Spreading Cupcakes: Week 2 Update

I take to Twitter once a day to search.  I search for fellow Tweeters who could use a smile.  I have no prerequisites, no standard, no must be.  I read, I explore, I notice and then I tweet.  I tweet to surprise.  I tweet to change a moment.  I tweet to spread smiles.

As of Week 2 @InAPaperWrapper (Laverne’s alter Twitter Ego) has spread 30 thoughtful tweets each with something sweet.  Here is a sample of some of the cupcakes I’ve spread (this Storify feed may not display on cell phones…sorry).  

Go ahead try one!

<a href=”http://storify.com/InAPaperWrapper/spreading-cupcakes” target=”_blank”>View the story “Spreading Cupcakes (Week 2)” on Storify</a>] 

Tomorrow I will take to Twitter again. I will search. I will explore.  I will Tweet… Then I will smile as my heart is filled with warmth from the {smiles} and {giggles} I get back in return.

                                                                                                                 

Want to know how it all started? 

“Click” a cupcake
and
be part of this new adventure
http://kindredadventures.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Kir%20Corner

@InAPaperWrapper: Unwrap Your Tweet…Laverne is spreading a little something special  with each thoughtful tweet! Inspired by @thekircorner

The Kitchen Table

 I opened my pink flowered journal to the page marked, “I am really…”  I close my eyes and wait for a feeling to take over me.  I wait for something that will give me inspiration.  The soft touch of a small hand and a head leaning on my shoulder brings pause to my thoughts.

“Mommy can I color,” Francine asks with a big grin, looking up at me.

“Of course!”

White, blue, yellow, red papers engulf her side of the table. They wait to be turned into masterpieces as she runs to get the crayons.

Scribble

Scribble

Blue, pink, yellow and green decorate the page with flowers and stick figures.

“Look Mommy! This is me and my best friend.”

 
“Mooooommmmmy!!!! I want to make a bracelet,” Olivia shouts from across the kitchen.  She is making certain she is not left out.

“Ok, you know where the beads are.”

Clunk! A blue and white decorated Easter tin hits the kitchen table.  Olivia opens the tin.  She pauses and stares at the beads.  Her imagination is in full gear. 


Clink

Clink

Flower, elephant, heart, heart,
star, flower, elephant…  are threaded on her string.

“Mommy!  Look what I made!  Can you tie it for me please?  Isn’t it the most beautiful.”
He walks through the living room into the kitchen.  Our eyes meet.  We smile and he walks toward me. His lips meet the small of my neck.

“I love you.”

Little glances from Olivia and Francine are followed by smiles and giggle. 

My thoughts are distracted as I answer questions, help little ones do their crafts and get in a little flirting with my husband. 

“Mommy are you done with your story,” Olivia asks.

“No, sweetie. I was just watching you.”

A feeling of happiness comes over me.  I am reminded (like so many times in my life) how really happy I am.
                                                                                                                        

 

This Post was inspired bythis weeks Just.Be.Enough theme:  “I am feeling…”*
I am writing, posting and linking up to share my voice.
I am doing my part to carry the weight of
confidence and empowerment.
I am sharing the mission of empower and inspire
to remind women, parents and children
that the time has come to celebrate
themselvesourselvesmyself!
It’s your turn now…
*Next Weeks Theme:What are you striving for?
(Remember you can also write on a topic of your choice.)


Kir and Her Cupcakes

I met her through Just.Be.Enough.  A few interactions through our blogs and  twitter was all it took….

Kirsten from The Kir Korner is one of the most warm and genuine people I have come to know through blogging.  She has been down some rough roads and visited some dark places, but she survived and she is wonderful.   She chats with you and your day is instantly brightened. Her words bring a smile to your face. Oh and did I mention she is an amazing writer… cause she is!
 
