Treats!

Trick or Treaters

A friend of mine was talking to me recently about trick or treaters. She asked if we had many come to our house. I said no, none. I told her that our house was on a main road with no sidewalks and lots of space between houses. All things that deter young trick or treaters. I told her that when I was growing up our house was on a semi-main road with no sidewalks so we got very few kids.... but always a few. My Mom always said it wasn't worth buying a whole bag of candy so she always handed out money if any kids happened to stop by.

To this my friend just shook her head and said it seemed like kids came in from everywhere to trick or treat in her neighborhood. She estimated hundreds of kids walked up her driveway (or flew thru her flower beds!) She said, "There are so many kids coming into this neighborhood, it should have been disclosed by the previous home owner when I bought this house!" :)

Walls and Bridges

I have had a bad habit of sometimes ending an argument with “I’m sorry but…” I then go on to explain why I felt I was right.  I watched a TV show the other day where one of the characters said that the words someone says before the word “but” really don’t count. In the show it was something like, “You don’t deserve this demotion, but you will no longer have the same security clearance”  My sister (L) hates the word “but”. She says her kids will say to her: “But Mom…” and it drives her crazy. She always responds with, “Do I look like a Butt Mom to you?” Which I think is hysterical.

So at church I was thinking about the word while talking to a friend. We were both waiting for our significant others to finish teaching Sunday school so we were just hanging out by the coffee and snacks. I mentioned the TV show and the idea about no words before the word “but” really meaning anything and he said he had heard that “but” builds walls- “and” builds bridges.

I really liked that. I told him I said “I’m sorry but… “ and he recommended that I say instead “I’m sorry and… “ because it would be much more productive. I thought it was a very smart thought AND I wanted to share it!! J

Dinner with Dori

I went to spend the afternoon with Dori and saw all these bikes outside her dorm. There were more along the other side of the walkway too! We actually drove around town (rather than ride the bikes) and had a nice dinner. We passed a huge playground and park at one point and I asked her if she wanted me to pull over so we could try it out. She laughed... but 10 years ago she would have been thrilled. They grow up so fast!

Friday-eve

When Pepper and I picked Dill up from swimming last Thursday, he was in a very perky mood. He hopped into the car and quickly told us about all the good things that had happened that day. He summed it all up when he said, "Today was a very good Friday-eve." Huh, I thought, maybe thinking of Thursdays as "Friday-eves" would make them all better!! :)

Bicentennial Collection

In 1976 my Mom started collecting bicentennial quarters. There were many around and my Mom thought they would some day go up in value. They were easy to spot and her collection grew quickly. By 1980, she had A LOT of them. So many that she used them as a down payment on a built-in swimming pool for our back yard.

After the pool was built, Mom started collecting bicentennial quarters again. It was hard not to. Every time one of us in the family would get change we'd check our quarters and Mom would trade us for non-bicentennials that we would spend. They were getting a little harder to find by then, but Mom's collection quickly started to grow again.

When Mom died in 1999, my sisters and I split the quarters up and each took a third. It was still quite a few quarters. I put mine in a dresser drawer and figured I would just save them, maybe someday they would be worth more like my mom always hoped. Every once in a while I would get them out of the drawer and let the kids count them or stack them up into tall piles. I pretty much forgot about them, but Macy remembered them one morning when she was in 3rd grade and her lunch account at school was getting low. She had lunch money, but really wanted more for the extra treat line that had candy and chips.

She took a large plastic bag, filled it with the quarters and stuck it in her backpack on her way out the door. When I found out about a week later (due to all the candy and chip wrappers I found in her room and backpack) I was more angry that the lunch lady took the quarters without questioning where they had come from then I was that they were gone.

At the time, I told Macy I was disappointed with her and that I wished she hadn't taken them. That they were from my mother and she had no business going through my room and dresser. She was having lots of behavior issues at the time and I really did not think what I said made much of an impact.

A few months ago, I came home and Macy was sitting on the living room floor with a bunch of coins. She scooped them up and gave them to me. She told me she was collecting them while she was at work. Whenever someone brought in a bicentennial quarter, Macy would trade it with quarters she had and then save the bicentennials. Apparently, from the pile she had collected, she had been doing this for quite awhile.

She still collects them. Every once in awhile Macy will hand me 2-3 coins and say nothing. I say thank you and put them into my dresser again.  Sometimes I wonder if any of the coins are the same ones that my mother collected so many years ago... I guess I will never know. What I do know is that the tradition of collecting these coins has now crossed three generations and my daughter.... who really never got to know my mother- now has a connection to her. Bicentennial quarters always remind me of my mother, and now they will always remind Macy of me. That fact alone means Mom was right....those coins have definitely grown in value. :)

Happy birthday Pepper!

I've been thinking a lot about your birthday.

This is the 27th birthday I've spent knowing you, and I would love to get you all the things I know you dream of having.... I'd buy those new floors for the house that I know you keep wishing for. A landscaper to beautify the yard and a housekeeper to keep the inside spic and span. We'd travel- we'd see Europe and spend lots of time in Germany and Malta. I'd buy you a new wardrobe and hire a personal trainer and Ellen's chef so we'd make healthier choices and get as fit as we (ok, never) were!

I'd wine and dine you and take our family to new places and explore things we've never seen before (all from 5 star hotels!) I'd get you a $10,000 gift card to Barnes and Noble and a $20,000 one to both Starbuck's and Target because I know that it is you that keeps them all from going out of business.

I'm grateful for you everyday. I know I can't get you all the things you dream about- but I promise to wake up beside you every morning for as long as you will have me. I love you. Happy birthday Pepper. :)