It's Lovuhley!

The composer of the musical My Fair Lady, Alan Jay Lerner was born today in 1918.  I really like the musical My Fair Lady because the music is beautiful and I always liked to be around nice music.  My favorite song is Wouldn't it Be Lovely (pronounced loverly). I saw this little girl singing that song on a singing competition show  and thought it was sweet. It made me smile.

Fun science fact!

I thought this was pretty cool (and funny!)-see below!

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Pettry amzanig huh?

Read more: http://www.ajokeaday.com/ChisteDelDia.asp#ixzz3kK9kITou

Maggie has a bike!

When my parents came to visit me last weekend they brought me my bicycle that I had had to leave in Michigan as there was no room for it in my old apartment. There's something nice about riding a bicycle, I feel like I see more that way. Plus, I like coasting down hills, even if it is slightly on the dangerous side of things. I think that's one of the few times I live a little dangerously. Whether that's healthy or not I don't know, but it is fun!

Things that give me peace

I found myself thinking about things that help me to feel  a sense of peace. These things aren't very startling but they make me see how some sense of peace can be found in the smallest things. I hope everyone can find a sense of peace each day. To me at least, those are things that make life worth living!

• My family
• God
• My friends
• A nice warm bed to sleep in
• Giving/receiving a hug
• This song  (listen here-while I know it's from the movie the Patriot which is quite violent, I still like this music from it because it's surprisingly gentle.)
• A cup of tea or hot chocolate
• This blog-I find it therapeutic to write something positive every day.
• listening to books on tape.
• Going for a walk with friends

One Day More....of summer!

So, because people will be going back to school soon I thought this video was appropriate! It just shows that going back to school is not Miserable in the least! Note that the best part of this video starts at 1 minute 20 seconds into it. It's fun!

Love begins at home

"Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do but how much we do... but how much love we put in that action." -Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was born today in 1910.  Love was something I knew I always would have from my family and friends. I keep this blog to send a little of that love out into the world each day. So I send this post out with much love to anyone who reads this.

Enjoy life!

"No man is a failure who is enjoying life."-William Feather

I hope everyone finds something to enjoy in life. After all, life is too short not to have fun now and then. Plus, I've found that as long as I'm having fun, if things don't go as well I hoped, it doesn't seem so bad.  So here's to fun!

How my Mum introduced me to Jane Eyre

Today in 1847 Charlotte Bronte finished her manuscript for her book Jane Eyre.  This book was one of the first long "adult" books my Mum read to me. My Mum made a point of reading to my siblings and me when we were younger. It was one of my favorite books, not just because it's romantic and I've always been a sucker for romance, but also because that love of books in general is something my Mum and  I share.  For a while when I was younger my Mum used to say that I always had my nose in a book (which was in fact true.) In any case, I hope someone reads to every child. Just because I know that it made all the difference to my life. Books are like an escape to me and I think everyone needs an escape once in a while. Even if it's not a book, I still hope everyone finds something to take them out of themselves for a bit and helps them dream!

Once a Year A Day!

The composer Richard Adler was born today in 1921 and he wrote this lovely song called Once  A Year A Day for this musical called the Pajama Game. I like the song because it's all about picking once a day every year to just go wild! (Not that you can't go wild all the time, it's just that I think it's nice to have a designated day to look forward to!) I've had such a day when I gave hugs to people on my birthday for the first time in 2010. It was something I hadn't done before and it felt wild at the time, which was a strangely liberating feeling.  I don't know when my next Once A Year A Day will be but I'm working on trying to figure out something zany to do on that day! Anyway,  you can watch the clip of the song below. I hope everyone gets to have a Once A Year A Day, just because they're fun!

