Happy New Year!!
Hope 2010 is a great year for all of you!!
PEACE OUT!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
So this is Christmas!
Ready for Christmas!
Alliyah with one of her new baby dolls!
Alli with her other new baby doll!
Samantha opens presents!
Casey and Loredia open presents!
Cody and Alliyah!
MiMi and Alliyah on Christmas Eve
The gang does the traditional eggnog
in memory of Jeff's grandfather!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Family for the Holidays!!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Fighting over the Christmas tree!
I think these pictures speak for themselves! Abigail has been sleeping underneath the Christmas tree. When Shadow decided to take his daily nap under the tree, Abby didn't like it at all! The first pictures are of Shadow under the tree minding his own business, all comfy and snug! Then Abby is checking him out and decides to tell him to move it! Now!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
"Even when we're apart, we'll still be looking at the same sky."
My son and family got me this for my birthday one year. Isn't it the truth? We learn the ropes of life by untying the knots! It seems no matter how hard I try to impart my hard-earned wisdom on our kids, it never sinks in. Guess they just have to untie their own knots!
And here is my wall of crosses with a few other things thrown in! The silver one on the top left is actually made to look like a saguaro cactus which is neat. 
So there is another small peek into our home. I call it a home, but in actuality home to me is still in Illinois. I'm not sure how many years we will have to live in Arizona before it actually becomes home to me. I have a feeling that will never happen. They say, "Home is where the heart is". My heart is split right now; part of my loved ones are here with me, but the other ones are in Illinois. Plus that is where all my memories are, where my daddy is buried, where our children were born, where my mother and youngest son, wife, granddaughter and other family remain. Yea, I think Illinois will always be home to me!
I just have to remember: We're still looking at the same sky...
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Art Journaling and a Poem
I really enjoyed the following poem, "look at that towering oak, an acorn still beating at its heart". What a touching poem for me. Leave the past behind, don't worry about the future and just enjoy today!
Where you are going
and the place you stay
come to the same thing.
What you long for
and what you've left behind
are as useless as your name.
Just one time, walk out
into the field and look
at that towering oak --
an acorn still beating at its heart.
~ Peter Levitt ~
(from 100 Butterflies)
Monday, November 30, 2009
Beautiful Christmas Tree & Happy Monday!
It just seems there are not enough ornaments! I think I'm missing some, and I can't find my nativity scene which really has me baffled! I think the 'boys' probably put it outside in the shed and just didn't want to go dig through everything to find it. But they will! You know the saying, "If momma ain't happy....."
Hope you all have a Happy Monday!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
It's Sunday and only one day left of this long weekend!
Jeff drug out all the Christmas stuff yesterday and then I waited. It's always his job to put the tree up and put the lights & garland on it; then I handle the ornaments! (I've got it easy but don't tell him!) He had a job to do yesterday & I couldn't get Casey motivated to put the tree up. Lo was at work until 3 so I thought; wait till she gets home, she'll get excited about it. She came in the house long enough to change clothes and leave, told me she was going to get gas and didn't come back! Talked to her at 9, she had gotten her nails done and was at a girlfriend's. Kids...gotta love 'em!
Casey put the tree up about 5 before he went out with a friend. I fluffed it while he put the branches on. His friend came over and wound up finishing while Casey was 'primping'! I was like, "Casey how'd you get out of this?" Anyway, they made a joke about fluffy bunnies...fluffin' the branches! Did you know there is a gang here in Phoenix called the Fluffy Bunnies? I find that so funny...guess they thought with that name the police would think they were "good guys"!!
I forgot how big the tree is...and just beautiful! We gave in to a fake tree when we moved here to Arizona. When we went to look at real trees, they were over $200! Wow! Back home you could get a great tree for $30 or $40; or just go out in the woods and cut one! We have been real happy with this tree; it's 7 1/2 feet tall and real full. I still have yearnings for a real tree but then I remember the mess and how they are so scratchy, and yeah, I like this tree!
So here is the first picture of our tree with no ornaments...except some wise guy put a lonely little gold ball on it! Maybe by evening, the tree will be complete and I can share more pictures!
