Super Heroes We Need You

Hope your day and night are full of special "Treats"!

Good Surprises Await

"one door closes, another opens. sometimes that door is not the one you expect."
-a good woman

Make a Wish

"Every gift from a friend
is a wish
for your happiness."
-Richard Bach

The Glad Game

In "The Wealthy Spirit" a book by Chellie Campbell she describes a childhood game her mother taught her called, "The Glad Game."

On days when Chellie came home from school complaining about something - a bully on the playground, a harsh teacher, a skinned knee, or difficult homework – Chellie’s mom would hug her, kiss away her tears, and then suggest, "OK, enough complaining. Let’s play 'The Glad Game.'"
“The Glad Game” is another name for a Gratitude List. “The Glad Game” helps you focus on what’s right in your world today, instead of what’s wrong. Chellie’s mom was a very wise woman, teaching her that no matter what your troubles, there are still plenty of things to be grateful for: a sunny day, good food to eat, a loving family, a house to live in, a family pet to love, a handful of friends to enjoy, and much, much more.
Chellie would follow her mother’s suggestion:
“I’m glad I have you as my mom."
“I’m glad the weekend is almost here."
“I’m glad I have some nice clothes to wear to school."
“I’m glad I don’t have to share my room with my sister anymore."
“I’m glad I get to watch TV when I finish my homework."
“I’m glad we have pie for dessert.”

Playing “The Glad Game” is a terrific way to change your attitude in a hurry. We all slip into self-pity once in a while – after all, we’re only human. The important thing is to cut the pity-party short and shift into gratitude. An attitude of gratitude will get you much farther in life than complaining and self-pity.
Try it and see.

from- simpletruths@news.simpletruths.com

Bernard Berenson

" Miracles happen to those who believe in them." -Bernard Berenson

Bernard Berenson, renowned art critic and author, at the age of 90 in the Borghese Gallery. Rome, 1955 ©1996 from the Estate of David Seymour

The Journey is the Destination

"The soft waning light of an autumn evening...golden...slanted

hint of wisdom in the air

lovely rush of melancholy

deliverance

restitution

essence of longing

The journey is the destination"

Yay She's Home For A Visit

Aria will is arriving today from Italy.
Only home for a week.

Yay!!!

We're all so happy to be together!

Things That Attract Me

"...the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars..."-Jack Kerouac

Going Somewhere

Photo 1932 Henri Cartier Bresson

"The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are." -John Pierpont

Technology Saves the Day

My Dog Ate My Homework and Other Inventive Stories

or try this:

Who's the Real Hero

belt just jared and natural collection

"My belt holds my pants up,
but the belt loops hold my belt up.
I don't really know
what's happening
down there.
Who is the real hero?"
-Mitch Headberg

About This Life

"Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth that

around every circle
another can be drawn,
that there is not end in nature,
but every end is a beginning,
and under every deep
a lower deep opens." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Memory

assemblage by little brown sparrow

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love,
the things you are,
the things you never want to lose.
~From the television show The Wonder Years

How's Your Memory?

"I have a memory like an elephant.
In fact,
elephants often consult me."
-Noel Coward

A Sweet Story of Love

"my darling i have never done anything brave in my life. but one day 17 years ago in birmingham city art gallery i leant over and kissed a beautiful girl. i loved this girl so much. her smile was so sweet and kind and she was so different from any girl i'd ever met before. yet she seemed so much like me...that is to say...alone. and we were sitting on a bench in a room full of beautiful paintings and i thought now is the time, i was shaking a little bit and it seems to have gone very quiet and i leant over & kissed her on the lips and to my surprise she kissed me back and my heart soared up and up higher and higher and higher upwards into the sky where it exploded like a giant firework. that was your mother." -Robert Ryan

Rainy Day Bliss

"Oo, I hear laughter in the rain

Walking hand in hand

with the one I love..." - Neil Sedaka

7 Blue Things MeMe

My friend Sandi at http://whistlestopcooking.blogspot.com/ sent me this challenge. I need to post seven blue things in my home, life, community, whatever; and give a little show and tell into my world~ then tag 7 other bloggers. So here are my 7 "blue" things.

1. Some of my favorite vacation spots are beaches surrounded by clear blue water with a lovely blue sky above.

“May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day. May songbirds serenade you every step along the way. May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue. And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.”