Two weeks ago I was catching up on my blog reading.  I saw my usually daily dose of Kir in my inbox. The title read Pour My Heart Out: My Comments are like Cupcakes.  She told us about her love for cupcakes, “…they are an instant celebration in a small paper cup.”   She shared her favorite kind, “…store bought birthday cake,  vanilla on vanilla with butter cream balloons.”  Then she did it.  She made the connection between her favorite decorated treat and she told us what she excelled at… leaving comments…  
“I believe our stories are our cakes, our attempts at baking from scratch and setting it on the table so everyone can look at and admire it. We want our guests to enjoy the dessert we offer, to smack their lips and lick their forks, satisfied with our effort. 

In many ways, I like to think my comments are like cupcakes; a tiny piece of that much bigger cake.

A dainty yet delectable slice of my heart that I give you in exchange for the stories and secrets you have made and shared with me.

I may not be good at a lot of things, but I can promise you that if I read your words, I will never leave your space without leaving a whole lot of sweetness behind.” 

That was all it took.  I was instantly inspired.  A spot in me that longed for a new creative outlet was filled. The spot that had to step away from blogging commitments, write less and focus on me and my family was filled with warmth and inspiration.   

 

@InAPaperWrapper  was born… I would turn my love for twitter as not just a way to connect with others and make new friends, but as a way to spread cupcakes and thoughtful words.  I would use my strengths and Kir’s inspiration to help make others smile. So while I do not have as much time to write as I want, the small moments I have on twitter to recognize other, be thoughtful and spread cupcakes warms the moments in my day!

 

Thank you Kir!

Amy and Her #Sixthings

I continue to be in awe of the amazing people I meet through Twitter and blogging.  Shirley and I started out as the original Kindred Adventurers, just the two of us.  Today we find our lives enriched and our adventures more exciting because of the people that join us everyday. 

When Shirley and I started this adventure she was instantly friendly, out going, honest and spoke her mind.   Most of all Amy was kind, completely accepting, tolerated an unending amount of technology questions and was just really fun to tweet with. I enjoyed tweeting with Amy and getting to know her. I began to follow her on Accidential Musings and I even took a peek at Social Pollen when she started it all (I’ve loved watching it grow).  I learned that she is a strong women who is not ashamed of her weaknesses.  She passionately shares her points of views and will proudly and intellectually defend them.  She loves and embraces her children for exactly who they are even when they drive her crazy ….and she is  a romantic.  

This brings me to my latest adventures with Amy…

2,000 tweets ago when Amy (@amydpp) was approaching 22,000 tweets she put a shout out asking for others to list #sixthings.  Amy, just wanted to reach her 22,000 mark…at least that is what she thought.

I remember seeing her tweet.
 
I instantly thought, “Oh, I am going impress Amy with my knowledge of everything that is Amy.”

I instantly began sharing everything I knew about her.  After letting me get up to at least number four Amy so kindly let me know that #sixthings was not about her.  She wanted share #sixthings about herself and we could share #sixthings about ourselves too.  Lets just say thank goodness no one can see you when you are on twitter.  I wanted crawled in a hole and could have blinded someone with the shade of red on my face.  

Four rounds of #sixthings later I find myself looking forward to Sunday nights on Twitter.  I look forward to joining up with Amy. I love sharing about myself, learning about others and connecting with new and interesting people.
 
I hope that you will join 
…. and yes of coarse Shirley @yourgirlshirley  has joined in too 
for #sixthings
Want to see #sixthings in action give this a  
Amy has some each adventure there for you to see: www.accidentalmusings.com/six-things/
 

Her First

Today I am joining up with the Write On Edge Community: Red writing Hood
Today’s prompt…challenge:
  • The conversation should be between two people/characters. 
  • Using surroundings, body language, visual cues and blocking, in addition to the spoken words, show us who they are and what their relationship is without coming out and telling us!
……

A pea sized dollop of sparkly blue toothpaste sat on the light pink Little Mermaid tooth brush. Her tired body leaned on the bathroom counter as she looked at it.  Her gaze began to gloss over as seconds passed.

