Uplifting, Encouraging, and Fun blogging.

Oh Happy Labor day to y’all. Whew what a fast paced, quick, long weekend this was. Filled with ballgames to watch, a family cook out, my little sister’s birthday, a hair appointment, and fall decorating (which is my fave); the minutes just flew by. I haven’t had time to write and I’ve missed it. Yesterday we had my husband’s entire family here for a cookout. We’ve lived in our home for almost 10 years, and we have never done that. It’s just difficult to get them all in one place at one time. His siblings are quickly aging ( he is the baby) and the young family members all have lives of their own and are very busy. Aren’t we all? Yesterday was a great day for my husband and I could just tell how much he enjoyed it. I made sure that all of the food was prepared, and no one had to bring a thing except for what they wanted to drink. My husband’s wish was to have homemade chocolate and butterscotch pies. His dad used to have cookouts when he was alive. He always had those two pies, so it brought back some great memories for my husband. As y’all know, I am a baker so making the pies was just no trouble. I also made an angel food cake.

As everyone was piling in to our big yard yesterday for the festivities, I couldn’t help but notice the differences in everyone’s vehicles. I know, I know I’m super weird. I looked at vehicles. For some reason the conversations yesterday were around the vehicles that they drove lol. One had a hybrid for gas mileage. Two had almost monster trucks that probably took a tank of gas just getting up our hill. A few small sedans and a jeep or two rounded out the bunch. Everyone seemed to just love the vehicle that they were in. You can almost tell a person’s personality by the vehicles that they drive. It’s true. I know that’s silly but you can. My husband drives a Toyota 4Runner. It suits him perfectly. He likes that suv type vehicle. As I’ve told before, he is the drummer in a band and his drum kit fits perfectly in the back of his vehicle. My son drives a 4 door Ford F150 truck. This also fits him perfectly. He is always carrying tools. Hés a machinist so his tools fit very well in the covered bed. As for my I just have a little Hyundia Kona. I love my little car. Is not quiet a sedan and not as large as an SUV. It holds my cakes perfectly.

Growing up I found a love for “antique” cars. Strange that a little girl would love them but, nothing about me was ever “normal”. I was certainly the horse of a different color in our family. My sister and I would often go on trips to car shows with our Aunt and Uncle. He always had some type of hot rod in the works or on the road. The ones where they wipe with a cloth and allow no one to touch. Don’t get me wrong, they were beautiful unique vehicles, but why would you want something that no one could touch and enjoy. We spent many days just walking around looking at all these beautiful old cars and wishing we could sit in them and just drive them around.

My fascination with things old is still with me today. I love anything reto or antique. Especially from certain time periods like the 50s and 60s. My interest took one great focus when it came to vehicles, however. Let me enlighten you lol. My momma had a beauty shop in our home (I’ve told that before) and she “did hair” for so many folks including her family and daddy’s family. Daddy had a cousin that would bring his wife to have her hair fixed once a week. He would pull in the driveway, and I would literally get butterflies over the vehicle that he drove. It was a 1970 something beautiful black El Camino. Yes! My dream car is an El Camino. Daddy’s cousins name was Gene. And the car fit the man. He wore rolled up blue jeans and had wavy hair to his shoulders. His beard was long, and he had a silver chain from his wallet to the pocket watch he carried in his front pocket. I would just sit beside of Gene on the front porch and just stare at him until he got tired of it. He’d finally look at me and say “you can get in it but, don’t touch anything lol. He would allow me to sit in the driver’s seat and pretend I was driving that big hog. The steering wheel felt as big as a hula hoop. I would just imagine driving it down the road. The white and black fuzzy dice hand from the rear-view mirror and I thought it was just the coolest thing ever. He would let me sit in that car every week that he come with his wife while she got her hair fixed.

Jump forward 30 years and I still search for El Caminos at the car shows. There aren’t very many as folks don’t like them the way they do mustangs or corvettes. On occasion I will come across a few and I just fall in love with them even more. The ones at the car shows are all perfect and polished. They don’t usually have all of the original interior or motors. But they have been redone as close as possible. Folks are very proud of their El Caminos, and I feel like they are just as odd as me to have chosen that vehicle to love.

Fast forward about 35 years from my little tale. Gene passed away a few years ago and his wife not long after. I keep up with his granddaughter on Facebook and we’ve talked about Gene’s old car on several occasions. His son owns the car now and is keeping it original a neat just as it was that long ago. I’ll probably never own an old El Camino (unless I win the lottery). But, I can dream. If I had the money, I would sure own one. I would buy Gene’s old car and I would ride that hog all over this town. It would be my daily driver, my grocery gitter. The only change I would make would be the fur dice would surely be teal and I would have a furry teal cover to put around that hula hoop steering wheel. Talk about the car suiting the gal. Oh well, we can all dream can’t we.

