Saturday Silliness

Sunflowers

Okay, here goes. List some of the things that make you happy. VERY Happy. But wait! There are a few catches.... we ALL have families and churches and homes and friends and pets that make us happy so no listing those! We all enjoy love and peace and hugs and that sort of thing. I am looking for the people (NOT Family and Friends), places (NOT home or church home) and things that cause you to feel all giddy and sparkly and do the happy dance. Okay, not necessarily THAT happy (But they COULD do that!) but you get my drift right? Or have I muddled up these directions to the point of complete confusion? Yeah, I know I have a tendency to do that but hey...

AND you need to add a picture of those things that make you really happy. Captions with the pictures are fine. Just think of those small things (or NOT so small) in life that are not *necessary* to our individual survival but just help make your life a bit sweeter.

So, to lead all of us off, here is a list of *some* of the things that just make me happy. I am a none too deep, fairly one dimensional gal so no big surprises! And yes, food stuffs are a big part of this list. BIG shock huh? Could I live without any of these? Uh huh. Would I WANT to? Nah.....

So, in no particular order, deep breath, here goes!

The Sunday Newspapers

Potato Salad

Giraffes

Sketching The Andy Griffith Show Decorating Books

Teddy Bears

Scrapbooking

Rabbits

Potato Chips

I Love Lucy

Hamburgers

Monty Python's Flying Circus

Willow Trees Photography

Risotto Disney Anything

Pedicures

The Theater Writing

Chicken Salad

London, England

Blue Jeans

Home and Garden Television

Foot Massages

Grocery Shopping

Movies

Strawberries

A Cuppa

Perfume

New York City

Lilacs

Popcorn

Travel

Daisies

Chocolate

Antiquing

Bookstores

Brian Dennehy

Autumn

The Beatles

Art Museums

Oh, and blogging AND all of YOU! But don't ask me to do my happy dance until tomorrow! It has been a LONG day! I am happy dancing in my mind...really. I am. No kiddin'.

Have a sweet weekend. Do something that makes you happy! You look so wonderful with that big, gorgeous smile on your face!

Hugs,

Susie Q

Deep Thoughts

I am having a bit of blogger trouble tonight...just spent an hour writing a Fun For Friday post and watched it all refuse to publish. Can you say FRUSTRATION? I think you can.....anyhoo. I will try again tomorrow. Till then, stay well, take good care of yourselves and thank you for all the sweet and funny comments you left concerning our Tooth Fairy! Now, does the Tooth Fairy LIKE Bubble gum or not? This was a question Grace put before us tonight at dinner. Does she want kids to chew sugared gum and lose their teeth more quickly so she can gather them and make her own special brand of jewelry? Or does she want them to chew sugar free and preserve their pearly white baby teeth until nature takes them at just the right time? Oh my....such deep and thought provoking questions. Too deep for my poor addled brain.

See you all when the sun rises....sleep well!

Hugs,

Susie Q

The Tooth Fairy Dilemma

I don't really know how most families handle the Tooth Fairy issue...it is, as most family issues are, a private, personal matter I suppose. Daniel seemed to fully embrace the idea (A fact that probably horrifies him today!) that a small winged creature flew in through a window and exchanged shiny coins for a tooth. One day, a day that still lives in infamy, he came home from school and let me know that he now knew Mom and Dad were Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, the Leprechaun that visited on March 17th and the Tooth Fairy. We lost them all in one fell swoop. A dark day for Mommy to say the least. Darned older kids...hmpf.

Gracie fully embraces these visitors and loves each one dearly. She adores the ideas of fairies, a fact that is reinforced by some of the DVDs she loves to watch. Have you seen "Fairy Tale, A True Story"? So precious...or "Kristin's Fairy House"? Sweet.

Grace's fairy, "Tammy", has left a few notes, bits of pixie dust (She seems to be a tad messy) and leaves 8 shiny, new quarters for each tooth. Now, and here is where it gets tricky, we have a dilemma over the money issue. Daniel received 4 quarters. I always got one quarter...oh so many years ago. Uh huh..back in the dark ages. I figured, inflation being a factor, that 4 were just fine for Dan. It was Dan who decided that "Tammy" should leave his little sister 8. I guess inflation is a much bigger problem these days. But I digress....

It came to my attention early on that some of Grace's friends felt they were being, how should I say this, um...*neglected* by their fairies. They reported that their teeth were not quite fetching such vast amounts of money. Oh my...I had stepped into the cesspool that IS the Tooth Fairy dilemma with both of my flaky, flat feet.

Then, this week, I hear about a family that blogged (relayed to me by a dear friend) about their child's first foray into teeth loss. It seems that THEIR fairy is quite the generous pixie.

Their child received one very un-shiny 20 dollar bill. Uh huh. I said $20. For one tooth.

