The secret to keeping your sanity is to be a little cuckoo and perhaps a little quacked!
When rising early in the morning meant that you got the prize in the cereal box!
If only Scooby-Doo could solve all the mysteries in life!
Month: July 2020
The North Pole Initiation
Snowball walked into the Toy Room and heard Jinx talking. He didn’t see anyone else in the room. He walked over to Jinx to see what he was doing. He started laughing when he realized that Jinx was talking to the Mister Potato Head that he was putting together.
“It can’t hear you.”
Jinx was startled for he hadn’t heard Snowball enter the room.
“What are you talking about?” Jinx said, with a little tinge of red in his cheeks.
“Mister Potato Head. He can’t hear you, his ears don’t work. I heard you talking to him. ” Snowball said with a sly grin.
“I wasn’t …. Oh whatever!” replied Jinx, as he got back to work.
A few minutes passed and Tink walked in the room, muttering to himself and shaking his head.
“What’s up Tink?” asked Snowball, “You are looking a little down.”
“I love tinkering with numbers that is why I am an accountant and when the position came up for an accountant for Santa, I thought it sounded like the perfect job, but…”
Jinx paused in working on Mister Potato Head and turned to look at Tink.
“But what? Do you not like it here?”
“Oh No! All the elves are great, especially you guys, Jangle, Snowball and Alabaster. You all are crazy and I have been having a great time. The problem is I have never seen such messed up books in my life! Who kept Santa’s financial records before I came?”
“Well, as far as I know it was Candy Cane who did it before.” said Snowball. “Guess she wasn’t too good with numbers?”
“That would be putting it mildly, my head is throbbing after working all morning. Santa ordered 100 flibbertigibbets, the new toy that is out now. Do you know how much money they cost? Oh, I had to take a break. I think I should go visit the little Coffee Shop here. Do you guys want to come?”
“Sure. We were just finishing up here. I think Alabaster and Jangle are running the Coffee Shop today, so lets go see them.”
Within minutes they had cleaned up the Toy Room and locked the door when they left.
Tink was shivering as they walked.
“How long did it take all of you to get used to the frigid weather here?” asked Tink.
“Once you go numb, it really doesn’t bother you anymore!” said Snowball.
“That’s so reassuring, thanks!”
“We are always glad to help.” said Jinx. Tink shook his head, rolling his eyes , as they continued to walk.
Soon they arrived and fortunately the line wasn’t too long for them to wait in.
When it was their turn, Tink ordered a large coffee with butterscotch flavored creamer. Jinx ordered a French Vanilla latte and Snowball wanted the Salted Caramel latte.
Jangle was preparing the latte’s while Alabaster got the large coffee for Tink. He made a face about the butterscotch flavored creamer. “I really feel sorry for your tastebuds! Black coffee is sooo much better, than all that sugar! Yuck!” He continued talking to Tink and the others about the wonders of black coffee, when Jangle called out to him.
“Hey, you forgot too turn off the faucet after getting water for the coffee! So now its been running all this time that you been busy gabbing. We now have a sink of water about to overflow, since someone plugged the sink.
“OOPS! Guess, I better go!” Alabaster said.
Jinx, Snowball and Tink, were laughing as they walked away sipping at their hot drinks.
Tink was talking, not looking where he was going, when his feet slipped and he landed face first in a snow drift. The rest of his coffee splattered over the snow.
He got up brushing himself off. “Well the coffee had been warming me up, but now…”
Jinx and Snowball were laughing. “Congrats! You have now been officially initiated into the North Pole! We all have taken our turn at falling into snowdrifts. Isn’t life fun!”
Tink had to agree, with life here at the North Pole, you never knew what was going to happen!
Tuesday’s Thoughts!
I hope this Tuesday finds you all well and still hanging onto your sanity! What do you do to keep your sanity in these times right now? Thanks to all of you who help keep a smile on my face! I hope the following quotes bring you a slice of happiness today. Enjoy!
