Time Is Ticking By

Time goes by very quickly.

It seems that just yesterday, most of my time was spent tending to our two little kids, a son and a daughter.

We went to every free event within a 25 mile radius, attended "Parents and Twos" together programs at the local library, listened to music, read untold numbers of books over and over again, made thousands of freshly baked cookies, baked and decorated gingerbread houses at Christmas time, and on and on.

Now, those little kids are all grown up and living their own lives with their own little ones.

Suddenly, there are now grandchildren who brighten and lighten life with their hugs and laughter. 

Others are seen via computer because they live in another state but seeing their faces makes my heart jump for pure joy.

Yes, time marches on, whether we want it to or not.

Treasure every second given to you.

Accept those hugs, sing those songs, and plan for Thanksgiving and Christmas get togethers. 

Life is to be cherished, celebrated, and loved to the max.

Thanksgiving Is Around the Corner

Thanksgiving, with all its fragrant culinary offerings, is right around the corner.

However, this glorious holiday is not the only time to offer thanks.

Each day has the opportunity to look for things we are thankful for.

Without fail, every single day of life has literally hundreds of things for which to be thankful.

A couple of greeting cards, including the one at the top of this post, from my cousin, Patty, have arrived and I'm always thankful for those!

At an estate sale last weekend, I found an absolutely gorgeous glass/crystal vase, very tall, that had a small crack it in. 

The seller told me I could have it for $5. It still holds water for living flowers and is a beautiful vase for silk ones as well.

I am so thankful for that purchase.

Of course, I am deeply grateful for YOU, dear blog peep.

You make my day special every day.

 WHAT IS ONE SMALL THING FOR WHICH YOU ARE ESPECIALLY GRATEFUL TODAY?

A Sweet "Heartfelt" Surprise

The other day, at the post office, I slipped a card into the outside mailbox.

Then, my attention focused on something hanging off a rack near the mailbox. 

It was a blue heart on a piece of what looked like twisted yarn.  

In lovely letters, on a little note, was a tiny black heart with words next to it that read, "Take me."

Beneath that, was the phrase, "Take time to dream more."

At the very bottom of the tag it read, "PeytonHeartProject."

I put Peyton Heart Project into Google and read that its mission is to "raise global awareness about suicide, bullying, and to help end the stigma surrounding mental health issues."

It also read, "We're doing this through our campaign of distributing small, knitted and crocheted hearts with inspirational messages in locations where we hope thy'll be easilty found. To date, we've scattered over 100,000 hearts all across the country and the world."

I lifted the little blue heart off the rack and held it in my hand, thinking what a sweet and loving gesture it was to leave hearts for people to find and then inviting them to take them.

This certainly makes the world a better place in which to live while honoring the precious, little boy behind the Peyton name in Peyton Heart Project.

If this interests you, check it out on Google and read much more about this amazing project. 

Thank You, Veterans

Today is Veterans Day in the United States.

Some states conduct business as usual but not Massachusetts.

Here, banks, stores, and more are all closed today.

Veterans Day gives a great opportunity to think of the men and women who have served in the military and fought for our freedom.

How many tears have mothers shed as they said goodbyes to their sons or daughters who have gone off to war?  

Some, of course, never came back.

Long rows of tomb stones in cemeteries tell that trgic story.

Whenever a soldier in uniform is in a restaurant or store, someone is sure to say, "Thank you for your service."

That's a good thing to do. 

What would our lives be like if we didn't have freedom? Think about that for a moment.

May all veterans be remembered today, and always,  with deep regard and respect.

"VETERANS EVERYWHERE, THANK YOU FOR YOU YOUR SERVICE."

New Week, New Day

There is no sun out today. It must be hidden behind a cloud somewhere.

But that's okay.  Since it's a new week that is here, it's an opportunity to get lots of things done and be happy to be alive.

Each day, I try to do something fun, something that makes me happy.

This past weekend, cleaning efforts began in the "new to me" antique dollhouse.

My daughter bought it for me for my September birthday. She also sold my old "falling apart" pink Victorian house. 

This house is yellow on the outside with black shutters.

It was built sometime in the 1970s and is still quite lovely.  

One of the best aspects of it is that it is electrified and has some totally adorable lamps.  

A lot of the furniture that was inside the house has now been washed, dried, and put back inside.

There will be more shown of this special project as the weeks go on since local grandchildren are going to decorate it for Christmas. 

So, if dollhouses and miniatures interest you at all, stay tuned.