Flowers Make Me Smile

This time last week, we were considering building an ark.  

This week, it’s hot, sunny and beautiful!

My flower beds are all in bloom and they just looked so wonderful today – they are finally enjoying some sunshine – they were smiling!

J

An Inhabited Garden

The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers, and cities; 
but to know someone here and there who thinks and feels with us, 
and though distant, is close to us in spirit, 
this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden.

-- Goethe

J

Robins

Today we saw the robins.  There were four of them in our backyard.  They were enjoying the birdbath.

They are beautiful birds and they bring the spring….I am sure of it! 

J

Movin’ On Up

“Well, we’re movin’ on up, to the eastside, to a deluxe apartment in the sky….”

No, we’re not movin’ anywhere, these are song lyrics.  These are very catchy song lyrics.  I know every word of that song. 

I have a very good memory.  I can remember song lyrics, speeches, comments, dates, numbers, and names.  I’m really good with names.  I don’t know how – I don’t have any special tricks.  I don’t know why – it just happens.

Today, my memory kicked in to a song – just as that song was beginning.  I began to sing along and then someone muted the television, and I was singing a solo that the other people in the room didn’t know I was singing, until that moment.  When they turned and looked at me stunned with surprise. 

Yes, that made me smile….actually I laughed until I cried.

J

Pacific Grove Lighthouse

In February we took a trip down the coast for our anniversary.  Our laptop had mother-board problems, so we couldn’t download any of our pictures for a long time.

Finally, I can share some of the wonderful sights and smiles we found in Pacific Grove, CA.

 We went to the Pacific Grove lighthouse one afternoon.  It was a beautiful day and the lighthouse was pretty full of tourists. 

 I was very happy to find the beautiful quilts and old-fashioned furnishings in the living quarters.  

 We decided it would be a cool place to live and work if we ever got the chance. 

J

Friends

I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. 
Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun.


-- Charles R. Swindoll

J

Quilt for the Family Shelter

Our quilting group did a few charity quilts last term.  We were able to deliver a few of them to F.E.S.C.O. this week.  They are a great family shelter here in the East Bay.  They were pretty happy with the quilts....so they hung one up in one of the shelters.  

Not only is this my smile for the day, but I'm sure it will be a smile on many little faces as they are welcomed into their new - albeit temporary - home!


J

The Best Job Ever

The best job I ever had ended today.  It lasted for 17 1/2 years and it was quite a job! 

Today, Jonah finished high school and with that, my job as a home schooling mom is over.  We started this home schooling project in the fall of 1993 – and boy, did we have some fun!  We worked on school and we had recess and we did projects and went on field trips.  But the best thing about this job was the time we spent together. 

It was so special to be there when Josh gave his monologue at the home school co-op parent/guest night.  I remember when Jen learned how to borrow – in subtraction.  When she got it – I saw it – her whole face lit up.  I loved being there to watch Jer begin to understand the sounds of letters and the thrill of reading and understanding.  When Jonah was assigned biographies for history, he asked me if he could write a little bit about each person so he could remember their good points and their bad decisions – my face lit up with that question!

So, it’s been quite a ride – a very special ride that I have loved from the very beginning.  In a way, I’m sorry to see it go – I do miss my little guys and gal, but it’s time for a new chapter.  They are on their way, college, jobs, life, moves across the country.  It’s nice to know that they have had a good foundation for the love of learning and the love of family.  Those, they will have with them forever.

Clean Sewing Room

Today I cleaned my sewing room.  When I get started sewing on a bunch of different projects, fabric goes everywhere.  There are rulers, scraps, strips, pieces, buttons, Velcro, pins, scissors and patterns everywhere! 

Pretty soon, there is no room to work; I have to shove things out of the way to get enough room to cut anything out on the cutting mat.  It is crazy. 

I was making some little things and they required little pieces of this and that and when I found them, I would cut a piece and throw the rest onto the pile. 

Well, at 4:30 pm this afternoon, I had enough of that pile.  I sorted through all the fat quarters and put them together.  I stacked all the strips and put them together.  I put my scraps in their appropriate color-coded boxes and put the patterns away.  My rulers are all in their holder and the cutting table is clear and clean.

