lunch time cheeks

All in a day's work . . . .

I had to get my fix today.

I just had to!

I took the boys and headed over to the good ol' thrift store.

I just like to browse and let the boys point out all the ridiculous things they think are fascinating.
Like the giant ceramic chicken that has been there as long as we have lived here.

I found some treasures and headed home.

I found this pretty little plate tucked away under all the dishes.


She reminded me of my chair from this post.
I love that kind of scene and contrasting colors.
Love it.
So, I had to buy her.
I looked on the back to see if she had any kind of markings. She was made in England and her name was "Sunday Morning".
Lovely.
She had to be worth more than the $0.75 they said she was.
When I got home I looked her up on the internet.

Guess how much this pretty, little plate is worth!!??

50 . . . I said - 50 big buckeroos!!

I felt like I was on Antiques Roadshow.


I am awesome!!!


I also found this little tin bowl.


So pretty.
I paid $0.50 for her.
Guess how much this lovely little dish is worth!??
Well . . . . probably $0.50.


However, just looking at her makes me feel happy because her beautiful little tin self reminds me of the tin toys they used to make.


Remember those?

The ones I would find at my Great Uncle's home and maybe my grandparents. The memory isn't quite solid, but I do know that it reminds me of being young and being fascinated by the look and feel of a certain toy.

So, I guess I found two valuable things after all.

Miss Sunshine

She's here.

She's here!
SHE'S HERE!!!

I saw her peeking up over the houses this afternoon -


bright, cheerful, and so welcoming!

Yes, you are welcome in our little neighborhood!
Please stay.

We had such a nice time


strolling the snowless sidewalks


and rock hunting in the muddy earth


(forgive us dear neighbors for your missing rocks in your beautiful landscaped yards).

So glad she came to visit.

Things We Love Lately

I love that Christopher likes vacuuming out the couch.
Andy loves to whack the vacuum with his hammer.


Don't know why either of them do what they do . . . we just think its funny.

We loved making a pie for Daddy for Valentine's.

We loved our tacky, silly, yet oh so fun Valentine's dinner.

I love that this guy is walking around.



Not loving the mess he is leaving behind him.

I love Bill Cosby and I haven't shared any words of wisdom from Bill in a loooong time.
Here's one for today:

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."

I love his comedy and I also love his mission in life and the messages he is sharing about dads being there for their kids, even if some people are not pleased with it.

I still love this show


and I love that possibly, maybe, perhaps, in all likelihood, (PLEASE!) we may be getting some answers as to who killed Laura Palmer.

Maybe.

Love is in the air . . . .

Valentine's Day is almost here!

I love Valentine's Day and it's not for the romance, the flowers, the candy, the ridiculous "let's see how much stuff I can buy to show my love" kinda stuff.

It's the memories.

The great memories my parents created for me.

Every Valentine's Day the school office was always filled with lovey dovey, "romantic" gifts for girlfriends and boyfriends, everyone trying to outdo the other. Of course, like any silly girl, I wanted one of those lovey dovey gifts. Well, I got them! EVERY year! It was usually beautiful roses in a vase with a card that said - from your secret admirer. And, EVERY year my friend Jessica and I would try to figure out who it was from. Maybe that guy from science class. The cute boy in the lunchroom.
Nope. (Don't be too jealous Jessica :))
It was from my Dad.
I didn't figure that out until years later.
They were from my wonderful dad who wanted me to feel special.
And, I did.

When I would get home from school I would walk into a house full of yummy smells. My mom would lovingly bake each of us 5 children and my dad our favorite dessert. 6 desserts!! That's love.

Thanks Mom and Dad for teaching me what real love should be about. Probably one of the most important lessons a girl could learn.

Now I have all the boys a girl could want


and I love them all.

Happy Valentine's Day!

What are your Valentine's Day memories??

Invincible!

I feel old.

I know I am not old, but I have been feeling that childhood invincibility fading to oblivion this past week.

I've been witnessing too many sad events of friends and the painful process of cancer treatments for two family members.

Maybe it is because I have had bad luck or because my brain is reeling with the events of lately, but I have been doing dumb things. Dumb.

One morning after feeding the kids breakfast, showering, bundling them up, fighting over whether a certain child could bring his big Spongebob Squarepants to the grocery store, buckling everyone into the car, realizing I forgot my list, finally getting in the car, I realized I had lost my keys. As any mother will attest, the process of going to the grocery store with kids is not an easy feat and to lose my keys, my doorway to the outside world, is a little frustrating. I cleaned the entire house, did laundry, even cleaned the dreaded basement, otherwise known as the kid's free for all. No sign of the keys. I decided to turn the event into a little learning process and had Christopher say a prayer with me that we would find our keys. Well, the day progressed and I had given up on the keys and on myself frankly (how did I lose these!!) When Davin returned home he was determined to find the keys and . . . . . he did. In the baby's toy box - in his closet - in his room. Bah! So frustrating. However, my little angel boy came over to us and said "We should say a prayer because we are happy that we found the keys." Oh, I could have squished that little face forever. We did say that prayer and it was a lesson learned.
For me.

That night, I also (don't ask me how) vacuumed up the afghan my grandmother had crocheted for me many years ago, burning two huge holes through the middle. Grrr. It was upsetting. But, I have made the best of it and am starting on a new one crocheted by moi!


I love doing it.

I've tried to make the best of a lot of things this past week because that "childhood invincibility" was gone for the moment and I felt like savoring every detail was important.


I tickled children a little more.


I let Christopher do lots of painting with me


even if it was more mess for me to clean up.


I didn't get angry when Andy starting eating his treat before I could get a bib and making a sticky mess all over his jammies.

I just savored that little look of - What's the big deal! It's just a little mess, Mom.

How blessed I really am! And, maybe knowing I am not invincible isn't such a bad thing.