Riding a bike!

So, recently, my neighbor wanted to give away her bike and I graciously volunteered to take if off her hands. I was so excited! Adam and I put air in it today and I went on a little ride. It's amazing how nice it feels to just enjoy the little things. Lately, I've been trying to stop waiting for my life to start, and realizing that I'm living my life. Adam, work, school, this town, it is my life and I need to make it as great as I can make it. I encourage you to enjoy the little things in life like a nice bike ride, a nice ice cream cone on a hot day, the little things that get you through the bad days.

How I love Board Games!

Since I got married, I've really enjoyed playing board games. Adam and I like strategic board games.  Some of our favorites are:

Bohnanza-A game where you trade beans and plant fields, but have to be smart in each move.  Pretty addictive.  

Carcassone- A game of building roads, churches and cities.  Another strategic game.

Citadels-A game where you earn money, have character cards with special abilities, and build districts.

If YOU have any fun board games you like to play, leave a comment. And you should all look into those games I mentioned :)

Fun Kids Things!

Fun Kid Ideas for the future:
<-- Crayon Box on the Go! (Soap box)
                                  By: http://www.simplyfrugalmom.com

<--Homemade glow in the dark slime for little boys!
                                  By: http://domesticcharm.blogspot.com

<--"Pumpkin Poop" Cute Idea for Halloween
                                  By: http://www.etsy.com

It'll be fun trying out all these ideas someday! There are so many cool ideas of fun things to do with your kid even on stormy and boring days!

Winger's Sticky Fingers!
My neighbor and I made these for our husbands and they were AMAZING.  They tasted exactly like the real thing. I Love love love yummy recipes :)

Here's the link to where I found the recipe!

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2009/01/just-like-wingers-sticky-fingers-and-2.html

"Bonds That Make Us Free" Great Book!

"Bonds That Make Us Free" by C. Terry Warner is an excellent read.  This book helps you realize where you're going wrong with communicating with others.  It is a very humbling book and at times hard to read if you're stubborn like me and tend to think you're never wrong.  But it really did change my outlook and it showed me all of the times that I looked for things to be wrong with someone, making it impossible for them to meet or exceed my expectations.  Here's a great quote from the book so that you have an idea of what it's about...

“Except in a very few matches, usually with world-class performers, there is a point in every match (and in some cases it's right at the beginning) when the loser decides he's going to lose. And after that, everything he does will be aimed at providing an explanations of why he will have lost. He may throw himself at the ball (so he will be able to say he's done his best against a superior opponent). He may dispute calls (so he will be able to say he's been robbed). He may swear at himself and throw his racket (so he can say it was apparent all along he wasn't in top form). His energies go not into winning but into producing an explanation, an excuse, a justification for losing.”

It pointed out a lot of my flaws and weaknesses, in a way that wasn't discouraging but change-motivating.  If you're getting to the point that I reach every so often where you feel like you're missing something or need to change somehow,read this book. 

My Blog of Beautiful Things

The  meaning of Merle:
The reason I chose this name for my blog was because of an experience I had that really stuck with me.  I was living in a new town, trying to make it on my own.  I was desperately trying to make ends meet and the great life experience I was hoping for seemed to be a bust.  One night, a friend I had made played me the song "Blackbird" by The Beatles on his guitar.  The words rang true to me in this stage of my life.  I knew I needed to stay and try my hardest to keep afloat because there was something great that would come of it.  Well, I stayed for a while and learned some great lessons as well as grew up a little bit.  One of the things I learned was that we can all be free.  We can be free from our pain, free from our circumstance, and free from all of the bitterness in life, even if it's only in our minds. If we can find the little joys in life and cling to them, then the ugliness won't be so ugly.  So this is my blog of beautiful things.  I also chose the French word for Blackbird because I've always wanted to go to Paris. I am a photographer and that has always been on my bucket list.  To me, Paris represents a part of myself that throws caution into the wind and goes out and seeks adventure.   Please feel free to leave ideas and comments of what makes you happy and what gets you through the hard days. 

Thanks,

Emily