The Daily Grind | Love, Laughter, and Life

January 10, 2017
by Angie Leave a comment

The Original New Year – Every Day – Fresh Start

A childhood song came dancing through my mind this morning, singing to the new year and new beginnings. After several days of reading blog posts and emails about New Year resolutions and words for the year, my thoughts were certainly considering all things new.

Isn’t it wonderful to have a fresh start? Why can’t we do that every day, all year long? Every January, I find myself more energized and committed to my goals and dreams, yet from past experiences (years upon years), I’m pretty sure I will experience fatigue and begin to prune my high expectations. Or at least forget my word of the year (which I have yet to discover). Life will interfere, changes will happen, and by the end of the year, those beginning plans will have fallen by the wayside or will have been altered so much they barely resemble original thoughts.

That’s ok, though, really. We cannot foresee the twists and turns of life, so wisdom would dictate that we make adjustments and refine our goals, dreams, plans.

Fresh resolutions every morning would be much more manageable.

Write. Read. Learn. Love. Do.

A basic plan, a few words, doable. Perhaps too broad, but easy to adjust each day. And the perfect-for-me way to enjoy new mornings every day as the sun rises.

The original fresh start and new beginnings?

“The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT)

and

“Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’” Revelation 21:5 (NKJV)

Care to join me in a fresh new beginning each morning?

Karen Witemeyer penned similar well-crafted thoughts about new beginnings. You can find her at Inspired by Life and Fiction.

January 9, 2017
by Angie Leave a comment

Party Time! Thank You, Followers!

It’s party time, followers!

Thank you for voting in confidence

for my posting and blogging bent.

I’m so glad to meet you here,

sharing where we went.

Horrid, I know, but meant very well;

Thanks for hanging with me.

The (blog) world is our oyster!

Forward now, to see what we see.

As we learn and play and chat and goof,

join in the fun, my dears;

Welcome, friends, each and all,

and happy, happy New Years!

January 9, 2017
by Angie 6 Comments

The Welcome Mat is Out – RV Life

The snow that has fallen would easily reach the second step, but diligent shoveling makes finding the welcome mat possible!

The welcome mat is out. Snow covered. But out.

Bundle up, jump in the one-horse open sleigh, and drive over the river and through the woods to Nana’s house. I mean Nana and Papa’s RV.

First, we’ll visit and catch-up. Of course, in our tiny space, this may require sitting in shifts or booting a cat off the chair. Speaking of cats, the floating fur is free.

For the exercise portion of our gathering, shall we shovel some snow? As it seems to fall continuously, there are a couple of acres ready for your attention. We’ll add in a bit of slip-sliding our way up the hill to the irrigation ditch, view the wildlife, and sled back down into the pasture.

To conclude our fun times together, toasty hot tea or coffee and perhaps a snack or two shall be served.

As we wave you out of sight, know our hearts and RV are warmer and happier. Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you again soon.

Just aim for the welcome mat.

The Christmas tree that shall stand in place until probably March – or until the snow melts enough to get to the base. It’s still beautiful, so I shall enjoy it until then!

Snow, glorious, snow.

Falling, drifting, growing

Into mountains

And triathlon driving adventures.

Snow, fabulous, snow.

Beautiful, peaceful, blanketing

Covering all

And putting to bed those who live under.

– By Angie Quantrell

December 13, 2016
by Angie Leave a comment

Coloring Books & Oranges

Deal of the day: Coloring books!

This is a big deal. I know they’re all the rage right now, and are you not glad? We grew up with coloring books. Not the adult sort that is popular, but books featuring cartoon characters and now-iconic movie themes. Frosty, Rudolph, Tom and Jerry, Barbie…the list is quite long. And I’ve probably had at least one coloring book for each character.

Christmas and coloring books go hand in hand. Opening that freshly minted box of unbroken and pointy tipped crayons and deciding which picture to color in first – that was one of our growing up years Christmas traditions.

Our stockings always had an orange, an apple, and nuts. Add some assorted hard candies, never enough chocolate, small toys, coloring books, and crayons! I’m not sure we had the coloring books and crayons every year, but often enough that I associate them with Christmas morning and full stockings!

