Tupperware Tales

Inspired by Mrs. Goodneedle's organizational skills this week, I thought I'd post about my Tupperware storage which has evolved over the years. When the kids were little, I had a Tupperware cabinet, which they loved to get into and pull every single piece out onto the floor. Here's oldest son, enjoying one of his favorite games. How many times did I pick all that up???












Now I have two Tupperware drawers where things stay pretty tidy. Please notice I have some vintage pieces, all orange, gold, and an occasional avacado green piece! I love storing Tupperware this way....I can pull out the drawer and see every piece, not climb down on all fours to find something that has crawled to the very back of the cupboard. But this has got me to thinking, what will my little grandchildren do when they come to Grammie's house? Drawers don't make Tupperware-exploring very easy. I wonder if I will have to come full circle and go back to a cabinet?












Now, my sock drawer....well, that's another story and please note I did not share photos of that!

A Sad Update

I just wanted to post here that little Jaiden lost her battle this morning. If you read my previous post from January 4, you will remember that she was hurt in a tragic accident. You can read a message from her family at Ribbons for Jaiden. How her family will cope with Jaiden's death is just unimaginable. They will continue to be in my prayers.

Are You Cozy?

For Christmas, a special friend made me a tea cozy. It's a lovely red color and lined with special fabric made to hold in the heat. She knows how much I love my pot of tea and whenever I use it, not only is my tea kept warm but my heart is warmed by her thoughtfulness. Yesterday she came for an afternoon cup of tea and we chatted for two hours, all the while our tea was staying nice and hot under the cozy. Nothing like a cozy cup of tea for these long, cold winter days.

Jury Duty

Today I spent the day in Cambridge, doing my civic obligation of making myself available for jury duty. In our state, you serve for "one day or one trial". This means that you go to a courthouse and spend the day, waiting to be impanelled on a jury. If you are not needed, then you have fulfilled your civic duty, and you will not be called again for three years. If you are impanelled on a jury, you must complete the trial, for however long it takes. Jury duty is really quite a system for making sure our judicial system is fair and equitable. All of us where there ready to serve, to give up our regular lives in order that others can have the right to a fair trial. 153 jurors showed up today, 55 were taken up to a courtroom where 12 of them were impanelled on a jury and the rest returned to the "pool". My juror number was not called, so I spent the day reading, walking around the juror floor for a little exercise, and people watching. I was amazed at what people considered "proper attire" as requested in the juror's handbook: it ranged from business suits to gym clothes, with business casual and blue jeans falling somewhere in between. Jurors ranged from young college students to elderly retired people. Some people played by the rules (me, of course!) while others did not. Apparently the signs and instructions that said "no cell phones" and "no eating in this room" were only meant for some of us.

When you are called for jury duty, the state tells you which day to show up and which courthouse to go to. Although there are two courthouses within ten miles of my home, I got called to the Cambridge Courthouse, 30 miles away. This necessitated a trip into the city by train, then taking the subway to the closest "T" stop, and then walking the rest of the way. Hubby works in Boston quite frequently so he planned to make today a Boston day and accompany me to the courthouse to alleviate my worries about getting there. Once I was dismissed from the courthouse however, it was up to me to take the subway, changing trains, and make my way to his office on the opposite side of the city. This was out of my comfort zone for sure, but I did just fine. I am quite happy that I wasn't seated on a trial because doing this everyday would have been quite stressful for me especially without Hubby. I'm not sure how all those people do this commute each day for their jobs. I guess I'm just not a city-person....I prefer my quiet little town. I know how to get everywhere, know I might meet others I know around town, and feel a sense of comfort in the suburbs. I realized today that I'm really just a small-town girl. But I'm glad I did my duty and offered to serve on a jury. Today has been an eye-opener for me.

Prayers for Jaiden

I have been touched by a very tragic story that has hit close to home. A little 8 year old girl in Milford, NH, Jaiden Tlapa, is fighting for her life at Children's Hospital in Boston after a terrible accident. While her mother was snowblowing just days before Christmas, Jaiden fell off her deck into the snowblower's path. The blower snagged her jacket and Jaiden was dragged into the machine depriving her of oxygen for a period of time. Paramedics performed CPR and transported her to Boston where she remains on life support. My daughter knows Jaiden's older sister who was student last year in the middle school where DD is the librarian. The town of Milford has rallied around this family, supporting them in ways that are so compassionate and amazing. Please visit the Prayers for Jaiden blog to learn more about this sweet little girl and leave your prayers for her. Read from the bottom of the blog to the more recent posts at the top. You will be moved. Join the thousands of people who have already visited her blog, offer prayers of your own, and urge others to pray as well. This is a family who needs as many prayers as we can give. When life takes an unexpected turn, prayer always helps.

