Celebrating..........

One more month and we will welcome another little baby to our family.

Today we celebrated the pending arrival of our baby who's sex and even name is unknown.

This is tough.  It is difficult enough not knowing whether to shop for a boy or a girl, but not knowing what we are calling this little one is really difficult!

So...we shopped for essentials and went with neutral.  

Pink or blue will come soon enough!

I think our family might need some boys.....

It was a fun afternoon. 

 The nursery is outfitted and we are all ready for this little ones arrival...but probably not quite as ready as Heather and Drew are!

Sew Much Fun......

 What do you do when it is freezing cold outside and you are having a "Little Special" day?  

You get out the Hello Kitty machine and sew!

There is nothing that makes this Gramma any happier than a sewing machine and a room full of fabric....combine that with a little girl that seems to share my passion for creation and what a great day it is.

Finley takes directions seriously!

Straight pins placed strategically .....

 And the the right thread for the job....

We did it!  

What a fun day.  

Finley is my little homemaker.  There is nothing more fun than spending the day with this little girl.

End product of our day of fun...a new tag blanket for Matthew!

All materials and tags specially selected by Fin...so what if it has pink ribbon all over it!

He is just a baby...he can't see colors anyway, right?

Not Done Yet.........

I know I have said it every year for the last four years...no more blogging.  

My creativity has died and I just forget to record what is on my mind.

I guess I lied.  Today's mail brought volume number seven of my yearly posts and honestly it makes me smile.  I am most probably the only one that cares, but I do care.  I do not necessarily think that anything I have to say is of any importance but someday it might be to someone.

The more I check into my family history, the more I wish I knew more.  If only my grandparents had recorded their thoughts.  What did they do everyday?  What did Christmas look like each year?  How did they spent their quiet moments?  These are all things I did not know

 would have meaning to me someday.

As boring as it might have become, I am going to continue to post pictures, events, and daily trivia.  The words may not come with any clever antidotes attached, or humorous happenings because honestly all I want to remember is what matters.  I have another grandbaby on the way.

How would he/she feel if my books suddenly stopped before they were born?  

It may be sporadic and this next years book may be the thinest one yet but it will happen...just one more year!

Too Many?.........

In my effort to reduce, clean, purge, get rid of clutter I am still on a mission.

I have continued to get rid of at least one bag a day...be it only a grocery store bag,

 full of something that I truly do not need.  

Today I gathered glasses.  I am a contact wearer.  At night when the contacts come out I do go with a pair of glasses for reading before bed.

I have glasses in the kitchen, in the car, in my bedroom and in the family room...but not just a pair in each place.  What I discovered was that I have way too many pair!!!

I do want to clarify that they all came from Dollar Tree.  That means that they were purchased for only $1 each.  Does that justify the fact that I have several dozen pairs?  Probably not.  

I am learning.  I am not only cleaning, I am getting purchase wise.  

It is an ongoing project...I am a work in progress!

And Suddenly.....

Finley is four!

I stood there as she was born.  I remember having concerns that I could love another grandchild as much as I loved Brooklynn.  Brooklynn was the first and she was my "special".

Love for Finley

 was almost automatic.  Her sweet little face grabbed ahold of my heart and her daddy aptly nicknamed her "sunshine", and so she is.

She is definitely her own person.  Mature and smart well beyond her years she is witty, and strong willed.  She is a hugger and oh how I enjoy snuggles with her whenever she is here.  

Finley is independent and crafty and moves at her own pace.  Just try getting her out the door on your schedule.  I find often that there is no way that it will happen!

Finley has a mommy heart.  She is nurturing and cares for her new brother like a ten year old.

She was the first to give Matthew a bottle and did so with the greatest of confidence.

She is my second little "special" and holds a special place in my heart.  

Go forth little girl.  Your such a confident young lady.  I hate to see you grow up but I have no doubt you know what direction you are headed.

I love you sweet Finley.

40 Bags In 40 Days......

It's a challenge and I am totally up to the task.  My house is a mess!  It is not dirty but it is full of unnecessary junk.

Let's start with the pantry.  Should there be a catastrophic event that would close down the grocery stores for a month, well come on over.  We could feed you.  I do not guarantee that all of the food I have is not well past the expiration date but if you are willing to eat it, we have it.  

The above picture is the floor of my pantry and it gets worse the higher you go.

It is massive overbuy and I do it in every area of my life.  I am starting today, though it is meant to coincide with the 40 days of Lent.  I simply cannot wait that long.  

40 bags does not have to be 30 gallon garbage size bags.  A simple grocery store bag counts as long as it contains clutter.  

It is not a race.  One day, one bag at a time.  I am excited.  I have long felt guilt for what my children will encounter when I die.  I have STUFF and I know that no one wants it...not even me.

