Just Dance

   One "out of her mind" Mom-mom
   One Wii System
+ One living room floor
   Three girls just dancin'

What's a Mom-Mom to do?

So, I'm sitting at the computer, minding my own business, checking my email and drinking my coffee.  In prances Goldilocks.  (She and Rease spent the night) She proceeds to chat with me while I'm trying to read.  I. Don't. Like. That.  As a result, I give her "the ole stink eye".  She doesn't like that.   She leaves.  I settle back in.  What's this?  In she comes again.  Only this time she is sporting her chair and an electronic device.  This girl just doesn't give up!  Wonder where she gets that from?

Rease has since settled on the love seat behind us with her electronic device. But Rease doesn't read out loud.

Goldilocks proceeds to turn on her Kindle ~ yes, that's right ~ she has a Kindle.  A Kindle Fire as a matter of fact.  Both her and Rease. Santa brought them.  Hm.  She opens up my blog.  She looks at my posts.  She then asks how to get to her mommy's blog.  I show her and she's off and running.  Reading out loud to me as she goes.  Did I say its hard for me to be read to and read myself?  I did?  Well, apparently Goldilocks didn't get that memo, nor does "the ole stink eye" intimidate her.  But, I have to admit ~ it was sweet listening to her little voice read the things her mommy had written about her, Rease and Piper.  She made the statement that it brought tears to her eyes.  It made her want to cry. 

Melt.  My.  Heart.   

I Want one.  Oh wait ~ I have two!  tee-hee

Twas the Day of Christmas. . . .

Twas the day of Christmas

And all thru my house

The critters were stirring,

And somewhere, someplace, even a mouse!

The children had long since sprang from their bed

Forgotten, the sugar plums that danced in their heads.

They had an agenda ~ it was plain to see

They wanted those gifts left under the tree!

Santa had come sometime in the night

He came and he left ~ to continue his flight.

And along with the presents he'd left  'neath the tree

He had filled up the stockings, for the girls, all three.

The reindeer ate the snack left on the roof

As the girls dozed off waiting for the sound of their hooves

And Santa ate up his cookies and drank up his milk

He enjoyed it all ~ without any guilt!

 

The hustle, the bustle that Christmas does bring

Builds utmost excitement and makes their hearts sing

They anxiously wait for this day to arrive

It's like riding the carousel and grabbing the prize.

 

 

And when all the paper and bows had been removed

And we patted our backs for not coming unglued,

And there was nothing left for the kidlings to unwrap

Some people settled in for a long, mid morning nap!

So I must say as the night begins to fall,

May God richly bless you ~ one and all!

For the birth of His Son is the true reason

We, as a family, celebrate this season!

Could This Possibly be ME? ? ? ?

I know I have a tendency to get stressed ~ a bit ~ well, maybe a lot ~ should I

consider  a support group?  I feel the need to bond with Helda.  Not necessarily

Granny ~ sitting to her right ~ just wondering. . . .

Fast, Frenzied Family Time

This year was way too wonky!  Only part of my KY gang was able

to come home for Christmas.  They were literally here for only 29 hours! From

 4:00PM on Saturday until 8:45PM on Sunday.

So, instead of slaving in the kitchen making a traditional Christmas dinner, I opted

for a "Christmas Brunch".  Paul did the scrapple (you can't come home and not

have scrapple) and an egg casserole.  I managed the rest ~ a blueberry french toast bake,

fruit salad, OJ, cocoa, and coffee.

Hopie helped with the cocoa, and Rease, Erica and Helena set the table.



 We ate til we burst.



 We served ourselves.

 We drowned our french toast with Blueberry syrup.

We drowned our scrapple with regular syrup.

We savoured our cocoa.

We discussed the benefits of eating blueberries.

We posed for the camera.

We laughed.

And we missed those that weren't here.

Then, just as quickly as they came, they were gone.  Just like that.  In the blink of an eye.



Happy Birthday, Christian!

Happy Birthday to my "One and Only"!

I love you so very much!

Bear Hugs,

Love,

MOM~MOM

Happy Birthday, Bobby!

Double Nickles ~ they say that is a good thing!

Happy Birthday, Bobby!

I love you.

Crickett

Sometimes. . . . .

when I'm at the end of my rope God gives me twelve more inches.  And just let me say, I am a frequent recipient of more rope.  Is this the "Frequent Flier Plan", the more I "fly", the more points I get?Hmmm . . . .  Perhaps I should avoid this airline?

