Weekends

Endless possibilities

On Fridays I contemplate all that I would like to accomplish this weekend.
I hate to admit it but I especially love weekends when I have not made any plans.  Spur of the moment things totally work for me.

Friday is my favorite day of the week.  Anything goes when the work week is over - which usually means jumping into comfy 'home' clothes and just hanging out.  Maybe not doing much of anything works fine for me.
But I still have great expectations in my head of what I want to get done.  Like start the laundry (which is behind because I procrastinate).  A little cleaning.  A little of this.  A little of that.
So, after a busy work-week, I start things off by 'resting'.  I can make an evening out of resting.  I feel I have earned it.

In autumn because evenings start early, I light a few candles.  And being Halloween-time, I have little lights from various ornamental keepsakes that cast an orange hue here and there.  The perfect atmosphere.  Sometimes it is called 'romance for one'.

And then those lazy Saturday mornings....freshly-brewed coffee, 2 hours of QVC, and enjoying the slower-paced morning that only Saturdays hold for me. 

coffee love     ♥

Enjoy your Friday evening.....and Saturday morning....spend them your way




 

“It’s Halloween! It’s Halloween!

The moon is full and bright

And we shall seen what can’t be seen

On any other night…”

The air is turning cooler, the darkness coming earlier, leaves are falling. The Halloween edition magazines have been in our house for a few weeks. They’ve been poured over, costume decisions made, preparations underway. But ah, the excitement of of the season has only just begun. It’s time now for Halloween reading at our house, in which we bring out the holiday-themed books (and of course, the Charlie Brown DVD). This year a stroll through the Friends of the Library Used Book Store led us to a great addition to our collection: a 1977 edition of Jack Prelutsky and Marylin Hafner’s It’s Halloween. [Note: The book was updated in 1997 with the same illustrator.]


With illustrations charmingly reminiscent of Maurice Sendak, each of Prelutsky’s 13 poems illuminate the frightful fun of three children and their Halloween night, from preparations (in “The Pumpkin”) to parties (in “Bobbing for Apples”) to tricks (“Tricksters” and “Countdown”) and treats (“Treat”) and finally to bed at the end of the night:

“We’re stuffed with cake and candy

And we’ve had a lot of fun

But now it’s time to go to bed

And dream of all we’ve done.”

When Beth and Becky were little, I read this book over and over to them.  It was a favorite for all of us and part of our Halloween routine.  It is just the best.   ♥

Time to retire?

we go through our days, one after the other, thinking that everything stays the same
but it doesn't
because eventually everything changes
those day-to-day activities that we take for granted, that seem to always be the same
but they don't stay the same
our normal becomes anything but
sometimes we swap daily sameness for unbelievable out-of-this world bliss
happiness beyond our wildest dreams
and then the same-o existence takes a different turn.....and all the familiarness isn't familiar at all
no, we are faced with something so unexpected
we all face the happy and the not-so-happy in life
disappointments - something that stops us dead in our tracks
when life changes for at least our 'present forever'
and the ache settles in our hearts.....the reality just plays over and over in our minds
we just need to know that we are not alone - that we are never alone
there is someone closeby that understands......because they have been there, too
we just need to have faith and believe that we can face whatever comes our way
because one way or another, we will make it through

Halloween @ Greenfield Village...a tradition

 Keegan as Elmo, had a wonderful time

 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

and a welcome appearance of the Headless Horseman
- who was extremely handsome last night

One of hundreds of pumpkins that lit the path through the Village

  

An Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.'

1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13.. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a spiritually enlightening book with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest.
18. Eat right.
19. Get organized so everything has its place.
20.. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life..
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25.. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you Jesus .'
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31.. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego.
33. Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.

GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.

'If God is for us, who can be against us?'

favorites

I love coffee.  And I love it strong

My absolute favorite coffee comes from Serendipity.

And my favorite flavor is Butter Rum Cream. 

I'm enjoying a cup right now.  Yummy

And my favorite facial sope is from The Green Scene.  Favorite fragrance:  grapefruit. 

This soap is a natural product, just like everything else sold at this wonderful store. 

It is a totally awesome store if you are a 'green person' you would love it.

And when I run out of this soap, I simply call them and they ship it to me quickly.