If you ever see a hippy retro gal in East Tennessee in a black El Camino with teal fur dice you can just assume that I have hit the lotto numbers. Unti then I will just look and admire online or at the car shows. Does your car suit you? If not will your next one? Would you be brave enough to go against the grain and drive your prefect car? I hope one day we all get to. Have the best Labor Day evening ever. And enjoy the photos of the El Caminos I have included in case you forgot how lovely they are. (the black one isn’t Genes. Wish I had a photo of it.).

Always…….Brooke

Howdy friends. Hope Thursday treated you like you were something special. Tonight is just a short little story and confession. I am the queen of admitting when I’m wrong or have made a mistake. So, far I don’t believe I’ve made any real mistakes with my blogs lol. I try to tell stories that are personal to me and that make me smile. I want to tell tales that will make you think and bring some fond memories to light. After all, I was put here on this earth to spread joy and be kind. I truly believe that as I don’t have much else to offer. Don’t you think that we should all just be here for that. Just to be kind and love one another. To be a light in someone’s darkness. Hopefully you feel the same.

Let me tell you a little about this husband of mine. Not only is he cute and has a great big heart lol but, he is also the king of spelling. Seriously, he was the spelling bee champion at his elementary school. He’s a math whiz too but, we won’t talk about that. He’s just precious but, he likes for eeeeeeerthing to be in its place. Apparently, letters should be in their place too. He’s a proofreader where I am a “hit send then apologize because it makes zero sense” lol. Bless his heart, he reads my social media posts and says, “honey did you mean to say I got hone or I got home”. Blahahhaha it drives him crazy. I usually leave it because I like to see his face and because all of my friends know how I am and that I never ever proofread anything. I get so tickled because he will read something 3 or 4 times before he hits send. Nope you never know what you are going to get from me.

Here’s my confession. I rarely proofread my blog posts. It should be apparent by now. I looked at one from the other day and the spelling was bad and the grammar wasn’t much better lol. Here’s the deal. With me what you see is what you get. I’m not offensive but, I’m a simple hippy gal who loves to write and isn’t big on perfection. Not with anything. I accept everything as it is for the most part. I love you no matter what. I love my family and God and I’m not afraid to share that. And I CAN NOT spell. And I’m okay with it. Also my fingers type faster than my brain works.

So when you read my blog and you see a misspelled word or a typo just smile and say to yourself “she’s imperfect” and keep on reading. When you see that misspelled word, you know what I am meaning to say lol. And that’s all I got to say about that! Thank you for reading my little tales and blog entries. It means a lot to me. Have the best night ever!

Always…….Brooke

Happy Wednesday! Hoping all is well and the day was fab. Tonight, I want to talk a little bit about something that I started doing about 6 months ago. Y’all know that I have a severe issue with insomnia. Sometimes it’s so bad that I’m lucky to get one hour of sleep. Yea I said one. Yes, its completely unhealthy as I am well aware. Lack of sleep will do something to you. Physically and mentally, it will wear you down. I will cause your immune system to tank. Most days I look like some kind electrocuted chicken running around. So if you see me out mind ye business! I don’t sleep!

Months ago I was told by a friend that I should listen to meditation before I go to bed. She talked to me about how much it calmed her and most nights she would fall asleep while she was listening to it. I seriously though she was crazy. I listened to what she was saying because I love her and she’s my friend. Buuuuut in the back of my mind it was thinking “you’ve lost it, you’ve really lost it” lol. Can I say when you go about 7 days with no more than an hour of sleep per night you’ll just try anything.

One night, after tossing and turning for about 4 hours with no luck of sleep, I decided to give it a whirl. Okay! I’m on the crazy train too because it worked! I pulled up sleep meditation/relaxation by Jason Stephenson on you tube. I picked one and just listened. He has breathing exercises and visualizations. And his voice has an Australia accent. It’s so easy to listen to. There’s no subscription so it’s completely free.

No before you go crazy and think I’ve lost it (because well, I thought she had), you need to try it just once. You need to make sure you are ready to sleep. And it needs to be a time when you can devote 30 minutes or so without interruption. Preferably the rest of the nigh because you are going to go to sleep. You’ll thank me later. It has worked so well for me that some nights my husband will say “you need to put on your meditation”. Now I will tell you it doesn’t keep me asleep. If I wake up for any reason, I’m right back to insomnia queen. Then you just try again. It does often work again for me in the middle of the night. Give it a whirl if you can’t sleep. It may help you too. Good luck, good night, and happy dreams.

