Dr. Miller

Growing up, we lived across the street from Dr. Miller.  I remember, as a young girl, looking out of our front windows and watching Dr. Miller mow his lawn.  Back and forth he would go, making nice straight rows in the lawn.  He always wore an old golf cap.  You know the kind - round and flat with a little brim.

One morning, while watching Dr. Miller, my mother called us for breakfast.  She served us a favorite: a piece of bread that had a hole cut out of it, then grilled with an egg in the center hole, and the round hole piece placed on top.  For a little kid, it reminded me of Dr. Miller.  The bread representing the lawn, the egg being him, and then the round piece on top being his hat.  Dr. Miller! 

But what I loved about this moment is that it didn't stop there.  Where as a parent you smile at your child's silliness and go on with your day, my mom instead honored what I was saying by accepting it and calling indeed calling this breakfast a "Dr. Miller".  And continued to call it that.  To this day, that is what it is still called in our family.  I think that is so sweet and so special.

I've never known this breakfast dish by any other name.  Though when we were in Maine this summer, we had breakfast at a restaurant where they had something called a "Toad in the Hole" which I believe is the same thing. 

We have just one word left from our son's misprouncation of words, or made up words, as he was growing up.  It is "crumper" which means the laundry hamper.  Not sure how it ever came to be... it just is. 

I smile as I make Dr. Millers today...

...for the good food, the hidden meaning of the name, the memories and how special a parent can make a child feel.

Marcy

Autumn

fall leaves....

just beginning to change colors and fall...

cooler nights...

grabbing the wool sweaters...

putting out pumpkins and mums and Indian corn...

fresh apples at the orchard...

the first season's fire in the fireplace...

We love autumn in New England!

Marcy

What we did on our summer vacation... Stockbridge, MA

We love to visit Stockbridge. It is a picturesque New England town. Norman Rockwell painted here and it still maintains that quaintness.

Don't you love this country store? They have terrific things inside. The floor boards creak as you walk through... it is wonderful!


Here is the Red Lion Inn. It is historic and that porch is a big attraction...

I loved these black-eyed susans outside of a gift shop.

Here is one of the cottages that is part of the inn.

As I walked through town, I admired the architecture and especially the doorways.

Isn't this twig frame wonderful?

And spectacular flowers...

Here is another inn in town.

I loved the colors on this house. There is a big bunch of hydrangeas by the front door.

We had the best meal at Once Upon a Table. It is located next door to the Red Lion Inn and is run by a friend from my hometown. The food is always outstanding and I love the intimate atmosphere. Be sure to stop in if you visit...

We also visited the Norman Rockwell Museum. We didn't get a chance to go to Edith Wharton's house "The Mount", but Linda Merrill of ::Surroundings:: did an extensive write up on it here, here, here, here, here, and here - and here. Whew! She did such a great job of sharing all the details, that I feel like I was there!

We'll return again to Stockbridge - oh, I almost forgot - there are lots of antique stores in the area. Lots of fun places to explore!

Marcy

Vacation

We've put our feet up, felt the sun on our faces and the wind in our hair. A good time was had by all.

More to follow...

Marcy

Connection to God and friends

I am honored to work each day with Paul McManus. He has a spirit that is full of joy, a ready smile and he's the most wonderful, creative thinker. Do you know Paul? He and his wife, Tracey, are the authors of the book The 7 Great Prayers. It wasn't until I read this book that I learned about praying.



For a long time I thought that praying was reciting the prayers that I had grown up with. Sure, every once in a while I would put in a plea to God for something, but what I was missing was the conversation. The conversation with God. Talking to Him and listening to Him. Through this book I have learned about that conversation and it has made it so much easier for me. Seven simple prayers that help me to connect with God.

There is a 7 Great Prayers bracelet that has 7 colorful beads to remind you of each of the prayers. I've been wearing mine for more than a year now.



One year ago today, I found myself at the hospital emergency room because a family member was very ill. It was a Saturday morning and I hadn't yet put on my bracelet. And I missed it... In its simplicity it reminded me to focus on all the good gifts from God and helped me to get grounded to handle what was ahead.

After that morning, I've never forgotten my bracelet. It continues to be a daily reminder to me to thank God and to see Him and his beauty all around me.

~~~

Have you heard about (in)courage.me? I am so excited for its debut tomorrow. They have asked an amazing group of women to contribute to their website. I am familar with quite a few of them - and they are terrific! I'm looking forward to meeting all of them and joining in on the discussion.

Marcy

Summer days

I love summer! Warm days, lots of sunshine... and weeds. Boy, am I good at growing weeds! I have gardens full of each type of weed and they are all doing well. Thriving, in fact. Lots of rain, and pure neglect on my part, has resulted in a bountiful supply. And I'm just letting them go. I have other things that I'm doing. I'm active, busy and happy. The weeds will have to wait.

There are friends, and vacation, family and lobster dinners, the beach and sitting on the porch. The weeds will have to wait... because I love summer!

Marcy

I should have known...

...how much I would care.

When I started blogging I thought it might be all about family, houses, decorating and fun stuff. And it is! What I didn't expect is to become so involved in the lives of the fabulous people behind each of those posts. As you share your personal vision of the world going by, there are emotions and events that begin to shape my image of you. You become more than an unseen blog author, you are now very real to me. And as much as I care about your latest decorating treasure, I also care about the person. Little did I expect that Jo's husband's medical emergency, or the landlord situation that caused The Nester to move, or Melissa's emergency surgery, or Rachel Anne's miscarriage or Lulu bravely answering the call of her dream, or Catherine celebrating her birthday or Mar's incredible love for his dog or Rosemary sharing pictures of her beautiful mother, - and there are so many others - would all become things that I think about ... and care about.

I feel that I know you, and the threads that run through the fabric of this life that we share become intertwined. And I adore that because it gives such a greater dimension to the words that you write and the pictures that you share.

I really should have known though. And it is because of another group of exceptional woman that I even came to know the world of blogging. There is a group of "summermoms" who all had babies during the summer of 1995. From infancy on up now to the teen years, we have shared stories and laughter and opinions. And we have been true to each other - and it is so good! And I care...

So why would blogging be any different? I really should have known that I would care this much.

I've been thinking about doing a regular post each week to write about and celebrate the people that I have found in the blogging world - and there are a lot of you. I read a lot of blogs and am in awe of the work that you do and your talent. And I'd like to share that with others. I hope that you won't mind if I shine the spotlight on you sometime so that others may see what an incredible person you are.

I'll continue to go on reading, and sharing my own story, but know that you are touching the lives of others...

...and that I care.

Marcy

Image courtesy of The Vintage Moth