Perhaps Cat Stevens wrote the musical “CATS”. ( this “story” is “thanks” to my husband, who was having fun being witty!)
When your number doesn’t fall within the normal range, in fact its practically non-existent!
When all the little things add up to big things in the wonderful language of love!
He looked at his watch, she should be coming soon. She was always on time and he always looked forward to every visit from her. It was by far his favorite time of day when she would appear beside him with her sweet smile and spunk.
Henry enjoyed living at the “Golden Acres” retirement home. The staff were very friendly and he had made good friends, but nothing quite compared to the days that Gia would come to see him. He had no family to visit him, so the days could get long at times. He was so thankful at how the elementary school nearby had an after school program for their students to visit the residents. His friends enjoyed it too, the children added sunshine to their days.
Gia was such a sweet, spirited girl. She loved to talk, but she did enjoy listening to Henry’s stories too and loved to ask questions! Intently she would listen, as he would share not only about his day, but about stories from his past. He would watch as her hazel eyes would grow big in amazement at some of the stories that he would share with her. He did enjoy teasing and would sometimes embellish the stories a bit just to see her mouth open wide into a big O shape. She then would see the gleam in his eyes and would giggle as she realized that he was pulling one over on her, sometimes causing her cheeks to get as red as her hair.
The sound of approaching footsteps made Henry turn his head. The children were coming and Gia was leading the line.
“Henry, oh Henry, do I have a story to tell you!” Gia squealed.
She plopped herself down in the chair in front of him, her cheeks were flushed with excitement.
He got such a delight out of listening to her stories. The sound of her voice was like a sweet melody, filling his heart with joy. Sometimes she would tell him what crazy Tommy did in class that day, or how her teacher told her to be quiet. How the teacher didn’t understand nuffin, that sometimes she just had to talk or she would explode.
Henry couldn’t hold back his laughter as he watched the emotions splash across Gia’s face as she told her story. She waved her hands in the air as she was explaining her frustration with her teacher. She had got in trouble again for talking.
“Then my teacher made me wait another forever 5 minutes after recess had already started! It was awful, I was dying ! I just had to tell Abby what Mikey had told me. He likes her he weally does! He wanted to meet her at the merry-go-round, but cause of teacher he had to wait, wondering if Abby would come.”
Henry’s eyes sparkled as Gia paused to take a breath. “Oh dear, poor Mikey. What happened?”
Gia smiled and said, ” I ran fast, when teacher said I could go. Abby was swinging and I pulled her arm saying we had to go. She wasn’t too happy with me at first, but when I told her about Mikey she got happy and ran to the Merry-go-round. We had fun going round and round but guess what, guess what Henry!”
Gia’s eyes once more got wide as she started to explain. Then she bounced out of her seat because of laughing so hard.
“Oh Henry it was so funny!” Gia sputtered out.
“What is it, tell me please, what happened?” Henry asked.
Seeing Henry’s eagerness to know made Gia start laughing again. Once she got control of herself she continued with her story.
“Well Henry had a present for Abby, it was in his pocket and it jumped out! It jumped out and landed on Abby, Henry!”
“What did? What was his present?” Henry asked.
Henry’s eyes danced with amusement as he watched Gia throw her hands up in the air and shout, ” It was a FROG!”
“Oh Henry, Abby squealed and Mikey’s face got all red, Abby don’t like frogs, but I do, I like frogs Henry, do you like frogs?”
Before Henry could answer, Gia continued. “Abby ran fast to the teacher and me and Mikey we played with the frog. It was a cute frog, but teacher didn’t let Mikey take it back inside with him, he had to let it go. Mikey and me played with it a little after school until we got picked up.”
Ending her story Gia took another breath and said, ” Oh Henry I have something for you before I forget”, and she reached down to pick up her backpack.
Henry put his hands to his face and said, ” Oh No, its not a frog is it!”
Gia dissolved in giggles, “Oh Henry, you funny, its no frog! Here you go, and Gia placed it in his hands.
“I hope you like it, I drew it just for you. I gotta go now Mom will be waiting. Bye bye friend!” With those words she gave him a quick hug and he watched as she skipped down the hall.
Henry’s eyes glistened as he then looked at the little card that Gia had placed in his hand. On it was a drawing of Gia and him holding hands and scrawled beneath the picture were the words. “Thanks for being my fun friend. I like you. Happy Valentine’s Day Henry! Your friend, Gia.”
Henry smiled and thought how this may be one of the most special Valentines that he had ever received and his heart was full.
Happy Tuesday everyone! The snow has stopped falling, letting a world of white behind. What color is your world today? Hopefully a nice bright one! May these quotes add a special touch to your day. Have a wonderful one!
