Nov 21
Although the names have been changed to give these people privacy, this story actually took place. A dear chum of ours posted it on Facebook and we were so touched by it that we wanted to share it with you all. Read more
Nov 19
One hundred and fifty years ago today, just ten sentences that took a mere two minutes to deliver became, arguably, one of the most famous of all American speeches. Delivered by President Abraham Lincoln to dedicate the cemetery at Gettyburg, Pennsylvania, this is of course what we now call The Gettysburg Address. Read more
Nov 15
Mr. Rogers had a precious children’s television show, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, for many years – watched by millions. Reminiscing about his mother, he was heard to say this:
Read more
Nov 12
Certainly, Ashton Kutcher is continuing to raise consciousness – create a new mind set – with youth. Ellen DeGeneres recently interviewed him on her show and here’s what he said: Read more
Nov 11
In Canada, Britain, South Africa, and most Commonwealth countries, in the days leading up to the eleventh day of November, Remembrance Day, there are very few people walking along the streets who are not wearing a poppy. People sell them on every street corner and inside a lot of stores. There is no set price – any donation will do. The proceeds go to support the Armed Forces.
Read more
Nov 7
Nov 1
Always wanting to magnify the good, we thought this would be a wonderful way to start off the month of November! After all, it is the month of Thanksgiving!
Oct 25
Anyone would be honored to be the godparent of this little dolly, but the fact that he will one day be the King of England makes the job a particularly special honour! Read more
Oct 21
With all of this talk of His Royal Highness, Baby George, and his christening coming up this week, we thought you might find this interesting. There is one more name that is about to go onto this family tree – do you know who? Read more
Oct 16
Growing up in London, as I did, it was never very difficult to get to most countries on “The Continent” i.e. in the rest of Europe. Read more
Oct 10
Those of you who knew my mother, Ruth, know that my pet name for her is Sugarplum – and what a Sugarplum she was and continues to be…..in my heart.
Oct 8
Everywhere we turn we hear about the adverse effects of stress. In only a few minutes a day, do something good for yourself to get rid of stress and feel refreshed. Read more
Oct 2
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a new Conjugal Coat of Arms which will represent them in heraldic terms as a married couple. Read more
Sep 30
Sep 26
A Dairy Queen employee, Joey Prusak, has certainly hit the headlines this week with his act of kindness. Read more
Sep 16
The mother of one of the 26 victims of last year’s Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre has written a powerful letter to the teachers of America. Read more
Sep 12
Sep 9
How touching it is to read a wonderful story about something good that has taken place in the world. Indeed, we feel that we should magnify and ponder these things and pass them along. So, that we are doing. Read more
Sep 7
It has been brought to our attention that we had our head in the clouds on Thursday when we mentioned that George Carlin was the author of those wonderful observations about life. Read more
Sep 5
The Grammy Award winning George Carlin was not only a stand up comedian but, after reading his “observation” on the vast subject of life, we realize that he was obviously a great thinker as well. Read more
Aug 29
Words are powerful…sometimes life changing. Here are a few powerful quotes we have run across lately that we wanted to share with you, our “chums”. Read more
Aug 23
How I wish that a Journal had been started for me when I was a babe and began my travels!
Aug 14
Rarely, well actually never, do Jackie or I post something from someone else’s blog just verbatim. We may reference it or use it for inspiration or suggest that you, our chums, check it out, but copy and paste a whole article….NEVER. Until now 🙂 Read more
Aug 12
When John Kralik was a young boy, his grandfather told him that he would give him a silver dollar. His grandfather also said that, if he wrote a thank you note to his grandfather for the silver dollar, when he received the silver dollar, he would give him another silver dollar and for every thank you note thereafter, he would get a silver dollar. Read more
Aug 8
When life hands you lemons, make lemonade! What a great bit of advice that is. Read more
Aug 1
As the new loving first time parents, William and Kate are all about tradition and duty and teaching their son the lessons he will need to be the future King. You can be sure Uncle Harry will balance them, and in true form, he will be all about fun:) Read more
Jul 31
We hear stories all the time about celebrities or teenagers who shave their heads. They choose baldness to get attention or as the result of a prank or a dare. This is a different story…the story of going Bald for Good 🙂 Read more
Jul 29
In the late 1800’s John W. Nordstrom, at the age of 16 came to the United States from Sweden with $5 in his pocket. Read more
Jul 26
Tootsie. This movie is a classic. It is funny and poignant and is one of Dustin Hoffman’s finest performances. He has some very interesting thoughts about having played the role of a woman. Read more
Jul 9
You know, the English love to bet. They bet on all and anything! So, it does not surprise us one bit that a lot of the English have placed money on whether the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, will have a girl or a boy and what they will name this precious baby. Read more
Jun 27
As I walked through my laundry room not long ago I saw two pairs of pink Crocs sitting by the back door. One belonged to my daughter, Amanda, and the other to her youngest daughter, Evangeline. There they were, a picture of exactly what was happening day in and day out…little feet were following in the footsteps of the bigger ones and Evangeline was actually, in so many ways, becoming a mini version of her mommy. Read more
Jun 24
Recently we received an email from a chum with an attachment we felt we needed to share. The story reminds us of the words from that old gospel spiritual “Down By The Riverside”. The first verse of the spiritual is:
Gonna lay down my burden,
Down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside.
