and Lauren is 15...(WHAT???)

Seriously, how is that possible. I'm too young to be the grandmother of a 15 year old. Oh yeah, I forgot y'all know how old I'm about to be.

So it seems that our lovely Princess Lauren is 15 years old today. The day she officially became a part of our family was such a special day. Our numbers grew by leaps and bounds that day. It was a happy day for so many reasons.

Family gatherings are so much fun ... and here are 4 great kids who get along so well. Lauren is so much fun ... the cousins love hanging out with her.







Here is Lauren with her younger brother, Andrew, when the entire family went to Turner Falls. He adored her then and he adores her now.

Among Lauren's many talents, is the ability to play the flute. 

Although she isn't actively playing now, 

it is a knowledge that she will carry with her throughout her life.

Lauren has a great relationship with her Mom ... they share so many interests. 

It really does make me smile to see their closeness.

Ever the supporting cousin, Lauren took great delight in cheering Emily along at Emily's birthday dinner at Babe's. Frankly, Lauren is probably just delighted that she's not the one with the chicken on her head.

 Lauren is such a good caregiver and helper. 

Here she is playing with her little cousin, Libby, 

at the Saginaw Aquatic Center during this past summer.

 And here she is at Thanksgiving ... growing into a lovely young lady.

Happy 15th birthday, Princess Lauren.  

I love you "more than the world".

Bunches

xoxoxo

... and Tori is now 4 years old

Happy Birthday Princess Tori!

Where did the time go? It simply flew by. In some ways, it seems like Tori was born just yesterday, but then with all the joy she has given us, it seems like she has always been a part of us. So in honor of her 4th birthday, I thought we'd look at some of her "firsts" ...

like ... FIRST fancy dress ...

FIRST pigtails

OK, neither of the 2 above are firsts, but they're just so stinkin' cute I had to include them.

 FIRST little black dress (doesn't every Princess need one!)

FIRST slide down the slide unassisted

 FIRST show (at least the first where there was enough to play in)

FIRST walking of her many odd babies down the street

(notice the octopus in the stroller)

Not a first for anything, but she is adorable ...

OK, so NOT the first bubble blowing, but she had so much fun!!! 

Epic fail on making this a list of firsts ... 

but she has been a fairy princess a bazillion times.

 And because I love this so much, here is a picture of her and Andrew (he's 6 months older) when they were decorating Nana's Christmas tree last month.  


Seriously! I love Tori and look forward to watching her celebrate many, many more birthdays and many, many more FIRSTS!








BUNCHES!
Nana


P.S.
And I believe this is my first blog in purple print ... but it is Princess Tori's favorite color.  




xoxoxo

. . . and I'm thankful for my job???

Seriously, you weren't expecting that, were you???

Yes, I am thankful for my job. In this day when so many are searching for jobs, it is a blessing to know that every other Friday, money is simply going to appear in my checking account.

My job has tons of problems ... numerous things I could complain about. But in honor of the spirit of thankfulness that encompasses this month (and really should surround us always), I'll only focus on the wonderful parts.

The folks I work with are dedicated people who believe in what they are doing. When a case is discovered to be flawed (as in, uhhh, we got the wrong person), most won't hesitate to dismiss the case. That makes me feel good. The system isn't perfect. Most of the people I work with are trying to make it better.

The people I work directly with value and appreciate me. That hasn't been the case with every place I have worked. I know that what I do and they way I do my job can change a person's outlook on the legal system. Treating the victims of crime in a compassionate way and realizing that you (hopefully) will never see the system from their view is what makes the situation a little better for them.

Short of winning the Lotto and never having to work another day, I think I'll stay with the job I have. I'm thankful to God for a job that allows me to touch people in a positive way.

Bunches!

. . . and I'm thankful for those that raised me

I don't know that I was a difficult child. But I know this for sure, I wasn't an easy child. 

Really, aren't these photos enough to prove that? They were so young and then they had me and --- 

wait, they still look pretty good, don't they?

This one cracks me up. I'm guessing it's Christmas time (judging by the cards so artfully taped on the wall behind all of us). If that's so, then this would be December of 1952. Wow, my parents look pretty good for having four kids. I can imagine how we were all acting 5 minutes before the picture was taken. Yet, Momma and Daddy aren't pulling their hair out. In fact, they both look pretty relaxed.

Here they are with me --- hey, they still don't look crazy. 

And seriously, if you knew the back-story on this one, you would realize that their smiles and pleasant attitudes have nothing to do with us. The truth is, they were an incredible pair that worked together to raise four semi-normal children (well, except for the 3 boys who are absolutely NOT normal).

