Writing

Charlie: Brothers are the Best

/ Jodi / 58 Comments
charlie and nick

Nick & Charlie 1/31/16

When I moved into my new home six months ago, not only did I get a new mom and and dad, I also got two new brothers (and a sister-in-law and a really nice girlfriend).  My brother Nick lives here, and we have sure become buddies.

My brother Jake is married, so he doesn’t live here with us, but I really love when he comes to visit.  I will never forget my first day in my new home.  Jake came over to meet me right away that first day.  He couldn’t wait to meet me, and even though I was very shy back then, I will always remember and appreciate his warm, loving welcome.

Funny to think back those six months ago when I was so afraid and skeptical of people.  My how life has changed.  I now welcome visitors, have lots of friends, and even enjoy sitting with my brother sometimes in the evening while watching television.

Moms and Dads are great, but Brothers….  they sure are the best!

Woofs & Wags,
Charlie

(apologies for blurry photo – taken in the dark with iPhone – couldn’t resist capturing!)

Favorite Pairs

/ Jodi / 50 Comments

pear watercolor

A partial list of favorite pairs:

  • Bert & Ernie
  • Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup
  • Simon & Garfunkel
  • Wine & Cheese
  • Lucy & Ethel
  • Chips & Guacamole
  • Falling Snow & Warm Fires
  • Gin & Tonic
  • Movies & Popcorn
  • Beaches & Sunrises
  • Beaches & Sunsets
  • Dark Coffee & Italian Sweet Cream
  • Paint & Paper
  • Milk Chocolate & Caramel
  • White Chocolate and Peanut Butter
  • Dark Chocolate & Raspberry
  • Hugs & Kisses
  • Friends & Laughter
  • Family & Time Together
  • Chubby Cheeks & Tiny Toes
  • Wrinkled Cheeks & Words of Wisdom

After practicing a few more watercolor skies last evening (and feeling frustrated!…  Why are skies so hard for me??!), I decided to do something that made me happy, so I just took a small piece of watercolor paper and did a quick, free and easy abstract pear in some of my favorite colors – letting the colors blend and do their thing.  I could then relax happy, and it made me think of some of my favorite pears pairs.

Do you have some favorite pairs?

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Charlie’s Snow Day

/ Jodi / 58 Comments

Charlie Snow 0116

I finally got Mom out of the house yesterday at lunch time to take a walk and play in the snow!

It has been so cold here, she doesn’t even want to take walks!

And when she does – oh brother – what a production!  All the layers she puts on!

I just pace around her waiting impatiently as she layers on thermal long johns, socks, hooded sweatshirt, coat, gloves, shoes.  Let’s get this show on the road!

Then she makes me wear this hand-me-down Sherpa coat from Mikey.  It fits quite well, but I try to shake it off about every 20 steps.  I usually get distracted however.  There are so many good things outside to see, smell, hear, eat…. friends to visit – people, dogs, cats – along the way.

And now there is this new stuff…. SNOW!

Oh how fun is snow?!

It is white and bright and cold and fluffy and I can make tracks in it and run and make it spray, and there are smells buried under it, and sometimes it is even fun to slide when there is ice under it.

What a blast!

Do you have snow?  We just have about two inches as of yesterday.  Just the right amount to frolic in!  (and sticks taste extra delicious cold and icy and are really fun to fetch!)

Wishing you a Happy Snow Day or whatever kind of day you are having!  As Mom would say…. “Cherish the Moments!”  I sure am!

Woofs and Wags,

Charlie

Do More of What Makes YOU Happy

/ Jodi / 40 Comments

do more of what makes you happy watercolor card

Painting, drawing, creating….

Cooking, baking, feeding….

Eating, exercising, relaxing..

Reading, writing, rhyming…

Exploring, photographing, dreaming….

Celebrating, experiencing, observing…

Singing, laughing, talking…

Watching, crying, listening..

Loving, sharing, growing…

Working, playing, enjoying time with family and friends…

It isn’t that hard!

Do More of What Makes YOU Happy!

#CherishTheMoments

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Dear Future Me

/ Jodi / 53 Comments

Dear future me

Dear 73-Year Old Jodi:

I’ve written a letter to us in the past before (Dear 13-Year Old Me), but I thought it might be fun to write a letter to future us this time.

It was one thing to look back and give wisdom to young Jodi, even though we couldn’t do anything about it “then,” but what would I like to say to the future Jodi 20 years from now at 73 years old?

53 is a good age.  How is 73 treating us?

At 13, I thought 53 was ancient, but guess what?  It really doesn’t feel that way.

