Just Call Me Twilight

From the title of this blog post, I suppose you think I will be writing about the cute, sweet things my girls did for me on this special-of-all-special days.  Well, that is partly true. As you can imagine, my girls did do a fair amount of notable things for me.  All were appreciated and will be retained for future ooohhing and aaahhhing reminisces.  Pictures were painted, cards assembled, a necklace made (complete with fingertip impression), and a precious coupon book with promises of services I have no intention of collecting.  Those were the cute things. Then there were the odd happenings of the day, starting very, very early.  Oldest Daughter chose to wake up at 2a, on purpose, to deliver a gift bag full of hand-made goodies to my bedroom door.  She wanted to ensure I would see the bag the minute I tripped over it as I exited the bedroom later on in the morning.  But, in the delivery...

Today is not an ordinary day.  Not for me.  Today I mourn the passing of a dear friend.  She has been my companion for the past 18 years and losing her today has caused a small hole to tear in my heart. Kluny came to us a sickly, scrawny but vocal kitten at just five-weeks old.  She was very ill and for a few weeks we were not sure this world would hold onto her.  When she pulled through, she truly became ours. As Handy Hubby and I's first adopted pet as a married couple, Kluny has seen us through many life changes.  She was there in our first house together, she was part of the building of our second home.  She saw us through sickness, through three pregnancies and two births.  She has loved us through strife and through moments of joy.  She has loved my children and taught them many lessons on how to properly treat their four-legged friends. As Youngest Daughter and I held her as she slipped away, I shed many...

When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life.  When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I wrote down ‘happy’.  They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.  –John Lennon

The ringing in of the new year means just one thing to me as a blogger - that it is time for me pick a new Word of the Year!! Last year's word - treasure - served me well all year.  I posted the word all around my house, and each time I saw it, I was reminded that no matter what life was sending me at that particular moment, I needed to treasure what meant the most to me.  And throughout the year, I consciously noted what those things were.  I treasure my family.  I am so proud to be allowed the pleasure of being mommy to two fantastic little girls.  They continue to, daily, teach me lessons that usually slap me across the face.  Or test my patience.  Or reinforce how I like to count to 5.  I am also proud of my continuing role as life partner to Handy Hubby.  Some days, that sentence would be almost impossible to write, but through every single up and down of our marriage, he is still the man I wan...

Happy 2015 everyone!!  It is so good to be back with y'all.  I have missed conversing with you as well as writing on this blog.  In my past month of silence, even though I did not write one single post, I had a few experiences that moved me in some way.  Those experiences made me want to share with you.  But instead, I shared with Handy Hubby and the majority of the time he just rolled his eyes at me.  Sometimes I deserve the eye-rolling (ok, most of the time), but other times I know my stories are bigger than that - I know that my stories need to go where they will be appreciated and understood by others of my kind.  And that kind is the person that can say "been there - done that!".  From the feedback I have been receiving over the past few months, you have told me that you love the stories and pictures of my families adventures.  I will continue to share them.  You have tol...

My head is spinning just a little because of how full this week has been.  Please indulge me as I share a few of the highlights. Monday Today I turned 43 years old.  Yes, that's right - I am a woman that has just admitted to her true age.  I am proud of every single one of my years.  Not every one has been fantastic.  Not every one would I want to go back and re-live.  The point is though, I have been given these past 43 years to make my mistakes, learn from those mistakes and become a better person from those mistakes.  All of my years have been a gift that some have not been lucky enough to have received.  I know there are many people no longer with us that would give anything for another year, or just one more day.  So I feel it is my duty to feel blessed by having had these years and I look forward to the gift of each new year I may be granted with. To celebra...

I just love lazy Sunday afternoons, don't you.......JCMT