40 Years Ago Tonight

Call it kismet.
Call it lucky.
Call it providential.
We call it God's Sovereign Plan...

Forty years ago tonight, after meeting briefly at a basketball game that night and talking for hours on the phone that week, my future husband and I head to my home, courtesy of his cousin, my best friend...
The blurry sensation of emotion taking over, infatuation guiding my heart is still with me today as I reflect on that pivotal night..

Hubby has always been a gentleman.
Opening doors, pulling out chairs, walking on the outside of sidewalk, small considerate things.
So it made sense for this young 17 year old that had been raised right, to walk his date for the next night's Valentine Dance, up to her door.
It was a bit snowy and slick in spots.
I reached my front door with him close behind.
I turned around, he on the top step, me on the porch. Even in height.
He tells me good night and says that he is looking forward to the dance the next night.
Have no idea which one us drew closer first. I prefer to believe that we met halfway.
The fireworks of excitement that coursed through my 16 year old, never been kissed heart made me almost swoon...
During this rather lengthy meaningful kiss, a firetruck roared down the street, sirens going, lights circling the neighborhood, mirroring my inner thoughts and feelings....
My hand on the doorknob, I wave goodbye as he and his cousin depart down the driveway.
I stumble (literally) into my living room, sitting in the nearest chair by the door. A headache had been plaguing me for most of the evening (massive excitement!) and I ask my mom for an aspirin.
That's when I realized I could not even swallow, by heart pounding and my breathing so fast paced.
After choking profusely and having to listen to my mother and sister giggle at me and my obvious love sick condition, I prepared for bed counting the minutes when I could see him again......

Ahhhhh; young love...
Now Long Term Love....
Still embracing the roots of early love; enjoying the growth that it brought...

Happy Valentine's Day, Patcho.......

Treasure Trove!

Sweet Sharon, my neighbor down the road, recently gifted me in a most wonderful way.
She had a collection of magazines. Found in the attic of her childhood home when she was but a young girl and she has been the caretaker of these historical documents till she gave them to me yesterday.
They are amazing.
The ads, the stories, the photos, all freeze frames of a different time, quickens my heart rate and causes of sighs and exclamations to emit from my amazed self.
Take a look for yourself....

I believe I should have been born in the 30's! Look at this lovely home! I could move right in! Notice the dates on these beauties!

Can you read this date? July 31, 1918! World War I!
There is another edition on the 100th anniversary of the Civil War...Hubby is looking through that one....

Isn't this adorable! The photography is fabulous artistry!
And the name of this one! 'Pictorial Review combined with Delineator; rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?

1960, 1937, 1926..
History in the day to day...
The full page ad singing the praises of Crisco!
So interesting...

And my favorite thus far...
The Camel Ad!
'To ward off fatigue...get a lift with a Camel!.....'I get a new feeling of well-being and vim. Camels never upset my nerves'....Words like: vim, lift, nerves, restored energy.....Wonder what fate those poor misinformed, misguided cigarette promoters met?

Oh, you haven't heard the last from these valuable documents....
Thank you Sweet Sharon!!!

Cabin Fever Crazies

I haven't cleaned my pantry since I moved here. Ten years ago. Plus.
Are you tsk-tsking?
Let us just say that I preferred a higher calling, putting much more important things in the way of Clean Pantryness.
Yeah. I don't believe it either.
Yet this is what it was getting to look like.
Canned goods stuffed her and there.
Other things crammed where they could get crammed.
Sad, really.

