Monday, February 28, 2011

Loving Distractions

"Leave it to a loved one to distract us when we most need it and bring a smile to our face." ~Mama Hen
My cousin visiting from Spain was just the distraction I needed at this time. She is amazing and filled with such love, comfort and warmth. This morning we headed up north to one of my favorite little towns for a couple night stay. We started the day with a delicious breakfast at Little Chick's and my "ladies luncheon" hot spot. They had an instrumental band playing and it set the tone for a fun filled day. We then headed up to Mystic Aquarium to share one of our fond weekend places with my sweet cousin. It was lots of fun as always! We topped off our visit with Little Chick's favorite tradition of a lollipop from the gift shop. We all indulged and were very happy we did. Then we went to the Inn we are staying at and got settled in. Little Chick has been asking for a week now about swimming and so we made sure to get in the pool right after dinner. When we got ready to sleep we ordered hot cocoa, which ended the day perfectly. It was truly a lovely day with family!


Talking with grandma.


Hot cocoa in bed. Mmmmmm!We can't forget dessert!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Family and Smile Sunday

"In a time of sadness the love of family and friends can help lift ones soul." ~Mama Hen
Thank you so much to all of the kind caring bloggy friends who left such comforting comments about my sweet dog Pudding. I am not going to sugar coat it, we have been having a difficult time dealing with the loss of our beautiful animal. He and Little Chick were very close and I have been trying my best not to think about it. However, that is not so easy. In fact, it is impossible! Last night Little Chick and I picked up my cousin from JFK. She arrived from Spain and it could not have been at a better time. My daughter and I have been looking forward to this visit for over a month now, and having the love and care of family at this time is essential. I have not seen my cousin since I was fifteen (as you can see in the picture above). She is beautiful and we are excited to take a trip up north tomorrow with her for a couple of days. We look forward to sharing our adventures with you. Thank you again for all the care you have shown me at this time. I really appreciate it. Have a good Smile Sunday!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

February Mourning

"Each time a loved one dies a part of us goes with them up to Heaven." ~Mama Hen
Early this morning our sweet dog Pudding went to Heaven. I got Pudding when he was a puppy in the summer of 1998. It was the same summer after my Dad had passed and he was an angel. Last year at the same time we lost my first dog of fourteen years, Cuddles. I am not sure why, but February seems to be the time for mourning and loss. It is the month of celebrating love and having lost my Dad, Cuddles and Pudding in the time of love seems right. Little Chick is devastated but feels comfort in knowing that Pudding is with my Dad and Cuddles up in Heaven. She likes to talk about her Papi being up in the sky wearing his angel wings. We will miss him very much!


We love and miss you Cuddles and Pudding.

I Hope You Remember

"If there is one thing I hope you will remember my beautiful baby, is the infinite love I have for you my precious little one." ~Mama Hen
Writing about my profound memories got me thinking about the things I hope my beautiful daughter will remember always. I capture a lot in pictures and on my blog, but I hope the overall feeling she will always have is filled with overflowing love. Isn't that the most important thing for us all? To know that we have been loved unconditionally and abundantly. She is what I waited for all of my life and I pray and try so hard to give her the happiest childhood with endless "I love yous". There are so many fun and wonderful things we do daily. Here are just a few I hope she remembers.
My beautiful daughter, may you always remember:

Mommy loves you with every bit of my heart and soul. If I could give you the moon and the stars I surely would my precious child.
You are my gift from God above and I am forever thankful.
When you were a baby you loved when I sang to you to go to sleep. You really liked Moon River, Over the Rainbow and I Love You.
Every chance we got, since you were very little, I took you to the beach. Our favorite place.
You love to sing and dance with me all the time.
You can hear a book on CD just a couple of times and repeat most of it verbatim. Pretty neat my super smart baby!
At four and a half years old you are reading about 40 words. How totally cool are you! I am so proud of you my love!
You love documentaries! Your favorites are about penguins, polar bears, dolphins and whales.
You love to read books with me! I cherish this time with you. We read all the time and love visiting the book store.
You really love roller coasters and going to a fair. The last two summers we went to as many fairs as I found coming close to town and to Six Flags many times. We love our day trips!
You are an animal lover and take such good care of your dog Pudding and cats Belle and Cookie. They really love you and cuddling with you!
We play games all the time! You are really good at puzzles and alphabet games. We love Candyland!
We bake cookies, cupcakes, and muffins all the time and you are my little baker!
You love to throw a fabulous birthday party! You always have party hats, lots of fun guests and yummy food.
We play outside whenever we can. We really love sledding in the winter, puddle jumping in the spring, swimming at the beach in the summer and going to the playground and climbing in the autumn.
You carry that same brilliant light that your Granddaddy did when he entered a room. You smile all the time and bring such happiness to all who know you!

