Thursday's Thought for the Day....

My New Year's wish for one and all....

"Health enough to make work a pleasure,

Wealth enough to support your needs,

Strength enough to battle with difficulties and overcome them,

Grace enough to toil until good is accomplished,

Charity enough to see good in your neighbor, 

Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others,

Faith enough to make real the things of God,

Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future."

~ Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

(source: Grace Notes - A Book of Daily Meditations by Alexandra Stoddard)

Wednesday's Wisdom....

Don't compare yourself to others.

Compare yourself to you!

Are you a better person than you were yesterday?

If not - take some positive action.

Tip for a Tuesday....

www.thekrazycouponlady.com

There is an enormous amount of information on this site.

There are daily deals, as well as printable coupons.

They also post sales listed on Amazon.

If you like to save money and have a bit of time to sort through it all, 

this site looks to be very useful indeed.

You can also sign up for daily deals to pop in your email box!

This website was recommended by AARP

(yes, I am that old that I receive their magazine, 

which actually contains some very useful information.)

Friday Fotos....

Merry Christmas!

May love and laughter fill your days.

Thursday's Thought for the Day...

KEEP CHRISTMAS WITH YOU

When Christmas time is over and presents put away, don't be sad
There'll be so much to treasure about this Christmas day and the fun we've had
So may happy feelings to celebrate with you
And, oh, the good times hurry by so fast,
But even when it's over there's something you can do to make Christmas last

Keep Christmas with you
All through the year,
When Christmas is over,
You can keep it near.
Think of this Christmas day
When Christmas is far away.

Keep Christmas with you
All through the year,
When Christmas is over,
Save some Christmas cheer.                                                  

These precious moments,                                                 
Hold them very dear

And keep Christmas with you
All through the year.

Christmas means the spirit of giving
Peace and joy to you,
The goodness of loving,
The gladness of living;
These are Christmas too.

So, keep Christmas with you
All through the year,
When Christmas is over,
Save some Christmas cheer.
These precious moments,
Hold them very dear
And keep Christmas with you
All through the year.

*from the television show Christmas Eve on Sesame Street

Wednesday's Wisdom....

Always a student....

I heard someone recently share that they will forever be a student -

 always open to learning new things from others.

What a lovely way to approach life, I thought.

They're right - we are never too old to learn.

And there is always something to be learned from those around us - 

from the youngest to the oldest -

 if I simply pay close attention.

How exciting is that!

Tip for a Tuesday....

Lower your expectations for the holidays.

Raise your level of gratitude!

Friday Fotos....

Busy week....
Daughter #1 and I participated in a Christmas Pet Parade with her two boys, Barney and Oliver, last weekend.  After removing their Christmas hats and scarves, we took advantage of the unusual warm weather and took the boys for their first romp on the ocean's shore.  They loved it - as did we!!

Assisted Daughter #1 in decorating her tree.  Stunning, isn't it?

Brought back so many memories as I unwrapped ornaments 

I had bought her every year since her birth!

My daughter gave me this festive little "frosted fern," which I can plant in a shady spot in our yard in the Spring.  Looks as though the branches tips have been dipped in snow!

How wonderful to see these brave little flowers still blooming in the midst of December!!!  What a gift!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy weekend!  Be sure to slow down and savor the moments!

Thursday's Thought for the Day....

"Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. 

It is happiness because we see joy in people. 

It is forgetting self and finding time for others. 

It is discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values."

Thomas S. Monson

source: brainyquote.com

Wednesday's Wisdom....

"For Susan, the holidays surround her with the people and things she cherishes, and she wants her guests to feel the same. They do, taking refuge from the outside world in the cozy holiday atmosphere. “I understand how people need to feel as though there’s something steady in the world,” she says. “You can make that for people. You can take them back to a time they feel might have been safer than the time is now, when all was well.”

by Julia Quinn-Szcesuil in Nov 2013  Yankee Magazine

in an article about Susan Branch - author/illustrator

Like Susan, I've tried over the years to create "a refuge from the outside world" during the month of December.  Embracing new traditions, while incorporating traditions passed down to me from my parents, I hope that I too have given my family that sense of comfort and security that I think is so necessary. 

