A gathering of the Sisterhood

My sister Debbie's birthday was last Sunday, November 4, so we sisters and sisters-in-law gathered to celebrate at Pizza Crossing, our favorite pizza place!! Oh my, but their pizza is to die for! Anywayyyy.....we started celebrating our birthdays together many years ago and have carried on the tradition, for which I am thankful. Sometimes the nieces join us, too, as did April, Debbie's daughter, on this day. :-) From the left, in the picture below is: My sister Bev, Debbie, our SIL Cheryl, Me! :-), and our SIL Sandy!! We have the BEST SIL's!!! :-)

 

 

Below is Debbie and her daughter April, who surprised Debbie by coming to join us!!

 



My birthday was this past Thursday.....I turned 61! Did we ever think we would be this old? I mean, not that I feel OLD, but I can remember when my parents were this age and I THOUGHT they were REALLY old!! :-)

Okay, well, in my heart and mind I feel about 35 but then my body reminds me to not take it so fast!! :-) Someone told me the other day to "hurry up".    I said, "This IS my "hurry up"!!! Sheesh!! :-)

We will be going out for lunch for my birthday tomorrow (Tuesday)!  I can't wait!! :-)
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Today, for my and Ed's lunch and dinner I fixed ham and beans with rivels and homemade cornbread! Oh yum!!  It really hit the spot, as it is cold and rainy here!

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Ellie, the kitty of the house, has been snuggled in her box in front of the stove all day. :-) What a life! :-)

Well, except for the one time she opened an eye long enough to see a bird out the window:

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And in closing, little Jaxon, who will be 1 on December 21, spent the afternoon with us yesterday while Jaylon was at his Mawmaw's.  :-)  My, but how we love these precious babies!!

Hope you are all having a good Monday and start of the week!! 

Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him, and expect help from Him, He will never fail you. –George Mueller

It was GRAND! :-)

Here we are shortly after arriving at the Grand Canyon! This has been a life-long dream of mine....to see the Grand Canyon. It did not disappoint and to think it finally became a realization with my wonderful husband! Wow! It just doesn't get any better!!

This picture was taken the next morning as the sun came up. *sigh* Such beauty to behold.
 Oh, I'm talking about the canyon, not me! :-)

And here is Ed looking all handsome for me!! :-)

We flew into Las Vegas, arriving at 9:15AM.  We rented a car and drove to the Golden Nugget, which was suggested by a dear friend who has been there before. I most often do the driving in unfamiliar metro areas and, thankfully, got to the hotel without a hitch! Thank you, Jesus!

Our room was wonderful and we both slept like babies, as the beds and pillows were so wonderfully comfortable!

This is our drive out of Las Vegas heading toward the Hoover Dam, like nothing I've ever seen before!

See how desolate the terrain looks? Unbelieveable.

 I took so many pictures! The wide open spaces are what I was amazed at because we are surrounded by hills here. Tree-covered hills. Trees with leaves. Ed said he would never complain about raking leaves ever again! :-) I have to agree. And speaking of leaves, this is what we came home to and we're not complaining! :-)

And now that we have been home for a few days, we are getting the upper hand on those leaves that we now love! See for yourselves:

And this is what the front of the house looks like with the few "dressings" I've put around in honor of  autumn and the coming Thanksgiving holiday!! :-)

Have a wonderful weekend, give what you can to the Red Cross for those who are suffering because of Hurricane Sandy and pray that the help can get to them soon AND that they can resume a life of "normalcy" soon. In Jesus' Name.

"These are a few of my favorites things....."

Here are two of my favorite guys in the whole wide world at church camp last night!! Aren't they handsome? :-)

Below are pictures of little Jaxon trying green beans for the first time! :-)

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Jaylon was in his first wedding as a ringbearer about a month ago.  When Ed and I arrived at the church at about one o'clock, Jaylon was hungry, so I made a quick trip to BK to get him something to eat.

Once he had eaten, it was his normal naptime....about two o'clock.  The wedding was at 2:30, but try as we might we couldn't keep him awake:

Daniel woke him up shortly before the wedding started and ended up carrying him down the aisle.  Once at the altar, Jaylon did stand with his Uncle Brian who is shown in the above picture on the left. :-)

Below are some pictures taken before  Jaylon fell asleep! :-)  And then there is one of little Jaxon and Grandpa and Jaylon and his Pawpaw after the wedding!

I didn't get any pictures of Erin Maree because she was busy, busy, busy with the reception preparations and anywhere else she was needed!

All in all, Jay did pretty good for being his first wedding!  :-)  And a little hint to future brides and mothers of little ones in the wedding party.....You might want to consider naptimes when planning.

:-)

Wednesday Hodgepodge #84!

