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Friday, December 1, 2023

DECEMBER

 

Reminding me of the cold weather the Old Farmer's Almanac predicted for Colorado

The months are going by quickly. This year has been in a hurry to leave. When does time slow down? I think God created it all to zip past us. SO we need to stop, breathe and remember all the goodness we shared.

Hannah and Jake are expecting their baby boy this month too. I saved their event for this blog. So much joy in new babies. We pray for a healthy and happy one.

If you like comedy check out Lisa Gilbert. This girl married in her 40's and then had....triplets. Her comedy about her life is hilarious.  Triplets are something else. I know people with them and I admire their  stories of the good, the bad and the hilarious too.

Remember to read your bible starting with one chapter of Luke each day from Dec 1 to Dec 24 . You will read over the life of Jesus Christ. Then be prepared for His birth on the 25th. We do this each year.

"The people who walked in darkness,

have seen a great light;

those who dwelt in the land of  deep darkness,

on them has light shone." Isaiah 9:2


 

Saturday, October 28, 2023

Happy Thursday and Maxine Cracks Me Up

Happy Tuesday 



Maxine you really need to try some patience and kindness. I don't want to see you in jail or anything!!

Maxine is being terribly ornery. Oh well...we know she loves giving her opinions on everything.

Monday, October 16, 2023

Aw...Mondays The Quilt love is... Sparks

 Aw...Mondays


This nosey boy follows me everywhere. He is grateful Franklin went home yesterday. But Franklin lost interest in him the first few times they engaged each other. The feeling of dislike is intense although Franklin was sad his big brother Leo was no longer here to entertain him.  I was getting a photo of the morning sunrise. 

This quilt was made by my late mother-in-law Rita. She loved red and so does my sweet husband. Although the quilt square side is rust colored,  it matches our bedroom decor for Autumn perfectly. But I see red in so many of the squares. My mother-in-law, a little farm girl was an amazing seamstress and sewed all of her own drapes and curtains too.  What a gift, a beautiful legacy to keep us warm in the cold winter months.  My sister-in-law Lucy is a gift giver. She always finds the best gifts she brings to us and her homemade banana bread is the best ever!

On this date in 2009 Suzanne and Sue blogger friends sent me a beautiful quilt made of teacups that Suzanne created. Sue had the long arm to finish the quilting process so I was truly  blessed by their love and will cherish it forever. We had finished the Memory Quilt project for the precious three year old Shannon who passed away from a rare brain cancer in 2009.  Over 200 bloggers sent squares to Suzanne to create the quilt. Some bloggers told me not to do it. Not to invade the privacy of the little girl's loved ones. I prayed about it and God gave me the go ahead.

At first the phamily did not want to accept our gift but as Suzanne was packing the quilt up she received a message from the aunt who said the parents decided they wanted the quilt as a memory quilt for Shannon. We were so happy ! Joyful and so grateful to  send this gift off to them. 

You do not even know the stories each quilt square held and the memories it gave to those who created each square. I am so grateful to every single person who participated. It was a very emotional time for all of us and banding together helped each person heal from their own sadness as well bring a bit of sunshine to a phamily so grieved by their child's loss. 

I will be forever grateful to my friend Dr. T, Kozue Tyler who told me Shannon's story. I will always love Suzanne and Sue for working so tirelessly to create this one of a kind gift.  I hold each person who sent a square in my heart forever and always. It was a great joy to give something so valuable for the phamily to have in remembrance of their lost child. 

14years later I feel like I did the day we started on that quilt journey. What memories. I had posted about it but with my lack of tech  skills, I am not sure how to find my post and share it again.   

I wish I had listened to Edna   who created a new blog book for herself and her loved ones each year. Then I would have those 2009 October posts to reshare.  I have lost so many dear friends and Edna is one of them. She passed away this year along with my friends Jean (Texas) and Maria (Denver). It is so hard to lose friendships and people you meshed with. 

Oh the memories. love is... is always here for me. 

Finally some beautiful words from Susan,. a hometown friend who shared these words with me.  For Sparks:

"The best of sleep beneath Heaven above is under a quilt handmade with love."



Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Happy Tuesday and Maxine Craxks Me Up

 Happy Tuesday 

I found these silly mug shots and thought I would share them with you at google images.


He looks truly unhappy about the cat!


Maybe this is the cat the dog is referring too!


Ok maybe this feline felon is in real trouble!


Maxine I am always agreeing with you lately. This is truly the truth!

