V is for Velveteen Rabbit #AtoZChallenge

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”
“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.
“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”
“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”
“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

–The Velveteen Rabbit, Margery Williams

More to come later

-Kat

U is for Unexpected #AtoZChallenge

 

• “To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect.” – Oscar Wilde
• “The only real things in life is the unexpected things. Everything else is just an illusion.” – Watkin Tudor Jones
• “Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me.” – Carl Sandburg
• “The twists and turns of your life can be so unexpected, and that’s a good thing to learn.” -Christina Baker Kline

Life is filled with so many unexpected moments. Whether it’s an unexpected nap on your lap, a special moment between dad and his little boy, or your precocious dog actually allowing you to take her picture, it’s important to savor those times. They are as important as the big things. All of those little moments that catch you off guard are what fills in the cracks and the empty spaces to complete the full picture.

Don’t be so caught up in those major moments that all of those little unexpected pleasures in life just pass by unnoticed and forgotten. Each day is filled with treasures.

-Kat

 

T is for Thrift Store Finds #AtoZchallenge

You never know what you might find at a thrift store. Such was the case back in 2014 when I was with Andrew, my youngest child, at the all-state music competition. I had time to kill while Andrew was attending rehearsals and I came across this quaint thrift store.

One of the items for sale was this jar of sprinkles. Yes, it was actually for sale.

Tag reads- “For display only- these are old!!”

The other side of the tag had a price. I believe it was something like $2. This jar just cracked me up. I remember looking at it and then having to come back to it to read it again and verify that yes, someone had donated a jar of old sprinkles and yes, the shop accepted it and expected to sell it! But that jar wasn’t the inspiration for this post. It’s just an added goodie.

Tag reads- “These dishes were used by an amazing woman. She prepared countless meals with love and served those meals on these dishes. Carry on that tradition and feel blessed to have these dishes.” 

I didn’t need dishes. I wasn’t looking for dishes. But something tells me that if they were marked just a little bit lower, for the sentimental value they held, I would have purchased them. Remember Brooke, Ryan and The Little Prince? I wondered if the person who donated the dishes wrote the note or if the store employee knew the previous owner of the dishes and felt that they needed that personal note. The shop was not filled with sweet notes about dishes and sprinkles- just those two…. and somehow I felt like the messages were from the previous owner. It was such a cool little shop!

Four years later and I wonder about that thrift store. I haven’t been in that part of the state since then but if I was, I know I would be back at that store looking for more treasures. I really am a softie!

Happy Monday!

-Kat

S is for Surprise #AtoZChallenge

Just over a week ago, we purchased some $1 flowers for a project that my husband is working on. I wasn’t sure they would survive. They were spindly three inch green spikes with no sign of a flower to be found. Since we brought the lot home, they have been subjected to hard rain, snow (3 times) and high winds. I was convinced that there was little chance that we would ever see a flower. We went away for the weekend, fully expecting to find either empty pots or the lot having fallen off the steps. You can imagine our surprise and delight when we were greeted by this pot of little cuties along with three others! If nothing else, these flowers are survivors! Now they need to survive three year old Beej!

Spring might have finally arrived here!

-Kat

 

R is for Rainbow #AtoZChallenge

“I’ve always taken ‘The Wizard of Oz’ very seriously, you know. I believe in the idea of the rainbow. And I’ve spent my entire life trying to get over it.” – Judy Garland

“The rainbow is a part of nature, and you have to be in the right place to see it. It’s beautiful, all of the colors, even the colors you can’t see. That really fit us as a people because we are all of the colors. Our sexuality is all of the colors. We are all the genders, races, and ages.” – Gilbert Baker

“We live in a rainbow of chaos.” – Paul Cezanne

Wishing you a rainbow filled day!

-Kat