2. When I was young I loved a song called "Blue Moon"

words by Lorenz Hart, music by Richard Rodgers

"Blue Moon you saw me standing alone

Without a dream in my heart

Without a love of my own

Blue Moon, you knew just what I was there for

You heard me saying a prayer for

Someone I really could care for

And then there suddenly appeared before me

The only one my arms will ever hold

I heard somebody whisper, "Please adore me"

And when I looked,

the moon had turned to gold

Blue Moon, now I'm no longer alone

Without a dream in my heart

Without a love of my own"

3. I remember having my first sip of a blue tropical drink at the Waikiki Yacht Club on our honeymoon. I was sitting at the bar and asked the bartender what that pretty blue drink was that someone had ordered. He said, " I'll make you one, it's called Blue Hawaii" and this is how it's made:

Ingredients to use:
1.0 oz Blue Curacao

3.0 oz crushed Ice

1.0 oz Orange juice

5.0 oz Pineapple Juice

0.5 oz dark Rum

0.5 oz Rum
Directions:
Pour crushed ice into blender. Add curacao, rum, pineapple juice, and orange juice, and blend until smooth. Pour into beer goblet. Garnish with an orange slice, pineapple chunk, and cherry on a toothpick.

4. Sometime ago when my youngest daughter wanted an ocean theme for her bedroom we shopped for a blue rug and also for sheets and a comforter with a pattern something like this one with tropical fish. Then she was able to fill her walls with lots of her surf posters and of course tucked in the corner her "surfboard." It truly is a tropical themed "blue" room.

5. This is a small mosaic clock that my artist friend Yael Bentovim made. I find it very whimsical. It's a happy little piece made from tiny beads and cut blue glass. It's functional, keep good time and also reminds me of one of my favorite quotes which is written on the back of the clock. It reads: "There will be a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning..." This little jewel of a clock reminds me of the thread that connects time and a good friendship.

6. I love the color of the stone Lapiz Lazuli. The depth of the blue color and the variations are many. One birthday Mike asked me what I wanted and I said I'd love a necklace made of lapiz. We went shopping and picked one out together. It's something that means alot to me not just because of it's beauty but because of the gesture of thoughtfulness and love it represents.

7. The Forget-Me-Not flower is such a sweet flower and one of my favorites not only because of its' name but also because this delicate, blue flower has been a symbol of both love and hope.

Here are the 7 bloggers I am tagging to show me your "blues" and I mean that in a good and happy way:

http://acappuccinoaday.blogspot.com/

http://indulgeyourshelf.blogspot.com/2009/10/journaling-holy-cards.html

http://matildamutterings.blogspot.com/2009/10/you-knew-it-was-coming.html

http://justabeachkat.blogspot.com/2009/10/be-back-in-few-days.html

http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/eden/

http://artmusedog.blogspot.com/2009/10/post-script-chakra-dolls.html

http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/andasamo/

Keep Trying

"forget about the consequences of failure.
Failure is only a temporary change in direction to set you straight for your next success."
-Dennis Waitley

Your Mode of Transportation

"Everything in your life is there as
a vehicle for your transformation.

Use it!" -Baba Ram Dass

Because Everything is Relative

A Lovely Season

image via ffffound

Autumn,
the year's last loveliest smile."
- William Cullen Bryant

If You Were Around in 1919 and Came Across This Poster

Seriously, would you stop drinking?

What We Remember

"We don't remember days,

we remember moments."

Hello Eddie

Every week, America tuned into "The Ed Sullivan Show" and every week, the TV audience was charmed by the antics of the adorable mouse, Topo Gigio. Created by a highly creative troupe of puppeteers, it took four people to bring the 10" tall character to life, three to manipulate him and one to create his sweet voice.Appearing over 50 times, the little Italian mouse would appear on stage and greet Ed with a sugary "Hello Eddie!". Topo also was quite the lover, often speaking of his girlfriend "Rosie", but the enduring image is how Topo ended his weekly visits, literally crooning to Ed, "Keesa me goo'night, Eddie".

Little Topo Gigio has such a special place in our home when we were growing up. Our family would watch the Ed Sullivan show together and whenever he was on we laughed so hard. I don't know how it was that my sister was able to get a Topo Gigio necklace but it was the cutest thing. To this day the little guy is near and dear to our hearts. If we ever get a chance to sneak a "Hello Eddie" into our conversations we do so. It always makes us laugh!

The Choices We Make

"...two roads diverged in a wood,
and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."-Robert Frost

Happy Birthday Mom

The Japanese Sunken Tea Gardens, San Antonio Texas vintage postcard.
Home to my mother and her family

Far left my mother Ruth stands with her mother Grandma Miyoshi, and her siblings Lillian, Rae, Jimmy, Kimi, Mabel and Helen standing on the bridge in the gardens of their home.

Sisters Mary and Ruth in the gardens

My mother is the little girl in the middle. She is pictured with her baby sister Rae on the left and her older sister Mary on the right. My grandfather and grandmother stand behind the children in the family home in the Japanese tea gardens in San Antonio Texas. There were eight children altogether and she was the second eldest child.