I love it when my sewing center is clean and neat.  It makes me want to get in there and make something….ah yes, the cycle begins again!  You gotta love creativity!

J

Forever

Forever is composed of nows. 
-- Emily Dickinson

J

Woodpecker

This morning while we were out for our walk, we came across a woodpecker pecking.  It took us a few minutes to find him.  He was pecking on a telephone pole and then listening for bugs.  Made us think of, "Can you hear me now?" 


Here's a link for you to hear what we heard this morning - scroll to the bottom and push play on the "drum" bar.


http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hairy_Woodpecker/sounds

J

Dinner with Friends

Last night we had some friends over for dinner and conversation.  We filled the coffee table with all sorts of appetizers, hot and cold.  Cheese, crackers, smoked salmon, stuffed mushrooms, roasted garlic, veggies, mini tacos – it was quite a spread!

We sat and ate and talked and listened and laughed. The conversation was easy and steady.  We enjoyed coffee and cookies for dessert.  Towards the end of the evening, the conversation quite naturally and seamlessly moved into twos and threes. 

It was one of those evenings that makes me take a deep breath and smile. 

J

Million Bucks

~ If you're not using your smile, you're like a man with a million dollars in the bank and no checkbook. ~

Les Giblin

Wish

~ If I were to wish for anything, 

I should not wish for wealth and power,

but for the passionate sense of the potential,

for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible.

Pleasure disappoints - possibility never. ~

Soren Kierkegaard 1813

J

Mosquito

"If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in the dark with a mosquito."
- Unknown

Bounce

I’m once again considering the crisis in Japan and the resilient people who live there.  When you are in close quarters, you have to learn to get along, help each other and make things work for the good of all.

They’ve lived through terrible earthquakes, wars and rebuilding - time and time again.  Look forward and keep going seem to be national mottos. 

"The harder you fall, the higher you bounce."
- Unknown

J

Japan

It’s been a difficult thing to watch – all the destruction and loss of life.  It’s been hard to watch people so stricken and so stunned and so without moorings.

One thing that has made me smile through all of this, though, is the help and concern they seem to have for one another.  I saw a picture of a woman being pulled out of her car which had been swept away by the water.  When she came out, one of the people meeting her tousled her hair lovingly and gave her a big hug. 

Another thing is that they are working together, limiting their use of power, sharing their food, doing what they can for each other.  It’s a good lesson for each of us – whether we’re in a crisis or not.

I liked what this quote said about the importance of reaching out to others during time of need:

“The impersonal hand of government can never replace the helping hand of a neighbor.”  ~Hubert H. Humphrey

J

Lost & Found

A few years back, after my mom died, my dad gave me a necklace he had bought for her.  I loved that necklace.  It had a silver chain and an etched glass stone.  I wore it often, I took it with me when I traveled and enjoyed it so much.

Then I lost it.  I couldn’t find it anywhere.  I searched every back pack, every purse, every suitcase, and every garment bag…everywhere.  That was over a year ago. 

This morning, I was meditating about that necklace.  I thought about the parable of the pearl of great price.  I thought about searching for it again, but I concluded I would not find it.  I decided to let it go, it was just a necklace, I had enjoyed it, and I would never forget it.  I even considered who was wearing it now and that thought made me smile, because if I enjoyed wearing it so much, surely whoever was wearing it now would be happy with it too.

I was upgrading our preparedness supplies today.  Big earthquakes do that for me.  Big earthquakes also help me put things into perspective.  So, while searching in a drawer for some tiny little ziplock bags, I found one with a necklace in it…..yes, it was that necklace. 

It is still just a necklace and I was really okay with letting it go, when out of the blue, it was found, and I am still smiling.

J

Wonder

The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises.

Leo F. Buscaglia


J

Dream

Dream it big. Keep it simple

J

Good Mail

I still feel like a kid sometimes – especially when it comes to getting mail.  Even though I know I will likely throw most of my mail into the recycling container, I still get excited thinking about the mail being delivered.

