Birthday Fun/ Blue Monday/ Aw...Monday/Love is...

I love when the sky looks like this. I think fall is going to be early this year. We had picture perfect weather the past two days.

Rebekah and baby Michael. He is the best baby ever! We love being with him.

Jayden and his floaties at the pool. He had a birthday pool party yesterday and although he celebrates his fourth birthday on September 12th it was early to celebrate.

Michael is beautiful in blue and his smile is amazing. Love this tiny baby.

This spider man balloon looks so real. I thought he came to visit the party. He looks great in blue too. It sets off his red web shirt and mask.

Balloons and gifts for Jayden's fourth birthday party. Lots of blue in here.

Lots of spider man things to add to the celebration.

Even SPider-Man as a pinata made the day filled with candy and fun!

A Spider-Man costume is in order for Jayden's fourth birthday celebration.

Jayden had so much fun and he stopped after he opened each gift to thank each recipient and hug them. He has the best manners. Make sure Sally and the Blue Crew see your blues too.

Leo enjoys visits from his cousins, Smokey, Stella and Bandit. He gets so sad when they leave because he loves to run and play all day with them. Please  join Sandee and everyone at Aw...Monday.

Today I wanted to chill out, kinda like this, but instead we worked hard, in the garage and then cooked a huge barbeque for the kids. We had fun but now we are tired. Love is...so precious when spent with those we love.

I hope everyone had a blessed and beautiful Labor Day weekend and you are all safely tucked in tonight. Have a  beautiful week.

Easter Beaded Eggs: Pink Saturday/Blue Monday/Love is...

Rebekah and I made these beaded eggs yesterday. That purple one was an act of love. Until I got into the groove, it took me forever to get into the swing of it! They came out so pretty and wanted to share them for Pink Saturday.  They look very pretty and I am glad we spent five hours working on these because we have two baskets filled with them!

Some of the beaded eggs that are blue have a purple hue to them and some of the purple beads look blue! But they look cute in their egg cups and ready for the Easter Day festivities! My middle daughter and I enjoyed making these eggs together. Please join Sally and the other Blue Crew participates so you can check out all the blue colors today.

Love is....always has my heart. This one is very much like we are. Always finding ways to help out and putting a few extra dollars in our pockets too!. We recycle aluminum cans. We also fill our recycle can every other Tuesday for the Trash Man to haul away. You will be surprised what you can recycle and make your trash day load lighter. I also save change and have started that 52 week challenge where you save money each week. We have a vacation planned later this summer and it is always nice to have a little extra tucked away for something fun. I have started to save the 52 Week Challenge for our Christmas Club too. When the kids were small it was nice to have enough money saved to not only buy a few gifts for each child but also to have a nice Christmas dinner. You can do this challenge two ways: you can start saving $1 the first week, $2 the second week and and so on until you save $52 the 52 week, or you can save $52 the first week, $51 the second, $50 the 3rd etc. The idea is that you will have $1,378 by the end of 52 weeks! There is a chart out there that shows the figures but I could not get it to print here! Anyway, if you try it, you will have extra cash for whatever you want after the 52 weeks are up.

Have a great week!

Love is Blue Tonight

Tonight shortly after six o'clock this sweet girl Roxanne drew her final breathe. She had been with us such a short time, December 2010 and today she was called to the Rainbow Bridge. She is laying on a blue blanket on the blue sofa. in this photo. The cancer was cruel.  It ravaged her tiny little body and we did the very best we could.to make her as comfortable as possible. She took two medications to help ease her symptoms. A steroid and an antibiotic. She ate special food. Everyone loved her. Many tears were shed. Hannah and Markus had a partnership with Roxanne. She was like their child. They both loved her tremendously and their hearts are broken tonight. Bonnie, who is Markus'  mom loved her too. Bonnie has such a gift for caring for pets and particularly pets that have developed cruel and heartless diseases. She will be sad because each Wednesday Roxanne spent the day with her and she loved babysitting this sweet little girl. When Roxanne would come home I would ask her if she had a good time with Bonnie! She would sit up and her little ears would indicate to me that yes, she and Bonnie had a wonderful day!

A blue note to remember the happy days when Roxanne was free and happy. Do you know that the first summer she was with us I bought her a red, white and blue bikini?  Somewhere at you tube Markus and Hannah created a swim video. She went swimming with them and what a wonderful time she had! That is a memory I will keep close to my heart.

Roxanne disliked her medicine time! She would fight you but Hannah created a little game with her. Roxanne would rollover on her back and cover her eyes. Hannah would say "Where's Roxanne? I have to find her." Roxanne would wag her tail in delight and open her eyes and she would sit up and take her medicine! I will often think of those days too. The tears are flowing now but the memories will last our lifetime.

