My strongest memories of childhood. Someone asked that question earlier...and after pondering, I came up with theses:

My parents always bought me new kid tool each spring (rake, hoe and shovel.) I thought it was so cool that I could use mine in the garden just like my dad.

My mom used to call me her rare gem. It was a very special pet name. When I smell chanel number 5, I think of my mom.

Around Christmas one year, I pretended to be asleep on the floor when I was about nine. My father picked me up and brought me to bed. My dad must have been in his mid-sixties at that time but didn't say anything about it...he just picked me up and tucked me into bed.

Going to bakeries in new towns...my mom had a sweet tooth and loved real danish (like she used to have up north) so we'd alway go check them out.

Smelling food when I came home from school from my parent(s) cooking.

Playing with my older brother in the yard, making treehouses, making mudpies, and riding our bikes on the trails in neighboring vacant lots.

Getting to go shopping twice a year for schoolclothes and/or shoes (once before school, and once in the spring near Easter.)

Watching my dad get ready for work every morning. He was a painter (he was actually a painter superintendent but I didn't know that as a kid) and always wore white long sleeved shirts and white pants with his company's patch on the front pocket.

The smell of Seaport coffee brewing each morning.

In the evening, I'd help take off my dad's boots (lace-up type with paint marks.) He'd tell me how great it was that I did that (and other things like bring him a glass of ice water) and how, one day, he'd dance at my wedding. Being as I grew up Baptist (who don't believe in dancing,) as I walked alone with my dad up to the building of the church where I was married, I stopped and reminded him of his promise. We stood there, outside on the sidewalk, and danced before going in and walking down the aisle.

First sentence! My toddler completed his first real sentence today which consisted of four words. Most of his words are incomprehendible but there are a few that I can translate to figure out what he wants. Today, he said, "Ba'ho cu tees down" which translate to: Backhoe cuts trees down. You can tell that backhoes are some of his favorite things...I'm so proud! :)

What a beautiful day!! Today, we made a vegetable garden. It took twice as long as it would have normally taken to make it, but my toddler helped a whole lot! I think we will have a lot more corn than we will ever need since 'just one or two' to my toddler means as much as he can grab before I take it all away. So, we'll eventually have red potatoes, green beans, green peppers, cherry tomatoes, corn and mustard greens. We're not expecting much more cold weather so hopefully, in a few months, we'll be eating fresh veggies. It feels good to create something and watch it develop to it's full potential.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Growing up, my father used to always buy us a candy filled valentine! It was something I looked forward to every year! Those red valentine shaped boxes with different kinds of chocolate inside, mmmmmm! I loved to take just gobble each one up, or if I didn't like it so much, I'd just take a bite out of it and then put it back. Passing out valentines in class was my second favorite thing to do as well as receiving them. It was so much fun making little valentine holders to put them in when the time came to pass them out. It's such a great holiday filled with my childhood memories.

For this year, my hubby will pick me some beautiful narcissus out of the yard and put them in a vase for me in the morning as well as make me some oatmeal. It always tastes better when he makes it. That's all I requested. I've written a long card and hid it near where he makes his coffee in the morning to surprise him.

It's gonna be a great day!