Visit from my family

My parents and sister are visiting from Michigan and I'm writing about it because I love when my family comes to visit! I love how no matter what my family and I always manage to laugh a lot and even if things don't necessarily work out as planned we still manage to have some fun (or at the very least gather up good stories to tell afterwards.) I know that I can always count on is that my  family and I support each other. My family has shown me what it means to love unconditionally. As I'm proud to be the daughter of great parents and sister to an awesome sister and brother, this idea has consistently made me want to work hard so that my family has reason to be proud that I'm part of them.  I know that no matter where I am, they're always with me in my heart and with that in mind I can carry on! :)

A sweet video

Just because it's Friday and I thought this video was sweet, I had to share it! Cats are exciting (as this baby knows!)

Clearly cars need to go to obedience school!

Just because I thought a funny joke was in order for today


This guy pulls into a crowded parking lot and rolled down the car windows to make sure his dog had fresh air. The dog was stretched out in the back seat, and the guy wanted to firmly tell the dog that he must stay in the car. The guy walked to the curb backward, pointing his finger at the car and saying emphatically, “Now you stay. Do you hear me? Stay!” The driver of a nearby car gave the guy a startled look “I don’t know about you, man,” he said incredulously. “But I usually just put my car in park!”

Read more: http://www.ajokeaday.com/ChisteDelDia.asp#ixzz3jPgdfG1z

Best Summer Foods/drinks

Here are some foods I like making/eating in the summer-just because they make me happy!

• Smoothies-my parents got me a food processor so I can now make my own smoothies. My favorite is strawberry banana smoothies. (take about 4 frozen strawberries, 3 ice cubes, 1 banana, a couple of spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt, a little orange juice, mix it all together and you get a yummy smoothie!)
• Yummy salad-last night I made a salad with spinach, cherry tomatoes, blueberries, walnuts, sliced onions and mushrooms, and some tunafish with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. 
• Lemonade-when I was younger my siblings and I regularly established lemonade stands in front of our house. Once when we were really little a woman stopped by our stand and gave us this speech about how someone had told her that if people didn't stop at kids' lemonade stands it leaves them psychologically damaged. I always remembered that because the word "psychologically"was the longest word I'd ever heard at the time. I always remember it also because the woman didn't have any cash and so she "paid" us with a Snickers bar. She only had the one so we broke it into pieces and ate it (the "never take candy from strangers" rule flew out the window-no worries though-nothing untoward happened, it really was just chocolate.) I still like making lemonade although I now make it from frozen mixes-too lazy now to make it from scratch!
• Ice cream-particularly from the MSU Dairy-their ice cream is too good to be allowed!
• Rhubarb crumble-rhubarb only comes out on my family's farm around May or June. Basically you cut off leaf on the top of the rhubarb, peal the rhubarb, cut it into pieces, mix it with some other frozen fruit if you like, put the who mess into an oven-safe bowl, put brown sugar, butter and maybe honey on tome for crust and cook at 350 (I think) until the top is golden brown. It is best eaten with ice cream from the MSU dairy!

Maggie's Votes!

Today in 1920 the US Senate ratified the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. In that spirit, I got to thinking about things I'd vote for if they ever came up for some sort of election. Here are a few:

• National mascot-a Minion! (They're, sweet, yellow and diabolically awesome!) 
• National car-Volkswagen Beetle (Yes I know it's made by a foreign company but they're sweet and they have flowers in them-or at least at one time I saw that car dealers were putting flowers on the dashboards of the cars which was strangely exciting to me.) 
• National comedian-We have national poets so I think we should have someone to make people laugh, nationally! (Chris Tucker, Wanda Sykes, Ellen DeGeneres, or maybe Jon Stewart, come to mind.)
• I think the US should institute a daily nap time/down time for maybe an hour each day, just to give people a designated time to chill out. (Yes, I know people chill out after work, to me it just sounds nicer if there's a set time for it.)
• National Song-not to replace the national anthem of course-just something a little less formal. I'd go for "Happy" by Pharrell Williams but I think  "American Pie" by Don McLean might be more appropriate somehow. 

Laughter!

