Mom's Pretty Apartment

Click the pictures to see them larger.

My sister Sandi and her daughter, Kori, were here over the weekend.  They spent some time hanging Mom's pictures and things and cleaning.  The apartment looks so pretty.  They both have "the knack." I've claimed this cozy little corner.  Mom got those pictures at an art party, I think.  I've always liked that little oak chest with the marble top.  She's had it for a long time.

This corner is diagonally across from "my" corner.  We got those prints for Mom when we lived in Hawaii.  They were done by a local artist.  There are two more in the set that we gave to Ron's mom.  I believe Kelly has them now.  This corner is near the patio doors.

This little table is near the entry door.  The silvery crosses go well with the picture frame, I think.

Here is the new couch.  The small pillows came with it.  Sandi brought the larger pillows from her place.  Mom really likes them.

I'm not sure where Mom got these prints.  Ron made the frames for them years ago.  The handsome soldier on her nightstand is my dad.

Thank you Sandi and Kori!  You did a beautiful job decorating Mom's apartment and making it look like home for her.

Reece and I were at Mom's for a long time this afternoon.  I finally got her cable and phone service working correctly.  The young man who helped me was so kind and courteous, and very patient.  He did it all from wherever he was, so no one needed to come out at all.

Ron goes back to work tomorrow, and the kids back to school.  The long weekend was nice.

The New Year Begins

Good grief.  I accidentally deleted a long post, and now I'm too frustrated to rewrite it.  Here's the abbreviated version. 

We loved having Jason and his family here.  They left Wednesday afternoon.

Highlights of the visit:  Jason and Lyssa playing their guitar and viola together.  They are writing a song together and it's very pretty.  Lyssa has been playing for only 2 years, but is the first viola chair.  She is so talented.

Shopping for jewelry with Ahlyssa and Lily.  They are such sweet girls.  Lys found a delicate silver filigree bracelet, and Lily a gold locket necklace for their Christmas gifts.  I think they like their treasures, and I was happy because they were on sale and are good quality pieces for my beautiful  granddaughters.  

Showing Lily how to knit at the last minute before they left.  She picked it up right away, and is going to make a scarf at home.  I was amazed at how fast she understood what to do.  She is eager to come back for Spring break.

Impromptu concerts every night.

Kismette's yummy cookies.  She always brings a big box of cutout, decorated cookies and we snack on them the whole time they are here.  She also brings Chex Mix--yum!

Seeing our little guys, Jacob and Reece, growing closer each visit.  They played and played and stayed up late to be together.  It was nice.  

Our oldest grandson, Caelen, is so sweet with the kids.  He mostly plays games on the computer and sleeps when he is here, and comes up for air and food now and then.  :o)  He's gotten so tall and lanky. He towers over me.

The little girls are always happy when their cousins are here.  And their Uncle Jason.  Poor guy,  he gets pestered to death, but he is always so loving and patient with them.  

Having family with us is such a great way to celebrate Christmas and the New Year.

Happy New Year!

We have had a busy few days.

Jason and family arrived Sunday around noon.  It has been so good to have them all here.  Reece and the girls are always so happy and excited when their cousins come to visit.  Me too!

We brought Great Gran over on Monday (New Year's Eve), just to hang out with all of us.  Ron and Jason got Freddie's hotdogs for the kids and Biff Buzby burgers for the adults (except for me; I didn't want fast food.  I had Cheerios with peaches).

After Mom ate, we went to get hair cuts.  Hers looks cute.  Mine looks a little manly.  Oh well, I didn't have much to work with, I guess.  My hair grows fast, so hopefully it will look a little more feminine in a couple of weeks.

Then we went to her old apartment complex to turn in her keys and gate card.  I hope I never see that place again.  After Mom moved out, a woman was going around the complex knocking on doors with her little girl, pretending to sell cookies.  When someone answered, she would ask if her little girl could use their bathroom.  Then she would go into the bathroom and close the door and proceed to steal whatever she could find.  The large walk-in closets are in the bathroom, rather than the bedroom, and people store all kinds of things in them.  If she was confronted, she would attack the elderly resident physically.  The good news is that she was caught at the complex.  She was on the nightly news, crying as they put her into a police car.  Her name is Tawanna Jackson and she is 24 years old.  What kind of world is this, where young people prey on the elderly?  And use their little child to do it.  It's sick.

