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Happy moments in February I’m sharing with you! |
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| Middle Child and I completed this 1000-piece puzzle I bought her for Christmas. It was not an easy one and if you look closely at Linus' blanket, a piece is missing. I was so disappointed that I contacted the company by email and I heard back right away. They no longer had the puzzle in stock, but they sent me an online catalog to pick out another puzzle and sent it to us free of charge. I was VERY pleased with the customer service, to say the least! |
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| My youngest grandchild playing in the snow for the first time. |
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| While babysitting my other grands, they often like to play 'Restaurant' or 'Pet Shop' with me, especially when I'm an irate customer or one who asks a lot of questions. (It's the way I amuse myself and boy, do they get me!) This is how a six-year-old draws money. I had never seen one of them do that before and it tickled me. |
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| Another time, my oldest grands came to my house and one brought a stuffed animal that was losing its beak. My daughter had told her that I would be able to sew it back on. I got out my sewing basket, knowing it would only take me five minutes, and you should have seen all three of them gather around me. My husband later said it looked like I was teaching them how to start a fire or something. They were so interested! My oldest daughter is NOT handy, at all. |
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| When cleaning out my mother's condo in 2023, I found a ton of notepads and just threw them all in a box. I've slowly been using them, and it was a surprise to find this list in her handwriting. D.M. stands for Drug Mart and I was able to deduce from the items that it was from March 2002. A nice 'Easter egg' from Mom. |
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| I thought he was dead! Last year, we found a bunch of fur in that area and didn't see him all Fall. As the snow melted last week, our solitary rabbit reappeared. Or maybe someone new moved into his territory. |
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| When I served on a disability board, I became friends with a woman whose son had a severe genetic condition. He passed away about five years ago and I read online that she worked with a local park to install this Wind Phone. |
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| If you enlarge this photo, you can read about its purpose. I love this so much! |
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| Last year, my annual autism post to highlight awareness focused on Middle Child's art activities. I gave her a gnome diamond painting ornament kit, as she had never tried it before. Well, she loved it! So, I bought her this heart for Valentine's Day, and she completed it within a week. |
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| This actually happened at Christmas, but I can't stop thinking about it, and my grandson gets out the Matchbox Cars whenever he comes over. When my son was visiting us for the holidays, he said he always made this the 'bad guy's' car when he was a little kid playing. I love to learn little tidbits about my kids' childhoods that I never knew. |
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| Some of you know that for Winter 2026, I've decided to read all of Jane Austen's works. They have been the perfect antidote to a long winter. |
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| Especially lines like this one from Sense & Sensibility, ". . . a letter of which every line was an insult, and which proclaimed its writer to be deep in hardened villainy." Wouldn't it be grand to go back to a time when we used phrases like that instead of just calling someone an assh*le?? It hits deeper! I saw something on TikTok where the person suggested that instead of giving someone the finger while driving, give the thumbs down, to show your disappointment in their driving behavior/ability. I laughed about that for an hour! |
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| I display my grandmother's figurines with my Valentine's Day decor. Don't they go nicely with my Austen reading? |
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I know most people say they don't celebrate Valentine's Day. We do! We've learned to go out for dinner the weekend after when it's not crowded. My husband has been to The Last Page for business dinners, but I've never been. It has a shared plates concept and the food was phenomenal. I hope your February was filled with lovely moments!Your turn: Great customer service lately? Long lost skill that you can do? Returning wildlife? Favorite Austen book? What would be your bad guy's car? |
I guess the ability to use phrases like that is why Jane Austen is an author whose books are still read generations later, while the people who just call everyone an asshole or give the middle finger are forgotten as soon as they leave the room.
ReplyDeleteI hope your grandchild got a kick out of the snow. That's the thing with small children -- there are still so many things that are completely new to them.
That's must be really annoying, to be doing a puzzle and find that one piece wasn't included. That's never happened to me, but I suppose there are sometimes blunders during packaging.
I love your reasoning about Austen. While human nature has never changed, the language used back then has so much more depth and sophistication. It is fun to watch young children explore the new (to them) world around them. It's been a long time since I've come across a new puzzle with a missing piece. They are a fun winter activity, when stuck inside. Thanks so much for visiting.
DeleteI had a lovely text chat online with my cell phone provider, and they were able to quickly resolve the issue of my missing data.