Today is my mom's birthday. She would have turned 92.

To say that my mom Ruth was a character is a bit of an understatement. Once people met her they would rarely forget her. She was memorable for so many reasons. She made everyone feel at ease from the moment they met her. She was joyful, friendly, exhuberant and so enthusiastic about life. She shared that joy with everyone. She was quirky and so funny in a good way. She, like her sisters, still had a bit of their Texas drawl even after years of living on the west coast. She could be heard to say "Hi Y'all" as though she had just arrived from Texas yesterday. She loved to laugh and tell jokes ,though often in the telling she'd forget the punch line or get the story so mixed up. But in the end she'd make people laugh even harder anyway just because she would say things in such a hilarious style. She'd loved languages- spoke conversational Spanish and took classes in French, Japanese and Italian. She would often interject a foreign phrase into something she was saying. To others it seemed quite random but to us it was just a "Ruthism". "Tempest Fuget" (time flys) was one of her favorites. "Que Lastima!" (What a pity!) was another. Then there would be the random, funny sayings she'd just stick into a conversation. Often, much too often you could hear her arrive at a party saying: "I just flew into town and boy are my arms tired!" or talking about meeting someone she'd repeat "it was love at first fright, I mean sight!" Stuff like that made us roll our eyeballs. But now we find ourselves saying these things just to laugh and remember her. We say it as though we are channeling mom ,to once again, be with us at a party.

Mom loved spanish music. That probably was because it reminded her of her childhood in Texas and the family Tea Gardens there. (That's a whole other story I will tell you about some other time). When we hear certain Spanish songs we think of her because they were her favorites.

Mom loved fashion, shopping for clothes shoes and purses, Vogue magazines and going to what she called "style shows" which in the 1950's and '60s were luncheons fashion shows, where models would walk around the tables showing the latest styles. She loved, loved, loved jewelry, learning languages, taking night classes at the local college, decorating cakes, butterflies, anything with animal prints, beading and making jewelry, travelling to places near and far like China, Japan, Russia, South America and most of western Europe and best of all she loved giving parties for family and friends. She had a huge impact on our lives. She was the one that sent me on my first trip to Europe when I had no clue about the world nor any interest in seeing further than my own backyard. She opened my eyes to the joy and value of travel at a young age and literally changed my perception of the world and my relationship to it.

Mom taught all of her children to see life as the glass half full and to count our blessings rather than our shortcomings. I hope to blog about her in more detail in future posts. She was so generous with her kindness, her hospitality and friendliness. She loved us unconditionally and was always there for her family. We were so lucky to have her for our mother.

When mom passed away my daughter Aria was studying in Italy. She could not attend the funeral services but she wrote the following message and asked that it be read at the service. I think that it really captures so much of how mom touched so many of our lives. Here is what

Aria wrote:

Grandma Ruth

"I wish I could be here in person to tell you all, “I just flew in, and boy are my arms tired!” In short, I wish I could be here with you today to be able to take part in what I hope turns out to be a celebration of grandma’s life, because most of you probably know that with my Grandma Ruth, you were always bound to experience “love at first fright…I mean sight.” In saying goodbye to grandma, in dealing, as we all must do from time to time, with the loss of something precious, I realize that I will never have to miss or to lose Grandma Ruth. She is only one of the many strong women in this family whose presence I feel constantly, not just around me, but inside of me.
It’s hard to individualize the things we learn from different people. Grandma was the first person who succeeded in teaching me how to blow bubbles with chewing gum. Yes, a little Japanese woman in her seventies wrapped a jeweled turban around her head and sat with me on the living room steps with a plastic jar full of gum until, one by one, all the pink gum balls it contained had been chewed up. The correlation between the jeweled turban and the ability to blow bubbles remains a mystery to me, but I have faith that such a connection must exist. Maybe it is only the key to forming lasting memories.
And between the ages of five and twenty-two, what else has my Grandma Ruth taught me? Most of our daily lives consist of the boring and the difficult moments in which we must, among other things, go grocery shopping, vacuum the living room, pay taxes, and get into arguments with our loved ones. We either let these things suck the life out of us, or we infuse these things with lots of life. Grandma put vitality into the most mundane moments, vacuuming her living room to Spanish radio and muttering “orders from headquarters” under her breath every time she found herself forced into a difficult position. If she were here today, she would say that open-mouthed frogs bring money and rubbing the Buddha’s belly brings good luck. But at the end of the day, it was she herself who made life rich and fortunate for those around her. It’s funny that when I think of Grandma, I think of false eyelashes, faux diamonds, fake nails, and imitation leopard print furs. And yet what these things add up to, for me, is nonetheless the most genuine person I have had in my life.
Grandma would often say that in old age she had shrunk from five feet two to five feet tall. And indeed, as time goes by, it seems I have a little less of her each year. And yet, every now and then, I feel a strange urge to walk up to strangers in restaurants or at parties—and whether it is obvious to me that they are French or German, Senegalese or Martian, this strange and subtle urge bubbles up into a great desire to approach them and say…”habla espanol?”. So I’ve come to realize that as the solid memories and the physical presence of my grandma is something that slips away with time, the parts of her that I most loved grow stronger and more evident in my own spirit.
In life and in death, Grandma was a free spirit. She was always ready for the next adventure, always prepared to get up and go. And whenever she was really ready, she got up, and she went. Well, she’s off again, and ready or not, I’m happy to wish her off on whatever adventures await her now, truly free, spirit. I only hope that whoever is lucky enough to encounter her first will have the pleasure of hearing straight from her own mouth, “Hi y’all. I just flew in. And boy are my arms tired.”Happy trails, Grandma. I love you."