I like to send mail too – I enjoy sending it and thinking about that person receiving it and opening it and reading it and smiling.

There really is something to taking the time to sit down and write something for someone else.  Email and Facebook and Twitter have kind of taken over our ability to think deeply about what to say and to say it with feeling.  It’s easy to stay in contact with others via email or FB, but it is pretty exciting to get a hand-written letter in the mail from someone you love.

Today I received a letter in the mail.  It was totally unexpected and took me by surprise.  It was from a very dear friend and they said some really nice things inside.  It actually made my day!  It made me cry and smile – and I continue to smile whenever I think about all the thought and effort that went into that letter!

J

Thursday Smiles

Today I’m smiling so I must be quilting or thinking about quilting or hanging out with quilters…

We have quilting class every Thursday afternoon and another class in the evening.  This afternoon’s class was delightful.  I watched one lady do some hand quilting, she gave me some confidence to begin a hand-quilted project.  I talked to another lady about a project that she had begun years ago and has finally settled on finishing.  Another woman was basting her quilt for quilting – it was a quilt that she had put away for many years, but she decided to finish the blocks and get it completed. 

Another lady was working on some appliqué, she hasn’t done too much of that, but she’s enjoying it and learning a lot as she goes along. 

Old things pulled out of a closet and finished, new things taken up for fun.  I find such inspiration with these examples.  Finish things you start and never quit learning.  Both will keep you smiling!

J

Thanksgiving Orchid

For Thanksgiving 2009, we had our "across-the-street" neighbors over for dinner.  We had a great day with lots of great food and fun.  

They brought a beautiful orchid for us....it was in full bloom.  It's been over a year and it is finally blooming again. 




I've been waiting and waiting...and now it's my smile for the day!

J

It’s time for another great recipe that makes me smile!

Today it’s a recipe for roast chicken – I got this recipe off of the Food Network website – so I’m copying it here for all of you.  This recipe smells incredible while it’s in the oven and it turns out beautifully every time.  I’m positive it will make you and your family smile too!

J

Perfect Roast Chicken

Copyright, 1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All rights reserved

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

20 min

Cook Time:

1 hr 30 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

8 servings

Ingredients

·                              1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken

·                              Kosher salt

·                              Freshly ground black pepper

·                              1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs

·                              1 lemon, halved

·                              1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise

·                              2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted

·                              1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced

·                              4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks

·                              1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges

·                              Olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

Printed from FoodNetwork.com on Tue Mar 08 2011

© 2011 Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Spring Cleaning

I started spring cleaning yesterday.  I cleaned out all the office papers and organized everything.  It didn't take me very long and I was finished and into the sewing center before I knew it.

I threw out old papers, envelopes, candy, and today, dust bunnies – lots of dust bunnies.  I really don’t know how they do it but they reproduce just like….well you know.

So the house is beginning to feel like spring.  It was very windy today, a cold, steady wind.  I had the windows open and it just made all the cleaning and tidying so refreshing! 

I love the spring – but then I love every season.  But I really do love the spring.  There’s hope involved.  The sun comes out and things thaw.  Tensions ease.  Peace is restored. 

Spring makes me smile.

J

Faith

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

J

The Power of a Smile

Everyone Needs a Smile

Smiling is infectious,

you catch it like the flu,

When someone smiled at me today,

I started smiling too.

I passed around the corner

and someone saw my grin

When he smiled I realized

I'd passed it on to him.

I thought about that smile

then I realized its worth,

A single smile, just like mine

could travel round the earth.

So, if you feel a smile begin,

don't leave it undetected

Let's start an epidemic quick,

and get the world infected!

Everyone needs a smile!

J

(Author Unknown) - but probably smiling!

Wake Up Call

Our power went out this morning.  It was a complete and total loss of power.  That’s what the power company said.  One minute we were sitting talking and the next everything beeped and it was quiet. 

We were all hopeful it wouldn’t last long, there were showers to take and hair to dry and oatmeal to cook.  Our next door neighbor came over to see if it was all the houses on the block or whether it was just hers.