I've learned it is well worth the time and effort needed to create that feeling.

May this season give us all the opportunity to create an atmosphere in our homes in which we can firmly believe that....

Tip for a Tuesday....

Having trouble lighting a deep candle?

Grab a piece of dry spaghetti!

Yes, seriously.

I heard about this little trick recently and had occasion to test it out.

It works!!

Rather than stick my poor hand down into the candle well, hoping not to burn myself, I lit the end of a dry piece of spaghetti and used it to go down to the wick.

Easy Peasy!

source: LIFE HACKS by Dan Marshall

A Monday Memory....

 A winter wonderland....

Twenty somethings are often in need of extended sleep at the weekend, especially those who spend their weekdays teaching First Graders.  Or so I thought, many years ago, while living at home again with my parents.  Therefore, I was not amused when my Dad knocked repeatedly on my bedroom door one Sunday's winter morning, before the sun had even begun to rise.

"What on earth?" I thought. He quickly enlightened me, stating that there had been an ice storm during the night which had coated our part of the world in ice as thick as my fingers. He wanted me to dress quickly and head out in the car with he and my mother to view the spectacle before the sun rose too high and melted it all.

Seriously, Dad?

Reluctantly, I dressed and met my parents in the kitchen.  I am forever grateful I did.

The scene we encountered around us was nothing short of spectacular.

Carefully inching the car along the winding roads of nearby towns, we witnessed the most beautiful show nature can produce.  My Dad's timing was perfect - the sun's rays illuminating the crystals of the icicles which hung virtually everywhere we looked. The only sounds were that of the tires crunching on the icy roads and our gasps of delight.

A treasured memory with my parents I often recall and worth being awakened before dawn for.

Friday Fotos....

Mid week visit....

Gingerbread houses.... sort of.

Had a wonderful visit with the wee ones mid week. 

Fortunately, the dental hygenist who cleaned my teeth on Monday mentioned she had made gingerbread houses with two of her grandchildren on Sunday, using graham crackers and homemade icing sugar. So when I stopped in CVS and saw that the pre-boxed gingerbread house kits "may" contain peanuts, I remembered what she told me and headed off to Shop Rite for similar ingredients which could be guaranteed peanut free.  (M's allergy is too severe to risk it!)

Wisely, their mother suggested we assemble the houses before dinner, then decorate after when they had suitably dried.  The girls were very pleased with the results - as well as indulging in a few  samples of candy!

Tiaras are always a must, 

even on a Tuesday afternoon.

Miss C has incredible fashion sense,

don't you think?

I was absolutely thrilled to be able to attend M's Christmas Concert at school!

She had a solo singing part - as the brown Donkey.

M sang her part beautifully!!

Her parents and I were so proud of her!

As an added bonus, I had the chance to say hello to M's music teacher, who just happens to have been the music teacher for my three girls and a fellow faculty member when I taught Third Grade.

These are the joys of life - sharing precious moments with those we love!

If you find yourself writing out Christmas cards this weekend, maybe take a moment and write just one more to a courageous young girl, Safyre, who lost her entire family and is a severe burn victim.  She has requested Christmas cards this year.  

Such a simple request - put mine in the mail this morning.  Here is the address:

Safyre

P.O. Box 6126

Schenectady, NY

12306

Thank you!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy weekend!

Thursday's Thought for the Day....

c/o lostbumblebee.blogspot.com

Thursday's Thought for the Day....

Wednesday's Wisdom....

Ever heard that saying, "Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me."  I'll be honest, that is how I feel in regards to the "Global Warming,"now "Global Change" we keep hearing about these days.

Anyone else old enough to recall the  so-called "Energy Crisis" of the early '70's?  When they, the government and experts told us that the world's oil supply would be completely depleted in fifty years.  The years when gasoline was rationed.  Depending on the numbers on your license plate, you could only purchase gas if it were an odd or even number day.  And only if you had less than half a tank.  And waited, literally hours and hours on line at the gas station.  And no more washing of your windshield or checking your oil.