At any rate, I realize there are things I can never, ever, in a gazillion years, change, so I try to adapt to that particular circumstance only to have it change on me. Pan Am, where are you????   It rattles me to the core. I don't do well at all with the change that changes that to which I've tried to adapt.  So God grants me more rope. Oh, there you are!  Sometimes I don't grab the rope quick enough and come unglued. Missed that flight. What a waste of energy and time, because it really takes a long time for me to glue myself back together. This is a very long line.  And, I'm not good at that either ~ I feel I don't collect all the shattered pieces and get them back into the right place.  And ~ once I am glued back together I have to be careful not to rehash (which I do all the time in my head) the reason I was there in the first place ~ the reason I needed more rope, the reason I needed to glue myself back together.  It. Is. Exhausting.  It makes my head hurt and my heart ache.  I need to get out of this line!

But it's okay.  Boarding at Gate 12". I am just venting ~ there's more room outside my head for this nonsense than in.  And once it's out ~ it's out.  Done.  Finito.  Blue skies, smiling at me, nothing but blue skies, do I see  . . . . . (sing it Ella!)

"The Village of Quantico" 22nd Annual Holiday Candlelight Tour

This is the first year I've taken this tour!  I fell in love with the old homes we got to visit.  And. . . . to make the night even more special, God gave us a  Full Moon.  Oh yea, that's what I'm talkin' about.

Paul, our ex, ever present, son-in-law, lives next door to the Church where the tickets were sold.  Now, you didn't have to buy tickets, you could just walk the quaint little street and peek in,  but ~  the tickets allowed you to go into the homes (so sweetly marked and numbered with a pineapple sign) and view up close and personal the architecture and decorations of that home!  So, you know what we did, or should I say, Paul, did.  Yep.  Tickets.

We started off with a light dinner and some fellowship at Paul and the girl's home.  We then bundled up, grabbed camera and off we started, only to come back and get new batteries for said camera.  Then we're off and running!

The streets and sidewalks to the homes were lined with paper bag luminaries. I love the look! You just followed them for the tour ~ no tour guide needed!  We did, however, get a flier that told the history of the homes we could visit. 

First stop was The "Feeney House".  It wasn't open to walk thru, but you could "peek" in the front windows.  I wanted to go in in the worst way! (There's something about "peeking" that makes me feel ~ weird ~ and even more so whent the homeowner is on the other side "peeking" back!)  So, I just casually observed the "architechture" of the house ~ trying not to peek too much ~  thru the front windows that went from porch ceiling to the floor!  Beautiful!

This is "Chelsea".  Built in 1840.  It originally sat on 300 acres of land. This is the only home on the tour (that you could go on)  that was down a side street.  We took a wagon ride to get to it!  So cool, and soooo coooold!

This was our mode of transportation to get to the "Chelsea".  The girls loved it!

Back in "town" we continued on ~ going in one of the old Church parsonages that is now serving as FMC of Quantico's Chapel and "Parsonage House Antiques".  It was built in 1855 for the serving ministers.  The Church itself is in bad repair and unfit for use.  You can see it to the left of the parsonage in the first picture.   And, notice the gas lamp post ~ they light the entire street ~ real gas lamps!  How cool is that?

This is the "Old Disharoon Store".  It was built in 1855.  One of the original purveyors in Quantico.

It is now a craft store ~ open only two days a year for this tour.  I have been dying to get in here for a very long time!  So have the girls.  It's appearance evokes a great curiosity!

I didn't take pictures of every house we went to ~ I thought my camera was mis-behaving, so I randomly shot pics.  I didn't realize they would even be this good. 

Many of the homes were built in the mid to late 1800's and early 1900's.  Many have been remodeled and updated, incorporating parts of the original homes and structures.  One home was relatively "new".  The original burned in 1985 and a new home was built in it's place, although keeping to the time period of the area.

The homeowners were very gracious ~ opening their homes and businesses so we could get a peek at "yester-year".  There was an abundace of goodies and beverages for all to enjoy.  And friendly smiles and greetings abounding ~ warm homes with warm well-wishers! 

At the end of the tour we headed back to Paul's to warm up with some hot cocoa and little rest for our weary feet.  A good night for all.  I think I shall do it again.

Happy Birthday, Nichole!

Pretty in Pink

P ~ is for pretty darn beautiful

I ~ is for intellectually responsible

N ~ is for Nichole ~ lady extraordinaire

K ~ is for kin to me ~ your auntie!