Family Fun

It has been a wonderful week of family fun. It has been absolutely the best thing to have all my kids home at the same time. We've done a lot of eating, playing games, doing jigsaw puzzles, and talking. It's been pretty much my idea of perfection! The only thing that could have made it better was if someone had come in to do all the cooking and cleaning up, but there is something rewarding about preparing meals and feeding my family, so I can't complain too much.

Last Saturday we all journeyed up to visit my Mother-in-law at her assisted-living facility and enjoy a pizza lunch with her. Hubby's two brothers and their families came too and so all the cousins got to visit with each other which is always so much fun. Grandma is very generous to us and her grandchildren with Christmas money, but she likes to also have a gift for us to open. During the year, Grandma "shops" at the consignment store at her residence. Residents can leave their unwanted items at the store and other residents can buy them. This year she had a whole laundry basket full of things she'd put away for us to open and we all participated in a Yankee Swap. There were some interesting items: some jam, a few pairs of salt and pepper shakers, wooden bowls, and for some unknown reason, a pair of little girl's (brand new) pink cotton panties. Now what Grandma was thinking when she purchased these is beyond knowing, but they were the item to not get stuck with!! Much to everyone's laughter, our youngest son was the lucky last recipient of this item.

On Christmas Eve, we had a great lasagna dinner, oldest son's favorite, then headed off to church. When we returned, we got into our pajamas, opened one gift each, and watched "Muppet's Christmas". This has been our family tradition since 1987, the Christmas just before youngest son turned two. Muppet's Christmas was a television program just before Christmas which we had taped for the kids to watch, and for almost every day the following year, he asked to watch it again and again. Everyone learned every line of the show: "look out for the icy patch", "Hobla gobla, goofy woofy", and Miss Piggy's line about her Christmas gift to her beloved Kermy: "green, fuzzy flipper slippers". Four years ago, while visiting my sister in Missouri, she took me to a gift shop where I found a tiny pair of baby green fuzzy flipper slippers. I bought one pair with blue embroidery and another with pink and set them aside for my first grandchild. Well, the time had come.....when Miss Piggy spoke her famous line, I announced that we had to pause the tape and open this little gift. Having neglected to take a photo of my first expected grandson's slippers, here are the pink embroidered pair of green fuzzy flipper slippers (which are still safely tucked away for our first granddaughter). Needless to say, the little slippers were a big hit, and I secretly prided myself at actually remembering where I had hid them away four years ago!

Christmas morning we enjoyed opening gifts together while eating cinnamon rolls, had a wonderful "big" breakfast complete with our once-a-year bacon, played games all afternoon, and then ate our turkey dinner in the evening. What a great day!! Hubby got a Wii for Christmas (good thing because the kids received games!). We played some Guitar Hero III, Tiger Woods Golf, and Mario Party. Here are some photos of the competitive game playing and jigsaw puzzling:




It has really been a fun week here at our house. Oldest son, our daughter-in-law, their soon expected son, and their dog, all left on Wednesday evening. Tomorrow youngest son will leave to go back to school in California. So today is our last day of family fun. DD and her hubby will arrive soon to watch UConn play in the Meineke Car Care Bowl this afternoon and then we'll watch the Patriots go 16-0 tonight. Somewhere in between the two games we'll have dinner and maybe play a little more Wii. What are Hubby and I going to do when all this entertainment is over??

I Am the Lucky Recipient......

.....of wonderful gifts commemorating Mrs. Goodneedle's 300th blog post! The gifts arrived yesterday and were such a great treat. They came with a lovely snowman notecard congratulating me on being the lucky winner. One of the gifts is a pair of Life is Good snuggle socks which will certainly be put to good use this cold winter. I can never see anything "Life is Good" without thinking of her! The other item is the book, Firstlight, by Sue Monk Kidd. She is one of my favorite authors, yet I haven't read this book. From the back cover: "These collected stories and essays are organized around thirteen spiritual motifs. They trace Monk Kidd's development as a writer and spiritual seeker; explore her roles as mother, daughter, wife, nurse, and artist; and reflect on what she has learned in settings as far-flung as Africa and as familiar as her own home." I'm so eager to start this book, which of course is made additionally special because I know it is one of Mrs. G.'s favorites and so meaningful to her. Until the craziness of the holidays subsides, it will rest on my bedside table in anticipation and as a visual reminder of a long and wonderful friendship. (But, truth be known, I never need a reminder of something so precious and important!) Thank you so much, Mrs. G. Here's to many more wonderful posts from you, which always brighten my day and help me feel closer to you even though we're far apart.