• Rethinking my “Bucket List”…

    If you’ve seen the movie The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, you’ll remember these two memorable characters hospitalized with terminal cancer who set out to fulfill their unrealized dreams before they “kick the bucket”.  I think each of us has a “list” of experiences we hope to have:  amazing places we want to see, people we want to meet, things we want to accomplish, dreams we want to fulfill – all before we “kick the bucket”.

    jacknicholsonmorganfreeman
    Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson in the movie, The Bucket List

    I was born in 1945, so next year will be a “big birthday” for me.  Well, okay, December is almost the end of the year, but 2015 will still be a milestone.  I occasionally get a tad depressed when I think of what a big milestone it will be, but then I remember the alternative.   I want to enjoy my life as long as God gives me breath.  I especially want to enjoy watching all of my precious grandchildren grow up!

    So, I have been thinking about MY “Bucket List”.  I confess that I have shortened it significantly.  Let’s face it, there’s only so much time left and I don’t seem to be making a whole lot of progress.  Of course, there is the little factor of completing my “Bucket List” on a fixed income.  Ever the optimist, we’ll see how it goes.  Of course, if I would hurry up and finish #1 and #2, that might help!

    My Bucket List 2014

    1.   Publish my children’s books…

    2.   Finish my family history and publish it…

    3.   See Scotland…especially the highlands and the Isle of Skye…

    4.   See Ireland and England…especially Cornwall

    5.   Visit Anne Of Green Cables’ Prince Edward Island

    6.    See Niagara Falls and ride the Maid of the Mist

    7.   See New England…preferably in the Autumn

    ?    Cruise the inside passage of Alaska – DONE!

    ?    See the Caribbean on a cruise – DONE!

    ?    Spend time on the Pacific Coast – DONE!

    Originally, I had placed building sandcastles with ALL of my grandchildren together at the top of my bucket list.  I decided that was going to happen without a bucket list!  I’ll work on that one for sure!

    What’s on YOUR Bucket List…?

    This post was edited from its original publication in My Southern Heart

  • Almost six months later…

    Once again, the months have flown by.  Life has been busy with travel, sewing, knitting, writing and family!  I’ve fallen behind on reading blogs and leaving comments as well as keeping up with Sweet Journey Home.  I intend to do better!

    I enjoyed a wonderful visit in Dallas with my younger son and his precious family in April.  I loved every minute of it!  Who knew I still had the energy to play on the floor and keep up with a two & a half year old and a ten month old?!  Well, okay, maybe “keeping up” is stretching it just a bit!  The adorable photo at top was taken at a beautiful lake in Dallas.  We had attempted taking photos of the girls and their sweet family of four, but between the wind gusts and two little girls wanting down to play – it was funny!

     

     

     

    My firstborn and his sweet family are now living in Montana where he has accepted a position with a pediatric group there.  They love Montana and especially love living in the mountains in the midst of outdoor activities!  Their sweet mom grew up snow skiing in New York and is looking forward to teaching the girls.  The photo below was taken in route to Montana after spending the night with me after a day’s journey here.  They are amazing, talented young ladies and so much fun.  They stay busy with piano, violin, soccer and running cross-country.  I can’t wait to visit them in Montana – hopefully in August!

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    I am loving living close to my daughter and her precious family.  I was enlisted to pitch in to help for the month of May since my busy daughter literally had to be in several places at the same time – piano and guitar lessons, swimming, soccer and school!  I don’t know how she does it all and maintain a busy home, but she manages it beautifully.

    My firstborn, almost 6’2″, grandson is taking driver’s education classes now.  He has taken up guitar as well as piano.  Occasionally, I will hear him playing a great song and ask him what it is.  Apparently, he’s creating his own music now!  I love that he has become interested in the old classic movies and comes over for some movie time with grandmom!  So far, we’ve seen “Foreign Correspondent”, “The Birds” and “Arsenic & Old Lace”.  Currently, we’re watching “Our Green was My Valley”.  It usually takes a couple of visits to see them since he’s busy and time is limited.

    Bryce

     

    This photo was taken one afternoon when the girls were here for a visit.  They are so much fun and sweet sisters!  They have so much energy and are busy with swimming, soccer, piano and school.  I’m glad they enjoy coming here for some fun time with Grandmom!  I would advise you not to play a “memory” game with my ten year old granddaughter.  She’s just about undefeated.  I don’t think she inherited her memory from me!  😉

    Sweet sister love…

     

    This adorable little bundle of energy is amazing with his big dimples, ready smile and instant yell of  “Grandmommy!!” when he hears me come in the back door.  He’s so much fun and it’s a treat at my age to “play cars” once again.  He likes his hair in a “high-top-fade”.  Grandmommy likes the curls all over his head.  😉

    KandM

     

     

  • Happy Thanksgiving!

    ThanksgivingI received this precious Thanksgiving greeting card years ago from my firstborn’s firstborn.  It traveled all the way from Peru where my son was a missionary doctor.  He and his family lived and worked among the Quechua Indians for almost seven years.  They are back in the states now, thankfully for this grandmother.  The photo above was taken in the Sacsayhuaman ruins in Cusco, Peru, when I visited them.

    I will spend ten hours tomorrow in a mini-van with my daughter and her family…seven of us…PLUS Kiana, the Hungarian Vizla!  We are traveling to Kentucky where I will spend a wonderful week with my son and his precious family.  My daughter and her family will travel an hour farther to spend Thanksgiving with my son-in-law’s family.  I can’t wait to see them all!  There is a pan full of “party mix” in the oven for the road trip and I’ve been stirring it every 15 minutes.  It smells delicious!  Why does riding in a car for so long make you hungry?!  😉  I have so much I’d like to do with my three beautiful granddaughters in Kentucky.  We’ll have to work hard to get it all done in a week!

