There will always be a certain piece of the old days that remains within me. I will never stop loving the pictures such as this because it brings back a sense of comfort and remembering a time when being a young child was simply fun. You don't have a sense of responsibility. Your only focus was playing and being held and hugged and cuddled and sitting in your parents' lap or carried in their arms. It was a safe time and wasn't it fun just to be care free?

Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence.

- unknown

Holding Hands

Make sure you watch it even after they quit holding hands. :-)

There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.

- St. Thomas Aquinas

Panda

No matter what kind of baby it is, birth is nothing short of a miracle.

cute, cute, cute

There will always be a sacred place in the heart for the memory of loved ones we miss.

- unknown

say what's in your heart,

someone needs to hear it

Happy Birthday to my little girl

Happy Birthday to Becky!

Born January 21, 1980 @ 5:28 p.m. in Royal Oak, MI

Stuck in the snow

After my ride home from work, I arrived on my street, went to back in my driveway and there I was, stuck in the snow. As I was maneuvering into my driveway I had to let an impatient person go down my street and that was all it took. I was perplexed, not knowing what my next move was going to be and here comes a little red car that had been going the other way and he turned around to help me. As he was shoveling around my tires, here comes a woman, parking her car near mine and came over and helped push me out too.

Bless these kind people for coming to my rescue. They are certainly snow angels.

From the Family Archive

I was going through some photos this morning and ran across this one. This is our paternal grandfather (Dziadus), me, and my cousin Nancy. It was taken in the living room of my parent's home on Kilbourne in Detroit. When you run across certain pictures, sometimes they catch you off guard. As I look at this I am remembering when my grandfather would live with us at times and my cousin Nancy and our close friendship. Even with the four years separating us, we were very close. We even shared an apartment for two years! Nancy was the cutest little girl and a best friend - then and now.

As I look at this picture, aside from the people in the picture, I am smiling at the couch. It was totally awesome. It was navy blue velvet and it was a favorite thing when I was little. It had a matching chair and I remember jumping from piece to piece (do you think my Mom knew that I did that? shhhhhhh..........). It was so much fun and oh so comfy. I was heartbroken when it was replaced with a sectional couch (that I didn't like), thus ending an era in my life. They can take away the couch....but they can't take away the memories. :-)~

Virtues

Two of the greatest virtues in life: Patience & Wisdom

Mistakes in life are like manure.
They help you grow.

Is it spring yet?

I really don't mean that. Even though we are having a severe winter weatherwise across the country, I really do enjoy winter. I remember the weather predictions when the summer was winding down last year that we were going to have a cold and snowy winter, and that it was going to begin early. All came true. Snow and cold hit in early November. And we did have a white Christmas - the kind we whine about, because Christmas has to have that snowy palette to make it like the Christmases that we remember as children - that is, if you live in a state like Michigan where winter means brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

For people like me, winter is the time to nestle at home, get all comfy and cozy after work, watch tv, read a book, sew, or do whatever. It is the "down time" from the outside work during the warm weather months. A welcome break from the weeding and the mowing. And it is the time to relax and regroup. And for those of us that work in our gardens, it is the time to grab the gardening books or watch HGTV and get ideas of what we might want to do in our gardens next season.

Aside from not being as tough about the cold as I use to be, I still like to experience the snow, the cold, wearing the coats and the scarves, the gloves or mittens, maybe even a hat. Heating up the car and cleaning off the new snow, experiencing longer commutes and not lingering outside more than necessary. See, I am one of those people that enjoys all the seasons. And I do like hibernating in winter. Could I be a human bear, perhaps? Maybe.

So, for now I will pile on layers of clothes and hang out at home, and nestle in my bed at night with lots of covers and when that alarm goes off at 4:30 a.m. on work days, I will face the bitter cold and snow and enjoy this time of year, because soon it will be spring and then summer.....and autumn again....and hopefully another winter. Because life is a cycle. And while each season is familiar, the details are always different.

Quilt--Christmas Postage Stamp

I didn't start this until November and of course, I knew it wouldn't be completed in time for this Christmas, but I got caught up with the seasonal fabrics and just had to stitch while the snow was outside and the holiday spirit was flowing. This will be an on-going project, in between other things.

Snow and People

The snow is steadily falling outside my window. It has been quite a while since we have had this much snow and cold weather in one season here - and there is much more winter to come. yippeeeeeeeeee :-)

Did you ever realize how things can be desireable and undesireable all at the same time? I love the snow. It is so nice to be inside enjoying the coziness of your home, but to go outside and have to get around in it, is a whole different thing.

It reminds me of people. Did you ever notice that our best qualities can be our worst? I have thought of that so much. I think that what we need to remember is that it is all about balance. Whether we are grumbling about the snow or about something that we did that we are frustrated with, we need to have a sense of balance. We are always going to have weather extremes. We are always going to do things that we could just slap ourselves over. We just need to keep it all in perspective and remember that it is all a part of life. Nothing is going to last forever - good or bad, happy or sad. It is simply the cycle of life. We just need to keep it in perspective and embrace life during all these times.

So, let the snow fall, let me continue to do good things and then turn around and do something stupid. It's what it is. The bottom line is - it's good to be alive.

A Special Birthday

Daniel Michael

1.5.1958 - Sunday

Detroit Memorial Hospital - Detroit, Michigan

This was a very special day for me. It was the day my baby brother, Danny, was born. And it changed my life forever.

I know everyone was excited about his arrival, but I can't express what it meant to me. He was a whole new piece of my life that I cherished then and as I do now.

We were incredibly close from the very beginning. I was about 9 1/2 when he came along and I burst with pride over my little baby brother. I don't think I could have loved him more. I even use to address him with "Your highness, your magesty, your excellency" which made my mother laugh.

Through the years, our closeness remained. We have been through so much together. Good, bad, happy, sad. And oh so many memories.

I am truly blessed to have such a special person in my life.

My wish for you, Danny, on your birthday, are many happy and healthy years ahead. May you always feel the love that everyone has for you, especially me. You have made my life richer. Thank you for arriving when I needed you most.

In my world

It is the year of the Quilt

Happy New Year from My Little Part of Heaven to yours

May this coming year be full of

Hope

Faith

Change

Happiness

Love