We attended a graduation/birthday party for our granddaughter in Minnesota over the weekend. It was lovely. She's the beautiful and sweet ballerina whose performance we love to watch each spring. Here she's explaining something to Grandpa. I hope he's paying attention.
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1. The first day of summer rolls in later this week. What are ten things you'd put on your list of quintessential summer activities? Will you try to manage all ten this summer?
Lake Swimming
Weed Pulling
Strawberry Picking
Vacation Taking
Raspberry Picking
Porch Sitting
Picture Taking
Picnic Making
Walk Taking
Family Visiting
Most likely I will get all of them in except for the Vacation Taking. That will happen in the autumn when Mr. C. is less busy.
When I was a kid, the list was different:
Creek Swimming
Raft Floating
Blood Sucker Removing
Fly Swatting
Garden Weeding
Horseback Riding
Fort Making
Screen Door Slamming
Outdoor Sleeping
Popsicle Eating
Mr. C. and our oldest granddaughter
Someday soon she will probably hate that distinction. :-)
2. Do you collect seashells when you're at the beach? What do you do with them once you get them home? What's your favorite place to comb for seashells? How many of these 'best beaches for hunting seashells' have you visited? Which one would you most like to visit?
Calvert Cliffs State Park (Maryland), Jeffrey's Bay (South Africa), Sanibel Island (Florida), Shipwreck Beach (Lanai Hawaii), Ocracoke Island (North Carolina), Galveston Island (Texas) and The Bahamas
There are no seashell-bearing beaches near me, and the last time I was at a beach, I was worried that our oldest son was going to drown.
Granddaughter and her dad (so glad he made it back to the beach)
3. At a snail's pace, shell out money, come out of your shell, go back into your shell, drop a bombshell, happy as a clam, clam up...which 'shell' phrase could most recently be applied to some event or circumstance in your life? Explain.
At a snail's pace would refer to my house cleaning.
Graduating ballerina granddaugter and her lovely mom
4. What summer activity do you dislike? Why?
Walking barefoot on blacktop. Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!
Beautiful granddaughter
and old grandma who needs to do something about that halo!
5. What's something you see as quickly becoming obsolete? Does that bother you?
Paying with cash and Customer service. Both are becoming obsolete and yes it does bother me.
Three of the granddaughters,
singing 'Sisters,' after some coaxing from Grandma
6. Insert your own random thought here.
So I read this book entitled, 'The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up.' It proposes the idea of looking at one's belongings and only keeping those that bring joy. So I went through the house, looked at each thing, and asked myself, 'Do you bring me joy?' So here's what I have remaining, after keeping only the things that bring me joy:
A couple thousand books
Two sweet kitties
One item of clothing - my fuzzy robe
Many knick knacks
Mr. C.
Reminders of England (aka knick knacks)
(not in order of importance!)
So how does that 'keeping only what brings you joy' method work for you??
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38 comments:
LOL! I bought that book, too. Apparently it works as well for me as you! LOL! LOVE the family photos! Such a beautiful bunch you all are! Have a wonderful day, Judy! blessings ~ tanna
"First" granddaughter perhaps? Lovely young women those granddaughters of yours who all look a great deal like their mom. If Mr. C was not paying attention, he certainly looked as if he was. I suppose that could be an act or something...something you have learned to detect through the years. Interesting how the summertime pursuits are quite different between a landlocked blogger and one who lives near the coast. Hope that you get to all on your list. That latest clutter purge system is not something I have tried; although I did dispatch my Brit-like toast caddy, an apothecary jar, and two lead crystal candlesticks. I liked them all, but decided that I had had them long enough. Let someone else enjoy them. Oh, and I boxed up two loads of books, too. I am being swamped with books. They have become the bane of my very existence. I see that you may need more bookcases! 📚
Lovely pictures of you and your family. A summer must, canoeing, roasting marshmallows...LOL
Congratulations to the graduate! Perhaps you can call her 'first born'. We have plans to buy kayaks but have been told it's better to get them at the end of the season when the rental companies put theirs on sale. We have a lot going on here this summer, so will likely wait and get the deal. I look forward to exploring some of the coves near our home by kayak one day.
Beautiful young ladies in your family Judy!! They take after their grandmother.
Hi Judy,
HA...still laughing about your random.
What a fun graduation/birthday party. As always love your photos.
Would that pretty ballerina like to meet Sam .... LOL ;-)
I'm betting he was listening to every word, but also thinking, how blessed you all are! Great family moments, and pretty Minnesota trees in (what shows) and I always like seeing your British items, especially the red bus!
What a beautiful family you have, Judy...I know you must be so very proud!
I was being silly about Mr.C paying attention. Believe me, not only does he pay attention, shutting out all the rest of the world, but he remembers every single word!! I, on the other hand, work to pay attention all while my mind is also going, 'What a beautiful granddaughter, Is it starting to rain? It's so fun to see the family. I wonder if i should have another cupcake, Jazzie looks like she wants to go for a walk, I should teach those kids how to play croquet before they kill each other, Stacey sure knows how to make things look pretty!'
See what I mean?
Judy, You are beautiful. Your son looks just like your husband...my mom would say they used the same mold to make him. :):) Beautiful young ladies. Congrats to the grad. Wishing you and yours a blessed summer. xoxo, Susie
I bought the book! I didn't get it. However, just recently I took 12 bags of clothing to the thrift store, 5 bags of books, and 3 boxes of knicky knack things. You'd think my closet and house would look different. Not so much!
Oh, that keep only what brings you joy theory would NOT empty out my house. All that stuff is here because I do enjoy it! Especially the couple of thousand books. LOL
How wonderful that you were able to be in Minnesota for her graduation/birthday. I like you list of things to do this summer. Loving all the family photos.....