I am pondering tonight and tomorrow I start.  I feel good.  I am not sure where to begin but I can choose just about anywhere and accomplish something.  My sock drawer is even fair game...maybe two bags full from there.

I am ready...armed with fruit snacks from my pantry floor.

A Last though or Maybe more!....

Prayer for Good Humor
by St. Thomas More

Grant me, O Lord, good digestion, and also something to digest. 

Grant me a healthy body, and the necessary good humor to maintain it. 

Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure all that is good 
and that doesn’t frighten easily at the sight of evil, 
but rather finds the means to put things back in their place. 

Give me a soul that knows not boredom, grumblings, sighs and laments, 
nor excess of stress, because of that obstructing thing called “I.” 

Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humor. 
Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke to discover in life a bit of joy, 
and to be able to share it with others.
                                                Amen

Here We Are.....

 Yes, here we are.  It is 2016 and I do not know how we got here already.  I am amazed how quickly the years fly by.  I just get used to writing 2015 on correspondence and it is 2016.  There are so many things to look forward to each year but I do not want to wish time away, so I will have to learn to be patient.  That is a huge task for me!

So many things on my list for the upcoming year but the most important thing is just to be happy.  I am finding more joy in things every day.  I am in a good place in my life and I cannot wish for much more than that.  

With time moving by more quickly I have made a decision.  I am letting go of my blog.  It has become a drain.  It takes up time that I would rather spend doing other things.  It has served it's purpose and all of the books that have recorded the events of the last six years make me smile.  I will still have the memories but just not in the same way. 

I am happy about moving on.  

We all need to find time for that....and I know this is the time.

Good bye blog world.

Hello more free time!!!!

It's A Wrap.......

It is over....

In the blink of an eye we are finished with Christmas (though decorations are still totally intact over here) and getting ready to say goodbye to another year.  

It has been a great year.  One of the best in memory.  I have loved everything about 2015.  

Our family is growing, retirement is awesome, and I cannot think of a day that I have not found many things to be grateful when I get in bed at night.  

 We closed out this year with one of my favorite events...a sleepover with my little "specials".

 We played at the duck pond...

 and ate most of the bread ourselves!

Sorry ducks!!!

 We hung out at the Arboretum....

Played in tree trunks,

 And slid down the asparagus!

And we had fun and laughed.

That is all that matters to me these days. 

It is the memories because it is really all you leave behind of value.

I have so many great memories of 2015.

A trip to the Holy Land that changed my vision of my faith forever, a new grandbaby, and another almost here, good health, good friends, and a husband that tolerates the craziness he lives with every single day.

For whatever reason I have been lucky enough to have enough and blessed enough to enjoy it I do thank God.  What more can anyone ask.

Round Three.....

We had a bit of a segmented Christmas this year but as most moms will tell you...and time together is a great time.  We are so lucky to have everyone so close.  Thinking back to the year that Tim was in Africa when finding merriment was so hard, I am thankful for every moment we have in the same place.

No Christmas would be complete without matching pajamas.  My kids used to dread this tradition, but now it is a much anticipated event.  It is my November mission.  I admit to returning multiple styles to multiple stores before I make a final decision.  We have had some bad years!  Footy monkey pajamas come to mind as a total fail.

I love watching the excitement of the girls taring paper off all the packages, including our packages! I think of the hours spent wrapping and the minutes spent destroying that laborious task....maybe next years just boxes with a bow.

My favorite present?  A Hello kitty sewing machine!  Not for me...well, maybe not for me!  I am determined to make little sewers out of my granddaughters.  Sewing is such therapy.  I hope they can find the same joy in stitching fabric together that I do.  

Tim's favorite present...a chain saw!

My favorite present?  My family.

Christmas Part 2......

It is a Christmas Eve tradition at our house to have lunch and then begin our serious decorating contest before church.Finley and I paired up for this big event...by choice!  I had done my pre contest research on Pinterest wand was sure I could convince this little one to go with the 

prize winning design I had selected.  Little did I know she had ideas of her own!

 We were ready...supplies opened and game faces on we set to work for the honor of being called the champ!

 I want you to know we take this seriously people!  This is not a kids game.

Drew and Heather research weeks ahead and careful hide their design as it is being constructed. 

It appears that Brooklynn has some concerns over her project.  Her face says anything but I like what I see.

 After my careful research and what I thought was the prize winning design, Finley took matters into her won hands and decided the best plan was to use EVERY kind of candy on the table to complete this gingerbread woman.  

 Finished projects!!!

And the winner is......

 GRAMMA AND FINLEY!!!!

For unique use of all materials!

 Love the spirit of competition!

And the things that can be done with a simple gingerbread man!

Just wait until next year Matthew and you can play too....and I get to be your partner!!!