Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

A few words on grandparenting...

I've been thinking a lot lately about grandparents. Specifically, my grandparents as compared to the grandparents that I encounter these days. My Nana is now 101 and still kickin', though as much as I hate to admit - I know that can't go on forever. She's in a wheelchair now and her mind "comes & goes", but she still plays bingo a few times a week. :) Incredible!

We lost our beloved "Popoo" on New Years Eve 1989, but at least once a day something makes me think of him. They taught me and my siblings so very much - lessons that have helped all seven of us become responsible, law-abiding, respectable citizens - and isn't that ultimately all we ever want for our kids and grand-kids?

I think I'll do a little series on all the little things they taught me, as much for me as for the readers here, because with my first grandson on the way I'm thinking more and more "I want to be THAT kind of grandparent."

What do you think?


Monday, September 06, 2010

My month in pictures...

I know you've all just been *dying* to know why it's been so long since I've blogged...so here's a re-cap of the past month or so:



I'm working feverishly on my Patriotic Quilt for a special Marine (see below). So far, I have 10 blocks completed and 4 more cut and in the process of sewing.
I have until mid-November to finish it to Queen-size. Eek!! I'd better double-up my efforts!



A dear friend and part of our family went to Marine Boot Camp at Parris Island.

We are SO proud of Matt and all that he has accomplished already. It's funny how even something as simple as texting someone is so important when you're no longer able to, and how much you miss them. But...I know he's doing a GREAT job at boot camp and showing all the other recruits how it's done! :) (yes, this is who the quilt is for)


Let's see...there was the 2-room makeover. I can't remember if I blogged about that or not, but let's just say it was a longer process than I'd thought it would be! We painted and redecorated the living room and my daughter's room, and I would never have thought my house would be such a WRECK for weeks! But the results are fabulous and we're loving the updated look!

Oh! Hubby and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary last week!

We're taking a cruise the end of this month, and can't wait! I was really not wanting to spend all that $ on something so frivolous. I wanted us to do something for others instead. We are SO incredibly blessed, and there are so many out there hurting and in need...I just didn't feel right about going on a luxurious vacation while others were going without their basic neccessities. Mind you, this is not something that just came to me out of the goodness of my heart - I literally felt kicked in the gut one morning at church and super-convicted about it. But Hubby was insistent about wanting to do this cruise so...


Of course, God worked it all out as He always does! Instead of sailing out of Florida as we did on our first cruise, we're going out of New Orleans. This opened up the path for us to visit Desire for Change - a daycare that a lady runs in her basement for needy children. A group from our church went on a mission trip to NOLA over the summer, and this was one of the places that they spent time helping. I can't wait to meet Miss Dwana and do what we can to help them fill some needs there. We'll spend an extra day or two in NOLA before and after our cruise, and will be looking for ways to serve there however we can.

I asked my friends "Is it crazy that I'm more excited about visiting the Ninth Ward in New Orleans than I am about the cruise??"


My daughter started her Senior Year of high school. ~sobbing~ How did THAT happen??? She's the baby, and I have no idea what to do with myself now... Just yesterday, she was toddling around aggravating her big brothers, and now she's just an incredibly amazing young lady. But I'm still wondering where the years went...!?!?

There's plenty more, but suffice it to say I've been swamped. I'm SO looking forward to cooler weather and snuggling up with my sewing basket in the upcoming months.

What have you been doing during the last month of summer? Hope you've had a great one and are looking forward to Fall! I know I am! My favorite time of year...

'til next time...

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Classes and weddings and homecomings - Oh my!

To say I've been busy lately is quite an understatement. Yesterday alone I had the three things in the subject line to do, plus fitting in time for a much-needed haircut & brow waxing! Oh yeah, I think I was supposed to eat a little in between events, as well...but I kinda forgot to do that except for a cheeseburger at 3pm. : /

But I digress...


I'm still in full-on Quilting Addiction Mode. I try to work on something every evening, if possible (translation: if I can overcome the guilt of "neglecting" my husband & 17yo daughter, who probably couldn't care less that I'm in the sewing room anyway). I had another quilt class yesterday, and I just love those Saturday mornings! It's a small group, I think we had 6 yesterday, and the best teacher EVER. She is so, so patient and kind with everyone. You can see her love of the art shine through, and she's so encouraging to this newbie.