ReplyDeleteThat missing piece- how frustrating! There so much blue/white lake and snow in that puzzle -quite a challenge! I bought two 1000 piece puzzles from the thrift store, and both were missing one piece. But for a used puzzle, I figured I was lucky.
That heart is gorgeous!
I'm glad your cell phone provider gave you such good service. You never know how that will go. It's disappointing to have a missing puzzle piece, but hopefully the price of the puzzles was good enough to forgive that. Thanks for visiting!
DeleteI did enjoy both reading and seeing the photographs you've shared.
ReplyDeleteA lovely February post with many happy moments . . . perfect :)
My February has zoomed by.
Weather wise it has been rain, rain and more rain!!!
Hopefully March will bring a little more sunshine.
A little early but Happy March Wishes.
All the best Jan
I'm glad you enjoy the photos. Yes, March and sunshine can't come soon enough!
DeleteI was fascinated by the wind phone. I've never seen one before, but it's a great idea about releasing "unspoken words". Yes, your youngest grand must have had fun playing with snow for the first time. Like you, I wonder if the rabbit has survived the winter or whether it's been replaced by another one. I wonder the same when I see a squirrel.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of a wind phone, either. I hope to visit it someday this summer. It would be interesting to know the territories of all the wild animals in the neighborhood.
DeleteSo much to say, so much to say...where to start? I'll start with Jane Austen, you know she's my favourite! I love love love both Emma and Sense and Sensibility. Well, I love all her work, but I'm so happy to see you rereading those and enjoying them so much. I wish we could still say things like "I understand you" with a certain look. CUTTING. I mean, I guess we can still say those things but no one would - ironically - understand us!
ReplyDeleteThe Snoopy puzzle looks VERY hard, all that ice! And how disappointing about the missing piece. That has happened to me several times but I was never sure if it was the puzzle, or if my dog Barkley had eaten a piece. In his older years he was a bit senile and sometimes I would see him sneak into his crate headfirst, chewing frantically. It was always when we had a puzzle and then inevitably a piece would be missing...so I just assumed it was him. Poor old demented Barkley! Lol! So we have a lot of puzzles with one or two missing pieces. Rex has never done such a thing so any puzzles we've had from 2022 have been fine and WOW I am writing a lot about puzzle pieces. This comment is going to be epically long.
I love that the money has what appears to be women on it! Or maybe they are long-haired men, I guess I shouldn't assume gender here. Nevertheless, I love the creativity and I love those kinds of kid games!
I had a real moment of nostalgia when you spoke about fixing the stuffed animal. I, like your daughter, am not handy. I almost failed the sewing portion of Home Ec back in the day. Anyway, I always took things that needed fixing to my mom, and the kids would watch carefully while she fixed clothes/ stuffed animals/ etc.
The Wind Phone! I love that.
Your daughter did so well with her Valentine's art! She is so good at arts and crafts!
We don't celebrate Valentine's, but we don't NOT celebrate Valentine's, if that makes sense. We don't go out for dinner but I always make some kind of pink themed dessert. This year I made a frozen cake thing with raspberries and it was delicious. I love love, so I love Valentine's.
I had only ever read P&P and Northanger Abbey, so the rest are all new to me. I'm currently on my last one - a book of her unfinished pieces: Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sanditon. And nope, we could use some of her language, but no one would even pick up on the sarcasm. We'd be doing it to amuse ourselves!
DeleteThe Snoopy puzzle was very difficult, but not as bad as a Thomas Kincade. I've grown to hate those. And YES! I thought the money looked like it had women on it, too. It's so fun to see how kids interpret things when they draw. I'm all about the make believe when playing, though my oldest daughter almost did me in with her 'People Sick' games when she was two. She was obsessed with anything medical (and then, she became a nurse) and I've always had a phobia of it.
That cake sounds divine! I love love as well. I had a male friend in college who dubbed me, 'Love Child' because I had a crush on someone new almost every week.
I always look forward to your posts! SO much to comment on.
ReplyDeleteMiddle child is an absolute artist! I'm always impressed with her artwork capabilities.
Ok, what brand of puzzle is that? I've had missing pieces before, but I assume I knocked them off with my sleeve or boob and one of the dogs ate it. (It's happened!)
The Valentine dinner spot looks fancy-smancy — I likey!
Well, I'm hoping the Cane Toads do not return to our backyard in the near future!
So, Jane Austin didn't use the phrase Ho Bag?
I'll try very hard to remember the Thumbs Down hand motion!
I'd love to know why that particular car was the Bad Guy Car.
