Simple Sunday...Happy Easter!

Easter Blessings To You All!

Happy ...

Valentine's Day to you all!

You don't need a significant other to celebrate! Celebrate with your kids, a friend, your dogs, or horses!
Buy yourself some flowers and candy (or fruit if you're so inclined) and enjoy your day!
Jim and I don't "do it up big", but I look at it as a fun day for kids and their school parties (although those days are behind me). What can be sweeter?!

 Love yourself!

Monday's Musings...

It was a very quiet and simple holiday week, but one that I enjoyed very much. We managed to spend it with nearly everyone that we wanted to...there are those that we love far away that we would have loved to see...
Everything was simple and gave me time to reflect on what exactly this holiday is all about.

I have things that I want to say, but can't find the words. Isn't that weird. It's nothing serious or profound, just reflections. Maybe another day.

I will share just a few pictures from our Christmas Day:

I tried a new recipe for a french toast crock pot breakfast. Bad time to try new recipe.
The chickens enjoyed it topped with their Christmas present of dried mealworms!

Duke and Sosha get their gifts first.

Sosha enjoys a new woobie!

Duke unwrapping that new bone that he was staring at on the mantle on Christmas Eve.

I was really excited to give this to Jamie. It's a To Kill a Mockingbird charm bracelet (her favorite book).
Each charm represents one of the items that Boo left in the knothole in the tree.

Allow me to tell a story:
We have a crawlspace off the basement where we keep the Christmas wrapping paper
and where we used to hide Santa gifts. It's creepy in there so I only take out whatever I can reach
and make Jim crawl in for the rest.
This year we found something we must have missed about 15 years ago.
We decided to give it to Jon anyways. :-)
He had friends over on New Year's Eve.
I wonder if they played with it!

Jim wanted a price gun for some of his inventory that he has
on hand. It would save him from having to search for a price.
When he opened it he said that he's wanted one since he was
eight years old. Then he started pricing everything.

We spent the afternoon at Jon's house where one of his cats, Ethel,
was enjoying his new Wii game.

Isn't this the cutest couple ever?
Brittany had to work so we only saw her for
a little bit before we headed home.

Yes, it was a good Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all!

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better thruout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. 
~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas Eve and My Babies

My babies are long grown and mostly moved out of the nest, but I hold these memories in my heart...

Christmas - 1980 - Baby Jamie (5 mos. old) with Santa

Christmas - 1989 - Baby Jon (9 mos. old) and Big Sister Jamie (9 yrs. old)
and I'm quite certain that Jon only agreed to sit on Santa's lap because his Dot was with him.
*When Jon started talking he called Jamie "Dot".

Duker-day...Wrapping gifts

Duke here. My mom and dad were wrapping gifts a few days ago and I saw something. I saw something I shouldn't have seen. And it was gooood! My mom decided that putting my gifts under the tree wasn't a wise idea. Something about a certain someone who is not to be trusted. She couldn't possibly have been talking about me. Right?

I can't wait for Christmas.

Sosha and I promise not to destroy our presents in less than two minutes this year.
This was a couple of years ago. We've grown up since then.

Simple Sunday - Christmas Edition

Yes, those are two cans of spray paint that my son is holding. Yes, he did ask for spray paint for Christmas. No, he was not an early graffiti artist.

He loved to play family flag football. He decided to go all out and wanted to paint lines on our "football field". He also asked for, and received, a roll of caution tape and road cones. Eventually he and his Daddy-O put together and installed a goal post. It stood for a good many years after the family no longer played football together...

Christmas 1996 - My seven year old son, Jon. Isn't that the greatest smile?

Loving my Christmas memories,

Simple Sunday - Christmas Edition

We're back! I had been working hard getting caught up around here and decided to take a little break this past week. Happy to be back and ready to share some of my Christmas memories on these Sundays leading up till Christmas.

Christmas 1981 - I was a newly single mom and we were living with my parents. We didn't have much, but I wanted to make a happy Christmas for my baby...

Jamie, age 17 months, loving the new baby she got from Santa.

Enjoy your Sunday,

Thanksgiving!

Giving Thanks

For the hay and the corn and the wheat that is reaped,
For the labor well done, and the barns that are heaped,
For the sun and the dew and the sweet honeycomb,
For the rose and the song and the harvest brought home --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the trade and the skill and the wealth in our land,
For the cunning and strength of the workingman's hand,
For the good that our artists and poets have taught,
For the friendship that hope and affection have brought --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the homes that with purest affection are blest,
For the season of plenty and well-deserved rest,
For our country extending from sea unto sea;
The land that is known as the "Land of the Free" --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

~Author Unknown 

I have so much to be thankful for...God and my family, a husband who works hard and loves me unconditionally, a daughter who is a wonderful teacher and is able to make a difference in her little ones' lives, a son who works hard and is good at what he does, and his girlfriend who loves him and will be a great nurse in just a couple of years, my mother-in-law who raised the best husband I could ask for, the memories of my parents and my father-in-law, my siblings and siblings-in-law who we know are always there for us, good friends near and far (that includes you!), a warm house and good food, steady work and bills that are paid, the opportunity to pursue my hobbies and interests, good health and happiness...yes I am thankful for much!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Veterans Day

My father served during the Korean War. Even though he never served over there, his duty here changed him forever. All of the soldiers who lost their lives came through where my dad was stationed and my mom told me once that he could never listen to "Taps" again after the war. It was just too difficult. He had heard it over and over during the war. 

