a.rose

This is another gem I found in the pile of papers from my mother, inherited from her mother.  I wish I knew the time frame for when this paper came into my grandmother's possession. Anyway, here are tips and tricks if you've been wondering what has been missing from your life, to give it just that extra pinch it needed.  (I did correct spelling errors, some were too egregious for me to leave as they were.) 1. The look of elegance is in the serving.  Any meal can be elegant if it is served beautifully. 2. When serving an elegant dinner always use cloth or fabric tablecloths or placemats.  Plastic is practical for family, but not elegant. 3. Never serve condiments or relishes in their original containers.  Always use your prettiest serving dishes, jelly dishes, etc. 4. Garnish your foods as pretty as possible.  Parsley and cherry tomatoes add so much eye appeal and eye appeal is the beginning of tummy appeal. 5. Make sure your silver ...

When my grandmother passed away in 2008, my mom inherited many things.  Some of that trickled down to me.  This paper was found in a pile of all sorts of interesting papers.  I couldn't let this get lost to time:  (typed as I found it written) Chorus: The family of the sun the family of the sun Here are nine planets in the family of the sun 1. Mercury is hot and Mercury is small Mercury has no atmosphere It's just a rocky ball Chorus 2. Venus has thick clouds That hide what is below The air is foul, the ground is hot It rotates very slow Chorus 3. We love the Earth our home, It's oceans and it's trees We eat it's food, we breathe it's air, So "no pollution", please. Chorus 4. Mars is very red It's also growing cold Someday you might visit Mars if you are really bold Chorus 5. Great Jupiter is big We've studied it a lot We found that it has fourteen moons and a big red spot Chorus 6. Saturn has great rings We won...

One night at dinner Devin was discussing his research.  I consider myself a fairly intelligent person with some skill at maintaining basic conversation but I will admit that sometimes when he gets particularly science-y, it's hard for all of us at the table to stay focused.  We try so hard though. This night in particular, Heather was struggling.  She said in a low voice to me, "What is he even talking about?" I caught Devin's eye as I responded, "He is telling us about something exciting that happened at work today." Then I noticed the four blank little faces staring at me from their various positions around the table, and knowing that we would lose all four of them soon, I said, "Listen carefully, he is talking about Shopkins!" (We don't actually own any Shopkins, so I'm not sure why this was the choice of toy that my brain came up with, but from the looks on their faces, it was going to work.) Having satisfied them i...

Sometimes the world is tiny as a hand wrapped around a finger and sometimes vast as oceans, stars, and words left unsaid: unspoken - unheard. Hugging you now I am caught somewhere in between. Squeezing you tightly is never tight enough to let you know how much of my world you fill. And holding you close the clock is already pulling you away from me. I do not know how to let go of you. So I whisper "I love you" one more time. But it cannot be said Cannot be heard In all the ways I mean it. It is that distance between hearing and meaning that crushes me almost more than the newly incomprehensible distance of oceans I love you - do you hear it I love you - can you know it? (Whatever you need from my love, take it. Strength, support, serenity. It is yours on this adventure.) I hold you tight One last time Then breathing slow I somehow let go. All their bags are packed, they're ready to go. I feel really grateful to have had ...