SNOW DAY!!

When I was in school, some of my fondest memories (for my story) were Snow Days!  As soon as the weatherman reported that snow was on its way, praying would begin…. “Please God let it snow really hard so we don’t have school tomorrow.”  The anxiety was so high when I tried to go to sleep; I almost felt as much excitement as I did the night before Christmas.

The next morning when mom would come in my room I anticipated those magic words, “You can sleep in, school has been cancelled today.” The excitement was so great that there was no way I would be able to go back to sleep.

The meeting spot was an apartment complex that had a small lake and big hills that were perfect for snow days. My friends and I would meet at the complex and stay out all day long; swooshing down the hills and tracking back up time after time. We would race down the hills with no fear of trees or pain, and giggling all the way. After hours of sledding, ice skating, making snow angels and burying each other in the snow, we would depart for home.

The moment I entered the garage of my house I would, for the first time, realize how cold I was. My cheeks were rosy red and my fingers and toes were numb, but all of this seemed to fade once mom handed me the steaming cup of hot chocolate with extra, mini marshmallows. If we were lucky,
the next day we would do it all over again …

Here’s to Snow Days,

Ann with Reflection Beads

Let It Snow!

No twinkling lights on palm leaves for me,
I love the snow upon the tree,
Downhill on a sled we will go.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

In the winter I will have no tan,
But will go out to build a snowman,
Then warm up with some hot cocoa.
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Christmas is quickly approaching, And the stress can be overloading,
But think how happy you will be, to find Reflection Beads under your tree!

All of my Christmas shopping is done,
Now it is time to have some fun,
And since we’ve no place to go,
Let it Snow,
  Let it Snow,
   Let it Snow!!!


Ann with Reflection Beads

Happy Halloween!

Be safe wherever you go. Tonight is the night of ghost and goblins, the night where the living and the dead have no boundaries. Beware as vampires and werewolves walk the earth, and no I am NOT talking about Jacob and Edward.

Hollywood has played a large part in the images that scare us; monsters and demons, the living dead, aliens, headless horseman and large spiders, but children tend to put their own twist on Halloween.

When I was about 12 years old, I thought I was so brave. I loved to watch scary movies and tell frightening tales to my friends. There weren’t any nightlights being left on in this girl’s room!

Some of my friends were such babies. They wouldn’t even go to the little local haunted house that I had mastered a few years ago. I was ready for the big leagues.

My sister (8 years older then me) was planning a trip to one of the legendary Haunted Houses in our area. This Haunted House was rated in the top 5 of the all time scariest Halloween attractions in our state. My mouth began to water, I couldn’t contain myself, and I HAD to find a way to talk her into letting me go. I wanted this BAD, so the pleading began… I worked on my sister for days. I would wash her car or do her laundry or ANYTHING she needed me to do. I laid it on as thick as I possibly could.  Finally, she gave in, I was allowed to go. WHOO WHO!!

The day of the event couldn’t get here fast enough. I knew I was going to be brave. This was going to be an epic moment.

As we were standing in line, I started to get a little nervous. All of the things that were being said to me before hand trying to make me realize how scary this was going to be finally started to sink in. The creepy man in a mask informed us that we were going to be, “the next to die”. First, we would be driven on a trailer through the haunted woods, where several people have met there demise and their souls are seeking bodies to inhabit. And if we were one of the lucky ones that made it to the house at the end of the trail, we would have to fight our way out of the dark manor filled with patients that have escaped from the insane asylum and had taken refuge in the abandoned house.

Holy Cow! What was I thinking? I didn’t know that this was legit! I thought all haunted houses were run by the local boy scouts!!

The hayride started with a police officer running after us with a bloody leg dragging behind him. He was yelling for us to help him- that the lunatics attacked him and his partner while they were trying to take them back to the hospital.

Oh My Gosh!!!! I was way out of my league already. I buried my head in my sister’s boyfriend’s coat and didn’t come up for air until the ride stopped. There was NO WAY in this world was I going to go through the house where the cops were attacked, are you kidding me? So I waited at the exit doors with a very nice lumberjack that had an ax stuck in the side of his head.

Needless to say when I returned to school the following Monday, I was still one of the bravest kids in my class because I went to the scariest Halloween attraction in town!


Happy Halloween,

Ann with Reflection Beads

Sixteen Again

Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan were switched in “Freaky Friday” by a magic fortune cookie in a Chinese Restaurant. Jennifer Garner was thrown 17 years into the future in “13 Going on 30” by the powers of wishing dust. Mathew Perry was sent back to his teenage years in “17 Again” by a wish granting janitor. So, if you were given the opportunity to switch places with someone, jump ahead in the future or be sent back in time, what would you choose?

Sixteen is the magic number for me. I would love to be in high school again, playing sports and hanging out with my friends, attending all of the high school games and cheering our team to victory, participating in the pep rallies and the competition between the classes. 

Imagine the fun you would have all over again! I would be dating my now husband of 19 years, hanging on the phone until it attached to my head, (or so my mother would say.) If I wanted someone to call me late, we would have to plan ahead. To avoid the phone ringing and waking my parents, I would call the movie theater and listen to the play list until call waiting beeped in.