I carried on the tradition for our two children when they were young. Coloring books, crayons, chocolate, and candies. For some reason, I dropped the fruit and nuts, though now at my mature age, I view them as synonymous with Christmas stockings.

During college (yes, waayyyy before adult coloring books hit the market), my college friends and residents of the dorm I lived in often sat in the hallways with coloring books and crayons, happily coloring, visiting, and enjoying much-needed stress relief.

As an adult, I still have coloring books. I recently found a lovely nature-themed adult coloring book. I also have a journaling Bible, complete with multiple illustrations ready for me to color.

And today, I purchased old-fashioned coloring books – Rudolph, Frosty, and Santa. I just need crayons, apples, oranges, and nuts.

Because now I can pass along the coloring traditions to the grands.

December 6, 2016
by Angie 5 Comments

O, Christmas Tree – In & Out of the RV

Welcome, baby plastic tree!

I can’t stand it!

Two fresh pine trees outside, one planted and one cut, both decorated with white lights and silver stars and well watered. One potted artificial tree with blue lights next to the door. That doesn’t cut it for me, the lover of all things Christmas tree. The inside of the RV was too bare.

But with 2 kitties, lack of floor space, and no extra counter space, what is one to do?

Get a tree anyway.

Welcome little plastic tree, pre-wired and covered with plastic ornaments. Thank you for lighting up our indoor Christmas space. I know the kitties can’t hurt you, though they try, and you can’t (shouldn’t?) break.

So again, welcome. How lovely are your tiny little fake branches and your cheerful glow!

3 trees – tiny in front, tall in the middle, and blue next to the door.

Outdoor Tree Update: The Christmas tree down count is 3 wind events, which equals 3 pick-up-the-tree-and-replace-the-stars outings.

How about you? How many trees do you have? Do you have to pet-proof your Christmas decor? I’d love to hear I am not alone!

November 22, 2016
by Angie Leave a comment

5 Ways to Play the Hidden Mickey Game

Can you spot the hidden Mickey?

My husband and I recently enjoyed an anniversary trip to Disneyland and California Adventure. We enriched our experience (and even discovered new areas of both parks) by playing the Hidden Mickey Game. Here are 5 ways to play the Hidden Mickey Game.

1. There is a Hidden Mickey Game? Check this off the list! Now you KNOW there is a Hidden Mickey Game. You can’t play if you aren’t aware of the game.

2. Imprint your brain with the image of Mickey’s head and ears – very recognizable. There are also other full body images and side profiles of Mickey, but we spent our time hunting the head image. Train your brain to recognize this shape and you will discover it everywhere. Disney does this well.

3. Go Mickey Hunting. Look at fine details of hotel rooms (especially at the resort hotels), decor, carts, rides, artwork…every scene you see is a possibility. Even before you get in the front gate, you can find Mickeys in the central plaza. Document your finds! When we got home and looked at the photos I took, they were mostly hidden Mickeys!

4. Ask. Nearly every attraction or ride or area has an intentional hidden Mickey. We found cast members to be very knowledgeable and helpful in our hunt. Some told us exactly where to look while others gave hints. Some Mickeys are very easy to spot, others we searched and searched for on multiple attraction rides and could not see them.

5. Buy the book! Yes, there is a book. I didn’t want to purchase a book, as I felt it was cheating. But I finally caved and grabbed it. There are so many planned Hidden Mickeys, but also others that can be discovered. The book is older, so some Mickeys are gone due to new construction. And new Mickeys are added every time they create new attractions or remodel or update areas of both parks. The book was a huge help. On the plane ride home, I went though it page by page and jotted down the date we discovered each Mickey.

Extra Tip: Listen and watch. There are others searching out Hidden Mickeys. You can help each other once you are aware there is a game going on!

Adding the Hidden Mickey Game to our Disney adventure was fun, fun, fun! People looked at us as if we were a bit odd, but that only added to our excitement!

Happy Mickey hunting!

November 16, 2016
by Angie Leave a comment

Tea with Me

Special Mickey dessert we enjoyed after a delicious lunch.

Let’s catch up! It’s been that busy lately.

Blog? What blog? It’s more like suitcase? Where did I put my travel bag? Where are the luggage tags? Gotta do the laundry so I have clean undies. Need to remember to pack this and that necessity. Unpack, repack. Lists, lists, and more lists.

