Show & Tell Friday

After spending the morning at the library with my niece and two nephews, I was inspired to share a photo of these little books I have from my Grandma's house. They're called "Treasured Whitman Tiny Tales" and I remember looking at these when I was a little girl, but they're even older than I am, with a publication date of MCML (1950). The price on each is 5 cents. They're just a little larger than a regular playing card, just perfect for tucking into a pocket or purse and taking to church - which is what I'm sure Grandma did.

None are great literary works, but these are probably the first books I ever had in my hands, so they are important. Grandma must've purchased them at a garage sale, because the name written inside the front cover is "Mrs. Jeffers", who, coincidentally was my second grade teacher, and one of my favorites of all time.

These "tiny treasures" are usually displayed on a wall shelf, and will be again soon as I continue to take down the winter things and replace them with the "usual" stuff. Slowly but surely, winter IS going away... :o)

Go on over to Kelli's blog and see what everyone else has posted for this week's Show & Tell!

The Wine Center

"The Spirit of Wine

Sang in my glass, and I listened

With love to his odorous music,

His flushed and magnificent song."

William Ernest Henly

It's DONE! Greg hung the wine glass rack this afternoon. It took a mere 3 minutes for me to fill it up.

Most of the wine glasses are crystal, and all were purchased at Goodwill for between 50-99 cents each.

The artwork is printed from the internet.

The plants are basil and chives. The two herbs that have survived all winter.

The fruit bowl is usually more full - just a couple of avocadoes and a pear at the moment.

I will look for a nicer night light...

There is some touch-up painting to be done also, but that will wait until this summer when we replace the countertop in the rest of the kitchen with the same that we put back here. And I'm thinking a black and white floor.

Whadda ya think?

More sweet girl

I watched the kids this afternoon for awhile at their house. Greg and I had a dinner party for his office tonight, so I washed my hair at home and took my makeup and curling iron with me to get ready while I was babysitting. I let Grace have some makeup and Wyatt watched with us with interest. Garett had fun sticking the plunger to the wall, then pulling it off and falling on the floor. Yeah.
So after I was ready, we moved back into the living room where we sang preschool songs. Grace crawled up on my lap and looked into my face:
Grace: "You have blue eyes."

Me: "Yes, I do have blue eyes."

Grace: " You're a Princess!"

I'll take it. :o)

Show & Tell Friday

Sorry I missed last week. My schedule just didn't allow blogging time...




This week I want to share my kitchen window. It seems that winter is just going to hang on until the end of time, and I think this little floral display kind of looks wintry. These are Gerbera daisies, white with a touch of pinkish green. I put one stem in each of five small glass jars/bottles that I collect. I like this look sometimes better than as a bouquet.


The view out the window is of the neighbor's back yard. Still partially covered in snow. The snow that will not leave because winter will not end. :o)



Head on over to Kelli's blog to see what everyone has shared this week: http://kellishouse.blogspot.com/

Alphabet Time!

One day last week I had Garett and Grace here for the day. They got out the foam letters and played on the living room floor. Garett dumped his container, then as he picked up each letter or number, he said a letter from the alphabet. He wasn't identifying the letter he picked up, but he knew they were letters, and he knew the alphabet consists of letters, too. That's a pre-reading skill.Grace took her letters and lined them up in a row. When she finished, she declared to Garett, "There's our name!" Ah yes, relating print to spoken words, another pre-reading skill.

Grace brought her backpack full of library books, so we spent some time reading several of those. She helped me with the rebus book, and just giggled when I told her, "Grace! You're reading this book!" :o)

Seven Things

My internet friend Penny has tagged me to post seven things about myself. Here's how this works:
1. When tagged, place the name of the person and URL on your blog
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Write 7 things about yourself
4. Name 7 of your favorite weblogs
5. Send an e-mail letting those bloggers know they have been tagged

I've been thinking for a couple of days about what seven things I could post about myself that would be at all interesting to people. Most of you who read this are my family or long-time internet friends, and you know me pretty well, but here goes anyway...

1. I have never broken a bone. (Yes, I'm knocking on my wooden table right now. There, I should be safe.) I have, however, had stitches. When I was in Kindergarten, we were playing "monster" on the soccer field, and I was being chased by Dale Owens and Randy Collingham. I turned to see how far behind me they were, and turned back around just as I ran into a steel pole. Cut my eye and Mom had to take me to the clinic for stitches.

2. I went to college for a year and a half, and never declared a major. Just couldn't decide what I wanted to do with my life besides get married and have children. When I was 27 years old and my kids were 2 and 5, I realized how much I enjoyed preschool. Thus, my 15 years at Head Start.

3. I wanted to have LOTS of children. Okay, I would have been happy with four. That's twice as many as I got. I love the kids I have with all that I am, but they are so different from each other in looks and personalities, I always wondered what a few more would be like.

4. I'm not a big amusement park fan. I've been to World's of Fun in Kansas City, Silver Dollar City in Branson, and Disney World in Orlando. All were fun because I was with family, but I don't need to go back. Well, maybe to Disney, just because Greg and Nick haven't been and would like to, so I'd go with them.

5. I never flew on a plane until I was 40 years old. In the past 6 1/2 years I've flown all over the country and to Canada. I don't care for flying, because I have NO CONTROL over the plane. My survival depends on the pilot and God. I always pray before take-off and landing. Always.

6. My family is descended from the oldest passenger on the Mayflower, James Chilton. He did not survive the first winter in America, but his young daughter Mary did. She is rumored to be the first female to step onto Plymouth Rock.

