Faith and Trust and Pixie Dust?

They're all worthwhile, but why is it that so few of us remember to pay homage to the value in and results of hard work?  All nighters, continuing education, over-time, dedication, going the extra mile, doing the right thing, taking pride in your performance, above and beyond, day in and day out...whatever you call it, it is not a secret formula, available to only a select few. 

Just wondering...

"The heights by great men reached and

kept, were not attained by sudden

flight, but they, while their companions

slept, were toiling upward in the night."

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Lest You Think My Children Are Perfect...

My beloved Buttercup eyed her home-made Egg McMuffin with distaste and and grumbled, "I guess if Bear Grylls can eat grubs, I can eat this."

Gee, thanks!

Back in the "olden" days...

...when I was a kid, we used to celebrate both Lincoln's Birthday and Washington's Birthday.   First it was February 12 and February 22.  Then, somehow, we got two consecutive Monday holidays.  We loved it.  We loved learning about each of this amazing men and, of course, we loved getting two days off from school in February.   Then, something horrible happened...those celebrations morphed into "President's Day".   Two holidays became only ONE!  Life, however, went on and I never really thought much about these holidays and how they've changed since I was a young girl back in the olden days.  Until today...

Think about it.

One of these amazing men helped give us America.  The other helped us save America.  We were introduced to them at the youngest of ages and each year we learned a little more.  We learned about myths and facts, cherry trees, honesty, humble beginnings and great deeds.  We learned about the frozen Potomac and The Gettysburg Address.  We learned about character and conviction.    Do kids in school today still learn about these amazing presidents?

So, what happened to our celebrations?


Did you know that Washington's Birthday was February 22 and was celebrated across the country long before it became an actual holiday?  He was beloved and these celebrations sprang up all over the place.  The date was officially declared a holiday by Congress in 1880.  Five years later, Congress began giving all federal workers the day off.

It wasn't until 1968, though, that the Uniform Monday Holiday Act was passed and we began the tradition of celebrating with three day weekends.  Washington's Birthday began to be celebrated the third Monday of February (which means it is not possible for us to ever celebrate Washington's birth on his actual birthday).

Both Washington and Lincoln were beloved presidents, but did you know Lincoln never actually had an official holiday commemorating his birthday (February 12).    After his assassination, the anniversary of his birth began to be celebrated across the country.  (Who knew?  I always got the day off from school...)

Anyway, once that whole "third Monday in February" thing got started, Lincoln's birthday fell out of favor...there was even an unsuccessful attempt in Congress to rename the federal holiday currently known as Washington's Birthday to "Presidents Day". 

Yes, you read that correctly, this day is still Washington's Birthday.  It is not Presidents Day. Presidents Day is just an invention of advertisers.  Somewhere, along the way, we've stopped celebrating Lincoln's birthday.   So, there you have it.  A brief civics lesson for you on Washington's birthday, Lincoln's birthday, and the myth of Presidents Day!

Food for Thought - Families

"...I see it as a parable of our time; his journey is part of the larger one I'm writing about.  It is a story about finding your place in the universe.  Not just the one out there, but the one in your home, your family, your community, and your world.  By no small measure, my son's story (and in large part each of our stories) reflects how, when untethered from a larger familial purpose, we can become dangerously unmoored, floating precipitously from one external referent to another in search of self."

-- Harriet Fasenfest - A Householder's Guide to the Universe --as she ponders the significance of familial purpose or lack thereof on our quality of life for both her son and the rest of us.
(emphasis mine)

Have you ever thought about "familial purpose"?  Superman and I have been thinking a lot about it this past year (just not with that phrase).  Do we have a larger familial purpose?  What is our family's larger goal?  Why do so many families seem to fracture, often before the children are raised?  Are we working together and engaging in "parallel work"?  What is the real reason we do all that we do?    These are just some of the things we spend time thinking about.   What about you?  Have you ever actually tried to quantify your larger familial purpose?    Does the idea strike a chord in you?

Happy thinking...

I'm Ready for My Closeup...

Beans lets Buttercup do whatever she'd like to her. Buttercup's been crocheting a scarf for Beans. Beans looks lovely in it, doesn't she?  She looks like she's ready for her close-up, Mr. DeMille.

Oops...looks as if there might be trouble on the set.  It seems as if she's got a bit of the diva in her, doesn't it?

That's okay...just give her time to play with the dog's tug toy and she'll be fine.  And look, she loves her scarf...

Gym Rat Pig

Exercise is good for every body...just ask Pig!

 Heading for the Gym Pig

Signing in Pig

 Free Motion Pig

 Marathon Pig

 Personal Trainer Pig

 Muscle-bound Pig

No Plastic Cups or How to Label Your Drinking Glasses

We have the same core group of friends for dinner with some regularity.   It is so fun to have people who feel like extended family in your life and I love hosting everyone at our house.  After a few years, we've all gotten it down to a science and, while each of us does it a little differently, it always ends up being fun.  One of my quirks?  I don't like using paper plates,  paper napkins, plastic utensils or plastic cups when I can avoid it.  Paper plates and plastic utensils were easy to eliminate...just making sure the dishwasher is empty and the cupboards full before our friends arrive took care of those.  Since we've been using cloth napkins for the past 8+ years, I have plenty of those, too.  

  
We have plenty of glasses, but since they're all the same, I end up with every cup from my cupboard on the kitchen counter and people still looking for a drinking glass.  I had to come up with a way to label my everyday drinking glasses.

A few scrapbooking tags, some string, a Sharpie, and some of Buttercup's ponytail holders and I think I came up with something clever.

They worked so well...the elastic band stayed put and the tags didn't get in the way.  At the end of the evening, we just slipped them off the glass and loaded the dishwasher.

The best part?  I can reuse them!

Naturally Blonde Pig

"Why, yes, this is my natural hair color" Pig

Bean is not amused 

(and her highlights require no enhancements)

(For anyone who might be interested, this Garnier highlighting kit is roughly $8.50 at Target and is the easiest way to add highlights to your own hair..I've been using it for three years and I highly recommend it...Pig stole it from me.)

Love was in the Air Pig

 Frugal Home Decor Pig 

(tiny milk bottle vases and dollar store heart sticks)

 Clever Subway Art Pig

(from Today's Fabulous Finds)

 Where is my Valentine? Pig

Conversation Heart Pig

 

 "Still Can't Reach Them" Pig

 

 Heart-shaped Wreath Pig

Oooh!  "We love Superman" Pig

Hope you had as much fun with your Valentine's Day as Pig did...

Food for Thought

Aber Falls Walk - Wales

 
"Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction."  ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and Stars, 1939, translated from French by Lewis Galantière

Convenience Store Pig (aka Junk Food Pig)

 

"Breakfast Soda" Pig

 

 Doritos Pig

 Donut Pig

 Slim Jim Pig

 Chocolate Pig

 "Calling for More Money" Pig

Hard Core Body Art

Ferocious Canine...

Killer Whale...

Embroidery Floss Before and After

Storage of Embroidery Floss - ca. 1990

Storage of Embroidery Floss - ca. 2011

Library Pig

Politics Pig

 Mystery Pig

Children's Section

Picking the right book!

 Checking it all out...

 

Reading...