Aww to be sixteen and have all of those little “firsts” of life and love experiences ahead of me. The worries that I thought I had then seem so small now. It is definitely more fun being the teenager then it is being the parent of a teenager.  

Hollywood planted the idea in my head, but since I don’t believe that I will find “that” Chinese Restaurant, wishing dust or a wish granting Janitor, I will continue to enjoy the life I have and tell my story.

If some unknown cosmic energy sent you back in time, to what age would you return?

       

Symbolic Beads

Beads have been a product of symbolism for decades. They have been used as money and to bring wisdom and fortune to the person wearing them.

CBS Sunday Morning aired a segment about beads, but these weren’t just any beads, these were Beads of Courage. Images of children wearing multiple strands of beads around their necks filled the screen. Then the reporter announces that these children and their families were commemorating their journeys and telling their stories through beads…. These children are suffering from severe illnesses such as cancer. For every step along the way the child is given a bead to represent their journey. Each bead was received with pride and honor. Looking at a teen or child with strands and strands of beads draped over them was heart breaking. Each of their journeys was being told by the beads they wore with pride, hanging from their necks for everyone to see.

The children loved to show their beads to the camera. As a small girl held up a long strand of multiple looped yellow beads she told that each yellow bead was for a night that she had to stay away from home in the hospital. My heart melted and my eyes welled with tears. Having not gone through an experience like this, I couldn’t imagine the pain that these children and their families have been through. My heart went out to each and every one of them. Then, there sat a frail boy that struggled to simply smile. A very small strand of a few beads was placed on his neck. Next to him was his father draped in stands upon strands of beads, there were simple too many for the child to physically be able to hold up. Another child was grinning ear to ear as the anticipation grabbed a hold of him. After 15 feet of beads, he was waiting for the most desired bead of all, the “Purple Heart” this is the bead given when you are released to go home. The story of the courage beads touched my heart.

As I am writing this, I look down at my Reflection Beads bracelet. A mix of emotion overcomes me. I do not have beads to represent a life battle fought as the children with the courage beads do, but I do have a lot to be thankful for; a husband that loves me, two daughters that I adore, a father that is no longer with me but has taught me the value of family, a mother that has always been there for me and a grandmother that has shown me strength. This is My Story and I too wear it with pride.

Proof of a Memory

		Memories are things that we cherish in our own way. Have you ever pulled out your old yearbooks, notes, pictures or cards and looked through them? It amazes me how the memories will come flooding in as the old mementos of my life are lying in front of me. One of my biggest fears is that my children will be deprived of these moments.

There is a lot to be said for technology.  However, when it comes to photos, and emails and texts, will all of the thoughts and feelings shared through technology be lost forever when the newest and latest versions overtake the previous versions?  Future generations may be robbed of the little glimpses of the past that photos, letters and cards provide.

While thinking of a gift for several graduating seniors headed to college, the idea of stationary came up. As a society, we are so used to texting and emailing things that we rarely ever write a letter to someone or share our feelings. As an end result, the decision was made to give each of the high school seniors a basket full of paper, envelopes, pens, stickers and stamps. In this basket the following poem was also placed….

Proof of a Memory Inside this basket you will see, Something not up with technology. Facebook, Twitter, email and text, One form of communication is as good as the next. But they are not items you are able to keep, In a box of memories that you sow or reap. So when you are bored, happy, lonely or sad, Pull this gift out and start to write on the pad. A poem, a letter, a memory or thought, Of something you have learned remembered or taught. And to the person this you choose to send, Will have a keepsake to cherish until the end. So in 30 years in my memory box I will see Proof of the memories shared between you and me…

So whether you actually print your pictures (not just post them), write a letter, (not just text or email) or send a card, make your mark, leave items behind to Tell Your Story….

Please give us a glimpse of your past by sharing with us a few items that you have in your memory box. Ann with Reflection Beads

Create Your Story!

Are you looking for a unique piece of jewelry that no one else has? Look within yourself for the answer and to Reflection Beads for help. Use your imagination while designing your piece, think outside of the box. What ideas and creations can you come up with? I have included an image of a 20” thin chain with two Reflection Beads and a Reflections Collegiate Bead used to create a unique necklace. The possibilities are endless once you tap into your creative side. A man created a bracelet for his wife that was made with several Sterling Silver Reflections Tiger’s Eye Stone Beads, alternating with the Sterling Silver Reflections Stopper/Spacer Bead. The significance of his story was from a trip that was taken to Germany as a young teenager. There, he was given the opportunity to polish stones from the earth (tiger eyes) to bring out their beauty. Shortly after this trip, he met the love of his life. Creating the bracelet for his wife was his way to include her in the memory that he cherished.

The first step is to become familiar with the various beads that are offered and the terms used to describe them . Then, be creative. Simply recall moments in your life that you will never forget and design a Reflection Beads memento to help cherish your most prized memories. Don’t forget to come back and share your ideas and stories with us. Ann with Reflection Beads