I love you more than anything my beautiful baby!
Thanksgiving Thursday
1.) I am so thankful for Little Chick and my family.
2.) For starting to feel better after an icky flu.
3.) For the love and empathy my daughter and mom showed me while I was sick.
4.) The joy I felt paying it forward by buying someone a coffee at Starbucks today.
5.) For the happiness in my daughter's eyes when she showed me she had completed a 50 piece puzzle all by herself while I was getting ready this morning.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Profound Moments

"The things we recall as being profound in our lives often are not what we would have thought to be so important at the time." ~Mama Hen
Being sick and stuck inside has given me plenty of time to ponder. I often have flashbacks as I am driving, doing laundry, washing dishes and so on. As I know we all do. The thing that I have found really amazing is that the moments throughout my life that have stayed embedded in my memory are not always the ones I might have thought would have such an impact. If you think about it, we are creating memories moment to moment, second by second, and the ones that stay must have a reason. I think about this regarding my daughter. We do so many fun things and I wonder what she will remember. A perfect example is when I passed my grammar school the other day. I spent eight years in this private school with the same 24 kids. You would think I would have a bundle of memories and I don't. I remember the Christmas plays and the children that were not so nice and a couple of teachers who did not make me feel so smart (which is why I became a teacher to make sure my students knew how smart they ALL were). But to spend eight years in a place would make you think that more memories would be embedded in my mind. I guess it just did not mean that much to me to keep filed away. I wish I could remember more of my childhood, and I really do not remember a lot, but I do remember a "feeling" of being so loved and cared for. I remember feeling safe and at home. I guess that is what we create for our children over the years. They might not recall all the fun things we did every day, but they will remember the feeling. Here is a list of some of my most profound memories throughout my life.
I remember:

My summer visits to Germany to see my grandparents. I loved the smell of clean sheets and the delicious aroma of bread picked up fresh from the bakery every morning. I also loved visiting my grandparent's garden, having lunch there and visiting the water (they lived on the Baltic Sea).
I recall a horrible accident I had when I was three and also one that I had at a birthday party across the street from our house and my mom came running over ( I must have been 5 or 6).
My mom used to take us to the beach and I did not like all the snails under my feet. I did, however, fall in love with the salt air, the sand in between my toes, and the warm summer breeze.
My mom's yummy cooking! I loved our Sunday morning breakfasts with the whole family, which we did as much as we could until my Dad died.
Loving ballet and wanting to go far with it and being told that because of the accident I had when I was little that I would not be able to go on toe shoes - ever! That hurt a lot.
Doing karate every day except Sunday for years and earning my black belt was a monumental thing. I trained hard for the test and fought 15 black belts for two minute rounds (full contact). I really earned that belt and was proud of myself.
Being a Ballroom dancer when I was a teenager and winning every competition with gold in every dance. I loved that part of my life!
My first boyfriend had a very negative impact on my life and it was during the ten years I spent with him that I learned a lot about the "icky" stuff my parents tried to shelter me from all of my youth. He was my first love and broke my heart in pieces.
Earning money, packing my bags and driving my Jeep down to Mexico to live. That was an amazing part of my life and I grew so much as a person from that experience.
Losing my Daddy while only being in my twenties. I feel like I did not get enough time with him.
Endless miscarriages and difficulty getting pregnant. Having to do Invitro and the stress, nervousness and pain that comes from that experience.
Being blessed with Little Chick and learning that God knows best and does things in His time.
There is so much more to add to the list, especially the little things that I will save for another day.
What is a profound moment in your life?

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Paying it Forward - Smile Sunday

"When we least expect it an act of kindness will be repaid a hundred times over." ~Mama Hen
I am sick! Really sick. I was so excited to repay the act of kindness given to me on Friday morning when the lady in the bakery bought me a cup of coffee and bagel. What I did not tell you was that I started getting a migraine a couple of days ago. I thought it would go away, but it has turned into a full blown flu. I have not been this sick in years. Last night I woke up and went down stairs crying. Little Chick came down and checked on me. She said, "Mommy, go to bed, it is the best thing when you are sick." She then grabbed my hand and brought me back up stairs and gave me a hug. That was the greatest medicine. Then today I could not get out of bed. The pain radiated throughout my body and I could not move. Little Chick called my mom to tell her to come over and help her mommy. She then called back and started giving her a grocery list of what she thought would make her mommy feel better. Then she called my mom again and told her to come right away. She must have called her about ten times adding to the list. The last request was ice cream. Why not? Little Chick then brought up about fifteen of her favorite animals and said, "Mommy, I have a surprise for you." The bed was filled with her little furry friends. When my mom came I was so happy that she could play with Little Chick and help me out because I could not move. While I stayed stuck in bed I could hear my daughter and mom giggling down stairs and Little Chick saying how they had to take care of me. I then thought about how I had to take care of my mom when she was in the hospital a few months ago and when she had gone home. I also thought about how sick Little Chick has been since September and how wonderful it was to see the two of them "paying it forward" by taking such good care of me. As far as my paying it forward from the cup of coffee the other day, I am sending a Starbucks gift card to my really good friend that I have not seen in years. If I can't have a cup of coffee with her then I would like to make sure she gets a few on me. I will continue to pay it forward as I feel better. Have a great Smile Sunday!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Passing Kindness on to Others