Monday, October 2, 2023

Aw....Mondays

 Aw....Mondays

HELLO OCTOBER


love is....always has the best words everyday. 


The Critter Barn at etsy . Isn't this mouse the cutest? I love the Fall!

The highest test of the civilization of any race is in its willingness to extend a helping hand to the less fortunate. Booker T.Washington 

Wanted to share a Sparks too.


Wednesday, September 20, 2023

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 You know that girl you went to school with? The girl who talked to everyone, used lots of words and enjoyed the company of others? Well, that is me! Having lost our gentle boy Leo yesterday, my words, like my tears are flowing. Please bear with me. Thank you.

Wordless Wednesday


To get a feel for Leo you have to see this photo. When I watched my great grandson Harrison James for the first two years of his life, Leo was, a very gentle giant. Now he had some motives too. He loved to lick this boys face! He never tried to steal his breakfast food but he licked that little face clean! As a boy, Harrison thought it was hilarious. Leo was a connoisseur of yogurt, vanilla, fruit flavored with some pulp, he loved it all! Harrison was glad to oblige him. They had a nice boy and a dog bond. Later he would try to lick Shea's face, Harrison's little sister! She would say No Leo, don't lick my face! The girl is 100 percent pure little chick! She is a fashionista, a diva, and dogs licking her face, well, that was not a good idea. Yet she loved Leo and always liked to open the back door so he could run in his kingdom, the backyard.  Our lot is 7,480 feet and when he first came to live with us, Leo looked over the massive backyard and looked up as if to say, is this all mine? Of course it was! Leo was king of his yard! His friend Duke, a black lab stood at the fence this morning. He was barking, I am sure looking for his pal. They would rub noses at the fence and then lift their leg to each other. A sort of manly dog celebration!



I am very sad for Duke, just as I am sad for all of us. Most mornings, I would wake up and Leo was lying outside our bedroom door. He was not a loner by any means. When he first came to live with us, he tore up two decorative pillows we had purchased with our new living room set! He was very angry that we dared to go out and leave him home alone. That was before the other pups came to live here.  He was a people person and I am going to miss stepping over him so he could rise and I would open that back door for him. He loved the great outdoors. He chased the wild rabbits, he barked at the squirrels and birds.  Then he found companionship in three little pups, Loki, Thor and Lulu. On a whim, we stepped inside a puppy place. Rebekah and Zach fell in love with Loki and Thor and since they were brothers they went home with them. I was sad but the lady said her friend was dropping off a single pup. Same breeder but different litter. My girl Lulu with her mom Lil Lupe and dad Duffy! My little chihuahua girl with an Irish father and a mother with roots from Chihuahua, Mexico . Oh how Leo loved them! He became the guardian and protector of the pups and their yard! He kept them close at hand and if one wandered back by the fence he would go inside, turn around and go collect them. They loved him and loved running and barking alongside of him. As the years went by if the kids, who worked from home, were busy and I had errands to run, I turned on Tom and Jerry on the Cartoon Network. Although Leo had his puppy entourage, he liked to lie down on the living room carpet while Finn, Lulu's baby boy, kissed him and loved on him while they listened to the antics of Tom and Jerry.



This boy, my Lilo, he loved the holidays with all the excitement. The company, the delicious meals. He was so  acclimated into our home and phamily that he was content and happy and always a joy to be around. He had the most beautiful amber colored eyes and his tail was wagging even at the end of his too short life.


He had a giant rawhide  and as you can see here, he was very partial to it. He loved laying in the grass because when he first came to live with us we had none. Just a big dirt yard with lots of mud in the rainy and winter seasons. When we put in the lawn, he was like a little kid, rolling it and loving his time outdoors. A gentle boy, a kind heart toward the little pups and a fierce protector of his home, his yard, his pups and his people. 



He's short life taught me, nothing is more important than phamily. He did not get to see old age and have that beautiful youthful face turn into a snowy white haired old gent. It is a sadness I feel in my bones but as sick as he got and as quickly as the pain took over his body, none of us wanted to see him suffer. He was well loved and he knew it. The artwork on the Rainbow Bridge Michael Godard. Run free and easy sweet boy. You were a good friend, a good dog, a good companion and the best protector any of us could ever know.


Isaiah 65:25 NIV
The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
    and dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.

I pray I will see you on the other side someday Leo.

Friday, September 15, 2023

Thankful Thursday Feline Friday Pink Saturday

 After yesterday's rainstorm with flooding in our basement, we are all very Thankful for the rain stopping. 