The speed limit was dropped nationwide on all highways to 55.  Everyone was admonished to conserve energy!!  Turn off the lights in your home, don't use your car unless absolutely necessary, carpool, lower your thermostat, and on and on.

In December of 1973, my parents drove my sister and I from NJ to Chicago for my brother's wedding.  My Dad had a spare can of gasoline in the trunk, in case we were unable to refuel and ran out of gas so we wouldn't be stranded.  I'll be honest, we were all frightened that he had to do that. Also, there was not a single Christmas light, or any outdoor lights, lit that year anywhere we drove.

And then suddenly, after a couple of years of this, after the price of gasoline skyrocketed, things went back to "normal."  You could buy gas, put your lights back on, turn up the heat on a frosty morning and all was well again in the world.

Hmmm......

So you'll forgive me if I don't jump on this "Global Change" bandwagon.  Because this all sounds too familiar to me.  This is my personal opinion.  I have not done extensive research of either argument of the story, and quite frankly, I don't intend to in the future.  Because I'm tired of hearing about it.

I have continued many of the practices we started back in the '70's - turning off lights when I leave a room, recycling as much as I possibly can, not using the car unless I need to, etc.  Because it just makes sense to do so.  Yes, I think if we all did our part it would help this planet we live on.

Oh, and one more thing while I'm ranting today.  Don't get me started on the ridiculous notion that Global Changes have caused the current rise in terrorism.  I do not believe that a bunch of thugs, who behave worse than a pack of vicious animals, are doing so because of a lack of rain or money, or rising temperatures where they live.

I'm just sayin.....

Tip for a Tuesday....

Wrap as you go....

Many a Christmas Eve found me locked away in my bedroom, 

deep in wrapping paper and ribbons.

These days, from October through January, gifts accumulate in our house 

for birthdays as well as Christmas.  

So I now wrap as I purchase or receive via delivery.

And gift bags, in particular, make it easy peasy!

A Monday Memory....

FIFTY years ago....

Photo: United Feature Syndicate

A Charlie Brown Christmas
 Oh yes, I can still recall the first time I watched this Christmas classic, on a black and white television set in my parents living room.  

I thought it was one of the sweetest, most wonderful shows I had ever seen. I still do.

"Back in the day", as they say, if you didn't watch a particular program like this when it aired, 

you missed it until it came around again in a year's time.
No recording it.  No DVD.  No DVR. No anything.

Thanks to technology, you can watch this wonderful show anytime, anywhere.
There is also an app: "A Charlie Brown Christmas - A Peanuts Holiday Classic Interactive Pop-up Book for All Ages By Loud Crow Interactive Inc. "       $5.99 in iTunes
My granddaughters absolutely love the one on my iPad!

It is written that Charles Schultz's main goal in writing this program 

was to focus on the true meaning of Christmas.

An article by Patrick Ryan in USA TODAY November 30, 2015, describes the work of the collaborators of this special this way:

"Linus' recitation of the birth of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke was Schulz's idea.'If we're going to do a Christmas special, we've really got to do it the right way and talk about what Christmas is all about,' " Mendelson says. "Bill and I looked at each other, and I said, 'There's never been any animation that I know of from the Bible. It's kind of risky.' 

Then Mr. Schulz said, 'Well, if we don't do it, who will?' "

I for one am very glad it was written exactly as it is.

Following Linus' recitation, Charlie Brown states firmly 

"I won't let all this commercialism ruin my Christmas."

I feel the same way, Chuck.  The same way.

Despite the passage of fifty years, sadly some things haven't changed I suppose.

A special anniversary program airs at 8pm est tonight on ABC, followed by the show at 9.

Thursday's Thought for the Day....

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Wednesday's Wisdom....

Tip for a Tuesday....

