I'll take care of you...

"Are you upset little friend?  Have you been lying awake worrying?  Well, don't worry...I'm here.  The flood waters will recede, the famine will end, the sun will shine tomorrow, and I will always be here to take care of you."  

-Charlie Brown to Snoopy

Dearest Babies,

I am here to take care of you.  I will tuck you in your little doll crib at night and sometimes get in with you.  I will feed you your bottle and give you binkies and occasionally try to suck on yours.  I will buckle you into the stroller and car-seat when we go out.  I will take you with me wherever I go.  I will always take care of you.

Love,

Your doting friend 

Imagine

Your imagination is wonderfully and excitedly active right now and it invigorates everyone in your path.

You imagine this is your home -- the dead grass strung from the branches is Christmas lights.

You imagine that this straw from an empty cup is your blood-sucking tube and you pretend to take blood from your finger as we drive home.

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You imagine that this house plant is your patient and you are asking it to "breathe in" and "breathe out" as you hold your Fisher Price stethoscope up to it's tall leaves.

You imagine that this discarded diaper box is your front door after you ask me to cut off one side and leave a flap to open and close.

You imagine that the sprinkler is your shower and you wash your hair while the sprinkler system runs.

You imagine this little wildflower bouquet is a grand bouquet fit for a queen or a preschooler that is dressed up like one.

You imagine this lone chopstick is your magic wand.

You imagine our yard is a farm and your Mother is the farmer, our boys become goats, a wagon ride is a hay ride and clippings from a wild vine are the birthday bouquet.

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Just keep imagining what you wish!  What a lovely gift!

Ninety eight

This month our Dziadzia, pronounced "ja-ja," is turning ninety eight years old.  Yes, 98 years old!  It is amazing and wonderful for our family to celebrate this birthday with him.  Happy Birthday, Dziadzia!

How do you wear your sunglasses?

We have a dear friend who both my girls just love and idolize.  They both are attracted to her beyond belief and frequently mimic her actions, movement and style.  This sweet friend always puts her sunglasses up on her head when she is not wearing them and my girls think this is super neat (especially because their Momma usually tucks her sunglasses in her shirt or purse).

From the time that my big girl could even figure out what to do with sunglasses, she began putting them on her head and in her hair, not on her face.  I have to laugh at this sweet action every time I see it.

Today, for the first time, I found my little one doing the exact same thing.  She was so proud of herself.

Dear friend, you know who you are, thanks for always being such a gentle, kind and positive influence on my girls.  They love you and your sunglasses style!

The keeper of the dog food

Our little guy is not as interested in eating as he used to be.  This saddens his family because he is nearly 14 years old and our faithful and ever-chipper boy.

In order to get him to eat, our dog food keeper sits by him and feeds him and occasionally herself one piece at a time until he finishes his food.

Our little guy is highly enticed by this special feeding ritual and eats his food wonderfully in this manner (thankfully!).

Our girl is incredibly serious about her duties and never forgets "her" boy.  We often find her stomping at the back door to retrieve "her" boy and feed him his dinner.

They have become quite close and it is so touching to see such an old dog and young babe venture into a new friendship together.

The roses and depression glass

I have always loved roses that grow in gardens (I am not a big fan of the overused cliché  bouquets that pop up in stores when Valentine's Day or Mother's Day rolls around).  You know, the lush and fragrant variety seen in beautiful gardens.  I vividly remember on a study trip to Germany all the roses that hung heavily from their thorn-filled stems in late May and early June.  Give me a fresh bouquet from a garden any day -- even if it is just a few measly little weeds with flowers.  There is nothing like a hand-picked bouquet.


This particular bouquet comes from my Mother's ever-bountiful garden.  She recalls that this rose bush was "saved" from the trash of a friend who didn't want it anymore.  Years later, it is the most beautiful plant with the most abundant roses.

 

What makes this bouquet even more beautiful is the vintage green depression glass candy dish that is resting in.  This wonderful green glass was found at a garage sale.  Once I saw it I knew it was old and I knew I could make it useful.  It was missing it's lid but the glass bowl was like new with the prettiest little designs in the glass.  After some research, I found that the glass was made by the Anchor Hocking glass company in the 1930s and it is depression glass.  I also found a couple other pieces:  3 miscellaneous lids and another flatter bowl.
I just love the light green color and even though I have a bunch of miscellaneous pieces, it will be fun to see how I can utilize them in my home.

I just love a good garage sale find -- especially finding something old and making it "new" in my home.

Have you ever had an amazing garage sale find?

strawberry sprite

sprite also spright 

n.

1. A small or elusive supernatural being; an elf or pixie.

2. An elflike person

As we walked through fields and fields of ripe strawberries last weekend, I watched my big girl prance here and there so delicately but with a definite purpose.  I was amazed at her little feet (which are normally quite over-sized and clumsy like mine) that so carefully hopped over the rows without damaging any berries or their sweet white flowers.  Her hands were thoughtful and only picked the berries that were ready to be plucked from their lush leafy plants.  She reminded me of a little sprite or pixie.

She was in a very content world of her own and very much unaware of her surroundings.  She was solely focused on filling her strawberry box.  My, what a difference a few years makes.