I had a great giggle at you with the sewing kit! What a marvel! š
The diamond painting is very intricate, and I'm actually surprised that she can do it, as her motor skills have never been great. I'm not sure I could do it! The puzzle brand was Aquarius/NMR Brands. I bought it at TJMaxx. We do our puzzles on our dining room table in the winter and no one ever goes in there. We checked and double checked the floor, chairs, etc. The piece was definitely not in the box.
DeleteI love fine dining. Like really LOVE it! We limit it to birthdays, anniversary, and Valentine's Day. Actually, we sometimes go to one on vacation when it's just the two of us. I rarely get the chance to dress up, so it's very special to me.
I hope the Cane Toads do not return. So gross! I'm guessing my son thought that car looked old and scary?? It reminds me of the Dukes of Hazzard or something along those lines. Hey! My sewing skills are beyond measure! I can sew on buttons, too! XO
L.O.V.E. this post!!!!!! And don't you love when a company takes responsibility for their products and corrects the problem? SO few companies do that. Over the holidays, I had a skincare item I use break. The applicator fell off. I contacted the company and they not only sent me another one, but they sent me TWO! Needless to say, I thanked them over and over again. I also wrote an online review, expressing my appreciation.
ReplyDeleteThat photo of your grandchild playing the snow is ADORABLE!! I love the little gray scarf!
Don't you wish we could actually DRAW money whenever we needed it? LOL!
"and it was a surprise to find this list in her handwriting. D.M. stands for Drug Mart and I was able to deduce from the items that it was from March 2002. A nice 'Easter egg' from Mom."
That is so cool!
The wind phone warmed my heart. I enlarged the photo and read it - OMG, how touching!
And speaking of Sense & Sensibility, I just recently rewatched the film. I forgot how much I loved it.
My grandmother (my father's mother) had figurines very much like the ones pictured. She also had lamps with the same figures attached to the bottom.
FUN and FABULOUS post, my friend. Very much enjoyed!
Wishing you a glorious weekend. It's going to be much warmer this weekend. XO
I was so surprised that the company actually stood behind its product with the puzzle. I had an issue filling out their online form, so I just sent an email thinking I'd not get anywhere, so I was surprised that receive a reply the next day. And the shipping took less than two weeks.
DeleteIsn't the wind phone a creative and wonderful way for them to remember their son? I hope to visit it when the weather warms up. I've only ever watched Pride & Prejudice (a few versions) but I bet Sense & Sensibility is really good, too. Such a charming book.
I think I remember those lamps with the figurines. My grandma had the lamps with the big glass globes that had flowers painted on them. But what I remember most were her perfume bottles with those squeezy balls and the tassels. LOVED those! We shall see if the weather warms up. I'm not holding my breath! LOL! XO
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the company made things right for the missing piece. That is always SO frustrating. I miss doing puzzles but with Binx, that is not going to happen.
Your youngest grandchild is so cute and how awesome to see them experience things for the first time. That is always so precious to see and the others are very creative with their money creations. I love them.
Middle child did wonderful with that diamond painting. I've heard it isn't all that easy.
The wind phone is so awesome!! I have never seen one before or heard of them.
Such a fun post!! I am glad to hear you had happy moments in February.
Puzzles are fun, but from the comments, sounds like they are difficult to do with pets in the house. My grandkids are a lot of fun, and I get a kick out of their different personalities. The diamond painting is precise, but so pretty when finished. It was nice to have some happy moments, despite the weather!
DeleteBad guy's car? Anything with a MAGA bumper sticker or truck nutz. :)
ReplyDeleteHow fun to see an old shopping list from your mom! I'm assuming "40th card" refers to a 40th birthday, and not actually a 40th card to add to a collection!
Happy to see your rabbit (presumably) survived the winter. Most of the ice on our koi pond has melted and I haven't spotted any floaters, so it appears our goldfish did just fine surviving the -18° temps we had. Take that, Mother Nature!
Yes, I think it would have been a birthday card for my husband as his birthday is near Easter. That’s great that your koi survived this brutal winter!
DeleteAlso, a gentle reminder that this is a politics-free zone (see the PSA on my main page).
DeleteLove the wind phone! Looking out my kitchen window this morning I saw a group of robins. For the upper Midwest this is early. I am so looking forward to spring.
ReplyDeleteI did a deep dive a few years ago about robins, after seeing them here all winter. Apparently, some do not migrate. I was surprised!