See it....like it....buy it

When it comes to gift buying this time of year, I've learned that if I see an item I think would be just perfect, I need to purchase it then and there.

Already this year, there have been a couple of potential gifts I spotted that sold out 

before I could make up my mind. 

With today's technology and the ability to simply "click" and buy, things move fast.

On the plus side, it is easier to shop around and compare prices on the internet, 

rather than going store to store.

But "he who hesitates is lost" or in my case, is without a particular gift.

So....

If you see something....you like it....then buy it.

Before someone else does.

A Monday Memory....

Growing up, it was just the five of us - Mom, Dad, my sister, brother and I - who sat at the table in our dining room and celebrated Thanksgiving.  All of my grandparents had passed away by the time my parents had married.  So we didn't travel "over the river and through the woods." But our small gathering was no less special than anyone else's.  

After watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade on tv, we would put on our Sunday best before sitting down to eat in the afternoon.  My mother set the table with her best china and silver, and cooked a huge meal with all the traditional dishes.  Her sausage stuffing and apple pie were the best I've ever tasted.  

When we were older, our Aunt joined us at the table after traveling out from the city.  At the end our meal, she and my Dad would enjoy reminiscing about years gone by in New York City, while my sister and I helped with the clearing up. The only Thanksgiving spent away from home was when my parents, sister and I flew out to St. Louis to spend the holiday with my brother who was at college in the midwest.  Though the restaurant we went to was quite nice, the holiday just didn't seem the same.

Years went by and eventually marriages and grandchildren increased our numbers.  We didn't know it then, but Thanksgiving 1982 was to be the last holiday we would spend with my Dad.  So the following year, my Mom said it would mean a great deal to her if we could always come to her house for Thanksgiving. I know she was very grateful that we were all able to do that for her for many, many years.

As our numbers grew, so too did the number of vegetables my mother would prepare.  If someone mentioned in passing a particular like, it was added to her list without question.  Hours spent peeling, and juggling pots between the stove and counter, were required to pull it off.  Putting on that big spread certainly became a major undertaking!

This year will be the first time that the Englishman and I will not be hosting our own little family in our house, as we did for the previous few years.  We will be dining at our middle daughter's house, though the Englishman will still be doing the bulk of the cooking. I will be baking an apple pie, using my mother's recipe. I've no doubt it will be a wonderful time for us all.

I just spoke on the phone with my mother's neighbor, who still lives across the street from my childhood home.  She said that when she gets down and misses my Mom and the years they spent together supporting each other as widows, that she thinks back and just remembers all the good times they shared together.  I must admit, I do the same.

It's the being together that matters, not the place.  

And, the remembering. 

Those precious memories -

of all the people we have loved 

and the many good times we've had together.  

Friday Fotos....

                                

What a wonderful visit with the wee ones and their parents last Sunday!

I snapped these photos while on our way out to lunch.

Miss M busy crocheting.  

Her Aunt L, who was taught by her Grandma, has been guiding her.

What a joy to see these talents passed down through the generations.

It brings back precious memories of my mother instructing me and all my girls, 

as well as some of their friends.

The girls and I filled in these feathers for a Thanksgiving project.  

Hard to read, but they state, in order:

candy

school

yummy food

my wonderful family

M and C

We're big on "gratitude" in our family. 

It puts everything into the proper perspective.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy weekend!

Thursday's Thought for the Day....

"From traveling in space and studying astronomy, I've learned that it's not all about me.  All these little things in life that distract you and frustrate you - whether it's something wrong with your house or car, or something that didn't go right at work - it's just not that important."

~ Eileen Collins

    Astronaut

Wednesday's Wisdom...

Sound familiar to anyone?  

Oh yes.  

Guilty.  

Working on it. 

Because I know now, at this age,  I don't have to do it.

I choose to do it.

And I can choose to STOP doing it.

(Wish me luck!)

Tip for a Tuesday....

Did you know....

Do you own an iPhone? I do and I did not know this!  There is a map inside the phone which records everywhere you go, including the date and how long you are there.  Scary.