I was the first to report the outage.  It’s a pretty nifty automated phone service they have to report problems.  They told me a couple of times to call 911 if what we had was an emergency.  We worked through my phone number, my address, the fact that my power was out as well as the fact that I didn’t know the cause of the outage.  It was all pretty matter-of-fact.  At the end they asked me to push 1 if I wanted a call when power was restored or if the situation changed.  That sounded like a good idea.  Then they asked which phone number they should use for that call.  Check. 

Then they made me smile….actually laugh out loud.  They told me that because they didn’t want to disturb me with that call, they would refrain from calling between 9:00 pm and 8:00 am.  They also said that if I was afraid of over-sleeping due to my power outage I could press #1 to schedule a wake-up call.  Pretty impressive, now I have gone from my house without power to an upscale hotel offering to schedule a wake-up call. 

The power came back on within the hour.  All went well with my day and the power company will not be calling to wake me up in the morning, although it’s nice to know they would if I needed them to!

J

Top 10 Reasons to Smile

 

By Mark Stibich, Ph.D., About.com Guide

Updated February 04, 2010

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

Smiling is a great way to make yourself stand out while helping your body to function better. Smile to improve your health, your stress level, and your attractiveness. Smiling is just one fun way to live longer, read about the others and try as many as you can.

1. Smiling Makes Us Attractive

We are drawn to people who smile. There is an attraction factor. We want to know a smiling person and figure out what is so good. Frowns, scowls and grimaces all push people away -- but a smile draws them in

2. Smiling Changes Our Mood

Next time you are feeling down, try putting on a smile. There's a good chance you mood will change for the better. Smiling can trick the body into helping you change your mood.

3. Smiling Is Contagious

When someone is smiling they lighten up the room, change the moods of others, and make things happier. A smiling person brings happiness with them. Smile lots and you will draw people to you.

4. Smiling Relieves Stress

Stress can really show up in our faces. Smiling helps to prevent us from looking tired, worn down, and overwhelmed. When you are stressed, take time to put on a smile. The stress should be reduced and you'll be better able to take action.

5. Smiling Boosts Your Immune System

Smiling helps the immune system to work better. When you smile, immune function improves possibly because you are more relaxed. Prevent the flu and colds by smiling.

6. Smiling Lowers Your Blood Pressure

When you smile, there is a measurable reduction in your blood pressure. Give it a try if you have a blood pressure monitor at home. Sit for a few minutes, take a reading. Then smile for a minute and take another reading while still smiling. Do you notice a difference?

7. Smiling Releases Endorphins, Natural Pain Killers and Serotonin

Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin. Together these three make us feel good. Smiling is a natural drug.

8. Smiling Lifts the Face and Makes You Look Younger

The muscles we use to smile lift the face, making a person appear younger. Don't go for a face lift, just try smiling your way through the day -- you'll look younger and feel better.

9. Smiling Makes You Seem Successful

Smiling people appear more confident, are more likely to be promoted, and more likely to be approached. Put on a smile at meetings and appointments and people will react to you differently.

10. Smiling Helps You Stay Positive

Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing the smile. It's hard. When we smile our body is sending the rest of us a message that "Life is Good!" Stay away from depression, stress and worry by smiling.

J

Share Your Smile Day

Today is “Share Your Smile Day” which means it has become a day for greeting card companies – both online and in stores to get people talking or sharing with one another.

Of course, when you are writing a blog about smiles – one every day – you kinda hope that people will want 365 ‘share your smile days’, not just one!

There are lots of reasons to smile today – it is sunny, the flowers smell incredible, there was a Pottery Barn catalog in the mail today, I got my haircut and I didn’t get butchered.  The thrift store wasn’t too crowded and I found a really nice skirt and a quilting book.  Score!  We are having fried chicken for dinner tonight and it’s March.  That means spring is on its way….hurray!

So share your smile today….you don’t have much time left.  Even better….share one every day.  The sweet thing about a smile is that it is contagious, so get out there and share your smile!

J