A Smile All The Way From Heaven

~ a smile and a twinkle of the eye, melted even the hardest heart every time ~

A Smartly Dressed Package

An angel at Christmas!

Twinkle lights.

A smartly dressed cat.

And a smartly dressed package. Two boys who love their Mom went in on a present and this is how they wrapped it. My heart sings!

Grandma Is All Around Us

In the simplest ways, Grandma is all around us.

Cookie Jar.

Pin Cushion.

Pictures.

Collector Spoon.

Darling.

Love them, love her.

Rakes make the best snow fight weapon!

We got snow over the weekend. Two snow days from school. Oregon shuts down when we get snow. The first night, Nathan and McKenna were outside trying to build a slushy snowman. I took the rake out front to "shovel" the front drive by the car. The kids thought I wouldn't notice them sneaking up behind me, snow in hand. Quickly I turned the rake backwards and in one swift motion sprayed them with snow from the rake. It was GLORIOUS! They were SOAKED! That'll teach them to try to sneak up on Mom!

More Veteran Day Parade Photos

More photos. In the earlier post, I thought the little old lady was so sweet. She seemed so fragile while watching the parade. Then she saw someone she knew go by in the parade and OFF she sprinted, like a young girl!

Veterans Day Parade

Veteran's Day Parade around here is quite the event. Kitty, McKenna & Emma and I found a leaf covered corner spot that was perfect. Well, except for the wind and rain. But, as I told Kitty as she and Emma tried to wimp out on going, the soldiers braved much more than wind and rain for US and for our freedom, and weren't they also going out in the wind and rain today? We might as well! My sister reluctantly agreed. She didn't know how funny I thought it was every time the wind blew her Ikea umbrella inside out. Well, she does now. Kitty, you can have your other Ikea umbrella now... :-)

I took quite a lot of pictures. My son looked at them and said I am all over the place with what I photograph. I took shots of the feet as the soldiers marched by... kids making faces cause they want the parade to be SO over., a trumpet sitting on the pavement after the band was through., the color of the trees in the distance... teenagers just walking by.... people interest me. Why not be "all over the place"? There's so much life going on all over the place!

Pumpkins

Here are some very cute pumpkins! And the carved ones are good, too! It is always fun to carve pumpkins every Halloween with my sister and her family. My niece makes a killer apple cider! Family is what makes the holidays special, but don't just wait for holidays to tell your family what they mean to you! Happy Fall, y'all!

My WORDLE get yours too!

Handprint On My Heart

Recently, my daughter who is now 10, left her handprint on the mirrror of my dresser. Every time I enter my bedroom I notice that handprint and it makes me smile. Today, I was cleaning my bedroom, removing stacks of clutter from my dresser, catching dust bunnies running rampant. When it came time to clean the mirror, it was easy for me to NOT remove the handprint she left for me. So I cleaned around it.

My girl is growing up. Sure, she's only ten, but I know the time is coming soon when boys and fashion will overtake her world and shift her attention away from me. I accept that, but I don't have to particularly like it. Gone are the days when all of my kids were beautiful babies, and huggable toddlers. Then they became gradeschoolers and now two of them are close to manhood. I miss those days when they were little, oh so cute.

It got me thinking.

You know the saying, "Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get toward the end, the faster it seems to go."

My parents are nearing their 70's. My siblings and I are pushing our way to 50. (oh ugh!). My sister had cancer. Luckily they found it quickly and got it all. But things like these got me thinking about how I live my own life.

I'm losing weight so I can live a longer, healthier life.

I'm decluttering my house and decluttering my life.

I wear clothes that make me feel good.

I call my mom or my sister more often.

I do more stuff with my friends.

I stop and notice how the sun hits a leaf.

I pay attention to the details.

I don't waste time on petty things.

I spend more time with my kids.

I spend less time worrying about dust.

So I think I will let the handprint stay on the mirror a little longer. She didn't just leave a handprint on my mirror.

She left a handprint on my heart.

TURKEY ROCHER ~ a contest

Ferrero Rocher, the fine hazelnut chocolates, comes in gold foil and a brown paper liner presentation. It is an art work in and of itself.

However.....

One evening, while enthralled in deep and meaningful (cough) conversation with my now ex-boyfriend, I created this fine paper and foil TURKEY sculpture. I call it..... Turkey Rocher.

Add sculptor to my long list of credentials.

Yes, this is all done in jest, but I really did create Mr. Turkey. Handsome, isn't he?

Now, for you. If you are so inclined to make a creation of your own out of ONE single Ferrero Rocher, no glue, no pins, tape, etc...., and send a picture of your creation to me, I will be the jury of your Rocher fine art. I would be delighted to send the most ingenious designer a gift. Oh, let's say... candy?