Both these stores are in Marshall, Michigan.

lovely autumn colors are nothing short of breathtaking   ♥







these pictures were borrowed from the web

Hankie Bonnets

Hankie Bonnets began as a tradition for me when my girls were born.  My sister presented me with the first one for my baby shower in June 1978.  I had never heard of these bonnets prior to that.  My sister was living in California at the time and she sent it to be opened at my first baby shower. 
It was such a beautiful bonnet and the verse I read aloud brought me to tears.

The bonnets covered both my babies' precious heads when they left the hospital for their first trip home - 
Beth in July 1978 and Becky in January 1980. 
The bonnets were stored away until their bridal showers in 2007 and 2008. 
And when each of my daughters married, the hankie accompanied each of them
on their special wedding day.

And so the tradition carries on for our family and other special people to create a tradition for them.

I want to thank my cousin, Linda, for creating the lovely bonnet pictured here
that was a gift for a young mother-to-be (Best wishes Jackie, to you and your husband and your baby boy).
Aunt Adeline recently  presented Linda with a bag of vintage hankies.
Now the these hankie bonnets are even more beautiful.
♥

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rut roh

Dear Martha Stewart:  I have this brown stain on my nice, white, fluffy butt...

Sometimes you don't get good news

Life seems status quo most days, and then you get some not-so-good news.  
That is how it was last night.  About family.

I had an appointment right after work and got home long after the dinner hour.
I made a quick something to eat and then read an email from my sister.  My brother-in-law, Frank, is in the hospital in Illinois.  She had been with him for two days and hadn't had a chance to reach me by phone.  I was thankful for the email.
Then about a half hour later, Danny called from UofM Hospital like he said he would when Barb was out of surgery - after five hours.

From time to time, posts can't always be full of good news.  Like today.
So, if you happen to read this post, will you please say a prayer for each of them?  There is nothing like the power of prayer.

They are both the kind of people you would love to have in your life.  Truly,  ♥

May Jesus wrap His arms around them and help them through the days ahead.

The Invisible Mother

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response,
the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone
and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see
I'm on the phone?'

Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or
sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because
no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.. The invisible Mom. Some days
I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie
this? Can you open this??

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a
clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer,
'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around
5:30, please.'

Some days I'm a crystal ball; 'Where's my other sock?, Where's my
phone?, What's for dinner?'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the
eyes that studied history, music and literature -but now, they had
disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. 
She's going, she's going, she's gone!?

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of
a friend from England. She had just gotten back from a fabulous trip,
and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was
sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well.
It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling
pretty pathetic, when she turned to me with a beautifully wrapped
package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great
cathedrals of Europe .

I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:
'With admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would
discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after
which I could pattern my work: 1) No one can say who built the great
cathedrals - we have no record of their names. 2) These builders gave
their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. 3) They
made great sacrifices and expected no credit. 4) The passion of their
building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A story of legend in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the
cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a
tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man,
'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that
will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it And the workman
replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was
almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the
sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.

No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake
you've baked, no Cub Scout meeting, no last-minute errand is too small
for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral,
but you can't see right now what it will become.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As
one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see
finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.
The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could
ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing
to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's
bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4
in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a
turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would
mean I'd built a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come
home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, he'd say,
'You're gonna love it there...'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if
we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world
will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that
has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible mothers.

Baby Porcupines

Have you ever seen a baby porcupine? Look at these beautiful images and learn the fable.

Fable of the porcupine

It was the coldest winter ever - many animals died because of the cold. The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together. This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions even though they gave off heat to each other. After awhile they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen.  So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth. Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. This way they learned to live with the little wounds that were caused by the close relationship with their companion, but the most important part of it, was the heat that came from the others. This way they were able to survive.

Moral of the story:

The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but the best is when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities.

Wonderful Message!

The ' L I T T L E ' Things

As you might remember, the head of a company survived 9/11 because his son started kindergarten.
Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.
One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go off in time.
One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an auto accident.
One of them missed his bus.
One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.
One's car wouldn't start.
One couldn't get a taxi.

The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot.
He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid.
That is why he is alive today...

Now when I am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone ...
All the little things that annoy me.
I think to myself,
This is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment..

Next time your morning seems to be going wrong,
You can't seem to find the car keys,
You hit every traffic light,
Don't get mad or frustrated;
It may be just that God is at work watching over you.

May God continue to bless you
with all those annoying little things
and may you remember their possible purpose.