January 19, 2012! The girls in black and white! How could something so tiny charge into ones heart and set up housekeeping there? We will probably never know, but Roxanne came and she stayed. The last month or so has been difficult and when I came home for lunch all the other dogs wait at the door to get a bit of sunshine. But Roxanne would hide in her bed. I would roll her up like a burrito and tell her we have to go potty! She seemed to love my game and she would reluctantly get out. She would do her business and wait for me to scoop her up again!

Roxanne was a fashion plate. She had a nice wardrobe. She loved lying in the sunshine when she felt good. When she first came to live with us she enjoyed the sunshine immensely. The vet thought she was used as a breeder and later dumped when she was no longer useful. She certainly enjoyed having the freedom to sun herself. How many little things we can take for granted. She loved to eat whole grain waffles with Jeremy! Often I would poach her chicken breast for her and she ate so heartily we had hoped perhaps a miracle would happen. But yesterday she just could not eat anymore.

I will remember this girl with the heartful of kisses, she shared herself with each one of us. She thought Rose our older cat was her sister and when she had a bad day Mickey our kitten would climb into her bed and hold her close. She loved sleeping next to him! Tonight he cried at the back door knowing his friend was crossing the Rainbow Bridge. I will choose to remember Roxanne dancing with Hannah to her song "Tiny Dancer". I will close my eyes and see her dancing for me when I offered her a treat. I will see her running to the back door racing passed the big dogs when I yelled who wants a S N A C K ? She was always first in line and when I offered each of them a bite of oven roasted turkey breast she would greedily eat her share and beg for more! I will remember how she loved being covered with a blanket and digging under the covers to get deep into the bed and snore loudly once she got comfortable! I will remember how her life was cruel and cold hearted when she was first born but I will never forget how deeply she affected each member of my phamily and how she touched the hearts of us and Bonnie and Markus too.

Halloween 2013,  tiny cow!

I hope you will visit Sally and I hope you will see some happy blues! I will leave you  with these lovely words because I choose to believe one day we will see Roxanne again on the other side of rainbow bridge.

And as I knelt beside a brook
To drink eternal life, I took
A glance across the golden grass,
And saw my dog, old Blacky, fast
As she could come. She leaped the stream---
Almost--- and what a happy gleam
Was in her eye. I knelt to drink,
And knew that I was on the brink
Of endless joy… John Piper

Roxanne December 2010 - November 3, 2013

Mixing It Up!

I am going to share some favorite pink for Beverly and the Pink gang! Make sure you visit! It is fun to check out what everyone loves!

I need to have my mail delivered here! How about you?

A pink cake for a special occasion! I have one of those milestone birthdays to contend with this December! Will someone please send this cake my way?

Make sure to visit today!

Even I can be this crafty! Such a simple and sweet arrangement of pretty blue hydrangeas set in Ball jars! Simply darling for a baby boy shower or even a bridal shower where the bride loves blue! Come join Sally and all the Blue Crew for a fun Monday filled with your favorite blues!

Isn't this just a cool blue book? I wonder what the title is? That feather is a sweet touch.

We travel to Kansas where Nick attends college. I often give my honey a hand squeeze because he drives us all the way, a whole nine hours! I want to make sure he stays wide awake and with the help of large iced coffee from McDonald's he does a wonderful job! He will squeeze my hand when we travel by plane! I hate watching all the passengers board as I tend to get claustrophobic! Soo he always eases my tension by squeezing my hand! I hope you stop by Marydon's nd share your favorite Love is....

I thought this verse would fit into my share with Charlotte and all the encouraging folks at the wonderful meme of Spiritual Sunday! I like this verse because it reminds me to keep my language pure and in today's world Yikes! Often I will hear young people cursing up a storm! I have always admitted it I struggle with this! It is so easy to get angry and spew inappropriate words! Words that you can never take back! So I pray about this a lot! My parents were excellent role models and never uttered "bad" language! Never, not once in my life can I recall them using curse words! As a young woman I worked for a CPA. He was a grumpy ole cowboy and he could spew bad words like you say Good Morning to someone! I accept my short comings about language but others don't! They think it is just part of life. In today's world it is difficult not to lose ones temper!

The bible is correct to remind us that we need to trust the Lord and not men! I think Mark Twain was right when he said:

It is always hard to live by the Golden Rule. It is difficult to take people as they are. We have to continue to trust the Lord and pray. He will see us through any difficult situation. He is always there for us. I hope you will visit Charlotte and the other folks who share their faith. Have a beautiful week.

BLUE MONDAY: DE JA BLUE

With Spring just around the corner, humor me, please! I am knee deep in snow! I thought you might like these cute lacy Dansko shoes for the Springtime!

Did you watch the Super Bowl? My Bronco team is in the AFC but I gotta tell you, I am not liking Tom Brady and the Patriots. But sincerely I do like Eli Manning. He is a good all around American kinda guy. He wears red, white and blue! This Super Bowl win was De Ja Blue! It was a stunning headline!

Maybe a handful of bluebelle flowers in a sweet little bouquet. I know, I have Springitme on my brain.