Nichole, you know this is my favorite picture of you!

Happy Birthday to a beautiful young lady!

I love you.

Aunt Crickett

Happy Birthday, Sam!

Smiles are made for sharing!

Thanks for always sharing yours!

Happy Birthday!

Love you,

Aunt Crickett

Thanksgiving Two-thousand-eleven

Thanksgiving is no longer looming over my shoulder, it is here and gone.  I've had mixed emotions this year, as in every year ~ nostalgia and thankfulness.  I think I am a mess. Period.

Nostalgia because Thanksgiving brings around so many different memories and feelings ~ all rolled together like the proverbial pumpkin roll.  And they are just as soft and gooey.  I cherish them with an anxious love. I embrace them as one would embrace a wayward child, knowing you may only be able to hold on for a  moment.  It all falls into that broad spectrum called, L.I.F.E. It makes me happy and sad at the same time. 

Equally, it's hard not to reflect on those things for which I am thankful, especially this time of year.  And I have many things to be thankful for.  My family is in good health.  It is growing in sweet, unexpected ways.  This year, as last year, we have a new Be`be` to be thankful for.  We are all employed at this moment in time.  We may not all be together, but our hearts are intertwined in such a way that we feel and miss each other's presence.  And I believe that's what makes it nostalgically sweet.  As I longingly look back, I assess my here and now, and I anticipate my tomorrows. 

It's this time of year, more than ever that I think of my brother and two sisters.  Without them I know for certain that I would not be half the person I am today.  Un-beknownst to them, they helped shape who I am.   And as I . . . . wait, that's a story for my other blog!  Sorry.

So, thankful I am
Thankful I'll be
Thankful for everyone
And all they mean to me!

Monday Quietness

This morning is pretty quiet. Baby Girl isn't here yet, the other two dumplings are in school and Ben is at the gym.  I've managed to have a financial meltdown while balancing my checkbook and paying my bills, I've vacuumed and mopped (with my new favorite mop), I've blogged, I've done laundry and I have had lunch ~ all.  by.  myself.

So I thought I might take a little more time and share my finds, my "doings" and just things in general.

On Saturday I went anti-quing with Heidi Jane.  We had a maa-vo-lus time.  She hit the jack pot with the bargains.  Her new name is Bargain Betty!  I love it!  I didn't hit the bargains, but I did manage to find a gem or two.

 I've been looking to buy a juicer for a while now ~ this one came in at five dollars.  Bargain Betty got hers for under four.  Hm.  Helena is already making lemonade.   And . . . . the most adorable muffin pan I've ever seen! ! !  I walked around with it for a bit before I convinced me to buy it.  I've never seen a glass one before.  Rease is waiting with bated breath for some muffins!


Then when I got home I told me:  "Self, you are going to finish a project this weekend. Period."  "Okay", I meagerly replied.  So I jumped on a bookshelf that I have had, literally, for years.  It was an unfinished pine piece.  Now it looks like this:

I painted it white (barely) scuffed it with sand paper, rubbed on some glaze and then some poly.  I like the way it turned out.  The picture is a little hard to see, but it sure beats that nasty unfinished pine. I think for now I will put it in my laundry area.  I need a place for diapers, wipes and hair doodles for the girls.  This will work for now.  Then we'll see where it moves to next!



And this morning, Goldilocks tried her hand a "arranging".  I usually keep my apples in my white milk glass fruit bowl.  But Goldilocks liked this better:

I think I will keep it for a while.  I like that you can see thru it and see my lovely pink screwdriver! 

Notice the "candle holder"?  Well, it's actually a miniature pie plate I got from the gal that lived across the street from dad.  Got two  ~ love them!

Well, Be`be` Girl is here.  Gotta run!

This Morning . . . .

After getting Goldilocks ready for school ~ which meant finding a pair of sneakers to fit her feet, because hers were MIA ~  doing her hair ~ and putting on Snow White (she was here very early this morning because Reasy Peacy had a field trip to The Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.!), I gave Baby Girl her morning bath ~ I noticed I was able to do something that I have been waiting a looooonnnng time for.  After getting her dressed, I sat her in her place for breakfast. Then my heart took flight, along with a comb and a teeny-weeny pony tail holder!  I just love the results ~ my Grand Be`be` is growing up.

