I can’t think of a much better way to spend a Fall Sunday afternoon than a hike at McConnell’s Mills State Park on a crisp October day with an all-time best friend.
McConnell’s Mills is only 30 minutes from our home; and I am shocked to say it has been years since I have visited. That will not be happening again! Janet and I spent three glorious hours hiking around the beautiful state park.
When I think of “lost and found,” a long-forgotton song comes immediately to my mind: “Happiest Girl in the Whole USA.”
Isn’t it strange how a word or a song can evoke such crazy memories and feelings?!
I’ve been playing this song over and over as I contemplate this #Writing101 Assignment.
It makes me smile, it makes me laugh (when music was “corny” by today’s standards), but mostly it makes me sad….
Let me take you back.
It was circa 1973.
I was 10, my brother was 9. We were living in another new-to-us house with our Mom and new Dad and new baby sister. My brother and I were “buddies.” Being only 13 months apart, we were very close (some refer to this as “Irish Twins”). We had a special bond in our life as we were the stable link in our family life that had turned us upside down and all around. I smile remembering the sweet little boy my brother was. Even when I see him today, it is that little boy I see (despite the circumstances that have affected our lives).
One weekend afternoon, my brother and I were allowed to walk to the shopping mall that was about a mile from our house. The details of the circumstances are sketchy in my mind (I truly believe I have blocked a lot for sanity’s sake), but the emotions are as raw as if it were that day 40 years ago.
It was a big deal for us to get to walk to the “five and dime” and spend some of our allowance on whatever it was that we were looking for at that point in our life. Mom had asked us to pick something up from the grocery store for her and gave us some money. Like I said, the details are sketchy, but I want to think it was a $20 bill we were given to purchase whatever it was we were supposed to get. (Though thinking back that sounds like a lot of money for 40 years ago – maybe it was $10??) The amount really doesn’t matter, and we’ll just say $20 for the sake of this story.
My brother and I were walking and running and skipping and who knows what else along the way to the store. There was a creek, there was a tunnel, there was an old one-room school house. All of these things were investigated on our trip. It was exciting to have this freedom, and we were enjoying our adventure. When we got to the store, however, we couldn’t find the money we were given to buy what Mom had asked us to get.
PANIC!
We were going to be in BIG trouble!
Boy did our moods change. We headed home combing the ground for the lost money.
No luck…
We finally decided we needed to tell Mom we had lost the money and were not able to get what she had asked us to buy.
She was so mad.
She didn’t believe us.
She told us to march ourselves right back out the door and FIND that money.
My brother and I were distraught. We had looked everywhere for that money on the way home until finally giving up. Mom didn’t believe us. She thought we were lying and spent her money on something else for ourselves.
We were sad.
We had no clue what our punishment was going to be when we went home again WITHOUT the money…
We kept walking the path we had traveled, tracing and re-tracing our footsteps. Heads down. Hearts heavy. So nervous.
Then, as if sent on an angel’s wings from heaven, there it was! The $20 (?) bill on the ground right in front of us in a spot we had looked at least five times at.
We screamed. We screeched. We hugged.
We starting running home – only interrupted by skips – as we sang “I’m the HAPPIEST Girl (and my brother shouted BOY!) in the WHOLE U.S.A.). We were so “happy.” Though truly the feeling was “relief.”
I really don’t remember Mom’s reaction or what happened after. I just remember the elated feeling of being spared the punishment for an accident that our Mom didn’t believe. And that is still the part that makes me sad. Mom didn’t believe us. She thought we were lying and deceiving her. She didn’t believe that we truly didn’t mean to, but had accidentally lost the money. Maybe that was very irresponsible. Maybe that was a lot of money at the time. But all I can feel is the relief and the grief.
My brother and I bonded that afternoon yet again in a way only kids in our circumstances could.
I’ve been looking forward to playing with the SU Holiday Home Stamp Set. So many of the elements are perfect for a Halloween card. I did some sponging to create the dusk sky, some masking for the moon and house, then some coloring and Wink of Stella.
And this card gave me another excuse to use the Autumn-colored Flower Soft again.
I’ve also been looking forward to using the SU Mingle All the Way Halloween sentiment here, so added it to the inside with a few more spooky, screamy bats.
I really enjoy playing The Paper Players Challenges. Such a talented, encouraging design team and lots of creative participants always inspire me.
With our first fire of the season crackling in the fireplace, a nice glass of wine, and rosey cheeks from a fun hiking adventure at McConnell’s Mills this afternoon with my buddy, Janet, this afternoon, I wish you a fun October and fun Halloweeny times at…
life in between.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
(PS Looking forward to sharing a fun photo blog with you soon on our trip to McConnell’s Mills!)