And although Daddy has left us to go be with Jesus, Momma is still here doing what she always has done ... she prays for us daily, she loves us unconditionally, and she is infinitely proud of each of us. 

Today (and every day), I am extremely thankful to God for the parents He gave me.

Bunches!!!!

* * * and I'm thankful for the love of my life

Lucky lady ... why, yes, yes I am.

I met the man boy of my dreams when I was WAY too young to be thinking about forever.  He truly had stalked me in the halls of our high school and I was clueless that it was happening.

Rewind about 5-6 years to my elementary school years. At that time, Dennis and my brother had become friends and occasionally hung out together. That was the first glimpse Dennis and I had of each other. Trust me, neither of us was very impressed!

Now back to the halls of North Side High School, and things had changed. But as I said, I didn't have the slightest idea that I was being "watched" by Dennis. Mind you, he was cute enough ... popular enough (you see, North Side had male and female cheerleaders and Dennis was a senior AND a cheerleader). But as a rule, I didn't date guys that I went to school with.

Fortunately it took Dennis a couple of years to decide to actually ask me on a date. By this time, he had graduated and I was a junior so I decided it would be "OK" to date him since I wouldn't be seeing him in the school halls if it didn't work out.

One date ... and I was hooked. I'd never dated anyone quite like him and we became quite an item. Then summer came and I went to California for a few weeks and we missed each other like CRAZY. By September, we decided that we would never be apart again, he put a ring on my finger and in June (the day after I graduated), we were married.

So you see, I am lucky and blessed to be married to my high school sweetheart ... but more than those things, I am THANKFUL that God put such a wonderful boy man into my life.

Bunches .......

~ ~ ~ and thankful for those who came before

I'm thankful for my grandparents. While I never met some of them, they are all very special to me none the less. I have pictures of my grandmothers on my dresser, and they both passed away before I was born.

My daddy's mom was only 26 when she caught pneumonia and passed away (Daddy was just a tiny little guy and had no memories of his mother). Still, I'm thankful for her. She was a strong, beautiful woman. In the picture below, my daddy hadn't yet been born, but based on the ages of my uncles, it is likely that she was in the early stages of her pregnancy with him.

Times were hard in the early 1900s and so my grandfather had his mother come live with him to help him with the four boys he was left to raise without their mother. Never met this lady either, but my Daddy loved her and she helped shape him into who he was, so I'm thankful for my great grandmother Roland.

But then, whether through love or necessity, my grandfather married the lady that I loved and knew as my grandmother. I know that by the time I came along, they were deeply in love with each other. She came complete with three children of her own. It wasn't until I was in my late elementary years that I realized that this wonderful grandmother was actually my step-grandmother. Made absolutely no difference to me as she loved me and I loved her. Perhaps that is why I don't make any differentiation between my step-grandchildren and my grandchildren. To me, they are all mine. That is a lesson I learned from my Grandmother Ballew, a lady that I am also thankful for. She is shown here with my Grandfather Ballew at a birthday celebration for him.

Grandfather Ballew was a man of God and always dressed so nicely to go to church on Sunday. I have so many fond memories of sitting with him in church, trying not to squirm or wiggle, because he was so attentive and I never wanted to disappoint him. I'm thankful for his example and his patience with me - I'm thankful for him!

My momma's mother, Grandmother Spharler, passed away before I was born also. She was only 56 and based on stories that Momma has told me about her, she was a true lady. That's easy to imagine when I look at this picture of her in her young days. She and my grandfather made an extremely attractive couple. 

Here's a picture of her probably not too many years before she passed away. Her hair was long (at one point, it touched the floor) and she always wore it up. I'm thankful for her for so many reasons, but probably the biggest reason is because her first child is my mom.

I'm thankful for my Grandpa Spharler. I hear stories of what a harsh man he was, but by the time I came along, he had mellowed and was a loving and gentle grandfather to me. I'm so thankful for him and the love he gave me. When he would write letters to Momma, he would often tape a piece of chewing gum for her to give to me. I wonder what kids today would think of that. To me, it was a piece of love traveling the miles.

Yes, for each of these beautiful people who came before, I am thankful. 

Thankfulness comes from deep within us ~ ~ ~

Bunches!

-- and thankful for the One I'm thankful to

Yes, that's right. I'm thankful for God and everything that IS about Him.

I'm thankful that He supremely created a universe that is amazing and magical.

I'm thankful that He gave humans a free will (even though we use it poorly most of the time).

I'm thankful that He designed everything to be such a delight to explore: tastes, smells, sights, feelings.

I'm thankful that He wants companionship with me (yup, go figure, God enjoys my companionship).

