A letter to my daughter as an old woman

I saw this on Facebook this morning and just had to share.  I don’t have daughters, but I do have daughters-in-law and girlfriends.  This is a must read… ~ Jan

I had a thought yesterday that made me very sad.

I'll never know you as an old woman. 

My job as a mother is not to teach you to be an amazing kid, but to teach you to be an extraordinary adult. I want to guide you so that when you are an old woman, you will look back on your life and feel that it was well lived. 

These are the things I wish for you when you become an old woman:

When your hair turns silver and your skin turns a bit sallow, I hope that your eyes shine as brightly as they do today. (tweet this)

I hope your happy memories outweigh your worries.

I hope you dance...even if it's slowly.

I hope the world is good and that kind people surround you.

I hope you have a companion, be it a partner, a child or a friend.

I hope the mistakes you've made in life have been long forgotten and the bright spots sparkle.

I hope you found a unicorn.

I hope you celebrated every birthday with those that you love.

I hope you travelled and laughed and sang at the top of your lungs.

I hope you did work that you loved, that you helped people and that you prayed daily.

I hope you aren't in too much pain.

I hope you let your kids stay up late so that you could snuggle under the covers and tell each other secrets. I hope you have grandchildren and that they talk...constantly.

As the years pass, my greatest wish is that I taught you well. That you were able to fight when you needed to and give in when you wanted to. That you helped others and were kind to yourself. 

I hope you shine.

I know you'll shine.

And I hope. I really, really hope....that I taught you well.

 

I had a thought yesterday that made me very sad.
I'll never know you as an old woman. 
My job as a mother is not to teach you to be an amazing kid, but to teach you to be an extraordinary adult. I want to guide you so that when you are an old woman, you will look back on your life and feel that it was well lived. 
These are the things I wish for you when you become an old woman:
When your hair turns silver and your skin turns a bit sallow, I hope that your eyes shine as brightly as they do today. (tweet this)
I hope your happy memories outweigh your worries.
I hope you dance...even if it's slowly.
I hope the world is good and that kind people surround you.
I hope you have a companion, be it a partner, a child or a friend.
I hope the mistakes you've made in life have been long forgotten and the bright spots sparkle.
I hope you found a unicorn.
I hope you celebrated every birthday with those that you love.
I hope you travelled and laughed and sang at the top of your lungs.
I hope you did work that you loved, that you helped people and that you prayed daily.
I hope you aren't in too much pain.
I hope you let your kids stay up late so that you could snuggle under the covers and tell each other secrets. I hope you have grandchildren and that they talk...constantly.
As the years pass, my greatest wish is that I taught you well. That you were able to fight when you needed to and give in when you wanted to. That you helped others and were kind to yourself. 
I hope you shine.
I know you'll shine.
And I hope. I really, really hope....that I taught you well.
 

Farmers are the lifeblood of America...

I'm such a fan of morning routine...

 Every morning I get up, come to the sunroom with my morning coffee, turn on NPR, sit and look outside, watching the birds, the horses in the pasture, enjoying the serenity of country life, while catching up on emails.  I love NPR, I’ve been a fan forever, not buying into all of the left leaning that it supposedly has, I just like the news, the familiar voices, I’m a creature of habit.  I don’t want to talk, I don’t want to leave the house, I just want to be quiet and slowly wake up to the day.

So here I sit, listening to the wind chimes, as it’s a blustery winter day yet again, enjoying the familiar voices on NPR, smiling at Maggie as she does her morning stretches at my feet, it’s just the best, my morning routine...

Things I enjoy….

I sit in my sunroom at my computer day after day after day.  Why?  Because I like it, that's why!  It's quiet, it's soothing, calm, relaxing.  Oh c'mon Jan, get real.  I do it because I can and I have no desire to do things that aren't fun anymore!  And in an attempt to justify why I do this, I've made a list.  Well, I have, and it's a good one, too!  This is what I enjoy every day...

• The Local Noon News on the  tv mounted above my computer screens
• My pretty hydrangeas that wink at me thru the window
• The finches on the feeder, so close that I could touch them if it wasn't for the glass in the window.  I know, I can't really touch them, but they're so close.
• My awesome blackbird email notification wav sound, I love that sound, twe-eeet when mail comes in.  Always make me smile.
• My little fan that blows air on me.  Hey, computer screens are hot, and I have two big screens sitting just inches away from my face, and that little fan works like a charm.
• My awesome bulletin board the guys made for me last summer, I look at it and see all of the people I love and I smile.  Wanna see it again?  Sure, here's the click...
• Radium Radio, the best MAC app, ever!  This little retro radio sits on my top toolbar on my iMac and it has all my favorite stations, including my Sirius XM.  Every kind of music I could possibly want is just a click of my mouse button.  And since hubby installed fancy schmancy external speakers, the sound is amazing!  Well, la-te-da, aren't I special...
• The sound of my wind chimes on the patio, tinkling in the breeze.  It's the old hippie in me, i adore wind chimes.  Don't you?
• Growly notes.  See the screenshot below?  If you're lucky enough to have a MAC, Growly Notes is FREE.  It's a customizable notebook, that you just drag pictures and text into, and I have it just full of everything I love.  It's too much to even try and explain.  Google it…