Gonna lay down my burden,
Down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside. Read more
Jun 17
When we say “Never Give In”, we mean it in the context that Sir Winston Churchill did when he said, “Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” Instead, “Just Let Go”.
Jun 13
In the course of a casual conversation, a young man recently told me that the best advice he ever got came from his father. “My father told me a long time ago, ‘Remember, cheap is usually very expensive. And free is dangerous. You get what you pay for.'” Read more
Jun 12
Today we bring you a story that was originally a Facebook post written by the sister-in-law of one of our chums about her father-in-law who is struggling with early onset Alzheimers. Though we don’t usually use other people’s personal FB posts on Two Chums, it seemed particularly appropriate with Father’s Day just around the corner. What a beautiful message for all of us that no matter our age or physical or mental condition, while our heart still beats, we have value and worth and can make a difference in someone else’s life. Read more
Jun 10
Here we are again with more things that, once let go of, a more abundant life appears! Give it a go this week. Let go of these! Read more
Jun 7
Certainly, one of the greatest figures of our time was Winston Churchill. Not only did Sir Winston have great vision and staying power, which helped to lead parts of the Western World out of Naziism, but he also had a great wit and could easily laugh at himself as well as others.
Jun 4
It has always given me great pleasure to fly into the Bahamian islands during the day. The waters are so very beautiful – something you might see on a picture postcard and wonder, “Could it possibly be that beautiful or has it been touched up to make it more appealing?” BUT it is REAL and, oftentimes, MORE beautiful than the photo represents. Read more
Jun 3
Delighted, once again to be here with things that, once let go, make room for more good to appear. Read more
May 29
Today John F. Kennedy would have turned 96 years old. There are some amazing similarities between former Presidents Abraham LIncoln and John F. Kennedy. See what you think! Read more
May 27
As we mentioned last Monday, we are continuing our “series” of “Never Give Up – Just Let Go”. The things we should “just let go” of in order to “Never Give Up” on the good. Read more
May 24
Abraham Lincoln in his famous Gettysburg Address referred to the slain warriors as having given “the last full measure of devotion”. Such a poignant few words and, oh, how true they are! Read more
May 23
Why is it, you might ask, that period pieces such as the PBS Masterpiece series“Mr. Selfridge” that is currently on television and “Call The Midwife” are so very popular? “Downtown Abbey”, which is in between seasons at the moment, took this country by storm – everyone was talking about it and one quickly realized that it was near the top of the “Most Popular” list!
May 20
This past week, one of our good chums, Pam, posted something on her Facebook page that caught our attention and made us ponder just what things we, your chums, are hanging on to that may be keeping us from becoming all we were meant to be. Read more
May 10
Think about it…by the time you were 18 years old your mother had served you breakfast somewhere in the neighborhood of 6,000 times! This Mother’s Day is your chance to return the favor 🙂
Read more
May 9
As the quote from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet goes, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. Here’s an idea…another name for those beautiful roses could be “sweet and thoughtful gift”. Read more
May 8
In this 1960 photograph, it seemed such a far way off that Charles would take over as Monarch from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Read more
Apr 25
You no doubt remember the question the “beautiful” queen asked of her mirror in the classic Disney movie, Snow White. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” Few of us would ask that question expecting that the mirror would answer us at all much less tell us that we were the fairest, most beautiful. I came across a very interesting video made by Dove soap that examines how women see themselves versus how others see them. Read more
Apr 17
If we had to pick five people in the world who had left their mark on fashion, certainly Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy would be one of those five! Read more
Apr 16
In the wake of yesterday’s horrific events in Boston, we find ourselves once again faced with unexpected, unforeseen tragedy. Read more
Apr 16
If you go down to the woods today,
You’re sure of a big surprise.
If you go down to the woods today,
You’d better go in disguise.
For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain because
Today’s the day the teddy bears have their picnic.
Picnic time for teddy bears;
The little teddy bears are having a lovely time today.
Watch us catch them unawares,
And see them picnic on their holiday.
See them gaily gad about.
They love to play and shout,
They never have any cares.