Climbing the Hill
pinterest
Jeremy had almost made it up the steep hill. He was getting tired, but was excited and looking forward to his last stop.
He really did enjoy his job of delivering bread, to those who couldn’t leave their homes. They were always so happy to see him and thankful for his gift of bread. Delivering the bread took double the time that it should, but that’s because he always got invited inside, and how could he refuse. The majority of his customers were widows, they were lonely and his visits would brighten their week.
There was sweet, little Mary, whose silver hair had a shine to it. She always was smiling, and every time he came she had fresh chocolate cake for him, with peanut butter icing. It was one of the best cakes that Jeremy ever had tasted.
Miss. Catherine was Mary’s neighbor and she had 5 cats. A very caring lady, who had a heart for animals. Jeremy had to be quick when he opened her door to to deliver her bread. It took him forever one time to find Coal one night, after it had escaped. Coal was her black cat, and Jeremy would have never found him if it wouldn’t have been for his emerald green eyes that glowed in the dark.
Jeremy shook his head as he thought of his other customers, the Bisby twin sisters. They were as chatty as could be, but they often made him laugh. They finished each other’s sentences all the time, almost like they could read each other’s minds. The sisters always insisted that Jeremy come in and have tea with them. Jeremy wasn’t really a tea drinker, but he couldn’t tell them. Why they thought everyone loved their special recipe. Often times Jeremy wondered if it was really “tea” that he was drinking.
Honeynut bread was for Mr.Graham, he was the one man that lived on Jeremy’s route and Jeremy would often play a game of Scrabble with him when he would deliver his bread. Mr. Graham may be old, but he was still very sharp when it came to word games. He also enjoyed playing Battleship with Jeremy, and usually he won.
Tonight Jeremy had a surprise for Mr.Graham. He had baked him a special cake, for his birthday was tomorrow!
Mr.Graham’s house was at the very top of the hill, and Jeremy saw it now, he had made it!
He knocked on his door and he heard Mr.Graham’s voice.
“Come on in Jeremy!”
Jeremy walked in with a smile holding the birthday cake in his hands.
“Happy Birthday!”
Mr.Graham’s face lit up.
“You remembered my birthday!”
“Yes, and I made your favorite icing, salted caramel.”
“Oh my! How nice of you! Thank you! Now come sit down and enjoy a piece with me. Then we can play Scrabble. It may be my birthday tomorrow and I may be over the hill, but that doesn’t mean I will let you beat me.” he said to Jeremy.
Jeremy laughed, ” I am sure you won’t!” he said as he took a seat at the table.
He didn’t get paid any cash for delivering bread, but no price could be put on the rewards of friendship!
Frappe Magic
(pinterest)
The Frappacinos were freshly made and waiting. There were 3 caramel crunch ones and 2 mocha cookie crumbles.
Bernadette, the barista, looked at the clock. It was almost 7pm the first couple should be arriving soon.
The bell jangled as Bernadette looked and saw a blonde hair lady dressed in business attire, with heels, enter the cafe. She nervously scanned the room, looking for the man she was supposed to meet. Where was Kevin, thought Bernadette, she had tried to keep an eye out for him, but hadn’t seen him. Ahh! There he was, in the back corner. He had his glasses on and his laptop sitting on the table. He brought his laptop on a date? Bernadette shook her head, she had seen all kinds at the coffee shop.
The lady, Linda, spotted him and walked over to meet him. They talked a little and then Bernadette saw them walking towards her and she grabbed the 2 Caramel Crunch frappes, as they walked up to the counter.
“Linda and Kevin, right?” said Bernadette.
“Yes.”
“Here are your 2 Caramel Crunch Frappes. Enjoy!” she said with a smile and a wink.
“Thanks!” they replied, leaving a nice tip for her.
Bernadette watched them walk back to their table. She was glad to see Kevin put away his laptop, as they became engrossed in conversation.
“Excuse me Ma’am,…”
Bernadette turned her head. A young man with red curly hair, and freckles on his face was standing there with a young lady, who was nervously biting the inside of her lip and looking down.
