Happiness Is......

What is happiness?  Hmmm.....

Well, I don't look too happy in this picture.  But sometimes in our search for big things in life to make us happy, we miss the small things that bring us a smile!

Oh, that's better!  See that smile?  And all it took was a bag of "Reece's Mini's"

Yes, chocolate saves the day again!

Shirt: Old Navy

Vest: Old Navy

Jewelry:  PacSun

Jeans: BR

Shoes: Sofft

Purse:  Coach

Joy took these pictures by the "Bread Basket" where we hang sometimes in the morning.  It was a gorgeous morning, and of course chocolate makes it better.  Then I look down to see......oh, yuck! LOLOL

Interesting........

A couple weeks ago I learned a great lesson from Ida (MIL).  I haven't seen her in a week and miss her terribly.  Her stories touch me, make me laugh and sometimes make me cry.  I need to spend more time with her!  But she was telling me about picking cotton again.  She started in the cotton fields about the time she could walk around on her own.  She remembers being so young that she didn't even have to bend over to do the picking!  Because of the season that cotton blossoms, she and her 10 siblings started school late so they could do the picking.  Armed with a cotton sack across her shoulders, she spent the day picking away! 

When the sack was full, she would take it over to the large sheet and dump it out before going back to fill it up again.  At the end of the day the cotton was taken to the gin.  There the seed was taken out and it was weighed.  The seed weighs almost as much as the cotton itself so it takes A LOT of cotton.  How much cotton does it take for a bale? About 1300 lbs. !!!  And Ida picked 200 lbs of cotton a day.   But she spoke of how it felt at the end of the day to lay down on the soft sheet out in the field and just rest after a very long day of picking!

Want to know her really favorite thing though?  Every great once in a while she would see the mail truck before her sisters and sneak through the fields to get the mail!!!  She laughs as she tells how it felt to hold those letters from all over and she alone got to take it to the house!  Small things, but great joys.

Do we do this?  In our fast paced world of technology, running around and working, do we remember that sometimes the things that will bring us the greatest joy and more happiness in the long run are the very small things.  Hand picked flowers from a child,  a smile from a stranger, a hug from a friend or spouse,  fresh veggies from the garden, and yes, even finding a wonderful letter in the mailbox.  Even more important, what if WE were that shoulder to cry on, that giver of flowers that brings a smile, the instigator of the hug or the sender of the letter?   And a big hug to Ida who brings great joy to all those around her.

Krispy Kreme Krook Kaught!

Teal is about my favorite color!

 As many of you may know, my mother-in-law, Ida, has moved in with us.  She has Dementia brought on by AD (Alzheimer's Disease) with a side order of Sundowners Syndrome!  Sundowners affects approx 20% of those with AD and basically everything implodes at dusk.  That is the easiest way to say it! lol  I am so happy to be at work today and even my severely sleep deprived eyes have a touch of sparkle in them just by being here today.  This is good since the circles under my eyes have turned into cul-de-sacs!  :)

It is not an easy transition to say the very least.  My son with Asbergers pretty much won't come out of his room.  I can't blame him.  I don't want to come out of mine either.  My daughter was so cute and said "Fix it Momma, you can fix anything!".   *sigh*  (where did that magic wand go?)

Humor is my resort.  So, here are the interesting things I have learned from Ida since she moved in:

1.  We are supposed to go outside to milk cows.  We obviously don't have cows because our sorry dog doesn't know how to herd them in to be milked.

   Actually:  We live in a neighborhood.  Owning cows is against the covenants of the neighborhood and our dog is a standard poodle who has never seen a cow which would explain his inability to herd them.

2.  I seem like a nice girl.  Grant should make an honest woman out of me and marry me.  

    Actually:  Grant and I have been married 16 years and have four children.  I also have two step sons.

Ida: Where did you find them (the stepsons) at?

Lise:  They were here when I got here.

Ida:  They came with the house?

Lise:  No, they came with your son.

Ida:  Where did he get them?

Lise:.......uhm....his ex-wife.

Ida:  Where did she come from?

Lise......uhmm....could I phone a friend?

3.  Ida says she doesn't like sweets.

    Actually:  You do.  I bought 2 dozen doughnuts from Krispy Kreme.  Morning comes with 1 dozen of them gone.  Spouse blames kids.  I explain that there's no way the children did it because they don't like the plain ones.  They go for the chocolate covered and such.  But there it was....one empty box of plain doughnuts.  We check Ida's room and find a mountain of wadded up napkins with doughnut crumbs all over them.  Sure enough, Ida ate 1 dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts during her wanderings through the night. 

    Note to self:  Buy childproof locks for cabinets.....and pantry, and.....

    



Keep smiling!!



Today's post has been brought to you by the letter K. 

The outfit?  Brought to you by some really good shopping fun with Joy at the outlets!

Jewelry:  J. Crew (50% 0ff)

Gloves:  Coach (in first picture)

Shirt:  Banana Republic ($9)

Vest:  Ann Taylor (thrifted)

Pants:  Banana Republic ($14.99)-and long!

Purse: Coach

Flower: Leah Hollet (gifted)

Smile:  Mine

Thanks again for all the wonderful holiday wishes and all the new followers!  We love meeting each of you and learning your stories also.