THE BEST, BEST, BEST NEWS!!!

CONGRATULATIONS, DEAR FRIEND!!!

From Kathi:  I am happy to report that I saw my doctor today and he said that my scan looked "beautiful."  HOW GREAT IS THAT?  I had braced myself in case the news was not good but I can tell you that there was celebration in my soul... 

KNOW THAT THERE IS GREAT REJOICING IN OUR SOULS, AS WELL!

I have put myself in God's hands up to this point.  He has lead and comforted me along the way so whatever (trial) group I am put in, I feel it will be the right choice for me. 

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers.  You are my "angels" behind the scenes.  Knowing that you are praying for and supporting me is the best medicine!

As I have said before, I continue to find joy in every day and delight in the smallest things.  It is almost like being a child again and seeing the world through new eyes.  On that note, I went trick-or-treating on Sunday with my children and seven of the grandchildren.  It was great fun!  Happy fall!

Love, Kathi

I CANNOT STOP SMILING.  SENSATIONAL NEWS!  

All of us have a lot to learn from your experience.  And your words.  Thank you, darling friend.  And CONGRATULATIONS!!!  I cannot wait to celebrate with you!!!  I have a few ideas.

Friends' Favorite Books for Children

An earlier blog of a few weeks ago, One Really Terrific Idea and Evening, detailed a delightful time together with friends who shared their favorite childrens' books. 

For those of you with little ones in your life, here is the list.  Many, many thanks to Anne for taking time today to type it for all to enjoy!

Below are four recent additions to that collection.  Each is beautifully written and illustrated.  And well worth a look at your local book store or on Amazon. 

Forward to anyone with a child in his/her life.  It's a terrific resource/you'll recognize many, I'm certain.  

The Very Fairy Princess, by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton

Animals, Bright Baby Priddy Books

Ladybug Girl at the Beach, by David Soman and Jackie Davis

Urban Babies Wear Black, by Michelle Sinclair Colman

City Dog, Country Frog, by Mo Willems

Benjamin and Bumper on the Rescue, by Molly Coxe

Best World Book Ever, by Richard Scarry

Knuffle Bunny, by Mo Williams

Don’t Lick the Dog, by Wendy Washman

The Princess and the Pea, by John Cech

On the Night You Were Born, by Nancy Tillman

A Special Trade, by Sally Wittman

If I Were a Puppy, by Anne Wilkinson

The World of Peter Rabbit – Complete Collection Tales 1-23 (multiple volumes), by Beatrix Potter

Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawles

Hawaii ABC Book, Regency Toys

Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch

Winnie the Pooh, by AA Milne

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, by Judith Viorst

Good Night Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown

The Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle

Anne of Green Gables, by L M Montgomery

Eloise takes a Bawth, Kay Thompson

Chicken Big, by Keith Graves

Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCLoskey

The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends (complete Collection single volume), by Beatrix Potter

Sugar Cookies, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, by Mo Willems

Angelina Ballerina, by Katharine Holabird

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, by Mem Fox and Helen Oxenbury

Good Night Gorilla, by Peggy Rathman

Time for Bed, by Mem Fox

Animal Rhymes

A Potty for Me, Karen Katz

Return of the Hundred Acre Wood, by David Benedictus

Brown Bear, Brown Bear what Do You See, by Bill Martin jr and Eric Carle

Pat the Bunny, by Dorothy Kunhardt

Are You My Mother, by PD Eastman

Mother Goose, by Sylvia Long

Etsy makes it easy!

Really, I can't be the last to know about this, too, can I?

Yes,  Lois. Get a grip, sweetheart.

 

Removable wall decals. Discovered by one very resourceful mom.  Truly terrific. Relatively easy to apply/I witnessed two males making their way through the process.  Hilarious.  And superbly executed.

Oh, and there's one of Molly's Mobiles, too!  A perfect addition.

 

Only problem I see is having to make a decision among the hundreds of choices available.  

The source:  Etsy.  Once on the site, search for wall decals.  A EXCELLENT addition to this/and any/child's room.



one REALLY TERRIFIC idea and evening

The Theme?  Gathering friends together with their favorite books.  In this case, children's books.  These were the ones we all read to our kids.  AS WELL AS those that are current contemporary winners.

Add a warm, welcoming environment.  And mouth-watering appetizers with a little champagne/no, a lot.  And you have the recipe for an extraordinary evening. 

 

 

 

I was the Very Lucky recipient of this exceptionally creative concept. 

What did I think was particularly special?  The fact that everyone was as interested as I in applauding The Classics as well Some New, Very Talented artists and writers.  Lots of notes taken.  A total immersion experience.  For all of us.

 

 

Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you, Everyone who cleared their calendars to come.  And to join in the celebration.

AND, of course, A very, very LARGE Thank You to those who fashioned this exceptional event. 

It was a truly touching evening. 

Note to self

Never Ever wander into the cosmetic section of any department store again without bag over head. 

"Here's something for That Puffiness Under Your Eyes."  Huh?

"And your neck!!!  This will fix that."  Where are those summer turtlenecks when I need them? 

"Those wrinkles around your mouth!"  Those are laugh lines/I've earned them.

Hey cut me some slack ladies, I was around waaaaaaaaaaaay before you arrived on Earth.

My "new best friends" gathered around with helpful hints and massive amounts of product.  I purchased the one for Puffiness.  Jury's still out.

No one mentioned my goatee or mustache but they were pretty clear about my need for a facial.  Run/don't walk to the nearest salon. 

Since they don't do department store face lifts yet, I was home free on that front. 

So when exactly does it all head downhill?  And what can one do to persuade Mother Nature to Hold That Line? 

I'm a big fan of natural products vs. chemical concoctions.  A friend credits her wrinkle-free skin to daily egg white applications.  I'm game.  I tried coffee grounds a while back/I'm not sure exactly why/but it seemed like a good idea at the time.  This produced gales of laughter from those in my house.  But no wrinkle reduction that I could detect. 

So other than paralyzing products and/or procedures, who has something to offer those of us who plan to laugh a lot?  And age gracefully.  And gratefully.

OK, after several hours of searching for something that would make us all smile or laugh, Joan's email arrived.  There are no coincidences.  OMGosh/this woman is my idol!  Let's dance and laugh to the end!!!  Do you think "old and wrinkled" or "AMAZINGLY VIBRANT" when you watch this?  Right.  I'm following her lead! 

"Shake What Your Mama Gave You."  Quite an evolution of a blog.  Whoa. 

Laugh and dance, friends.  It doesn't get much better than this.

Ready or not. Here we go!

Without the help of two dynamic young women, this site simply would not have surfaced. Mary, you are amazing.  How much fun for me to experience firsthand what others have said for so many years. Thank you, thank you for helping me to create a platform for taking FP to a broader audience. Christian, without your enthusiastic support, your colorful contributions and obvious artistic talents, I would still be wondering what a blog was all about. Thank you both for helping FP take shape as a blog and, hopefully, as much more.