DeleteI did read that too but a girl can be hopeful!š
DeleteMarch 2002.... If only we had a time machine.
ReplyDeleteEven just for one day!
DeleteSo many terrific photos here.
ReplyDeleteI love the sentiment behind the wind phone. Even if a person doesn't use it, it may cause them to pause a moment and think about their loved one and have that chat in their head. That's probably what I would do.
What a precious moment for your granddaughter! Completely adorable, and I can just see her wonder.
I feel the same way you do about what we've lost in our language as it's devolved (and continues to). It's not that I think language is static or that it should be, just that it's become so much more coarse and ugly.
I agree that I likely would not pick up the phone, but it would commence thoughts and memories of loved ones no longer with us. Coarse and ugly are good descriptions of our language today. Another example of the de-evolution of man.
DeleteWhat a lovely collection of February moments. The puzzle story and that wonderful customer service were such a bright spot. I especially loved the image of the grandchildren gathered around while you sewed — simple skills still matter. And finding your mom’s handwritten list is the kind of small treasure that makes a month memorable.
ReplyDeleteIt’s so rare to feel valued as a customer. I will not hesitate to purchase that puzzle brand in the future. My mom’s list, and the fact that some Easter items for my kids were included, was such a bright spot.
DeleteI've got my notebook!!
ReplyDeleteI love the puzzle! Great job, ladies. And how cool that they sent another puzzle.
I love the picture of your granddaughter with the snowball.
I'm laughing so hard at you being the irate customer- kids LOVE that stuff though! I bet you're the favorite grandma. š
That sewing basket! Omg. LOVE. For your next trick, you could show the grands how to iron. š¤£
Aww, your mom's handwriting. š
You have a wind phone! I've always wanted to visit one.
Umm- that style car was our bad guy car growing up. That is so funny!
We didn't get to celebrate Valentine's Day this year as he was in the hospital. All good- his heart was being fixed.
Great post as always, dear friend. š
Notebook ready! Omg, I love it, Kari! I hope to use mine tomorrow š¤ I never know if the kids will get my humor, but the two oldest definitely do when we are playing. I’m probably creating a monster for when I leave š¤£š¤£š¤£
DeleteI totally laughed out loud at your next trick comment. I don’t think my oldest even owns an iron, so that would probably fascinate the kids! Maybe I’ll blow their minds and get out the cloth napkins for Easter! š¤£
You’ve heard of a wind phone? That’s so cool! Getting a heart fixed is the best Valentine’s present. š He will be as good as new for next year! XO
I love that photo of your grandchild with the snow--that is just so adorable.
ReplyDeleteAnd great news about the puzzle company's customer service. It's nice to hear a happy ending for a change. I pretty much avoided customer service for February and I'm hoping to keep that streak going.
I was a Matchbox fanatic when I was a kid! I love how your grandson plays with them. I didn't think kids were still interested in them anymore, but Mattel is still making them after more than 70 years.
The Wind Farm is such a lovely concept. It reminded me of chair work, a form of therapy where you imagine a person who has died or is no longer in your life sitting across from you in a chair and you speak to them.
I've tried it a few times after losing my mom and my brother and it does help.
Great work on the Jane Austen project. I have not been reading enough fiction, frankly, so this reminds me to get back on track. And your grandmother's figurines complements the Austen novels.
Finding that Easter egg from your mom must have been nice. I used to keep every scrap of paper my mother had written on--even it was just a shopping list. I couldn't bear to part with them.
And what a nice Valentine's Day celebration!
Great post, Bijoux, now on to March!
Avoiding customer service is a great streak to keep going! I'm happy to report that kids still play with Matchbox cars. I recently visited an antiques mall and saw quite a few of the original boxes the cars came inside. I did not remember the boxes! They had very nice graphics.
DeleteI'm glad that the chair therapy works. I tend to talk to my parents when I'm driving. It usually involves crying, so probably not the best place to do it. It is definitely hard to part with so many of their belongings. I've done about 75% of the work and am hoping that my kids/grands will want some of the rest of it eventually. Happy March!
That's great customer service. My new pharmacy has such great customer service and they always get any problems I have fixed right away.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Austen but I'm glad you enjoyed the books.
That’s huge to have a great pharmacy! I just finished my last Austen book today.