Always…….Brooke

Hello!!!!! I hope that your Tuesday has been full of blessings and peace. I ain’t gonna lie. These last couple of days have been a little poo poo for me. I am currently fighting some type of summer flu. My though is, if I’m going to have to get the flu why can’t it at least be cold outside. I must say I look pretty silly with my heating pad, blanket, and hot tea while I’m working when outside its 84 degrees. The cure for the flu to me is hot cocoa, noodle soup, and a heater. Can’t really do all that in the dead of summer. I could but, my husband and son might go to a hotel until I get better. They like this house cold. I should be on the upswing after today as I took a good bolus of antibiotics. As Barney Fife said “nip it in the bud, nip it!”

When I was a little girl, my momma use to cure everything with a cup of soup, a hot bath, and a warm cozy bed. We slept off all that illness. And we sweated out the fever. She’d load the blankets on us until the fever “broke” and the covers were soaked with sweat. Lordy now days that would be considered abuse lol. Little did I know that a fever is your bodies way of fighting off the bacteria. Breaking the fever gets it out of your system. Momma was right. (Aren’t momma’s always). I can tell you so many times when I’ve said that I should have listened to her. Put butter on the burn immediately followed by toothpaste. What crazy person came up with that? Well, it works. Warm your biscuits up in a sandwich bag. Believe me do it. They taste like they’ve just come out of the oven. Wash your face every night before you go to bed even if you don’t feel like it. Yes, I’ve done this since I was a teenager. Sounds silly but, I can count on two hands the times my face has had a pimple or break out over the years. And that’s pretty good for a 45 year old menopausal woman. See momma knows best.

Do you ever remember as a kid just loathing getting in the tub? Shew I do. We would go outside and ride our bikes until dark. Thats not a bad thing either by the way. It’s good for your muscles. And my little sister has the legs to prove it. That gal rode her bicycle from sun up to sun down. She loved it. And she has the legs of a beauty queen. We also played in the yard. Getting super sweaty was just part of our routine. Dirt in our hair was normal. No video games for us. In fact we didn’t have a television in our bedrooms until I was in high school. Daddy wanted us outside moving around. We would come in for dinner and clean our plates. Not because we were made to. Because we had played so hard that we were starved. We never complained about the food that mom put on the table. You either ate it or you were free to make yourself a sandwich. I did that sometimes. I didn’t like meatloaf lol. It didn’t stop her from making it however. Daddy like it so she made it once a week. We would sit at the table and dread what was coming next. Bath time. And I mean not just a quick wash off. She wanted you scrubbed until the water was brown from the dirt. You better not come out of that tub with a speck of dirt on you or appear greasy. She’d check you. And if she thought you didn’t get clean enough then back you go. I’m not joking. She was funny about cleanliness. She still is lol. I can’t tell you the times my son has said to me “nanny made me go in there and wash my face because I had a breakout” lol. No zits at her house. That was a sign of nasty.

So tell me when did taking a bath in the tub turn in to punishment no more? I take one every night. It’s that soak in the hot water that makes me relax so that I can sleep some. I look forward to it. That water is so hot it’s almost to the point of giving me a 1st degree burn. The hotter the better. Epsom salt sooths the muscles and gets the tension out. It’s so funny that something that I use to dread, is now one part of my day that I look so forward to. These last 3 nights I’m not sure how I would have made it without my bath. The flu is miserable. Every part of your body hurts. The headache is never ending. And the chills are for the birds. That hot bath makes it so much better.

What is a childhood memory that you have that use to feel like a punishment that now is a treasure? Did your momma give you little pointers that even today you stand by? What little habits have you instilled in your children? There are just too many for me to count. I am however so blessed and thankful for all I have learned from mine. Memories are such good things to have. I hope tonight’s little story has helped you to remember a few. Have the best night ever and happy dreams.

Always …….Brooke

Friends, we made it through another week. It may have been great, or it may have hurt a little. To some it was full of good and excitement and to others it may have smacked you in the face. Either way we made it through. The sun rose and set every single day. It’s funny that no matter what is going on, time still carries on like that’s its job. Time doesn’t care if you wish it were in slow motion. Like when you’re on vacation and you never want it to end. And then when you have a bad day and it drag on forever. Time just does its deal and gets the day over to start another fresh one. I just try to be thankful for getting to watch that time move for another day.