This is a Happy Birthday remembrance to our mom. The song I have posted is "Sin Ti" a spanish song which mom would have loved. It means "Without You".

Thinking of you on this day Mom and of all the good memories you have given us.

Happy Birthday!

TRIO LOS PANCHOS sin ti

Love this song and thinking of you Mom
"Sin Ti" (Without You)

A Million Tiny Moments

"The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions—
the little soon-forgotten charities of a kiss,
a smile,
a kind look,
a heartfelt compliment in the disguise of a playful raillery,
and the countless other infinitessimals of pleasurable thought
and genial feeling." -Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The Balinese Shop

"say It is only a paper moon

sailing over a cardboard sea,

But it wouldn't be make believe

If you believed in me.

yes It is only a canvas sky

Hanging over a muslin tree,

But it wouldn't be make believe

If you believed in me." -lyrics from Paper moon

A long time ago there was a wonderful shop at the corner of Colorado and Orange Grove blvds. in Pasadena. Memory seems to fade the details but I believe it was a Victorian type of house that had a large hanging paper moon lantern in the window. The paper moon had a smiling face on it. I wish I had known in those days to take a photo of the shop window and of the owner who was a kind and gentle man named Jim Stevens. I used to go to that store with my mother. The things in the Balinese shop were beautiful, exotic and special. My mother would take me there when she wanted to buy something exceptional for a landmark birthday. She let me pick out a beautiful ring for my 16th birthday and again for my 21st. The memory of that store stands out in my mind. I wish it was still there. It was a place filled with good vibrations and a kind of magic.

Lucy's Dream

My wonderful italian mother-in-law Lucy had a life long dream.

She dreamt of a place where water was the color of turquoise

...where the fragrance of flowers filled the air

and could be seen blooming everywhere

She dreamt of magnificent sunrises greeting her each morning.

...of a place where tropical foliage and palm trees met the blue sea.

She dreamt of country roads and mountains and palm trees...

Lucy had a dream that one day she and her husband would go to Hawaii.

In the summer of 2005 her dream came true.

Mike and our family,

along with

His brother Tony and his family

and

their youngest brother Rocky and his wife Mary and daughter Amanda

decided

"we should all meet on the island of KAUAI."

We did all the things we thought Lucy should experience on her island adventure.

We went to a big Luau

We ate roast pig and drank alot of Mai Tais

We explored island caves...

We experienced the vast beauty of the island...

Saw the lovely views from Waimea Canyon

...spent plenty of time on the beautiful beaches...

Lucy said:

"This is all I ever dreamed of and more...look at this view from my room...let me just sit here all day and I'll be in heaven!"

Another day in paradise with family! It was a beautiful family reunion.

Amanda had a blast stringing leis with grandma Lucy.

Even Grandpa Nate got into the act. "Help us bury Amanda, Grandpa!"

"Awww, You're such a good sport!"

Lots of fun poolside. We stayed at the beautiful Hanalei Bay resort in Princeville.

Lots of scrabble competitions going on but no one can beat Gramps (he's the family champ at scrabble!)

Evening walks to see the sunset were fun

Uncle Tony took the troops kayaking but tell me once again,

"How exactly did Tony and Trace fall into the water?"

Lunch time break on the hiking expedition.

Finding a waterfall

Athena and Aunt Linda "woohoo"

All the girlies ready to party!

Grandpa Nate, Athena, Aria, Trace, Grandma Lucy and Dani

Grandma Lucy had her dream come true. She was able to experience the island of her dreams with her husband of 60 years and her loving family.

We were so happy to share the dream with you!

"I've dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after,

and changed my ideas.

They have gone through me

and through me,

like wine through water,

and altered the color of my mind." -Emily Bronte