Hope you have a great Sunday!!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
My Saturday morning and what I'm reading!
and it immediately grabbed me! I think I will really enjoy this one, but sometimes the beginning of a book is deceiving. I usually hate to read more than one book at a time because I get "into" one more than the other and then wind up never going back and finishing the first one! Such a dilemma; glad these are the only problems I have to worry about!!
It is Saturday morning but it feels like it should be Monday....such a great thing to have two extra days off work! I am playing on the computer, messing with my blog and my playlist, catching up on everyone else's blogs and GoodReads, and thinking about getting all the Christmas stuff out to start decorating.
Yesterday I started reading "At Home on Ladybug Farm" by Donna Ball
It is a continuation of her first book "A Year on Ladybug Farm" which I really enjoyed.
The book is the story of three middle aged friends who leave suburbia, purchase a big old house in the Shenandoah Valley, and proceed to renovate it. The second book is a continuation of their adventures in living together and renovating the house.
After just finishing "Her Fearful Symmetry", it seems I wanted to read something a little different, so I am officially reading two books at once! Last night I started reading "The Little Stranger" by Sarah Waters
Hope you all have a great weekend! Keep smiling!!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
We had our first deep fried turkey yesterday. It was fantastic! One of Jeff's friends was deep frying turkeys and he wanted to take my turkey over there. I told him "Heck no, don't touch my turkey, it's going in the oven!" So he went to the store and bought another turkey! Jeff and Casey took the (second) turkey over to be deep fried, brought it back at about 1. We all dug into the turkey...it was so good! Very moist and the skin was crispy...just yummy! We got out a package of Hawaiian rolls and ate about half the turkey very quickly. Jeff said we looked like a bunch of wolves devouring that turkey!
Guess what happened next? The football game was on and they both parked it in the living room and went to sleep. The only noise I could hear was the game and the snoring!
Here's the evidence!
We weren't having the 'traditional' Thanksgiving dinner until evening because Lo had to work until 6. So while the guys were sleeping, I was messing around on the computer, reading, and playing with my little Abby but she didn't even want to play long! Here is Abigail....playing and sleeping!
By the time evening came and I needed to start cooking again...I was ready for a nap. But I cooked and I cooked some more. We had dressing, mashed potatoes, noodles, green beans, sweet potato casserole, cinnamon rolls and regular rolls, and the famous pumpkin pie.
We all shared some things we were thankful for this year and I think the fact that we were all together and able to enjoy a fine meal was on the top of our lists!
I was going to take pictures of our dinner to share with you, but the camera battery went dead!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
To My Pen Pals!!
Thanks to my friends for the cards and letters!
You make it easy for me to change my attitude!
Country Roads
I've noticed that some of my favorite pictures lately have been of country roads. Is there some meaning for me behind this?
Like....I want to go home!
Home to the country roads that surround our farm. Home with one of my best friends, my cousin, who when we're together we have so much fun! Country cruisin' and stopping to dance on every bridge we come across. Checking out old cemeteries, just cause we like it and it's fun! Weird, I know!
Yea, at this time of year it is so very hard to be far away from home.
Make Us Truly Grateful!!
I have been trying to read
the script cut in these hills-
a language carved in the shimmer of stubble
and the solid lines of soil, spoken
in the thud of apples falling
and the rasp of corn stalks finally bare.
The pheasants shout it with a rusty creak
as they gather in the fallen grain,
the blackbirds sing it
over their shoulders in parting,
and gold leaf illuminates the manuscript
where it is written in the trees.
Transcribed onto my human tongue
I believe it might sound like a lullaby,
or the simplest grace at table.
Across the gathering stillness
simply this: "For all that we have received,
dear God, make us truly grateful."
~ Lynn Ungar ~
(Blessing the Bread)
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Bookshelves & Why I Don't Need Anymore Books!!
This bookshelf has our picture books and other bigger books.
On the top shelf are my spiritual and self-help type books.
So yeah, now I'm sure you understand why I don't need
anymore books in this house!
Oh and I forgot to mention, these are just the bookshelves
in our living room. There's also a small shelf
in our family room, books in the office, books by my bed.....
yeah it's book heaven around here!
But you can never have too many books can you??
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