At six o’clock their mummies and daddies
Will take them home to bed
Because they’re tired little teddy bears.
But….do you know how the “teddy bear” got its name? Read more
Apr 15
There is nothing like the timeless “sailor suit” made popular by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales in 1846. A the age of four, he was given a miniature copy of the of the uniform worn by the crew on the Royal Yacht. Read more
Apr 10
“A Victorian fantasy in the Scottish Highlands”, Balmoral Castle is the place the Queen calls “home” during the summer of any given year. Read more
Apr 9
We heard yesterday of the passing of one of the world’s most renowned women, Margaret Thatcher – otherwise known as “The Iron Lady” – the lady who, virtually single handedly, re-routed a falling nation and put it back on its feet with her tireless dedication.
Mar 27
Looking for something fun and memorable to do with your family over this Spring Break? Here’s an idea that turned out to be a BIG hit in our home! Read more
Mar 26
When I think of eggs, the first thing that comes to my mind are those wonderful, absolutely exquisite, Fabergé eggs!
Mar 18
Why are even those of us who aren’t Catholic surprised and delighted by this new leader of the Catholic Church? Perhaps it is because Pope Francis’ familiar, “regular guy” style has already made a down-to-earth impression on the world. Read more
Mar 7
Mar 4
Meet Mr. Chin. He is my latest “find” and, oh how we are welcoming him into our home!
Feb 28
How very important it is to really know yourself….know what you are made of, all of the wonderful qualities that come together to make you you! Read more
Feb 15
We use some phrases commonly and most of us never stop to think about what they really mean or where it is they came from. Here are some clues as to why we say what we say. Read more
Feb 14
Jan 31
What a darling little girl Elizabeth, or Lillibet as she was called by her family, was! Winston Churchill described Elizabeth when she was two as “a character. She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant”. Little did she know, at this young age, that she would one day become Queen of England. Not only that, but she would prove to be one of the longest reigning monarchs, if not the longest, ever! Read more
Jan 22
Besides being a wonderfully sweet and tastey “nosh”, the pineapple has served as a symbol of hospitality and warm welcome through the history of the Americas. Read more
Jan 10
“Downton Abbey or Highclere Castle?” you ask. “Well,” you think to yourself, “it definitely looks like Downton Abbey but what is this other Castle that is mentioned? Read more
Jan 9
I came across this wonderful book, A Year In The Life of a Duchess, Catherine HRH*, The Duchess of Cambridge, and how on earth could I resist?! Read more
Jan 7
Dec 31
At the stroke of midnight tonight, in most English speaking countries, the music of “Auld Lang Syne” will be heard echoing through walls and down streets. Read more
Dec 24
On this that holiest of night’s in the Christian faith, we remember the night that Jesus was born. The holy scriptures say God became flesh and dwelt among us. One of the many names of Christ is Immanuel which literally means “God with us”. Read more
Dec 21
We hear about angels throughout the Bible. From the very beginning, in Genesis, to the very end, in Revelation, there are numerous mentions of angels, more than two hundred times. But, are they real? Do they really exist?
Dec 20
Every so often we hear a story that just brings tears to our eyes. This is one of those stories. It was originally printed in Readers Digest in December of 1954 and has apparently been circulating ever since. Read more
Dec 17
Tradition plays such a huge part in the Christmas season and watching our favorite movies is one of those traditions! Having the whole family curl up on a comfy sofa with a blanket and some hot chocolate and then clicking on one of our favorite movies is the best! Read more
Dec 10
My maternal grandmother’s name was Willie. My brothers, cousins and I called her ‘Nanner’, her grandmother name to us. But her nieces and nephews called her “Aunt Bill”. Read more
Dec 6
Dec 5
Of all the things we have shared over the years, the thing that has probably bound us so close together as “Chums” is our laughter. It is why of all the thousands of photos over the last 25+ years we had to choose from , the one we chose to put on this website is a photo of the two of us laughing with each other…the one you see here in the right hand column. Read more
Dec 4
As we sat down to plan the posts for our site this month we knew we wanted to do something about giving to others less fortunate. We really weren’t sure what it would be or what it would look like but we were confident that by the time we needed it something would come to us. And something did! Read more
Nov 27
Most of us somewhere along the way have heard the Bible scripture from I Corinthians 13. Perhaps in church or maybe at a wedding. If you haven’t ever read it or haven’t read it recently, now would be a good time to do that. It speaks about the importance of love and that without it everything we do is really meaningless. You can click here to get a link for you to read it on line. We came across a paraphrased version of this beautiful scripture that adds a whole new perspective to all the activities that we will be engaging in during this holiday season. Read more
Nov 26
It is always such fun to put up the advent calendar and count down the days to Christmas! Read more
Nov 22
On this day of giving thanks, we want to share with you something that came our way recently that sums up how we feel about gratitude. Read more
Nov 19
Did Pollyanna have it all wrong? We know that this was a fictional children’s book that was then made into a Hollywood movie but your Two Chums feel strongly that there is an amazing message in this work that is worth hanging onto! Read more
Nov 13
If you are old enough, you will remember an ad campaign for eggs that touted “The Incredible Edibile Egg”. And incredible they are, for many reasons! Read more
Nov 7
Ever wonder why we commonly use certain expressions that don’t really make any sense in our current world? Here are the explanations for just a few that we thought you would find interesting…we sure did:)
Oct 23
In our home, as I think may be true in the homes of other Texans, pinto beans were a mainstay. I can hardly remember a day that there was not a big pot of beans simmering amongst other delights on the kitchen stove either in my grandparent’s kitchen or in my mother’s. Read more
Oct 15
You might well ask! It is not often that I run into people in Southern California who know where Nova Scotia is, much less what it is!