We didn't stay up late last night to see the new year in.  All of us were too tired.  But we had a lovely New Year's Day.  There were seventeen of us here.  We had a spiral sliced ham with yummy glaze, scalloped potatoes, broccoli, Caesar salad, and dinner rolls.  Peach and blackberry cobblers for dessert, with ice cream.  I forgot about the black-eyed peas; I was going to make hoppin' John.

Kelly, Reece and I took Gran home around 8:30 PM.  She loved being here in the middle of all the chaos.  She loves the kids, and they love her.  Teddy stayed at the apartment and was wild with joy when we got there.  Kelly took him out right away, and then cleaned a couple of spots on the carpet before we came back home.  She's a sweetheart.

Now I am going to bed.  I pray that God will bless this new year, and all of you, as well.

The Big Feast

All of our children and grandchildren were here for Thanksgiving. Great Gran was sick and didn't feel like going out, so we missed her.  But we had 16 for dinner, and it was really nice.  We took Gran a big plate of food later in the day.

Most of the food was still in the kitchen at this point.  We filled our plates in there, and had just a few things on the table.  Everything was delicious.  

See the little paper place card in front of Ron's plate?  Jason made those when he was about 5 years old (he's 41 now).  They're looking a little grubby, but I still love using them.  

I got out my Christmas dishes and plan to use them from now until Valentine's day for special dinners.  

Here is Reece, getting a close up look at Mr. Turkey.

We moved things around and put two extra tables in the living room so that we could all eat together, sort of.  Jason's kids ate at the big round table, and Josh's at the small round table.  The 8 adults ate at the dining room table. 

I love Thanksgiving and having my family home.  It was wonderful.

Ahlyssa's Art

Our thirteen year old granddaughter, Ahlyssa, made these drawings of lilies and a rose. 

The color is not quite true because I enhanced them to make them a little darker and easier to see on the computer. 

They arrived this morning, and she brought a large drawing of a rose in full bloom for me and Papa. We love it! I told her I'm going to have it framed. 

I've made my cornbread, now on to pies and a cake. Hope you're all having a great time getting ready for Thanksgiving.

Getting Ready

I took Mom to the gastroenterologist yesterday.  Her new primary care physician referred her to this doctor.  He was very nice and like all her other doctors, he thinks she is incredibly healthy for an 86 year old.  Her blood count was 9.9, so low but not dangerously low.  They want to figure out why she is anemic.  She said she didn't want to do a colonoscopy, so he said they will do the endoscopy first, and if they find out something there they won't have to go further.  If they don't find anything, he will "negotiate" with her and try to convince her to have the colonoscopy.  I'm just grateful that they want to do everything they can to help her, despite the fact that she is 86.

Mom had not had anything to eat and was really hungry by the time we finished at the doctors.  I was hungry too, having had only a piece of toast with butter and jam for breakfast.  So we stopped for a late lunch about 3 PM.  I took her home and did what needed to be done there, and it was nearly 5 PM when I got home.

Josh, Cyrise and I wrote up the menu for Thanksgiving and made a grocery list this morning.  Jason and his family will be here tomorrow--hooray!  

*Later

The kids went grocery shopping and got a 22 lb. turkey.  It's huge!  It should feed all of us with no problem.  The fridge and pantry are stuffed.

I've been cleaning downstairs today.  Josh and Cyrise worked on the upstairs, where our guests will stay (bedroom and bathroom).  I should have made the cornbread for my stuffing, but I'm too tired tonight.  Will do it first thing in the morning.

The kids are so excited that their cousins are coming.  They are wild about Uncle Jason; the little girls pester him to death, talking, talking, talking and asking him questions.  He's so patient with them.

They wanted to be with me, "helping" while I vacuumed, cleaned with Murphy's Oil Soap, dusted and cleaned some spots on the carpet.  I wish I could be as patient as Jason and their daddy.  I'm constantly saying, "Don't do that!" "Leave that alone!"  "Why don't you go outside and play?"  I just need to chill out.  :o)

If I don't get back here by Thursday, have a Happy Thanksgiving!  I'm very thankful for all of you who visit me here each day.  Thank you!

Holiday Pics

We had an enjoyable Fourth of July. It was just Josh and his family, Gran and me and Ron.