Somewhere in the midst of this, I listened as Jenny descibed how their family pet had very quickly, very unexpectedly,  gone down hill.  They had to put Chessie to sleep last night.  The family was with her.  I can hardly write this without feeling a huge knot in my chest.  I am not a pet person, but I understand all too well the attachment that families have for their pets.  And Chessie had been with them for ten years. She came from here on the shore.  Jenny wanted an authentic Chesapeake Bay Retriever.  How much more so than to come from the bay area?  This silly dog drank antifreeze about five years ago.  They didn't think she would make it, and if she did pull thru chances were slim that she would be "right" or live very long.  She did, however maintain a decent level of sanity ~ tee-hee ~  and lived for five more years.  She loved her humans, and they loved her!

So, with all this transpiring in a matter of minutes I decided in a matter of seconds that I would bake some pumpkin bread when I put Baby Girl down for her morning nap.  She's good about AM naps! I can usually count on a two hour time frame ~ now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!

As I'm cleaning up from mixing my bread, I notice out the window the second graders making their yearly trek through Downtown Hebron.  They visit the bank, the post office, and Town Hall. It's important to know about the heart beat of the town that houses your school.  The cool thing is, they were able to use "Shoe Leather Express"!  School is only a couple blocks down from the hub-bub of Hebron.  And it is a beautiful fall morning!

Can I just say that: "I love fall days like this."?  The sky is overcast, the leaves ~what's left of them ~  are vibrant yellows, reds and golds.  The wind is lilting along, as if it too knows today is a perfectly wonderful fall day and it needs to take it's time to enjoy the journey.  It's the type of day that settles my spirit. Calms me from the inside out.  Makes me feel very domesticated and nostalgic.  I think of days gone by, days at hand, and days yet to come.  I think of people that have entered, stayed, and left my life.  I. Think. Of. Life.

Well, Be`be` is rustling.  I think she smells the pumpkin bread!  Better go ~ she's not one to wait! ! !

Thank You, Liam!

Everyone knows how "challenging" toddlers can be.  It doesn't  matter how many times you say "No!", "Stop!", "Get down!".  You may as well be talking to yourself.  I know there are other "challenging" younin's out there, I've seen one for sure on Christie's blog.  I remember thinking:  "I'm soooo glad I don't have a pantry with a 'built in' ladder!"  That'll teach me not to be so comfortable in my "short" adventures with Baby Girl.  But I was grateful she wasn't scaling to unspeakable heights.  Baby Girl climbs ~ short distances ~ but on this particular climb I might have opted for unspeakable heights. How do I lock away my stove?  Anyone?  Please?    It makes me fearful of things to come.

So thank you Liam for connecting your kindred spirits in the world of "high stakes" climbs!

And. . . . Mama of  Liam . . . . . H. E. L. P. ! ! ! ! !

My Poetry

"Pitter-patter"

The pitter-patter, pitter-patter
Of tiny feet and "baby chatter"
Comes my way in a scurry
The pitter-patter, in such a hurry.

The noise stops right in front of me.
I look down and at my knee
I see staring up into my face
The pitter-patter ~ she's found her place.

And as she smiles, her eyes so bright,
A little fire in my heart she lights.
I feel there's no other love so true,
As a baby smiling up at you.

Then as quickly as she scurried,
From my knees she then hurried
Back to her world full of wonder,
Leaving me there, yet to ponder.

I stand there listening to her feet,
Pitter-pattering to the beat
Of life's adventurous, melodic song
Just the sound ~ it rights all wrong.

So as I hear those little sounds
That pitter-patter across the ground.
And chatters made for no special reason,
I know these days too, are but a season.

Crickett

Helloooo Nooovemmmber ! ! !

Well, October has packed up, lock, stock and barrel, and headed on out of Dodge.  However, I, we, somebody, did manage to get a few pics of the kiddos ~ big and little ~ for Halloween.

This is my boy.
He wanted to go
as a "Nerd".
Everyone thought
he looked liked Buddy
Holly! I thought  he
looked like Mark B. on
DWTS!  No one knew
who he was, but they
sure knew who Buddy
Holly was!  What a strange
bunch of kids!

The girls were a little easier to identify:






Rease ~ a Witch ~ hey, where's her hat?!

Baby Girl ~ a Raven's cheerleader ~ pom-poms?

Skyler ~ a Princess fairy ~ um, wings?

Goldilocks ~ a Soccer ref ~ all there ~ type A personality.

