12 Days of Valentines Day: Day 3: Sentimental Jewelry

12 Days of Valentine’s Day. Day 3 Go to your jewelry box and pull out some sentimental jewelry and wear it. You’ll think of that person all day. This roadrunner pin was a gift from my Great Aunt Wezie. She lived in Arizona near her only sister, my grandmother Anne. She bought this and sent it to me, wanting me to have something distinct from the area where they  lived.  #womeninmyfamily #beautyofeverydaylife #12daysofvalentinesday #valentinesday #day3

Tupperware Museum: A Colorful Diversion

It is true. I went to the Tupperware Museum (and Headquarters) when I was at a family reunion in Orlando. I'm more of a Pyrex girl, but the women of the family declared it was to be Tupperware then pedicures, and I am not one to stand in the way of girl fun.

When I talked to my mother-in-law on the phone that night, she started naming off the pieces she owned and how they had never let her down. I don't have any Tupperware, but it was neat to read the descriptions in the exhibit and learn about their role in empowering women to make their own money. It really was ground-breaking for women to sell to other women in their homes.

Though I didn't spring for any of these containers, tempting as they were, my family made a major dent in their inventory and I'm sure created a blip on the sales reports. It was a fun stop for us, we took a group picture and all reminisced about wedding showers and the challenge of cupcake carrying. It was light and fun (and air conditioned. 96 degrees in Orlando that week).

Thank you, Tupperware, for a lovely walk down memory lane.

#tupperware #orlando #familyreunion #housewarelove #housewares #cleverstorage

Family Reunion in Orlando Florida

We just had a great week at my husband's family reunion in Florida and I wanted to share this rental location with you because it was perfect. The rental property certainly doesn't know that I'm posting this, but I feel that something this great should be shared. Maybe you can have a delightful family reunion too. 

The goal of this reunion is to rent a house for a week that can accommodate 28-30 people. I know, that's a tall order. This rental property had a nice room with private bath for each of the family units. The kitchen is huge and the large clean space made it fun to cook as teams each night. The location is close to all of the amusement parks and every generation seemed to find something they loved to do nearby.

The price varies by season, of course, and we were there when Florida is at its hottest (96 degrees is no joke). If you are looking for an Orlando getaway for a large group, this could be a great home base. Drink some orange juice for me, okay?

#orlando #rentalpropertyorlando #familyreunion #familyreunionorlando #castofthousands #disneyescape #familyreuniondisney #rentalpropertydisney

Talk to Strangers

Talk to strangers...they may have known your grandmother.  

I want to share with you an almost unbelievable coincidence.  I was waiting at the Delta gate in Detroit to fly to Florida, when I started chatting with a grandmother in a wheelchair near by.  She was travelling alone and in the course of conversation she told me that she was 92-years-old. She said that she had already had a long day, because the first leg of her trip had been traveling by car to the airport from Mount Clemens (a town about an hour away).

When I remarked that my grandmother had been from Mount Clemens, she got a hopeful look and asked me, "What was her name?"

"Helen Held"

Well my new friend just about fell over.  "Helen Held!  Helen Held," she couldn't believe it.  "I lived across the street from Helen!"

I couldn't believe it either.  I immediately thought of the house on Gary Road that I spent so much of my life visiting.  Baking Christmas cookies.  Hunting for Easter baskets. Eating grilled cheese sandwiches with homemade pickles.  If it was Sunday, we often said "Let's go ride over to Nama's."

But my mind was called front and center when she said, "Oh, we used to love watching Wilber come pick Helen up for a date."

Wilber?!  A date?  Suddenly we are reminiscing about when my grandfather was courting my grandmother in 1930.  1930. 

She said things like, "Oh, she was a beautiful dresser." and, "She wore high heels!"  She said that she and her sister were about 8 and 10 years old at the time and that they were "fascinated" when my grandmother left the house all dressed up for a date.  She was sharing memories from eighty two years ago.  She said, "I can't wait to tell my sister!"  They talk every day.         

I still can't believe it.  Can you believe it?  My grandmother lived to be 89 and it has been far too long since I have been able to talk to her.  

I joked with my new friend that Nama must be up in heaven urging us to, "Say Mount Clemens. One of you say Mount Clemens. You both know me!"  Whatever she did, it worked.  Not a beat after she said Mount Clemens, I mentioned Nama and we found our connection.  When we said our goodbyes, she held my hand and said, "You're just as beautiful as your grandmother."

Have you found yourself chatting with a stranger lately?  You never know what will come to light.

Family Book Club

Am I sparking your imagination?  I saw this stone arch and a two track road winding into the distance and knew that you had to see it.  It could be the cover of a great book, don't you think? 

When I was at my husband's family reunion, there was a great moment when the kids (boys and girls age 12-18) were clamoring for my attention.  I casually asked them for recommendations of books they thought I should read and the floodgates opened.  I kept track of the title, author, and which child was recommending it on a "notepad" on my iPhone and the more titles I wrote down, the more they seemed to come up with.  It was magic.