We had ribs, corn on the cob, red skinned potato salad and this flag cake for dessert. I started to cut into the cake, then remembered I wanted to take a picture. Cyrise made it, and the little girls helped put the fruit on it. It's a Fourth of July tradition. :o)

The kids enjoyed the pool all day long, especially when Great Gran and I got in with them.

Josh and Cyrise took Reece to see the fireworks display in Schertz. The little girls didn't go; they were already in bed and asleep by 8:30.

Reece loved seeing them and told us all about it this morning.

I sat out on the patio, listening to music and enjoying the breeze. We have several hummingbirds visiting the feeders, and I loved watching them. Ron joined me there for awhile. We could hear the booms from the fireworks show.

It was a pleasant holiday.

Happy Independence Day, America!

Hope you're all having a wonderful 4th of July!

God bless the USA.

picture source

Friday Again Already

Lily in her Minnie Mouse ears with Santa hat. She looks so much like her mama.

That was a whirlwind visit! Our son Jason and his family left tonight. I'm so glad they decided to come for Thanksgiving. It was fun and I loved having them all here.

Last week my doctor asked what we were planning for Thanksgiving, and laughed when I told him that we would have three kids and their spouses, eight grandchildren and six dogs. He was having company, too, but I'm sure his day was much calmer than ours. It was crazy and hectic, but I wouldn't change a thing. Some day maybe I'll be organized and have everything ready well in advance, but that hasn't happened yet. But no one cares, and everyone helps, so it all works out.

No Black Friday shopping for me; I can't handle the crowds. Instead we stayed home, relaxed and ate leftovers. Some of the kids slept half the day, others played video games, read books, or played outside. Everyone came in and out of the kitchen and ate whatever they could find in the fridge whenever they were hungry. Gravy and stuffing are even better the second day.

Tonight Ahlyssa played my violin for us. She is learning to play the viola, but was able to play several pieces on my violin, even without her music. And she only started learning this fall! I am amazed at how well she is doing, and so proud of her. She has inherited her daddy's musical gift.

Reece is going to miss his cousins and Uncle Jason and Aunt Kis. He loves all of them so much. The little girls will miss them, too, especially Lily. She is such a little mommy. She played with them and took care of them the whole time she was here, even baby Gina. When I see them all together I really wish we all lived closer together.

And now I think I'll go have a piece of pumpkin pie and ice cream before I go to sleep. :o) (I wish we still had some of Kelly's banana cream pie. She used her grandmother's recipe, and it was so delicious)!

Happy Thanksgiving!

May you all have a blessed day with family and friends, food and football!

Our son and his family from Spring have arrived, and the house is filled with wonderful, precious people.

Ron gave me a Kindle for my birthday. I haven't figured it out yet (no time), but I'm excited to be able to download books and all kinds of things. All that's on there right now is Angry Birds for Reece. :o)

Jason gave me a case for my Kindle, Mom gave me an angel in a snow globe. The music is Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and it's so pretty. My sister Sandi gave me girly lavender PJs, my niece gave me a movie, Ponyo, to share with my grandkids. It's her little boy's favorite movie, and she thought we would love it, too. Reece and I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but the two little girls have watched it 3 or 4 times already. Yes, they love it! :o)

I got to have chemo for my birthday. Oh boy, just what I've always wanted. It went well, but I was zonked out all afternoon. Slept like a log.

I still haven't made my pumpkin pie or cranberry orange relish. I'd better get a move on!

I am very thankful for all of you who visit me here, who cheer me on and pray for me. Thank you so much! You are holding me up.

Catching Up

These are the beautiful flowers my little sis and brother-in-law sent for my birthday. They were our perfect Thanksgiving centerpiece. I love them.

A cold front came through Thanksgiving day and brought us some COLD weather. Kelly, Reece and I went for a walk around the block (Reece wanted to go on a nature hike) after dinner, and it was COLD. We had to go back inside and find jackets to wear.

We had such a lovely Thanksgiving. Too much food, lots of family and plenty of love goin' on around here. Mom and Sandi got to meet baby Gina for the first time. Reece, Aubrey and Camryn all looked so cute and were excited by everything going on. When we were at the table, Reece declared, "I love Thanksgiving!"

Sandi cut Aubrey's hair into a little bob, and she looks darling. I had charged my camera battery, but was so busy that day that I didn't take a single picture.

