>We all need a break once in a while. So today I’m taking a short breather from my novel revisions to bring you some pictures of what we did last weekend. It was fall break for the school kiddos, so Max and I were recruited . . . er, volunteered to watch Scott and Denice’s three kids. Lovely weekend for …
>Happy Birthday to a Special Girl
> This time last year, I announced the birth of our first granddaughter. Today, she’s a year old, and the magic has not dimmed. She is still adorable, soft, smells of baby powder, and babbles girl-talk. Happy Birthday from Mimi and Papa Max.
>THE GATHERING
> For more than a year, James and Allison have been planning their wedding. Finally, last week, we packed our bags, boarded airplanes, stuffed SUVs with belongings and children, wedding attire, and wads of extra cash and began the journey west. James arrived first. On a Tuesday. On the day that SoCal had their biggest earthquake since 1996. James and …
>Another Graduation
>We’ve had a lot of family events this year—bridal showers, college graduations, class reunions, birthdays—it seems we’ve been on the road non-stop. We still have the BIG event coming in August—our youngest son’s wedding in California. And maybe a nephew getting married in the fall. This past Monday, though, I loaded up the PT Cruiser for a family first—our grandson’s …
>On Being A Mimi
>Being a “Mimi” is one of the best parts of my life. Unfortunately, we don’t live in the same town as our grandchildren and sometimes have to wait two or three months between visits. Our ten-year-old grandson sent me this in an email a couple of days ago. All at once, my heart grew homesick to get a hug from …
>God Bless Us Every One
>It’s always a four day marathon when we celebrate Christmas with both sides of our family, now in towns 120 miles apart. The effort this year was worth all the miles, the ice-covered roads, and the weeks of preparation. What family is not worth our best? We are fortunate and blessed to have four generations of family and friends to …
>CHRISTMAS COOKIES
>One of my favorite childhood memories is going to Granny’s on Christmas Eve and feasting on her beautifully decorated sugar cookies. While I didn’t help Granny make them, my mother did help my sisters and me make cut-out cookies. Later, I followed the tradition with my four boys. Not sure how much interest they had in the art, but they …
>A Matter of Perception
>We’re back from a long weekend of visiting family and attending a fun and scrumptious barbecue reception for one of our youngest son’s classmates. Another purpose of the trip was to tackle the “stuff” in the basement of my mother-in-law’s farm home. She recently moved to be near her daughter, and several lifetimes of things were left behind. To keep …
>Happy Feet
> I’ve been in the land of The Backyardigans, Lincoln Logs, and Thomas the Tank Engine for the past few days. Good times with my four-year-old grandsons. Yep, there’s two of them. Identical at first glance, but they have developed their own unique tastes and quirks. One likes a peeled carrot (NOT cut into strips I found out) for lunch …