And seriously, with a major holiday like this, how could I not share and post and wish you a Happy #WCMD2014 ?! 🙂
So here’s a cute little fuzzy owl (made with brown flower soft glued to Mr. Owl from with Jillibean’s You’re Tweet Stamp Set. I added some googly eyes, glossy accent hearts, and used Stampinup DSP, cardstock, ink, and ribbon in Chocolate Chip). And since it kinda matches the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches FMS156 (maybe a stretch – but what the heck!), I thought I’d enter it there.
Hello My Friends! (this one is especially for the ladies – but I wonder what you guys think of this too?)
Last post for the day (and WEEKEND!). Promise! I’m going to take a break from posting this weekend and leave you all in peace without my interruptions :).
But before that, I just heard this song this morning and had to share it. It touched me deeper than a song has in a long time. And the video!!! Oh Colbie – you hit it OUT OF THE PARK with this one. This should be mandatory “start your day” inspiration for every young girl, teenager, new mom, wife, sister, middle-aged woman, senior-aged woman, fat, skinny, tall, short, no matter where you are in life and what battle you are fighting right now…. Brought me to tears. Why do we do this to ourselves as women? Love yourself ladies! You don’t have to try so hard. You are all beautiful!
“Try” (by Colbie Cailat)
Put your make up on Get your nails done Curl your hair Run the extra mile Keep it slim So they like you. Do they like you?
Get your sexy on Don’t be shy, girl Take it off This is what you want, to belong So they like you. Do you like you?
You don’t have to try so hard You don’t have to give it all away You just have to get up, get up, get up, get up You don’t have to change a single thing
You don’t have to try, try, try, try You don’t have to try, try, try, try You don’t have to try, try, try, try You don’t have to try You don’t have to try
Oh
Get your shopping on, At the mall, Max your credit cards You don’t have to choose, Buy it all So they like you. Do they like you?
Wait a second, Why should you care, what they think of you When you’re all alone, by yourself Do you like you? Do you like you?
You don’t have to try so hard You don’t have to give it all away You just have to get up, get up, get up, get up You don’t have to change a single thing
You don’t have to try so hard You don’t have to bend until you break You just have to get up, get up, get up, get up You don’t have to change a single thing
You don’t have to try, try, try, try You don’t have to try, try, try, try You don’t have to try, try, try, try You don’t have to try
You don’t have to try, try, try, try You don’t have to try, try, try, try You don’t have to try, try, try, try You don’t have to try You don’t have to try
No Oh
You don’t have to try so hard You don’t have to give it all away You just have to get up, get up, get up, get up You don’t have to change a single thing
You don’t have to try, try, try, try You don’t have to try, try, try, try You don’t have to try You don’t have to try
Take your make up off Let your hair down Take a breath Look into the mirror, at yourself Don’t you like you? Cause I like you.
I just adore this punny saying and love adding googly eyes to these little tomatoes (#WPlus9 Punny Produce). I made them in “heirloom” colors – and for some reason this card reminds me of The Brady Bunch (minus a row) 🙂
You’re told that an event that’s dear to your heart — an annual fair, festival, or conference — will be cancelled forever. Write about it. For your twist, focus on your own voice.
A couple years ago, I was invited into a “sacred” ritual with my (then future) now daughter-in-law and the girls in her family.
BLACK FRIDAY Girl’s Night Out Shopping Extravaganza!
I can just hear some of you right now as you read this saying/thinking:
“YUCK!”
“NEVER!”
“Only Crazies go out shopping on Black Friday!”
(I used to be one of these!)
Then there are some of you reading this that have a secret smile slowly forming at the corners of your mouth. You know who you are!
Your mind is beginning to race.
Admit it – by now you are already starting to think about your plan, beginning to map out your excursion. You’ve got the bug!
Black Friday Shopping is a crazy “tradition” here in the United States that is designated as “Opening Day” of Christmas Shopping Season (even though Christmas decorations are ridiculously already out now in the beginning of October at most every discount and department store).
Black Friday occurs on the last Friday in November – the day after Thanksgiving each year. There is a huge hype created by most every retail store by advertising (weeks ahead of time) very specific special sales and discounts for just this day. The special sale price is usually on particularly popular items, sometimes hard to get, and most always in very limited quantities causing waiting lines to form hours (and sometimes even days) before the sale begins for savvy, smart, competitive, mentally-deranged shoppers.
I used to laugh at those half-baked lunatics that stormed Target to save $10.
Now I’m in the club.
It’s not that I even ever really have anything in particular on my list that I have to get. For me, it’s just about being with the girls, celebrating a “tradition,” and doing something completely different than I ever do any other day of the year.