My dad on the left.

My father-in-law served during World War II. He lost an older brother and I'm sure many friends. He never talked about it. That's the way he was. He did his duty, served his country, came home and put it behind him. I'm sure that it wasn't all "behind him". How could it be?

Today I appreciate and thank all veterans for their service in making sure that our country remains what our forefathers had intended it to be. Free.

 

My girl...

Thirty-one *shhh* years ago, on this very day, I gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl I had ever laid eyes on. She was an angel with her blond fuzz and big blue eyes. She was named Jamie Lynn, born on 7-21 at 7:02pm weighing 7 lbs. 2oz. and 21 inches long.

Jamie was probably 2 days old in this picture. I am 19.

In honor of her 31 years of blessing us with her beauty, grace, humor, and always being there for us, I am sharing some of my favorite pictures...

The original Cabbage Patch doll. ~ six months old

With her best friend, Ruby, who used to escape by crawling under my mom's buffet. Jamie at about a year and a half soon learned to follow!

This picture was intended to be of only Jim and I, but my brother-in-law spotted Jamie just out of the shot and...one of my all time favorites. She is 5 1/2.

She's about six here, telling her dad an important (I'm sure ;-)) secret.

Love this one of her and her Popop. Jamie's about 7 here.

At 8 1/2, she wasn't thrilled at first that we gave her a baby brother, instead of the baby sister that she insisted would be named Bambi. I think she got over the disappointment.

You notice that Jamie, her dad, and her brother are all wearing pink toy earrings here?

Love this picture of my mom and my children in 2000.

A very proud moment. College graduation in 2004.

Happy Birthday, Jamie! I have a feeling that this will be a great year! I love you! ♥

 P.S. There were so many more pictures that I could have included. It was tough to pick and choose! :-)

This, That. and The Other

And that's exactly what I'm talking about today --

• My chicks are growing like crazy and they give me a chuckle each and every day. I never thought having chickens would bring me a little joy (and a lot of stink) but they do.
• We spent the evening last night at our son's house. Just the five of us celebrating Brittany's (Jon's girlfriend) birthday. She's a Fourth of July baby. Chinese take-out, birthday cake and nursing school bday presents for Brittany (we're happy that she's starting nursing school this fall☺). We're a kind of low-key family, not overly demonstrative, but I hope Brittany knows that we do love her!
• One year ago today (well tomorrow if you go by the date, but it was Tuesday), we left to head to Mankato, Minnesota and LauraPalooza. Beyond Little House is having a LauraPalooza event this week into next, looking back at last year's LauraPalooza and forward to next year's. I will be sharing a memory or two next week over there and a little more in depth right here (because I may tend to go on and on☺)
• Also on Beyond Little House last week, I posed a question: "What kind of fan are you?" regarding what, as a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, might you collect, if anything besides the "Little House" books. My collecting has evolved over the years from books, to knickknacks, to antiques of items mentioned in the books or that Laura, herself, may have had. I have a hankering to talk about it more in depth here because, as I mentioned above, I tend to go on when in comes to LIW. Is anyone interested in seeing and hearing more about my collection here on this blog?
• Every year wrens nest in the same birdhouse in our backyard. They are my very favorite birdsong to listen to and one of the reasons I don't have a/c, so that I can have my windows open...especially early in the morning when all the birds are greeting the new day with their beautiful song.
• Call me crazy, but I've decided that my beloved pup, Duke, has enough to say that I'm devoting a day a week here to him. He'll share pictures, his thoughts, maybe a short (or long) story. It'll be every Saturday, but we're calling it...Duker-day!

I thinks that's it for the This and That. So, here The Other:

 Jamie, from From My Classroom Window (who also happens to be my daughter☺) tagged me and gave me two awards. Thanks Jamie! I already have one of them and here's the other:

I'm supposed to tell you seven random facts about myself, tag people and pass the award onto five people. Let's see...can I think of seven random facts that I haven't already talked about here:

1. Daisies are my favorite flower.
2. I can count on one hand the number of nights Jim and I were away from our kids while they were growing up. I don't regret it, but now that they're adults I'm cherishing the times Jim and I can get away on our own for a weekend.
3. I wonder why, at 50, I know what I want and I can get there, but I just don't...(I know what I mean!)
4. It's easier to think of seven negative facts about myself than it is the more random or positive ones I'm trying to come up with. And it's taking waaaay too long to think of them!
5. I wrestle with the fact that, for the first time in over 25 years, I don't volunteer for anything. I enjoy the freedom, but feel a little empty.
6. I feel my children are my greatest accomplishment. Other than that, I often feel that I have failed in most other aspects of my life.
7. I used to be a cat person, but then Duke came along.

Okay...who to tag and pass the award to?

1. Debbie at Debbie's Digest
2. Retired Knitter at My Next 20 Years of Living
3. Delores at thefeatherednest
4. Julie at Empty Nest Insider
5. Just Stuff From A Boomer

You know I hate picking people. Maybe that should be another random fact about me...

Happy Fourth of July!

And remember what it stands for. Freedom. The American Flag. This great land of ours. The United States of America! Hooray!
Plus, a very Happy Fourth of July Birthday wish goes out to my son's girlfriend, Brittany! A really special young woman and we sure do love her! ♥