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Happy Go Stuckey

Tethering Grace & Togetherness

What Grown-Ups Get to Do (and a free printable.)

May 21, 2016 by HappyGoStuckey 13 Comments

When I was eight years old I wore purple unicorn sneakers and yarn ribbons in my hair. I scraped my knobby knees jumping off the front steps to escape a lizard. I fashioned a reading nook with my Lady Lovely Locks sleeping bag and a stack of books from the school library. The minute we came home from school, I dropped my backpack and found my quiet spot to crack open Spunky’s Diary for the fifth time.

My mom headed straight for the kitchen and began to make dinner. She sang hymns under her breath and I heard her when the electric can opener stopped abruptly. She seemed to be in her happy place, stepping from refrigerator to counter and back to stove top, humming and stirring dinner for six other people. Even after being at work for hours, she still seemed happy to be where she was. Happy to be doing what she had to do.
What she “got” to do.

grownups

I have clear memories of thinking I would just call out for pizza every night when I was a mom— you know, so I could read more books. (Nerd alert.)

I thought that grown-ups could do whatever they wanted because no one was bossing them around.
I thought my parents both worked so hard because they enjoyed it, when it was actually more like– they had five hungry guppies eating everything in sight and needing new shoes every four months.

Now I know.
Now I know that what grown-ups really get to do, is clean cold scrambled eggs out of the sink drain and be thankful for mouths to feed.
Grown-ups get to peel themselves from a warm duvet at midnight when a tiny person needs a hug and not really mind.
Grown-ups get to buy each other ceiling fans and small appliances and know that the experience of building a life together is really where it’s at.
Grown-ups get to catch baby spit-up with their bare hands, and then laugh about it.
Grown-ups get to be the former generation of big kids who do the things they have to do with joy.

AnneQuote1I want for my children to see that. I want them to hear me humming at the end of a long day. For them to see me smile when the hours till bedtime are stretching and so is my patience. I want them to notice me delighting in my life– all of it.

Because once upon a time, this reality was more or less exactly what I dreamed of.

There is so much more that we could say on this topic, but let’s leave it in the hands of the very wise Anne with an E.

I made a printable with a lovely quote from Anne of Green Gables for you and I. There are two font options, so just pick the one you like the most and download below.

AnneQuote2-3

Hang it near your desk or washing machine or kitchen sink so that we may remember– We may not choose the task, but we may certainly choose the perspective. 

Anne Printable, Script Font

Anne Quote, Caps Font

Download either PDF by clicking the link above & save it to your computer. Then either print out your 8×10 print at home, or email to your local print shop or office supply. I would suggest Cardstock or a high quality paper. Then just frame it and hang it!

Be kind, and please always give proper credit. © Cynthia M. Stuckey. For personal use only, not to be altered or sold. https://www.happygostuckey.com

Quick Basil Pesto
What We Can Do In The Aftermath.

Comments

  1. Birdy Pierce says

    May 22, 2016 at 6:59 am

    ❤️

    Reply
    • HappyGoStuckey says

      May 29, 2016 at 5:23 pm

      Right back ‘atcha dear friend!

      Reply
  2. Cheryl says

    May 22, 2016 at 8:24 am

    Yes I love that and print it I will!

    Reply
    • HappyGoStuckey says

      May 29, 2016 at 5:22 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  3. lee says

    May 23, 2016 at 2:16 pm

    Beautiful reminder! Thanks for the lovely design to remember this important concept. =)

    Reply
    • HappyGoStuckey says

      May 29, 2016 at 5:22 pm

      Thank you! I certainly need to surround myself with reminders and it helps if they are pretty, right? Thanks for stopping by to say hello!

      Reply
  4. Courtney Lynn Harris says

    May 24, 2016 at 4:43 pm

    Such a lovely reminder! I love what you said about your Mom doing the work she “got” to do. I want my daughter to have the same perspective on my work, based on what she observes from me. Challenging!

    Reply
    • HappyGoStuckey says

      May 29, 2016 at 5:15 pm

      Hey Courtney!
      It is such a challenge to know we are always being watched, isn’t it?
      I love what you have done with your writing space. Really fresh and pretty. And your recent post for “when your week has been hard” is just lovely. Sharing now!
      Always happy to see you here or there.
      –Cynthia

      Reply
      • Courtney Lynn Harris says

        May 29, 2016 at 7:41 pm

        Thanks so much, Cynthia! So fun to reconnect with you. 🙂

        Reply
  5. Megan Rae says

    October 12, 2017 at 2:55 pm

    Cynthia,

    I love this quote with your design elements! May I discuss purchasing from you a higher Rez for a larger print possibly? Thank you!!