 

 

I love, love, love my cow wallpaper.  It was a Pioneer Woman freebie a couple of years ago. I always have it on my desktop, I just love those sweet little faces looking at me.  I just gave this to my buddy, V yesterday.  You want it too?  Sure, here's her link...

 

 

And my red-winged blackbird mail notification sound.  You want it, too?  Okay.

Here's the link for a PC

Here's the link for a MAC

Now you want to know how to install these.  You gotta Google this, too, it's not that hard, just a few steps.  

And that's just a few things that  I enjoy.  

And isn't this boring...

 

Did you ever have a day that was so reminiscent of your childhood that you could almost reach out and touch it?  A day so bittersweet that the memory is almost painful?  That's what my day is like.

The weather in Heavensville is absolutely glorious.  Temps in the mid 80's, low humidity, it's a perfect summer day, a day that mother used to call "easy living."" Hubby and I were about and about on Milly, and the breeze, the sun, the clouds, it just took me all took me back to that simple life in the country.

Oh, how I loved sitting on the front porch, dressing my cats in doll clothes, drinking mother's sweet tea with a plate of warm cookies, fresh from the oven.  No worries, no problems, just a little girl living with nature and animals on a dusty country road.  There were so many summer days like today, the windows open, the clothes hanging on the line, WROY, the Tri-State Boomer playing on the radio in the kitchen.

It was so shady at our little house on the ditch, tree's surrounded the house, filtering the sun, it was just so simple, and so, so, so wonderful.

Sure takes me back...

The honeysuckle is in bloom...

 

There is nothing better than the smell of honeysuckle on a summer evening and last night when we were out for an evening ride on the golf cart,  the fragrance was so strong it was intoxicating.  I adore honeysuckle, I grew up with it on my beloved ditch bank,  and then when the kids were little it was in a field behind our house.  I have wonderful memories of my sweet little boys, fresh from their evening bath, sitting with me on the back steps just smelling the honeysuckle.

I hope you live where it's in bloom, and if you don't have access to it, just take a ride in the country with the windows down on a nice summer evening and you will be rewarded with it's amazing fragrance.

Another simple thing...

Kwik Kut Food Chopper

Mother always used this Kwik Kut Serrated Food Chopper when I was a little girl for chopping strawberries.  She swore by it, saying that berries release a lot more juice when chopped, rather than sliced.  And it's so much faster than slicing, just a few chops and you're finished.  She would put them in her wonderful stainless steel bowl, and make magic.  

Now I have her bowl and one of these choppers, thanks to Cousin Phyllis, who gave me one a few years ago after I mentioned that I wished I still had Mother's.  We have strawberries almost every single night this time of year.  I've fixed them so often, it only takes a few minutes to stem and chop a quart of berries.

You can still buy this great cutter on Amazon , they come in a double pack, a serrated and a solid, and they work so well.  You can use the solid one for chopping soft food, like boiled eggs and it's a great biscuit cutter.

Pair this chopper with that nifty strawberry stemmer that I blogged about last week, and you've got a winner!  Several of you have bought the stemmer and emailed me to tell me how great it is.  Well, this little chopper is a "must have"  as well

You can't go wrong with this, after all, Mother really did know best.  ;o)

Here's the link, you can scoop both of these up on Prime for $12.18

Or, if you prefer, you can just buy the serrated one for $2.35, but it isn't Prime, so you'll have to pay an additional $4.99 shipping.

Here's the link

And if you missed the post about how great this little strawberry stem remover is, here's the link for it.
 

Now go treat yourself and order these, trust me both of these items are just great.  Pinky swear they are.  ~ Jan

 

Today is the first day of spring...

 

Really???  March 19, 2012 we set a record in Heavensville of 83 degrees.  March 19, 2012, we set a record low.  I don't know when I've ever been more anxious for warm weather!

Ball Jars, what's old is new again...

The interest in Ball Jars seems to have skyrocketed in the past couple of years.  It took me awhile to catch up with the hoopla, but ever since I started making Salar-in-a-Jar, I, too have jumped back on the bandwagon.

