Daily Prompt – Cookies & Moo

RDP Sunday: SHILLY-SHALLY

Published on January 15, 2023January 15, 2023 by WandaLeave a comment

RDP Sunday January 15, 2023: SHILLY-SHALLY

Image from New York Times article Published July 29, 2021

I just love words like this. They make irresponsible behavior sound not so bad. This word/expression reminds me of when my kids were growing up. Every night after dinner one of them had to clear the table after we ate. The other one had to wash the dishes.

Now the thing is I had a dishwasher so all they had to do was scrape the loose food particles into the trash, rinse the dishes and put them in the dishwasher and turn it on. Much easier then when I was a kid who had no dishwasher. I had to stand at the sink and wash and dry them and put them away. Not that I am complaining. I do believe that when you are living in a family the home to some extent is everyone’s responsibility. If you don’t require your children to participate in the daily care of the home they grow up without any idea of having a home entails.

Anyway, I digress. As time went on and they each got jobs outside of our home and had less time to do the after dinner chores I began to see that the number my silverware pieces was declining. One day I noticed that the kids were shillyshallying in the kitchen and I saw them just dumping the contents of the used dishes into the trash can silverware and all. Needless to say I wasn’t happy.

Now they are grown and have kids of their own. They are going through the same things and I love it. My oldest is famous for saying to her kids “Look what you are doing, you are tuning me into Grami!” That’s me I am Grami.

I am a firm believer that the reward for not killing your kids is your grandchildren. Eventually you get to stand by and see that your children finally get it.

Thanks for this prompt today. It stirred memories and I had a good chuckle thinking about the “good ole days”.

“One-Liner Wednesday” & Jus Jo Jan

Published on January 11, 2023January 11, 2023 by WandaLeave a comment

Courage

Jus Jo Jan 4, 2023

C Carry on when others quit.
O Overcome your doubts.
U Uphold your principles.
R Repent your misdeeds.
A Always remember to be joyful.
G Give thanks and praise to God.
E Examine your motives that they are true.

One Liner Wednesday Jan 4, 2023 – Courage

Courage means that you do what is right even if it is unpopular.

I See Stars

Published on January 2, 2023January 11, 2023 by WandaLeave a comment

Daily Prompt Jus Jo Jan the 2nd 2023 – Constellation by willowdot21

I am not much of a star gazer, but I do appreciate the beauty of the lighted night sky. I don’t have the ability to actually see the definition of even the Big Dipper as my depth perception is somewhat distorted. I don’t really know if that has anything to do with it, or if my mind just can’t see the vague outlines of stars creating a picture.

At any rate I discovered a Constellation I can wrap my head around and thoroughly enjoy. When I was researching cocktail recipes few years ago for a social event, I found this recipe for a Constellation.

Mixed Drink Recipe from Cocktail Builder

Constellation

1/2 oz of Advocaat Liqueur
1/2 oz of Cherry Advocaat Liqueur (or blackcurrant flavored liqueur)
1/2 oz of Butterscotch Schnapps
1 dash of Blue Curacao Liqueur

Pour both normal advokaat and cherry advokaat in shot glass at same time, beside each other. Add butterscotch schnappes. Then add dash of blue curacao. There should be no set layers, it should be a mix of colors.

YUM!

The Churn Dash

Published on April 4, 2018 by Wanda3 Comments

Daily Prompt: Churn, Explore

I have been exploring the origins of names of some quilt blocks that have been around for years. One of my favorite blocks is the Churn Dash.

churn dash block The Churn Dash is one of the oldest 9-Patch quilt block patterns. It came about sometime between 1800 and 1849. The block got its name because it resembled the triangle and rectangle perimeter of the block to a butter churn and the center square to the stick or “dash” of the butter churn.

This was one of the first patterns that young girls learned. It’s simplicity of rectangles, triangles, and squares also provide a challenge for advanced quilters because it lends itself well to intricate designs.

A few years ago I participated in a block exchange. This was the block we used. I still haven’t put them together. I had actually forgotten about the blocks until today when I immediately thought about the churn dash after checking on the daily prompt.

