Simple Smile

Barbecued salmon, rice pilaf, stir-fry veggies, fresh peach pie…it was so delicious and so delightful.  

It’s amazing how a wonderful dinner can make me smile!

J

Remember When…

Remember when your mom would send you to your room to “work on your attitude,” or “think about what you’ve done?” 

Today, Jen reminded me of one time when she was sent to her room for a time out and instead of working on her attitude or thinking about what she’d done, she made a scrapbook.  Yeah, that was a great idea!

What made me laugh till I cried was the very distinct memory of being told the same thing by my mother and instead I read a book.  While we were in our rooms, we totally forgot why we were in there.  We came out with great enthusiasm and told our mothers about our books or scrapbook making….and got sent back.

J

Big Package in the Mail

Today is my birthday.  It’s not a big deal to me; it’s really just another day.  The day of your birth can lead to expectations though.

I had to be out this morning and when I returned, there was a big box waiting for me in the office on the desk.  That is exciting – especially when it is addressed to me…on my birthday.

I asked my son if he knew what was in that box.  He said no, but with a funny smile on his face.  Hmm…I asked him if anyone in the house knew what was in that box.  Again he had no answer for me.  This had to be a surprise for me!  Oh yay!!! 

So, after questioning him a few more times about the contents, I grabbed the scissors and opened the box.

Inside were a couple of things I had ordered last week from Amazon – for myself.  Yeah, a surprise present for myself.  I actually felt giddy when I saw that box.  Now that I’m older, maybe my memory is going.  I ordered something for myself and then promptly forgot about it.  Actually, that’s not a bad thing to do when your birthday is coming up.  Surprise! 

It did make me smile – which can be a good thing if you are marking any birthday past 40.

J

Too Many Reasons to Smile

I haven’t written for awhile and it’s not because I haven’t been smiling or that there isn’t anything to smile about.

Although it seems the world is coming apart at the seams sometimes, I continue to find little things in my everyday life that make me smile.  Appreciation for the little things is, I believe, the key!

I have been enjoying having Jeremy and Jennifer home for a bit.  Jeremy didn’t have too long here, but we had some pretty smile-packed days with him before he returned to PA.  We played NERTS – the best card game of all time.  Jer beat me this time – wow…!  We had to try to play with him singing various 50’s and 60’s favorites in the funniest voice ever.  We laughed and cried!

Jen is still here for a bit which is nice.  We really enjoy having a few extra family members around to share time with! 

So, I hope you are still smiling with me.  Truly, there are so many reasons to smile!

J

Friends and Good Manners

Friends and good manners will carry you where money won't go.
Margaret Walker 

J

Bittersweet Smile

This morning I put my youngest son on the plane, bound for leadership camp in Washington.  It was a pretty easy morning, the lines weren’t too long and we didn’t have to go through the body scanner or get patted down.  That made me smile!

My son is 16 and has really grown up this year.  He’s taller than I am and has really matured a lot since last camp.  Along with him went two grandsons, one 17 and the other only 13.  This is his first time at camp and first time away from home (for more than one night). 

His mom was a bit choked up – I could totally relate.  It does get easier to put your children on a plane to faraway places, but that first time is a bit of a tear-jerker. 

When your child is born, it seems they will grow and stay so close to you, but they grow up and grow independent.  Which is a good thing – it’s just hard when that process begins.  

The guys will have a great time – that is a fact!  We will miss them and be so happy to have them back home again.  It’s a learning/growing experience (for all of us)– sometimes bittersweet, but one I wouldn’t miss for the world!

J

A Perfect Place

A perfect place is anywhere you are with the people you care about.  When I was a kid the perfect place was in my room on a Friday night with my younger brother listening to albums.  When I was in college, a perfect place was the VIP'S restaurant just down from the campus, they served the most amazing coffee and cinnamon rolls.  We were there to do homework of course, but we did a lot of laughing together too.

When my children were young, a perfect place was “Pirate Park.”  My kids named it that because of the cool play structure there and the bounty of agate rocks to be found.  On Tuesday nights when the kids were a bit older, I took them out for burgers and milkshakes, that hamburger joint was a perfect place.

I love to be with my husband and our kids, our family.  Wherever we are when we are together is a perfect place to me.  It makes me smile to hear their laughter and see their smiles. Even the memory of those times makes me smile!

Where do your memories come from?  If you take the time to consider, your most precious memories will come from the people you were with while in a perfect place.  It could be your backyard, a big city, a national park, an airport, graveyard, hospital or restaurant. 

Today, I spent some time thinking about a perfect place.  It was impossible to come up with only one.  Thinking about all those perfect places with all those wonderful people made me smile!

J

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Talent

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'.

Erma Bombeck 

J

Twin Spin Fun Fire

When I was a kid we had a great fireplace in our family room.  It was called the "Twin Spin Fun Fire."  


It was actually a wood burning stove, but you could see the fire from all directions.  The fire kind of spun around and it looked great and warmed the room too!  It had an oven in the back.  


On Friday nights my dad would bake Pillsbury biscuits in that oven - we would have them with butter and jam.  Somehow they always tasted better coming out of that oven.  Often we baked Pillsbury cinnamon rolls on weekend mornings in that oven.  They were pretty great too.


For some reason, the company stopped manufacturing these stoves.  They were a bit hard to clean, but they were pretty awesome.  


I searched for this fireplace and was able to find a photo to share.  What great memories!

J