silence please...

 "it is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence..

that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us....

as it stands knocking on the doorstep of our hearts."

-k.t. jong-

{photos taken on a recent day trip with my children to sedona arizona.}

cultivate some "silent" moments to hear your heart whispers

pssst....hey chrissy.....

sometimes we just need 

a little reminder!!!

i.ve been so busy taking care of everyone and everything else the past few months that i have neglected the one thing that fills me and always puts a smile on my face.

play time "just for me"!

cultivate a time to "play"..."just for you"!

mr.cake boss....

dear buddy valastro...

 this is a very poor photo of you on my television.

i do not watch you.   nothing personal.  i just don.t watch t.v. 

(except "modern family" which i think is hysterically funny)

my 11 yr. old daughter thinks you are the bomb 

and can recount each episode in carlo's bake shop 

with distinct detailed precision, right down to the last fondant pansy.

but it is my two oldest boys who have become rather obsessed with your show.

no...this is not a crime scene.

this is my kitchen!!!

this is what happens when two hungry teenage boys 

watch a show about your bakery...they get creative!

and messy!

they break out the chef hats.

and sisters become recipe tasters.

all sorts of ingredients that don.t normally hang out together...

get piled high onto spongy sweet beds.

the victorious winners are carefully chosen...

...by a process of (calorie laden) elimination.

and my kitchen and my baking supplies

are left shaking their heads and wondering what in the sweet 

"gardner cake boss"

world just happened.

{i am glad i have someone else to blame 

for those three pounds i gained last week mr. valastro}

cultivate your creative baking skills with someone you love today!

mom...thanks for letting me be your sunshine!

{one of my favorites by katie daisy}

i have fond memories of being a little girl on my mother.s lap.

my head on her chest.  her arms wrapped tight around me.

rocking.  back and forth.  back and forth.

"you are my sunshine.

my only sunshine.

you make me happy...

when skies are grey.

you.ll never know dear...

how much i love you.

please don.t take

my sunshine

away"

and without fail, my eyelids would gently close 

and i would quickly be dreaming 

of being that big bright sunshine in my mother.s sky.

what fond memories do you have that feed your worth?

cultivate the worth of another!

bumps in the road...

i find that in sharing some of my trials with all of you,

that i am really "never" alone.

there is always someone, somewhere who has trials "beyond" my own.

trials that i don.t think i would have the capacity to endure.

trials that make me grateful that "my own" trials in life...

...are custom made just for me.

just for chrissy.

when trials creep up in my life, i often think..

"ok.  why this lesson AGAIN?  what am i not learning?"

but i read something today that reminded me that...

"sometimes that which we are doing is 'correct enough' but simply needs to be persisted in...PATIENTLY...not for a minute or a moment but sometimes for years."

i am trying my best to appreciate the trials that come my way.

and to look at them as opportunities to grow.

to stretch.

to reach.

i want to be the kind of person who endures my trials with faith.

my blog is named CUL*TI*VATE

i need to remember "why" i chose that name.

"to prepare. to grow.  to develop.  to nurture"

i am a believer in that 

"whatever ye sow, that shall ye also reap."

but...

between the "sowing" and the "reaping" lies 

"ENDURING WITH PATIENCE"

the harvest.  MY harvest depends on what i do once my seeds are sown.

i hope to be able to 

"ENDURETH 

ALL 

THINGS"

as i cultivate this life of mine.

i offer my hope to you as well that you may be able to 

endure the trials or strifes or bumps in your road.

you have been so kind to me during my "storms" and i am here for you in yours!

with all my love,

chrissy

cultivate the patience to "endureth all things"