LC worked for Ball Corporation in the 70's, so to me canning jars, or  "fruit jars" as mother always called them, will always be "Ball Jars" in my house, regardless of the brand.. But I was a new bride in the 70's when LC worked for Ball, mother had always been an avid canner, and since I had to prove that I was my own "woman" heaven forbid if I ever did the things that mother did.  In retrospect, how silly that was.  And how I wish I could talk to her today and show her all the ways I use Ball jars.  She would be so thrilled.  And think of all the "goodies" I could have taken advantage of back in the day.  I think the only thing I ever got was a Ball Freezing and Canning Book.

In the picture above from Country Living's website, they drilled a hole in the top of a an old zinc lid, inserted a plunger and made a soap dispenser.  I've had a badzillion of these old lids, but they're long gone now.  I'm sure the antique stores must still have a supply, and of course, eBay.  If this interests you, you can access the entire article here.  
 

My friend, Barb, told me last week about a deal on Decor Designs, which she missed, they were selling Ball jars with lids and straws. And it looks like some clever crafter has made them, the instructions are here.

And what is yours truly doing with Ball jars these days other than sealing them with salad in them?  Well, I make homemade salad dressing and for years I've used cruets to store it in, mainly those that you get with dry Wishbone Salad Dressing Mix.  But recently I had a flash of brightness and realized that it worked much better storing the salad dressing in a pint Ball jar.  It's easier to shake, easier to spoon out the dressing.  It just works!

And I store leftovers in them, all kinds of leftovers, my refrigerator is lined with these things.  And now that I'm making yogurt, they are invaluable.  I prefer the wide mouths, they're easier to use, and I have them in quarts, pints, half pints, and jelly jars.

Last week I ordered these plastic lids on Amazon Prime.  $5.74 for a package of 8 widemouth ones, no tax, free ship.  They had the same thing in our local Rural King for $4.50, but it's not worth the money or the hassle to truck over there to buy them, and you have to pay tax when you buy them locally.

To say these lids have changed my life is a bit much, but O.M.G. these things are wonderful.  It's taken my storage to a whole new level.  You can't can in these, or pressurize them, but once a can is open, these lids are perfect.  My fridge is already full of jars with these lids, I'm going to have to order more!  No more rings and lids, no more lids falling off the jars because Jan can't find a ring, plastic storage caps, where have you been all my life?

I hope I gave you some ideas on this gorgeous Tuesday afternoon.  It's 51 degrees, the sun is shining, Trisher and I have been out on the golf cart for-ever, just enjoying the day.

Now go order some plastic storage caps and see if it doesn't make your life a little easier.  It's those simple things, ladies...

Make your home a happy place...

 

I saw this on Pinterest today and thought it was spot on.  I can identify with everything, with the exception of #5.  Somehow those dishes just don't do it for me.  

And I love, love, love #3 - I need to do more of the sentimental things ASAP.  And #9, somehow that justifies the obscene amount of money I'm about to spend for a Matfer Boullion Strainer.  Well, LC does enjoy my homemade yogurt.   ~ Jan

1. Make your bed.

The book The Happiness Project, explains that this three minute task is one of the simplest habits you can adopt to positively impact your happiness.

2. Bring every room back to “ready.”

I learned this trick from Marilyn Paul’s clever book, It’s Hard to Make a Difference When You Can’t Find Your Keys. It’s a known fact: Clutter causes stress; order creates a haven from it. This mood-boosting routine is simple: Take about three minutes to bring each room back to “ready” before you depart it. (Unless you have a toddler, or a partner who likes to simulate earthquakes, three minutes should be sufficient.)

3. Display sentimental items around your home.

One reason that experiences (and memories of those experiences) make us happier than material things is due to the entire cycle of enjoyment that experiences provide: planning the experience, looking forward to the experience, enjoying the experience, and then remembering the experience. Make your home a gallery of positive memories.

4. Start a one-line-a-day gratitude journal.

Before bed, simply jot down one happy memory from that day. (If you have kids, you can ask them, “What was the best part of today?”) Reflection is an important part of happiness, and pausing to reflect on a positive event from each day cultivates gratitude. (An added bonus: Later, when your memory is defunct, you will already have all of your meaningful adventures recorded!) If you have trouble getting started with journaling, consider buying a book to guide you. Simple Abundance, by Sarah Ban Breathnach, is a great one.

5. If you can’t get out of it, get into it.

This tip comes from The Happiness Project. I love the message: The dishes are not going to clean themselves, so you will do it, and you will like it! (Unless, of course, you can outsource this job, in which case I say: Nice work!) Otherwise, get into doing the dishes. Feel the soothing warm water on your hands. Enjoy the tickle of the tiny bubbles. Crank your favorite album at an unusually loud volume, do a couple fist-pumps while shouting “Can I get a hell yeah for the dishes? Hell! Yeah!” and pretend you love it.

