A special ROSE has helped me to do a better job on showing you my family's slide-show.

A special ROSE has helped me to do a better job on showing you my family's slide-show.
Unfortunatly this blog doesn't show the viewing screen full-width. However, I've got a full screen version for you if you'll just click onto this Rose. The Rose will transport you to my blog called 'All Happy Talk'. This blog was created for those who have young children; who want ideas - who enjoy creating happy times with their children and family. If you'll click the Rose, you'll go through 'space'. When you get there, take 1 to 2 seconds to scroll to the bottom of that much shorter 'blog', and you'll see the beautiful pictures; and relax among the grassy lawn I've put there for you. After the first 4 songs on 'All Happy Talk', the rest of the 90 melodies are what I use to relax with; often to fall asleep to. I hope you enjoy your visit here, and there. Diane

I'm glad you came to visit! My children welcome you. Enjoy the music & the photo-show.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Crafts, Food, Recipes, Health, Parenting, Holidays...



Another one of Katy-Did's adorable illustrations! This art-work (like all art-work by Katy Wiggins) is copyright protected. Be sure you visit her web-site, and tell her what a great job she's doing; I hope to see her work in children's books in the coming years!
Now, because this link is all about family crafts; foods and how to even deal with parent-child situations, I hope you'll visit this site as well.
My newest link I just love is http://www.kaboose.com/. Enjoy! Diane

Crafts/Food/Health/Parenting/Recipes/Holidays

A plethora of fun - my newest link - http://www.kaboose.com/. Enjoy! Diane

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Bernstein, Rubenstein, Tea, and Me!


Everyday I hit this link for great classical piano; this is what I listen to if I've only got a few minutes to spare, and it's too nice of a day to be inside - on a computer!http://youtube.com/watch?v=w7ODJHUX_EM. When the music starts, I enjoy my tea - and decide where we're going to spend our time. We often take a walk at the Colorado River, or take a 3-hour drive to the Grand Canyon (a favorite place).
I usually find a play-list that I want; one of my favorites I call MEDITATION. Why don't you pour your favorite tea, and join me - here's the music! Diane http://www.playlist.com/standalone/27747167


Friday, January 25, 2008







How do I love thee
"Happy Birthday, Mom"
83 years, and 83 more to go!

Dear Mom:

I'm not certain if you know the story of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Robert Browning (both poets). Elizabeth was unable to walk after a riding accident. She, and her husband (Robert) wrote beautiful poetry!



They both had such a love;
Elizabeth often wrote she couldn't imagine why Robert loved her since she was
disabled.


Anyway, the love story is legend; and long.

Tonight, I was thinking: How
do I love my mother.........and my father:

As Elizabeth said in her
Poem: "Let me count the ways"


My mother who would sort her canned goods - wash them; line them up in the basement - noting the colors, so they were 'beautiful' when one came down to pick out a canned jar of:

Tomatoes (red)
Peaches (peach-colored)
Pears - pale white
Green
Beans - (green)
Corn - a lovely yellow
The stored vegetables were some
type of artistic display as well as a collection of good foods for the winter.

How do I love the way my mother stuffed the toes of the shoes so she and I could BOTH wear them - we were so poor, but her feet were bigger........

How do I love the yellow dress my mother wore at her wedding, and years later,
made into an 8th grade graduation dress for me....
How do I love the way my
mother pulled 3 old coats together; stripped off the better parts to make 'trim'
for the worn parts, so I could stay warm.
How do I love the days and nights
My mother and dad would tie a chain to an old tree or
Lilac bush to
uproot it so we could cut it up for
wood to fuel the fire
to keep us
warm.

How do I love the way my parents would stack the baled straw against the house that was so drafty to shield us from the cold winter weather.
How do I love the old rags that were shoved against the doors and windows - keeping the drafts out.

How do I love the way dad made the popped corn for a treat
How do I love the
way mom froze Kool-aid in ice-cube trays (complete with tooth-picks) to give us
a treat that wasn't expensive (and our favorite flavor was Grape).

How do I love the old detergent boxes that were cut open; the 'plain side' made into Valentine hearts for our gifts - we each got
A pack of gum
A bar of chocolate
...pasted to the heart forms with home-made paste made with flour and water..........