Nick asked me just last week, when time turned  the number up a notch to 53, how it felt to be 53 years old.  I think he expected me to complain about getting “old,” but I surprised him (and hubby, who literally laughed out loud) when I told him it felt pretty darned great!  “53!  It’s the number to be,” I said smiling and raising my arms as if I’d won an Olympic gold medal.

Do we still feel that way about being 73?  I hope so.

Right now, I know that on the inside, we are still the same person  at 53 that we were at 43 or 33 or 23 or 13 or 3.  Who cares if the skin is a bit saggier, we have more wrinkles, more gray hair, rounder bellies?!  We’ve earned it!  If we made it this far, we have had the privilege of experiencing and enjoying every other one of those numbers, so let’s not waste our life wanting to go back to them.  Let’s embrace right now and what the present offers us.  We only get one chance – 365 days – to be this age – so let’s make the best of it.  Let’s use all the experience and wisdom we gained in the last 72 years to make this the best year yet.

When you read this, dear 73-yearold Jodi, lift your arms in victory, smile, and boldly declare, “73!  It’s the number to be!”

Love,

jodi christmas eve 2015

53-year old Jodi

 

 

 

 

Have you heard of FutureMe.org?  Apparently it has been around since 2004, but I’ve just learned about it.  According to their site,  over 4 million letters have been written to the future by people just like you and me.  Wouldn’t it be fun to receive a surprise letter from the past you some day you choose in the future?

Usually it is the future that will reflect back on the present, but FutureMe.org decided to flip that around based on the principle that memories are less accurate than emails.

So why not give it a go?  Send your future self “some words of inspiration, or maybe a swift kick in the pants!”  “Share some thoughts on where you’ll be or what you’ll be up to in a year, three years.. more?”  FutureMe.org will do the travel magic and deliver the letter (via email) to you – Future YOU!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Charlie’s Christmas List

/ Jodi / 56 Comments

Charlie stick

Dear Santa –

Charlie here.

I am soooo excited for Christmas!

I have been a very good boy this year – my first year of life.

(Well – most of the time anyway!)

I would be so happy if I could have the following things for Christmas

(and everyday if it’s not too much to ask).

Most of these things cost no money – they just require a little time and love.

I hope you will make my Christmas wish list come true.

May I please have:

12 sticks to chew on
11 games of tug
10 games of fetch
9 belly rubs
8 ear scratches
7 naps in the sunshine
6 zoomie runs around the house
5 GOLDEN BONES
4 scraps to fall on the kitchen floor
3 doggie treats
2 walks per day
and
1 warm, happy, loving home to live in.

Thank you, Santa, for whatever you can provide.

Sincerely and with much love,
Charlie

PS  My mom says this reminds her of another Christmas song….

Let’s build a bridge

/ Jodi / 42 Comments
foggy pittsburgh bridge 1215

Pittsburgh, PA – The City of Bridges – 12/5/15

Let’s build a bridge

that will float above the fog,

that connects confusion,

destroys division,

fastens friendship,

links love,

joins jurisdiction,

unites understanding.

Let’s build a bridge

of peace.

 

 

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

The Answer is Blowin’ in the Wind

/ Jodi / 22 Comments

autumn leaves in sunshine

Do you ever get a song stuck in your head?
A random song you haven’t thought about in a long time?

For days, I have had this one in my head – a classic I never tire of – and that withstands the test of time and ages: The Answer is Blowin’ in the Wind (written by Bob Dylan 1962 – sung by Peter, Paul and Mary).

“How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn’t see?
How many times must a man look up before he can see the sky?
How many ears must one man have before he can hear people cry?”

My thoughts today:

Let’s not turn our heads.
Let’s look up and really SEE the sky.
Let’s truly listen to and respond to people’s cries.

Let’s listen.
Let us realize that we can make a difference…
One person at a time
by turning towards instead of away,
by looking at head on.

Let us be present.
Let us not turn our heads and pretend we just don’t see.

The answer lies within each of us.
We can make a difference – one person – one act – at a time.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Real can’t be ugly…

/ Jodi / 77 Comments

stuffed bunny watercolor card

How could I have missed this?

It is a classic novel.

It was made into a film, a musical, and a soundtrack.

It is a story that caused my heart to swell,
reminded me of the past,
gave me pause to consider the future.

It made me smile broadly.

It gave me a lump in my throat.

It caught me off guard and caused me to gasp.

Tears welled up, and then magic appeared.

The Velveteen Rabbit, illus. William Nicholson:

How could this be considered a “Children’s Novel” when it teaches such relevant adult life lessons?

“How about this old Bunny?” she asked.
“That?” said the doctor.  “Why, it’s a mass of germs!  Burn it at once.  What?  Nonsense!  Get him a new one.  He mustn’t have that any more!”
And so the little Rabbit was put into a sack with the old picture-books and a lot of rubbish, and carried out to the end of the garden behind the fowl-house.