Thankful Thursday

Thankful for a friend Jenn who delivered her baby girl Ava early. She weighed a smidge under 5 lbs.. She also has a headful of beautiful dark hair. Praying she will not be in the NICU very long. 

Thankful for all the helping hands yesterday and the mess which was not as terrible as it could have been. 

Thankful for Mary who had shoulder surgery that went much better than they anticipated. She needs to heal now so praying for that too. 



This cute mouse is  actually made of metal. From etsy.com


This kitty can be purchased at etsy.com too and is in metal. 

Pink Saturday

Beautiful Wisteria with a gorgeous lavender door from Pinterest.

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Monday, September 11, 2023

Happy Tuesday and Maxine Cracks Me Up

 Happy Tuesday

 



I remember doing the limbo at a birthday party when I was about 9! What fun we had!



 


Wouldn't that be a grand thing to not have to pay hahaha Oh Maxine! 


Aw...Mondays Love is... Sparks

 Aw...Mondays



Happy Monday from one sloth to another! This fellow is a happy! He says Don't Worry, Just be happy!


love is... always says it best.


    Sparks for today ...

Sunday, September 10, 2023

SUNDAY GRATEFUL DAY

 


friendship is a wonderful gift. 

i think the day has put my brain into park. I will be back tomorrow for Aw.... Mondays and more.



Saturday, September 9, 2023

SATURDAY GRANDPARENTS DAY

 The boys came over tonight with their dad to give us a Grandparents Day present:



We are going to add some wire to the back of the frame so we can hang this. It is such a sweet gift.


I love this so much!  I mentioned this before but if you ever have to explain death to a child get the book The Fall of Freddy the Leaf by Leo Buscaglia. It is so precious. My cousin Juliane told me her late father-in-law taught Sunday school class to little ones and if the topic of death came up he read this book to them.

I love the Fall and I love crunching the leaves underneath my feet. It is a perfect time of year. I am hopeful we will get more than a few weeks of this glorious time of year. this year.


Another share that I love. There is nothing like a cozy pair of sweatpants when the weather cools off.  But I usually just enjoy the comfort of them. 

 Sweet memories from a childhood long ago that was the best kind a kid could have.


I once worked in an office that had a huge tree out front where there were five patient parking places. One weekend we had to work purging old files and we stopped for lunch. One of the gals drove and when we came back the maintenance guy was out front. This huge tree fell while we were at lunch. It would have crushed Theresa's car! We found out that it was planted about 20 years earlier and whoever the genius was that planted it never cut the roots loose to grow into the ground and help the tree to have great strength.  Those roots were still tightly wrapped in burlap and after a hard wind and rain it just toppled over. 



Goodnight and sweet dreams. 


Friday, September 8, 2023

Feline Friday and Pink Saturday

 FELINE FRIDAY]


This Pinterest find momma cat and her baby kitten. So precious. 

PINK SATURDAY


A 2023 Pink Kitchen.  The pink touches are very pretty  I always loved the pink refrigerator on  Mama's Family, the TV sitcom.

  Pink is my signature color. PINK POWER!




Thursday, September 7, 2023

THANKFUL THURSDAY

 Thankful Thursday

Always thankful. Today was a thankful filled day. The day started off with Colton, Jacey and Shea stopping by. Although they lost their pup Atlas to a car accident the kids were sad and felt they needed a pup to fill their sadness. So when they went to pick up  puppy they ended up with two. Chester was delighted as he is the phamily elder. He is a yellow lab and he is a teddy bear. The first time we met him, he jumped up on our bed cozied up to Avery's pillow and when Avery said, Chester, what do you think your doing? Chester gave him a look that said, dude, I am comfy, I need a nap. Running around with Leo and those pups made me tired! So although Chester was unhappy, looking for his pal Atlas, he welcomed Applejack and her sister Trixie to the phamily. Seeing the little one happy (because her brother was at school) because of the puppies and seeing the relief of sadness slip away for a bit with Colton and Jacey. They have had enough sadness to last the entire world of people. They deserve a break and a ray of sunshine fell on them today.

Thankful that they stopped by this evening and although our Mollie, all three lbs. of her grumbles and growls, the other pups. including Leo wanted to get a peek at those pups!

