Hugs All Around!

I have never been a "huggy" person (my friends and family can attest to that!)...that is until I married into a "huggy" family! I am notorious for my whimpy little "one armed 'pat-pat-pat'" hug. As an EFY counselor, I learned that there is much more to life that the "one armed pat". EFY was like one ginormous hug fest! Then when I married into Jordan's family, I was introduced into a whole new world of hugging! Whenever we see each other, we make the "hugging rounds", making sure not to forget anyone. Whenever we leave, we do another round of hugs. It was very foreign and uncomfortable to me at first, but now, I must say, I love it, I absolutely love it!!
I really feel the whole world needs more hugs!! When I was growing up, there were times my dad would just hug me out of the blue and I would just melt into his embrace, completely overcome by the most insurmountable joy and a kind of peace and rejuvenation that is indescribable.

Now I hug as many people as I can everyday! Today I hugged someone that felt like I was hugging a block of ice. I think it took her completely off guard.

Do you remember that guy in New York who carried a sign all around the city which read
"Free Hugs", soliciting an actual embrace for anyone who needed it? Well there were people LINED UP around the corner for a very much needed squeeze! We truly underestimate the power of a warm embrace.

In Germany, where I lived for three years, it is natural for people to greet each other with a big hug and a kiss on both cheeks. Oh, how I love that beautiful custom.
One of my favorite poets, Shel Silverstein got it right on the nose when he so profoundly wrote:


Just think...how different this world would be if hugs were as frequent as "high fives" or "hellos". Today is not here for very long, in fact, it's almost over! If you can't find someone to hug, hug a tree! Find people to hug who normally go everyday unnoticed or unappreciated...the janitor, the lunch ladies, the church members who serve in the library, the crossing guard, the mailman, the school teachers, the people who slice all the cheese at Harmons, the neighbor up the street who nobody knows, the sweet grandmas at Costco who serve the samples, and the people at Farnsworth Orchard who make fresh cider daily from a cider press and then sit for hours and hours before someone comes in to buy it.
Then keep on hugging those you see everyday and don't let a single day slip through your fingers where you have not given your loved ones their daily squeezes...or as my sister, Heather calls them, their "SQUATCHES"! Thanks Babo!

Happy Pumpkins!

I must admit, the actual holiday of Halloween has never been a favorite of mine. I do, however, love the autumn-like ambiance that accompanies this otherwise frightful holiday. Those of you who know me, know that I am a "happy pumpkin" person, decorating my home with joyful jack-o-lanterns and witty witches that give sweets instead of spells! Do you remember, back in the day when we were able to just go out trick-or-treating on our own, foot-loose and fancy free! Today is such a different day where we would never dream of sending our kids out unaccompanied by an adult. I'd much rather steer away from the ghouls and goblins of today and focus on the delicious sights and smells of the season! One of my greatest thrills in life is crunching a freshly fallen autumn leaf! Oh, what joy! :-)
PS- Don't you love this awesome picture of Charly, spoiled by a typical stream of chocolate drooling down her chin! HA!

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Isn't family just wonderful! In the Dahlquist family, we have a family party every month, celebrating the birthdays for that month. We also get together often on Sunday evenings and when we hold our adult Family Home Evenings. We just can't get enough of each other! Last night, my mom made my same delicious birthday dinner I have had every year for as long as I can remember!...Cornflake porkchops, half potatoes (or funeral potatoes), and my yummy strawberry banana jello. Oh yum!! Thank you so much, Mom!




Birthday Kiddos for Oct./Nov (Heather's friend, Kate, Me, Seneca, and Chas)

Charly LOVES her cousin, Taylor!

What would we ever do without Aunt Kimbo!?


Skeleton "Mummy"
My cute friend, Kim is making these adorable, trendy maternity shirts for the "mummies" to be! It can be tricky to find a costume when you are "scaring for two"! :-)
(*Black Maternity shirt with glow in the dark print. Great way to tell family and friends the good news! Call with your size you'll be a hit! You can contact Kim at 492-9981.* )

Unplugged

I was just "tagged" by my good friend, Jill (Porter) Harkness! I'll have you know I took these pictures yesterday after she tagged me and today my house is MUCH cleaner!! Anyway, presenting the Nelson abode, right here, right now! Enjoy! :-)...PS-For those of you who don't know, you are supposed to take pictures of certain rooms/objects around the house exactly how they are at that moment, UNTOUCHED!...uh oh!

Voila! The Living Room/Family Room!

Thanks to Jenna for the awesome pumpkin canvas paintings! Charly spends half her day playing with this "Chichen"(kitchen)!

*Thank you Shkapich's!*

...And the kitchen! Notice my dining table doubles as a handy

gathering place for laundry!

My least favorite feature of our home...the laundry "room" is IN the kitchen

Is it weird for me to say this would be my favorite room? This room is my quiet sanctuary away from my noisy world! I go in here to pray, to meditate and to catch up on my pile of archived "Good Housekeeping" magazines that go unread for weeks before I'm finally able to catch a minute to endulge myself!

Okay, so we're on an all time LOW as far as groceries go! Do you see that tupperware in there with the blue lid? Those are leftover Spaghettios I randomly bought, just to see if Charly liked them. Well, she loved them, but I will not buy them again because sadly I think they taste and smell like vomit!

ME!
This just seemed like a fitting look for this post...I look like I have a bruise over my right eye.

Here she is, folks!...by the way, any tips on how to keep those naps rollin'? She's down to 30 minutes a day instead of 2 hours and I don't know what to do!!

Cruel Irony

Today I unwrapped a Dove's milk chocolate piece of heaven and popped it in my mouth while ironing out the creases of the wrapper in order to read the message on the inside. It read,

"Kick a bad habit for today"

My bad habit?....eating too much chocolate.