7. I've only ever had two traffic tickets. Both when I was 17. The first was for "negligent driving" when I rear-ended a car in downtown Lincoln. Traffic was heavy and I was looking to change lanes when the woman in front of me stopped. I hit the brakes just as I hit her bumper. Got a ticket. Had to go to court. On the way to court, I got a speeding ticket. For going 79 mph in a 55 mph zone. Oops. Haven't had another ticket in 29 years. I learned my lesson early.

Now I must tag seven more bloggers:
Susan from My Cottage Life
Robin from Life with Robin
Rhonda from A Home with a Smile
Tanya from At the Honeysuckle Tree
Joanne from Joyful Blessings
Tracy from Seaside Enchantment
Melanie from http://melathome.blogspot.com/

Happy Day of Love!

Well, the florist mucked up delivery of my flowers again this year. Greg had arranged to have them delivered to Fitness Worx last night, so they'd be there at 4:45 this morning when I arrived. Wasn't that sweet?!
I think he's going to go pick them up this afternoon, and I'm glad to not be there when he does...

He only started sending me flowers for Valentine's day about 5 years ago - that first year they were delivered to me at Head Start. I was teaching class, but had to run to my office to get something, and there was a vase full of roses on my desk. I just started crying! I don't know what prompted him to start this tradition, but I'm not complaining. Even with the mess-up with deliveries, I feel very special and appreciate his taking the time to do this for me.

(Edited: the florist called me at 4 p.m. and arranged to deliver my flowers here at home. I called Greg to see if he'd yelled at them. He hadn't been there yet. The flowers arrived at 5:30. No charge. With a huge, free, heart-shaped balloon. And I'm supposed to go to the store for a free gift certificate. Photo of my gorgeous red potted tulips will be posted on Saturday.)

I wanted to share a few of the pretty things around here to remind us of the day:

This is a heart-shaped basket filled with Valentines from my internet friends.

A sweet-scented candle nestled in a holder full of converstation hearts.

The Valentine's Day tree, many of the ornaments from friends. The cross-stitched hearts are from the "family tree" we made for my Grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary in 1987. The tree "skirt" is an old lace table runner from a thrift store. At the bottom of the tree is a pretty Valentine card that I framed to display.

I wish you much happiness on this happy day of love!

Time with Taylor

I returned home last night from Sioux City, where I was able to spend a couple of days babysitting Taylor. She's a delightful baby, very easy-going, unless she's hungry. Then you had better have that food ready, pronto! :o)

When I got to town on Tuesday, I went to Cousin Patty's house to pick up the baby. We spent a couple of hours chatting, then I realized that Angela was probably home from work already, and I should take the baby home to see her mommy.

We stayed home all day on Thursday and played. It's so fun to see Taylor at home. When she's here, she's pretty quiet, watching all the people who are usually around. At home, she talks to herself, eats all her toys, loves to bounce up and down and back and forth. She shook her head "no" to me a lot, too.

On Friday morning, we went shopping. So many people stopped us to coo at her and she smiled at everyone.

We slept all afternoon, then after a snack, I held her the last hour I was there. I had promised Alan and Angela I wouldn't hold her the entire time I was there, so they didn't have to "de-program" her when I left, but I wanted to get as much snuggling and hugging in as I could.

She even "kissed" me, mouth wide open, tongue licking my face. You know, those wet, baby kind of kisses. I think she just kept doing it because I was laughing. :o)

I get to go back again next month, and am looking forward to it already.

Show & Tell Friday

I'm joining in again for 'Show and Tell Friday'.

This is another piece that is hanging on a wall. My 20-yo daughter Jessica made it in Sunday School when she was very young - maybe 7 or 8 years old - and her teacher was her Aunt Fran. Tucked behind it is a cross made from a dried palm frond used in church for Palm Sunday a few years ago. We have a several of those around the house.

Over the years this has been a comforting reminder to give up my problems and trust that I would have the strength I needed to do what needed to be done. This was most apparent when my parents were each terminally ill and we cared for them while trying to hold together the rest of our lives.

To see what everyone else has shared, go to There is No Place Like Home and check it out.

Thirty years ago today...

She was a high school Junior. Student manager for the boy's basketball team. Waitress at the Village Inn pancake house.

He was a Freshman at UNL, majoring in engineering. Drove a 1968 Chevy Impala that had an eight-track tape player in it. Worked weekends for his dad.

They had met a year earlier at her friend's birthday party at Pizza Hut.

He called her several Saturdays in a row, asking if she would like to do something. She had away basketball games, and wasn't able to make plans.

Finally, he decided he'd try one last time.

She didn't have a game, but she did have plans to go to the girl's basketball game with her friend. She invited him to join them.

He showed up just after half-time. They watched a little bit of the game, then decided to go get a soda and drive around. Awhile later, they dropped off her friend, and drove around some more.

At one point, the traffic lights started blinking yellow, so it was late. He stopped at the yellow light, and they talked and talked and talked, all the while the light was blinking... Pretty soon she noticed that and asked how long was he going to sit at a blinking traffic light? :o)

They've been together ever since. Married three years later and looking at their 27th wedding anniversary in May.

Thirty years ago today we had our first date. I still tease him about the flashing traffic light. :o)

Show and Tell Friday

Recently I started reading Kelli's blog, "There's No Place Like Home" where she hosts "Show and Tell Friday". This is when you share a photo of something you have in your home or garden, and it is my first time to participate.

Since the weather has been so incredibly "wintry" the past few months, this painting seemed appropriate to share. It was done by my mother's great aunt, Pearl Collins, and given to Mom and Dad as a wedding gift, 47 years ago last month. It is still in the original frame with the paper backing and wire hanger.

According to my Aunt Janet, Aunt Pearl's paintings were greatly treasured by the recipients. No matter where we lived, Mom had this painting hanging on the wall. I only display it during the winter, but I love it as much as Mom did, and I was happy I could bring it to my home after Mom passed away.