    Reply

Trackbacks

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    May 28, 2016 at 7:39 am

    […] What Grown-ups Get to Do – Cynthia Stuckey […]

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  2. What I Learned in May says:
    June 1, 2016 at 6:39 pm

    […] Did you see this post last week with the free Printable? I had such fun making this for us. Help yourself to […]

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    September 15, 2016 at 4:59 pm

    […] What Grown-ups Get to Do – Cynthia Stuckey […]

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Hey There!

I'm Cynthia and I'm so glad you're here. I am an introvert with an extrovert's love of gathering people together. I love good books and capturing moments. Whether you visit me here or on my own front porch, I'll be the one holding the Iced Coffee for us both.

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happygostuckey

Truth: I am not the best cookie baker in our house Truth: I am not the best cookie baker in our house. It is hands down @friar_stuck — Today he added a pinch of fresh orange zest to Oatmeal Scotchies and they taste just like childhood.

My grandma used to make these and serve them to me on a pink plate with a small glass of sprite with ice. At 39, I now realize two things— 1. She would have adored my husband and 2. these cookies go best with coffee or tea.

What cookie makes you feel eight years old again?
There’s something unusually long about the winte There’s something unusually long about the winter months when we’re in a season of slow growth and imperceptible change.

The landscape outside your window TODAY can feel like it’s your landscape forever but it’s actually not.

If the view from where you stand looks rather bleak and not at all how you hoped, can I remind you to look up? 

These trees in my own backyard, captured this morning, last March, and last August, will continue changing in their own rhythmic way whether I’m watching them or not. There’s a comfort in that for me today— and perhaps for you.

Whatever looks slow and unmoving, with change almost too gradual to detect— is still very much in a pattern of forward transformation.

And these quiet days in the midst of our January-ness— we can be reminded that growth never really stops, especially in the hidden places.

#wonderfortheweary #feastingandforaging #bluehousebackyard
Not moving from this spot, except to boil the kett Not moving from this spot, except to boil the kettle for more tea.

This is the first complete weekend that we’ve been home since Thanksgiving. 😳 It sounds awful, especially for this homebody, but really what it means is, we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with family, attended one beautiful family wedding (Hey, Shelby! 👋🏻❤️) one 90th Birthday party for our beloved Granny, and had a family trip. They were all such sparkly gifts. Ones I don’t take for granted and so very different from last year.

But I do love home— and am happy to spend the second half of the day right here with this book which I’m truly enjoying. 📚❤️
The inhabitants of the Dickens Village wanted me t The inhabitants of the Dickens Village wanted me to tell you three V. important things. 1. After years of having one pub and no church, they are *finally* getting a church tomorrow, thanks to FB marketplace. And all the people said, “Amen & Huzzah.” 2. We’re still keeping Christmas over here — Though we’re slowly bending towards back to normal. The tree still lives and we’re celebrating the tenth day of Christmas with a fire & coziness before we pull out the pencils tomorrow. And finally, 3. Everyday Affogato. You might need this tiny pick me-up in your life. One shot of hot espresso poured over a tiny serving of vanilla ice cream. Please and Thank you.✨ #merrymerrystuckeys
2021 was a year of change for nearly all of us. Mu 2021 was a year of change for nearly all of us. Much of which we are happily taking with us into 2022.🥂

Nine squares is not sufficient to reflect the ways we’ve grown and changed, but it is a glimpse of the graces of the year behind us.

Not pictured: waking up to find our children taller and suddenly at our eye level, new laugh lines on our faces, sweltering pool days, fireplace dinners, Marco Polo chats with friends, family weddings & visits, mountain air breathed, books read, new jobs begun, school days, approximately 52 pizza nights, new rhythms & schedules, house repairs, car issues, and God always before us, behind us and within us. Soli deo Gloria. #thebestisyettocome
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave t On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… 🍦Four Honeymoon milkshakes from the Dreamette. We’re going out with a bang, at the spot where their Grandparents grew up eating their ice cream. It’s absolutely the GOAT.
🎄✨Merry Christmas from Team Stuckey!✨🎄 🎄✨Merry Christmas from Team Stuckey!✨🎄

2021 has been full of new things— but I’m grateful we have walked through them together and in God’s sovereign hand. 

Pro (🤣) -Tip: if your Christmas cards say Happy New Year, you have longer to mail them… 📮🥂
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Happy Christmas Eve, friends— especially all you midnight merry makers! Hope you find all the stocking stuffers you hid.🙈
Do these Mince Pies make me look One-Quarter Briti Do these Mince Pies make me look One-Quarter British?

Truth be told, my grandma always used the jarred mincemeat and I wasn’t a fan as a child. Only last year did Lance and my Mom collaborate in the kitchen to try out homemade mincemeat filling and let me just say, we are never quitting these! 😍

The filling we use is from @bonappetitmag and it’s really good. It’s a gorgeous blend of apples, dried fruits (cherries, apricots, sultanas, figs, currants) with apple cider, spices, and a few other things. No meat, though.

Happy Christmas from the Jolly Old Stuckeys! 🇬🇧🎄❤️
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