Miranda Hart via her email 12/29/20: 

"Have a Gentle New Year."

Wednesday's Wisdom...

Welcoming in a "Happy New Year" doesn't mean an end to all that has happened in 2020. So I'm going to hold on to the following:

Tip for a Tuesday...

 
and

Headlines state that China will be overtaking the US economy by 2028, 

5 years earlier than expected due to Covid.

What's that old saying - 

"Charity begins at home."

I'm going to make a concerted effort to buy "Made in America" products, as well as British products. (Ours is a dual citizenship family.)

I will be checking out the where products come from before purchasing. Yes, they may be more expensive, but I feel it will be worth it to support our workers. Also, my daughters frequently buy products using Etsy. Another plus? These sites are usually run solely by women.

Care to join me?

A Monday Memory....

This is a very old photo of my Dad's Shop Class, probably around 1929, taken at the high school he attended in Brooklyn, NY. My Dad is the young man resting his arm on the cedar chest he had just completed. He gave the chest to my Mother when they married, nearly 20 years later. Storing many precious items, including our Christening outfit, tiny sweater sets and baby blankets, it held pride of place in my parent's bedroom until my Mother passed away. I can still remember the scent of cedar every time the lid was lifted and the feeling of being on a treasure hunt to see what lay beneath the carefully folded layers of tissue paper. Utilizing the skills he learned in Shop, my Dad would later build tables, cabinets, desks, a marionette puppet stage and a huge tree house for his kids to play in.

If I were put in charge of Education, Shop Class would be a required course for all students. Imagine the sense of pride one would feel making something with their own hands and knowing how to do repairs. Oh, and I would also reinstate Home Economics Class for all. Though I may have groaned at times in that class, I still incorporate many of the techniques Mrs.P taught us for cooking and sewing. 

Merry Christmas to all!

 

Thursday's Thought for the Day...

 source: Pinterest

Wednesday's Wisdom...

Tip for a Tuesday....

Daughter #1 told me about a great suggestion she saw and I said I would share it.

Are some of the gifts you ordered still in transit or sitting in a post office for days on end and you're afraid they won't arrive in time?

Take a photo of the gift from the website you ordered it from, print it out, place it in a box and wrap it up. At least the receiver will know what you had hoped to give them. 

If, like most people this year, you won't actually be seeing the receiver in person, then email a photo of the gift. Maybe add Christmas colors and borders to the email to make it a bit more festive. 

What is it they say, "It's the thought that counts." So let your recipient know you were thinking of them even if their gift is still out there, languishing somewhere in the long line of transit.

*Oh, if you didn't buy some gifts yet, 

you can always send an e-gift card!

Arrives in minutes!!

A Monday Memory....

My visit with Santa, probably 1959 

Thirty years later...

My girls with Santa, 1989

Thursday's Thought for the Day...

source: Pinterest

Wednesday's Wisdom....

source: Pinterest

Tip for a Tuesday...

Based on experience,
I highly recommend keeping and shovel and broom
by your door.
Trust me, you'll be glad you did.

It will save you from having to climb through the deep snow to reach them in your garage or shed.

A Monday Memory...

This is a photo of my Dad, many years ago, building a tiny snowman on the round picnic table he had built when we were young. 

(Apologies for the lack of definition of this photo - it is actually a photo of an old photo.) 

Wearing his favorite buffalo plaid hat and jacket he had just finished putting out more food for the birds - a task he he saw to each morning, no matter the weather. 

His outfit, in addition to his height of 6'3", certainly made it easy for me to spot him in the parking lot whenever he was assigned to pick me up from a high school dance. 

I feel blessed to still have that hat. It is sitting on the shelf in my closet at the moment and makes me smile every time I see it.

Friday Fotos...

First attempt at making a reversible table runner...    

Thanks to help from my Englishman with the cutting, it turned out pretty well.

Based on that success, I then made two placemats!

Thursday's Thought for the Day...

source: Pinterest

 Especially mothers of young children,

 who desperately need a break!

Wednesday's Wisdom...

Boy was I wrong!

Tip for a Tuesday...

 MAIL EARLY!!!!!!

In fact, MAIL NOW

if you can.

They are not kidding when they say it may take longer this year.

They are not getting things there on time.

This I know from a current experience.

Friday Fotos...

 The Englishman surprised me with a new tree topper this year.

It is in honor of our beloved basset hounds, Dudley and Bentley, who are no longer with us. We still miss them terribly.

It is replacing the Angel (aka "The Fairy", as he refers to it) which has topped our tree for decades.

It's just perfect.

Thursday's Thought for the Day...

Each one of us 

contributes something unique 

and special to the lives of others!

Wednesday's Wisdom...

Tip for a Tuesday...

A Monday Memory...

 These beautiful Santa and Mrs. Santa salt and pepper shakers belonged to my parents. I remember seeing them on the table from a very young age. They were painted by a neighbor of theirs, Mrs. Stevens, who lived down the street from them in the first house they bought. They must be nearly 70 years old and are a special treasure to me!

Happy Thanksgiving...

