BIRTHDAY'S

                  WHAT DO YOU DO ON YOUR BIRTHDAY?
                                                        Our Traditions
~~everytime I say ''traditions'' I start to sing the song from FIDDLER ON THE ROOF- in my head of course; well, sometimes outloud ~~     oh brother,
                                                        Does anyone else?

1) Night before: Child (makes a crown out of construction paper, Mommy gets
to write the number on it and he/she decorates it whatever way they choose. Hang
it on the bedpost and wait till morning for breakfast in bed!~~ Adults: no crown
although they made me one when I turned 40 something along with our usual
movie and photos...oh great; burn that up!

2) Day starts with breakfast in bed (thank you Sarah for chatting and loving me today!)
Child is woken or is already sitting up with his/her crown on waiting for all of
the family to come in with video/camera. Everyone has to get up and go into child's room,
sing Happy Birthday. Candles are either melting in the pancakes, waffles, etc. oh my.

Then the rush to get to school etc. Summer? play play play...do whatever he/she likes
within reason. (one year I took Jonathan out of school and we went ice skating-of
course the school didn't know that-shhhh!)

3) Mom cooks whatever dinner you want! (what should I cook today?)
4) Scavenger hunts for the kids; now they are adults; rats. But they still do it and love it.
    (rhymes are made up and the clues get harder with age; sometimes they
     have to do what the rhyme says (e.g. cartwheel to the ''shed") Gifts are
     hidden at some of the locations.
5) cake or icecream cake,,,their favorite.
6) play games during day if possible AND ALL THINGS ARE FILLED WITH
LOTS OF LOVE AND HUGS AND GOOFY ACTS OF THE SILLIES.
                                   
                                  BIRTHDAY VIDEO IDEA
    Once Michael's birthday was during our drive to Florida and he was bummed
that we would be in the car all day! So, I got this crazy idea~!

I videoed tons of people all over town that I did and DID NOT KNOW; they either
sang Happy Birthday to Michael or spoke something. The people who did not know
Michael at all pretended to know him when they spoke, like he was an old buddy.
Let me tell you. There are some pretty creative people out there who can come up
with fun things to say at the drop of a hat!!!!

---One man pretended to be "Tim the Tool Man Taylor" and stood behind the hood
of a car while talking to Michael (Tim's voice and all....)

---A woman made up, in seconds, a long rhyming poem while I videoed her standing
in her kitchen (I never met her before this-that is an interesting story how I ended up
in her kitchen~) wishing him Happy Birthday- then sang.

---A nursery school class used puppets singing him happy birthday....

---Using the "Michael's" Craft Store sign I welcomed Michael
to ''Michael's". The manager allowed me to video at the entrance
while he is welcomed to the store and told Happy Birthday. Lastly,
using the voice from the TV show The Price is Right she said "Come on Down"...

(will add more ideas as they come back to me...)

it was fun and crazy.        HE LOVED IT!!!
Happy Birthday to everyone who's birthday is today!~


    THE GARDENS TODAY ARE LOOKING LIKE FALL
and so are the weeds, they're mighty tall.
    MANY BEAUTIFUL AREAS, WHERE SHALL I SIT
I believe woodland aster's and Tricytris do the trick.

    
   WHILE BEGINNING TO SIT ON THAT YONDER BENCH
  I spied little flowers peeking every way and which.
   BREAK OUT TINY BOTTLES, VASES & "THINGS,"
  fill up each one, varied colors, its better than BLING!
            (oh man, I don't like mentioning Bling but it is the only thing that works here....)

     WELL, Here are some arrangements.


Suggestion: 
Often I will place 5 different shaped and sized bottles 
in the bay windo, fill with water to top and put one single
flower in each (all different varieties); or, I put 5 of the same flower in each, having them at varied heights or the
same height. Here I have chosen to use all glass for every room. But, use anything! Salt cellars, miniature sugar or creamers...oh! next time I have to photo the ''frogs'' that I use
to hold little flower arrangements when something really matters- aka: giving away to cheer someone's day.


The black background pictures above were done
earlier when the lighting was not that great.  The carrier
with tiny bottles were creamer holders from my father's
farm from the 50's. Remember those?    