DeleteLots of good news tidbits in this post, Bijoux š Since I started working on jigsaw puzzles as a result of a Christmas gift of a puzzle mat, I know how frustrating a missing piece(s) can be as my puzzles are borrows from the senior center. Nice to read that the puzzle company had such great customer service, which may also make you a repeat customer. No recent episodes for myself, except that a local supermarket (Hannaford) credited us for an item that spoiled way ahead of expiration date. The Wind Phone reminded me of a similar one I heard about on a podcast. It was in another country (possibly Japan?) and people would use the phone to "connect" with a loved one /friend who had passed. I haven't seen anything similar here. While I have never read anything by Jane Austen, she is on my future reads list.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the grocery store gave you your money back. I'm a fan of Aldi's Twice as Nice guarantee, which I did need to use once when I realized a jar of jam had its lid unsealed before I opened it at home. They give you your money back and also you get a replacement for free. I hope you enjoy Austen as much as I have!
DeleteThis post is full of great nuggets. The wind phone is such a great concept. I like to think that it's brightened people's lives, given them peace. What a sweet photo of your granddaughter. I am cracking up so much at the 'bad guy car'. Like Suz, I'd love to know why. I remember things my brothers and I played so clearly. We once pretended to go camping in their walk in closet and when we went looking for food, we pinned our older sisters down and pretended to eat their hair, "Spaghetti! Spaghetti!" as they squealed for our mom to rescue them (this might explain a lot about my relationship with them, but based on the house we lived in I was under 5 and my brothers were involved and lived to tell about it - ha). Middle daughter's artwork is so pretty. I can totally picture that sewing thing play out. I'm trying to think of a customer service situation that went the extra mile. Hmm. I'm not thinking of one - but I'll hop back over if I do. My skill that I've hung on to is like yours, sewing. I tried to teach my 2 girls to sew during the pandemic, but neither really figured it out.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the wind phone is a great idea. How fun to play pretend camping in a walk in closet! Kids can be so creative. My girls were never interested in sewing. The oldest only liked sports and nothing domestic whatsoever. Middle Child always loved music and crafting, but her fine motor skills gave her issues with intricate things like weaving in art class, so I never attempted to show her how to thread a needle. She could do it now, though!
DeleteSo much good stuff in this post! Bummer about the puzzle piece being missing but they made good on it! I had that happen with a Lego flower bouquet I was making one tiny little piece was missing. Lego immediately sent me one without question! Love the idea of a wind phone! The pic with your grandson playing with snow1 So cute! Do you not love the curiosity and imagination of children?
ReplyDeleteI bought Middle Child a Lego sunflower potted plant for Christmas and it turned out really well. I'm glad to hear that Lego stands behind their product!
DeleteI’m officially adopting 'deep in hardened villainy' for my daily vocabulary; it definitely carries more weight than the modern alternatives! Also, your husband’s observation about the 'sewing fire' is hilarious—there’s nothing like a grandma with a sewing needle to make a kid feel like they’re witnessing ancient magic.
ReplyDeleteBahahaha! Isn't that early 19th century language fantastic?? And for my next trick, I will churn some butter!
DeleteThat is awesome customer service from the puzzle company!
ReplyDeleteThat's cute that your grandkids like playing those games and want you to be an irate customer sometimes. I remember my sister and I playing hair salon with my grandparents.
I'm glad your rabbit is back. I haven't seen our groundhogs yet, and I'm starting to worry about them.
We were so happy to get a new puzzle for free! Hair salon?? I love that idea! The girls would love that. I hope you see your groundhogs soon!
DeleteI love the idea of the wind phone. We made a stop in Oregon to visiting the wishing tree and leave our wishes behind. I'd totally map out a stop to the wind phone if we were headed that way.
ReplyDeleteI hope you save those handmade dollars. I found a pack of handmade coupons my daughter made me when she was probably 7 or 8 (she's 22 now). I took one to her that said "good for a free foot rub." She scoffed and said there was a time limit to redeem and I had to point out she failed to write and expiration date, so imo, it was as good as valid LOL. I didn't make her rub my feet, but she looked horrified for a second there that I was going to insist on cashing in on the coupons.
Same daughter told me about the thumbs down last summer and said that she would feel even worse if she got that over a middle finger. I hope more people follow the trend because it's hilarious!
Awww that wishing tree sounds really cool. I will have to save the handmade money next time. It was too cute. That grand just lost her two front teeth. OMG, the cuteness overload! Good try on the non-expired coupon - LOL!
DeleteIsn't the thumbs down hilarious? It would be quite shameful to receive.