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For Friday Faves today, we are honoring National Old Stuff Day. Everyone has old stuff that they can't part with. What old stuff do you treasure? I am old enough that I have many old treasures. My daughters are going to tell you about what they have that is old to them!
The first thing I asked my girls was if I could treasure their old dad! They got a laugh out of that. But, when I asked my husband what old things he treasured, he said, "You!" Ha Ha! I'm glad that we were both on the same page. That is why I included our engagement picture in our collage.
" I wrote about a clock that we received as a wedding gift on this post. But, I have some old stuff that goes back farther than that.
I actually have a 1922 silver dollar that my dad gave me when I was about 7 or 8 years old. He had come home from work and was outside checking on the chickens or something. I ran over to him and gave him a big hug and a kiss. Then, I turned and ran away. As I ran, he called, "Hey Doc! (His nickname for me). And he flipped the dollar to me. I caught it! I have kept it ever since and treasured that memory. I also still have my cedar chest that was a high school graduation gift from my brother and sister-in-law! Over the years it has traveled with us and held other treasures that I have held onto. But, none were as treasured as the cedar chest itself.
Do people still get cedar chests? Do any of you have one? I remember that it was so important to me to have one. My mother had one and it was always wonderful to open it and find the hidden treasures within. It was so special for me to receive my own. Mine definitely has that 70's vibe, but I still love it. Here are a few that you can find on Amazon even today!
My mom has been a knitter and crocheter her entire life. At least that is how I have always known her. My girl's and I all thought of the myriad of afghans we have received from her over the years.
One that comes to my mind is a blue one that she knitted for me and then embroidered on. My dad actually helped her make the tassels that went along each end. I didn't take a picture of it because I have it saved in a vacuum sealed bag. My mom has made all of her children and grandchildren many afghans over the years that we all count as treasures. We also have quilts from her that we treasure. She only began quilting around 30 years ago, which was fairly late in life if you consider that this month she will be turning 95 years old! But, she has been very prolific at creating quilts. Lindsey and Alicia each received as young girls special quilts from her that were gingham with embroidered squares. Now that they have each had baby girls, she has made the babies embroidered quilts as well. Here is a picture of Alicia's with a couple of other treasures on it.
Alicia got Rudy, her Cabbage Patch Doll back when they were at the height of popularity. Notice the yarn hair. The gray bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy, has also been with Alicia forever. They went away with her to college and now her own children play with them. (She couldn't find Rudy's clothes for the photo. Oops!)
LIndsey, who has loved the piano from day 1, began her piano playing career on this little red piano from her Grandma and Grandpa Reynolds. She still has it up on the shelf in her piano room in her home.
It actually does play a scale very nicely and I really did start teaching her to play little songs on this cute thing when she was very young. (Here is a similar one.) We then advanced to a small key board, a larger key board and finally to an out of tune piano. She also was able to take lessons from better teachers than I was. Now, she is an accomplished pianist who teaches others to play.
Maddy also immediately thought of the quilts and afghans from her grandma, as well as a metal trunk that she cherishes that came from her Grandma Reynolds. Maddy never really got to know her Grandma Reynolds because she was afflicted with Alzheimer's Disease before Maddy was born. But she loves to hear the stories about her and when her Aunt offered her the trunk, she was so happy to have this piece of history.
Do you notice a theme? All of the old stuff that we treasure somehow connects us to our families in some way! They bring back precious memories. So, what do we treasure most? Family! I guess my husband and I were correct when we chose each other as old stuff that we treasure! This all kind of reminds me of the Pixar Movie, Coco. And all of this reminiscing makes me want to make sure that there are old treasures that all of my children and grandchildren will have to help them cherish our family as well.
Do you have old stuff that you love?
