BFF Adventures: Shutterfly Surprise

In  February 2012 Lissy brought Molly and Emily into our family (see the first story HERE), and we celebrate this day each year on Valentine's day. This year Molly had a special surprise for Emily, Grammy, and all the BFFs at Grammy's house.

 

On a cold rainy day Molly and I decided to stay dry by shopping at the mall. When we went to the AG Place we were given a coupon for a free digital photo album through Shutterfly.

 

"I have a great idea!... let's make an album of our favorite "BFF Adventure" photos for Grammy and the girls as an anniversary gift!" exclaimed Molly once we were home.

"Great idea Molly!" I replied.

 

"Of course, I'm not really good at computer stuff, Lissie will you help me make it on your laptop?"

 

"Thought you'd never ask!!" I said... I love playing on the computer!

Once we got all the photos uploaded and organized we had a great time adding captions and extra embellishments. Then we finalized our order and it was time to wait for it to be shipped... the hardest part... I have no patience LOL!

 

Finally it came in a bright orange box and we could hardly wait to surprise Grammy and the girls with it!

 

When we got over to Grammy's on Valentine's Day the table was a all set and beautiful as always. Molly secretly set the book on a chair and waited until they came into the dining room to see it.

Needless to say they were beyond excited once they spotted it and immediately began flipping through the pages reflecting on all their happiest memories.

 

"Look here are photos from the first day we met!" 

"And this is my most favorite memory: when we went to Tarpon Springs, Florida. I love these photos of us!" said Emily (you can see more of those photos by clicking HERE).

"Oh this is also a good one!" Said DeeDee with a deep belly laugh "Remember how clumsy I was on skates!?"

"Yeah, that was a pretty bad fall, poor girl!" Said Caroline.

(Follow this LINK to see what happened to silly DeeDee.) 

 

"Thank you for making this special book for us, we will cherish it always!"

 

"You're so welcome," Molly said humbly, "Lissie and I had so much fun making it for you. But really it is a thank YOU gift because you all are such amazing friends and I love you and I love us!!

"It is a pretty unique bond we have," I added "Great friends are a immeasurable gift!" 

 

Who is your Best Friend Forever?

Have you done anything recently to express or celebrate you love for each other?

Reunited Treasures

My friend Rebecca wants to be a famous movie star and let me tell you she is committed to her dreams!

 I hardly get to see Becky because between acting class, dance class, and drama club she spends her time practicing and rehearsing at home!

I think it is great she is so passionate... Her motivation inspires me, however sometimes she allows her priorities to get out of balance.

 There are times Becky will completely forget to eat a meal because all she can think about is memorizing her lines.

 

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 The other day Becky realized how much her distorted priorities were effecting her friendships.

Becky had just gotten home and Sam was so excited to see her best friend. "Becky, I'm so glad you're here! I've missed you and have been wanting to share something special with you!"

"Sam, I can't right now I have to change and get to an extra dance class tonight. I'm really stressing over this dance... I just can't get the steps right... My instructors are putting a lot of pressure on me to practice more!" 

"Oh, I see, that does sound important. I understand," Sam said as she stared downward to hide her disappointed face and teary eyes.

But Becky is no coldhearted friend, that is for sure!  As she dressed for dance she began to sense that Sam was hurt and needed a friend. The dance class was important but nothing is as important as loving a friend when they need it. After she had changed she came back to the living room and said, "Sam, something is upsetting you. Do you want to talk about it?"

Sam shook her head silently then without looking up told Becky, "You'd better get on your way, you don't want to be late."

Becky replied, "No, I want to be with you. I can practice later and I haven't spent time with you in too long. I miss you. 

At that point Sam looked up, "Really! Because I've missed you so much since you've gotten so busy and I really want to have my best friend back."

"I know Sam, and I will make a point of setting aside time for friends, I'm just realizing how much time I have spent alone doing things for myself. As for right now I want nothing more than to see what it was that you wanted to share with me!"

Sam's eyes sparkled with delight in her dear friend!

Samantha went on to show Rebecca her beloved scrapbook and music box which Grandmarry had just retrieved from storage for Sam. Becky had heard Sam speak of these items and knew how special they were to Sam because they were gifts from her late parents. She must have been overwhelmed with joy when she was reunited with the sentimental treasures, Becky thought. As she thought on that she also reflected on her own joy bubbling up inside her... she too was reunited with a treasure... no richer treasure than a best friend.

