Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Happiness Is .... Blowing Up a Balloon All By Yourself

When you were a child, almost everything was new. You were experiencing so many things for the first time. And when you accomplished something for the first time it was miraculous, exciting and rewarding.

It was the simple things in life that made you feel so good. Like doing a somersault or blowing up a balloon all by yourself. 


Little Girl Blowing Up a Balloon.


I watched my daughters try to blow up their balloons. For a long time they would send the balloon flying out from their fingers as they blew as hard as they could.

Yes they giggled because it was funny but it was also disappointing because they still could not fill up the balloon.




They were determined to blow up their own balloons. Then one day it happened. I don't know if the balloon was especially thinner or the girls lungs got stronger but low and behold they each were able to blow up their own balloons all by themselves.

Look everyone. Look what I can do!

Hooray! What an accomplishment. The joy. The pride. The ear to ear grins.



What could we accomplish in life if we still had that kind of determination?




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Twitter ProfileHigh Five! Vashti choose this post to feature at This Momma’s Meandering Mondays #24. Saying, “It’s a cute post that put a smile on my face and I believe she is right when she wrote that we as adults would be able to accomplish so much more if we had the determination of a child.”

Please visit Vashti Q Vega at Vashti Q Vegas Blog.



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Yahooo. I have been featured as the post with the most likes. "Turn It Up Tuesdays is all about being happy and excited and energetic, and having fun!"

They ask us to "Link up your funny stories, DIY posts, recipes, mommy moments – anything at all, as long as it is family-friendly. We want to laugh, be entertained, be inspired, and have a good time!"

So check out our hosts: 



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Well thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed reading this post. 


And don't forget to stop by my Etsy Shop, Little Shop of Treasures or check out a few other posts.

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Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Happiness Is . . . Picking Apples

Hi, I am so happy you decided to visit today.

I have a few pictures to share with you. I had planned this post quite a few weeks ago but for some unknown reason I just didn't get it done. Better late than never. Right?

Normally in the fall we go to a farm where they have fun activities like corn mazes, petting zoos, scary hay ride . . .  Know what I mean?

Anyway, we decided to try something different this year because our usual haunt is closed this season for construction. 

We decided to go to an apple orchard. 

Happiness is Picking Apples





I've never been to an orchard for fun. The last time I was in an one was many moons ago when I was a kid helping my Mom earn money picking apples.

I don't know about the kids, but I was pretty excited and looked forward to eating some fresh crisp apples.



Here is a picture of my daughter Cole leading the crew down a row between the apple trees. She is followed by her daughter Baby Cakes, Beth's daughter Sweetie Pie and Christina's daughter Honey Bunny.





Oh my, that apple looks delicious. My mouth is watering. Those ones were a bit sour and juicy.




One of the frustrating things about going on an outing with kids is their small bladders. We weren't in the orchard more than fifteen - twenty minutes when we heard the first cry, "Grandma, I gotta pee."

Aw, the washroom is way far away at the front of the orchard. What can I say. I didn't remind the girls to take a pee before we left the house.

Of course when one girl needs to pee another one chimes in that she has to pee too.

Now I am frustrated. I guess it is just one of my pet peeves. I really don't like stopping to pee. 

I take a deep cleansing breath and we head over to the washroom. We're done picking apples anyway.

In the area near the washrooms, the girls found these tall stacks of corn stalks. 

I thought they were cool and imagined one of them in my front yard for a Halloween decoration.

At the same time they freaked me out. Children of the Corn anyone?



In the same area were pumpkins and more pumpkins. 

The girls squealed with delight and immediately buzzed around the pumpkins trying decide which one they liked best.



Now who needed to pee? Oh ya, all three of the girls.





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Well thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed reading this post. 

And don't forget to stop by my Etsy Shop, Little Shop of Treasures or check out a few other posts.

To receive my blog updates - please subscribe via email or follow through one of the other social medias. And don't forget to share the love.  :)


I look forward to reading your comments. Make my day and leave one!

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Happiness is . . . Craft Night

Now that the cold weather is here, we need to find activities to occupy our time in the evenings after supper.

Friday night has typically been movie night for us. 

Wednesdays, we spend with my Mom. She picks us up in her mini-van. By us I mean, me of course, and my three granddaughters. We go to a fast food restaurant where the girls can play on a climber. They love spending time with Great Grandma.

So three evenings are open. 

I've always kept an ample supply of craft supplies around the house. My granddaughters love making things. So do I. Naturally I decided to have a craft night. I haven't picked a night for it yet. I am thinking Thursdays. We'll see.


