A New Year and a New Decade for me.

Hello, Dear Friends. 

As you know, life goes by quickly when all is said and done. 

Although, there are certain times when it just can't go quickly enough!

I can think of a few times when I felt that way, 

but in recent years it seems to be flying by too fast. 

This past fall, I celebrated one of those milestone birthdays 

that tends to creep up on you when you least expect it.

 

"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans", 

as the late John Lennon reminded us. 

xx

My dear daughter, Heather, and husband, Eric

hosted a lovely birthday party 

for me, along with help from my wonderful family.

Come along with me and we will go inside and have a party! 

Here I am in my favorite party dress, 

feeling a bit embarrassed to be the center of so much attention. 

 

But I quickly got into the spirit of things

and felt so honored and blessed to have all of my 

favorite peeps there to help me make a wish.

All together there were 20 of us.  

I was led to the beautiful Italian Soda bar and given the most delicious drink

to take care of the cat that had my tongue! :)

I actually had laryngitis from a head cold that I was just recovering from. 

When I tried to talk, strange, squeaky sounds escaped! 

It was hilarious, but frustrating. 

I just kept a happy smile on my face and became a really

good listener for the night.

The gorgeous tables! 

Everything was perfect. 

These were taken before the guests arrived - all close family and friends. 

My two sweet daughters, Jennie and Heather. 

 Jennie flew in from Hawaii to help me celebrate

and to help Heather with the party! 

Love my girls. 

xx

They have always made sure that my special days are remembered. 

xx

With our children. 

From left - youngest to oldest; Dustin, Jennie, Gabe, and Heather. 

Yummy appetizers. 

Dinner was a selection of assorted pasta

with various sauces and either meatballs or sausage. 

So good! 

Served with salad, breadsticks and Italian wine.  

Dessert. 

Served with ice cream, of course. 

xx

The story of my life. 

I don't feel as old as what they say I am. Lol! 

Except when I wake up in the morning! 

I think that I felt old when I was young, 

and now, I feel young when I am old. :) 

Little me.

As a girl.

And as a teenager.

I sewed the clothes I am wearing in my 'Home Economics' class. 

My high school offered full credit classes in cooking 

and sewing. 

I took both for two years. 

I was always a little homebody:)

I was a cheerleader in high school, too.

This was a stretch for me, as I was quite shy, 

but I loved gymnastics! 

Go Panthers! 

High-School Sweethearts

Isn't he dreamy? 

It was love at first sight. 

New mom with Heather.

I crocheted the hat and blanket. 

With my little towhead, Gabe on a summer day. 

With Jennie. 

She has her dad's eyes. 

With my youngest - mischievous Dustin,

and my little niece. 

As a young mom. 

Notice the firm grip I have on the boys :)

We are in front of a waterfall. 

At one of my children's weddings.

With my sweet Mr. 

Before we went gray :)

xx

Flirting with the Mr. 

xx

Enjoying the delicious food and wine in Italy. :)

As we are now.

Jennie with Gabe. 

She had to leave the husband, at home with her little son

who had just started a new school. 

Other than that, the whole family was there,

(including spouses and grandkids), 

along with our good friends.

xx

The loves of my life.

xx

Ramblin' Man and each of my children

got up and gave a little speech

in my honor. 

It was one of those times in life when I could 

honestly say that all of the trials and tribulations, 

all of the sacrifices and sleepless nights, 

and all of the hard work of being a wife and mother 

were worth every ounce of effort.

To hear their loving tributes, the funny stories, 

and the gratitude in their voices

was something that I would do it all again for.

 

And then my little grandson, Liam 

wanted to say a few words. 

He wanted to tell me how much he loved 

coming over to spend the night at 'Grammie and Papa's' 

and how much he loved 'movie night'

with popcorn and milkshakes. 

By then we were all in tears and so was he

and it was just the sweetest thing. 

xx 

Life hasn't always been easy, and I've had my fair share of 

difficult circumstances, people and experiences, 

as I'm sure most of you have, too. 

But the happy, sweet, touching moments have

been the blessings of my life. 

Life can be a drama, a comedy, or a tragedy,

and sometimes all three at once,

but those sweet, simple moments of 

everyday life are the best moments of all. 

I've learned that by being true to myself, determined and 

willing to put in the work, I could achieve my dreams.

Of course, all of them would not be possible without my 'partner in crime'. 

I've also learned that some dreams were never meant to be,

and that if I look back, I realize that 

it was either a blessing in disguise to not follow that road, or that

I was meant to have a different calling. 

xx

I truly believe that every experience, good and not so good, 

was/is a wonderful opportunity to learn, or another chance 

to get it right.

It's taken me a lifetime to come to terms with some of the

difficult experiences and relationships I've had, 

but in striving to resolve my feelings 

and find forgiveness, I have learned so much about myself. 

Mostly, due to these experiences, I've developed empathy, 

patience and realize the importance of kindness in a world 

that frequently lacks basic decency or respect for others, 

especially towards children, marginalized people, 

animals and the environment. 

My favorite mottos are, 'Always do the right thing, even if no-one is watching', 

 'Always take the high road - the view is so much better', 

and 'Do no harm'. 

And I've learned to always, always have gratitude for everything

and everyone in my life.

Every day is a gift.  

Thank you for celebrating my first 70 years with me, 

Dear Friends! :)

xx

I'm grateful for your friendship and hope you will 

come along with me as we continue to celebrate

the sweet and simple joys of everyday life, 

hold each other up through the hard times, 

and try to figure out this crazy world together. 

xoxo

 

 

 

Spring at Last

Hello, Dear Friends, and Happy Spring! 