Oct 10
Who doesn’t love Lucy? Apparently she is very loved by many of us. In a recent poll of well over 1 million people done cooperatively by People Magazine and the television news show 20/20, I Love Lucy was ranked as the #1 favorite TV show!
Read more
Oct 9
It’s coming…or should I say “They’re coming”…Halloween is around the corner and all those neighborhood children adorned in their costume finery will come knocking on the door. Whether you still have little ones of your own at home or now its grandbabies that make your cheeks hurt from all the smiling, who can resist a precious little one in a costume so excited to be going door to door and collecting all that sugar…aka candy. I love it! And my husband Randy loves it even more! Each year he hands out the biggest candy bars he can buy in the hopes that in years to come, adults who used to be the children trick or treating in our neighborhood, will drive their children past our home, point out of the window of their cars at our house and exclaim with great fondness, “The people in that house always gave the best candy every year!” Read more
Sep 28
About 25 years ago a little book entitled All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten hit book store shelves and landed on coffee tables all across the country. It was an almost instant success because it addresses the basic lessons we learn early on in life that can shape us.
Sep 26
….at least your Two Chums think so! We love all the Royals and love to hear about what they are doing but….. Catherine and William stand out! Read more
Sep 5
We started this week with Labor Day and a time to remember those who serve in the work force, which hopefully is, or has been, most of us. So this week on Two Chums, our posts are about things somehow related to “Labor”. Yesterday we offered some info on some products that can make work at home easier.
But today I want to share with you the joy and benefits of another kind of labor…that of caring for our children and grandchildren.
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Aug 23
Oh, the joys of reading! Nothing better than sitting down with a good book quietly and imbibing its contents. Actually, there IS something better, in our minds, and that is sitting down with our grandchildren, our little ones, and reading books to THEM.
Aug 16
“Never lose your ability to be awed”….that was the caption on an ad Jackie and I saw recently. It sparked a conversation between us about staying childlike in our approach to each day.
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Aug 10
We all need to stop and rest from time to time. This comes easier and more naturally to some of us than to others. Until a few weeks ago I was one of those who resided in the “I’ll rest when I die” camp. Oh, I would claim that I could rest, or would rest, as soon as________(you fill in the blank), but those closest to me weren’t fooled by my announcements of having rested or of my plans to do so soon.
Aug 9
For two weeks the world has been watching as young men and women have put it all on the line to try to prove that they are the best at what they have been trained to do. We have had a front row seat to the “thrill of victory” and the “agony of defeat”.
Aug 1
Jordyn Weiber demonstrated superb sportsmanship on Sunday when, in front of the whole world, she failed to qualify to compete in the All Around for gymnastics. It was especially difficult for Jordyn as she is the reigning World Champion. Read more
Jul 30
Jul 26
1908, 1948 and now 2012! These are the years that London has played genteel host to the Olympics and yes, by Jove, London is ready! There has been much question about whether she would be ready but, of course, in total British fashion, she IS ready to greet her guests and we have no doubt that it will be a wonderful few weeks.
Jul 25
Today it is my turn to celebrate a very dear lady …….. Robin Northrup, my Chum! And such an amazing lady she is! Read more
Jul 25
August is quickly approaching and for many that means summer vacation and traveling with children. Jackie and I have a bit of experience with this, both with our own children and now with our grandchildren. So we have some ideas that might be helpful if you’re about to pack up and head for a fun and relaxing destination.
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Jul 4
On this day that we celebrate our freedoms and independence, it seemed fitting to consider the words of wisdom from a great American and arguably our finest President….Abraham Lincoln. There is a bounty of quotes attributed to our 16th Commander in Chief, each of them wise and profound in it’s own way.
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