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We woke up to snow falling this morning and creating beauty once again. The temps are barely above freezing, but just enough for it to not be laying on the roads which is nice. since I soon have to drive on them.
Watching the snow fall always seems to add a touch of magic to the air. My mind was going back in time as I watched out my window. What “magical” moments do you remember from your childhood? Big moments, small moments, anything that brings a smile to your face and some magic to your heart when you think about it. One of those memories that you enjoy revisiting from time to time.
Here are some memories that popped into my head as I watched the falling snow.
1. Playing in the creek with my friends, splashing in the water and floating down the creek in an inner tube. (Yes, it is snowing outside and my mind is thinking about summertime! :))
2. Walking into the kitchen and seeing my Mom cooking chocolate pudding on the stove. Ahh! Dessert was going to be good tonight for supper!
3. Being in my best friend’s bedroom and us listening to the Top 20 Country Music songs Countdown on the weekends as we tried to figure out the meaning of life at the ripe old age of 10!
4. Telling my Boston Terrier all about the problems with guys and her listening with great attention and totally agreeing with all I said as she cuddled against me.
What magical moments would you like to share? Grab a cup of hot chocolate and take a little trip down memory lane. Feel free to take us along if you want, by sharing in the comments below and pass the marshmallows please, I need some more for my Hot Cocoa.
If you missed Part one of “The Secret Castle”, here is the link to it. The Secret Castle
The Secret Castle (Part 2)
She took one look and fainted, collapsing right inside the door!
“Oh No! I do believe we frightened her!”
Jangle was walking up to the door where he saw Jinx and the Dragon staring down at the poor girl lying on the floor.
“May I ask what you were thinking, opening the door with the dragon beside you! Of course you frightened her, what did you expect her to say, “Oh, HI Mr.Dragon, may I come in?”
Dinosaurius looked down and Jinx patted him on the head assuring him that she would be alright, but that perhaps he should go in another room before the young lady woke up. Dinosaurius being the kind, understanding dragon that he was decided to go lie down for a bit. Snowball was taking a nap as well and missing all the excitement going on at the moment.
After Jinx and Jangle rubbed some wet, cool washcloths on the lady’s forehead she started to stir. Slowly she opened her eyes and saw the anxious faces of 2 men staring down at her.
“Welcome! I am Jinx and this is Jangle, who are you?”
The young lady sat up and gave a tentative smile as her eyes wandered around the room.
“Thank you! My name is Cassie. I hope you don’t mind me coming here, but my car broke down and I didn’t know where else to turn. Your castle is lovely, how long have you lived here?
“Oh just a few day, but this isn’t our castle. We don’t know who it belongs too. It appears to have been abandoned. We were on our way home to the North Pole, but apparently we have a very directionally challenged dragon and…”
Cassie’s face began to drain of color as she said, “Excuse me did you say dragon, was there a dra … dra … dragon with you when you opened the door? I was beginning to think that was just my imagination.”
“Yes, Dinosarius the dragon, was by my side, but trust me you have nothing to fear! Dinosarius is a very friendly dragon, he is really sorry that he scared you earlier. ” Jinx explained.
Cassie started to chuckle as she shook her head. What a day this was turning out to be. She had met 2 cops who appeared to be more like Laurel and Hardy then cops. Then she found an abandoned, yet not so abandoned castle with a dragon inside it and 2 short men. Suddenly she remembered something else that they had said.
“Did you say you were headed to the North Pole?” Cassie asked them.
“Yes, we were, and we are soon ready to head back. We found out the right directions this time. Snowball knows the way. If he would have stayed awake when we were flying before, he would have been able to stop us from taking this detour, but he can’t pass up a good nap! Jinx replied.
“Wow!” My family will never believe this story! Why oh why would you be headed to the North Pole, if I may ask?”
“Well to work for Santa of course! Why else would anyone go to the North Pole. We are Santa’s elves.
Cassie was beginning to wonder how hard she had hit her head when she fell. She had questions whirling around in her brain and she wanted to ask them but yet at the same time she hesitated. She had learned that asking questions doesn’t always help ones curiosity, sometimes it only adds to it!
She smiled and said to Jinx and Jangle. “It is my pleasure to meet you both and I do think I would like to meet Dinosarius again if I am able. ”
“Sure! I know he would be glad to meet you!” Jangle said. “I will go get him and see if Snowball is awake yet, so that you can meet him too. He is Santa’s newest elf.”
Cassie shook her head, one just never knew what a day may hold. She was in a beautiful castle with a dragon and 3 of Santa’s elves! What else could happen?