This must be Daniel and Marianne thought Bernadette.
“Hi! Welcome Daniel and Marianne, here are your 2 Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappes.”
Marianne quietly said, ” Thank you!” and then quickly looked back down. Daniel smiled and thanked Bernadette.
Bernadette watched them walk back to the table, and questioned herself about putting 2 shy people together. What had she been thinking? They just sat there drinking their frappes, not saying a word. They didn’t even look at each other, but down at the table. Poor guys, were obviously very shy! Bernadette wondered if there would be a second date.
She never knew the fun she would have managing an online dating site. She started it on a whim, and had been doing it for the past 3 years now. The site was slowly rising in popularity and she felt so happy in helping some couples find their mates. She would put surveys online for people to fill out and they would send them back to her with a picture as well. There were 20 questions to answer about themselves. Then there was the fun bonus question at the end, which asked, what their favorite Starbucks drink was! Their first date would be at Starbucks and the drinks were Bernadette’s treat to them, no charge.
Sometimes she would only see a couple come once, but other times they would come quite often and it warmed her heart to watch the relationship grow. She had even received some wedding invitations! She had never dreamed that she would have a side job as a matchmaker, now if only she could be as good at finding herself a match as she was at matching up others! She sighed! Someday, perhaps … but for now, she was happy and satisfied, most of the time. Her life was crazy enough sometimes, she didn’t need guys to complicate it. It could be so confusing at times to try and understand them, almost like they were from a different planet!
With that thought, she grabbed the 3rd caramel crunch frappe, and her taste buds reveled in its sweetness.
Friday’s Super Short Stories!
If you aren’t driving the horse, let go of the reins!
The light in a baby’s smile and the sound of their laughter, makes joy bubble up in the heart!
When your sister isn’t a magician … but she knows how to make the color gray disappear!
The Art of Caring
Austin was walking in the woods, thinking as he looked up at the sky. It had been a stressful day at work. Somedays being the boss wasn’t all it was cracked up to be!
He had always been very good to his employees, for he really did care about them. His business was very successful and he was so proud of everyone’s hard work. They were a great team!
Caring about his employees so much though was what made today so hard. Gina was late again to work. This had made the 3rd time this week. She was one of his best employees, but over the past month her tardiness was building up.
She would profusely apologize, but she never gave him a direct answer as to why she was late.
The rest of the day, she was very quiet as she diligently worked at her desk. Her shoulders were slumped at the end of the day, she looked so weary.
Austin felt an ache in his chest. His Mama had always said that sometimes things weren’t always what they seemed. He knew that Gina was very responsible, so there had to be a serious reason as to why she was late, but why wouldn’t she tell him?
He looked up in the sky and heard the words of his sweet Mama again. He felt like he could almost see her face in the sky. It had been 3 years since she had died, how he would love to chat with her again over a cup of chamomile tea.
He thought of her caring heart and how she was always there to lend a listening ear. His heart warmed as he remembered her and he felt a peace come over him.
The next morning Gina was late again and her face was flushed, when he called her into his office.
“I am so sorry, I know I have been late so many times. I promise I….”
Austin interrupted her. “Gina, You have always been a great employee, but I think we both know this tardiness can’t continue.”
He spoke with tenderness, as his eyes expressed concern. “Please Gina, what is wrong?”
Gina sat down and the story began to pour out. Her husband had lost his job, finances were getting tight, she had taken on a part time night shift position. She thought she could handle it, but it was just too much.
Austin shook his head. “You are amazing!” he said. I don’t know how you have managed like you have!
He was silent for a few moments as he thought and then he spoke.
“Gina, you have been with us for a long time and I do believe you deserve a raise. How much would it take for you to be able to quit your part time job?”
Gina’s eyes widened in shock. She hesitated to speak. Austin named an amount and tears shone in her eyes. “Thank you so much!” she said in a choked voice.
Austin put his arm on her shoulder. “You are very welcome, and now I just have one thing to ask of you.”
Gina wiped her eyes, “What is it sir, I will be very glad to do it!”