The Englishman discovered an article concerning this in The Daily Mail from England.  Here is a portion of it and the link:

"It is perhaps no secret that mapping services in your phone have long been able to identify where you're going and record how often you go there.
But it will perhaps come as a shock to Apple users to discover that their phones are actually plotting that information on an actual map that they can access.
Even more shocking, when you actually open that map, is how much information your device is secretly collecting on you - including the date and time of your visits to particular locations, and how long you stayed there for each time.

Perhaps more troubling is the prospect that anybody who steals or finds the phone will be able to access it and then use it to find the victim's home address - before going there to steal more."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3318645/The-creepy-hidden-map-inside-iPhone-records-disable-it.html#ixzz3rlK6Rtjt

I immediately changed the setting on my phone.  The directions given in the article are different to what I found on my device, so I've listed the steps I took:

Go to:  Settings -- Privacy -- Location Services -- PRESS: OFF

Easy Peasy!

* If you have teenagers or young kids using an iPhone, you may want to keep this feature "ON" - so you would know their movements or could locate them in an emergency.  

Friday Fotos....

 Autumn is still very much in season around here!

 The mini window garden keeps growing!

 Letting sleeping dogs lie....

Intense sniffing....

Wishing everyone a safe and happy weekend!

Thursday's Thought for the Day....

"The invariable mark of wisdom 

is to see the miraculous in the common."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wednesday Wisdom....

source: Facebook

original source "unknown"

Grateful to all Veterans, 
and in particular, 
to my son-in-law and nephew, 
for their service and selflessness.

Tip for a Tuesday....

"Only the pure in heart can make a good soup."

~ Ludwig van Beethoven

Or those who use a Proctor Silex Hand Blender.

Soup making is easier and quicker, when I use a hand blender for the final step when making soup.  Instead of pouring small portions of hot soup mix into the blender to achieve the desired  consistency, while also trying not to burn myself, I simply place the hand blender in the soup pot.  Within minutes, the softened chunks of ingredients are perfectly blended.  

Easy Peasy!

A Monday Memory...

Remember these?

Full front seats in your family car.  If you're as old as I am, you certainly do.

Or as old as my daughters, who I'm sure well remember their Grandma's Cadillac. And how it would take both the driver and front passenger, rocking back and forth, to make the seat move.

I recall the dilemma these all in one front seats used to cause when I was first dating.

Do I sit next to the passenger side door or closer to the middle, next to the driver?

Back then, the seriousness of the relationship seemed to be the determining factor in answering that question.  It was usually a relief when a new date turned up with bucket seats and the decision was made for me.  But you could also "drive home" a point, so to speak, if you were upset with your boyfriend by pressing yourself tightly against the passenger door instead of him.

Oh, and remember when we were the power source, cranking the window down ourselves? And those triangular shaped windows in the front, that could be opened and angled back to provide the most glorious breeze?

OK. Time to stop cruising down memory lane now....

Friday Fotos....

Before and after....

Decided to go for a more "beachy" look for a cabinet the Englishman made years ago.

Quite happy with the results!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy weekend!

Thursday's Thought for the Day....

Juan Williams wrote a beautiful piece: "Love of Life: Feeling thankful in new and unexpected ways."
October 29, 2015 at FoxNews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/10/29/love-life-feeling-thankful-in-new-and-unexpected-ways.html
In the article, he mentioned the lyrics to a familiar Van Morrison song, citing that it was originally written about the singer/songwriter's love of God.  

It all makes sense now....

For those who are unfamiliar with the lyrics, I've copied and pasted them below:
    
 "Have I Told You Lately" is a hit song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and recorded for his 1989 album Avalon Sunset. It is a romantic ballad often played at weddings although it was originally written also as a prayer.