You have su a beautiful and precious family! Thanks for sharing this family pics.
Such beautiful pictures! Congrats to the graduate! My oldest sons was my mom's oldest grandchild. She was ALWAYS saying that and introducing him that way until he turned 39. Then he suggested she call him her first loved grandchild! lol. LOVE your most loved things, lol
What beautiful granddaughters you have, and the mother/daughter look more like sisters than mother/daughter! I love your halo, by the way :)
Oh, my! I have lots of things in my home, and they ALL bring me joy. I know, at some point, I really should get rid of a few things, but it'll be hard.
Kathy (Reflections)
I'm glad Mr. C made the cut. :) He looks like he's wondering how she got so grown up so quickly. Those granddaughters are just lovely. Fly swatting and screen door slamming. I can hear my grandmother and mother now. And walking barefoot on blacktop? Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow is right! You look marvelous, BTW!
What beautiful family photos, Judy. And what a beautiful family ... you included. You do NOT look old, just lovely.
Oldest granddaughter ... well, you could call her #1 granddaughter. That's what my dad always did concerning his kids and grandkids.
Books ... oh, I have way too many and I have not yet attempted that clutter control method of keeping only what brings me joy. My parents had books in nearly every room and area of their house including the basement. Ugh.
I am glad strawberry picking is on the list of summer activities! A summer must and long anticipated event.
Since we are near Lake Michigan, beach going is on our list and instead of seashell hunting, we look for beach glass!
Okay I love the random things you kept. It was great to see a picture of you - you are beautiful - no wonder you have beautiful granddaughters. And so nice grandpa was there and listening to them. Looks like you had a good time. Enjoyed your photos and writings. Sandie
Judy I love your sense of humor. I always get a laugh here. I tried the tidying up with Marie Kondo as well. You did much better than I! I enjoyed seeing your family celebration of the graduation. Lovely gals. I do believe that take after their grandmother. Have a great afternoon. ♥
I'm the oldest granddaughter and at 68, that doesn't bother me one bit. I was here first! Everybody thought I was the best thing since sliced bread! But #1 granddaughter could work. Your pictures are lovely and your family is beautiful ... all of you. You should post a video of the singing sisters.
What lovely photos and I think the picture of you with your granddaughter is very pretty! I so agree with you on things that are becoming obsolete. I don't like it either! Joy or no joy it's just hard to rid ourselves of some things but we certainly lessened our load when we moved into our new house. Happy rest of the week!
Fun post! And your family is lovely. I think the grands grow up quickly, don't they? Possibly faster than their parents did. I don't need to read that book as I've heard so much about it. There is way too much that brings me joy but I do purge a little here and there and often regret it not long after. Per your comment on Mr. C and his tremendous focus (sounds like the Gardener), your mind is similar to mine. I think of it as the spin cycle on a washer.
Passing through quickly (at work!). Beautiful grandchildren and your son looks just like his dad...oh my gosh!! Guess that's as it should be! Love your list of things that bring you joy!
Perhaps we are joyful people? So many things bring us joy? Yes, that's definitely it. We're joyful. And Ron is far more joyful than I! (Eek!!)
What a lovely celebration for a lovely girl. Lots of happy faces and family togetherness. I'd love to hear the girls sing "Sisters!" And I couldn't help but notice the tiers of pretty cupcakes in the background. Congratulations to your granddaughter! (I am glad that her dad survived the trip to the beach!)
My bills don't bring me joy. Wish I could toss those out! lol
I love that your adult and kid lists have weeding on them. I feel that was one of my chores as a kid as well. Books give me joy as well, I'd be sad if someone told me that books did not give them joy.
What beautiful family photos. Your son looks just like your husband! I am trying to get rid of things I don't need, maybe I should try your method ;)
Loved all your photos, Judy. And those grand-daughters are so sweet. Of course, I love my grand-daughters while they are little but sometimes I look forward to seeing who they are all grown up. I imagine having conversations over tea about their lives.I better eat my blueberries so I'm here to enjoy that. :)Ha! I laughed that the cats made the cut. They must be behaving themselves at least a little bit. Give them both a hug for me.
Nope...that method would not work for me either! You should have seen the teeny pile of items to be donated after cleaning my clothes closet out over the weekend. And I couldn't even use that excuse for them...oh me. I enjoyed seeing your family photos and congrats to the graduate...what a cutie! Oh, and you are too, halo and all :D
Judy, what a beautiful family. Congratulations to that beautiful graduate. I know you must be so very proud. Right now the only thing on my mind is a sweet watermelon to eat this summer and a beach vacation that is coming up in a month with my immediate family of 13. I am looking forward to it. I hope you have a great day. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
LOL we just went to a water park and even though the concrete was white, my feet were hurting! That's pretty much the worst.
Judy, as always, I love your answers. Glad Mr C and the kitties made the cut (in no particular order). I remember riding my bicycle barefoot and the tires sinking into the hot road, making it so hard to pedal that I'd get off and walk, but the road was so hot it was impossible, so back on the bike, swearing that next time I'd put my shoes on.
What sweet family photos. You look very pretty in blue...it's my favorite color to wear. And I need to go through my house again and decide what brings me joy and put more stuff in the donate box! It's never ending! Hugs!
Judy what wonderful photos of your beautiful grand girl and all of you! :)
Beautiful family and summery post!! Your ballerina granddaughter and all of you are so full of God`s light its so special to see that shine forth!
I noticed your Cherry Blossoms soap,it was exciting to see that at the end of your post! :)) Blessings from Japan!!
I had to laugh about your experience with reading the book about only keeping things that bring you joy, and just keeping your robe, what a giggle! Loved all the pictures of you and your grands, happy to meet you here today on the hodgepodge... blessings and hugs :)
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