Let’s talk about a bad day. I know, I know it’s not a good positive subject. Miss positive Polly here seldom blogs about anything except positive. Well tonight, I feel the need talk about the bad. I think it gets better at the end lol. For starters this week has sort of been the pits. On top of a horrible bout with insomnia all week long, work hasn’t been the best. Insomnia is a boil on the butt of humanity! Last night I tossed and turned for hours. My legs were wiggly and I couldn’t get anything to relax. I think I was up and down about 20 times and I finally fell asleep around 5:30 am and the clock went off at 6:30. Yep, you calculated that right. I got a whopping one hour of sleep. I guess it was sleep. I could have passed out from exhaustion. The entire week has been 3 hours or less a night. I go through spells like that. Usually after nine or ten days I will crash. I can go on no sleep (obviously) but, my body hurts like someone has beaten me with a tennis racket. Thats the bad part.

Grumpy, exhausted, and not a nice person, I hauled my tail to work this morning. And when I say hauled, I mean I walked down the hall to my office. I know, it’s a terrible treck. I get settled in to view my cases and immediately get sacked in the face with a bad email and another that was just downright rude. Ten minutes in to a ten hour shift and I’m already contemplating Judy Choppin. (if you don’t know what that is you’ll just have to google it. Seriously do. He’s hilarious). Two cups of coffee and a Jim Croce record later and I had decided no Judy Choppin needed today lol.

By the time my workday was over I was a mess. I down right looked like some kind of electrocuted chicken that just needed a bath. I know I’ve told you all how lucky I am to still have my momma. She’s a saint in so many ways even when she isn’t trying. This evening, even at 45 years old, I just needed my momma. I drove down there and walked in and just started bawling. She didn’t say more that one or two words. “What’s wrong” of course were the first words out of her mouth. And I couldn’t even tell her. It was almost like what wasn’t wrong. I was exhausted. I was hurting all over. I was hurt. I was mad. All the emotions all at once. She gave me a tissue, a glass of ice water, an Ibuprofen and simply said “now get over there and sit down and be still a minute”. Be Still. Be Still. Those words. It’s what my daddy use to say to me. Those two little words mean so much that I have them tattooed on my wrist. In my mommas handwriting no doubt. After I got it all out I felt better. My face looked like a busted can of biscuits with all the swelling, but I felt better.

So here’s the deal. You can’t be sunshine all of the time. It isn’t possible. We all have bad days. We sometimes even have bad weeks. It IS okay. It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to feel mad. It’s okay to be tired. It’s even okay to think about Judy Choppin (lol, just dont do it). Get it out! Then just Be Still. You have permission to get upset and down. Just dont unpack your bags and live in that emotion. Get it out then stand up. Adjust your crown! Lift up your face and carry on. If all else fails and you have the ability, go see your momma. Go home. It always makes it better. I hope each of you have a lovely evening. Thanks for sharing your time.

Hidey Ho Neighbors! I hope your Thursday shaped up to be a marvel! Today means its the end of the workweek for me as I am off on Friday’s. Woohoo. Fridays are usually an extra workday for me making cakes and sewing. We have to put in the work to be able to enjoy our down time, so I try to think of it as a blessing. And aren’t we so blessed! Putting in all the hours have allowed my husband and I to go on vacation 2 times per year and do a few weekend get aways. Now when I say vacation, I mean here in the Unites States and withing driving distance. We typically visit Hilton Head (which is my most favorite place) for our weeks away and try some quick get aways for our weekend excursions. Confession:::: I don’t get on a plane. I’ve never flown in my life. I’m a big scaredy cat. I also don’t do boats so not cruises for me. I’m scared to death of deep water. I do not know how to swim. And I know what you’re saying. “Didn’t you take swimming lessons”? Yep, three times. As the last swim instructor said to my daddy “you can’t teach someone to swim if she won’t take her feet off of the bottom”. So that’s me. Little miss “no water above the knees but loves to be in a hot tub or go to the ocean” lol.

I will admit that my fear of flying, and water has hindered my ability to enjoy this beautiful earth. It’s not good and I realize that. My siblings will hop on a plane and go anywhere. No biggie. In fact, they would rather fly than drive when traveling. They are brave. They are fierce. I am a pansey. I literally feel like I would have to be in a similar situation as Mr. T to get on a plane. Drug me up and carry me on. My son is now 21 years old, and I’ve often thought what I would do if he moved far away. This has happened to so many of my friends. Their children live all over. It brings me anxiety to think about it but, it would one scenario that I would be airborne. I would be in the airport bar for about 3 hours prior to boarding and someone might have to carry me on to that plane but, I would do it to see my son. Thankfully he is a “feet on the ground” kind of guy too. And he’s happy right here in this town with his family.

