Who Am I?

Hello and happy Poetry Friday!  Today I’m sharing a poem from one of my notebooks. Ive revised it and played around with it a bit until I was happy with it (at least for now).  This poem came out of affirmations   

Who am I?

I am Story

I am soul

I am peace

I am happiness

I am calm 

I am strength

I am acceptance

I am joy

I am healer

I am healed

I am poise

I am simplicity 

I am gentle

I am determination

I am success 

I am beauty

I am family

I am friend

I am adventure 

I am seeker 

I am finder 

I am learner 

I am teacher 

I am listener 

I am speaker 

I am life 

I am Story 

This weeks Poetry Friday roundup is being hosted by Suzy at The Poetry Garden.  

Sweet Holiday Memories

 

Christmas Elves

Hello!  Welcome to Poetry Friday, friends!  Today I’m remembering a childhood Christmas memory.  Each Christmas season as my family brought out the decorations, these jingling elves were always displayed on our fireplace.  They were so much fun to play with, too!  This year, as holiday decor starts to fill the shops, I’ve noticed lots of fun decorative elves and some have reminded me of the jingling guys from my childhood.  When I asked my mom about them, first she recalled that they came with a box of Russell Stover candies and then said that they were long gone.  So, I’m sorry to say that I no longer have the original elves but I did find some new ones while shopping!  I also did a little search online for the originals and was unable to find them.  

Sweet Holiday Memories

Childhood Christmas Elf

Sat upon mantle

Grandma had one, too

When I shook him,

his bell rang out!

Jingle! Jangle!

He is no longer about

as I shopped the other day

I found his likeness!

And now he has 

a friend!

Mom said the elf 

from childhood 

came on a box 

of Russell Stover candies

Now my elf friends 

sit among my books 

reminding me of 

Christmases of childhood 

Sweet holiday memories

Today’s Poetry Friday Roundup is happening over at Soul Blossom Living.

Life Events

Hello Poetry Friday Friends!  It’s been a while since I’ve posted. “Where have I been?” you may be wondering. Well, on October 4, 2020, I was married!  I’ve also been busy with my new husband as he’s been merging his household with mine. Wow!  What a lot of work!  Now between the two of us, we have three college students living at home with us!  We couldn’t be happier, though!  Here are some highlights from our beautiful wedding day. 

My parents walked me down the aisle. 

Mark’s son, Jacob was his best man. 

My daughters were my maids of honor. 

    My beautiful daughters, Sarah and Sienna 

 

Amy and Mark

And now onto Poetry Friday. Today I celebrated a big life event by sharing my news of my marriage and now I’d like to share a poem about a small life event that used to happen about every week. 

Coffee at Grabdma’s

Percolator coffee pot 

makes the coffee

nice and hot

Gather round 

Grandma’s kitchen table

catch up on as much chat 

as we are able

Aunt Lou comes down 

from her upstairs apartment 

to join the coffee klatch

Eat a grilled muffin

or one of Grandma’s 

recently baked treats

What’s been going on?

Who’s been doing what?

How have you been feeling?

When’s the next family dinner?

We’ll see you next week 

for our next coffee break

Gather round 

Grandma’s kitchen table

catch up on as much chat 

as we are able 

Percolator coffee pot 

makes the coffee 

nice and hot. 

Today’s Poetry Friday Roundup is being hosted by Linda over at Teacher Dance. 

 

Storytellers

Several years ago, my mother-in-law gave me her mother’s antique chicken and rooster set. If my memory serves me correctly, she said they came from Germany. I fell in love with them immediately and put them on a kitchen shelf (as my kitchen has always been decorated with reds). For 25 years these “love birds” have sat in my home and who knows how many years they’ve been listening in on family stories. I like to think they secretly communicate with each other and tell each other all sorts of wonderful family stories.

Grandma Heisler’s red chicken & rooster. 

  

Storytellers

You sit

silently

on my shelf

Yet, you know 

a thousand stories 

you could tell

I wish 

you could talk

to me

Instead,

you silently communicate 

with each other 

Red Rooster

Red Chicken 

Family friends 

Today’s Poetry Friday roundup is being brought to us by Catherine at Reading to the Core. Be sure to check her out and take in all the poetry love!  Happy reading!

Treasures

When I was a little girl, we spent a lot of time at my grandparent’s house. Upstairs from them, lived my great aunt Gert (my grandma’s sister).  During the summer months and weather permitting, we would all sit on the front porch. Although aunt Gert would be a part of the front porch festivities, she liked to surprise my brother and I with little treats. So, one of the first things we loved to do was run upstairs to see aunt Gert and what she had left for us in her desk drawers.

Jeremy and I waiting for the school bus (1981).

Treasures

we’d rush upstairs

above grandma and grandpa’s

each visit

my brother and I 

would excitedly check

aunt Gert’s desk drawers

mine on the right

Jeremy’s on the left

treasures always awaited

a comic book

a coloring book

a band for cat’s cradle 

a card game

a game of jacks 

sometimes a Little Golden Book

something special

to play or read

with great aunt Gert

Great aunt Gert. 

Margaret at Reflections on the Teche is hosting today’s Poetry Friday Roundup. Besides sharing the round up of poetry love, Margaret shares a lovely poem she wrote in response to a photograph, “Cajun Queen.”

