The Management
Posted on August 5, 2014 Leave a Comment
Yes, still cleaning out the house!
Every time I am there I find one thing that delights me and one thing that takes me down.
This little hot plate had me laughing out loud. It is one of those things that I have seen my whole life. It is cloaked in familiarity. And yet until last week, I don’t believe I ever read the thing.
The best part about this is that when I showed it to a friend, he told me that his mom had the exact same one hanging in their front hallway.
Must have been one of those 1970s things spawned by the women’s movement.
Hey, I wonder if Betty Friedan had one of these in her kitchen.
Telephone
Posted on July 15, 2014 Leave a Comment
Still going through the archives of my childhood home, I find things that both take me down and delight me each time I am there.
This one fell into the delight category. There was no one on earth who gave better phone than Elaine! She loved to connect, touch base or just shoot the breeze. People always say the worst part about losing someone is the impulse to pick up the phone and talk to them before they remember this is no longer an option. I totally get that!
How fitting that she would receive an award for her outstanding service in this category.
Slow down
Posted on February 28, 2014 2 Comments
Yes, I grew up in a house with Gandhi quotes on the kitchen wall. What? You didn’t?
It all seemed sort of natural to see messaging around the house. They were engraved, wrought in medal, etched in stones, painted on plaques and glazed onto pottery.
Elaine was big on reminders and perspective.
This was one of those things I did not think all that much about. Yes, I was inspired by them, as she was. But not until I began this task of compiling all of this messaging and deciding what stays, what goes, what gets photographed and what gets gifted, did I realize how it was ingrained in me.
Now this hangs by the door in my house, right above the key hook. Because I tend to rush around like a lunatic and I need to be mindful everyday that this is not a race. And frankly I am way too old and not an athlete… attaining speed should certainly not be a goal of mine, EVER.
Happy Friday.
Garage humor
Posted on February 11, 2014 Leave a Comment
In the throws of systematically dismantling my childhood home, I came across this priceless clipping. Found in an envelope simply titled, ‘cartoons’, nothing could have been more perfect for my parents.
Our garage became a running family joke, jam packed with everything from a full woodshop to my childhood crib; she was always trying to get my dad to clean it out.
As we embark on the task of cleaning this out, I can’t help but think we will find more Elaine-like treasures buried within the junk.
Hey, anyone need a vintage lawnmower?
WWED (What Would Elaine Do?)
Posted on February 9, 2014 2 Comments
Found this little clipping on the edge of the refrigerator door (front is too crowded with pictures of every baby ever born)
For the Love of October
Posted on October 9, 2013 3 Comments
This one popped out of yet another folder of clippings today. The article lists all the reasons why October is the best month of all.
Happy October from Elaine.
You can read the rest of the article here
The Refrigerator
Posted on August 16, 2013 1 Comment
Elaine never met a baby she did not think was beautiful, and she had the fridge to prove it!
Why you need a hug
Posted on August 15, 2013 2 Comments
It is so Elaine to find a reason to validate a hug!
On Scars
Posted on August 1, 2013 Leave a Comment
This slipped out of one of the many little journals today. We both loved this book. I believe this, like most Elaine-isms, found its way to me on this particular day for a reason. I guess she will keep reaching out and being a mom.
Waltz Your Heart Out
Posted on July 17, 2013 3 Comments
This one is priceless. For those of you who did not know my parents, my dad has been a cardiac patient for almost 20 years. I am quite sure she cut this out to convince him that dancing with her more often was good for his health. A hopeless romantic, that Elaine!
When I was little I used to love to watch them dance. Actually, I loved to watch them when I was big just as much. They moved together like they were one person. You could just see their connection.
A bittersweet memory indeed.
Elaine-isms 
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