Then we have Mama.  Don't ask  . . . .  don't know. 

I do know ~ Ben gave her the coat many moons ago for
Christmas because she simply had to have it.  She pulled
it out of the closet to keep from freezing to death last night!

In her defense, it was cold, and she does look spiffy in it!






I am glad that day is O.V.E.R!

Now that November has arrived, I am able to justly set my sights on Thanksgiving.

How Many Ways Can You Watch TV?

Let me count the ways:

1.  You grab a cup and hit the floor for Mickey!

 2.  You get "ticked" because you can't do what you want, so you do the next best thing:

     lounge, pout and watch TV.

3.  After your morning nap and lunch, you get up and dance with Jungle Junction!

4.  You get miffed because you can't do what you want, so you lie on the floor, prop your

feet up, suck your thumb and snuggle with your blankie

 and do the next best thing:  watch TV

5.  Once you get over your "spell", you decide all's right with the world

and sit on your pony, and you guessed it:  watch TV

Now, lest you think that's all Baby Girl does, just let me enlighten you.  All the above, added together,

maybe topped out at ten minutes. (all day long)  The remaining eight hours and forty-five minutes included, but were not limited to:

1.  Get down

2. Don't touch that

3. Sit still in that chair

4.  Don't stand in that chair!

5.  No

6.  I.  Said. No.

7.  What did I say?

8.  Stop that before you get hurt.

9.  Put that down.

10.  Leave those things alone.

11.  What are you doing?

12.  Wheeeerrre arrrre yoooou?

13.  Piper!

14.  Put.  That.  Back. 

15.  NOW

16.  Don't throw your cup.

17.  Piper Riley.

18.  It's naaap tiiiiime! !

Oh, and there's lunch in there, and two naps.  And the angels sang!

We are planning to drop cable.  What will Baby Girl do?  Aside from the fact that she only watches minimal TV, she will be doing the following:

Developing her imagination, not that she needs much help in that department, but, hey, I can try!

I Thought I Was "Quirky"!

Well, maybe I am, a little.  I love glass.  It's no secret.  All kinds of glass ~ but most specifically, OLD glass! I even get caught up on jars, especially if they are functional or pretty.  Wal-Mart's salsa comes came in Mason jars with measurements on them.  I was intrigued with that, hence, the quirky part of me. How can I re-use these babies?  Hmm. . .   Sometimes I couldn't and, to my angst, they found their way to the land fill.  And then there's the Vlasic Pickle jars with the cute scroll work across the top.  I fell in love with that!  I have a very large one that I made Jenny save for me a few years ago.  I store pasta in it.  I wub it!

 

As for OLD glass, I would have just about every kind out there if I could.  I would have a plethora of dinner dishes, ones for every season, holiday or event!  I would have to have a small house to just store them.   I am very fond of depression glass and old crystal.  I only have a few pieces of depression glass.  My favorite piece is a pink cake plate.  It has snow flakes etched in it.  It came from Benny Wells' Auction many years ago.  My ex got it in a box lot for a song. 

I have a small collection of milk glass.  Part mine and part Mrs. Rease's.  I love that too.  Then there are odds and ends.  Some I shall share over on my other blog, because they came from my mom's house, or I got them a very long time ago. I do regret one thing ~  my sister, Donna, gave me a set of old crystal goblets, some short, some tall, many moons ago.  I used them for quite some time.  But, for whatever unknown, unspeakable reason, I got rid of them!  I can only sigh and move on :).  Shot myself in the foot on that one.



A fruit bowl I got eons ago, along with the only two pieces left to a
spice set.
I use them as salt and pepper shakers.



I have come to embrace using all my pretties. It was hard at first.  What good are they just sitting on the shelf collecting dust (and gnats right now)?  So, something gets broken.  Life goes on.  It is after all, no matter how old or pretty, just glass.

God knew what He was doing when He put me on a strict budget!  Yes, yes He did!  But He allows me to look and be practical as I can be.



I love these plates.  They are leaf shaped with a
raised vein pattern on them.  Perfect for fall!
Oh, and that's an old syrup or vinegar cruet.



And . . . I thought I was alone in this love of glass.  But as it turns out, a blog I am following expressed the same emotion, only better!  That's what triggered this post! !

Ahhh. . . . be still my beating heart!

PS ~ For kicks and giggles, let's throw glass door knobs in the mix!  Did you know they make wonderful curtain rod finials?  Yep, that's right.