6. Before you get up each morning, set an intent for the day.

In The Art of Happiness, the Dali Lama says “”Every day, think as you wake up: today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it.” Wow. What a wise man. I tend to wake up with a strong visceral reaction that says, “Attention human beings: Be afraid of me before coffee. Be very afraid!” Setting a daily intent makes a huge difference. Your daily intent could be something like “be productive” or “enjoy today’s delicious moments” or it could be something more specific like “say thank you to my loved ones today.” But it should not be another “to do” item on your list.

7. Do small favors for your housemates, expecting nothing in return (not even a thank you!).

(That’s right, I said it: nothing!) Mow the lawn for your husband, but don’t expect him to pat you on the back. Make the bed for your wife, but don’t try to get bonus points for it. Take the trash out for your roommate, just because. The ability to cultivate strong, healthy relationships is one of the biggest contributors to health and happiness, but when you start to keep score, the benefit is lost. (No! It’s YOUR turn to clean up the dog poop!) It’s a well-known fact: When you do good, you feel good.

8. Call at least one friend or family member a day.

You can do this while you clean, while you make the bed, or while you walk the dog. Texts and emails do not count! Make an actual phone call to a loved one, just to chat and catch up. We humans are social beings and studies show that even when we don’t feel like it, even if we are naturally introverted, socializing with our loved ones makes us feel better.

9. Spend money on things that cultivate experiences at home.

Save money for a new grill for parties or a new DVD for family movie night — something that will encourage you to have people over and entertain. Plan a summer barbeque, invite your closest friends, kick back and relax. (And don’t forget to print out the pictures to remember the good times.)

10. Spend a few minutes each day connecting with something greater than yourself.

Whatever your spiritual beliefs — or non-beliefs — may be, studies show that connecting to a high power is correlated with happiness. Just stepping back to realize that we are part of an enormous universe can put some perspective on your annoyance with the those-are-definitely-not-mine-and-they-are-abso-fricking-lutely-repulsive socks under the coffee table. Before bed, spend just a few minutes contemplating something larger than yourself. Take a walk in nature. Write in a journal. Create a sacred space in your home. (Or if spirituality is really not your thing, create a home spa: light some candles, soak in a hot bath, delve into a good book… are you feeling better yet?)

Another one of those simple things I talk about so often…

We’ve had nothing but rain this spring in Heavensville. The ground is saturated, the plants are saturated, in other words it’s a muddy mess!

The yard is so muddy the M&M’s have to have their paws wiped every time they traipse thru the grass in search of the perfect spot to potty.

And yours truly has had a helluva time.  Sometimes I need to go in the yard.  My windowbox is the perfect example.  It’s attached to the back of the patio fence, and it’s so muddy behind the patio where I have to walk to access it that I get my shoes filthy. The fleurs needed deadheading,  so I asked hubby to snip for me since he always wears his rubber clogs.  Well snip he did, first cut and he whacked off my biggest dahlia blossom.  I swear that man, who normally has a lot of finesse, is like a bull in a china shop when it comes to fleurs.

I had to do something, I was tired of washing my tennies and didn’t want to resort to puting plastic grocery sacks over my feet like I did last week to avoid the mud, and I was talking about these garden clogs this weekend.  The family thought they wouldn’t work for me, since my prosthetic feet are stationary and the clogs are cushy on the bottoms, but low and behold they work just great!  I tried on a pair in the store, and walked easily in them. So now I have not one, but two pairs of these rubber lovelies uglies, yellow and orange.

It’s such a joy to be able to put them on and muck around in the yard, you have no idea, girlfriends…. Love, love, love those simple things…

This baby boomer’s blast from the past, the hibachi!!!

Springtime, and our thoughts turn to outdoor grilling.  I was talking to hubby earlier today about how excited I was when I was a little girl to grill out on our hibachi.  He looked at me like I was nuts and started laughing.  Now why would he do that?  Hibachi’s were a wonderful thing.  We would dump in the charcoal, ignite it, and soon we would be grilling burgers and dawgs.

Hubby rained on my parade, telling me about how bad charcoal is for you.  Geezy Pete, it was just a few little ‘ole burgers.

Of course the hibachi is long gone, replaced now by my favorite portable grill, the Weber Smokey Joe.  OMG, Hooterville fires it up and cooks the best burgers you’ve ever put in your mouth, seriously.  I wish you could all try them.

Smokey Joe is awesome.  Not only is it cheap, it’s easy to take along.  Set it on a picnic table, and you’re in business.  It’s cold once again in Heavensville, our 70 degree temps are gone for now, but I’m dreaming of warmer days and burgers on the Joe…

Sure we’ve got the big ole kick-ass stainless gas grill, that for some reason guys just find fascinating, but not me, gas  just doesn’t give you the  flavor that charcoal does.  I would much rather fire up this little beauty and treat myself to the real meal deal.  Such a simple thing…