• 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

     

     

  • Catching up…

    January in Des Moines is not for the faint of heart.  After a couple of weeks with frigid well-below-zero temps, the days that followed spoiled us with the temperature in the mid-thirties.  I ventured out yesterday and was nearly blown away with a fierce wind that made the actual 29 degrees feel more like -50!  I’m not kidding.  I did my banking at the drive-up window and my deposit slip almost flew out of my hands before I could reach the rock in the drawer to anchor it down.  Next stop was for a much needed haircut and purchase of necessary hair products.  The water here is so hard (no water softener) that it does a number on my hair!  Last stop was the grocery store for a few supplies.  Today the temperature is a windy 17 degrees.  Think I will stay in where it’s warm and knit!

    Last night, I took the ingredients to my downstairs friend’s condo and she showed me the secret for making her delicious orange chicken with broccoli, carrots & rice that she served when I was her guest a couple of weeks ago.  Basically, we repeated the same delicious meal she served and enjoyed it once again!  Since it is no fun cooking for one, we decided to cook together occasionally and try to recapture the joy of cooking.

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    I seem to have lost my mojo for writing these past few weeks, so this blog post is by way of catching up.  I had a wonderful visit with each of my sons and their families before Christmas.  I helped put up a Christmas tree and decorate for the holidays in Louisville and then in Dallas.  The visits were wonderful and I miss them all!  I arrived back in Des Moines on the 17th of December.  I was battling a sinus infection and didn’t feel like even putting up a tree!  I spent a fun Christmas day with my daughter and her family and then on the day after Christmas, we all traveled back to Kentucky.  I spent ten hours in a van (coming and going!) to enjoy a quick 48 hours with my oldest son and his family and it was worth it!  We had a wonderful visit – just wish it could have been longer.

     

    Baking cookies with my two year old granddaughter!

    Next year my youngest granddaughter will be baking cookies with us!

     

    Now it is time to catch up with reading my favorite blogs as well!

  • 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…

  • Precious days…

     I flew back to the Midwest last Saturday after nine precious days in Dallas. 
    There is absolutely nothing in this world like meeting a new grandchild for the very first time. 
    Pure joy…
    Sweetness personified! 

     
     Newborns like to sleep a lot, but when she was awake, those gorgeous blue eyes looked right into mine.
    Sometimes she smiled at me.
    Be still, my heart. 
    So precious and beautiful…
     
     
     
     
    Two days after I arrived, we celebrated her big sister’s second birthday!
    With Minnie Mouse!
    I can’t believe how fast she has grown and how smart she is – of course!
    So precious and beautiful…
     
     

     

    We had a wonderful, BUSY, fun nine days and I miss them all already!

    I miss my granddog Bernie too!  😉

     

     
     
  • Pure joy…

    Yesterday was a day of pure joy and thanksgiving as my newest grandchild made her way into this world…with mom and daughter doing fine.  She was born at 10:34 a.m. weighing a healthy 7 pounds, 14 ounces and with enough hair to know there may be some strawberry blonde for this sweet baby too…just like her big sister and her Dad.   

    My son called me on “Facetime” from the hospital in order for me to “meet” her in “real-time”.  I talked softly to my beautiful brand new granddaughter and watched closely as she peacefully slept and moved her little hands.  Sweetness personified. 

    I will fly to Dallas on September 5 to meet her in person and hold her in my arms.  I will be there to celebrate her big sister’s second birthday!  What fun that will be!

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     I couldn’t help but reminisce a bit and remember when my son was born…just a little over 33 years ago.  Here he is in the hospital with his dad not long after he was born.  Notice the strawberry blonde hair even then.  Sweet memories.  I love this circle of life and the incredible joy of being a grandmother!

     

     

  • The first day of August…

    The first day of August is a day to celebrate…and remember.  Today is my beautiful sister Gerry’s birthday.  No doubt, she is celebrating in Heaven with my family who have gone before…but I miss her.  I miss her sweet Southern voice and that forever smile.  I know I will see her again in Heaven.

    gerryaugust1961 Gerry

     

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    Today is my sweet daughter-in-love’s birthday…my younger son’s wife.  She has the same kind, all-encompassing and loving spirit that my sister Gerry had.  I was with her and my newborn granddaughter when I received the call that Gerry had lost her battle with ALS.  The tears rolled down her face as she listened to my conversation on the phone and felt my pain.  She is a wonderful wife and amazing mother to my 22-month-old granddaughter.  She is due to deliver their second daughter any day now.  I can’t wait!  Happy Birthday, sweetheart!

    Photo below:  their wedding.  I was surprised and touched to see the blue cotton plaid handkerchief tied around her bouquet at the wedding.  It had belonged to my Dad…

     

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    The first day of August is my precious daughter and sweet son-in-love’s wedding anniversary.  Today marks 21 years together and a life filled with four wonderful children and joy.  I’m blessed to be this amazing young man’s “other mother”!  He has been there for me over the years – especially this past one – and I am so thankful for him.  Happy Anniversary!  Tonight, I will “babysit” (read have a lot of fun) my four granchildren as the two of them go out for dinner.  I’m looking forward to it!

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