Harrison was starving, I swear that child has a hole in his belly where food goes in and falls out into thin air! So since he claims I make the best PB&J ever I created one for him which he was devouring as they had to head out the door. Meanwhile Shea is chatting, brush my teeth, brush my teeth and I have to get the step stool and her new favorite toothbrush that is purple and has princesses on it. She gets so happy when I put her special kid toothpaste on her brush. It is blue and it sparkles. How can you not be thankful for that?

Although I did not get any photos as Shea needed a slice of toast and a slice of cheese please! I was thankful that they visit often and love around the block and they make life happier. 

Thankful that Hannah face timed and caught me up on what has been going on this week. I think she is going to have a baby with a headful of red hair like her daddy. Hannah has some awful heartburn! So thankful her her, for Jake, for Franklin and baby boy. 

I am thankful my little sweetheart Blake told me he was sad I missed his birthday dinner. He L O V E S school and today was picture day! Oh handsomest four year old boy in the whole land!

Brody who has a million dollar smile and the sweetest poses for his pics is such a little gem. He is a mini Jeremy and Nick all rolled together as he is a sports nuts and knows things that most five year old kids don't. He can carry on a conversation like an adult and makes me smile because he has a special friend, a girl, who attends a different school but they are the cutest together, like first love.   Plus he can tell you the latest on most any sport that he follows. Thankful for all these memories.

I learned from my mom, so thankful for her, that phamily is the best in this world. She always told me God gave me a good husband and healthy children and I should never complain. If heaven had a window I would peek inside and show her these grands and greats and see her smile. She was a love bug to her grands

Finally thankful I spent most of yesterday with my sister-in-law Cheri. We had lunch and five hours later, hahaha, left the restaurant. They were so nice to us. We sat in the bar area and it was not as busy as the main dining rooms so they kept refilling our water glasses and letting us laugh and chat. More memories and treasured loved ones.

THANKFUL!

It isn't what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but  what you have in your heart. Unknown author 






Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Monday, September 4, 2023

Happy Tuesday and Maxine Cracks Me Up

 Happy Tuesday

I love these words! We had great plans to work in our garage this weekend. Unfortunately with most of us  under the weather it was not to happen. So we did little clean ups instead and have a bag to take to the thrift store donations. I am happy the new week is here and I am going to be able to have lunch with my sister-in-law Cheri.  Then I will be working around the house on small projects. Organizing is easy once you get the hang of it. When I was a young woman working in a business office my friend and co worker Twana said to be, "Anne, your so organized you face your paperclips in all the same direction. I've looked in your desk drawer! hahaha...I don't know what happened except life and stuff and too much stuff so I think I am putting it all together. I also sold two more items at my Poshmark sight so I am happy that both buyers gave he a five star rating and I should see my money in my account by Tuesday or Wednesday this week.

Maxine...

 
I was shocked that Maxine was taking from her neighbors. I sure hope I don't see her flying her drone near my house! hahaha...



Sunday, September 3, 2023

Aw...Mondays love is... Sparks

 

Aw...Mondays

It's true, I would make room for you. 


I go back a long way with love is.... but I feel like my my sweetheart rules my heart and I his. 


Elizabeth Barrett Browning, The Autumn

“Go, sit upon the lofty hill, And turn your eyes around, Where waving woods and waters wild Do hymn an autumn sound. The summer sun is faint on them— The summer flowers depart— Sit still— as all transform’d to stone, Except your musing heart.”

Sparks...

Saturday, September 2, 2023

Pink Saturday

 Pink Saturday

Had to change up my post today. Hearing of the passing of one of the happiest musical talents I loved, Jimmy Buffet on September 1, 2023 I had to share him here.


I can only hope he is sailing away with the angels into absolute glory. A real paradise. Tomorrow we will share a cheeseburger in his memory. Rest easy sailor and sail on. 

Last week in Las Vegas we sang along to a young married couple at the dueling piano bar with two blondes. They played some Buffet and we sang our hearts out!

If there is a heaven for me , I am sure it has a beach attached. Jimmy Buffet

Sail on sailor. 

John 5;24

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my Word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life,  and does not come into judgement but has passed out of death into life. 

Monday, August 28, 2023

Aw...Mondays

 



I recently meet  a lady who showed me pictures of her 12 year old volunteering at a miniature horse farm. He loves it, mucking stalls, feeding the horses, spending quality time with them. She said it helps keep him away from all the social media and electronics. She is a smart mom. The horses love him because he spends time with them and has a big heart and is so kind.


love is...always knows what to say

You must remember to love people and use things rather than to love things and use people. Fulton J. Sheen

Sparks has the best advice today.