Pause. Bring out the teacups. Heat the water. Squeeze in a bit of honey. Choose a teabag. Pour. Steep. Relax.

How has life been treating you? Are you enjoying fall (or spring, depending on your hemisphere)? What plans do you have for the holidays?

We thought life in an RV would be simpler, less to care for, smaller requirements of energy, more free time.

That has not happened. Yet.

Indeed, it seems to take longer to live. Less stuff, but more thinking and decisions to be made regarding purchases, storage options, and mulitple use items. But enough about that for now. More later.

Life has been busy, so having a small space to place our heads at the end of the day has been wonderful. A few things we have been enjoying:

We found Chewbacca!

Disneyland. Happy anniversary to us! I’m sure I have everyone confused about the date of our actual anniversary, but we have gotten out of the habit of celebrating it on or even near the 22 of June. November? Sure, that’s a great time to head south with thousands of our best friends (and we thought we had an original idea – nope – crowd factor was quite high).

Rubber stamping. I know – hand crafts are fabulous! I decided to make our Christmas cards this year, since my stash of every day cards is quite high and I need to use some of them up before adding more. So off I went to meet the girls and co-conspirators. 94 Christmas cards ready to be used. Merry Christmas!

The leaves win!

Grandkids. One of my favorite hobbies. I love seeing them and spending time with all 5 of our precious jewels. Photos have been taken, treats given, hugs and kisses enjoyed. Every day is an adventure with grands!

Amplify. We are headed into the busy season, as most churches are right now. Harvest Party, Thanksgiving baskets, Caroling and nursing home visit, Candlelight Service, and so on. Despite the bustle of the season, I adore this time of year.

Writing. Deadlines are among us. If I disappear for a few days (or weeks) and forget to answer emails or phone calls, it’s the deadline factor. I am blessed to have quite a few on my master schedule, so off to work I go.

Walking. Not so much when I’m home. But if I’m in, let’s say Disneyland, I’ve enjoyed upwards of 8-10 miles a day. Or with friends, 2-3 miles is a nice happy medium. At home, we are still working out the kinks of safely reaching a good walking location (without having to drive somewhere to walk).

Family. Keeps us busy. Grands, siblings, children, parents. It’s lovely to have all of our family close. That doesn’t always translate to seeing them often, but if something pops up, we are near and can help or attend an event or gathering. I don’t know of many families that have so many members this close. For that, we are grateful.

And coming up soon – birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, the new year – the seasons of the year. Each is a gift from God.

How about you? Refresh your cup and fill me in. What plans are on the calendar? What’s been going on?

Have a blessed day.

October 27, 2016
by Angie Leave a comment

First Steps in Missions ~ Activity Ideas: Shaving Cream

Welcome October, perhaps one of my absolute favorite months! Ok, I also love November and December. And January. Just give me fall and winter and I’ll be good.

Thailand is the focus for Chapter 2 in First Steps in Missions, Ideas for Preschoolers and Teachers, Volume 22. Each month this year (academic or church), I would like to choose one activity I’ve written for First Steps, and give extension ideas.

Mirror Painting is found on page 14. For this activity, I suggested placing a large mirror flat on a table and inviting preschoolers to paint on it with unscented shaving cream and food coloring to symbolize the beauty found in Thailand. Do you know how much fun it is to paint with shaving cream?

Shaving cream is a favorite creativity ‘tool’ of mine.

Ways to Play and Create with Shaving Cream

About shaving cream:

The cheapest brands work just fine. Avoid those that begin as a gel. They just don’t foam as well. But feel free to experiment. If you don’t have any kids with sensitive noses, use your favorite fragrance to spice up the room. Have a tub of water and plenty of wash cloths available for cleaning up.

1. Shaving cream is not only for mirrors. Squirt shaving cream directly onto a table and let children draw and write to their hearts’ content. Extra benefit: shaving cream helps loosen stuck on tape, markers, and glue. The table will be much cleaner when you are done with the shaving cream.

2. Paint with shaving cream. Squirt shaving cream mountains on large paper bags or construction paper and let little artists sprinkle on powdered tempera or drops of food coloring. Mix, spread, and create. It would be fun to experiment with water-based markers and shaving cream.