Well, enough playtime. (will put the FROG device I use on here tomorrow! If anyone knows where I can find a couple more of these let me know; I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO HAVE MORE TO GIVE AND USE.)


PS: dumb? Do you ever sing Happy Birthday to yourself? I always did at 10:08 am in Band Class in middle/highschool; the exact time I was born-oh brother! The Band director thought I was playing right along but I pretended. Sang the song,   "Happy Birthday to Me....etc.'' and then went back to playing my flute! I still do it; YOU ARE NEVER TO OLD TRY. 
                                       TRY IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT.

FIRST TIME OUR POOL HAS OVERFLOWED--- EVER!!!

SING: THE RAIN IN SPAIN FALLS MAINLY ON THE PLAIN...click click, click, click (snap your fingers to the song: ha haha)                                                             NOT!
                                                 IT IS FALLING ON US!!!

t;
(July 2012: didn't realize that this does not upload after so many days sorry about that: basically it shows the sheering winds that bent our trees in 1/2! literally!)
APOLOGIZES FOR THE COMMERCIAL....CAN'T GET AWAY FROM THOSE CAN WE!!
(two days later: I did not realize the station streams directly to my blog: I had wanted a specific weather
report here from two days ago: oh well, it remains the same or worse! so this will not apply in the future when the sunny days return.

Rain Rain Go Away
Come Again Some Other Day......little Suzie wants to play, Rain Rain Go Away.....

The Good Old Days (under construction as photos are found)

KINDERGARTEN 

in a two room school house

THOROFARE, NJ

(names to be added)

When I look at this little girl I think of her wonderful fairytale life in Thorofare and Greenfields, NJ: ....
time marches on: this picture is a .tiff  file so it is not coming out clear...gotta learn how to change it to JPeg...want to post pics of Dad with Granpop, the milktruck, Uncle Windy...   commentaries

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER IN JULY?

 IT'S HOT, HUMID, STICKY AND YOUR HOUSE HAS NO AIR CONDITIONING

SOLUTION?

RECIPE #1: PAINTING:
Take one sweet blue-eyed squeezable toddler in diaper only (cause their little bodies look so cute that way), a used 2" wide house paint brush that's just lying around, a tad of water in plastic container.** (see alternative below) You paint a smiley face on your deck and PRESTO! THE FUN BEGINS.  Stir in a cat and/or dog to the mixture on a whim....sniff some flowers in the process and allow toddler to pluck a few....don't forget the ice cream cone...and AWAY YOU GO FOR FUN IN THE SUN!

ACTIVITY: learning how to paint ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING (gross motor skills); CREATIVE/IMAGINATIVE PLAY, RELATIONSHIP BUILDING; EXPLORATION; ART LESSONS.....AND ON AND ON.....(note: now be flexible: kids love to paint walls,,just about anything, so, "'go with the flow......!"

ISAAC JUST LOVES THE OUTDOORS
This picture doesn't show it but the walkway
in this garden has tall plants and he thinks
he cannot be seen by me!

RECIPE #2: JUNGLE SAFARI
Teach them how to smell flowers and look for
bugs; play ''I'm hiding, I'm hiding and
no one knows where...for all they can see
are my toes and my hair...." 

(ISAAC PAINTING MY CHAIR)
NOW WE KNOW ONE ACTIVITY DOESN'T LAST
TOO LONG WITH TODDLERS,
      SO, WHAT'S UP NEXT ON SUCH A HOT  STICKY DAY? HOW ABOUT......

A JUNGLE SAFARI !

ISAAC OF THE JUNGLE)

(toddlers love to just walk

and talk or make noises telling you what they see or talk to animals- so curious.  I follow Isaac,

he leads the way, and off he goes up through the woods. Its great to see his confidence growing. Be careful though, they pick up anything and put it to there mouth to check it out. The woods holds poisonous things, choking hazards and poison ivy!!!)

RECIPE CONTINUED: provide an unbreakable spoon and small plastic cup- (Isaac has a spoon that looks like an ice cream cone and a tupperware 2 oz. cup for digging in the dirt and collecting stones or big finds!!...they love it! 

and do I see a piggy in the background? What is he doing in the jungle?