Here’s a little story about an opportunity and a fear. Several years ago I worked in a dental practice here in our area. I worked there for over 12 years and the office became my extended family. I still have a realtionship with the dentist today. I worked with a beautiful old soul named Bernadette . Just the name should give you an image of a sophisticated eclectic soul. And she certainly was. She was in her mid to upper 70’s and she had no intention of retiring (she since has and is still living today). Bernadette was an imigrant from France. Paris to be exact. She was one of those whirlwind love stories of girl meets soldier, falls in love, and moves to the US to start her life. She left behind her entire family. She birthed a daughter here and became a citizen. She then bagan working as a dental assistant and the rest is history. She became my great friend, confidant, and my work partner. We leaned on one another. Her accent was so strong that many times I would have to ask her to repeat what she said. Sometimes, I admit, I had her to repeat it just so that I could here her talk. We spent many lunch hours with her telling me stories of France and her home. Our dentist (boss) was a captain in the Navy and each year was gone for a 2 week furlow and we would close the office. She would travel back to France and typically stayed an entire month. The last year that she and I worked together (she retired), she offered for me to come with her and stay in France for a week. All expense paid. flight paid for and staying with her family. All I would have had to pay were for my meals and any souvenirs that I purchased. The woman had frequent flyer miles coming out of her ears. Yes, I declined. Due to my fear of flying. Ugh. I’m a complete idiot.

In the years that have passed since my invitation I realize how silly I was. Silly or not I still won’t do it. My husband and I often talk about where we would go if we “went”. His dream would be to visit Scottland. It’s his heritage. And he would love it. I guess it’s what we call our bucket list of travels (which will never get emptied). I myself, would venture 2 places. The first I can drive to as it is in the US. I would probably never as its 14 hours away. I have always wanted to go to Boston. Sounds crazy huh? A southern country gal wanting to go to Boston. I had a coworker from there and I lived that dream through him. My favorite television show of all time is “Cheers”. The bars (actually both bars) are there. They filmed in two separate bars. Both of which are open and can be visited.

The second bucket list for me to travel would be Sicily. The rich landscape and crumbling streets. The food and the bistros. It truly is a wish for me. If only I could close my eyes and be there and not get on the plane. I just think it would be an area that would take me back to that old world. A time of Italian love for food and family. Where you stick together and don’t mess with the Mob lol. Its certainly my kind of atmosphere.

Now that you know I won’t fly heres my “next best thing”. Unfortunately i suffer from Insomnia. Truly I do. I write my blogs at 11 pm or later and post them days out. Sometimes that is when I do my best “thinking” but that’s a different story. At night while my husband is sound asleep, I find myself looking at images of Sicily on Pinterest or the Web. I watch videos of the area and I read about the atmosphere there. I call it armchair traveling. I travel there sitting right here in my home. I explore through photos. It helps me relax and lets me dream. I should probably call it bedtime travel as I’m typically in bed propped up on a ton of pillows while I “travel”. It works for me for now. And will until I can make my phobia go away. Thankfully my husband could sleep through an explosion and it doesn’t bother him lol.

What is your bucket list for traveling? Where have you been lucky enough to visit and where do you want to explore? Thinking about those positive things will make you feel happy. It truly will. One day, when I get past my fear, I may get to mark Boston and Sicily off of my list. But until then, I will just live the dream through my armchair traveling.

Always…… Brooke

P.S. the photos below are how I see Sicily in my dreams. If you’ve traveled there and it doesn’t really look like this, then mind your business lol. Don’t crush a girl’s dreams.

How’s life treatin you? Hopefully good today. Every day that we are alive is a good day. Don’t forget. Even if times are a little rough, find something to look forward to and hang on to that. Even I, positive Polly, from time to time can go though some tougher days. One thing that I always look forward to are the day trips that we take on occasion. We usually try to plan a day trip or even a one night stay at least once a quarter. I think it’s important to get away and just try to take a break from “home”. We all need time to have fun. A time where we don’t have to “face” anything. It’s good for the soul.

My husband and I like to take trips just the two of us. It’s a great way to reconnect. When you get in a car and go for a long drive it forces you in a way to talk and communicate. I do believe that you should always continue to date your spouse. If you aren’t doing that you should try it. Don’t even tell him or her your plans. Just call them up and say, “be ready at 6, we’re going out”. They will be thrilled. For a very long time we pulled a date out of a box and went every week. We added dates from walks to bike rides, to hikes, to shopping at the bookstore, to dinner. It was so much fun to pull a Suprise date out of the box every week. Even if you do it once a month. It’s completely worth it.