Knock! Knock!
Jinx went to the door wondering who it could be. He opened the door and to his surprise there were 2 men standing there and a police car parked in front of the castle!
Oh gosh! What trouble had Jangle and Snowball went and got themselves into now! thought Jinx.
“May I help you?” questioned Jinx to the men.
“We were looking for a young lady. … Oh there you are!” they said, as they noticed Cassie staring at them with her mouth wide open. She hadn’t expected to see them again.
“We just wanted to make sure that you were alright Miss, we saw your car still sitting out there and thought we would check up on you.”
“Thanks guys, that was very nice of you.” Cassie said as she came walking over to them. Their faces blushed a little at her praise.
“I think I will be fine, I just need to get the tire fixed on my car.
“Oh, I can take a look at your tire.” said Jinx, ” Always glad to help when I can. I may be able to fix it.”
They were all still talking when the color suddenly drained from the men’s faces. They had quickly turned around, bumping into each other, as they both tried to squeeze out the door at the same time!
Jinx and Cassie were confused, until they looked behind them and saw Dinosarius, Jangle and Snowball coming towards them.
Jinx went to the door to yell out at them, but they were gone! He came back in chuckling.
“Well they are gone now, but they will be back!”
“How can you be so sure they will be back,” questioned Cassie.
“They were running down the road, they totally forgot about their car!” he said.
Cassie started laughing too, and they both went to see the others. Cassie was delighted by Dinosarius when she got to know him and had fun getting to know Snowball too.
“Well Cassie, why don’t you take me to your car and I will see if I can fix your tire”, said Jinx.
“Okay”, said Cassie.
“I think it has a hole in it and that is what made it go flat. ” she said.
“Oh holes! I know all about holes, let me share with you some lessons on holes”, said Jinx, and they went out the door.
Later that night, after a delicious hot supper made by Snowball, Cassie said that she would have to leave to head home. Snowball made sure to fix his special coffee for her to enjoy on the long drive back home.
“I can’t thank you all enough for your hospitality and for helping me fix my tire. I won’t forget you guys and I really hope you have a safe trip back to the North Pole! Do you think you can put in a good word to Santa for me?” Cassie said, with a grin on her face.
“Yes!” replied Jinx.
“It would be our pleasure”, said Jangle and Snowball.
Cassie thanked them once more as she shook all their hands and gave Dinosarius a pat on the head, and then she walked out the door. Her heart was full. At first she had been so upset when her car broke down, but look at the pleasant surprises that had come out of it. Sometimes you can find new friends in the most surprising ways!
Complicated : Rolling your eyes at someone’s wit, while at the same time fighting the urge not to laugh!
Hypnotized : When you look into your pet’s deep eyes, their spell of love has been cast.
Birthdays: Happy Birthday Sherry, my dear friend, thanks for keeping my sanity as intact as possible over the past years! Hammer proof birthday brownies are in the oven just for you. 🙂
Eltz Castle in Germany photo from Pinterest
She stopped right before the castle door. Who lived in this majestic castle? Would they let her in? Her car had broken down and there were 2 guys that stopped to help her but they sure didn’t seem to know what they were doing. They rode up in a police car, but she greatly wondered if they really were cops, for when she asked to see their ID, she got shown 4 separate ID’s. They had 2 each.
The one guy offered to look under the hood of her car, but he forgot to prop open the hood and it clunked him on the head. The other guy pulled out her spare tire and they tried to put it on for her, but it was like watching Laurel and Hardy. She had trouble holding back her laughter as humor danced in her eyes while watching them. They were sweet, but they didn’t have a clue as to what they were doing. She thanked them kindly and then sent them on their way, assuring them that she would go find help at this castle that she had spied down the road.
Now she wondered if she had done the right thing, but she couldn’t turn back time now, so she bravely knocked on the door.
Who would come to the door she wondered as she timidly waited. She had always wanted to see inside a castle, now perhaps she would have her chance.
Was anyone going to come, had they heard her knock, she started swaying from side to side as she was growing curiouser and curiouser by the minute.
Oh she heard footsteps coming, her heart began to thump as the door slowly swung open and …
(Part 2 will be coming… 🙂 )
I was taking a trip back in time yesterday as I was staring at this picture. This was taken back in 2014. Aren’t swans such a beautiful image of peace. Our family was sitting outside in front of this lovely lake on a beautiful Spring day. We were watching the swan and eating delicious, melt in your mouth Swiss Truffles!
We were enjoying the beauty of Switzerland! Our family was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go on a trip to Europe. We visited the village of Lucerne in Switzerland, Paris and Venice, Italy. It was a wonderful time of learning about so many different things and seeing so many beautiful sights!