Why do I admire the long nights of mother and dad stacking the wood gleaned from
the fence-rows...cut by dad; stacked and stored
by mom.....
The soil
tested by dad; vials of colors for us all to give our opinions as to the color
and how much
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Pot-ash

that should be spread on the new crops to increase the yield.

Why do I remember being the holder of the flash-light
So dad could see to
fix the car...
The single light-bulb that was placed under the hood of the
car
.....so it would start in the morning.
The flower garden flourished
because mom made it happen.................
The crops grew because dad
tilled and fertilized the soil.
We picked the edge-rows of the field for
pop-corn
From Mr. Nidy's plantings.

We scoured the dump for 'treasures'.
In the Spring, we gathered the wild violets to re--plant around the well pit and house.
We stacked the pumpkins around the power-pole so it would look pretty for Halloween.

We learned how to take a Willow twig; sprout it in water,
And stake it to
make a sturdy tree.
We divided the strawberry plants to make new babies;
We saved seeds from the harvest
To make a bigger one the next year......
We watched dad turn a salvaged furnace into a
Working fire-house
That kept us warm.

We saw my father make a 'water-heater' from bits of steel and ingenuity.
My mother has never gone to a hair-dresser; my dad never played golf.
My mother doesn't know what an LBO is....
My father wouldn't have cared.

My mother washes her car by herself; my dad polished the ones he adored.
My mother will shop at Good-will; she'll give it as well.
My dad would save old inner-tubes; a myriad of 'things' he'd make from these rubber scraps. My dad
would laugh at Red Skelton while my mother would be so tired, and fall asleep.........
My mother tried to learn more words; thanks to READERS'
DIGEST...my father would gather financial information from US NEWS & WORLD
REPORT.
My parents played softball; bowled, and enjoyed a 35 cent movie.
My mother sang; my father played trumpet - both could dance beautifully.


My dad painted all of the toy furniture he made for us the same green he painted his tractor....
My mother wrote the letters from Santa Claus
My dad made tiny blocks with his wood lathe - then he built a fort from those tiny blocks - glued them all together, and made us
Cry when we couldn't' build anything else
From the blocks he made for "US".
But, not to 'fear'....
Mother soaked all the blocks so the glue would 'yield', and we had
Blocks to build with again....

And these blocks
That we built with
Didn't build the House that Jack Built, but what lived in the house
That my parent's built
Were young kids; pretty poor - pretty scared,
Yet pretty inspired
By the parents who lived in the house;
Who made do with what they had
Who showed us the way
Without "showing us the way'...
Because they took life in stride, and never said
"Shit Happens" - they just said:
"Life happens"...so
We learned to deal with it
As mom and dad did
For so very many years.
Thank you mom - poor turned out to be the best child-hood we could have had.
With love to my mom and dad
Diane

A poem I wrote on January 29, 1986 - probably the most brief I've ever done.




Just how do I see
my God...
...how tall do I have to
be?
I'm only as tall as my recent
prayer
When I see God most
clearly
on bended knee.
Diane
Stirling-Stevens
1/29/86
(c) 3/30/89 - from my
book:
"In the Spirit of
Self"
Photo with permission
from
Joyce - private
collection.
1/29/08

Bella on the Beach & Family Education...




"Hi, I'm Bella on the beach"!
This is our newest member born 9/11/07
Now isn't this just a gift from heaven!!
My daughter sent this picture of the proud mom and dad
..our family grows even greater,
and we're so very glad!

Speaking of families..............

WHAT DID I LIKE ABOUT THE FAMILY EDUCATION LINK?
I liked everything!
With the new babies recently born into our family, I particularly liked the section they have on 'names and their meanings'.

They have THOUSANDS of names for boys and girls; you type in the name, and then it gives you the origin; the MEANING, and the spelling variations!
I learned that my name (Diane) and its meaning was something I'd probably never live up to. But - that's my middle name, and I'm definitely not sharing my first name because dad said to mother: "Okay, we can name her after your mother because she died a few months ago, but we are NEVER going to call Diane by that."
Dad loved two songs back then - My Diane and Nancy with the Laughing Face.
I was born first, so I was Diane
Nancy was born second; does have a laughing face.
Then dad ran out of songs he liked (other than Nature Boy, and he sure wasn't going to stick my brother with that moniker)!

There is so much more to enjoy; crafts - health; even discussions of how to manage your child's needs at varying ages. I think it's a wonderful web-site!
Diane