~May you hear the tune that sings in your soul~

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without
the words
And never stops at all.

~ Emily Dickinson

Buried Treasure

My Niece Alexis, who just turned 4

This started about a month ago. With all the craze of the Pirates of the Caribbean, my niece, Alexis, just knew that Nana (my mom) had a pirate's chest buried in her backyard. She would go over and without fail ask my mom to help her DIG for this pirate's chest. She would hand her a garden trowel, look up with pleading eyes and say, "Please." Well what could she do? What any self deserving Nana would. I mean she had to protect her image. DIG! DIG! DIG! Knowing all the while there was not a buried chest. As she got up from digging, ever so slowly, (her knees can take just so much) for the umpteenth time. My mom said to herself, "This ole Nana is going to fix this!" and busied herself. Low and behold she found a small treasure chest (jewelry box) and quickly filled it with some old looking jewelry and coins. She buried it in a spot that she knew was one of their spots to dig and waited. Sure enough the day came and Alexis came over and said "Please dig with me; I just know there is a chest out there!" She stared digging and found it. She was so excited. She kept saying, "Nana look!" She opened it and could not believe the treasure she found inside! She called her Mom and Dad and told them. After about five minutes, she had calmed down, and while holding her chest she looked up at my mom and asked very seriously, "Nana, will the pirate be mad at me for taking his treasure chest?" My mom said, "Ohhhhh noooo honey! This is a very nice pirate. He's funny too. Can't you just see the look on his face when he goes and digs and digs and there won't be any chest!" Although my mom was smiling all the while, she could tell that Alexis wasn't convinced. That night Alexis asked if she could keep the chest in my mom's closet. She was spending the night over there. She checked on her pirates chest first thing the next morning when she woke up. She said, "Nana, look the pirate didn't find the chest!"

Who could resist those brown eyes and that smile?

I am trying to...

Enjoy my surroundings.


Appreciate the beautiful gifts nature has to give.


Drink more water. As time goes by, I understand how precious it is.


Eat healthier. This is vanilla yogurt with black berries that Darlene's husband grew in their back yard.

School's out for... Summer!

Woo Hoo!

Empties

EMPTIES COMING BACK

have you ever sat by the railroad track
and watched the emptys cuming back?
lumbering along with a groan and a whine,-
smoke strung out in a long gray line
belched from the panting injun's stack
- just emptys cuming back.

i have-and to me the emptys seem
like dreams i sometimes dream-
of a girl-or munney-or maybe fame-
my dreams have all returned the same,
swinging along the homebound track
-just emptys cuming back.

ANGELO DE PONCIANO

*note~ I was driving along the train tracks and noticed the graffiti painted on the empty cars. With my love for mermaids, I had to snap a picture .

I got a Kick out of this!

These are e-mails from and to, my Aunt Deb and I

Hi There,

I just wanted to say hello and thank you for commenting on my blog, Yes I am Sweet Expressions, I hope that you will continue to read or comment as I plan on doing so to yours and Diandra's.

You both inspired me to do so and it has been a great help and it came at a time when I really needed it. So I hope you don't mind.

Yes, Rob is in my prayers and heart on a daily basis, I love the little updates he sends when he can, I also have Nessa in my prayers and heart. For I can relate being a military wife and the husband gone to duty.

Anyway, you and your family is as well in my heart and prayers and I hope that sometime we can visit each other, I miss you a lot.but until then I do so enjoy reading your blog and diandra's too.

big hug and kiss to you

Love

Aunt Debs

Deb!!
You are so funny! I have to tell you, this is so funny. Back when Diandra posted her "weight scale," I noticed that the first comment was a commenter that I had not noticed before. I went to the her profile, (being protective) then clicked on her blog. Scanned over it really quick. Noticed that she had not any comments. Hmmm. Seemed nice. Fairly new blogger. Told Diandra, to make sure she checks her out. She did. Days go by.
Then I get a comment on my "Memorial Day," post. Was very touched that someone was daily praying for my son. I thought, reading the comment, that it seemed personal, as if they might know us. Checked your profile, didn't think anything, then went to your blog. Noticed the "garden poem," I thought that 'I have read that before. I think that you sent it to me, or Genie.' I think that I even saved it. Didn't think anything. I commented.
After I got home from work, I thought maybe you would have answered my question on where abouts you lived. Noticed that you posted another post. Read it. Didn't think anything. Commented. I did notice that I felt VERY comfortable with this blogger. giggle. That caught me off guard and made me feel uncomfortable. Three hours go by and I make myself a sandwich, sat down. Started going through my mind about your last post... POP! That is DEB!!!!! Jumped from the chair, called Jess. Asked her if you had a blog. She said "NO, not that she knew of." I told her everything. Told her to go to your site. She read, and said "Yes, that is you." Started busting up laughing. We noticed that you had some comments. Clicked to see who it was. And low and behold! It's my Dee Dee. Jess really started to laugh. She asked me if Diandra knew that it was you. I said "No." CrAzy! Jess, read what Diandra commented on your "Inspiration" post. I was so touched that My sweet Grandma and I were compared in the same way, without Diandra even knowing. Brought tears to my eyes. Grandma passed away when I was pregnant with Diandra. I waited for Diandra to get home from Dance, asked her how come she didn't tell me about commenting on your blog. She said "She didn't comment on your blog. She said that you had mentioned that you had one, but that was it. she didn't know where your blog was or anything, you didn't tell her that."
Without Diandra and I knowing that it was you, my dear aunt. Feeling right away, there was a connection. That is pretty neat!

I do have to tell you though, I told Jess not to tell you that I knew that it was you. I was going to have fun with this. I checked my e-mail and you had written me telling me about your blog. LOL!!

I love you Deb!! I am so happy that you have a blog! Woo hoo!
Hey! You are an awesome writer! And you have the perfect title for your Blog! Love it!

Love you
Angela

NOTE** If any of you get a chance and want to meet someone who is a sweetie... You will come to see how genuine, kind, and what a positive attitude she has and it will rub off on you. You will come to love her as much as I do. You won't regret it! So be sure to check her out. (The older one in the pic's is my Dad's little sister, an aunt in whom I adored and look up to!) You can catch her here at expressions!

DOUBLE NOTE** If you notice my little sister's expression's (cracks me up every time I see these photo's) she hated the sun in her eyes. Also later, we discovered that she needed glasses. In just about every picture outside, she has this silly look on her face! I just want to kiss her!

Life is a bowl full of ....

When my Great Gram was still with us, I would go to visit her once a week, usually every Tuesday. She looked forward to these visits as much as I did. I can remember going into the house and she would have even put on lip stick. I would take her on whatever errands she had to do. From visit to visit, she would make me and the kids the best lunches. I would tell her not to make such a fuss over us, but she explained that she loved to try new recipes and it just didn't mean as much doing it for herself. She was the only one to get me to try different foods like spiced canned peaches, home made sauerkraut, and iced coffee, just to name a few.

One visit, she had a Blue Willow bowl full of cherries. Gram had mentioned she had seen it in a magazine and loved the color of the cherries contrasting with the blue. She had the magazine page ready to show me. She said she had the cherries sitting in the bowl since yesterday and wouldn't eat one, because once you start eating them you can't stop. She wanted to share what she had seen. As she grinned, she said "Now, we can eat them!"

When Cherry season rolls around, I can not resist putting cherries in a Blue Willow bowl. Each time I do, I can still see the smile on her face from so many years ago.