Blue Light Specials

Back in the 60s, one of the local stores would have 'Blue Light Specials' during different times of the day.  If you were lucky enough to be there during this time, an announcement would come over the intercom.  "Attention shoppers, we have a Blue Light Special in the outdoor furniture section.  For 15 minutes only, you can purchase 2 garden hoses for the price of 1".  There was a pole with a blue light like police used to have on their cars.  As you walked toward the outdoor furniture section, you could see the reflection of the light flashing.  You could also see the crowd that was walking down the aisles.  Everyone was in a hurry to get there.  Even if you did not need a new garden hose, much less 2, it was still a 'blue light special' and it was a deal. 

One of my husband's favorite stories of his mom was when she found a Marvel the Mustang on sale and she purchased it.  There wasn't anyone in their family to ride it but it was a GOOD DEAL so she bought it.  It stayed in their garage for a while until they gave it away. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1ZGKhwTeFk

We all have things in our attics, basements, garages, closets, etc.... that we have purchased because they were good deals.  "We might need these one day", "I can give this as a gift", "This would look great in the ___________".  We end us buying boxes to store these items, which means more money spent.  We put the items on display, which means more time to dust and clean. 

As we start the new year, let's think about all of the things in our life that are taking up space.  Go through the stack of magazines while you are watching TV.  Give them, along with any old books and papers to a local school to use for art projects.  Take any good items that you have to a consignment shop to sell.  Donate a new, unopened gift to a local charity for auction. 

Remember, less is more.  And don't be lured by the 'Blue Light Specials' in your life.

Ronco

Years ago a company named 'Ronco' sold different gadgets in local stores.  The commercials on TV made you think that you could not live without these products.  "It slices, it dices".  When you heard these words, you immediately wanted to buy this item because it made cooking so much easier.  Never mind that you hardly ever cooked anything that needed slicing and dicing.  The person selling it was such a convincer.  And the pictures of the things that you could create were beautiful.

One year for Christmas, I asked for a Rhinestone and Stud Setter.  It looked like a giant stapler that would make your clothes really stand out with the colorful designs that you could make.  The setter looked like you could load it up with studs or rhinestones and just keep pressing down and they would come out like a nail gun.

I had a pair of jeans that I wanted to put the letter 'B' on at the bottom of the leg.   As I got everything out and prepared to start, I realized that you have to put the studs in ONE AT A TIME.  You would put the stud in the setter, press down on the top and the stud would go into whatever you were making and the sharp points would close shut.  Then you put another one in and repeated the process.  Put the stud in the setter, press down, put another one in, line it up, press down, you get the picture.  Pretty soon, I was tired and I did not have the complete letter made.  I finally finished it and decided against putting a 'G' (for my last name) on the other leg. 

I am sure that this company made plenty of money on these things.  Record album vacuums, food choppers, candle making kits-yes I had one of those also, incense making kits, etc...  I do not know anyone who would have had the time or patience to make some of the outfits that were in the commercials. 

I hope you are enjoying your Christmas gifts and that you got what you wanted.  And it is all that you thought it would be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_Ty7pzhckk

"Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings"

Bear with me, this might be long. 

My dad was diagnosed with lung cancer a few days before Christmas 1989.  He started radiation to shrink it so he could breathe easier.  He took his treatments and was able to do a lot for the next year.  He and my mom made a trip to Maui to visit my uncle and aunt in June.  The whole year was good and we were thankful for the time we had.

On Christmas Eve, we always went to Eric's grandmother's house then later to Eric's parent's house.  We did not get home until after midnight each year.  In 1990, my in-laws were out of town so we left Eric's grandmothers and stopped by my parents.  My mom was cooking for the next day and my dad was already in bed but was still awake.  We were only there for a few minutes and I stepped into my parent's bedroom to say 'good-bye and see you tomorrow'.

We came home and got the kids in bed.  An hour later I received a phone call from my uncle that my dad had gone to the hospital and I needed to come back to their house so I could be there when my mom got back.  I made a 3 way call to my sister who knew right away that my mother would not be coming back unless there was no reason to stay at the hospital.

My dad had passed away a short time after we left.  I proceeded back to their house in the early hours of the morning with my sister already there and my mother resting in her bedroom.  The house was very quiet, the Christmas tree lights were on and then I heard it.  The ringing of a bell.  I wasn't sure where the sound came from, so I went into the living room where the tinkling was.  There was a chime/harp instrument on the back of the door that plinked when someone opened the door.  I assumed someone was coming in and the chime had made the sound.  No one was on the porch, no one had opened the door.  I reached up to strum one of the strings and realized it was not the sound that I heard.  There was a bell on the front of the tree and I touched it to hear the sound.  It did not match.  After a few moments of walking around the tree and moving any ornament that made a sound, I found the source of the ringing.  It was a bell that was hidden back in the branches.  There was NO WAY anything could have made the bell move.  The heat had not come on, there was no air blowing out of the vent. The ceiling fan was not on, it did not move any of the ornaments.  The room was absolutely still.