Can you believe I am doing the Hodgepodge? I can hardly believe it but I am determined to get back to blogging!! So here are my answers and I hope to get around to read some of yours!! Happy Wednesday!!! :-) AND if you would like to join in, just go on over to Joyce's blog to find out how!! :-) 1. How often do you check the weather? How do you check the weather?

We usually watch the local early morning newscast and get the daily/weekly weather report there.  And that is the only time I check unless there is an impending storm.

2. Since this is volume 84 of the Wednesday Hodgepodge, and since I got married in 1984, and since I'm attending a wedding this weekend it only seems right to post something related here.

"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other or ever so similar beforehand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always continue to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life."

Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Agree or Disagree. Why?

Wellllll........I tend to agree more than disagree because you aren't just automatically happy when you get married.  I mean, real life sets into the relationship prettttyy quickly and things can get a bit sketchy.  Sooooo, you must decide if you want to be right all of the time or if you want to learn to compromise and have a peaceful home.  :-)  You must decide to accept eachother's quirky little habits.  You must also decide to give eachother space and not smother one another.  Marriage truly requires effort on both parts and the presence and wisdom of the Lord  and His word in all that you do. 

3. Do you like to dance? Have you ever taken dance lessons?

I have always loved to dance.  My twin brother Johnny and I were vioted the best dancers in our senior class and I often won the dance contests at our high school sock hops (remember those?). :-)  Oh, no, I've never taken lessons.  My brothers and sisters and I used to watch American Bandstand every Saturday afternoon and we learned to dance from watching them.  My sister Debbie and I used to do a really good rock 'n roll/ jitterbug, though there was not throwing each other in the air or any of that kind of stuff! :-)

4. Fresh from the oven peach pie or home made peach ice cream? Pick one.

Oh, definitely the fresh-from-the-oven peach pie!!!  With a scoop of vanilla ice cream please! :-)

5. Should people accept unfairness and learn to make the best of it?

It depends, of course, on what type of unfairness is being meted out.  Thank goodness that slavery was not just accepted, but there were brave people who decided they were no longer going to endure it.  And even though slavery was abolished, racism in America still exists.  Many black Americans must still decide each day if they are going to tolerate it or take steps to do something about it, all the while knowing there will be repercussions.  I believe many still choose to just make the best of it, as do many less-fortunate people in our society.

And then there are the people of  Egypt, Syria and other countries who have chosen to do something about the unfairness of their governments.  Thousand have died fighting against the tyranny of unfairness.

But everyday life will always present times of unfairness.  We have all experienced it, I am fairly sure of, at one time or another.  In my life, I have found that the Lord has used circumstances of unfairness, many times, to teach me invaluable lessons of humility and submission.  

6. The top five all time summer movie blockbusters (released between May and August and grossing at least 100 million dollars) are-Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars (the original), Ghostbusters, and ET. Which one's your favorite?

Raiders of the Lost Ark was awesome but I would have to say E.T. is my favorite!! :-)

7. If given the chance, would you like to visit the moon?

Uh,  that would be a "no".  :-)

8. Insert your own random thought here.
The recent power outage that we had has made a new cat out of Ellie, the kitty of our house!  This should have happened YEARS ago!!!  LOL She has always been kind of aloof and snooty, but since she was left for four nights in a row, had to live in a dark, rather hot and humid home, she has been REBORN!!  This cat is so affectionate now and has become like my shadow!!  I love it!!  :-)   Just lookin' for some positve in a pretty difficult time here in my little valley!!!  :-) 

Our growing-up grandsons!

Please.....pause for a moment....compose yourself....take a couple of deep breaths.

Therrre we go. Better?

I know that in coming here....if, indeed, you still do....and finding a current blog post must come as a complete shock to your system, so I wanted you to take it in slowly. :-)

Not that I have anything great to post about except....

THE TWO MOST GORGEOUS GRANDSONS IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!! LOL Yeehaa!!!

Okay, okay, I know all of you grandmothers feel that way about your grandchildren, as well you should! Aren't they WONDERFUL!?!?!?!?!?! :-)

Next to my precious Lord Jesus and my amazing husband AND my dear son, I NEVER knew love like this before. *tears* I just never knew that I would love my grandchildren like this UNTIL I saw them.