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I grew up loving Fairy Tales. They could be the original versions from the Brothers Grimm, or the Disney-fied versions, it didn't matter. As you know, I am a romantic at heart and Fairy Tales filled that magical need I had (have) inside myself. Not only that, but Fairy Tales can be used to teach lessons in a way children can understand. Lessons about being kind, honest, hard working, and so forth. So, as a result, my children were raised hearing Fairy Tales from me, whether I read them to them or told them from memory with my own twists. We all have our favorites, plus we all have enjoyed some of the various spoofs and modernized versions of Fairy Tales that are available. Because Monday, February 26th is Tell a Fairy Tale Day, we thought we would share some of our favorites in all of their many forms for today's Friday Faves. Be sure to let us know what your favorite Fairy Tales are.
Lindsey had a hard time choosing one Fairy Tale, so she picked Into The Woods.
This story uses many Fairy Tale characters from various stories and weaves them together into one story that deals with the consequences of the decisions made in the stories that we already know. Into the Woods is actually a musical play, but many people love the story itself the best.
The idea of intermixing all of these Fairy Tale characters reminds me of the television show, Once Upon a Time, available on Amazon.
Alicia chose Cinderella as her favorite. I must say that this is a story dear to all of our hearts. Especially the Disney version because we love the music and the mice. I also grew up watching the Roger's and Hammerstein Version with songs I always loved. It is fun to see Leslie Ann Warren on Once Upon a Time after all of these years.
But, the Cinderella story is universal and comes in many other formats. Check out these Cinderella story books (Many are available on Kindle and /or Audible):
And, don't forget the super cute movie with Hillary Duff, A Cinderella Story.
Maddy's favorite Fairy Tale is Sleeping Beauty. Even as a teenager, when we went to Disneyland, we had to stand in line for her to be able to get her picture taken with Aurora. And she does have a point that in the Disney version movie, this princess has the most well trained, beautifully lilting voice of them all. Her range is amazing. If I am reading the credits correctly, her name is Mary Costa.
But, just like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty is an old tale with many versions. Here are a couple of them.
I used to regale my children with tellings of The Three Little Pigs and Goldilocks and The Three Bears. Of course, I would tell these by heart, without reading a book because my parents used to tell them to me that way. My father used to tell me that the hot porridge burnt all of the hair off of the Daddy Bear's tongue. I have passed that on to my children and grandchildren. And, when the Big, Bad Wolf went down the Pig's chimney, he landed in the hot pot which caused him to shoot back up the chimney and land so far away that he never came back to bother those 3 pigs (who all survived by the skin of their teeth) again. But, I have seen some awesome versions of these stories over the years. Here are just a few of my favorites:
What are your favorite Fairy Tales? Do you have a special way of telling them? Get yourself prepared to share one with someone on Monday and enjoy the magic!
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking them, we will be compensated, but there is no additional cost to you. All opinions expressed are our own. Thank you for your support. Have you ever felt really grouchy and then had someone do something so kind for you that it turned your day around? Or, have you ever had a complete stranger do something for you randomly that both surprised and delighted you? I have and when it happens, it makes me so grateful and makes me wonder what I can do to return the favor. Today is Do a Grouch a Favor Day and tomorrow is Random Acts of Kindness Day. So, for today's Friday Faves we thought we would share our favorite ways to brighten people's days. Smile! I love walking down the street or out of a grocery store and looking into people's faces and smiling right at them. Sometimes they seem down in the mouth and caught up in their cares and then when you give them a smile and they smile back, their whole countenance changes. It always makes me happy to get that return smile as well, so it is a win-win situation. Give a Sincere Compliment! Sometimes I am guilty of thinking something kind about someone or noticing something wonderful about them, but not telling them that I noticed. I have found that when someone compliments me about something, it makes me feel so good and even surprised! I realized that some people are especially good at remembering to give compliments freely and that I wanted to be better at it. So, I have made a conscious effort to notice good things about people and tell them what I see. Making this effort has helped me to be more loving and less judgmental and people have truly appreciated the compliments. If you really want to make someone happy, compliment their children or