THANKFUL

Somedays, we forget to look around us
Somedays, we can't see the joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give
So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us, to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for
Look beyond ourselves
There's so much sorrow
It's way to late to say, I'll cry tomorrow
Each of us must find our truth
It's so long overdue
So for tonight we pray for

What we know can be
And everyday, we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us, to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for
Even with our differences
There is a place we're all connected
Each of us can find each others light
So for tonight, we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day, we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us, to be the change
And even though this world needs so much more
There's so much to be thankful for

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: David W Foster / Richard James Page / Carole Bayer Sager

Thankful lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave

Wednesday's Wisdom...

 

Tip for a Tuesday...

 RECYCLE IT!!!!

Trust me, I speak from years of experience with this.

The chances of you using that box are slim to none.

So recycle those boxes and clear some space!

Your mental health will thank you.

Thursday's Thought for the Day...

 source: Pinterest

Wednesday's Wisdom...

 "Everything that matters,
 takes time."

A quote from "Alfie Stephenson"
 played by Tom Wilkinson in the film
"The Beautiful Fantastic"

He was referring to the growth of the garden, but it can be said of so many things in life. Healing, personal growth, relationships, learning a new skill and more,
 also take time.

Tip for a Tuesday...

I highly recommend this film! Here is the trailer link. You can watch the film on Amazon Prime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNbmIAazlPQ

Thursday's Thought for the Day...

 

Wednesday's Wisdom...

 Regardless of the election results....

Tip for a Tuesday...

https://www.thespruce.com/use-baking-soda-in-laundry-2145765

I recently read a suggestion that you add baking soda to your laundry to boost your detergent. I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised to see that my white sheets and towels seemed brighter and smelled nicer. I will be adding it regularly now to all my laundry cycles. The link above gives more information. 

I've been using baking soda for years instead of Comet or Ajax while cleaning. I figure since it's something we can safely ingest it would be safer than the chemical products offered in stores. I generally buy the generic brand for cleaning and laundry, and Arm and Hammer for cooking.

Thursday's Thought for the Day...

source: Pinterest

 

Wednesday's Wisdom...

source: Pinterest

Tip for a Tuesday...

 Um, am I the last person to find out that there is a filter in the bottom of the dishwasher that needs to be periodically cleaned?

In fairness, I am one of those people who rinses her dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. My Dad drilled it into us when he finally installed a dishwasher in the mid '70's that any food particles left on the plates would clog the pipes. And the last thing we wanted to do was clog the pipes, right Dad? So I have always rinsed before placing.

But a recent odor coming from the dishwasher caught my attention and with a bit of online research, I discovered that there was a filter that needed to be cleaned. After sharing this information with my Englishman, he quickly located said filter and cleaned it off. Thankfully, it wasn't that dirty. (See, pre-rinsing does help!) We then ran the hottest cycle with two small containers of vinegar located on the top rack. And snap! Odor gone!

So you might want to check your dishwasher manual and see if you too have a filter that needs checking. Could ward off unpleasant odors and trouble down the line.

Wednesday's Wisdom...

source: Pinterest

 

Tip for a Tuesday...

I highly recommend this brilliant film! 

(You can view it on Netflix.)

Enola Holmes

 "While searching for her missing mother, intrepid teen Enola Holmes uses her sleuthing skills to outsmart big brother Sherlock and help a runaway lord."

Based on the first book in the series of the same name by Nancy Springer.

You can check out the trailer on YouTube.

Thursday's Thought for the Day....

Source: Charlie Mackesy

Wednesday's Wisdom...

 True.

Tip for a Tuesday....

 Actually, my mother used to put it this way:

"You can do what you want, 

but I think you're very foolish."

Yeah, that would usually put the fear of God into me and I would think, 

"Oh no, I"m doomed."

A Monday Memory....

I came across this saying on Pinterest recently and it brought back many memories. I was taught by the Religious Teachers Filippini in OLM grammar school. Their Order was devoted to teaching and originated in Italy. They were brought to this country to teach Italian immigrants in South Trenton, NJ and expanded from there. Their Motherhouse is located in Villa Walsh in Morristown, NJ. I remember many trips when my mother drove some of the Sisters there on a Friday after school. (She was terrified to drive on the parkway, but pushed beyond her fear because she felt she owed it to the Sisters.)

This was the habit they wore in those days. And yes, they could be a bit frightening at times and yes, many people still look back and complain loudly about them. But once I learned more of their story from my mother, many years later, I could certainly sympathize with their situations.

Their lives were truly ones of service. They often taught classes of up to 50 students. Just imagine trying to teach 50 kids in a classroom! There were no "resource rooms" and the range of ability among the students stretched across the spectrum.

They received a stipend of ten dollars a month. In those days, parents did not have to pay tuition.They relied on the generosity of the students' mothers who took turns providing them with lunch during the week. The textbooks we had were old and dated and they did their best to work with very limited supplies. Again, they had to rely so much on the generosity and assistance from the parents.

I am grateful to have been taught by them and admire greatly their sacrifices. The conditions under which I taught in a Catholic School years later were far better. Could they be harsh and short tempered at times? Sure. But then, aren't we all? But given their circumstances, I think they served God, their Community and their students extremely well.

Thursday's Thought for the Day...