As I said in a long-ago post, each time I see them is like the first time all over again!! And it is still true 3 1/2 years and 6 months later!!! :-)

Andddd, of course, you must know that I would have pictures!! Oh and let me give you fair warning: NEVER ask a grandparent if they have pictures unless you REALLY don't mind looking at grandchildren pictures!! :-)

Below, for your viewing pleasure, is Grandpa Ed and little Jaxon, who is now 6 months old and the happiest baby in the whole USA!! :-) He is the most pleasant little thing all of the time!! I've told Daniel and Erin countless times how blessed they have been with two good babies. But then, I know that alot of it has to do with their parenting.  And they are such good parents.   :-)

And this is little Jaxon and Grandpa, after Grandpa picked him up! :-)

This is handsome little Jaylon.  :-)  We had just come in from playing outside.  He had been riding his big wheel up and down the sidewalk and he suddenly stopped, came up onto the porch where I was sitting and said, "Grandma, it is too sweaty out here.  Let's go inside."  I didn't argue one bit!  So I took him inside and washed him off with a cool cloth and he climbed up on the back of the sofa (he was tired and ready for a nap) when I took this picture.  Hasn't he grown?  Andddd, did you notice I said he called me "GRANDMA"?!?!?!?!?!  Yes, he does!!!  No more "Beh" or Beh-beh".  Thank you, Jesus!!!   :-)

And this is Jaylon playing with his new tractor and truck that Grandma brought to his house for him.  :-)  That is macaroni that he is loading up!!  I thought of that one day when he was at our house and Daniel and Erin thought it was a wonderful idea, too!!  :-)  When he opened the bag and saw his new tractor and truck, his little eyes got great big and he said, "Wowww....thank you, Grandma, thank you....wowww."  :-)  (Like he never gets anything....mmhmm...right. LOL)

We had begun to wonder if Jaylon was ever going to start talking but he surely did, shortly after his 3rd birthday!!  And I never tire of hearing him talk!!  He pronounces everything very precisely and I can hardly believe some of the things that he says but a dear friend told me that all the while we were wondering if and when he was going to start talking, Jaylon was listening and storing everything we were saying.  It has to be so true!!  :-)

Well, I've gone on  long enough about my boys, so I will close this post for now, buy I plan to blog more regularly.  I almost feel myself being called back to my blog.  I truly miss putting all of my memories down somewhere permanently and that is what my blog has been about all along and now that I am OFFICIALLY RETIRED (Ed says he's "REAL TIRED" LOL) I plan to get back to storing memories again!!

Getting Together!!

I can't believe that I never posted this post!! I must have gone to the library and uploaded the photos BEFORE I got HIGH-SPEED internet! Imagine that! :-)

Anyhoooo.....these are pictures of a little lunchdate I had with my sisters, niece Bethany, her two beautiful children and my pride and joy (that would be my son!) Daniel!!!

You would not believe what I went through to spend a few minutes with this group and so they could spend some time with each other!

First, I picked up my sister Bev. She's wearing the black and gray sweater.

Then we got my sister Debbie. She's the one with the oxygen!

We drove to Lancaster where I dropped Debbie of at her doctor's appointment.

Then I took Bev to the nearby Wendy's where she met up with her daughter Bethany and her two little ones.

In the meantime, I drove out and picked up Daniel from his work so he could join us on his lunch hour.

I no sooner got back to Wendy's than Debbie called and said she was done at the doctor's office.

So I hopped back in my car, picked her up and we went back to Wendy's where we joined everyone for a time of food and reconnecting, as much as you can in a limited amount of time!

But I just think it is so important for us to grab these moments when we can!

Daniel and Bethany grew up together and seldom get to see eachother now that they are married and have families and live so far apart.

Oh, but we did laugh and share some wonderful memories of those growing-up years!!! :-) And I love to see my sister Bev with her grandbabies! How she loves them!!

AND, of course, my favorite picture is the last one!! Me and the handsome young man I am so proud to call "Son"!   Oh, and if anyone knows how to photoshop my sister Debbie's finger out of this picture, please help me!! :-) 

Cuteness Alert!! :-)

You have been warned! :-)

Below are some pictures of who else, but my two little grandsons, Jaxon and Jaylon!

First is Jaxon, with those chubby little cheeks that I love to kiss! :-) He is soooo adorable and such a good baby! Daniel and Erin have been so blessed to have two good babies!




These next pictures are of Jaylon all decked out at church one Sunday evening. He's pictured with his favorite girl, Katie!! :-) And the other pictures are of him and his Pawpaw, Lew Dunnells, who pastors in Nelsonville. So thankful for the wonderful in-laws that Daniel has.






A few weeks ago, Daniel and Erin's church had a prayer breakfast on Saturday morning. We decided to join them and I captured these pictures during that time.
I was sitting on the pew praying when I happened to look down and see little Jaylon beside me praying. I HAD to take his picture! I know you understand, all of you fellow grandmothers! :-) AND I had to use the flash because the lights were dimmed! (That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!) LOL
Later, as we enjoyed a delicious breakfast I snapped these photos of little Jaxon and his Mawmaw and Pawpaw and Jaylon having breakfast with his Pawpaw!!
God is soooo good!! Thankful, again, for the godly family that Daniel married into! We are blessed!!





Well, I need to post this and get some things accomplished here at home!