"So much to see and do!"

WATER FOUNTAINS are a BIG DRAW!!! 

 THEN MIX IN SOME CATS OR A DOG

that is, if a fox, squirrel or groundhog doesn't appear!

BY NOW YOUR TODDLER SHOULD BE RATHER TIRED AND NEED A REST

with SOME REFRESHMENT

SOOOOO-

RECIPE #3: IT'S INTO THE SHADE or HOUSE YOU GO, GIVE HIM HIS BOTTLE

ALONG WITH LOTS OF HUGS, KISSES AND SING HIM A SONG....but...

Isaac chooses to move his chair to the screen doors; it appears he just can't get enough of the out of doors.

"He-Man"
Where is Battle Cat?
''oh, that's right, we saw him a few
minutes ago in the woods!"

Settling down,  I capture him listening to the birds, the katydids and watching
the tall poplars sway to the beautiful breeze. Does he looked relaxed or what?
RECIPE #4: SKIP THE NAP? WE ARE HAVING TOO MUCH FUN...ISN'T THAT WHAT NANA'S ARE FOR? (to be continued: Swimming with Nana)
OH NO! I NEVER CHECKED THE DIAPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MAKE PILLOWCASES for CHRONICALLY ILL CHILDREN

                                 "ConKerr Cancer": making a difference for children
                                      www.ConKerrCancer.org
                        
As of January 2010:  40 states in U.S. , 79 Chapters:  delivered almost 60,000 pillowcases to
                                                     CANADA AND SOUTH AFRICA
                                "we are just a small group of people trying to make a difference.."

                                                             CHECK IT OUT!

                                        LAZY DAYS OF SUMMER rain or shine?
SEW AT THE PICNIC TABLE after cooling off in the pool....OR, SEW UNDER A ROOF TOP ON YOUR DECK during RAINY DAYS...kids in 4th grade and some younger have a great time learning
to sew..make it a neighborhood event with swimming and games....it is limited only as you choose to limit it.......

These cases were made January 2010 and I never got to publishing this: wanted to put it out there as a reminder to myself and share with you...there are so many other options on the web to research and donate your time and talents.....happy choosing!

WHEN APRIL SINGS

WHEN APRIL SINGS Robert Stolz (m) Gus Kahn (l) 1935 as rec by Deanna Durbin w Orch dir by Charles Previn August 28th 1940 Hollywood The countryside is green again, The world id seventeen again, My heart awakes when April sings. The skies above are blue again, The daffodils are new again, These are the joys that April brings. Songbirds are whispering down by the stream, Telling our weary world, "Wake up and dream!"; For love is new again, And one and one are two again, My heart awakes when April sings. Spring is here, Not a mere January thought, But a little robin I saw told me it was so, And so I know! Spring is here, Summer's near, How can I tell? I know every sign of Spring So very well! The countryside is green again, The world id seventeen again, My heart awakes when April sings. The skies above are blue again, The daffodils are new again, These are the joys that April brings. Songbirds are whispering down by the stream, Telling our weary world, "Wake up and dream!"; For love is new again, And one and one are two again, My heart awakes when April sings.
MY MOTHER SANG THIS OVER AND OVER EVERY SPRING: IT WAS TRULY WONDERFUL

WHAT IS MY ONLY HOPE?

What is my only hope?

That I am not my own but belong, body and soul, to my Lord and Savior Christ Jesus

HAPPY BIRTHDAY's?

March 9th, oh, when I just saw that date go up I realized it is a day after Isaac's birthday (see previous entry) AND the day before my Great Grandmother's birthday who was born in 1885, Anna Smick Livezey. (oh brother,,I use too many words,,that's called ''between") Anyway, at that moment I thought, I wonder if anyone I knew was born this day and = wouldn't that be cool, a distant relative born today mabye? anyway, if so,......> Happy Birthday!   (in september my birthday is the 14th, my sister's is the 16th and I know of someone the 15th; not a relative but still think that's cool.) I wonder how many of you out there know of someone born the same day as you; I know of two on my special day. Yeah, its special to me. Mom made it so very special...but, i think i wrote about that already. (did I write already that my sister and I are the same age for two days...perhaps I did.)