“Coooooommmmmeeeeee on “ she shouted to her. “We do this every night.  Lets go!”

“I’m coming,” she sassed back like she was practicing to be a teenager.

“We do this every night!  Let’s go,” she pointed to the waiting toothbrush.Do you want me to brush or you?”

“I’ll do it,” she confidently responded. Like there was every really any question about who would do it.

“Wait! How is that tooth doing?”

Her tongue wiggled through her smile pushing the baby tooth forward. “Still loose,” she giggled proudly.

“Think it might be ready? Let me see.” She bent down to reach her mouth.  Pinching the baby tooth in her finger tips she wiggled it forward and backwards. 
 “Open your mouth a little bit more for me.”
 
Her movements loosened the tooth with each movement forward and back.  “Does it hurt?”

Her forehead wrinkled and her eyes squinted, “A little.”

“You try,” she requested letting go of the tooth.

Forward, back, forward back, tiny, gentle movements side to side, her little hand wiggled the tooth. “I don’t think it is ready,” she answered looking up to her.

“Let me give it one more wiggle…. Is that OK?  Does it hurt a lot?”

“It’s OK.  You can try,” she said to her with trusting eyes
 
Forward and back, forward and back … 
her finger tips felt the pop of a roots last effort to hang on. 
The baby tooth dangled from the gum, barely hanging on.  Still not letting go.
Forward, back, forward, back…

“OH MY GOD!!!!!!!

DON’T SWALLOW IT!

QUICK SPIT IT OUT!

AAAAHHHHHHHHH!

YOU LOST YOUR FIRST TOOTH!!!” 

                                                                                                                                                                   

Go Multiply

We had gotten all the tests done. All our paper work was in order and complete. The tile floor looked like all other gray flaked linoleum floors of all the other doctors offices we had been in.

“I wonder what she is going to tell us?”

I moved close to him. My arm rested snugly on his thigh. He softly held my hand channeling support and love. He didn’t know what the doctor would say either.

Getting pregnant was not our problem. Keeping the pregnancies was. Four years of hopeful positive pregnancy tests intertwined with heart wrenching miscarriages had taken away all the happily ever after of this fairytale. The reality of pregnancy was depressingly painful.

“I gave her all the papers, right? She has copies of all the tests. I made sure our doctors office sent it all to them.” I said to him.

My eyes told him he had to say yes, even if he wasn’t really sure.


“Yes. I’m sure she is just looking through them and then she will have an answer for us.” He replied.

The doctor walked into the room. Our attention was hers.


“You need to go multiple,” the doctor said.

Those were her words.


“I can not say you will not have another miscarriage, but there is nothing keeping you to from having kids.”

“Go multiply?” I respond with a questioned smile.

“That’s right,” the doctor said with a smile.

The muted brown carpet showed us the way out of the office. His hand surrounded mine as we walked to our car.

“She said everything was OK with us.” I said with another need reassurance look.

“Yes! Everything is OK with us.”

“She said it could happen again.” I said desperately needing to know what he thought.
“I do not know how much more I can take.” He replied.

My heart sank. His pain became mine too. His eyes said it all. Years of watching me, being there for me and holding me were taking its toll on him. It pained him to go through this, to see me go though it. All I wanted was to be a mother. How much more could I endure? How much more could we endure?
“So what should we do?” I said.

“Well… lets go practice.” He answered with a smirk and a one shoulder shrug.

…and that is just what we did!

Note:We now have two beautiful girls ages 6 and 4.

This Post was inspired bythis weeks Just.Be.Enough theme:
I am writing, posting and linking up to share my voice.
I am doing my part to carry the weight of
confidence and empowerment.
I am sharing the mission of empower and inspire
to remind women, parents and children
that the time has come to celebrate
themselvesourselvesmyself!
It’s your turn now…
*Next Weeks Theme:
One image or symbol that reminds me to Be Enough
(Remember you can also write on a topic of your choice.)