac? Fine. Driveway? Peachy-keen, jelly bean. Sidewalk? Toeing the line. Front porch? Not cool.  Not okay.

Dusty finally called me back and told me to go to work and he'd "take care of it."  I found out later that this entailed him calling a friend of ours who lives close by, Chris, and having him come dispose of the snake.  Believe it or not, I really do feel bad that this guy no longer ceases to live because all-in-all, he was pretty small.  I'm not going to go completely over-dramatic and act like there was an anaconda on our porch.  But I am deathly afraid, and even though I would have been perfectly fine with him being "released into a better place," I figured this would be the eventual outcome.

I did say a prayer asking for forgiveness and I asked God to tell this creature's friends to please respect our bubble.  I also thanked God for allowing me not to die of a heart attack, because I feel like it was pretty close for a second there.

This left me wondering:  what are you really and truly afraid of?  Bees, snakes, spiders, or something deeper than that?  Feel free to comment here on on our facebook page!

Ribs

{Stuff I Love} Mean Muggin'

I've decided to highlight the stuff I love in a blog series called.....wait for it.....{Stuff I Love}.

Boom.

That just happened.

In this segment, I give you Mean Muggin'....in poetry.

Good for coffee.  Good for soup.  Mugs are even good for ice cream, to boot!
Good for handle-ing all sorts of things.  Oh, the joy a good mug design brings!

Okay, enough nonsense.  Here are a few of my very favorite coffee mugs.  I love them.  Therefore, they are {Stuff I Love}.

My "favorite saying" mug - "When the going gets tough, tell me I'm pretty."

My "favorite monogram" mug - because, let's be honest - everything is better monogrammed!

My "favorite everyday china" mug - Cappuccino by Pfaltzgraff.  It matches my canisters - squee!!!!!

My "favorite fancy china" mug - Opal Innocence by Lenox.  GORGEOUS!  Cup and saucer = precious!

My "favorite damask patterned" mug. Because, who doesn't love damask?

And there you have it, folks - the very first post of the {Stuff I Love} series!  Do you have a favorite mug?  If so, I'd love to see it!!!
Ribs

Totes About Quotes!

I love how simple quotations can lift your spirit, lighten your load, and get you all pumped up!  Quotes (or any other form of inspiration) are some of the little things in life that rock my world!  Quotes are fine and dandy and all, but as with all things in life, we get so bogged down and busy that sometimes you can't remember exactly how one of your favorite quotes went or who said them.

Enter the best invention/business ever.

God bless you, Pinterest People!

Thanks to these fabulous and brilliant minds, we now have a way to keep all of our favorite inspirational quotes in one place!  I am such a super fan of Pinterest, and if you haven't tried it yet, you seriously are missing out.  I digress.

The latest words of wisdom that are currently lifting me up daily???

Not only did I get the idea for using a chalkboard as wall decor from Pinterest, but I also got the tutorial on how to create my glorious chalkboard using a thrift store picture (that was formerly an ugly dated print of a bird - sorry, bird lovers out there!) and chalkboard paint from Pinterest!  I am all about upcycling and giving old things new life, and the fact that this project set me back $12 versus the $59.99 that even discount stores wanted to charge me (for a SMALLER chalkboard,  no less) just made my wallet and my frugal husband heart smile!  This chalkboard lives in the entry hallway of my home.

In addition to giving me access to inspirational quotes, it has wished our furchildren Happy Birthday - yes, I am that person.  I can't lump my husband into the crazy dog parent category, but he loves me and my crazy, and agrees to indulge me in my insanity!

I have to say that I so enjoy being able to change out my wall art anytime I want!  From birthday wishes, to welcoming special guests in our home, to a new quote every week, I love the versatility that chalkboards provide.  For the past few weeks, I have found peace and encouragement in, "Don't shine so that others can see you.  Shine so that, through you, others can see Him!"  I love that message because many people today, even self-proclaimed Christians, do what they do to bring themselves fame instead of the One who so deserves it all.

While I'm always going to be totes about quotes, I can't wait to share some more Pinterest-inspired projects that I've been working on!  I love tackling DIY challenges, and there is such a long list of them that still need to be attempted in our home!
Ribs

Trying To Make Fitness Fun

The kind where I don't know that I'm working out, duh!  :)  Even though I know that I should be better about working out (if nothing else to help myself stay healthy during the aging process), I really loathe working out most of the time.  I don't know why you can't just look like a supermodel in one burst of effort in a workout - I can tell you more people would do it if it went down that way.

Currently, the only types of workouts that I partake in (inconsistently) are a Cardio Funk class at the local YMCA - awesome and so much fun when I can get myself there, the occasional walking/jogging around the neighborhood with my pups, the even more occasional 5K (this one kills me because who do I think I am, a runner???), and finally, hiking.

Needless to say, my fitness regimen leaves a lot to be desired.  I could go into the list of excuses reasons why it's difficult for me to work out, but I know that ultimately it would be pointless to tell you that I am not a morning person so early mornings don't work and I'm tired when I get home from work and prioritize getting household chores done over working out.  Do you see what I did there?

I have been really pleased that Dusty and I have been making more of an effort to hike lately because it is one form of working out that disguises itself as an enjoyable, leisurely strenuous nature walk.  We are certainly blessed with the nature in our area, and my favorite time to hike throughout the year is fall because we normally get a gorgeous display of colors when the leaves change.  It really is something to behold.  That, and it's cooler, so you are generally less of a sweaty beast. Can you tell that I'm excited for fall to get here???

We got together with one of the other couples from our {DUSTYRibs} small group (Chelsea and Tyler) on Labor Day and together, we drove to one of the most popular hiking spots in our area. It was hot, but not too hot, and there was a breeze!  Hooray! It was one of the best forms of working out because Chelsea and I could focus on breathing while Tyler and Dusty told us stories about all kinds of things while increasingly becoming more winded.  :)  Wife power for the win!  To be fair, it is really hard to be a hiker charged with entertainment, so they did a great job!

Our rewards were awesome views at the summit, pretty legit photo opportunities, and the ever-sexy jello legs coming down the mountain!  Win, win, and win!  Dusty and I loved the fellowship and the workout, and it was really a lot of fun!  I mean, check out our sweet photos and our super cute friends!

Check out the guns on these two!

 

 

Subway sandwich picnic = YES!!!! P.S. - Dusty may kill me for posting this one!

 

 

This view is amazing!  We felt literally on top of the world!

One of many water breaks on the climb back down!

What other forms of working out do you find fun?
Ribs