I never knew my Grandmother. She knew me ''perhaps." Mom took me several times to see her but my great grandmother forgot I was even there. She died about 3 months after I was born. Mom says I took after her with my love and passion for gardening. My grandmother was in a wheelchair when she was in her 60's. She had childhood rheumatoid arthritis. So, when she was older and gardening she would drag herself along the ground and weed her gardens. Mom said that people all around came for seeds from my grandmother's gardens and for flowers. She also placed a tub in the ground between two gardens where my mother would sit on a large stone and watch frogs jump in and out of the water garden. One frog my mother brought home from their walks from ''the Pines" in south jersey, would sit on the edge of the tub while my mother pet him. Imagine! That stone is still there today. I know there is a name for this type of stone; it is the stone that was placed in front of a home so when the coach stopped the passenger would step on it instead of stepping into the mud. I am hoping one day to ask if I can have the large stone.  My grandparents home was established in past years as ''historic'' and has been the local library for quite some time! Isn't that neat? (anybody want to loan me a crane to get it home?)

Anna was a beautiful woman, particularly with her hair pinned up. Remember how woman back then put up their hair but poofed it way out? Well, there is a beautiful picture of her next to the Wissahickon Creek outside Philadelphia where she would go boating often with her beau's. I would love to scan that pic and put it here but that is not possible considering the size and condition of the picture.

Well, for now I will just say, since i need to practice my piano, that Anna S. Livezey, a nurse in Philadelphia married a Dr. John Smith.  Can you believe that name?  John and Anna had 3 daughters. They named their last daughter none other than Mary, Mary Smith.  Can you imagine that? And Mary is my wonderful mother! Yep, we are pretty common folks but, special, gifted, talented, extraordinary ''folks." ha haha want to hear another joke?.......................................

ULTIMATE PAPER MACHE: tutorials, ideas, conversation A BLOG by Jonni Good

JONNI'S BLOG:                                http://ultimatepapermache.com

I would like to feature Jonni's blog! Several years ago I happened to come upon her blog and was fascinated by her work. So, I proceeded that very day to read ALL the "how to's" so I could ''someday'' produce my own paper mache creations. It is amazing how our brains tuck away all sorts of information and it somehow remains in the far crevices to be retrieved much later!!!
                                                                   WELL,
two weeks ago our daughter-in-law and son sent us an invitation to our 1st grandson's birthday party. He is ONE TODAY actually, MARCH 8TH.    The invitation informed us that  ''their LITTLE CUPCAKE" was turning one.  The theme of the party would come from the book IF YOU GIVE A CAT A CUPCAKE by Laura Numeroff.  

           WELL,
while returning their dog, Bailey, a puggle to them over a meal at TGI Friday's, Michael our son says,
"wouldn't it be fun if I had time to make a paper mache cat just like the one from the book?" INSTANTLY MY BRAIN THINKS ''YEAH~~! AND I AM GOING TO SURPRISE THEM AND MAKE ONE~~~!!!!"

                                                      WELL, 
I happened to have all the necessary ''fixin's" to make the cat. (Yeah, my art closet is rather large and is filled with an asundry of interesting finds from all over the place....) Understand, I do not think of myself as an artist; I am not an artist. For the first time a few years ago I tried my hand at watercolor. Am trying to teach myself knitting/crochet. My art form I guess is gardening....ANYWAY, I AM PROUD OF HOW HE TURNED OUT IN A MATTER OF SEVERAL HOURS. Now I am thinking perhaps 3D is a form of art I could consider.


I DID NOT USE JONNI'S RECIPE(S) as this was a serendipity activity! First I constructed the base (pic of cat on my piano); next I applied my paper mache (cat form with grey material).

Time for kitty to dry!


Notice he is propped
against a small fish tank.
He was heavier than
I planned and was falling to his right.
I also had to move him
upstairs to my art/sewing room near a heat lamp so he could dry in time!!! (the following two pictures.) Notice the scratch marks in the picture of the cat by the heat lamp; I wanted to portray hair/fur---there are arguments by ''those people'' which it really should be called..ha ha. 