I am a big fan of the movie 'It's a Wonderful Life'.  I know the Bailey's have a bell on their tree that rings when Clarence gets his wings.  I will always believe that my parents had a bell that rang on their tree when my dad got his wings.  And I whispered when I heard a bell early on Christmas Day, 'Atta boy Daddy'.

 The bell now hangs in my 'It's A Wonderful Life' collection. 

Merry Christmas Eve to our family

When I was growing up, I can only remember one time when we went to my aunt and uncle's house for dinner on Christmas night.  My parents never went anywhere so that we could stay home and play with our toys.  I often wondered what it would be like to go to church on Christmas Eve or visit someone on Christmas Day.

When Eric and I started dating, he told me that a big group got together on Christmas Eve at his grandmother's house.  His family, his uncle's family and his aunt's family were always there.  They drew names at Thanksgiving and exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve.  Everyone brought pickups and just sat around snacking while they opened presents.  It was really hectic for us since we both worked fulltime and had 2 small children.  But we always made it and had a good time seeing the cousins and laughing with each other. 

Merry Christmas Eve to the Summervilles, Hudsons, Covingtons/Sheffields and Packs.

Treat Bags

I attended the same church from the time I was 10 to 35 years old.  Eric and I were married and were members there while our sons were babies and in elementary school.  Each year at Christmas time, a small group of people would get together to make treat bags. These were brown paper lunch bags with an assortment of items in them.   An apple, tangerine, orange, pack of gum, a candy cane, a Hershey bar and a few nuts.  The church fixed enough for the members and visitors to each get one and they were handed out after church one Sunday morning.  Then someone would take the shut-ins their bags later in the week.  Usually around 150-160 bags were made.  Everyone knew that we would be getting them, no matter how young, each person got a bag.  It was exciting to get them, even if we had fruit and candy at home.  It was a wonderful tradition that was carried on through the years. 

I hope your family has many traditions that they are passing down. 

Merry Christmas!

"No man is a failure who has friends"

We moved into our house 30 years ago this month.  9 days before Christmas, on Friday night after work, we had 2 friends show up with their truck and helped to move our washer, dryer and refrigerator.  Then came back for our sleeper sofa, chair, coffee and end tables.  We did not ask, they just showed up.  The next day Eric's best friend came to move our bedroom suit.  My sister and 2 nieces came the next week and spent the day organizing our pots and pans, dishes and linen closet. Throughout the years, we have been blessed to have had friends who would drop everything to help us out.  Picking our 2 sons up at school at the last minute, watching them when school was cancelled for snow days, etc...  We had friends and family cook for us when our children were born.  We had offers to babysit on Christmas Day so I could make arrangements for my dad's funeral.  So many people who have been our friends along the way and we never really let them know how much they meant to us.  Some of them are gone now, I wish I had said 'thank you' more often.  I hope they knew how much we treasured their friendship. 

And I hope the ones who still count themselves as my friends today, know that I will never consider myself a 'failure'.  With you beside me, I have succeeded in life.

Aunt Bennie Pennies

I had a great aunt that everyone called 'Aunt Bennie'.  Even if she was not a member of their family, she was Aunt Bennie.  She was born in 1902 and had married and divorced young, never having had children.  She devoted her life to working and taking care of her mother.  In the late 1970s, my grandmother asked her to move to our town instead of an hour away since there were no family members where she lived to take care of her.  A duplex was built and my grandmother was going to live in one side with Aunt Bennie on the other side.  My grandmother passed away before she could move in, so Eric and I were able to rent her apt. 

Aunt Bennie was the kind of person that everyone should strive to be.  She was a Christian who truly lived up to the definition.  She never gossiped, not even to her closest friends.  She was very soft spoken, I never heard her raise her voice in anger at ANYONE. 

Aunt Bennie was a firm believer in missions.  She especially had a heart for Lottie Moon.  All through the year she would collect pennies to give in December to the Lottie Moon offering at church.  No matter how few she had, it went to the Lottie Moon offering.  She was known for asking if you had any pennies to give.  A penny wasn't much and people usually had a few of those in their pockets.  She was not bashful when it came to collecting, anyone was fair game.

As a way to remember her, my family has collected pennies every year since she has been gone.  Since 1997, we have rolled the coins and donated them to a church, specifically for Lottie Moon.  Both of our sons kept a small container on their dresser and would give it to us when it got full.  I keep a china teacup in my closet for pennies and we empty it out periodically. 

I hope to always keep her memory alive by collecting for Lottie Moon.  I have had people offer me other coins, it isn't the same.  It has to be a penny.  If you see me and have a penny in your pocket, don't hesitate to give it to me.  I will take them any way they are offered. 

Some people will see money laying on the sidewalk and will not pick it up.  Not me.  When we walk and I see a penny on the ground, I pick it up and know that it is one more 'Aunt Bennie Penny.'