Although we love our time alone, we also like to do things with other couples. We call it group dating. Our favorite couple to group date with happens to be my sister and brother-in-law. Oddly enough we do like being with them lol. I know a lot of people would rather eat a dirty dish rag than spend time with family. We are lucky enough to love ours. A couple of years ago they invited us to go to Beech Mountain, North Carolina. They had gotten tickets for all of us to go to “The Land of Oz”. Y’all! If you’ve ever wanted to go and had reservations about going…….Just GO! We grew up watching the Wizard of Oz. It was on the local TV station every year in the fall as well as during Christmas time. I’ve literally watched it so much that I can quote many many lines. I even have the DVD and my son watched it when he was small. It’s a true classic. Beech Mountain’s “Land of Oz” is the closest thing to the movie come to life that I have ever seen.

Let me give you just a sneak peak without giving it all away. You will ride the chair lift to the top of the mountain to begin your “tour”. There is a gift shop where you can purchase all types of movie related items. Of course, I had to get a Dorothy shirt and a pint glass. The park, as I call it, is more than I excepted. There are actors doing skits from the movie. They cast is absolutely amazing. There’s an area in the setting of Dorothy’s home and farm. Then you get to go “into” the tornado. They have munchkin land and a yellow brick road. There are acts all along the way. Finally, you get to the Emerald City. It is stunning. There are places to stop and rest if you have issues walking. There are also plenty of places to get refreshments. And don’t get me started on the funnel cake! Like I said I don’t want to give it all away, but I will say there are flying monkeys and a horse of many colors EEEEK!

Now that we’ve talked about this fabulous experience, don’t you want to go? You need to. Here are a few little tips and things to remember. * Plan this as a day trip because it will take you all day. It won’t feel like you’ve been there all day because it’s so much fun. * If you plan to travel a ways plan to stay. Stay in Banner Elk, Blowing Rock, or Boone. They are all amazing towns. Blowing Rock is my favorite. There are a lot of mom-and-pop hotels in Blowing Rock. You’ll be helping small business owners by staying. * Wear comfortable shoes, you’ll be walking a bit. It’s not hiking or anything and the walkways are very we’ll taken of. * Don’t be afraid to ride the chair lift. It’s well maintained and not that far off of the ground. The chairs are huge and we all four sat in one comfortably. * Take the kids if you have them. It is extremely kid friendly. It’s for adults as well but, the kids will love it. Let them dress up. There were lots of folks there dressed as their favorite characters.

Now that you are raring to go, go check out their website and get your tickets. The productions are only for maybe 3 or 4 weekends in the fall. The cast has worked so hard, and you can tell it. I’ve attached a couple of photos and as I said I don’t want to give too much away. Take your camera and go on this little trip. You will be so glad that you did. I hope you all have the best evening. Happy dreams.

Always…….Brooke

Uuuum it’s Monday! All day long. But how blessed are we to make it to the beginning of a new week. New week, new goals, new reasons, new eeeeerthing lol. So working from home has its advantages. One being, my office in an upstairs small bedroom that we turned in to my office space. I love it. It’s pink and filled with retro decor. I love being in there at the front of the house where I can look out the windows all day while I work. I have tons of birds in my yard. There are several birdfeeders out there so they hang around. There’s always plenty to eat. Last summer I purchased a feeder that suctions on to my actual window. It allows me to see them so well. I have a big fat redbird (cardinal to be correct but, we’ve always called them redbirds) who comes every day to my window and eats. He is loud and chips as if to say “I’m out here, you see me?” I always talk to him and tell him I do. It just makes my day move a little easier. I often wonder if daddy sent him to me. There’s an old wise tail that says cardinals appear when someone in heaven is watching over you. I like to believe things like that. It brings me closer to dad.

Last week, I pulled in the driveway after going to the grocery store and I noticed that my birdfeeder on my window was sideways. Like one side had dropped down. It’s a deal to get over to that window so I figured I would fix it when we refill it. We usually do that once a week. There is a huge blue jay that often feeds there so I assumed it knocked it down. Well………I was wrong. The next day I was in deep though in front of my computer trying to contemplate the case in front of me, when I hear this awful racket (that’s a word for noise for y’all that aren’t from Tennessee lol). I looked up and there was a big fat squirrel sitting inside of my birdfeeder having a feast! HOW DID HE GET IN THERE!!! That feeder is in the center of an upper window in my office. It is up off of the ground and there are no trees around to help him over there. Thankfully my son wasn’t sleeping that day because I jumped up and squealed. (My son works nights so he sleeps during the day). He came running and thought it was the funnies thing ever. I, on the other hand, was mad. I don’t like things messing with my birds and the fat bastard was in my feeder. My son took a photo, laughed, and said “well mom he’s gotta eat too”. I mean there’s a huge walnut tree in the back yard that he lays in to every day.