Nothing like a snowy Saturday with nothing to do (really?) to make lining some well worn shelves into Pantry Perfection.
I am VERY picky about shelf paper.
NO contact paper.
No marbly, fake wood grained, goose printy paper for me.
Hence you can see another excuse for stalling.
Why doesn't Amy Butler make shelf paper? I could see myself changing paper much more frequently(every 2 years?) to take advantage of her lively prints....
On a Shelf Paper Run to our friendly Ace/Ben Franklin, I began a conversation with Community Friend Carolyn about the sad offerings of shelf paper. I drifted into the fabric section and noticed the flannel back table cloth fabric by the yard.
Hmmmmm, I says to Hubby.
Hmmmmmm, he says back to me.
Hmmmmmmm, says Community Friend Carolyn...
It might just work.
Sturdy for the long hauls between changing. Wipeable. Easy to change when Amy Butler comes out with her shelf paper line.
Hubby goes one step beyond and suggests colored thumb tacks to fasten it down just to look good whilst holding on well.
I suggest hot glue for those pesky sagging areas.
Community Friend Carolyn thinks it could work and promptly cuts the random amount that I guestimated. I should have gone home to measure, but I was on a roll and I feared the momentum would stop if I went home to do such a rational thing.

Then zip, zip, some vacuuming here (ceiling cobwebs, errant rice and leaky dog/cat food bags), a good scrubbing, (there was that pesky dead mouse thing a few years ago), some can organizing (not alphabetical but category), some hot glue in strategic spots, cute little red and white thumb tacks, and, ta da!
Pantry Perfection!
Would I sound too nutty if I told you that I go to the pantry these days just to look at it?

Wouldn't you?

More Snow; More Diversions!

My heart goes out to all those on the east coast Waging War with the Season.
Coming from a northern region, I understand the irritation and frustration of dealing with snow that comes in feet.
But to have it so unrelenting, back to back with the understanding that the stuff will probably be still there nigh into April, well, it's just overwhelming....
I understand.
And you have my prayers as you struggle with the day to day.
On a much less overwhelming note, we have had our little smattering of snow and cold temperatures. In Southern Indiana, we get a few days to complain then, poof, it's melted and a memory. So, while it is still tangible, best to make the most of Snow Days, knowing that they are few and far between.
Thank Goodness.
Today I cleaned off the Land Rover and faced the freezing north wind and made my way over to the 2G's and their mama's house. Two under three. And a dog and cat. Can you say Cabin Fever? Time to stir things up a bit and reach into my Winter Bag of Tricks! What did I do on those mama time snow days? I made bread and noodles!
Let's teach the 2G's mama how to make homemade noodles!
And let's dry them up high to keep from nosy little hands and hairy doggies and interested kitties.
And besides, it looks so dang cool hanging way up high, drying themselves,readying for the hot chicken brothy goodness that we prepared before making the noodles. Did I mention that the 2G's papa's favorite meal is chicken and noodles? Vedy Good.

The 2G's mama prepared ahead of time for our Wednesday Visit by having all that it takes for Root Beer Floats!
This is Grant's First Root Beer Float! The sudsy goodness made his eyes squint and caused his mama and I to laugh hysterically.
Floats are just fun. Even with the snow flying outside. Sideways. EEk.

Driving to my friends, via the library and post office, I went by my little friend Lily's house, only to find the only snowman that I had seen all this past snowstormy week!
I pulled the car over and snapped a photo of this rare sighting, all the more precious cause I could visualize Lily's little family all outside, having a grand time with their daddy, making a snow memory. Years ago, I remember waking Baby Girl up from her winter slumber, just to take advantage of a wonderful packing snow. We worked a long while on what I thought was the best snowman ever. I do believe Baby Girl still wonders about a mom that wakes up her sleeping child for the sole purpose of playing in the snow. As an older mom, I saw the dire importance of imprinting memories in a more intense way than perhaps I did as a younger mama.
And my heart still warms when I think of that snowy morning.....

May you be making memories today.....

Snow Day Diversions

If you were to wake up to the glare of winter light being reflected of a bank of brand new snow, what would you do?

I don't know about you, but I high tailed it to the sewing room to begin a day of productive creative,activity! No stopping to put on make up! Forget washing the hair! Whose going to come out anyway? Yay!
Nothing like a forced homeboundedness to make the most creative urges realistic.

