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duckyfriend
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Gender: Female
Interests: reading, gardening, crafts, working with Children, traveling. taking lots and lots of PICTURES! scrapbooking, writting, any thing creative i love to do !
Occupation: Student
Industry: Other
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Member Since:
2/3/2004
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| This was my reply to todays Question on WAH i thought i'd reply here since i took a long trip down memory lane | « on: Today at 09:40:42 » | |
When I was younger, Saturdays were days of Family Fun.
What is your best Family Fun memory? 
I loved the weekends ! they were family days , when I was younger my mom and grandma Nan would take us on little day trips or fun adventures, to local cultural events or plan a day sightseeing close by..... we lived with in an hour or less of some wonderful history rich areas Washington DC, Baltimore inter harbor , Gettysburg Pa. West VA ... lost of county fairs , arts festivals , seafood festivals and day trips within and around the eastern shore of MD. trips to there naval academy to see the midshipmen in their uniforms, and boat rides and lunch in Annapolis MD. etc, this time of year we would have taken a ride to Dc to see the cherry blossoms and have a iconic lunch along the basin......, many Saturdays were Several Easter seasons we did the egg roll on the capital lawn,I remember lots of early Saturday morning rides into Down town Baltimore to go shopping in the Big department stores and then go to Lexington market to eat lunch and get meats, and cheeses and roasted peanuts and even a piece of chocolate from the Rebs candy shop....... We sometimes would go into neighborhoods like Little Italy in down town Baltimore and get a boxed lunch made to order special in on of the deli's my favorite store had lunch meat and cheese hanging from the ceiling and a Huge pickle barrel that we could fish out our own big juicy pickle (sorry Leanne) then we would drive over to Fort Mc Henry and sit up on the big hill and watch the tug boats come in and out of the Harbor and all the other boats.. As My Mom and Nan both were widowed at this time in our lives so they devoted all there time to us , when we weren't taking day trips we were home playing in the yard with neighbor hood kids or riding our bikes or building forts in the woods ....On Fridays my Nan who still worked in Down Town Baltimore at the Hat factory would shop at Lexington market for Sat and Sunday dinners ......and Saturday we would put on our aprons All of us even my brother and Nan would teach us how to prepare different foods, lots of German cooking , and we had the blessing of trying many international flavors from things brought at the Lexington market .mostly Italian, Jewish, polish , German, and local fares both from the city and eastern shore..... Many years through out grade school we had theme cultural dinner nights. and Friday was always FISH or seafood ... .I grew up with a great appreciation of foods from around our area and the Chesapeake bay... We had a very close family friend of my Nan 's Herb, he did all the signs for the animals cage and in and around the Baltimore Zoo, he had free range of the zoo , we spent many Saturdays with him at the Zoo which gave us access to area that most visitors were privileged too at the time......... we had baby tiger cubs that we got to hold them and walk them on a leash in a small enclosed area I got tons of pictures from those days ! us in enclosures feeding baby animals with baby bottles and we were almost always the first eyes that saw the newest babies ! Some Saturday's were set apart special for days to be taken out with my God mother just the two of us , for lunch and a little girl time shopping , I loved that special time but only a few time was it just us, because I begged for my sister and brother to get to come too , I hated leaving them behind !