"Laughter is the sensation of feeling good all over and showing it principally in one place." -Josh Billings

I love this quote and it made me think of all the things that make me laugh. In the hopes that it helps you feel good all over, I thought I'd share these clips below, just because they never cease to make me laugh!

Show-stopping!

I always liked watching people perform on stage. My parents made a point of taking me and my siblings to the theater to see plays and music. While I didn't always understand the plays, I've always liked music and seeing people clapping for someone when they performed really well or they really liked an actress/actor. That's why, when I found out that the singer Madonna was born today it made me think of this clip I saw of her singing "Sooner or Later." I don't know why, but it reminded me of going to the theater when I was younger and we used to get all dressed up to go see someone perform. I like Madonna in this performance because she really did make me want to stand up and cheer!

Things I'm very grateful for on hot days!

Since it's ruddy hot today I thought about all the things I'm grateful that exist to make hot days bearable!

• Water- I'm grateful for it and I like water because it's wet! 
• Ice cream-God bless the wonderful person who first made ice cream! Mint chocolate chip is too good to be allowed!
• fans/air conditioning-It's a nice refuge.
• Summer movies-they're usually funny and it's fun to laugh!-Plus at the very least they're places with air conditioning!
• Sun dresses-just because they're pretty and most importantly light and cool.

Making the world a warmer place (nothing to do with global warming!)

"If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it!" -Lucy Larcom

Here's my contribution for today, to making the world a bit more of a happier (and hence warmer) place!

Experience with Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock was born today in 1899. My parents introduced to Hitchcock movies as a child and I'll never forget one night when it was literally dark and stormy in every sense and my Dad and I watched the movie The Birds together. At the time I felt like it was the scariest thing I'd seen and for a few days I couldn't look at a bird the same way. That being said, I'm glad my Dad was there because despite sneaking up on my and saying "boo!" somehow I still felt protected. I still like Hitchcock movies to this day because they make me think, plus they're fun, even on dark and stormy nights!

My experiences with cars

Ford motor company came out with the first Model T car today in 1908. I've found that although I've never owned a car, they still have sentimental value to me. Here are some reasons why:

* Since my Dad worked for McLaren Automotive in college he's always liked cars and so we went to quite a few car shows and some races when I was younger. They were a lot of fun. 

*My Dad would take me and my siblings out riding in an old MG car which he'd fixed up. He'd always seemed to drive fast but I always felt safe safe regardless. It did feel like we were flying sometimes, which is what I liked best.

*My Mum is champion of long car trips. When we were younger she drove my siblings and me on trips to Washington DC and Florida. Somehow even if the road trips were long she made them fun by having a good stock of books on tape, games, and of course a willingness to stop at every single Waffle House between Michigan and Florida as I guess my brother, sister, and I went through a phase where we were rather obsessed with Waffle Houses!

*I've always liked Volkswagen Beetles and one day I'd like to rent out just such a car grab a friend and go on a joyride! 

Something that's bigger than anything else

"Sometimes you see how humanity can rise above any kind of cultural ills and hate that a person's capacity to love and communicate and forgive can be bigger than anything else."-Viola Davis
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/v/viola_davis.html#17xgkPs2IRKdKSLj.99

It's the actress Viola Davis' birthday today and I found this lovely quote by her. I thought I'd share it on this blog just because I also think that one of the greatest things about humanity is despite everything, love is one thing that always seems to survive. In that spirit I share the song below!

 

A lovely potluck dinner

This evening I was invited to a potluck dinner at my friend's house. I like potlucks because there are usually a lot of really fun people who go to them.  This evening was no exception and I met a lot of really wonderful people. I think meals should be eaten together, it makes them feel just that much more fun. Growing up my parents always made a point of eating dinner together as a family. Tonight it was like a family eating dinner together and it was....happy!

Fun Sunday!