The other ladies are so sweet, as well. One is a 'girl' I went to church with many years ago. We were in youth group together, but lost touch as we grew older. I think we were both surprised to see one another in a quilting class, of all places! (we had a rather "colorful" time during our youth group years and have lots of chuckles reminiscing...I just wonder what the other ladies think when they hear us! LOL) We're both fairly new quilters, so we have fun bouncing off one another and helping each other out. We're also just a *tad* competitive about it, which gives me more determination to finish projects! ;)

Another is the teacher's mother-in-law, and she is such a sweet lady! She is always offering suggestions and tips and tricks for me to try, and is also so encouraging. I don't know the others as well, but the whole group is so great and I'm so glad I found the class. I just wish we had it more than once a month. I'm hinting around to our instructor about a Quilting Bee, though. ;)

After the class, and squeezing in the haircut & waxing, I headed to the locally owned, infamous fast-food joint - Pete's. They have THE BEST burgers ever. Seriously. They are like perfection on a bun. My brother and little nephew came to town after being in Hawaii for 3 years (bro is in the military), and the first place they wanted to visit at 'home' was Pete's. Nephew said today that "Pete's isn't good for you...but it sure is good!" It was awesome to see them both! I can't believe how big Titus has gotten - he's so tall! I guess they do that from 5-8 years old, though. :) They are here for the whole week before heading off to brother's next station, so hopefully we can spend lots of time together this week. :) :)

Then ~whew~ we went to one of, if not THE, most beautiful wedding ceremonies I've ever attended. A dear friend's daughter was the bride, and hubby and I were handling the technical stuff for them (video and audio). The ceremony was absolutely the most sweet, Spirit-filled thing ever. She is a school teacher who met her Youth Pastor hubby a few years ago, and they have been ministering together ever since. This is one of their engagement photos... I didn't notice the rain until I read the photographer's comments about the shoot. It started raining during their session, but they just kept shooting. He named their session "The Notebook" because of this picture... just beautiful!

I wish them a long lifetime of incredible love and success. They are truly an amazingly beautiful couple, inside and out! <3

So, that's why I haven't been blogging. Just been a little busy puttering around... I'm sure you'll all so glad you just wasted a perfectly good 5 minutes reading this babbling. ;)


Monday, October 26, 2009

Look who's in a skirt!



Skirt! Magazine


I noticed that my sister-in-law had become a "fan" of skirt! magazine on Facebook recently. I'd never heard of it, and didn't think much more about it. Until last week when I was at our local mall (aka "the hall" since it's now just about 5 stores and a big hall that old folks walk for exercise) and saw the display rack with the other newspaper racks outside. skirt! is free, btw, in case you didn't know - so I picked up a copy and brought it home to check it out.

Last night, I finally got the chance to pick it up and start reading. skirt! is a GREAT little mag just for women, by women, and about women. Imagine my surprise when I saw a full page with a huge picture of someone...

I couldn't quite place how I knew her....

then it hit me:



I already knew that Jen was a fellow Tarheel, but it was strange recognize someone that I "knew" - but only from an online blog that I just stumbled across a few months ago. Gotta love modern technology!

YES, Jen has a full-page feature about her frugal ways and fashion style in the current issue of skirt! Check it out online and share with your friends, or better yet - pick up a few print copies (they are even more fun!) at a location near you - remember, they are free!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Photos by Seed Sowers Photography

My beautiful baby girl...


Monday, September 28, 2009

Feeling Smug




Thanks to my niece, who asked me to help work on her website, I have discovered Smugmug!

It's a photo hosting/sharing site, and is SO user friendly and has some great added features (for example, having galleries that can be public, private, or both; sharing with other Smuggers, ordering prints, and so much more!).

I've used several other sites to store my personal photos, but I like this one best. After my computer crash a few weeks ago, I sure wish that I'd found Smugmug sooner! I have photos on MySpace and Facebook, as well as some at another photo hosting site (which I really. don't. like. but didn't know any better when I first found it!).

I am definitely moving ALL my photos to Smugmug to keep them safe, just in case I have another crash! :(

Start your FREE Trial

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Wordless Wednesday


My brother, James, and his son Titus.
James is currently serving in Iraq on his 5th tour in 6 years.
If you think about it, say a prayer for him now & then.
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