“Will you please take the day off and go home and get some sleep?” he asked, with a twinkle in his eye.
“I sure will!” she replied, with a heart of gratitude. Her brown eyes were shining when she walked out of his office.
Austin leaned back in his chair, thinking once more about his Mama. She had worked so very hard to keep him and his two sisters fed and clothed. When he got older he noticed the fatigue in her eyes so many times, but it didn’t stop her from smiling. Didn’t stop her from pouring out her love.
“Thank you Mama,” he whispered, as a few tears fell from his eyes.
Tuesday’s Thoughts!
It’s HOT! That is my thought for the day! Don’t worry, the quotes below will be more inspiring than my thought for the day. We are seeing the dog days of summer for sure. My other flowers that had been fighting to stay alive, gave up the fight. They didn’t make it through the summer but they did survive longer than usual, so my record is slowly getting better. Hope you can stay cool today, by having a nice cold drink, or perhaps a bowl of Banana fudge ice cream! Doesn’t that sound good? My husband and I loved it, but then they discontinued the flavor, or else just stopped selling it in our grocery stores. I miss it! Coffee ice cream is good too. What is your favorite kind? Enjoy the quotes. leave a comment if you wish, and have a wonderful day!
Playing Games
from Pinterest
“8,9,10…ready or not here I come!”
Randy started running to find Sherry. She wasn’t going to elude him this time. Every time they played she seemed to find the perfect hiding spot. He would usually get tired, and end up giving up. Not today though! Today was going to be different!
Every bush that he passed, he looked around. He crawled on his knees through a little tunnel, that he had found. He was sure she would be there. Unfortunately he only found mud, and his Mom wasn’t going to be too happy, seeing the stains on his shorts. He did find a striped frog in the tunnel, that was pretty cool.
Oh where could she be? They were allowed to play in the woods, but they couldn’t go too far.
What was that? He thought he saw something move from behind the Hickory tree. He bet it was Sherry, he thought he saw her black shorts. Slowly he walked towards the tree, preparing to scare her.
“Aha!” he yelled!
Oh No! It wasn’t Sherry, it was a skunk! Randy ran away as fast as he could.
He stopped and caught his breath when he got to the little bridge that crossed the stream. He sat down on the bridge and put his head in his hands. Looked like Sherry was going to win again. Girls were just too smart!
The other day, Sherry had tricked him into giving her his last cookie. She had told him that she wanted to count the chocolate chips in it. Slowly she started to count and then she popped it into her mouth with a smirk!
Girls, they are nothing but trouble! Now today he almost got sprayed by a skunk due to looking for her. He should just start for home and see how long she would stay hiding in the woods. That would teach …
Randy turned his head. Was that giggling that he heard? It sounded like it was really close by, but he didn’t see anyone. Sure did sound like Sherry though. He heard it again. It sounded like it was coming from under the bridge!
Randy bent over and looked down, under the bridge. Sherry! There she was squatting down and laughing, looking up at him. No wonder her shorts were a little wet the last time that they had played hide and seek!
He scrambled down from the bridge and into the stream. Sherry was still under the bridge smiling.
“I found you!” Randy yelled with a pleased grin.
“I guess you did.” Sherry replied, with a twinkle in her eye. “Its about time! Salamanders were swimming up against my legs, that’s why I started giggling.”
“Lets see if we can catch some”, said Randy.
He liked that Sherry wasn’t afraid to catch salamanders. She didn’t mind slimy things, like some girls. They had fun trying to catch them, but the salamanders would slip out of their hands too easily.
SPLASH!
Randy’s shirt was sprayed with the cold water. Sherry had a mischievous glint in her eye, ready to do it again.
This reminded Randy of when he had been with his older brother and his girlfriend. His older brother wasn’t too happy about him having to tag along, but Mom had insisted. They had gone to a lake and while Randy was having fun splashing around, he saw Tori, his brother’s girlfriend, splash his brother. He figured his brother would splash her back, but …. instead he kissed her! Why would he do that, he thought. Is that what you are supposed to do when a girl splashes you?