A big part of this great family moment was the fact that I valued their opinion.  I was looking them in the eye and giving them the chance to affect me.  They were "pitching" their favorite books, hoping that I would read them and be impacted the way they were.

I proposed a Reunion Book Club (our reunion is every 2 years with family coming from Minnesota, Texas, Utah, Michigan and Virginia) and one of the teen boys suggested that we manage the group on Facebook - I love it!  I promised to transcribe the reading list (to the Reunion Book Club FB page) so that the kids could refer to it to read any books they might have missed.  The kids said they would check the page to see my progress and offer encouragement.  Yowza, I've got a lot of reading to do!  But this was a precious connection and I'll do anything to keep it.  

Would the teens in your family like to have a book club?

The Joy of Painting

"Look at the color of the water!  Anne, take a picture of this."  The remnants of our art lesson looked as pretty as the actual paintings! 

My mom's sister is an artist and when she came to the cottage for a few days, the three of us spent an afternoon painting.  Our plan was to paint Lake Michigan (and get a quick lesson in watercolor clouds), but the weather changed and the intermittent rain showers kept us from setting up outdoors.  We worked from memory and had the most relaxing time encouraging the blue paint to soak in and swirl with the water on the paper.

I had no illusions that my painting would ever amount to anything.  But spending time with my mom and my aunt on a rainy afternoon felt wonderful.  I knew right away that what we were making was memories.     

Parade Route

Every small town in America has a parade on the Fourth of July. It is a time of sunshine, school marching bands and, occasionally, a really great float. This cow, Ruthie, which is sponsored by the Leland Mercantile ("The Merc") is my favorite by far.

I have been in Leland for the 4th of July parade every year (but 2) since I was a baby. I remember years watching the parade with my entire family, including both of my grandmothers. I remember hoping for candy to be thrown my way.

Now a million years later, we have an even bigger crowd - my parents, brothers and sisters-in-law and all the kids sit on blankets along the road and enjoy this little bit of Americana.

The parade is exactly the same every year and as "short and sweet" as this moment is, I love it just the same.

And now its my teenage nephews that make sure to hand me a Tootsie Roll after the floats go by.

Family History

When my husband & I moved into our first home, my parents gave us the dining room table & chairs that I had grown up with. How wonderful.

I was suddenly "dinner party ready" and have been filling our dining room with people ever since.

Because my mom had given me the table pads & table cloths too, I have mostly kept the table covered over the years and haven't done much as far as waxing/polishing.

I thought that it was time to do some protective steps and asked my Mom how I should polish it. She turned up on my doorstep with this can of Johnson Paste Wax.

This was her mother's can and it is at least 50 years old. An antique itself, notice that the price stamped on the lid is 89 cents! We opened the can, got out some cloth diapers and lovingly buffed on some family history. By the end, the table looked gorgeous and had that faint wood polish smell.

Today I am sending the beloved paste wax can back to my Mom's house and am going shopping for some formal placemats for Easter dinner.

This is the beauty of every day life - this is delight.

Humble Pie

Apple, blueberry or cherry? That will be the big question this weekend because Saturday (January 23rd) is National Pie Day.

The American Pie Council has a web page listing the events, contests and recipes in honor of the occasion. If you are the mood to bake Saturday morning, my favorite apple pie recipe (called "Trick or Pie" on Halloween) is easy and delicious. Or stop by the bakery department of the grocery store and take your pick.

Then when your family says "What's the occasion?", you can tell them all about it.

Puzzling

I use the word "puzzling" not as adjective (meaning confusing) but as a verb (the act of putting small pieces together to make a really cute picture).

This week we have been puzzling.

I put up a card table in the family room and things are taking shape. This puzzle is a Joan Steiner "Can You Find It" puzzle of a kitchen. Small everyday items are used to look like a dollhouse-sized kitchen. Can you see the black stove? It is made from an old Walkman. And the brown turkey on the counter? It is actually an acorn. I think this style of puzzle is so fun and interesting.

My favorite puzzle of all time is of a general store! Ceaco Can You Find? - Trump's General Store

I have heard quite a bit lately about how puzzles are "good for your brain." While everyone is touting health and wellness this January, I am doing my part by suggesting you get yourself a puzzle and have fun watching it all come together.

Family Tree

Over the years, I have loved giving you ideas for Christmas ornaments that you can make yourself. There have been:

• medallions of newspaper
• butterflies coated in glitter
• angels with bubble wrap wings

all custom-made for my "family tree."

The focal point of this tree are the ornaments I've made from family photographs.

Yesterday, a reader asked to see the whole tree and I felt silly that I hadn't shown you before! Of course you need to see how they all work together.

Here is my delightful family tree filled with wedding photos, baby pictures and lots of love.