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| the room the room is now my craft room a large room in my basement that has thick padded blue carpet and mint green walls with a boarder of a teddy bear family having a picnic.....it started out to be a therapy/play for Ashley .....many major milestones were met in those 4 walls, learning to roll over , first steps and muscles toned and learning to balance followed by many hours of fun and imagination play when it became the play room . full of fisher price and play school goodness .......kitchen sets and tables and chairs , pots pans and dished and all the colorful play food , mini slides and bouncing balls , blocks and trucks and baby dolls and carriages , strollers and ;itt;e red wagons and even tricycles that made the road path out that room into the family room across the tiled floor to return to the playroom carpet floor that acted like a speed bump as the carpet met the tile as the kids came through the doorway...... As Ashley grew and started EEEP at 2 years old that room became more of the play room especially on rainy days .... the warm days were spent outside in the fresh air. Eventually the room began to move toward a craft room for me and the kids and as they grew more I took it over and it became a four wall floor to ceiling craft room with plastic containers filled with all kinds of wonderful craft supplies each clear container la bled and neatly placed on one of the wall to wall shelves around the room....... a large wooden table to work on was placed in the center of the room, that way on going projects could be left out until finished..........the room would make any Michael's craft store or hobby lobby shopper envy........It took years to build the room into the dream craft room it was the walls became display spaces for the kids art work from school and play.........a literally art gallery of their creative expressions some framed behind glass and some even have the award ribbons or certificates award to the child........ all my kids friends loved to come over to do crafts or school projects they knew they would have the everything they needed and I loved when one would call and ask if they could come borrow some supplies ..I had a good 15 years worth of helping with craft fairs or fundraiser's and projects and class projects that were supplied from that rooms content ......in more recent years that room has seen less and less use for the purpose it once thrive in, the kids are older and we don't do the projects we once did (although the scrapbooks and stamping are still fairly active ) the rest sits on the shelves ... the room was becoming a catch all room for overflow from the rest of the house, kids changed their rooms from early childhood to their teen room , high school bedrooms and college rooms everything no longer needed or used but wanted to be saved for whatever reason went to the craft room till it found a new home......... waiting to be passed on to taken to the missions or donated to the good will or salvation army...... and soon it was no longer a fun room but a eye sore .......something had to be done and sadly I wasn't ready to changes that room from the craft room...........what would I do with all those craft supplies no longer being used and given away .I never did crafts for profit,,unless it was for fundraiser's and even then I brought the supplies made the crafts and gave them to others to sell for profit.......... I made gifts and donated everything ...that was were I found my joy in crafting...and now that seasons have come to a halt........no longer doing anything like that often mostly at Christmas time for nursing home residence and gifts but not enough to justify a whole room full of craft supplies............. so how do you close that door to such a creative outlet ?I fought it for a long time actually a few years I kept saying God you know I love this I cant just stop , but it seems I have ... and its time for a change a new direction , time to pass the torch and give all the supplies away to those who are in an active season of crafting and teaching or the arts I know as a mom who had kids who loved to do crafts when they were younger there were other young moms of young kids just starting to discover the love of creativity, there were teachers who spend their own money to buy supplies for their classroom to do projects because they don't get enough in their supply budget, there were Sunday schools at churches and day cares and girl and boy scout leaders and activity directors in nursing homes and the list goes on that could be using these things I have sitting here , it was time .........time for me to pass them on and a big part of me was morning letting them go but I came to realize I wasn't losing my love of creating I can still enjoy that and more importantly share that ! so I began to contact schools and nursery's and day care and girl scouts troop and I posted on my local free cycle and the response has been plosive people are coming with boxes and filling their cars and vans I started this past week , I have had numerous calls , three gals came and took car fulls and I am just putting a dent in the room! the unexpected part of this is the new people I have met that seem to be interested in staying in touch, several of the craft projects we had done are splayed in the room, projects for school, Sunday school and bible school crafts etc and 2 of the gals express interest in how we made things one girl asks if she could call me to share the themes of her future projects and pick my brain for ideas . this all was an unexpected surprise to get these kid of responses and it felt good to think I can still be involved maybe not doing the crafts directly (although I was asked if I'd consider to come instruct a few workshops and summer camp activities LOL)I can still be involved ...... I still have about 75 % more to give away but I can now sees Gods plan a but in all this , its like that phrase in the song I'm not going to hide my light under a basket ........one person should not be sitting on this number of supplies and not doing much individually with it any more when I can share the supplies and my ideas if asked and many can benefit and enjoy I'm excited to see what God reveals to me when the room has been cleared and what new purpose it will have .......I have a few ideas but will wait to see where he leads .........this is an ongoing progress the room took years to accumulate to this amount and I plan to have it back to basics floor and four walls waiting to be repainted and recreated hopefully in the next few weeks