So here is one of the crafts we worked on. 

About twenty-five years ago, I was into embroidery. I actually completed a couple of store bought kits, one project from a magazine and a few of my own creations.

I liked embroidery and it was different than my usual drawing and painting. My little angels just might like it too. 

My daughter, Cole completed her own embroidery project some time ago and still had some supplies laying around the house. She had a couple of embroidery hoops and material. That was a good start.

I had a couple of needles and lots of yarn. Yarn is easier to work with and it fills the space faster. A project was in the making.





































My granddaughter just turned five not long ago so I wanted to make this project easy - fun. I didn't want them to get frustrated and quit. So we made straight lines. They got to pick the colours of yarn.

Honey Bunny Posing For Her Picture

I asked the girls if I could take pictures of them with the embroidery. Honey Bunny and Sweetie Pie wanted to dress up like princesses for the pics. 

Sweetie Pie Posing For Her Pic.

At first the girls had trouble figuring out which side of the material they had to push the needle through. I had to pull the yarn out a couple of times because they had it wrapped around the hoop.

They worked on their creations for about a half hour. Not bad for their first time.

Honey Bunny wants to hang her embroidery up on the wall while still in the hoop. 

Honey Bunny said, "we could push this material to the back and it will look great. Won't that be a good idea Grandma?"

Of course that would be a good idea. I asked her what made her think of that? 

She said, "I don't know. It just popped into my head." 

She's so smart!

Craft night was a success.






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Well thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed reading this post. And maybe you are inspired to have a craft night too. 

And don't forget to stop by my Etsy Shop, Little Shop of Treasures or check out a few other posts.

To receive my blog updates - please subscribe via email or follow through one of the other social medias. And don't forget to share the love.  :)


I look forward to reading your comments. Make my day and leave one!


Saturday, November 2, 2013

Happiness is . . . Playing With Lady Bugs


Oh my gosh, we had snow here a few days ago. 

And to think, just a couple of weeks ago the weather was so nice that we didn't need sweaters, jackets, hats or mitts.

In fact not long ago my granddaughters were in the backyard wearing shorts and t-shirts while playing with bugs.


Happiness is playing with Lady Bugs.




Hang on. Those aren't cute little Lady Bugs!

Those are Mulit-Coloured Asian Lady Beetles!




What am I talking about. Well, Lady Beetles look a lot like our Lady Bugs but there are a two main differences to help you distinguish the two apart.

  • Lady Bugs are red with black spots but Lady Beetles are orange with or without brownish spots.
  • Lady Beetles swarm in large numbers but Lady Bugs don't.


The Asian Lady Beetle was introduced to the United States to control aphid numbers in orchards. 

They have now spread throughout North America.


Asian Lady Beetles swarm in large groups during the spring and fall because they secrete a pheromone which summons other Lady Beetles.

In the spring they will reproduce. Late in the fall, they will seek out warm places to hibernate for the winter. Your home just might be an attractive place for them to stay for the cold months. But don't worry - they don't cause property damage.

However, Asian Lady Beetles are more aggressive than Lady Bugs. 

They will bite if aggravated.  Lady Beetle bites are not poisonous but they may be painful. However, if you are allergic to their bites you may get rhinoconjunctivitis (pink-eye).

As a matter of fact, Honey Bunny did get pink-eye the next day. Holy cow. I wish I knew that tidbit of information before letting the girls play with those bugs.

Strange, none of the girls complained or commented on being bit.

Oh ya, Lady Beetles will also secrete a yellowish fluid as a protective mechanism. My girls thought the bugs were peeing on them which made them a bit squeamish but not enough to stop them from picking up more bugs.

Yes I made them wash their hands thoroughly after playing with the bugs.

Now that I've read up on these "Lady Beetles" I'm wondering if I should have let my granddaughters play with them. Would you?

Honey Bunny did get pink-eye but Baby Cakes and Sweetie Pie didn't. 

Oh, but they had so much fun. They would catch one beetle and it would fly away. Two seconds later they had their hands on another one. The three girls had such a great time hopping from one spot to another picking up bugs and watching them fly around.

Happiness is living in the moment. Stopping to play with bugs and have fun. Happiness is appreciating and being grateful to the little things in life.






Well thanks for stopping by. 

I would love to hear from you.

And don't forget to stop by my Etsy Shop, Little Shop of Treasures or check out a few other posts.

To receive my blog updates - please subscribe via email or follow through one of the other social medias.





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