
This is one tough world we live in… but who am I to tell you that? I wake up each morning and cautiously look at my smartphone, one eye opens at a time, and already, I get discouraged.
Stuff yourself with hope and you can go crazy. Fun loiter hofenung ver ich noch meshuggah.
Grateful? Mindful? Of course! Every day I remind myself of the good. And yet still, there is so much bad in the news, in the world, in our lives, in the lives of our friends. So what to do? I must find the laughter. Share the laughter, and add to the contagion in the chaos of the smile theory.
Laughter is heard farther than weeping. A gelechter hert men veiter vi a gevain.
So here’s a little story to share:
Right before school started, the Mrs. and me, we needed to get the kinder (kids) leggings and jeans. We went to Old Navy, you know, the cheap version of Gap? We found quite the sale, which better fits our frugal finances of $0 per month on frocks and finery. We found about 8 -10 pair, a shirt or two, and we were only lighter by $30-some dollars (That’s a -$30-some on the master budget spreadsheet). Not bad. Don’t you know, when we got home, the first pair my Big wants to wear has a dime sized hole mittendrinnen (smack dab in the middle of) her tuchas (tushy, butt, derriere)? I dry the tears and promise to sew this slit and salvage the day. After all, I am of the age that literally had to take Home Economics in school (feminism, oy vey). What part of baking brownies and crocheting toilet paper roll covers made that class economics? Oy, a whole other blog post right there. Needless to say, I made a promise.

A needle and thread were tough to find in our little flat, so two weeks later, I finally remember to make a trip to the local pharmacy. For $4.95, I buy a small kit to fix the leggings that were $1.99. Little, not caring a bit about the rip on the rump, had already worn them to school. Big, she has been hock mier chinik (banging on my tea kettle, yammering on and on) for me to make the fix.
It doesn’t cost anything to promise and to love. Tsuzogen un lib hoben kost nit kain gelt.
This morning, it was the first thing I set out to do. These pants, shmata (rags) no more! I make a nice hot coffee and place the new sewing kit, and the lacerated leggings all in arms reach. Gatsby, he is securely settled in my lap in support. Children nestled all snug in their beds our bed. I begin.
Threading a needle is a tad bit more difficult than I recall. Glasses on. Glasses off. Like Karate Kid, I repeat this mantra. At 654 months old, home ec or not, it took me over 25 minutes to put the blue f***ing thread through the teeny, tiny needle. Less than three minutes of sewing said slit, and I’m done. My Big, she is still sleeping. I almost want to wake her to see the joy on her shanah punim (beautiful, radiant face). I know she will wear them immediately.

I get up and proudly look in the mirror who the h*ll is that wrinkly old lady with gray hair? (Glasses on. Glasses off) as I brush my coffee tinted breath. I laugh. Maybe this gray coif is the silver lining of optimism I need.
I hope you all laugh today, and continue to find the laughter. We need it.
I thought nobody younger than me had to take home ec, and i’m–as you probably know by now–103. Wasn’t it fun? I can still run a marked square of paper through an unthreaded sewing machine. It’s a useful thing to know.
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Do you still have the toilet paper crochet cover? What genius came up with that one! Like, 😐 hmmm. Wonder what that is? Can’t figure it out? Scratches head. At least brownies have a use. Btw. I failed the sewing machine thing. 😑
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The toilet paper covers didn’t come along until I was in my twenties, so we didn’t make them. We sewed aprons. I brought mine home and never did figure out what to do with it. I still prefer to splash food on my clothes–or when I expect a full-scale food attack, wear a massively oversize shirt–than to wear an apron. Is anything more 1950s than an apron?
On the other hand, I did learn to cook.
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Apron, shmapron! Good on you for cooking. I tinker in the kitchen, when required 😉!
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I love the way you write! Your right there are so many awful things happening, but we also need to focus on the happy things and good friends and family, I know that knowing you even just a little makes me happier and gives me hope that good people exist xx #highlightsofhappy
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Right back at you my friend! 😘
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and back from #thesatsesh
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Fab read and a beautiful post Thank you for linking to #ThatFridayLinky Please come back next week
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Well that made me laugh Lisa. And to make you feel slightly better, with that silver lining an all (!), someone I know sewed a badge onto her daughter’s brownies uniform and had also sewn it to herself! Thanks so much for helping to sprinkly the happiness by linking to #HighlightsofHappy
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No you didn’t! 😂😂😂
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Funny! I feel your pain – glasses on, glasses off! Thanks for sharing at The Blogger’s Pit Stop! Roseann from http://www.thisautoimmunelife.com
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Thank you Roseann, and welcome!