Sherry kept splashing as Randy stood there thinking. Well it was worth a try, but he would make it real quick.
SPLASH! He wiped his face off again as Sherry laughed. Then he leaned in and closed his eyes and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
Sherry’s mouth dropped open and SPLASH! She had lost her balance and plopped into the stream!
She sat there with her mouth, open staring at him and Randy stared back.
Sherry blushed, and giggled.
Randy suddenly started feeling shy, so he did the only thing he knew to do.
SPLASH! That got Sherry back on her feet quickly, as water sprayed in Randy’s face.
Randy really didn’t understand what the big deal about kissing was, when one could SPLASH!
Conquering the Challenge!
Jeff was flying his plane in the clear, azure blue sky, feeling free. He was so glad that he had got his pilot’s license. The joy he felt when flying high in the sky couldn’t be compared.
Katelyn had been unsure at first about him flying, but after he took her up in a few times in his plane, she agreed, that it was wonderful. They were eager about going on trips together. Thinking about her made him eager to get home. His heart smiled as he thought about her, remembering their last night together, before he had left.
They had went on a short camping trip the weekend before he left. Being out in nature was something they both enjoyed. It had a been a fun day of hiking in a beautiful wooded trail that led to a rushing waterfall. It had been a very hot day, and it didn’t take him long to decide to jump into the cool water. Katelyn was laughing, as his big splash had sprayed on her, while she was sitting on the big rock. She soon had jumped in as well. They had spent a hour swimming in the water, just the 2 of them, in their own little paradise. He remembered the feel of her wet body wrapped against his, as they stood underneath the spray of the waterfall. The taste of her lips …. Oh he had to clear his mind now and focus on flying, so that he made it back home!
Oh No! That couldn’t be right. His fuel gauge was saying that he was just about empty. He must be leaking fuel, for he knew that he had made sure to fill completely up before leaving! Now what? He nervously stared at the flashing light on the fuel gauge.
Was there a good place to do an emergency landing? He knew he was too far away from the nearest airport, where else could he go? He flew on, feeling more scared the longer he flew, and then he saw it. Yes, there was land! He wasn’t sure exactly where he was, but he really didn’t have the choice to be picky. He prepared to land.
It wasn’t the smoothest landing that he had ever done, but he was on the ground, and alive, and for that he was very thankful. Before he had landed, he had radioed for help explaining his situation. Help was on the way, he just had to sit and wait now.
He was sitting and munching on an apple, when he realized he had a visitor.
Jeff couldn’t believe his eyes, he was looking at a Sunda Colugo! He and his other fellow animal biologists had been looking for one of these, but in all their explorations they hadn’t found one. Now here one was staring right at Jeff. Jeff could only stare in shock for awhile, it was a cute little thing.
He quickly grabbed his camera, his co-workers would love this, and probably be a bit jealous. Jeff couldn’t help but smile with a glint in his eye. They all had been challenged to find the rarest animal for the last entry in the book that they had been working on for awhile now. This was an exploration trip he had been on, and he had found some unique animals, but this one was perfect. Jeff was feeling pretty smug, thinking he may have won!
The Colugo seemed just as interested in Jeff, as he was in him. It wasn’t shy, as it had no problem hanging around and posing for pictures. Jeff was thrilled! Sometimes the greatest surprises came in the most unexpected way!
Katelyn was coming down the stairs and Jeff caught his breath. She looked stunning in her tangerine colored dress. It was a little off her shoulders and it went great with her tan. They had gone on a vacation to the ocean when he arrived home. A week of sun, water and relaxation. It had been the perfect getaway.
Now his boss was taking everyone out to dinner to celebrate the completion of their book. Jeff’s picture of the Sunda Culogo had won for the last entry in the book. What could he say, he had a feeling about the Culogo and his feeling had proven right!
Life was good!
His heart was warm, and he couldn’t stop smiling, as he took Katelyn’s hand and walked out the door.
Nuggets of Gold 