Good time to Think Spring by creating some summer bankies for the childbirth conference booth next month...
These useful little lightweight blankies, a brainchild of Most Loving/Interesting Friend, have always been a huge hit with mommies with summer babes...Just a little cover for those night breezes or too much air conditioning...
Thank you, MLI for such a fun, useful gifting idea for new moms...!
Hmmmmmmm...Isn't' there a birthday coming up for Baby Girl?! Oh yes! And even though she has already received her gift, as promised, a mama's collection donation should reach her via snail mail close to Her Day on Saturday...
Happy, happy birthday Baby Girl!

Another belated birthday gift for Faithful Friend's baby girl; inspired by the 2G's mama; a Wristlet of the Crocheted Kind! Fun to make; the first crochet pattern I ever made on my own!
Ah yes!
Defy the stuntedness of weather imposed exile!
Get crafting!!

We Interrupt Winter to Bring You a Summer Update!

The date is set!
The location is secured!
The workshop subjects are nearly completed!
The theme for the weekend is in the works!
A mother's helper is promised!
All is needed is a list of attendees!!

I have room in the one cottage for ten.
Are you one of them?
Leave a comment or email me to secure your spot!
You will not be disappointed!
From Chicago, from Ohio, from New Hampshire (I wish!) from wherever you are now, plan for this summer !!


'mama's collection of friends'
First Annual Retreat!
July 23-25
Leavenworth Inn, Leavenworth Indiana
Creating: From Creator to Our Hands
Share your craft, share your heart, share your love....

The Valentine Tree

Off I go on another Crafting House Call!
This time I go to our local elementary school to help spread the cause of promoting the love on Valentine's Day!
Valentine's Day.
A favorite of mine. Had my first kiss on Valentine's Eve and first date with The Hubby at a Valentine's Day dance in high school. Baby Girl was born 57 minutes before the Big V Day.
Holds a dear spot in my heart so I promote it at every turn.
I asked Teacher Friend if I could enter her domain and present her class a Valentine Loving Tree. This one is an enlargement of one that I made for my kids decades ago. Back then, I painted the branches of a bush white, placed the embellished twigs in a small bucket of sand and had the kids make small heart valentines that would promise a gift of doing to someone in the house. Signs like: 'I will do the dishes for my sister.' 'I will not complain about schoolwork', ' I will be kind' sort of messages accumulated on the little tree.
Lovely.
So here I start on a bigger scale for four times as many children.
I raided my garden for a large pot and then sacrificed to the Valentine gods, several Rose of Sharon bushes from the sleeping garden area.
Rose of Sharon branches are pretty light colored so I could skip the painting part of the project.
Pea Gravel, (thanks to Youngest Son who carried the quite cumbersome bag from parking lot wayyyyyyyyy to Teacher Friend's room for me, a weak old lady....:D)
took the place of messier sand. Our local school is a beautiful, well kept school so I did not want to be a messy crafter.

Back in the Sewing Room, I fashioned 14 little stuffed felt hearts with a simple design and blanket stitched all around, with a piece of ribbon to hang from, for a gift for each of the children. One suggested that he could hang his on his Christmas Tree, to which I heartily agreed...

Some card stock, doilies and an abundance of shiny thingys to make their creations spec-TAC-u-lar, and off they go to create their 'gifts'..

I might like to mention that some of Pauline Hill's auction goodies got put to use again! A plethora of goo gahs in a myriad of colors for just that shiny fascinating effect that children (and many adults apparently) love so much.
Several of Pauline's goo-gahs had prices on them: 3 for .67...Maybe 1965?

Several the little girls had pink shirts on that day. I pointed out to Friend Audrey that her shirt matched her valentine!
One little boy avoided the pink paper like the plague! I reminded him that maybe the recipient of his valentine, might like pink. He stated emphatically, 'NO ONE in my family likes pink!' Got it.

I would like to point out that Hubby found the gilded gold doilies and thought that I needed them for the children. Big hit.

And here we are, be-ribboned,be-lighted, be-ginghamed, be-adorned and a big hit in Teacher Friend's classroom!!

Might we see a Lucky Shamrock Tree and a Spring Fling Tree.....
Maybe....!