How often does this happen in real life….
to real people….
whose hearts and souls are young,
but their bodies are aged, broken, weak, and have germs….?

How could I have missed this beautiful story that was never read to me as a child and that I never read to my children?

The Velveteen Rabbit.

Written almost 100 years ago, and I just bought my first copy this week…. via Amazon Prime….   for ages 3 – 7… and I am 52… and I LOVED it!

The life lessons are so deeply profound.
I so encourage you to read this… slowly – and at least twice:

The Gahan Girls: Thank you, Skin Horse. I couldn't have said it better myself.:

Thank you, Skin Horse, for your insightful wisdom.
I will try very hard to remember this every day.

Whether you have children or not, The Velveteen Rabbit is a MUST-READ!  It will be the best 10-15 minutes (depending on how long you linger over the beautiful illustrations) you’ve spent in a long time, and the best $7.49 you will spend this year.

A new, old, profound classic on our bookshelf!

It is waiting to be read to or by anyone who visits our home….   anyone who wants to know what it means to be REAL.

velveteen rabbit

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

P.S.  I was so amazed by this story (which I discovered after a friend posted a quote on Facebook), that I had to draw a version of a stuffed bunny (a velveteen rabbit) late one night.  It came freely.   From a Google Search of stuffed bunnies, I saw a photo similar to this one I painted.  It came quickly and easily, and I was delightfully surprised when I saw how it turn out the next morning – when the paint had dried, and my eyes were clear, and it became “Real.”  And “Real can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

My Happy Place

/ Jodi / 72 Comments
Nick Winston CJ Zach

Nick, Winston, CJ, Zach

Look at these handsome guys!

Could I be any happier than to have the opportunity to have them over and cook for them?

Does that make me a little strange?… unusual?…. old-fashioned….?

I was really looking forward to – and totally enjoyed – the opportunity to cook and bake for my youngest son, Nick (far left in the photo above) and a group of his old college buddies (Winston, Zach, and CJ – two of whom are married already!), who decided to get together for a Saturday afternoon of basketball and an evening of pool and poker, with a short break in between to be nourished by Momma ME!

In talking with my friend, Tracy, on our Sunday morning walk yesterday, I remarked upon reflection that it is good to be 52 and not so worried about what is the right or wrong way to be a woman today.

For a while, I tried to be a “modern” business woman – one who enjoys working as much as the rest of “the guys” and has no time for such silliness as cooking and baking….

But I can’t help it….

It is my happy place.

It is in my DNA.

When I was a young girl, if asked what I wanted to be when I grow up, I most often would say, “A Mom.”

Being a mom is a job that should be as equally admired as those that serve as doctors and lawyers and teachers and executives.

It really is a tough job.  Little training is provided.  Little recognition is provided.  The monetary rewards are quite minimal.  The days are long.  Then nights are short.  The worries are many.

But the rewards…..

especially when looking back and knowing you raised your kids to become amazing adults….

well – there really is nothing greater.

So the chance to cherish moments with my “kids” (who aren’t really kids anymore)…

is pretty darn great.

I am most happy when I am cooking or baking or having guests in my home.

I TRULY love my work too.  Don’t get me wrong.

I am extremely fortunate to have a work-life balance that allows me to work as passionately at my job in corporate communications for home health and hospice and enjoy it as much as I do my “life in between” activities.

I also truly and equally admire women who don’t choose to be mothers, but dedicate their lives to noble careers because that is their passion.

But put me behind the kitchen counter with pots steaming and cookies cooling and bread kneading…..

kitchen

with Charlie by my side napping as the Autumn sunshine streams in the window…

charlie sleeping in the sun

and life is perfect.

I baked some classic chocolate chips cookies,

chocolate chip cookie

and made Zach’s favorite – good old-fashioned peasant food – Haluski.

halushki cabbage

I made some yummy rosemary roasted butternut squash that they all surprisingly LOVED, some freshly baked rustic crusty bread, and some dry rubbed pork tenderloin (recipe in tomorrow’s blog!), as well as some mini pumpkin pies….

mini pumpkin pies

served up with a side of dreamy, creamy whipped cream.

single mini pumpkin pie bite

In the midst of it all, with dishes piled high in the sink…

flour all over the counter….

dough in my hair…

Nick asked,

“Do you REALLY ENJOY doing this?”

“Oh YES!,” I didn’t even hesitate when I replied…

“This is my happy place.”

Thanks, guys, for the wine!
Thanks, girls, for the surprise visit!
Thanks, Merv, for being the grill master and my “partner in crime” through it all.
Thanks for allowing me to nourish your bellies as much as you nourish my heart! ❤

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi