A Tiny Silver Book, #3

Upon seeing a Facebook post looking for book recommendations for summer reading, I posted the same and the recommendations came pouring in via Facebook, e-mail, phone calls, texts, etc. I love to hear what other people are reading and while some might not appeal to me, I have gotten some of the best books this way! A friend who I only know through an online game ( yes, it was Mafia Wars) told me about "Same Kind of Different As Me", which I loved and have given to many people. This week I have taken recommendations, gone through the list and here is what I will be reading in June. Well, honestly, this list will most likely take me through July as I have a BIG celebration at the end of the month and will most likely be talking and laughing through mose of the trip! A Week in Winter, Maeve Binchy...The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, Ayana Mathis...Death comes to Pemberly, P.D. James...The Fault in Our Stars, John Green... Incendiary, Chris Cleave... Peace LIke a River, Leif Enger... Sisterland, Curtis Sittenfeld...The Silver Star, Jeannette Walls...Falling Together, Maria de los Santos... Reconstructing Amelia, Kimberly McCreight...The Interestings, Meg Wolitzer...Saving CeeCee Hunnicutt, Beth Hoffman. I hope you all find something great to read this summer!!

A Tiny Silver Pair of Scissors

Yesterday, I did not leave the house. Not one single time. Yesterday, I did not leave the house and no one came over, not the remodeler, the painter, the plumber, the electrician or the drywall person. Not one single person needed my attention, a decision, a missing part, a paint color...nothing. So, what did I do? I got out my handy dandy scissors and I cut up a whole mess of paper. And then I drew on it, glued it, embellished it, coated it, let it dry and did it again and again. Cutting paper into strips, inking designs on it, gluing it down...now that is what I call a peaceful day. I find joy in arranging shapes and colors. I find peace in drawing with my two favorite pens. I find satisfaction in watching the glue dry. And in the end, a bit of fun for a two year old who might enjoy a fun way to learn the alphabet. Or maybe a wall hanging for a special friend who is about to become a grandma and needs to establish some firm rules for her house! I am thankful for my quiet day and that no one in my family cares that I turned our living room into collage central. I am thankful fo time to be creative and just to relax. How would you spend a quiet day? Would you read or draw or watch old movies? Would you bake or sew or paint a picture? Whatever it is, find a day and do just what you want!

"Alligators All Around" from The Nutshell Library by Maurice Sendak
"Grandparents Rules"

A Tiny Silver House

Merry Christmas from Our Home to Yours...reads the collage that became our Christmas card this year. This was the second collage as the first one had some words that were too tiny when photographed and reproduced...oops. For 18 years, our darling girl was the feature photo on our Christmas Card but now that she is in college, she suggested that she might be too old grown up to be on the card. Last year was the first year that I created a piece of art specifically for the card and joyfully sent it out. As I started to receive cards in the mail, there were several that had things like, "where is Chelsea's picture?" and " I am missing the picture of Chelsea" on the bottom of their cards. I felt a little like I was disappointing them but this year, once again, went with the artwork. She and I discussed this last night and found that the only way I could get away with her in the photo was to do a family photo next year. Maybe, maybe not, I have all year to think about it. I love the tradition of sending out Christmas cards. As I address the envelopes, I think about who I am sending it to and how much they have meant to me. From my college roommates parents, who shared with me the absolute best Christmas Cookie recipe ever, to family members and friends far and wide. I hope your Christmas is merry and bright and that you have the opportunity to hug your loved ones and tell them how special they are! From our Home to Yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas.

A Tiny Silver Angel

The first time I met Betty, she hugged me so hard I couldn't breathe! It was at my wedding rehearsal dinner and many of Bob's family traveled from Virginia to Tennessee to help us celebrate. She, along with her husband Pep, her mother Virginia, her daughter Beverly and son in law Paul, were so welcoming to me and really made me feel like I was a part of the family already. Betty always introduced me as her "cousin" and we tried to figure out if there was a way to really define a cousin by marriage on your mother's side! When our daughter was born, we called her Aunt Betty and she was always so kind and sweet to Chelsea. She never missed an opportunity to ask about her and how she was doing in school. She was so proud of her children and grandchildren. I loved to watch her face light up as she told me of their accomplishments and adventures in life. Thank you for making me a part of the family. Betty was diagnosed with cancer about 4 months ago and as her body weakened, her spirit did not. She knew what would happen and was ready to be embraced by the loving arms of our Lord. She tried many treatments and sought care from other places in an effort to add days or moments with her family. She was positive and hopeful, but resigned that God had a plan for her life and she would be a witness to those doctors and nurses who cared for her during her treatments. Thank you for showing me a gracious spirit. Betty lost her battle with cancer yesterday but I know she ran, rejoicing and singing to meet our Lord. This beautiful obituary was posted yesterday http://www.covenantfuneralservice.com/obituaries/betty-jefferson-blaisdell/ and speaks of a life well lived. Thank you for being the face of Jesus in the world. Betty was outspoken, never afraid to say how she felt or give her opinion. I loved to tease her when she said something outrageous and she would just laugh and laugh with her infectious laughter, tossing her head back and smiling broadly. She spent so much time tutoring children and it brought her great joy when the light came on in someone's eyes as they understood a new word. Thank you for going out into the world and being a teacher to so many. Betty was a wonderful hostess, opening her lovely home to friends and family. When we had meetings there for various church committees, she would make you feel as if you were her honored guest. At Christmas time, our family and hers would gather for what we came to call the "Pie Party". She would gather apples in the fall and save them to make delicious pies, set a beautiful table and we would sit for hours and talk about our lives, share stories of family members and spend time in warm fellowship. Thank you for keeping those connections strong. I am blessed for having known Betty and celebrate her life, a life well lived indeed. So, as we gather to remember her and to share her life with each other, I encourage you to share your memories of her with Beverly and Preston. She loved well, she lived well and her spirit will live with us forever.

A Tiny Piece of Silver

So, you know how you see things on Pinterest and you think, "I can do that...I want to do that...I should do that...how hard could it be?" Me too! Last December, I saw a pin about a $5 bill. The idea was to save every single $5 bill you got from change and put them away to save up for something special. So I started on January 1st and have been saving (not hoarding) them ever since. I have spoken to a couple of people about how it started small but has grown into a fairly large pile (okay, you know me too well, it is not in a pile, but carefully tagged and bundled). So now the question is, what do I do with them? Buy something, treat someone or can you make a difference to someone with a short stack of $5 bills?

I am taking suggestions...what could I do with my stacks that could make a difference, truly make a difference. email suggestions to melanieedwards626@msn.com

A Tiny Silver Book, again

I've said it before and I'll say it again...I love to read. The End. Curled up on the sofa, cozy blanket over my feet, book in my lap. On the Exercise bike, at the gym, a book doesn't fit so will on the holder. Thankfully, there is the Kindle or the IPad readily available for and hour of uninterrupted reading. When the e-reader first came out, I said that there was no way I would get one. I love the feel of a book, the weight of a book, the ease of going back to re-read a passage that caught my attention. I love the way books stand at attention on the shelf, just waiting for me to pull them down to read again. I love them stacked on the floor by the bed or on the nightstand or on the table in the hall. But, one day, while browsing through Borders, the Sony reader caught my eye. The sign above it proclaimed "100 FREE books". That was enticing enough to make me try it out. I got one and downloaded the books, all 100 classics, and read my way through all of the books that I hadn't read since high school. Books that I HAD to read for English class, books that I didn't get the full meaning when I wa rushing to read them to write a paper or take a test. How delightful to discover these once again, reading them with new eyes and new perspective. How delightful to discover that I could carry so many books on a device that fit right in my handbag. No more carrying four or five novels in my suitcase on a business trip for nightly reading. I found that there was a place in my life for an electronic reader. But, I still bought lots and lots of hardback books. Lots and lots of books. Stacks and Stacks of Books. Later, I was given a Kindle and then an IPad. Love that I can read on the Kindle, the Ipad, even my Iphone in a pinch when waiting...hello, DMV. I still buy books in hardback form, but I do enjoy being able to take a library with me whereever I go! AND, the best part, I can take my Jane Austen with me everywhere I go! Happy Reading!

A Tiny Silver Pen

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, I would like to thank Mrs. Clark for letting me read ahead in the first grade, Mrs. Brady, who let me read aloud to Ivory, who didn't know how to read yet, to Mr. Wattenbarger, who taught me that nice penmanship just might grab your reader's attention before your words sank in, Mrs. Hardison, who taught me spelling DID count, Mrs. Sanford, who let me check out more than two books at a time in the library, Mrs. Pelster, who taught me that understanding and speaking another language is indeed a beautiful thing, Mrs. Myers, who taught me that solving for x is important and that I WILL use this again, Mr. Nelson for teaching me that while I may occasionally fall in the "sheep dip", I don't have to stay there and Mr. Eugene Wade who not only taught me to balance a checkbook, but that letting your personality shine in whatever you do is a fantastic thing!! I was the student, who, when given my reading book, would come home and read all of the stories the first week, devouring them, not able to wait until we got the them sometime later that year. I was the student, who, when I didn't understand a concept, would most likely shut down until the proverbial light bulb went off over my head and I could see the solution. And while my teachers were engaging and challenging me, the teachers I have to thank the most are my parents. My mom who would let me order books from the Weekly Reader, marking my choices on the little paper form and turning it in to my teacher. My dad who sat with me night after night at the kitchen table while I desperately waited for the light bulb called "Algebra" to come on. And thankfully, one day it did and I never looked back. My parents who would tell me I was ruining my eyes when reading from street light to street light on long car trips, but I didn't and my ares are just fine. My parents who took me to the library and patiently waited while I checked out a huge stack of books and took me back again and again. My parents who still buy me gift certificates to wonderful book stores for Christmas! So, in honor of the teachers at school and the teachers at home, thank you, you may not know if you are making a difference...but you are!!

Tiny Silver Message in a Bottle

What she said..."In life, there are going to be struggles and times when things just don't seem to go our way or make sense...there is a lesson somewhere in there for us, may not be apparent at the time...BUT, I have to think if you didn't get something that your heart desires SO MUCH, then maybe there is something BIGGER AND BETTER just waiting around the corner. The corner might be kind of far away, just know that God has BIG plans for your life...BIG PLANS....and this just might be part of it!
I am so very proud of you for being who you are...I love you in the good, the bad, the ugly and the wonderful...but I especially love you TO THE MOON AND BACK!! Things will fall back together!!"

Tiny Silver Swim Fins

My sister is the swimmer in the family. I do not like to put my face in the water. I like to swim like a puppy, head up, facing forward, nose out of range of the water.

A work out friend suggested a class called Finning. Back and forth in the pool, fins on your feet, hands on a kickboard, face out of the water. I figured even I could do this, probably wouldn't drown.

So, I go to the class in my bathing suit that fit last summer and the summer before, but not so well now. I get in and she showed me the basic strokes.

Soon I was gliding through the water like Flipper!! When the class started, the first laps, I was third in line...behind a leisurely finner. The second set of laps, I manuevered to the front and offered to be the guinea pig to learn the new stroke.

Out in front, I plowed through the water with all of the grace I could. Made it back to the starting point and turned for another lap, the other students behind me. I felt like I could do this for hours. It was a great workout, both cardio and strength training.

As a matter of fact, I liked it so much, I ordered my own fins and kickboard...and thankfully, still don't have to put my face in the water!

A Tiny Silver Phone

...or Learning to Laugh at Yourself!!

So, I carry two phones, actually wear them clipped at my waistband. Normally the ringers are turned off so they vibrate when they ring. Although my personal phone has hundreds of ring tones, makes it easy to assign ringtones so I know who is calling without even looking...

Anyway, tonight at the gym, I took off my jacket and folded it up nicely on the floor. I tucked my work phone in the pocket and went about my workout. Fast forward an hour, great workout, headed out the door. Reach in my pocket for my work phone to see if I had any messages that needed to be attended to...but wait...no phone in my pocket.
My personal phone was clipped at my waistband, but no work phone.

I went back upstairs, over to the area where I was working out, checked the floor, all around the machine...no phone!!

One of the girls I see there pretty often suggested calling the number. I am thinking that won't work because it only vibrates, and we will never hear it ring. But, I thought it was worth a shot...ring...ring...ring...

No phone ringing in sight...I crossed my arms in frustration...and felt something vibrating. I looked at the phone in my hand, but it wasn't ringing. I swung my other arm away from my body and back...my ARM was vibrating. I looked down and right there, on the inside of my arm was a zipper. Unzipping the zipper I realized that my phone was in the arm pocket...what kind of coat has an arm pocket?! And how did it eat my phone?!

So, we had a bit of a laugh...laughing at yourself is a good thing!!

A Tiny Silver Flamingo

I've said before that if you are my friend and you are going to write a book, I will read it. I will buy it and read it. I will buy it and read it and ask you to sign it. I will buy it and read it and ask you to sign it and tell my friends to read it.

...And I will be inspired by it to make a little piece of art.

Here's to a very creative New Year!!

A Tiny Silver Tree

Me: What do you want to do for your Christmas card picture this year?
Her: Don't you think I'm too old for a card photo? After all, I haven't really changed much in the past three years.
Me: Well, what should I do for a card?
Her: Make something special and only send out a few...
Me: Or...

Our card this year is a print of a mixed media piece of art I made after seeing a lovely video tutorial on the Scarlet Lime blog, using a canvas, paper, glue, paint, stamps, transfers, glitter, ink and love!!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

A Tiny Short Story

She walked past the doorway.
She glanced at the man standing there.
He turned his head.
It was him.
She hadn't seen him in years, but she knew those eyes.
She stopped short.
His eyes lingered on her face
and he broke into a big smile.
She whispered his name.
He crossed the floor and stood in front of her.
He said her name and reached for her hand, their fingers interlocking in an old familiar way.
He reached his other arm around her shoulders and drew her close.
His lips brushed her cheek gently and her eyes closed.
As she drew back, his eyes locked on hers.
She reached up and touched his face.
He leaned nearer, his eyes closed and his lips touched hers.
Her heart stopped beating and the world came down to this moment.
He said, you know, I loved you then and I love you now.
She opened her eyes and he smiled.

**Challenge: Write about what happened right before this picture was taken...

A Tiny Silver Cup

From the minute you walk into a restaurant, there are many decisions to be made.
Wait...first you recognized that you were hungry and then the discussion ensues about where you are going to go....but let's bypass that part, because it always goes like this...
"Where do you want to go?"
"I don't know, wherever you want."
"What are you hungry for?"
"What did you have for lunch?"
"You pick, I can find something wherever we go, you are the picky one."
...and then we go somewhere.

Okay, back to walking into the restaurant.
Where are you going to sit? You quickly scan for the quiet table, there, that one looks good. You sit down and wait for it...wait for it...here comes the server and they ask THE question,
"Can I get you something to drink?"
And I answer, "Are you a Coke or Pepsi restaurant?"
The server always gets that look on their face, as if they know there is a 50/50 chance that I will not like the answer and my disappointment will be reflected in their tip.
When the answer is "Coke", I may or may not order a Diet Coke, depending on my mood.
However, if the answer is "Pepsi", I quickly say,
"May I have a glass of water, please".
I have matured past the days of the heavy sigh, eye rolls and looks that could kill...after all, it is just a beverage, right?!

I don't care for Pepsi, I can't tolerate Diet Pepsi and am not a big fan of Sierra Mist. I do indeed love Mountain Dew ( after all, it is a southern invention) but don't need all of the sugar.

So, why all of the fuss about a simple beverage?

I just read somewhere that a person was suing a restaurant because they ordered a "Diet Drink of a Certain Brand" and were served a "Diet Drink of Another Brand". Turns out there is a regulation that says if someone orders a "Certain Brand" product and you don't serve "That Brand" products, you must tell the person what brand you will be serving before it is served and consumed.

Really?!

I mean, I appreciate knowing what I am going to get, but taking legal action for not getting what you expected...hmmmmmmm

For the record, we go to a restaurant most every Sunday for lunch and they do not serve my favorite brand...but they do have tasty water!!

A Tiny Silver Purse

I love handbags, pocketbooks, purses, tote bags, really any type of container for my stuff. I really like when I get a new handbag and transfer all of my daily items from one bag to another. Or pull an old one from the closet and use it once again.
The other day, I decided to use a bag that I hadn't carried in a while and of course, there were bits and pieces of papers and other items left in the bag from the last time I carried it.
In this Levenger seafoam green leather bag was an invitation to a baby shower, a red pen, a lipstick, a couple of dollars, a handful of change, a fortune from a cookie, a nail file, a couple of receipts and a half of a pack of gum.
The baby shower invitation was for a mom who has had two more children since the one featured at this party!! The receipt from a craft project long ago started and finished and given away.
What in our lives do we tuck away, whether forgotten or saved for another day? Is it time to let go of those little things that are just taking up space?
It is like a little treasure hunt, who knows what you will find in a seldom used bag...and who knows what treasures, once forgotten, are ready to be found and which ones are ready to be let go!

A Tiny Photo Frame

I was working on choosing photos for my daughter's senior page in her yearbook. This meant getting out the photo albums from the early years! The albums are labeled by year, the photos placed in the sleeves when they were fresh from the developer.
Way back before digital cameras, you had to take the film to the drug store to get it developed. And remember to ask for duplicates for the grandparents. And there were always those odd random shots when you were trying to use up the film. Seems like there are cameras around here that held 110 film, 126 film, 35mm, and those funny little canisters that you got back and you have to store those forever.
I can tell exactly when I got my first digital camera because the albums, as they were, stop and the computer files begin!!
As I was looking through the albums, I was swept back in time.
To the first time she came home from the hospital in her University of Tennessee sweat suit and then the second time she came home after having to be re-admitted, this time in a beautiful pink smocked Felton Brothers dress, complete with slip, bonnet and tiny white leather shoes. Her first bath, with Grandmother pouring water gently over her hair. Grandmother, who jumped on a plane, and came to stay with us when my baby girl showed up several weeks early!
To her first day of preschool, when I took her picture standing next to the stairs and she is barely taller than the third step. I've taken her picture standing in the same spot on the first and last day of school every year. On the last day of PK, she couldn't go to school because she had chicken pox. Her teachers came to visit her after school was over that day and brought her papers and things from school. In her picture that day, she is dressed in a yellow outfit, a faint dusting of cornstarch powder covering her face.
To ballet recitals, first bike rides, visits to the pumpkin patch, the apple orchard, the fire station, carnivals, a series of cow girl halloween costumes, classroom parties, snow days, Easter egg hunts, holidays in Tennessee, birthday parties and loving aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents.
She sat on the floor with me and helped me select the photos, knowing that I would give her final say in what appeared in the yearbook. Both of us laughing and remembering some fun times.
I am glad I was able to be her room mother at school and capture so many images. I am glad that she has been in school with so many of the same children since lower school. I am glad I have gotten to watch them grow.
As I started to scan the photos and she went back to filling out a college application, I realized that those little photos give me great memories to enjoy, for now, for later and when she is away from home.
I love you, my brown eyed girl!

A Tiny Silver Car

Just a quick thought...
It is a good thing when you see the car in front of the car in front of you completing a good traffic manuever...using their blinker, making good driving decisions...and realizing it is your child driving their own car...yes, a good thing!!

A Tiny China Plate

I was talking to a friend today and the subject of family heirlooms came up. She was talking about how her mom and aunts were arguing, fighting and bad mouthing each other over things they thought should belong to each of them upon the eventual demise of their mother. That's right, they are fighting and the dear lady is still using all of those silver knives, lace doilies and sitting in that particular velvet chair!
My friend asked me what I would do if in that situation and I told her that I could not imagine.
So, let me go on record...Mike, Melinda...if you want it that badly, it's yours!

Anyway, it seems that what they are fighting about are family photos, the china and that red velvet chair.

I had a photo of my mom and dad at a high school dance that I loved and had on a shelf for many years. One day, my sister asked me to make a copy of it for her. I figured I had had the original long enough, made myself a copy and gave her the original. I still have the picture, it still makes me smile! So, if you are fighting over photos, invest in a high quality photo printer, make copies and share them...making sure to include names, dates, places, favorite memories and the photographer if known. Share the memories.

I have a little white china saucer hanging on the wall in my kitchen. It is about 6 1/2" round, shiny white with a green border. It doesn't match any other of the dishes, not the fine china, not the Christmas china, not the nice everyday china, not the everyday china, not the Fiesta ware, not the Dan Finnegan handpainted china...nothing.

So, why would I have this single china plate hanging on the wall? This is the saucer that sat under the coffee cup that my great-grandfather, known as Pap-paw Goodness Gracious, used every morning for his coffee. Pap-paw would spill over a little coffee into the saucer, add some milk and let me drink it. I don't know if I have this actual memory or have heard the story so many times that is is real to me. It doesn't matter, what matters is that he loved me and shared his coffee...I still love coffee, with a little milk, no sugar...any wonder why?! This plate is one of my treasures, of value to no one but me, a reminder to share what you know is good.

I have two corner china cabinets, one from my great-grandparent's house and one from my grandmother's house. I brought them with me to Virginia when I got married and they are treasures for the beautiful pieces of furniture that they are and also as they remind me of the dining rooms in their houses...meals shared with family.
My grandmother used to tell me that she wanted certain people to have certain things of hers. This china cabinet came to me and another piece that stood in her entry hall went to my sister. They were focal points in her home and in ours.
After I lived in my house for several years, I decided to paint the dining room. I carefully unloaded all of the china, crystal and silver out of the cabinets and gently moved them to the center of the room. I started painting and as I worked my way around the room, I ended up behind the china cabinet...and there, on the back, written in white chalk, in my grandmother's handwriting, was my name. I stopped in my tracks and gently traced around the letters, remembering her beautiful handwriting that I saw on many cards, letters to camp and recipe cards. I had never noticed this in the two moves and since it was up against the wall, the chalk marking had not been erased, a minor miracle in itself.
So, the cabinet still stands in my dining room, filled with treasures I love, my name in faded white chalk on the back, a reminder of family meals taken together over the years. And being intentional...if you have a specific wish...let it be known.

I hope my friend's mom and her sisters can get beyond the "things" and see past them to the memories that are brought about by a meal on that china, a look through that picture album, a quiet nap, nestled in that red velvet chair or a tiny sip of coffee presented in the simplest of vessels.

It is the memories that count, the feelings that matter and the comfort in knowing we are loved.

A Tiny Little Map

Last week, I went to orientation and training for my new job. The drive from my house to the interstate can be long and arduous, passing house after house, field after field, over a river, over a lake, down a curving road.
On this trip, I took a different route to the interstate, one that passed fields, rivers and farms...beautiful farms with grand names and perfectly green meadows, dotted with horses and a few cows. Some of the farms had deliberately planted rows of trees, marching up the hillsides and disappearing back down over into the valleys. Some of the farms had wild groves of tress that looked like they had been there for hundreds of years, with driveways and roads carved into the fields next to them. I saw an old church, complete with stone walls and a carved limestone cross. I saw more white fences than I have seen anywhere except for Middle Tennessee.

In the place where I was staying, I had no internet access for my computer. I could get access on my phone, but it is really hard to do a lot of typing on that little screen! So, instead of staying in my room, I took a drive or two.

I explored back roads and one evening, I just drove south for about 45 minutes, taking in the beauty of the mountains, the warm air rushing by. And in those peaceful moments, I found the simple pleasure of an afternoon drive. The smells of fresh cut grass, honeysuckle and wild flowers perfumed the air and it was nice, very nice.

Taking a route, never taken before, can be a gift all in itself.

A Tiny Silver Rattle

This afternoon, I attended a baby shower for a friend who is having her seventh baby girl! That is right...seven baby girls. Suwema, Elizabet, Stella, Daines, Regina and Neema will be big sisters to the new baby in just a few weeks!! The mom, Jerida, is a beautiful lady with a lovely smile that lights up her whole face.
As she was opening presents, she would look around the room to identify who had brought her gifts. After she finished, she hugged each person, saying "Thank You" and "God Bless You".
I have taught two of the girls in Sunday School, taught two of the girls in ESL preschool and have turned a jumprope or two for the other two girls!! Sweet girls who take care of each other!!
This will be Jerida's first child born in the USA, first born in a hospital, first child whose first home will not be a tent in a refugee camp.
Blessings to this family, mom, dad, sisters and new baby!!