We meet up at around 10 or 11pm Thanksgiving evening so we can start our shopping at the stroke of midnight to take advantage of every second. We shop our way through the entire time we are usually snug as a bug in bed and don’t quit until noon for a full 12 hours of laughing, shopping, eating, rubbing our feet, rubbing our eyes, creating secret pacts over gift selections, hiding from the others to purchase something someone gasped over, helping hide others from the one buying something for the other, bumping into friends, eating breakfast at 3am and lunch by 10 am. We shop until our feet and eyes can take no more. Until we’ve laughed so hard our throats hurt. Until our wallets are empty and our trunk is full.
We are creating bonds, creating memories, creating traditions. It’s so much more than shopping. It’s an event to look forward to, look back on, tell stories about, grow close together through. I think it should be called Fun Friday – not Black Friday.
What would truly make this Black for me would be if it were cancelled, if we didn’t do it, if I wasn’t invited/included. It has come to be an annual event I look forward to. A special time with the girls that gives me some kind of nonsensical, ludicrous pleasure.
Yep – I joined the club. The Annual Fun Friday Club. I think I am going to put this name up to a vote this year 🙂
Call me crazy, but don’t call me at 3pm that day (zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)
In my house, it is Homemade Cookie Day AT LEAST once a week, so I almost missed this monumental celebration.
Thankfully, I had made cookies anyway on National Homemade Cookie Day that I took to the office to share with some special visitors. THEY were the ones that pointed out that today was this wonderful holiday, and I was excited that I could oblige!
In honor of that, and because my son, Nick, told me I need to vary up my cookie photography pictures since they were all starting to look the same, I thought I would share some varying photographs of the cookies I made yesterday.
Now please bear in mind that I have never taken a photography course, not even a single lesson. Never even read the full manual that came with my favorite Christmas present of all time (this year) that Marty got me last year – a DSLR Camera (Cannon EOS Rebel T3) – but I just LOVE to have fun with it.
I really do want to take some classes. I know when I do, I will probably look back at the ones I have taken thus far with great embarrassment, but hey – it’s just me having fun at life in between!
Now I know there are some professional photographers out there that follow my blog, so please give me some feedback, critique, provide constructive criticism/feedback. But please be kind. I have this ridiculous habit of taking everything personally! UGH!
So here are some fun photos of these Peanut Butter M&M and Candy Corn M&M cookies I made yesterday morning. I just used my standard chocolate chip cookie dough recipe, but substituted the M&Ms for the chocolate chips. They turned out pretty yummy.
Ok – so I think I’m ready… Any that you particularly like? Particularly dislike? Love? Hate? Tips?? Am I going to regret this..??? 🙂
Cheers & Cheers & Hugs – – – I think I might need that second “Cheers” 🙂 ,
Thanks for visiting. Today was kind of an exciting day at lifeinbetween.me. I received a notification from WordPress first thing this morning that I had exceeded 1,000 likes. Then later in the day, I received notification that today, October 1, was my all-time best day for “Likes.”
So THANKS! Thanks for “Liking!” I Like “Likes!” Actually I LOVE “Likes!”
It is such great encouragement to me to continue writing and sharing here at lifeinbetween.me.
And speaking of writing, today’s #Writing101 Assignment is entitled, “To Whom it May Concern.” Our task is to pick up the nearest book and flip to page 29. Find a word that jumps out at us, and write in the form of a letter. (Keeping with the “theme,” I am writing to all of you in the form of a letter also.)
The nearest book to me as I sit here watching the Pittsburgh Buccos (we made the Wild Card Playoffs this year!) this evening is “All the Light We Cannot See” (our current “Best Book Club Ever” selection – which I am VERY much enjoying by the way).
So I turned to page 29, and lo and behold, the word “Malbec” (fancy that!) shouted out to me… (Doesn’t it just bounce off the page and glare at you?!)
So here goes…
Dear Malbec –
There’s something I really need to tell you, and I’m just not sure how to say it. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but there is something about you that really gets on my nerves. It’s just one small thing, but it’s been bothering me for some time.
First, let me tell you there are many things I do really like about you.
I love your dark, inky purplish color. Red wines are by far my favorite over white. And pink?! I would rather drink nothing than drink pink or rose!
I love your ripe fruity flavors: black cherry, plum, blackberry – awwhhh!
I love your spicy aromas and smoky, earthy, tobacco, peppery flavors that create such interesting complexity on my palate.
But here’s the thing: I am so irritated that you are called full-bodied, and IT’S A COMPLIMENT! It’s so unfair. I want to be a Malbec!
the creative life in between 