I made holes for whiskers. These will be added at the end and be old bristles from an oil paint brush.

Last but not least; painting! More fun! I took my red, blue and yellow acrylics and mixed what I needed.

Below to the left is the ''kitty in progress." Well, I just realized I never got any great pictures of him all done! The last two are the best I have on hand right now. Wish you could tell how the cupcake looks like real icing. I used a medium to build the acrylic paint up to resemble whipped icing then sprinkled it with real jimmies. The last pic is out of focus; I wanted a view of his head like in the book. Imagine the whiskers; they are there just not visible in the picture. 

ISAAC AND HIS CUPCAKE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISAAC!

Can you imagine: he got to dig into his cupcake with both hands and its chocolate! His first experience of sugar!!! He studied it for quite a while, took a teeny taste and proceeded with great care....hmmmm...what does that mean for a career....his temperment? 

SO WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU GIVE YOUR KID A CUPCAKE?

WHAT HAPPENED TO SEPTEMBER?

September is our birthday month. My sister and I are Irish twins; for two days we are the same age. My birthday is very special to me because Mom always made a big deal. Breakfast in bed is how our day started. We got to choose what we wanted for breakfast and dinner. Now isn't that a thoughtful Mommy?

We also had scavenger hunts sometimes for our gift. Get it gift. Today we give too many gifts and too costly of gifts. Simple is often the better way to go; especially homemade gifts taylored to the individual. Mom made us dresses. I remember one dress I really loved. It had puffy sleeves. The sleeves were short and had elastic around the bottom to gather and puff the sleeve. The dress was blue with rick rack for trimming. I wore this dress in 9th grade. I wore it everywhere. Anyway, she made us girls dresses and doll clothes, our curtains, and stuffed animals. I still have the pink large hippopotamus Mom made. It was my "huggable lovey doo" animal from 9th grade to college. I slept with him every night and talked to him about many things during my growing up time.

Anyway back to our birthdays, Hannah"s and mine. We celebrated with a lunch at (oh my what is it called?) It is something like Kung Pou or Ping...it is the restaraunt that has two huge horses out front along Rt. 1 and Rt. 322. How's that. Ding! Well, we sat all day and had a very nice time. Mom would have loved it too. Hannah is an artist; and, artist's always give interesting ''stretching/outside the box" gifts to their sisters. Did you know that? It has been the cause for some laughter and major hilarity. (a story to be told another day on one specific gift many moons ago that could have caused a car accident; we did live through it, just so you know!!)
Above is the picture of the surprise birthday gift, unable to be wrapped because of its unusual shape..ahemm. What is in there? Well, below is a picture of what she gave me. ''For your Library Suzie!" she says.

Now what in the world is that you say? Well, I am always nervous, isn't that silly (?) but true, when opening a gift from Hannah. It can be dangerous. So I take one glance at it after having opened it and I register ''horse." And I think this time it IS A COOL FUN gift.  I can adjust the neck and legs and position the horse anyway I want. Notice he is drinking from a water glass. Well, what a roar! It took me about 5 minutes before I realized it was

A GIRAFFE and NOT A HORSE! Man, ding dong.! We laughed and laughed. I do like it and have it  

now seated on a high piece of furniture with him appearing to be eating from a real plant. Of course there will be days where I will have to change his position and see if anybody notices. No one will notice; that I do know. Oh well. I will, and that is the fun part. Here is a better view of MY GIRAFFE & LUNCH: Now how in the world could I have registered: ''horse?" 

Eating outside is wonderful, isn't?
Well, after much chatter, sharing of tears about the really hard things in our life and just being ''together,'' we hugged and parted. She to New Jersey, me back to my home. So now we are 56 and 57.  ---the end.

PS: just remembered I did not ''reveal'' my gift to Hannah! Well, let me upload it: simple but nice: a fan from Ecuador for the hot days on her back porch at our parents home: (many memories on the porch).

Hannah has the most beautiful green eyes. Mine are a pale washed out blue. Doesn't Hannah look fun? She always wore green and I wore blue.
Sometimes we would pick out the same item from a clothing rack without the other aware of what we were doing, at the same moment. Her choice would be green and mine would be blue.