So now take your happy blues and head over to visit Sally and all the other blues!

THE COST OF A MOM

Just a few blue babies for Sally's gang at Blue Monday! I found these sweet google images and had to share! I also have this beautiful tribute to moms. It is called "The Cost of a Mom". I hope you enjoy it while you visit me and stop by Sally's for more blue fun!

This is for all the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up spit-up laced with hot dogs, birthday cake, and fruit juice saying, "It's OK honey, Mommy's here."

Who have walked around the house all night with their babies when they kept crying and wouldn't stop.

This is for all the mothers who have shown up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

For all the mothers who have run carpools and made dozens of cookies for school teas and sewn Halloween costumes.

And all the mothers who haven't because they are at work trying to earn enough to keep on top of the bills.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see.

And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes and all their love.

This is for all the mothers who have sat on cold metal bleachers at hockey, baseball or soccer games instead of watching from their cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and meant it.

This is for all the mothers who have yelled at their kids in the grocery store and swatted them in despair when they stomped their feet, like a tired two-year-old does who wants ice cream before dinner, and then hated themselves for "losing" it.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children to explain all about making babies. And for all the mothers who wanted to but just couldn't.

For all the mothers who read Goodnight, Moon twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time."

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who taught their sons to cook and sew and their daughters to be brave and strong. (And sink a jump shot.)

This is for all mothers whose heads turn automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home or grown up.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches, assuring them they'd be just fine once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away. And they do.

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, and who can't find the words to reach them.

For all the mothers who bite their lips, sometimes until they bleed, when their 14-year-olds dye their hair green.

What makes a good Mother anyway?
Is it patience?
Compassion?
Broad hips?

The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?

Or is it the heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?

Or the terror in your heart at 1 a.m. when your teenager with the new driver's license is an hour late getting home?

The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 a.m. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby?

Or to feel the dull ache as you look in on your sleeping daughter or son the night before they leave for a college in another city?

The need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

For all the mothers of the victims of all the school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting. For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for mothers who have tearfully placed flowers and teddy bears on their children's graves. Whose children have died from illness, accidents and the worst of all and hardest to comprehend, suicides.

This is for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation.

And mature mothers who have learned and are still learning to let go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.

Single mothers and married mothers.

Grandmothers whose wisdom and love remains a constant for their grown children and their children's children.

  

 


 

Blue Monday

A smiling boy. His mama said he rolled over today by himself! Oooh.....

My favorite blue food!

A blue moon!

The Colorado Columbine! Although this pretty wildflower is native to Canada it was adopted as my states flower on April 4, 1899 by a general assembly.

I hope you like my blue picks today! Happy New Year to all and enjoy 2012 as you stop by Sally's and wish her a beautiful and healthy New Year 2012!

Hello Blue Monday

I will have to add my photos this evening but did not want to miss the fun of Blue Monday! With temps dipping into the single digits and below zero hitting us all weekend long I decided blue Monday would be so appropriate for us! We will all turn into blue popsicles if we don't bundle up and layer properly!

I think a warm tropical beach would suit me just fine about now. Even another trip to Phoenix/Mesa in the sun! :)

My secret pen pal Nikki in Washington state, come visit and reveal yourself here too! Hee Hee Do you drink coffee, tea or cocoa? What us your pleasure!

Marilyn my first giveaway winner watch your mail later in the week as your package went out this morning!

Now hurry over to Sally and get happy here. Once I am home again I think my photos will load so come back tonight!

Blue Monday

Moonlite sky and meteors at a castle.

Twinkle Stars
 Just a little astronomy for Blue Monday. Come visit Sally and have a little blue this Monday!
"He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters at the boundary of light and darkness." Job 26:10
My note: blogger will not auto post my posts for me. This was suppose to come up Monday morning and here it was sitting. I wondered why I had no Blue Monday post! Duh!

Blue Monday/ Love Is...

Welcome to Blue Monday with Love is... We had a cold and rainy weekend and the sun is shining today. So after Nick's cross country meet Friday I pulled by electric blanket(blue) out of the closet. It is keeping my toes warm right now! My hubby has made this face many times when I snuggles those frozen toes up against his warm ones! Ha Ha!
The little pup at the foot of the bed looks like Roxie after she gets into trouble with with mom , Hannah! LOL!
I thought you might want to smile so I posted this just for you. Now head over to Sally's and Marydon's and share your blues and love is with all of us. Enjoy your week!

A Big Win For Blue Monday

Our son Nick suffering with shingles took 5th in the cross country meet on Friday. He is showing his medal off in the first photo and this second one shows several of the winners. Nick is on the right an to his left is Sean a team mate. The day was beautiful and the Trojan team won big! We were so proud.

Now hop over to Sally's and wish her well while you are browsing all the cool blues today.

Blogger is not allowing me to put up Martha's giveaway button.  I hope you will visit her soon and see some of the beautiful teacups she has "serial collected" through the years.