I never ever go shopping on Black Friday, but my sister Sandi is all into it. She was up at 4 AM to go to a sale, and got some great bargains on Christmas gifts for her family. She came by here and I went with her to Macys and The Children's Place later in the morning. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be at Macys, but we had to wait in line for quite awhile to pay at The Children's Place. I got an $80 purse at Macys for $23, and as I was starting to pay for it, Sandi stepped in and bought it for me for my birthday!

Reece spent the night last night and we kept him with us most of the day today. We played all evening yesterday, and all day today. Papa bought him more farm animals and he was very absorbed in them. We watched The Wizard of Oz last night, and Reece was scared at bedtime. He didn't know why he was scared, but I suspect it was a reaction to the wicked witch in the movie. Or those spooky flying monkeys. Right now I'm missing the way he leans against me and puts his little hand on my arm when I'm drawing or cutting something out for him.

Sandi and Mom spent the day at Mom's apartment cleaning and decorating her place for Christmas. I'm looking forward to seeing it tomorrow when we pick Mom up for Mass. Sandi is planning to go home tomorrow. It's been wonderful to have her here. My sisters are such a blessing.

Gran's Birthday Party

It was so much fun to have my family here over the long weekend. It's always kind of wild and hectic when we all get together, but we have a ball.

Mom's birthday was Sunday, and I think she enjoyed being here with everyone. We had a cook-out with lots of food. My sister Sandi was here, and brought a birthday cake that she baked for Mom.














Mom enjoyed her presents, her cake and ice cream and her grands and great-grands












And she enjoyed a beer. Here's my 84 year old mother having a Coors Light on her birthday.

She thought it was hilarious that I was taking her picture with her beer. :o) Isn't she just the cutest little Gran ever?

Happy Birthday, Mama!

Halloween Cuteness Overload

Mom and I went to dinner at Josh and Cyrise's house this evening. Josh grilled chicken, and Cyrise made rice and green beans with bacon, and had apple dumplings and ice cream for dessert. Yum! Everything was so delicious.

Ron had to miss out because he has had some sort of stomach bug today and he was feeling rotten. He feels better now. Good thing, because he has to fly out of town tomorrow. :o(

After dinner I took pictures of Reece and Aubrey outside, before they went trick or treating. Reece was the cutest Superman ever, and Aubrey was the most enchanting little zebra. Camryn wore the little pumpkin outfit Aubrey wore last year and looked totally precious.




Eat your heart out, Clark Kent.




















Let me try out this X-ray vision thing.




















Z is for Zebra.




















With a cute mane and tail.




















Superman thought that Zebra was awfully cute, and needed a kiss.

















Meanwhile, baby Camryn is wondering what the heck she's doing in this fuzzy orange suit.















Snuggles for a little orange pumpkin.

I took a similar picture of Cyrise with Aubrey in the same costume last year. :o)

I miss my other four grands, and wonder how they dressed up for Halloween this year. I need pictures!

Happy All Saints and All Souls, y'all!

Beware Of Long-Leggedy Beasties!

Happy Hallowe'en!

Today is the eve of All Saint's Day (All Hallows, November 1st), the day the Church traditionally celebrates all of the Saints in Heaven, the Church Triumphant.

Sunday November 2nd is All Soul's Day, the day we pray for all of the souls in Purgatory, the Church Suffering, especially our loved ones.

Today, Hallowe'en, is unofficially the day we remember those souls in hell. It is understandable then that the symbolism is frightening and macabre, and perhaps helps us renew our determination to stay on the narrow path to Heaven rather than the wide and easy path to hell. I sure don't want to be one of those poor souls in this picture!


From ghoulies and ghosties

And long-leggedy beasties

And things that go bump in the night,

Good Lord, deliver us!

Amen

Let Freedom Never Perish

We had a really nice, laid-back sort of Fourth of July. Everyone was here except for Kelly and Mike. The kids watched a movie, played with the Wii, and swam with their dads. Ron, Jason and Josh grilled the marinated chicken thighs that Josh and Cyrise brought and drank some beer. The chicken was delicious. Mom had fun watching the kids in the pool, and Teddy enjoyed being here with the puppies and eating Maggie's food. :o)

Jacob and Reece loved jumping into the pool with their daddys. It's amazing how quickly Jake has conquered his fear of the water. Reece wore his daddy out wanting to jump to him and go underwater. We finally had to get him out of the pool, and he was so upset. But he calmed down quickly once we got inside.