grandchildren! That always makes the parents' day and when they pass it on to the child, it makes them happy as well. Give Someone a Phone Call Lindsey mentioned this me and it is a true thing. If you think about someone, give them a call and tell them that you were thinking of them and just wanted to tell them that you care. Ask them how they are doing. It feels so good to stay in touch with old friends. Bring Them Dinner Years ago when I was a young mother with 4 little kids, overwhelmed by laundry and house cleaning, I once vented a little to a group of women in church. The next day, an older woman from church stopped by my house with a delicious casserole and said she had made extra and more than she and her husband could eat and wouldn't I like to have it for my family that evening. She was so sweet and I appreciated her loving gesture so much. I felt a little bad that I had complained, so I resolved to be less of a complainer. But you know when you allow people to give service to you it helps you both and that casserole was so good and it saved me a night of meal prep, which was a very good break. And, I developed a closer relationship with that friend that truly blessed my life. Since that day, I have tried to be alert as this good woman was, and notice when a little extra casserole might help someone out just when they need it. Take Them Out to Lunch This involves a little more expense, but sometimes it is so great to take someone out to eat and talk. If going to a restaurant is too much, just invite them over for lunch or their family for a simple dinner. This is great to do for new neighbors, church members, parents of your kids friends. The art of entertaining and conversing seems to be becoming a lost art that we need to get back to. Bake Extra Bread or Cookies and Share! During the holidays, we love taking our baked goods to friends and neighbors. When I make jams and jellies, I enjoy sharing them with others as well. Who doesn't love being on the receiving end of these goodies? When it isn't the holidays, but just because, it is almost better because it is such a surprise and it leaves behind the good feeling of having been thought of. Share Flowers, Fruit and Veggies From Your Garden This is self explanatory and I love when people do this for me! Talk to Someone Who Seems New or Left Out There is nothing worse than feeling like the odd man out or like you don't know anyone at a gathering. It can bring back memories of Junior High nightmares! What a feeling of relief it is to have someone acknowledge you and make you feel included and like you have value and something to offer. Just telling someone hello and that you are glad to see them takes so little effort and can really help someone feel better about themselves. Use the Post Office! I am not saying this because my husband is a Postal Worker! I just know that I love receiving letters and cards in the mail! I love seeing a person's handwriting and knowing that they thought of me as they personally wrote a card, Thank you note or letter! I know everyone is complaining about the cost of stamps going up to 50 cents. But, think about it, you can spend that 50 cents to send a message of love and kindness to anywhere in the country! From California to New York, it costs the same and makes people happy! Small Gifts of Things They Love If you know someone loves a certain food or scent or that they collect something and you find it at a good price, it is so much fun to just randomly give them some of that thing. My mother in law was very good about this. I remember her stopping by with a basket of strawberries for me just because she knew I loved them. My mom and sisters will share books and all kinds of things with me, just because. It shows a person that you notice them and that you think about them and care about their happiness. Most of the things on this list are so simple, not very time consuming and inexpensive. But, the amount of joy that can be spread by doing them is immeasurable. That joy always returns to the giver 10 fold.
How do you like to brighten people's days? We would love to hear your ideas and start putting them into action.
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking them, we will be compensated, but there is no additional cost to you. All opinions expressed are our own. Thank you for your support.
My girls and I threw an early Galentine's Day party at Lindsey's house. Alicia couldn't be there of course, since she lives in California, but Lindsey and Maddy came, along with my two DILs, my granddaughters (except Sofia, Alicia's baby) and my "adopted" daughter Charly. Maddy and I decided to team up today to talk about our favorite ideas for decorating and enjoying your own Galentine's Day, because, after all, who enjoys a sweet, pink party more than a bunch of girls?
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Creators of Hot Cocoa Bombs! (copyrighted)
Author
Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to eleven! I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born. Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out! Read more about us here! Archives
June 2024
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