Wanda

SLIME

Published on April 2, 2018 by Wanda2 Comments

Daily Prompt: Radiant, Toxic

I spent Easter with my family at my daughter Samantha’s home. My granddaughter Alannah got slime in her Easter basket. You heard me right, SLIME! Now, when I was growing up anything with a name like SLIME was considered nothing less than toxic. But this generation of munchkins is a new breed.

Alannah was sitting at the kitchen table playing with this green sparkling glowing sticky stuff. It was shaking and spreading all over the place. I touched it and got the heebee jeebies from it. YUK! She kept asking me if I thought it was pretty. After telling her no a dozen or more times I realized that she was not getting the answer she wanted from me and finally responded with a resounding yes.

The worst thing I can remember was silly putty. And all that was good for was copying the Sunday comics with. I vaguely remember my kids having something called slime now that I think about it. It was a fluorescent green runny substance that was made popular by a TV show.

Whatever happened to getting stuffed lambs and chicks in your Easter Basket with the candy the famous rabbit brought?

SLIME aside, we did have a wonderful day spent outside in the sunshine, warm temperature, and gentle breeze. The birds were serenading us and it was just the perfect family day.

Here’s a picture of the cardinal that joined us yesterday.

EasterCardnal

When a Cardinal appears in your yard it is a visitor from Heaven.

Lucky Charms

Published on March 22, 2018 by Wanda3 Comments

Daily Prompt: Talisman

Have you ever had a lucky charm? I can remember when I was a child I had a rabbit’s foot. Remember them? It was supposed to bring me good luck. But, it never did. It was just a superstition. I grew out of believing in things bringing luck to me.

Many non-catholic’s believe that the medals we wear or the rosaries we use or the statues of saints we have are nothing more than a talisman. That couldn’t be further from the truth. These things are a sign of our devotion to a particular saint or to Jesus.

I wear a Miraculous Medal always. I have since I graduated from eighth grade. I was installed into the sodality at my parish with it. This medal is one of the Blessed Mother. I don’t really have a patron saint, so I adopted her as mine. Anyway, this is an outward sign of my devotion to the Mother of Jesus.

This devotion does not take anything away from my adoration of Jesus or God. It is simply that I call on her for help when I have a problem. No one has more influence on God then Mary. God chose her to be His Son’s mother. No one has more influence on Jesus, she raised and cared for Him during his life. So, although I pray to God for my concern, I also ask Mary to intercede for me. It is no different than asking a friend to pray for you.

Saints have already arrived in heaven. They enjoy the glorious vision of God. They have His ear so to speak. So, when we are storming heaven with prayer, they join in and pray for us too. It’s a beautiful part of my Catholic faith.

Making A Plan

Published on March 18, 2018 by Wanda2 Comments

Daily Prompt: Patience, Incubate, Wrinkle

Image from Gulf News Readers Blog

How do you come up with a good plan? Well, I think that you need to have patience, utilize the principle of incubation, and smooth out the wrinkles in your ideas.

Here’s what I mean. To devise a good plan your thoughts cannot be rushed. It takes time to sift through all of your options and do some research. If these options are not considered, your plan may not be successful.

As you are considering these options, you have to ponder their value. Hence incubation. These ideas have to be twisted and turned in your mind so that you do not miss any important information. They sort of simmer there for a bit.

As for the wrinkles, well these are the thoughts that cause some doubt or they present an obstacle to your plan. With the right information, we can determine the best course of action.

Now, that is not to say that we still cannot come up with an unsuccessful plan. But, if we make our decisions with the best information we have, and for the right reasons, our plan is not faulty. Rather, the information available to us was incomplete.

It is important to note that our life experiences, education, cultural experiences, and geographic location affect the information that is readily available to us. When I was a young mother, I did not have the experience to make all the right decisions about my daughter. By the time the next one came along, ten years later, I was much better equipped to raise him. My oldest constantly tells her brother and sister that she broke me in for them. There is a lot of truth to that statement.

Spring

Published on March 15, 2018 by Wanda2 Comments

Daily Prompt: Provoke

I love spring. I love seeing all of the plant life wake up after their long sleepy winter. When I see the leaves bud on the trees and the daffodils popping through the ground they provoke memories of my childhood.