    On December 4, I will fly from Kentucky to Dallas for ten sweet days with my youngest and his family.  With a two year old granddaughter and a three-month-old granddaughter, I will be in grandmother-heaven!  I was visiting with my two year old granddaughter the other day on Skype and mentioned that I couldn’t wait to play with her.  She promptly picked up her Dad’s iPad and carried me into the playroom with her…setting “me” down in the little chair beside her!  I was playing with her!  I loved it…

    Wishing each of you a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving with your family and friends.  May you have safe travels and make wonderful memories that will last a lifetime…

  • Baking and packing…

    Tomorrow I will be up at the crack of dawn and on my way South with my daughter and her family.  Today, I have a “million” things to do.  I must finish baking the goodies that I am taking for Thanksgiving…in addition to running a few errands and packing.  I baked one and a half dozen banana bread muffins that probably won’t make it to Memphis…with seven of us in a van for eleven hours!  I baked three dozen of my son-in-law’s favorite peppermint cookies.  He’s driving most of the way so I’m sure he will enjoy snacking on a few of those on the way to Memphis!

    Peppermint Cookies

    I also baked a double batch of my favorite molasses cookies!  Those I will have boxed up for the trip and for the Thanksgiving reunion.  I made a large batch of trail mix (m & m’s, peanuts and raisins) and divided them into little “snack bags” for the trip.  Easy to reach for that way.  If they make it to Memphis, they will stay in the van since Penny’s grandchildren are allergic to nuts.

    As I finish this post, there is another favorite in the oven:  Cream Cheese Pound Cake.  I love the smell of almond and vanilla filling the apartment right now!

    Wishing each of you safe travels and a joyful Thanksgiving with your families and friends…

    Trail Mix Baggies

    Molasses Cookies

    Cookie Recipes…

    Dianne’s Favorite Molasses Cookies

    2 & 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    1 teaspoon ginger

    1 teaspoon cinnamon

    2 level teaspoons baking soda (don’t heap these)

    2 tablespoons hot water

    1/2 cup Crisco soft shortening (make sure it’s fresh!)

    1/2 cup granulated sugar

    1/2 cup molasses (I use Grandma’s Molasses – unsulphured)

    1 egg

    6 tablespoons cold water

    1/2 cup seedless raisins (or more if you’re a raisin lover)

    Start heating oven to 400 degrees. Follow directions closely for the best cookie! SIFT together the flour, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Dissolve soda in hot water. Mix the Crisco shortening, sugar, molasses and egg until creamy. Mix in flour mixture alternately with the cold water; then mix in the dissolved soda and all but a few raisins. Drop by rounded tablespoons – 2? apart – onto greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with remaining raisins. Bake 12 minutes or until done. Makes about 2 dozen.

     

    Favorite Peppermint Cookies

    2/3 cup Butter flavored Crisco

    1/4 cup granulated sugar

    1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

    1 egg

    1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

    1/2 teaspoon baking powder

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy canes

    Cream Crisco and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed.  Beat in egg.  Combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Blend well into creamed mixture and stir in crushed peppermint.  Shape into small balls.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 11 – 12 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets.  Makes about 36 cookies, so I usually double it…they’re so good.  Don’t wait too long to get the cookies off the pan or they will harden and it won’t be easy!

  • One week from today…

    One week from today, I will be in a mini-van with my daughter and her family (seven of us) traveling (11 hours!) home to Memphis for Thanksgiving.  Memphis is where I grew up, fell in love and got married (39 years) and had three wonderful children.  My three sisters (two now in Heaven) and I spent so much time together in Memphis and Mississippi.  My nieces and nephews are so much a part of my life there.  The closer I get to Memphis, the more the memories come flooding in…whether I’m flying into the airport there or on a rare drive.

    The last time all of my children and grandchildren were in ONE location (always my dream), was in June 2010 in Chicago.  What a wonderful time we had!  My precious little Peruvian granddaughter – never shy – walked in first to the hotel room where we all were and proceeded to introduce her big sisters and then herself.  A perfect introduction.  Of course, she didn’t realize that she was the one everyone  was meeting for the first time!  (Except for me of course – I had been to Peru in 2008 where my son was a missionary doctor.)  Special memories.

    I’m looking forward to making more special memories as we are all together in Memphis with my late husband’s sister Penny and her family.  This time, my younger son’s fourteen month old  baby girl will be there too!  I can’t wait to hold her!  Although now she is so “busy” I probably won’t be able to hold her for long, but we can definitely play.  She will be so excited to be with all of her cousins!  My precious niece Sharon and her husband will come over for a fun barbecue dinner.  I can’t wait to see them!  I miss everyone and wish that we ALL lived closer to one another!  My youngest says “but, Mom, you gave us roots and wings”!  Let that be a lesson to me – about the “wings” that is!  😉

    Chicago 2010

     

    Featured photo at top:  Sweet baby girl!  She will have so much fun with her cousins in Memphis!

    I would be tempted to stay in Memphis and visit a while longer then fly back home to Iowa; however, I do not want to miss the first birthday that my baby girl and I have been able to spend together in a very long time.  My birthday (and her late Dad’s birthday also) is December 1.  Her birthday is December 4th!  She was almost born on OUR birthday.  She took the photo below at arm’s length under flourescent lights the night of the Great Pumpkin Party at our church!  Please remember:  flourescent lights are not kind to anyone!  😉