Have I Told You Lately"

Have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you there's no one above you
Fill my heart with gladness
Take away my sadness
Ease my troubles, that's what you do

Oh the morning sun in all its glory
Greets the day with hope and comfort too
And you fill my life with laughter
You can make it better
Ease my troubles that's what you do

There's a love that's divine
And it's yours and it's mine
Like the sun at the end of the day
We should give thanks and pray to the One

Have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you there's no one above you
Fill my heart with gladness
Take away my sadness
Ease my troubles, that's what you do

There's a love that's divine
And it's yours and it's mine
And it shines like the sun
At the end of the day we will give thanks
And pray to the One

Have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you there's no one above you
Fill my heart with gladness
Take away my sadness
Ease my troubles, that's what you do

Take away my sadness
Fill my life with gladness
Ease my troubles that's what you do
Fill my life with gladness
Take away my sadness
Ease my troubles that's what you do.

Wednesday's Wisdom....

     "It's ironic that we forget so often how wonderful life really is.  We have more time than ever before to remember it.  The men and women of generations past had to work long, long hours to support lots and lots of children in tiny, tiny houses.  The women worked in factories and sweatshops and then at home too, with two bosses, the one who paid them, and the one they were married to, who didn't.
     There are new generations of immigrants now, who work just as hard, but those of us who are second and third and fourth generation are surrounded by nice cars, family rooms, patios, pools-the things our grandparents thought only rich people had.  Yet somehow, instead of rejoicing, we've found the glass half empty.  Our jobs take too much out of us and don't pay enough.  We're expected to pick the kids up at preschool and run the microwave at home.
     C'mon, let's be honest.  We have an embarrassment of riches.  Life is good."

excerpted from A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen

I reread this book the other night and the passage above jumped out at me.

So true.  So very true.

There seem to be numerous articles lately, such as the one in the New York Times today, titled "Stressed, Tired, Rushed: A Portrait of the Modern Family"- stating it's just so difficult to "balance it all" - that there isn't enough "quality time"; stories of parents and students claiming that homework causes too much frustration and should be banned; young mothers posting photos of themselves on Facebook, with their afternoon glasses of wine - saying it's the only way they can cope with their small children.

Whoa.

I feel extremely grateful to be living in the United States, in the twenty first century.

Grateful for simple things - like indoor plumbing, when I'm up during the night. Seriously. 

When I think of what women had to cope with, back in the days of "Little House on the Prairie" or the women today, who live in countries like Afghanistan.

Anna Quindlen is right.  Life IS good. 

Knowing and acknowledging that, for me, is good too.

Tip for a Tuesday....

A Monday Memory....

Long ago, before there was an Internet or Fed EX or Amazon, shopping was done via the telephone and a catalog.  Growing up, my parents would give us the Sears "Wish Book" catalog to peruse to make up our list for Santa.

As a young mother, I relied on the Spiegel catalog for gift ideas and purchases.  

(As luck would have it, back in the mid 1980's, I was able to order three Cabbage Patch dolls from Spiegel, just as the craze was taking hold and emptying all stores of the coveted dolls.  They arrived in plenty of time for Easter that year.)

I had a wonderful assistant in helping me maintain the secrecy of all the gift items I would order:

Ted -  the UPS guy.

Ted took great care in keeping an eye out for any of my daughters when he would back his UPS van up the driveway, so they wouldn't see what he was delivering.   If he was concerned they were within earshot, he would spell out the names of companies marked on the return labels of packages, so as to alert me to what needed to be quickly put aside.  One time, among several boxes he had on the truck for me, was a large package with photos of the enclosed toy all over the outside of the box.  Since no one was home to receive the drop off, Ted made sure to hide the packages behind some bushes near the garage door.  He left me a note, explaining what he had done.  I really appreciated his efforts in trying to prolong the mystery of "Santa."

These days, there are no tiny eyes eagerly searching to see what's coming up the driveway.  When we do get a delivery, it seems there are several different drivers who arrive, either from UPS or Fed EX.  But I will always remember Ted with gratitude for his ready smile and help.

Friday Fotos....

 Hmm...notice any resemblance between 

Grandmom and her girls? 

 

Wishing everyone a very safe and Happy Halloween!