But most of all, and this is the big one, I'm thankful that He provided a way for me to live eternally with Him in heaven; thankful that His only Son, Jesus (who magnificently is equally man and equally God) was in perfect Oneness with God The Father and became the Supreme sacrifice that allows me to be a joint heir to everything God has provided.

You see, I'm thankful to be a Daughter of THE KING!

Bunches!

. . . and I'm examining Thankfulness

November - the month that often causes people to begin listing what they are thankful for. That is a  wonderful thing to experience. It's important to think of the things and people that you're thankful for.  But what is more important is the question, "Who are you thankful to?".

For me, that's easy. I am thankful to God. I'm not talking about some "out there" Supreme Being that is a nice, dreamy idea. I'm talking about THE GOD, the Creator of the universe, the Creator of all that has life and breath. I'm talking about the ONE who is everything.

Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; 

His love endures forever.

Psalms 106:1

There you have it. The Bible tells us where we are to direct our thanks and it is to Him. So throughout this month, when you hear me say that I am thankful for something or for someone, you know WHO I direct my thanks to. 

I pray that each of you reading this will examine your heart and that you will also know that God is good and He deserves all of our praise.

Bunches!

and I am celebrating Alex - the First

That is ... Alex the first grandchild.

Happy Birthday to my favorite Alex in the whole wide world ... 

my little Scooty Man ... 

the wonderful kiddo that changed me from an ordinary human being into a Nana. 

Seriously, this guy has magical power. 

I remember the details from the day he was born - so clearly. 

I guess that shows how life changing his birth was for me. 

It's amazing how quickly time flies as he changed from a baby to an adorable pre-schooler going off with a backpack almost as big as he was. 

Isn't he adorable ... Mr. Executive. Of course, at that age, he seemed to be keeping his options open.

Or perhaps he may want to have a big John Deere tractor and own his own farm.

I have a feeling that he'll be handsome and charming, whatever he decides to do.

Alex the hunter ...

Alex the loving great grandson to Pretty, who adores him so ...

Alex the crazy cousin who likes to "monkey around" ...

Alex the adorable teen with the winning smile ...

Alex, the brother who doesn't seem to understand his sister 

(or is she trying to figure him out?)

 or Alex ... the lady's man in Hawaii ...

The real Alex is all of the above. But we'll return to my original statement: he is the kiddo with the magical power that changed me into a Nana. For that fact alone, I'll forever be thankful.

Happy Birthday 

Alexander Wade Scooty Man Punkin McDonald Williams

I love you MORE THAN THE WORLD!

Bunches ......

... and I am NOT the "BOMB"

Seriously ... why do people hear a figure of speech and jump on the band wagon without really thinking about the phrase or realizing that what they hear is NOT what was said?

Case in point ... "You are the bomb" ... "They are the bomb" ... "My friend is the bomb" ...

OK, you get the point.

But, what they really should be saying is "You are the BALM".

Think about the saying and what it means. A person is helpful or kind or came to my aid at just the perfect moment. They are a balm. What is a balm? Well, my handy dandy iPhone WORD app says:

balm / ba:m / noun

1. any of various aromatic resinous substances used for healing and soothing
2. semisolid preparation (usually containing a medicine) applied externally as a remedy or for soothing an irritation.

On the other hand, let's check out bomb:

bomb /  bom / noun

1. an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
2. strong sealed vessel for measuring heat of combustion
3. an event that fails badly or is totally ineffectual 

Given my druthers, I would never want to be the BOMB. I do not blow up and destroy things. Of course, if your friend is a failure or is ineffective, please go ahead and tell them to their face, "Friend, you are the BOMB".

All of you fine folks, however, soothe me and therefore, you are the BALM!


Love ya bunches...

... and celebrating Libby Bean

Happy First Birthday to

Liberty Annette McDonald

Right after she was born, she was being loved on by Autumn ...

And prayed over by her PaPaw ...

But then, she gave us quite a scare when she became so ill.

Through much prayer for this little one,
she got strong and was able to come home.

And she was able to come to Nana and PaPaw's house. 

 Snoozing in the big bed!

For Halloween, she was a bouquet of flowers.
Prettiest flowers in the world.

Dressed in camo for hunting season. 

Being loved on by Pretty, her great-grandmother.

First portrait of the eight Princes and Princesses.

 Sharing a moment with Uncle Ryan

 Checking out her Easter egg stash.

      

 Isn't that face simply adorable!

Giving some love to Goldie

Checking out the water at the Saginaw Water Park

Snuggled in Nana's arms ... not sure who was enjoying this more!

LIBERTY ANNETTE

OUR BONUS BLESSING!

You are my favorite Libby

in the whole world!

Bunches ... and bunches more ...