After fixing the feeder and making it perfectly straight I filled it full of birdseed and a few hours later my birds came. I just knew there would be no way the little rouge could get up in there as I moved it up higher. I was wrong. The next morning my son was standing in the doorway telling me tales of his worknight and he jumped and said “LOOK” and pointed at my window. There was the little devil. He had his claws dug in to my screen making his way to the birdfeed. So he was climbing the brick and used my screen . Thats how he got in there. I banged on the window and he just looked at me.

I promise I’m not anti-squirrel. I just like my birds in my feeder. I’ve now come to terms that I can’t keep him out. Now I just look at him and shake my head. He comes every day. Usually mid-morning. He has his feast and then he lays in there and takes a nap. For real! He takes a nap. He keeps my birds away for about 2 hours and then he leaves (I’m sure to go to the backyard and eat walnuts). My son still thinks it’s hilarious. If he’s going to stay, I guess I will name him at some point.

Now you know my squirrel story. Thats one of the joys of living in the country. We have animals. We also have deer, racoons, snakes, and a fox but those are for a different story. I hope you had a laugh with this tale. Protect your birdhouses and I hope you have the very best evening.

P.S. Photos for your viewing pleasure and sorry about the bad word in the content but he really is a little bastard! lol

Always…….Brooke

Hellur! Cause sometime Hi just don’t cut it lol. Today’s sure been a busy one. Aren’t they all? Unfortunately I had to go to the dreaded Walmart. I avoid it like the plague. Don’t get me wrong, they have great prices but I just don’t like going. I’m still a patron. A few years ago I signed up for delivery and my life was made complete. No crowds. No long line or self-check outs. You can take our time and make sure you have everything that you need before you place your order. Then they bring it to your door. To me it’s 100% worth the yearly fee which is minimal and so worth the tip you give your delivery driver. Sometimes, however, I have to bite the bullet and walk in there. I hit that door in a slow jog trying to get what I needed and get out!

For the first time ever, I didn’t see anyone I knew. This was a good thing as I had zero makeup on, was in workout clothes, and my hat covered my bad hair day. The last time I ventured out that way I ran in to one of my mommas’ friends who proceeded to talk for 45 minutes bless her heart. Then mom called and asked me if I was feeling bad. I said “no why”. Her friend told mom I looked so sick blahahahahaha. You see! Thats why I wear make-up. Today I was fortunate as I saw no one! I grabbed what I needed and headed for the self-check-out which was lined up just as bad as the 3 registers that they had with live attendants. I was impatient. Aggravated actually. Until I looked in front of me and saw a little girl holding her baby doll. She was probably 3 or 4 years old and she was looking at that doll and talking to it like it was alive. It made me smile. It also made me remember my childhood. I’m sure this little doll that she had was today’s famous doll or something. It warmed my heart that she was actually playing with a doll rather than her head in a game or her mother’s phone watching a video. So much of that anymore. So even though I had to go in “the Walmart”, my day was blessed by this little girl and her doll.

We always had dolls when we were little. My older sister actually collected dolls. They were expensive and considered “Do Not Touch”. She had a large doll case and they were kept behind closed glass. Back then, my little sister and I just couldn’t understand why you would have all these dolls that you could never hold or play with. I mean we could have had a whole town worth of babydolls to play with if we could have gotten them out of their case. I won’t lie, we use to sneak in there when she was at work and get one or two out. But, we made sure that they were put back exactly like they were so we wouldn’t get caught. She knew. She would come in and she knew if one hair was out of place. And she would get evil lol.

Now I bet y’all think we played with Barbie dolls. That would be a big nope! Never a Barbie. She was too perfect for me. Honestly, I don’t think I ever had one. We did however have Cabbage Patch Dolls and we loved them. I thought it was so neat that you go a birth certificate for your doll and he or she was already named. I use to walk up the isle and look at the names so I would know which one to pick. They had the worst names like Janice or Bertha or Melvin. I just wanted one with a new hip name. My sister ended up with a boy named Mitchel and I settled for a girl named Cybil. (it was the hippest name I could find). We loved those cabbage patch dolls. They were a part of my childhood every day. They went on vacations and trips with us. At one time they even had an adoption center where you could go and pick your cabbage patch doll from a nursery. I’m not sure that facility is even there anymore. Today, they still make cabbage patch dolls. I have seen them in “the walmart” several times when I’ve had to shop for toys for friends children. They must have been pretty special dolls to still be around today.

On Saturday mornings I watched cartoons at my grandparents’ house. I love getting up, eating cereal. and watching my cartoons with my dolls. One of my favorite cartoons was The Hugga Bunch Kids. I bet not many folks remember that one. I sure do. I loved it. They actually produced dolls for a small amount of times. Of course, I had one. My papaw bought it for me at Hills department store (I hope you are lucky enough to remember Hills. It was the best). I thought I was big stuff with a hugga bunch doll.