We've waited so long and finally, 

the birds are starting to sing, the flowers are blooming, 

and the earth is coming back to life. 

It's been a busy month for me out in the gardens, 

and catching up on my spring cleaning. 

When those beautiful sunbeams come 

streaming through the windows

you get to really see all those dusty corners

that have been neglected all winter!

But I've caught up with things, for the most part, 

and can now sit down and do a little catch-up

with you all. 

I've completely missed sharing St. Patrick's Day

and almost missed Easter, too! 

But I have an excuse. 

You see, my dear Ramblin' Man just 

celebrated a milestone birthday, 

and his wonderful siblings (younger sister, brother and wife)

came all the way from the east coast to

celebrate with him. 

It was a surprise, planned for months, 

and coordinated by our generous son, Gabe and wife, Erica,  

and executed by all of our children, 

down to the last detail. 

It was a fabulous party, filled with love and laughter, 

with lots of memories and more in the making. 

How we all kept the secret was quite a feat, 

and he notably quipped, "Now I'm wondering 

what else you all have kept from me over the years!"

xx

We'll never tell! 

xx

My dear man has now reached the dignified age of 70, 

and I am not far behind. 

We are both a little bit taken by surprise at how 

quickly this has come upon us. 

Then...1974.

We were high-school sweethearts,

and now here we are, growing old together. 

Just like we planned. 

xx

"Do not complain about growing old. 

It is a privilege denied to many."

- Mark Twain -

" Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."

- Sarah Louise Delaney -

 

There was one notable absence from the happy reunion, though. 

His youngest sister had a serious health scare just two weeks 

before the planned event and was not able to make the trip.

 

The good news is that she is home from the hospital

and recovering, slowly but steadily, which is such a blessing and a huge relief. 

We missed her happy presence, but she was with us in spirit

and in all of our hearts. 

Speaking of hearts...

My daughter, Heather and cousin Shawnee

and I went to a local flea market a few weeks ago

and found some sweet treasures. 

I couldn't resist this one. 

And look at this little sweetie I found on a shopping trip 

with 'the girls' during their visit. 

The perfect thing for chocolate eggs. 

Spring is such a fun time to decorate. 

I've been sewing a slipcover for my settee', and have 

the seat made, so far. I'm working on the back now. 

It hasn't been the easiest thing to figure out, but 

I managed better than I expected. 

The original upholstery was stained and threadbare

and I've been using pillows and throws to cover it up. 

I didn't want to try to replace it, as it is the perfect size 

for that space. Not to mention how expensive furniture is 

now. I used a painter's canvas for the fabric. For $20 

and a little bit of effort, I am able to give it a face-lift. 

If only real face-lifts were that cheap! 

Isn't this a sweet face?

xx

I found the tiny wood box years ago on a shopping trip with my Mom. 

It has a cute bunny scene painted on it. 

She's been gone now 13 years this month. 

I started this blog a month before she passed. 

Never knowing...

She never got to see it. 

You, my dear friends, helped me during that sad time

with your kind friendship. 

Time passes and the ache in my heart has softened 

and been replaced with precious, happy memories.

We had a complicated relationship, and I had a difficult childhood, 

but I found my way to forgiveness, and we created a loving 

relationship despite the past.

It gave me peace. 

Despite the fact that it is officially spring, old man winter 

is still hanging around here and there. 

One minute it is sunny and warm, and the next 

minute the wind starts blowing, the clouds move in

and we are pummeled with hail. 

Ten minutes later, there is a rainbow and the sun comes out once more. 

xx

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."

- Lao Tzu -

These little faces are cheering spring on. 

" A flower blossoms for its own joy."

- Oscar Wilde -

The viburnum and sweet box are blooming with a sweet perfume 

that scents the whole yard. They are wild and rangy 

and overgrown, but stay evergreen all year, and in spring

they make up for their unkempt ways. 

"Where flowers bloom so does hope."

- Lady Bird Johnson -

I found these metal signs at the flea-market, too. 

My little grandson gave me the birdhouse for Christmas. 

Everything is wild here, especially the forsythia. 

The grass will need mowing soon. 

It's been fertilized over the winter by the deer and rabbits! 

I planted these daffodils last fall and am so pleased with the results. 

There are still many more buds. 

I am getting serious about planting things that the deer won't eat.

(They won't eat daffodils) 

 I have researched this and sent away

for seeds to grow some of them.

 

"My garden is my favorite teacher."

- Betsy Canas Garmon -

The three on the right are for my pots on the deck

and the coleus and cactus are houseplants. 

Ramblin' Man cleared the back corner so I could plant a wildflower and herb garden. 

He has to finish fencing it, obviously, before I can seed it.

Deer-proof flowers and herbs, of course!  

I am also insisting he put in a higher fence along the whole back as an extra 

precaution and he has cleared the fence-line so we can have a 

clear view of the forest beyond. 

"The wilderness is a place of an encounter with the creator."

- Lailah Gifty Akita -

I've been practicing my watercolor skills. I think I might frame these 

for next Easter. 

We are going to a brunch and Easter egg hunt at a club  

that my son and wife belong to, with my whole family. 

There's even a petting zoo.

The weather looks agreeable, too! 

xx

I hope that you are enjoying the season, whether spring 

or fall, and finding time to get out in the fresh air and sunshine. 

Thank you for taking the time to stop by, dear friends. 

Life is busy and it means so much to me. 

xx

"The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day

he created spring."

- Bernard Williams -

"Beautiful as a dandelion blossom golden in the green grass,

this life can be."

- Edna St. Vincent Millay -