Yes, I tend to get kookier as the evening wears on......

Each Penny Is A Stoop

My most recent divine dime arrived in (what else!?) the laundry basket two days ago. I decided, when available, I will take a picture of the dimes I find. So, here is a picture of the dime, not very interesting, but to me ~ inspiring!

I would like to share with you a bit of the article I found in the coin-op laundry mat those years ago right after the dimes story came to life for me:

"My Grandfather told me that when an angel misses you, he or she will toss a penny down to tell you so." Two years ago my father passed away, leaving his wallet with six pennies inside. There are six children in our family, and the conclusion we reached was that he left one for each of us. Upon hearing about it, our aunt (Dad's sister) presented us with the following: "I am like a penny. Not a bad one, a very bright one. Remember, I'll always turn up wherever you find a penny anywhere. In the years to come, you'll pick one up and say, "There's Dad!" In time you'll have a thousand reminders of how much you're loved."

More excerpts soon.

My own dear Grandpa Larry on his walks with Grandma would stop to pick up pennies. He kept them in large coffee cans. When he passed away, my Dad took those pennies and filled baby food jars (from when my son Nathan was a baby) and then gave each of us kids (and grandkids) a jar at Christmas.

Labels on the jars said the following, as Grandpa used to say, "Now remember, each penny is a stoop!"

It's funny how little things can really mean a lot.

REST

I was sitting out on the deck, noticing how pretty the sun's light was, when I got the thought that it would be perfect light for tombstone photographs. Am I odd? So McKenna and I took off across town and took a stroll through our old cemetery (conveniently located next to the hospital ~ ironic) which had tall, luscious grass. I was right. The sun kissed the stones in such a soft way. So here is a sampling of some photos from today. McKenna asked if she could lay down in that lush green grass. It was... uh hum... heavenly! So, this is a twist of what you thought might be another form of.... REST.

How Sign Of The Dimes got it's name!

Sign Of The Dimes originated much the same way "pennies from heaven" came about. A long but moving story from a complete stranger changed my life forever. A guy fixed my washing machine and found some dimes. Told me a story about how his mother passed away and said she'd send messages from Heaven that she was okay. She sent dimes. In all kinds of odd ways. You could dismiss this as coincidence, but his mother proved it to be true. And then he passed some dimes on to me (that he found in my washing machine), said to keep the faith. And I started finding dimes too. In all kinds of odd ways & places. So they are a "Sign of The Dimes" for me to keep the faith and remember our loved ones watch out for us. Believe it or not, but it's my story. My inspiration. I wrote a long story about it after it first happened, years ago. Will share it with the world when I find it again. Until then, I keep finding dimes, only dimes (mostly in my washing machine) and I encourage you to keep your eyes out for a "SIGN OF THE DIMES". Thanks for listening!

Well guess what?! I found the envelope that held my story last week! I can only say that when I wrote it, I had the divine hand holding mine because I am certainly not a writer. So hang in there while I figure out a real WHIZ BANG way to present my story on this blog. I still haven't got the hang of it yet! Thank you for reading. And if you already have your own "dime" or pennies from heaven story, please do share!

~Kristy "Make Life Count"

Summer splendor!

Summer splendor! Nothing like an Oregon sunset! These were taken from out of the sunroof on the way to the coast. There was road construction so we didn't make it on time, but we did get this glorious display on the way! The clouds were magnificient!

Goodbye summer....

Summer, glorious summer! I thrive in summer. Warm sun, warm breezes, flowers abloom! I bloom in summer. I'm not ready to say goodbye yet. Summer is a warm hug. Fall is the cold draft of winters bony fingers sneaking up behind me. I'm not ready to say hello to winter yet.

I found three dimes the other day! I walked out to check the mail. Crossing the street, I saw one and then TWO laying in the middle of the road. And then on the way back from getting the mail I found a third in the street. I must have needed extra reminding that day!

You must wonder, what is this about DIMES?! Why SIGN OF THE DIMES? What's all the bugaboo?

It's a long story, but I will tell it soon. And it's worth reading. And it's worth the wait.

Beauty in the small things

Nature's gifts, like a perfect rose on a dewey morning. God's gifts, like a new found dime in the washing machine. MY STORY IS COMING!

Gone to the blogs!

Sign of the Dimes has gone to the blogs!

Thank you for reading my blog. I LOVE blogs! I have recently discovered them and have found so much inspiration by reading blogs from all over the world. I have to get my hands on that magazine I've seen... Creative Blogging? You people are SO talented and when I whisk myself into the land of someone else's life I wish I could write my own blogs and be an inspiration to someone else, so that is my goal here. Give me time to get the hang of it! Check back soon! ~Kristy