What stood out to me yesterday is how back in the Spring of 2014 while staring out over a peaceful lake, my heart was at peace. Life was good! Little did I know that within a year’s time, our family would be going through a very hard time as our lives would be turned upside down for a couple of years.
While going through those very tough years there were times where I longed to be back by the lake in Switzerland. Or back to walking through amazing Venice and riding on a gondola. I wanted to be in the courtyard of the Louvre again, feeling the warmth of the sunshine and enjoying the beauty of the big fountain. The feeling of being in awe that I really was there.
It struck me how if I had known about the trials my family was going to face in the coming years, I wouldn’t have felt at peace like I did when we were in Europe. In spite of being a very curious person, I realize that there are times when I don’t want to know what may lie ahead of me. It would be too overwhelming to know about something bad that was coming that I couldn’t stop. It would only create more worry and worry is something that no one needs. It never helps anything! All it does is rob the present moment of its joy. Moments of time that you can’t get back again. How sad it would have been if I would have wasted my time in Europe by worrying about the trials that were coming to my family!
I was reminded yesterday about savoring the moments as I was listening to relaxing music in my living room, reflecting on life. I may not know what lies ahead but believe me I can still let my mind wander and get me all worried about something that may or may not happen. When we let ourselves get caught up in fear and worry about the future there are so many blessings that we may miss out on seeing.
We can miss out on seeing the the beauty of the blue sky or the bright colors of a butterfly if we are focused on our worries and looking at the ground.
Its something that has been said often, but at times we just need to reminded again. Reminded to seize the day! “C’est la vie!” A wonderful phrase and the extent of the Latin that I know!
Look for the good in each day, even when it may seem hard to find. Look for something to make you smile. It may be something as simple as a picture hanging on your wall reminding you of happy times. Let those memories warm your heart and give you the strength to go on, facing whatever may come your way.
Life is a journey of twists, turns and ups and downs. A journey that gives us smiles and tears, but a journey that is uniquely ours. A journey that will teach us things if our hearts and eyes are open to them. Lessons that we can learn in the sunshine and some that we have to learn in the rain. Embrace them all, for when added together they all make up this amazing adventure called Life!
Happy Quote Day! Did you wake up this morning feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed? My computer apparently didn’t like “waking up” this morning for it was locking up on me, but all seems to be well now thankfully. It just took a little time. Some people can be ready for the day as soon as their feet hit the floor, others need to stumble around a bit first. Yes, the latter one may be me, but I am fully awake now, well at least I think so. Wishing you all a wonderful day, keep your eyes open, for you never know what may be lying around the corner. And you need your eyes open so that you can read these quotes. Enjoy!
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They had been trudging through the hot sand for what seemed like forever. Little Caleb was getting so tired and his feet were sore.
“Mommy, Mommy, please carry me!”
Sarah’s tired eyes looked down at her precious, pleading little boy. With a heavy heart she picked him up in her arms. She couldn’t say no, he had been such a brave little trooper through this journey. The problem was she didn’t know how far she would be able to carry him. Her Mother’s heart wanted to carry him the whole rest of the way, but physically she just couldn’t. Her body was weak and fatigued as well. Had she done the right thing in dragging Caleb out to the desert with her?
All she knew is that she had to get him out of the situation they were in. It had been dangerous, and she had to protect her child. She was so very scared about this journey they were on, but she was even more scared to stay. She felt that she at least had to give it her best shot at giving her son a better life. Isn’t that what all parents wanted? A better life for their child.
“Mommy I’m so thirsty.” Caleb whimpered.
Sarah walked a little farther and then stopped and gently put Caleb down.
“Lets take a little rest my dear.”, Sarah said, as she watched him sit down on the sand.
She handed him the canteen that she had brought with them. She made herself to take only a couple sips of the water, for there wasn’t much left and Caleb needed it. The water had felt so good to her dry throat. After taking a drink Caleb handed it back to her. He then stretched his little body out, lying down on the sand. Sarah gently rubbed his hot forehead and soon he was fast asleep.
Tears welled up in Sarah’s eyes, the poor child was so exhausted. Would they make it to their destination?
Sarah stretched out as well, but she kept her eyes open as thoughts ran through her mind. She knew she should stay awake and keep aware of her surroundings as Caleb slept, but it was hard for she was so tired. She kept telling herself that in the end this long, hard journey would be worth it. That safety and new opportunities awaited her and Caleb.
Her thoughts began to drift as she lost the fight in keeping her eyes open. She let herself dream of the new life that she desperately hoped for. She prayed that she would see her long awaited dream of freedom finally become a reality.