Today I still have my Cybil. My little sister also still has her Mitchell. I truly don’t remember what happened to my hugga bunch doll. I sure wish I did. Its crazy what can jog a memory. That little girl in Walmart made me think of being a child that loved her dolls and had a pretty great upbringing. I get to go to birthday parties sometimes for friends’ children and now grandchildren. One thing you can bet is if it is a little girl, she will get a doll from me. And not a barbie. Not one that is perfect” because she needs to realize that no one is naturally that perfect. Not a doll that she can be jealous of, but a fun doll that she can take everywhere with her. A doll that can be her friend. Because to me, every little girl needs a babydoll to care for.

The photo is my Cabbage Patch Doll Cybil. I still have her on my guest bed. The other photo is a photo of hugga bunch dolls just in case you watned to try to remember who they were. Even though you can no longer buy a Hugga Bunch, you certainly can buy a brand new Cabbage Patch Doll. If you have a child or a grandchild, go get them one. Allow them to adopt that doll. Tell them stories. Tell them this one. Do something and get their little faces out of the game, or phone, or electronics. Let them be little and innocent. Have the greatest evening ever!

Always…….Brooke

We’ve made it to the weekend! I wish I could sing those words. Typically Fridays start my weekend because I am off at my regular job but, usually fill my Fridays with cleaning, cakes, taking my momma wherever she needs to go and groceries that it usually seems like a work day. The weather is supposed to be perfect here all weekend and I hope it is for you wherever you are. Y’all know I love the fall but, theres just something about a summer evening that makes my heart thankful for the season. I dont know if it is the sound of the birds nesting in the trees for the night or the cecadas screaming. Somehow I wish I could have the crisp cool days of fall with the warm late summer evenings. I’m really asking for a lot I know lol. Maybe that’s what my heaven will be like when I get there. Do you ever think about that? What your heaven will be? I think of it as a place where we never long for anything. So for me it might be something sort of like fall in the day and summer at night lol.

Today I walked my street during my lunch. I try to get my steps in. Our street is off a main road but it just makes a big horseshoe . Its a large hill at each end so you sure get your workout in. Two times around and back is a mile. I know its terrible but, I usually put headphones on so that my neighbors dont run out and try to talk. I am a TERRIBLE person. Its not that I dont love them. I do. But we live on a street with 9 houses. Our lots are large and they back up to a big creek so its just us 9 families. All except for one couple are elderly and they are retired. If I dont listen to music and I get stopped I wont get back home in time to log on my computer after lunch. I dont care to stand around and talk any other time but my walking (30 minute lunch and 15 min breaks) are for my brain to clear out and my feet to move on the pavement. A lot of our neighbors have beautiful flowers in their yards and there are several gardens. One gentlmen has what I call “daddy garden”. Its perfect. Dads looked that way.

Today while I was walked I happened to look down as I passed under a tree. There on the ground laid the hull of a cicada. Of course I had to pick him up and take a photo to send to my sisters. And you know I have a memory about those cicadas. Our family had a huge farm in Rogersville which was about 40 min from our how. The farm was the home of daddy’s grandparents. It was over 200 acres of forrest, gardens, multiple barnes, and the old home place. Daddy took care of all of it as all of the family who originally lived there had already passed. He loved that place and did everything that he could to keep it up perfectly. We would stay there weeks at a time in the summer and tend to the gardens and land. Although we didnt think it was “grand” being young girls through our teenage years, I look back at it now and think about how wonderful it really was. The tale of this farm is story for another time. Belive me you’ll want to hear it.

Back to my bugged story. At night we would sit out side and talk and just listen. You could hear crockets and cicadas everywhere. It was peaceful. It was a time to “be still”. Those cicadas would flock to the side of the upper barn to slip out of their shells. Sometimes there would be 50 shells hanging on the side of that barn. They were so fascinating. They almost looked like little aliens. Big bugged eyes as claws. My younger sister and I would collect the shells from the side of th barn and see how many we could get every night. My older sister however, absolutely hated them. She said they made her feel like she had bugs crawling all over her. We would laugh because she would just run and squal when we brought to show her lol. Today, all these years later, she still cant stand them.

Have you ever seen a cicada shell? Well if you havent I have attached my photo. Of course I took a photo and sent it to my girls. My younger sister laughed and the only response we got from our older sister was : NOPE! And we knew exactly what she meant.

If you have a farm, or are around a nice wooded area, take a look at the trees. You may just find a cicada shell. Teach your children or grandchildren about those things. Its something that no one else will do for them.

Have the greatest weekend. Be safe. Go explore.

Always…….Brooke