Window Shelf

My dad, Jim. 

My cozy house. 

Shelf from an old window, created by my dad. 

For as long as I can remember, my dad has been a creative craftsman when it comes to woodworking. He’s crafted many unique items for his family. One such item is a window shelf that he created from one of my old dining room windows.  Two years ago, I had my kitchen and dining room renovated and he kept some of the old windows (which were original to my 80 year old home). Each time I walk by my window shelf, I imagine it as a “window”into my home’s long history. For me, it holds 25 years of memories.

Window Shelf

Wandering mind . . . 
Into the past
Needing to be remembered 
Days, months, years
On the wall
Wistfully recalling moments of home

Today’s Poetry Friday round up is being hosted by Jan at BookSeedStudio.  Make sure you click on the link for a variety of poetry love.

Fabric Yo-Yo’s

My beautiful mom, Elizabeth, on her wedding day. 

Today’s poem features a favorite decorative item in my house. It’s a Yo-Yo doilie that my mom made for me. I recently became interested in the history of the fabric yo-yo, and began to research them. I read a really interesting history of the yo~yo at Mitzi’s Miscellany. Read about the History of Yo~Yo’s Here.

My mom’s senior picture. 

My mom made this yo-yo doilie for me several years ago. 

Fabric Yo-Yo

Several years ago

Mom made a 

Yo-Yo doilie

for me

It’s lived in many places,

helping to make my house

a home

Lots of fabric circles 

sewn inward

making a puckery,

twirly, 

whirly,

pinwheel,

whirligig, 

round-about,

Yo-Yo doilie!

Vintage 1930-1940’s feed sack yo-yo quilted pillow that I purchased from eBay. 

A book that I purchased and am reading. Yo-yo’s were often made from feed sack fabrics. 

A table runner made from fabric yo-yo’s. Purchased from Etsy. 

Playing with yo-yo’s!

Now it’s time for another Poetry Break!  Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect is today’s Poetry Friday host. Please make sure that you visit to gather more poetry love!

Hand Carved

Great grandparents~ Flora and Joseph. 

Hand Carved. 

Smooth wood block
Intricately carved into 
crescent shape
Great grandpa’s handiwork 
Sweet smell of butter 
emanates from
cookie mold
Buttery cookies 
melt in your mouth 
Passed down through 
generations

Great grandpa’s cookie mold for making crescent cookies. 

Family recipe that uses the cookie mold.   You can also make them into thumbprint  filled cookies.

Now that the weather here has cooled down a bit, I think I’ll bake up a batch of nut crescent cookies. 

Irene at Live Your Poem is today’s Poetry Friday host. She has the round up of everyone who is participating in Poetry Friday.  

John’s Fix-It Shop

“Poetry Break!”

My grandpa’s sign (made by my mom). 

John’s Fix-It Shop

Come on in!
Stay a while. 
We’ll put the coffee on. 
kitchen table,
chockablock with tools and parts,
even a coffee pot or two  
Grandpa works at the table  
Customers come and go. 
John’s Fix-It Shop
occupies grandma’s kitchen 
Customers stay a while -
they sit and chat. 
Put the coffee on. 
Stay a while. 
John’s Fix-It Shop 
is always open. 

When I was growing up, my grandpa had a small business that, after a while, found its way into my grandparents kitchen. When customers stopped in, they were invited to have a cup of coffee (perked in a Faberware percolator coffee pot) and some of whatever treat grandma had made. Grandpa repaired Faberware products. His most popular repairs were done on percolator coffee pots. When I moved into my first apartment, I was given a Faberware 4 cup coffee pot and a Faberware electric fry pan. These were two of my favorite small appliances  To this day, I prefer the taste of coffee from a percolator coffee pot. I hope you enjoyed your visit to John’s Fix-It Shop!  Stop in again, won’t you?

Here’s grandma’s recipe for kolacki in an old church cookbook.
You’d have been lucky to sample these if you stopped by!

Grandma and grandpa’s wedding photo.
November 29, 1946

Margaret at Reflections On the Teche is today’s Poetry Friday host.  Besides rounding up all of the poetry offerings, she is sharing a goodbye poem to her students.

Grandma’s Teacups

In case you missed it, check out my other blog to see what a “Poetry Break!”is,
 Mrs. Merrill’s Book Break blog.   

My dad’s mom, Dorothy. 

Teacups

Grandma drank her coffee

from a teacup each day

shaking hand

cup chatters against saucer

only the ladies 

got to drink 

from her teacup collection -

a girls’ tea party

each daughter and granddaughter

now possess one 

of her cherished teacups

now I drink my coffee

from grandma’s teacup

Grandma’s teacup. 

Today’s Poetry Friday round up is being hosted by Mary Lee at A Year of Reading. Make sure you click on over to visit her blog for some poetry goodness.

Speaking of goodness, check out some of my favorite tea party treasures.

A little board book that my girls had.
We used to have lots of tea parties!

I bought my copy of this while on a European vacation. 

What could be better than a poetry tea party?

And now, two tea party recipes from my “rescued” recipe box (Vintage Recipe Box)

Spiced Tea

Oatmeal Cookies