sen·ti·men·tal /ˌsen(t)əˈmen(t)l/ adjective of or prompted by feelings of tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia. The smell of toast - perfect or slightly charred - is what I'm thinking about today for #SentimentalSunday . I must have smelled toast just enough times during my growing up years at my Grandma and Grandpa Wells house that it became one of the memories for them. Without fail when I smell toast I am transported back in time to waking up in my grandparents house and the smell of toast in the air. I can close my eyes and see their kitchen, see the table with butter - strawberry and grape jellies - and bread on it with the toaster still warm. I can see the butter with toasted bread crumbs decorating it's edges. I can hear the scrape of the knife on the toast as it spreads the butter and jelly. It comforts me, makes me feel all warm and cozy and young again. So to toast sentimental sunday I'll be having...toast. *wink* * Next Sunday I introduce a new hashtag ...

sen·ti·men·tal /ˌsen(t)əˈmen(t)l/ adjective of or prompted by feelings of tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia. I tried to find an actual picture of the one my memory conjures about ice tea spoons but couldn't find one. Maybe it is so impressed in my memory that I have thought it must be an actual picture somewhere.  The picture is of my Grandpa Ashley and his glass of ice tea, always nearby and always with ice cubes in it and the spoon in it. The ice tea spoon. Long handle, teaspoon size - always present, at least in my memory. So present that I grew up with ice tea spoons in my childhood home and then had to have them in my home when I married. I never really thought about it or wondered about it until just recently. I was stirring sugar into a glass of ice tea with the ice tea spoon and the memory of my Grandpa and his always present spoon hit me. And I was flooded with nostalgia. I was transported back in time to the picture my memory holds.  Such a silly ...

sen·ti·men·tal /ˌsen(t)əˈmen(t)l/ adjective of or prompted by feelings of tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia. It's my Mama's book originally and starting with my one year old birthday party I grew up with cakes from this book. Not every year but enough that they are weaved into my memories.   For my first birthday party my Mama made not one but TWO of the cut out cakes to celebrate.  It's laying flat but if you look closely you can see it's an angel cake.  And once I got my hands on it I started making cakes from it for my own children and was inspired to try a few other cakes not featured in the book but certainly inspired by it. I also made a cake or two from the book for different baby showers.  My oldest daughter had a butterfly/spring themed 3rd birthday party. This cake from the book was perfect!  My youngest daughter is obsessed with kitties. For her 4th birthday I made her a kitty cake from the book. W...

sen·ti·men·tal /ˌsen(t)əˈmen(t)l/ adjective of or prompted by feelings of tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia. When my youngest was just about a year and a half old we took a trip to Ohio. I was in the local Walmart with her one day - in the baby aisle - and while she was sitting in the cart I turned to another side of the aisle to look for something. When I turned back I saw she had reached out and grabbed a purple kitty from the racks. And not only was she playing with the kitty, she was chewing and sucking on it. Needless to say we bought the kitty and it became a part of our family.  That kitty was well loved. So well loved that when she started to show the love my youngest gave her I started to search out a replacement. It had to be the same exact one, however, and switched out at just the right time. But the kitty had been discontinued and was no longer being made. Uh-oh. So I cast a wider search net and found one. I bought it and set my plan for the great ...

sen·ti·men·tal /ˌsen(t)əˈmen(t)l/ adjective of or prompted by feelings of tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia.   Watching my brothers become Uncles - thanks to my oldest redhead - has been one of the best things in my life. It was through their interactions with her from the moment she was born until present day that made me see the men they were growing up to be and what kind of Father's they would be to their own children someday. It takes nothing at all for me to think back to those days when she was an itty-bitty and my brothers - who had no experience with babies - took on soothing her when she cried, changing her diapers, helping feed her, and just snuggling. Mushy gushy heart. What makes you sentimental today?