3. Blocks and shaving cream in a big plastic tub? Go ahead, admit it. You’ve always wanted to play in the shaving cream! Who has never squirted shaving cream on the bathroom mirror to write messages? What? No? Me neither.

4. Hot weather fun begins with cans of shaving cream and a swimming pool. Seriously. Let kids paint themselves with shaving cream and then dunk into the pool to rinse it off. I’d avoid using the big in-ground pools as they require chemicals and lots of care. Any small inflatable or plastic pool will work great.

5. Wash outside toys (tricycles, wagons, construction equipment, etc.) with shaving cream. Use a hose to rinse thoroughly and let dry. This is one cleaning project where you’ll have plenty of help.

Safety Tip: Only use shaving cream with preschoolers old enough to not eat it. Older children are fine, though you may be surprised at what they put in their mouths. It’s for playing, not eating, right? Unless you have a beard or hairy legs.

f50e8-dsc_1189

If you would like to order your own copy of First Steps in Missions, call 1-800-968-7301 or visit www.wmustore.com. Thanks!

Thanks for visiting! Have a fabulous time playing with shaving cream!

October 25, 2016
by Angie 2 Comments

That Sort of Girl

My signature fragrance!

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

I dabbled a bit at the perfume counters and my grandmas’ display of pretty bottles for years. But once I found my lifetime signature fragrance, that was it. Committed. Loyal. Done searching.

Oh, I may have stopped to smell other roses along the way, but this was MY scent.

Tresor. In French, a treasure. For me, my favorite perfume.

This personality trait, for I have realized that’s what it is, does not only apply to Lancôme.

When my honey and I got engaged, I loved my ring. As we married, I gained another simple gold band. At ten years in, he bought me a 10-tiny-diamond band. At 20 years, we went hunting together. The sales lady wanted me to ‘trade-up’ for a larger diamond. How about NO? I am sentimental about my rings and each one is precious. I don’t care about the size. I care about the commitment and memories and love they symbolize. I have the same rings without traded-up stones. Because they are MY rings from MY love.

Speaking of love, sure I dabbled a bit here and there. Window shopping, as it were. Tried on a few different sorts, but once I found my man, that was it. Best friends, partners, lovers, co-adventurers. Life-ers. Thirty-one plus years. He’s worth it. Kevin and Angie. We go together.

Coffee? Same goes. You may call me a coffee snob, but I do enjoy Starbucks. We’ve had a rocky relationship, this company and this coffee drinker, and I do whine about their ridiculous prices and return bad drinks for correctly prepared ones. But that’s what partners in relationships do, right? We work on fixing things and put up with the negatives.

Friends. Ditto. I have the same friends from high school and college. I see some more than others, but it’s always the same. We are glad to visit, hang-out, share meals, giggle, and shop – whenever we meet face to face. I’m not going to trade them for a newer model just because we more mature friends have a few bumps, bruises, and sags. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to make new friends. I will add them to my collection.

Jesus. Once I decided He’s the One, I committed. It’s a long-term relationship, to eternity and beyond! Don’t need to window shop anymore. Just work on getting to know each other and enjoy the relationship and fellowship along the way. Hang out. Go on adventures. Chill and celebrate. Just like a marriage.

Family, cars, pets, clothes, hobbies, . . . Until we wear out and are reduced to rags or the engine burns up or the kitties get too old or my fingers get arthritis. Mine. Don’t worry. I’ll share.

I’m that kind of girl. Once I make a choice, I stick to it.

My honey and I surveying our new home. LOL. LOVE old wood. Photo by Angie Quantrell 2016

October 24, 2016
by Angie 3 Comments

Congratulations, Winners!

Three sets of 5 cards each, ready to be mailed to the winners! Congratulations!

Last week, I posted a slide show of some of my rubber stamped card creations. In order to have some fun and share my cards, I offered a set of 5 handmade cards to 3 guests who followed this blog and commented about their hobbies.

And the winners are:

Judith the Reader

Alyson

Marilyn

Thanks, friends! I will be contacting you soon to get your mailing address. I hope you enjoy sending the cards as much as I had fun making them.

A bientot!