Today was really fun,  I held a brunch potluck and invited some friends over to my apartment. It was nice to sit outside and eat and talk and laugh. I made pancakes from scratch using my Dad's recipe.  Then in the afternoon I went with the Lake Quannapowitt Walking Club to Breakheart Reservation in Saugus, MA in the afternoon. Breakheart Reservation is beautiful with lots of trails and a beach beside a lake. I also like the fact that there were honeysuckle flowers along the route where we walked. It reminded me a lot of home. I grew up on a farm and even though we don't necessarily grow honeysuckle I like being out in nature and the smell of flowers reminds me of home as my Mum has a couple of flower gardens. In short, today I felt at home in every sense as I was able to enjoy nature and be with people I love. Home is where my heart is and my home is wherever the people I love most are. That's why today was a good day for me because I felt at home.

I love books!

"A book is a gift you can open again and again." -Garrison Keilor

I've always loved books.  I always seemed to have my nose in a book. I love books because in them I can have an escape, learn something, laugh and they just make me happy. One of my favorite books right now is Unbroken which is the story of Louis Zamperini.  He was a Olympic runner and a prisoner of war in Japanese concentration camp. It's true that it's not a terrifically happy book but it does have its funny moments. However what I like best is that it's about how someone survived and went on to live a really good life despite all the troubles he faced. I like books about hope and to me that's what "Unbroken" is all about.

My bucket (short) list

For whatever reason I've decided I should write a short bucket list for posterity's sake, so here goes:

*Help at least one person feel special (just because it's a lovely feeling.)

*Perform at an open mic night

*Go up in a hot air balloon

*Grow flowers (and yes, actually keep them alive) for one year at least

*Go to India, the Dominican Republic, Antarctica, Louisiana, and Guyana
*Give someone a hug every day and tell them I love them (just because I feel like everyone should feel loved.)

I love I love Lucy!

Lucille Ball was born today in 1911 and it got me thinking about an episode of the show I Love Lucy that I saw once and it made me laugh (and showed me how stressful it can be to work in a chocolate factory!)

Moon walk!

The astronaut Neil Armstrong was born today in 1930 and since he was the first person to walk on the moon it got me thinking about the moon walk dance! Enjoy!

Smiles can be found even in sadness

I heard a beautiful song today called "Smile" and I really liked it even though I thought at first it sounded sad. I think it shows how even in sadness there can always be a spark of happiness that helps get through whatever happens. I find that as long as I can still smile (even if it's only a small smile) I feel like things will be all right. Even if things don't work out as I might plan or hope, the point to me is that things do work out and with that in mind I can't help but smile.

Anyone can give a hug

I saw a story today about a pilot named Jessica Cox who hugged a little girl, what made the story cool for me is that both the little girl and the pilot were born without arms.  Jessica uses her feet to work the controls when she flies planes. I'm really glad that embracing someone can be so universal.  I know that when I give someone a hug (or receive a hug) I feel like nothing bad can happen for those few seconds a hug takes. I'm glad everyone has the capacity to give or receive that sense of peace.

To read the article where I got the information click here.

My sacred space

"Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again" -Joseph Campbell

I hope that everyone has such a sacred space to go to when one is feeling lost or unsure of what to do. I've found that in terms of a physical place my home with my immediate family is a special place for me in that I know that even if I don't figure everything out when I go home I do feel peace there and that helps.

The other space that I feel I can find myself again is this blog. Even if it isn't a physical place I feel like in writing something positive each day my world is that much better and writing things in this way helps me get my thoughts back together.

In these spaces I continually find peace. I wish I could give everyone a sense of peace and so I write this blog with that goal in mind.

How Earth Laughs

"Earth laughs in flowers"-Ralph Waldo Emerson

I love this quote because I think flowers and laughter are some of the best things there are. At the very least, I hope that there is a lot of laughter in people's lives.

(Picture from: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Hippie-flower_-_Virginia_-_ForestWander.jpg)