"Doing kind acts for others not only brightens their day,
but yours as well." ~Mama Hen

Anyone that knows me knows that I love my delicious hot cup of coffee each day. When Little Chick is at school I make sure to grab myself one at the local bakery and get my day started off right. This morning I was pleasantly surprised when a lady I had started talking with while preparing my yummy cup of java paid for my coffee and bagel and told me to have a great day. I was so happy. This gesture really made my day! I told her I would definitely pay it forward. It is so easy to brighten up someone elses day. Surprises such as these are inspiring to pass on kindness to others. Now I am thinking about all the ways I can pay it forward today and every day. How do you brighten up someone elses day?

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Thank You God

"Thank You God! You have blessed me with the greatest of gifts - my beautiful child." ~Mama Hen
When Little Chick was a baby I used to tell her the story about how much I wanted a baby. I told her how I asked God every day for Him to bring me a baby. He asked me to be patient. I kept praying and asking and in His time my prayer was answered. My daughter and I say this story all the time. She likes to tell it to me now. Whenever we finish the story I always look up to the sky (or ceiling) and I yell, "Thank You God! Thank You for my beautiful baby!" Now throughout the day I will look up and yell happily, "Thank you God!" Little Chick does the same saying, "Thank You God for my Mommy!" There is no greater gift than my beautiful daughter. Thank You dear Lord.

Thanksgiving Thursday

1.) Little Chick and my family

2.) My education. It was so important to my parents that I received a good education. They worked hard to provide me with one and I am so grateful.

3.) Love. To be loved so much by my beautiful daughter and family.

4.) For my Mom! She is always there to listen and be Mommy no matter how old I get.

5.) For a bit of warmth in the air and the hint of spring coming around.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Valentine's Day and Not Feeling Well

"Hugs and kisses and lots of good wishes! Valentine's Day is a day to remind us how loved we all are! ~Mama Hen
Little Chick is not feeling well. She was so excited about Valentine's Day and getting all of her friend's and teacher's cards done, but she has just been under the weather for a while now. Ever since she got Mono she has been struggling. She was a trooper though! She wanted to make cookies and make sure all the cards were ready for her school Valentine's Day party today. She woke up at midnight on Valentine's Day and she got her Valentine's Day surprise early. That made her feel much better! She is resting right now watching her new favorite movie, National Velvet. We hope you all had a beautiful Valentine's Day!
Midnight Valentine's Day surprise.
Making cards for Little Chick's teachers.Making Valentine's Day cookies.
Off to school for Little Chick's Valentine's Day party!
Valentine's Day mailbox with all the little goodies from friends at school.
Little Chick and Cookie!



Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day

"Shouldn't we all be celebrating Valentine's Day every day? There is nothing greater than telling the people who mean so much to us that we love them each and every day!" ~Mama HenHere is the Shutterfly photo we chose to send out to our family and friends this year. We are looking forward to having a fun day! Little Chick and I wish you all a very Happy Valentine's Day filled with hugs and kisses and lots of good wishes!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Giggles and Piggy Paint - Smile Sunday

"Smile, giggle, have an all out belly laugh. It is a gift you give not only to yourself, but to those around you." ~Mama HenIt is Smile Sunday and there are so many reasons to smile! Little Chick has a way of making me smile all day long! When she laughs I can't help but stop what I am doing and laugh too. The past two days she has been sick, but you would never know it. She continues to light up a room and brighten up my day. I thought it would be fun to paint her nails for the first time to bring a smile to her face. She was so excited! When we were done she said, "Mommy paint my toes too." For someone who was not feeling well, she knew that her spa treatment would not be complete without painting her cute little toes. We used the Piggy Paint, which was wonderful! Nontoxic and no odor. I hope you have a great Smile Sunday!
Adorable Little Chick!
I am ready for some nail polish mommy!
I have to dry them!
Getting ready for my second coat.
Gorgeous!

 

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