The spring brought with it daylight savings time so I could play outside after dinner. All of us kids in the neighborhood would play hide and seek until it was time for bath and bed. We usually fell asleep right away from all of the running around and fresh air.

Spring also brought Easter one of my favorite holidays. We went to Mass in the morning, meeting my aunt and uncle and cousins, then to my grandmother’s for brunch. My dad did the cooking for everyone. Then my dad and uncle would take all of us kids to the cemetery to put flowers on my grandfather’s grave. My mother, grandmother, and aunt would stay home saying they had to clean up after brunch. When we got back, there was an Easter egg hunt. What fun. I loved those family days.

When I got married and had a family, the Easter celebration moved to my home. My kids got to have the same kind of memories that I have from my childhood. It warms my heart when my three kids are together and they start talking about the family times from when they were young.

I sigh as I look out my window, I see the grass turning green, the forsythia is blooming and the sun is brightly shining in the most beautiful Carolina Blue sky.

Noise

Published on March 14, 2018 by WandaLeave a comment

Daily Prompt: Noise

Sally just wanted peace and quiet. She had worked all week, ran the kids around after supper, did laundry, cooked and cleaned. What a week! All she wanted to do was sit and relax today.

It had been years since she had to do so much all by herself. Jeff had had to go out of town for work leaving her to fend for herself. Having a family was certainly joyous, but right now she was exhausted.

Sally’s mom had taken the kids for the day. Finally peace and quiet, Sally thought. As she made her cup of tea, she was thinking about the new book she had picked up and planned to just sit sipping tea and reading.

All settled in her favorite chair, Sally opened the book. Barely through the first chapter and her first cup of tea, there was this loud, hammering right outside the house. She jumped up to look into what was causing this noise. As she came around the corner of her house, she discovered her neighbor jackhammering his sidewalk.

Totally annoyed, she asked her neighbor what he was doing. Her neighbor told her he had a leak and needed to remove part of the sidewalk to repair it. Sally just shook her head and walked away.

Sally grabbed her car keys, her book, walked out of the house, got in her car and drove away. She could not remember a time when she needed some quiet time more. Where could she go? Where could she find some quiet? It was too cool out to sit in the park. The library was closed. After driving around for a bit, she found herself at her mom’s house.

Walking into the house she called for the kids. They came running asking why she was there since she had said she needed peace and quiet. Sally explained to them that although they weren’t really quiet, the noise they made was music to her ears.

Goodbye

Published on March 13, 2018 by Wanda2 Comments

Daily Prompt: Grasp

The boy wondered aimlessly trying to grasp what had happened to his world. It was just yesterday that his father was playing catch with him. They had laughed and kidded each other. His dad was his best friend. What would he do now if he had a problem? Who could he turn to?

He had heard someone say that your life can change in a blink of an eye. He had no reference point for this concept until today. His dad had gone to bed last night and never woke up. Why? He kept trying to figure all of this out.

His mother was sad. His sister was sad. But he was just angry. He felt guilty about being mad his dad had died. How could this have happened? Dad was supposed to be around forever.

He finally looked up and saw that there were a lot of cars parked in front of his house. Where did they all come from? As he walked into the house he saw so many friends and family members all busy making food and answering the phone. He felt a little out of sync with the activity going on.

He sat down and just watched and listened. Someone had handed him a sandwich and a drink. He looked down and wondered where it had come from. Taking a bite he realized that he had not eaten all day. The food tasted good, but he usually had lunch with his dad on the weekends. All of a sudden he lost his appetite.

Visitors continued to come by till the sun went down. His mom had to go to the funeral home to make arrangements for his dad’s burial. The boy shuddered. He just could not imagine his dad being put into the ground.

His mother came home and called he and his sister to come talk with her. She explained that there was going to be a funeral in a couple of days. It was the time to say goodbye to their dad. The boy told his mom that he didn’t want his dad put into the ground. His mom smiled and told the boy that his dad was not going into the ground. That his dad was in heaven. Only his body was left. She told him that his dad would be with him every day of his life and that because his dad had died didn’t mean he didn’t love him.

That night in bed, when the house was very quiet the boy was thinking about his dad. He could almost hear his dad’s voice tell him good night. He said goodnight to his dad and smiled as he drifted off to sleep.