Thursday, March 31, 2011

luv u mother nature...

just a quick
little message
 to say...
.
your timing
was not so much
 appreciated today
just in case you hadn't noticed
my dear friend dave
had just finished polishing
the front windows
his first job since
having knee surgery
several months ago
when you decided to dump
on cleveland
yet again
with that wet, heavy white stuff
 i am going to be forgiving
this one last time
but please
let me remind you it is
the last day of march
could you kindly move
onto the
next season

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

moda madness give-a-way

there's a march madness
golden give-a-way
going on...
.
to check out the details
hurry though
offer ends
at 8:00 pm
on 3.31.11

Friday, March 25, 2011

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

do you roly poly?...

i personally crave # 47
the nut & honey wrap...
.

full of cream cheese,
raisins, sunflower seeds,
 cashews, baby spinach, plum tomatoes,
carrots, alfalfa sprouts,
with spicy honey mustard
my husband likes the smoked turkey
sarah prefers the roasted turkey and swiss
the boys stick with the
 roasted beef & provolone
suffice it to say the ely family
when it came time for our grand opening
of the quilt store
we didn't even have to debate the menu
roly poly was a must
so what does this have to do
with creativity you ask
jenny watson
a stampin'up manager
name a 2010 rising star
she's in my same downline
and she and her husband
 just happen to own
the very roly poly
i am addicted to
i just learned that this week
small world indeed
congratulations jenny!!!
if you are in northeast ohio
head on over to golden gate on mayfield
try the frozen yogurt too
it's soooo good

Monday, March 21, 2011

a cause and a mission...

at first glance
quilting for a cause
catches my eye...
.
a classic design
maple leaves
in beautiful colors
it has been lovingly quilted
by a group of women
members of the
quilting stars of ohio guild
donated for a raffle
 to the j r coleman
early care and learning center
ironically
across the page
is an article
about ethics
advances in prenatal testing
are making it much easier
to identify a fetus
as having down syndrome
is that single diagnosis
reason enough
to prevent a child from attending
an early learning center
because they are denied life
educate yourself
educate your loved ones

Thursday, March 17, 2011

cheesy leprechaun

oh how i loved
 this little green
 and white dress...
.
tiny little shamrocks 
with matching green ribbon
to tie sarah's trach
and weave
through the gathered eyelet
i was often sewing
in the wee hours of the night
not quit sure where 
we would be spending
the holiday
because of her health status
no matter what
she always posed 
for a picture
cheesy grin and dimple checks
eyes a twinkling
 like a pot of gold

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

woman's world

i received a call
 from an editor
 of a magazine
.
and i must admit
i was not too familiar
so i sent tj to the store
to pick one up
before my scheduled interview
(thanks tj)
i was pleasantly surprised
by the stories
very uplifting
inspirational even
and then i got to the story
about the purple balloons
purple balloons of hope
it had me in tears
a sign perhaps
that the story was meant to be
as in our story
stay tuned
in the meantime
pick up a copy
of woman's world
at your grocery checkout

Saturday, March 12, 2011

shout out to my snowmen

getting stuck
 in the parking lot
 is no fun...
.
unless
you are lucky enough
 to have
 two handsome men
upstairs
willing to come
 to your rescue
thank you tj and john

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

mardi gras memories

i've never been
to new orleans
for mardi gras...

yet i have the best memories
of a fat tuesday celebration
once a month
my girl scout troop
would meet up at
 the greens of lyndhurst
an assisted living facility
where we would entertain
the residents
for the night
each month was a different theme
it seemed only fitting
 that in march
we celebrate mardi gras
we brought beads
and hats and masks...

we sang mardi gras songs
served cupcakes with
a little plastic baby
hidden in each one
sarah was so alive
on these nights
she became the helper
instead of the one
 often being helped
i loved the planning
the creativity
and seeing the smiles
on everyone's
faces
both the young
 and the not so young
and that will always be
my mardi gras memory

Saturday, March 5, 2011

i said yes

i'll never forget
twenty five years
ago today...
.
showing off the new ring. d'poos on the river. cleveland, ohio. 1986
he asked
i said yes
i know this date is
 not often celebrated
yet as i have been
reviewing my life
of late
the ups and downs
the good and the not so good
it really all started with
that one little word
yes
had he not asked
or had i said no
it would have likely ended
right then and there
so it really is
 the beginning
that simple little three letter word
it changes everything
no longer are you
free and frolicking about
it's a commitment
to a life together
sure there's still time
 to back out
but not as quietly
 as before
the public announcement
looking back i also
realize it begins a time
of alignment
the supporters in one camp
the naysayers in another
the thing i've learned
and have finally accepted
they pretty much stay
 where they began
with twenty five years
of hindsight
knowing how things turn out
at least to-date
knowing the depth
 of the peaks and valleys
the triumphs and struggles
would i change anything
would i still say yes
in a heartbeat
without a thought
i said yes to my best friend
then
and still today
thanks for asking john
i love you more today
than i could ever
have possibly known

Wednesday, March 2, 2011