Josh and his family went home for awhile after we ate, so the kids could rest before we went to watch fireworks. They came back over later and we all went to watch the fireworks show in a small town nearby. It was fun. The kids and I were in the back of Ron's pickup, and they all enjoyed the pretty fireworks. I was holding Reece, and he kept getting heavier and heavier. He was almost asleep by the end of the show.

There was a long line of cars on the way back, but seeing fireworks on the Fourth of July is worth the trouble, I think. It's a tradition we enjoy. I hope you had a wonderful Fourth, too!

Please pray for America.

Change Of Plans

Well, those Memorial Day plans sure got changed! Instead of a big family cook-out, we got a new grandbaby. :o)

Camryn got to go home today! Reece and Aubrey are still with us, but will go home tomorrow. Josh will be on paternity leave this week.

Kelly and Mike were sick this weekend, so they would not have been here anyway.

So it was just me and Ron, Reece and Aubrey here today. Ron grilled the tenderloin, and I made some rice and green beans. Reece loved everything! Josh came by and took some food home for himself and Cyrise.


We played outside, and Reece and Papa got in the pool for a bit. Reece sure loved that! He went under the water again and again and came up grinning. :o)

I put Aubrey on a blanket in the grass and she had fun exploring, picking up leaves and tasting the pepper that Reece picked. :o) (It wasn't hot).

I'm so glad they are very comfortable staying with us.

They were both sleepy and ready for bed after their baths tonight. They will have a big day tomorrow, getting used to having a new baby sister around. :o)

Four Day Weekend!

There was a low Mass yesterday evening for Ascension Thursday, and Ron and I went. There were not as many people there as on Sundays, but it was still a pretty good turn-out for a week night. I'm sure it was mostly the people who go to daily Mass. There was a rosary after Mass, and those who stayed had obviously prayed it together for a long time. Very nice.

Ron will have a four day weekend. He's off today, and Monday is Memorial Day. He is working in the yard today, edging and mowing.

Kelly and I are going hiking on Sunday. She wants to show me a new rugged new place she discovered to hike, so we're going early on Sunday and taking her dogs. I'll have to go to a different Mass, but want to spend time with her, so I'll probably go to the Novus Ordo Latin Mass Sunday evening.

We're planning a cook-out for Memorial Day Monday. We have a pork tenderloin in the freezer, so we may grill that. I may need to get another one, depending on how many people are here. Not sure yet what else we'll have, but we haven't made ice cream in years, so that might be fun (if I can find the ice cream freezer).

My Funny Valentines

Aubrey has eight (8!) teeth now, and she likes to feel them with her fingers.
















And with her lips. :o)

She is such a sweet little dolly.
















Reece, taste-testing the valentine cookies we made. Here he is licking the frosting off the cookie.

















I think he likes them. :o)

Happy Valentine's Day!

I bought these vintage valentines at the antique store in Gruene yesterday, for 50 cents each. Aren't they cute?

They remind me of the kind we used to put into the valentine mailboxes of our classmates when we were kids.

The one on the left is for Reece (he loves hot dogs), and the cute little ice cream cone is Aubrey's.

















I attached them to their valentine gift bags. The valentine at the bottom was for Ron. It's a book of matches that says, "We are a perfect match."

















Reece and I made valentine sugar cookies today. We took a plateful to his mommy, daddy and Aubrey when I took him home this afternoon. He enjoyed making them. I'll take some to Mom tomorrow, too. She loves cookies.

Valentines

Want to see my valentines?

I have a craft room full of stuff, so didn't have to buy anything except some card stock.

Scrapbook or tissue paper glued to the front of the card with decoupage glue.

Random valentine hearts bought a few years ago at the Dollar Tree. There were lots of hearts in the package! I've been using them for at least 3 years now.

I used the scrapbook paper (also from the Dollar Tree) for girly valentines because it's pretty and pink. I used the tissue paper for boyish valentines, because even though it has flowers and French words on it, the colors make it look more masculine.

I had some gold heart-shaped doilies, so I used those behind the hearts on the girly ones because--well, they're girly. I left the boy hearts plain.

I wrote simple love messages inside for each recipient.

They were quick, easy and fun to do. And they're made with LOVE. :o)