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| Is winter over yet ? what did Punxsutawney Phil have to say about that anyway? I missed that whole event and the weather jumps from winter with snow and ice one day to 60 's the next ! last week we had snowed, then an early spring day and currently we had snow flakes today but the calendar says Feb is almost ended and March will begins to usher in Spring! Yippee ! I Love all four seasons and I am ready to say good bye to winter and Hellooooooooooo...... Spring ! I need green grass and the smell of spring onions and see sunny Daffodils, the fragrance of Hyacinths Peace lily's and the beautiful colors of tulips gracing my front walk ...... warmer days beginning with the smell of the earth breaking ground and windows in the house opened once again and spring cleaning in the house. washing windows that have been pelted by rain sleet and snow made crystal clear to enjoy the gardens coming to life........again....... so while we still have cold wet damp days that sometime are still carrying snow flakes on there winds i am starting a major project inside ..... I have this wonderful room downstairs in our basement that has played many roles over the 23 years we have lived here, first it was a therapy play room for Ashley wall to wall thick padded blue carpet and various therapy equipment and toys , walls painted a mint green with a boarder of teddy bears having a picnic .....and not much else lots of floor room to work and play. As she succeeded and grew the therapy room / play room became a preschool room and the beginnings of a craft room the walls were covered with a large chalk board , magnetic board and paint easel . Framed art work from Steph Ash and Chris adorned the walls ........then it eventually became our craft room......... I had so many craft supplies and we did so many projects for School fundraiser's, church youth group etc. that the walls were floor to ceiling shelves with marked plastic containers of craft supplies , with a large wooden table in the center of the room to work on....... a craft room to be envied for sure ! the kids in the neighborhood would come over to play/create in there and said it was like going to Michael's craft store with my supplies ! I cant tell you how many class assignments were created in tat room....sleepovers we spent with a majority of craft projects done in that room, we had a good 10-12 years enjoying that room and all the creative fun we made in those four walls.......but now that my kids are older one in college and two in high school the room has been neglected and a catch all room for anything hadn't found a place to go........then it got out of hand and was down right a great room filled with everyone's junk too.......that is until last night when I was laying in bed , you know that time when you are winding down saying prayers and going over the days events and it came to me ........ time to change the room ........... time to move on and give away , pass on all the wonderful craft treasures to a young family, a church group girl scouts troop or home school family and day care providers or teachers ? so I posted on free cycle today and have many people express interest in giving all the craft supplies a new home........ so I am in the process of going through and boxing up things awaiting pick up ......I am still holding onto my stamps and scrap booking supplies and my acrylic pastels, and oils painting supplies most everything else will be given away ..........I am finding it bitter sweet to be going through all these craft supplies all categorized and marked in plastic containers on shelving units on all four walls of a 14 X 14 room........ and knowing that they will no longer be apart of this home........I'm not closing the door on enjoying crafting, just accepting times have changed and I hope to pass the supplies on to several other family's to enjoy the wonderful creative outlet we had with the supply's in that room........ Its next life ??????? i believe it will be a guest bedroom ...........decorated in a Nautical beach theme.....:) | | |
| Its snowing today, that would normally be a big YeahSnow ! but its a mix of feelings I love snow and getting to see it for only the second time this winter so far has been a welcoming event especailly since latley the weather has been more like early spring but that is not yet to be as right now the sky is gray and the ground is covered under a blanket of fresh white , the flakes are still falling like steady confetti from the sky ....... Schools let out early and the kids where home before us, we were saying our final farwells until we meet in heaven to Our cousin Cheryl who the past 4 years had been fighting a courage battle against cancer ..........She found her victory that has taken her home ........ the snow feels differnet today....... I think its because .today the world no longer has Cheryl...... | | |
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