The girls spent the evening talking, playing with the kittens, listening to the music box, and looking over the scrapbook page by page. Sam looked up into Becky's hazel eyes and smiled ear to ear, "Thank you Becky. It means so much that you would skip a dance class to be with me. You are the best friend a girl could ask for!" Rebecca just smiled humbly and took Sam's hand. "Hey, why don't you perform your dance for me, maybe I could kind of help you practice!" Sam suggested excitedly.

"Great idea Sam!!"

There is one thing Becky will never refuse and that is putting on a performance for an audience!

Rebecca hopped right up and began the routine and Samantha loved every minute of it!

These two girls sure do know how to support one another and show each other how much they care!

 

I love my friends and I love to see them growing and strengthening themselves!

Do you ever have things that keep you from your friends or family? What do you do to help the situation?

Winter Break Play Date

Over Winter Break I was really busy! One of my favorite things was a fun little play date with some friends...

Marie Grace, Saige, and Caitlin live with Lissy's niece, Cora, and just like me they love to use their imaginations and they keep busy with all kinds of activities. 

Marie Grace and Saige are both in an acting class and had just come from their dress rehearsal of Frozen.

Caitlin is a cheerleader and was dressed ready to cheer at a basketball game she had to go to after our play date.

Because they were all dressed up we thought it would be fun to create a silly skit. We performed it for Lissy and Cora but it was so silly and goofy it didn't make any sense at all so we just giggled a lot.

I love being with people that just love to laugh and be carefree, it makes live so great!

Have you done anything recently that made you laugh a lot?

Merry Memories

After the hustle and bustle of Christmas and Hanukkah I sat down with Sam, Beckie, and Molly to reflect on our wonderful Holiday memories. As we sipped creamy hot cocoa we chatted about what made the Holidays so magical and memorable. We talked about the special gifts we gave and received. And we talked about what we were thankful for. 

Sam was really excited about a few gifts she received this year: a Teddy Bear, music box, scrapbook, and the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. 

Beckie was thrilled with her director's chair and actors set, she loves anything that will help her reach her dream of becoming a famous actress. 

As for me I was really surprised by one very special gift. Grammy found an original Pleasant Co.  doll of me!

When I asked Molly what she appreciated the most from the Holidays, her response touched my heart. 

Molly reminded us that our memories are one of our greatest gifts. A memory alone can bring you the same amount of joy as an object you receive as a gift. In a world of change and constant evolution it's a blessing to have the stability of our memories of Holidays pasts.

Her favorite Christmas memory was from Christmas 2012. That year we celebrated with all our best friends that live with Grammy. It was truly one of the happiest Christmases because we all got to be together. 

To see more photos from 2014 click HERE.

What are your favorite Holiday memories?

St.Lucia's Day

We have been going going going recently!! Our calendar is full of fun Holiday events, so I was really tired and looking forward to sleeping late Saturday morning but guess what something better happened...

I was in a deep sleep dreaming about my horse Penny when I heard the sweetest sound...

"Good morning Lissie."

I opened my eyes a little and saw a soft glowing light like a halo over Kirsten's kind face. At first I thought I was still dreaming... is this an angel? I thought.

I rubbed my eyes and sat up it was in fact Kirsten, but I wasn't expecting her to come to Lissy's house, and it was still dark out. What was she doing here so early?

"Happy St. Lucia's Day Lissie, I brought you some hot chocolate and a Lussekatts," Kirsten whispered as she climbed the ladder into my loft-bed.

It smelled really good, but I didn't know what a Lussekatts was so I asked and Kirsten said, "oh it's a delicious bun flavored with saffron and dotted with raisins. In Sweden it's tradition to eat them for breakfast on St. Lucia's Day!"

I was beginning to wonder why Kirsten celebrated this day and what made it so special in Sweden. I asked her to tell me more about the holiday. 

She explained it like this:

"St. Lucia's Day is one of the biggest celebrations in Sweden. It is held on December 13th because is was also the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, in the old 'Julian' Calendar and a pagan festival of lights in Sweden but it turned into St. Lucia's Day. St Lucia was a young Christian girl who was killed because of her Christian faith in 304AD. St Lucia would secretly bring food to the persecuted Christians in Rome, who lived in hiding under the city. She would wear candles on her head so she had both her hands free to carry things. Lucy means 'light' so this is a very appropriate name. So it is a day to celebrate our faith and bring light to the world."

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I love learning about different cultures and traditions. I'm really glad I have friends like Kirsten to teach me about customs from a far away country. I thanked Kirsten for the yummy treat and the lovely wake up call, then she said she had several more people to wake and deliver breakfast to so she had to leave shortly after arriving.

Do you have any special holiday's like this that you celebrate with your family and friends? What kind of traditions and customs do you do in your culture?