Obviously I have neglected to keep up with the times...or those proverbial Jones. I guess that we Ohioans are a sad lot as I looked up (Yes, you CAN find such information on the web) what the average fairy in Ohio leaves for a tooth. It would seem that most Ohio families are happy

when their fairy bestows 2-4 quarters (Or the equivalent amount in dimes and nickles) on each child. Of course maybe we are all hayseeds and a bit unsophisticated at heart. Okay, maybe that is just me but I digress again....

I do know that there is no way in Grace's lifetime that she will ever get $20 from the tooth fairy. Especially since she has, on 2 occasions, lost 2 teeth at once. She is to have her last 5 primary teeth removed by a pediatric oral surgeon next month. The darned things seem unwilling to leave their present home base and need to go to make way for her upcoming orthodontic work.

Now, at $20 a pop, well, you can do the math. (Me, maybe not...I am mathphobic after all. I might need to use all my fingers and toes for this one).

She always saves her financial dental windfalls and gives part of each haul to charity. Still, and I am taking the long winded way to reach this question, I want to know if I am just out of touch with the ways of the modern world.

(Uh huh, I KNOW I am on most subjects but, for now, we will stick to this one)Around our neck of the woods, the fairy seems a tad generous...but, in comparison to other parts of the US, old "Tammy" looks like a skinflint! Just what I need, a cheap, tightwad fairy hanging around. Dang.

I hope you are all having a sweet Wednesday.

Hugs,

Susie Q

Bittersweet Thoughts....

I have dedicated this blog to the joy and beauty in life and try to dig for it even during life's most mundane moments or, sadly, when life takes a tragic turn and we feel helpless. In the darkness that occurred on the campus of Virginia Tech, there was still a pure light glowing. This beautiful school, and all who love it, fell victim to a senseless and violent act. As horrendous as the events are , the students and staff, as well as all the surrounding communities, are pulling together, sharing together, bonding in a way that lifts the wounded soul. The prayers offered in today's services, prayers from representatives of different faiths, were a blessing. Words that we all needed to hear. Seeing how tightly knit these lovely folks from Virginia Tech are, seeing their amazing strength, warms the heart and spirit. As one of the speakers today said, out of great sadness can come a greater good. One can only pray that this comes to pass....the human spirit of good works and charity must prevail....to honor those innocent victims who left us far too soon. Please join me in holding the VT community close in prayer, spirit and in heart.

Words

As I read through all your wonderful blogs tonight, I enjoyed a post that Bethy had on her blog...what words do we have prominently displayed around our homes? Jolene added her home words tonight and now I follow. I asked Grace to go around and make a little photo record of the words we have on our walls and table tops. These were the ones she found but yes, there are more. After a half hour, she returned with these words..."Mommy? Can I do more tomorrow? I am really tired of all these words tonight! My head is too full of them." I hope I won't tire YOU too much while glancing through or fill your heads with too many words! What words do YOU display in your home?

At Our Front Door....

The Kitchen

Dining Room

Hallway

Breakfast Bar

Kitchen

Entryway

Laundry Room

Laundry Room

Laundry Room

Laundry Room Again...I guess I thought I might get bored doing the wash and would need something to read!

Laundry Room

Guest Room

Grace's Room....this was one of the first baby gifts my parents received when I was born. It hung on my wall for years, and now, it hangs on Grace's wall.

Grace's Bathroom

Grace's Bath

The Master Bedroom

The Master Bath

And finally...on my dressing table...a box that was given to me at Christmas. From my brother and sister-in-law as a special memento *from* my nephew. Oh how I adore that little boy!

A New Friend

A gloomy day weather wise but cheery where it counts...in our hearts. We attended church this morning, had lunch at a favorite restaurant and then all of us did a little shopping at Grace's favorite store, Target. When we returned to our car, after putting quite a dent in Bill's wallet (Hey, NYC is looming and girls need to be properly tuned eh?), a new friend was sitting next to us! Now, Grace and I LOVE VW Bugs...we are tag teaming Daddy trying to convince him that we NEED one in which to toodle around town...but I digress...now where was I? Oh yeah, this adorable lime green VW Bug was in the spot next to us. Inside, the car was decked out in Dalmatian print seat covers, a Dalmatian print steering wheel cover and, oh yeah, a Dalmatian! Now does this guy have a sweet mug or what? He posed quite regally for my camera and then stuck his nose out of the window so we could all give it a scratch. A day is always a little brighter when you make a new friend isn't it?

Wishing you all a sweet week...remember to smile at the little things that we all usually take for granted....reading the morning newspaper, a good cup of tea or coffee, a chat with a friend, a glorious sunset, a warm breeze, daffodils blooming in a neighbor's yard, a child's laughter...

Hugs,

Susie Q

Dear Missy...I WAS thinking about your Wyatt when I wrote this post...