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Great fun post lovely! I remember those Home Ec lessons from the distant past….ummm I was never any good! Hope she gets to wear her leggings soon. #Mondaystumble
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She put them on the very same day ☺️!!
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back again, seems I can’t get enough of your gorgeous self! Thanks so much for linking up #mg
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Ditto!!!
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Popping back for #mg
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Ahaha, I was told not to take Textiles at school because I was useless! I can’t even sew a button on and I remember the teacher trying to show me how to do it and just giving up in the end. Whoops 🙂 #FridayFrolics
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Such a brilliant post and one that brightens the day. You’ve got to laugh xx
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Ty lovely 😘💕
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We had a very similar thing happen recently. On our last day of vacation my middle son bought himself a new sweatshirt. He wore it that night and by the next morning the whole side seam had let go. He was so upset and I promised him I could fix it… problem was I said “As soon as we get home.”… meaning within that week while we were home, unpacking, etc but that’s not what I said. So yep, I was sewing up the new sweatshirt on my machine, griping each and every time my thread line broke (which for some reason only happens when I am in a time crunch to get my machine working). He happily wore his sweatshirt the rest of the week though so I let it go. 🙂
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The things we do! Are things they will remember 😘💕
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There is laughter in every day here. Some days it is a choice between laughing and crying, so I try to take the laughter! #BlogCrush
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Great choice!
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I had an idea earlier for a similar post but tabled it for now. As much as we all want to change the world, sometimes you just have to tune it out and enjoy, otherwise whats the point? #triumphanttales
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Ty Jeremy! 😎
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Oh Lisa, your writing really does make me smile. Sarah #FabFridayPost
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That is just so very sweet to hear! 😘
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Lovely sentiment and I agree completely! Let us spread laughter and joy wherever we can and help the good outweigh the bad.
When I was at school it was call “home technology” and one of the first things we made was an ‘open sandwich’. What a skill! #BlogCrush
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Is it on the resume? Oy! 😘
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I try to laugh at all the rubbish things that happen, it’s not always easy. My kids always keep me smiling.
#FamilyFun
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😘
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Ha ha ha – this sounds like me and sewing!!!!! Thanks for the uplifting post – laughter and smiles are so important. xx #thesatsesh
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Yes, I definitely agree with trying to find the laughter. Don’t always succeed, but agree! Thanks so much for joining us for #FridayFrolics!
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😘
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25 minutes! Wow! Lisa – I think you need more practice! 😉 xx
Thanks for linking up wit us on #FabFridayPost
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🤔😂💕❤️😘
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haha this made me chuckle. im not too bad with threading needles though! i love your style of language – mixing the to languages. and i just realised a band my husband likes – meshugga – must mean crazy?! thanks for linking at #KCACOLS be sure to join us again!
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😘 Thank you Emma! 💕
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Some days you laugh or cry! #thesatsesh
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So true!
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You have to laugh or cry sometimes! #thesatsesh
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I do mostly both, every day😘
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Ha ha, love it. I can just about thread a needle but after that I’m at a loss, despite also taking home ec classes (I think I spent most of it sewing my fingers together to freak out the boys 😬😂). Any repair jobs get sent to my mother in law, she’s far more skilled than me!
Thank you for joining #FamilyFunLinky x
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😘 my pleasure!
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I hate sewing almost as much as I hate crafting! Life is too short! #familyfunlinky
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You crack me up 😂😘
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My home economics lesson involved me making shaped toast… I think your lessons were better hahahah!
Thank you for sharing this with us at #TriumphantTales. I hope to see you back tomorrow.
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Toast shapes, now that would at least have some positive results getting the kids to eat! I’ll be there tomorrow! TY for the invite! xoxo ❤
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Laughter really is the best medicine – such a fab post that made me smile! Thanks for linking up to #dreamteam x
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I don’t know if you know this about me, but I kvell (enjoy immensely) when I make people smile! xoxo TY love! #dreamteam ❤
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Oh, I hate sewing! My son has a little hole in his trousers but he is at that age that he even don’t know what the hole is:D Thanks for joining KCACOLS and be sure to link up again 🙂
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TY! I will 😘
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Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! 🌸 That was just what I needed to read today as I really needed to laugh! Big love my silver haired beauty 💙 Thank you for linking up to #ablogginggoodtime 🎉
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Right back at you lovely! 😊😘 #ablogginggoodtime
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This made me laugh! I cannot sew for toffee worse than useless, good job her nan can and regularly saves me when we need something stitching ha! #kcacols
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Thanks Tracey! 😘
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