If you would like to learn more about St. Lucia's Day or other Christmas customs from around the world you can follow to link to the website I used: http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/sweden.shtml

A Christmas Carol

I just got home from seeing A Christmas Carol play which is my very favorite Christmas tradition. 

 

We always get there early to take family pictures and listen to the Carolers that do a little pre-show performance. I was really excited because this year my friend Marie Grace got to come with us for the first time. Marie Grace lives with Lissy's niece Cora. 

During the intermission we always  get to have hot cocoa and gingerbread men!  At the end of the performance the entire cast comes out of the theatre for a post-performance carol.

The play is fantastic  and even though I have seen it several years in a row, the show is like new each time and the  experience is always magical!

Merry Christmas

&

God Bless Us Everyone!

Decorating for Christmas

The day after Halloween is our FAVORITE day of the year because it's the day we kick off the Christmas season!!!! 

Samantha and Kaya were awake before dawn putting away the Halloween decor and creating a "To Do" list with tasks for each of us to accomplish. Kirsten and Addy were second to rise but were not home because they had volunteered to go out to buy some necessities. 

 By the time Molly and I got up much had been checked off the To Do list and we had been assigned the task of getting the decoration boxes and the tree out of storage

 "Wow that was heavy, I think we have too much decorations!" Molly huffed. 

 "No way!" I debated, "There is no such thing as too much when it comes to anything Christmas!!"

 "I agree!" piped up Kaya.

 "Me too," Samantha added. "However Molly is right, we do have A LOT so let's get to work!"

It was shortly after that when Miss Sleeping Beauty, Rebecca, came bounding into the living room, still in her pajamas no less!

"Hooray, you've already got out the boxes! Have you gotten out my Hanukkah stuff?... 

...Oh how I love my menorah and dreidel! Let's play dreidel! Where is it!!!??" Although she just woke up Rebecca was excitedly firing questions at us like a machine-gun!

That's when I interrupted, "Rebecca darling, we have been working all morning to get cleaned up and ready for the Holidays, while you have been snoozing away."

"I'm so sorry but if I'm going to be a famous actress someday I must get plenty of beauty sleep! What can I do to help now?"

Then Samantha chimed in, "Speaking of beauty sleep, how is that you wake up with such perfect curly hair every morning? You, my friend, are fabulous and beautiful no matter how much sleep you get! Now go get dressed. I have a list of chores for you to do..."

Then before Sam could list off the chores our rascally kittens created a distraction by climbing into the ornament box and....

...up into the tree! "No no Nudge, you are such a little pesky kitty and too cute for you're own good!!" Molly gently scolded as she pried the kitten out of the tree. 

The diversion created just enough time for Rebecca to spot her beloved Hanukkah decorations in the box Kaya was unloading.

"MY MENORAHS!" She shouted. 

"Oh this one is our antique menorah, it's been in our family for generations!"

"It's beautiful, Beckie. Would you like me to put it on the sideboard for you so you can go get dressed?" Kaya asked.

I must say the shiny menorah does look magnificent on the top shelf. We are so lucky to have Rebecca as a friend so that she can share her Hannukah traditions with us as well as our Christmas traditions.

Delaying her responsibilities Rebecca begged, "Can't we play just one round of dreidel, real quick!?" 

However, that's right when Addy and Kirsten returned from running errands with quite a hefty bundle in their arms.

"We're home!" Addy called out.

"And I could use an extra hand, please!" said a small sweet voice from behind an arm load of packages.

We ran to the door to help Kirsten and Addy and that is when the real fun began!!

Once they had returned with all our ingredients for a magical Christmas we kicked it into high gear and before long the house was decked out and smelling of fresh baked goods!!

 Kirsten is a wonderful baker so she made us a feast of cookies and cinnamon buns and cake and fresh bread!

 Kirsten also baked gingerbread for Samantha's gingerbread houses. 

Sam carefully added candies to her gingerbread house while the rest of us trimmed the tree.

 We picked about four or five ornaments each to arrange on the tree.

"These little wooden ornaments are so cute," Addy commented.

"I love this patriotic snowman," said Molly. 

"My favorite ornament is the Russian stacking doll," said Rebecca.

 "I think these ceramic ornaments are neat, especially this red cardinal one," remarked Kaya.

 I threw my hands up in the air and announced, "As for me, well I can't pick. I love them all... I just love EVERYTHING about Christmas!!!"

Do you have a special holiday decoration that you love?

The neat thing about holiday decorations is that when they come out of the box they trigger happy memories and fill you up with joy!

What decorations do you have that help you remember those happy times?