What's Up, Buttercup?

I use that often... and also twist it into "Suck it up, buttercup!" when necessary. The need rarely strikes which I'm thankful for because it has a teensy bit of venom in it so I don't like it 'quite' as much. ;)

Today's report shall be somewhat of a photo-journalistic view of "what's up". I am not a journalist, nor am I a photographer, so please forgive my amateur attempt.

Our Christmas Tree is up. I am happy.

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The Magpie attended her first semi-formal (why can't they just call it a prom?). She looked so pretty.

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The Olympic Torch came through town on Sunday. How exciting! We tried to win a torch barer spot for The Little Prince, but so many others entered as well. However, he did volunteer and also plans to be an athlete in the 2018 Winter Games. Details to follow...

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Raven (aka: The Magpie) loves the volunteer poncho that Zach (aka: the Little Prince) had to wear during his duties at the Olympic Torch run celebrations.

She loves it so much, she's overwhelmed with love for her brother.

Oh, wouldn't it be swell if they loved each other like this all of the time?

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Diesel's ears are prone to infection but have been remarkably healthy lately. We thought that perhaps it was because he's receiving better care now that he's with us but I happened across the real reason - Django's been taking good care of him too.

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Me? Well, my heart is so full...

...I have to loosen my bra.

But seriously... THIS is exactly why they tell you NOT to put your delicates in the dryer, and probably why they call them delicates in the first place.

If you read the tag carefully it clearly says, hand wash, no bleach, no iron, and no black triangles.

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I think that about sums it up. There are a few other odds and ends... like... I misplaced my Christmas cards but found them THIS MORNING so now I have to scramble to get them to the post office today and cross my fingers, toes, and eyes that they arrive by Christmas. Oh, and Diesel is now known as the "Poopsicle Eater" but I didn't think you'd need/want to see a picture of that.

That is all.

Random Acts of Kindness a.k.a "a little happy"

Have you ever done something for someone or gave them a little gift for no reason at all? Isn't it one of the best feelings ever? I think so.

In the fall I decided that I would do something for someone every now and then without any reason or hope for reward other than the joy of knowing that I made someone smile. Or, at the very least TRIED to make someone smile. Let's be realistic here and remember that some people just aren't the bubbly, happy type. And that's fine - we'll get to them later. First, we'll focus on the people I really do think would appreciate or enjoy "a little happy".

I began by sending my cousin in South Carolina a pair of earrings that she had commented on. She didn't say she wanted them. She didn't ask if she could have them. She didn't mention that if I didn't want them that she'd like them. She simply said they were cute. So I sent them to her. I did it for no reason other than the fact that I knew she liked them and that it would probably make her smile to see a package in her mailbox. A package from a cousin that she always got along with but never really knew well until our adult years and the advent of Facebook. Even though we lived in the same town for our entire childhood we were friendly but never really close. She's a year younger than I am so we didn't have any classes together and my particular branch of the family tree wasn't really as social with each other as hers was. Point is, there was never any reason for her to expect anything and so it was a complete surprise which she enjoyed and which was exactly what I was hoping for. Goal accomplished.

But wait, there's more. It didn't end there. I got a message from her as well as a card thanking me and telling me how happy she was. Knowing that it had made her that happy made me even more glad that I had done it. Then, when I had pretty much forgotten about it I passed by her mother early one Saturday morning and after we had smiled and said our hellos, she called me back. She told me how sweet it was that I had sent her the earrings and how the name I had given them (I name all of my jewelry) had invoked this childhood memory of her and her grandfather. She and her mom talked about that and enjoyed the memory together. I was astounded. Not only did I accomplish my goal of surprising her and making her smile but I had also set off another chain and spread "a little happy" to her mom as well.

I know that this was probably the exception and not the rule but, "Wow!" What a motivator to keep going. I had hoped for the great feeling of doing something nice for someone, I hadn't counted on how it would come back and hit me like a wall. Amazing.

Since then, I've sent nienie a charm bracelet with photos of her family and I included a pair of earrings for her sister cjane. If you're not familiar with these gals from my previous posts, NieNie and her husband were in a horrible plane crash in Aug'08 and after months of fighting for her life, is now home recovering with her family. Her sister has been caring for her children since then and has also kept Nie's blog alive and her readers updated on the Nielson's progress. Read their blogs, their love for life and family is inspiring.

Fast forward through the holidays and 10 weeks of the worst cold of my life and I'm now ready to strike again and send someone else "a little happy".

Surprises are lovely things.

Twas a day full of surprises and it was glorious. No, there was no party with people popping out of closets or behind sofas. I did not win the lottery. It was not my birthday or anything else like that. It was just an ordinary day full of tasks that I never finished (not unlike any other day really) but it was the little unexpected things that happened that made it extraordinary.

First, I was thinking about my new friend Justine today and had a hunch that I just might see her at the bead shop. I thought nothing more of it. What are the chances that she'd be there at the exact same time that I decided to wander in? Pretty good apparently because when I walked in, there she sat. It was very nice to see her and that made me happy.

Later, we came home and met with the neighbour who wants to hire the Magpie for babysitting. That turns out to be quite a lucrative position for her and we're thrilled. It was just such a big fat warm and fuzzy to hear them say how much they and their kids love her and it was such a relief to know that she's not going to have to find a part time job in retail or in a fast food joint. She's in high school now and needs a little more money that we can offer but doesn't want to jeopardize her school work by having a job with crazy long shifts after school. This gig is perfect!

This next bit happened somewhere in the middle of the others but just came to mind now. I'm not so sure if this qualifies as a surprise but rather a teeny bit of an embarrassing yet very amusing moment. We were visited this morning by two young fellows who wanted to share a piece of scripture from the Bible with me while my dog wanted nothing more than to lick their skin clean off. I held him back. No young man dressed as nicely as they were and who was as pleasant to a half dressed, greasy haired woman with no make up as they were, deserves dog slobber all over them. He's shivering, nervous, and clearly concerned about the dog attacking him, or so I thought anyway. I politely tell him that I can save him a bit of time and explain to him that we are a Catholic family and that Mr. B could probably recite that piece from memory. He smiles, says thanks, and suggests that maybe another time he could read to me. I smile, thank him for his time, close the door, and look in the mirror. I'm wearing Mr. B's orange "Dawn of the Dead" T-shirt that I sleep in when he's away. Nice. I hope the dog really was the one making him nervous. Poor fellow. I need to learn to get dressed earlier on weekends.

I have a few jewelry orders that I need to get done this weekend as well as a few orders that need to be packaged and shipped so I start to manage that, log in to my shop, and find that I've sold a whole stack of more stuff. Excellent! There are a few supplies I've been coveting but the rule is that I can't buy more until I sell more so guess what I'm doing tomorrow? Shopping for more cool supplies! That may not sound like fun but to me, it's almost as good as shoe shopping.

Okay, so then the big surprise. The last I'd heard from Mr. B, he was going to be working late in the hangar and would call me later. I text him a few times but get no replies. Then, he calls. We're chatting, the doorbell rings, the little Prince and I do our thing to clear the dog from the door and who should be standing there but MR. B HIMSELF! I cried, because I'm a baby like that. Sometimes.

There you have it. All that coupled with the free coffee and cake (I only had coffee) that they were offering at Staples today and my day was just swell.

Now if you'll excuse me, although Mr. B is sleeping I'm going to go and enjoy being in his presence for the next day or so... or until Thursday.