... and I'm counting more of my blessings

More ... there will always be more. The problem with counting blessings is that each one opens up a whole new list of blessings. Guess those could be called sub-blessings, but nope, they are each and every one actual blessings.

As we close out Memorial Day, I will put living with the freedoms given by living in the United State of America at the top of the list. Those freedoms aren't taken lightly, or gained without sacrifice. Our nation is one built on sacrifice, and as a whole, the American population now takes them for granted. I'm not claiming that America is perfect or that the government isn't flawed, but I'll take the USA over any other country and stand up tall and proud.

Hand in hand with living in American, I am thankful for those who have served our country, those who currently serve our country, and those who shall serve in the future. Our armed forces deserve our respect and our gratitude. They are a blessing.

I'm so thankful for safety from the storms that have been surfacing all around in recent days. I don't believe those who were hit by the storm were any less loved by God than I am. However, for some reason, I was spared. As we watched the clouds begin rotation over our heads, I was extremely aware that we could be in trouble. But knowing where my hope lies gave me the calm to face whatever came my way. Yes, we did seek safety and yes, we were very relieved when the winds calmed and the clouds moved away. Thankful for safety today and always.

My job ... I know, I complain about it. The simple truth is, I wish I were financially independent and had no need for a job. Since that isn't the case, I am thankful for my job. It provides me with an income, insurance, a retirement "plan" (not sure the plan is going to work too well for me, but it's a plan none the less), and vacation time to do things with and for my family. Yes, my job is a blessing.

I work with some good people. They are on my "blessing" list. I work with some not as good people, and I'll put them on the list simply because they make the others look especially sweet.

My daughter, Beki, is and will always be on my special blessing list. Simply put ... she just is.

Health ... I've taken it for granted, but have realized that my health is a treasure and I should guard it and cherish it as I do all of my blessings.

My home! It may not be as grand as many homes, but it is sturdy, warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and has comfy stuff in it.  Having said that, I think I'll head for my comfy bed so that I can get up tomorrow and go to the job that I'm blessed to have.

Bunches!!!
Nona

Headed for sixty ... and learning new things

Please, before I even begin, let me emphasize one point - I am not a professional photographer. Don't judge me as one, because I'm not claiming it. Photography is something that has long fascinated me, but I'm just now starting to realize that I take pretty decent pictures.

And so, dear Blog, from time to time I'm going to use this space to showcase a few of my favorites. People featured are either family or special friends who have asked me to take pics for them. Those people are so kind and have graciously allowed me into their lives to celebrate their families with them.

These 3 are of a dear friend's first grandchild. I learned a big lesson on this one: 12 day old babies don't always cooperate, but they are always sweet.  I thought I got some great shots.

I had the pleasure of shooting some pics of her beautiful momma less than a week before her birth.  Here are a couple of my favorites from that day.  

But being the proud Nana that I am, I must include some of a couple of my favorite subjects.  

Autumn and I spent some time in the park a few weeks ago.  

She was such a willing model for me and I really don't have any idea which of us had the better time.  

Today, Libby spent the afternoon with us and I took the opportunity to take her out on the front lawn to get these.

 

Isn't she adorable?  And of course, who can resist chubby baby feet.








Bunches,

Nona

Headed for sixty ... and counting blessings

Oh dear blog ... I have so neglected you. Getting ready for my trip and then recovering from my trip and then getting back in the drudgery routine of things has sort of taken it out of me.

But for today ... this very early hour of Mother's Day, I'm counting my blessings. This is by no means an all inclusive list. Instead, this is just a sampler.

Today I am thankful ...

... that Jesus Christ died for my MY (yes, it does need to be all caps) sins. He didn't have to, but He chose to.

... for a wonderful husband. God has a wonderful plan for my life and He wrote Dennis right into the middle of that plan.

... for being a mother. This is an inclusive thing. I've mentioned my thankfulness for Dennis (without whom I would not be a mother). I am so very thankful to God for the precious children we conceived together. Rebeka Lynn, Ryan Wayne, our little unborn baby, and Robert Andrew - the love we feel for them is a gift from God. For that blessing, I am thankful to God. As an addendum to that, I'm thankful for Kelly and Jessica (my daughters by marriage) and eight beautiful grandchildren: Lauren, Alex, Emily, Joe, Autumn, Andrew, Tori and Libby.

... for my mistakes. Boy, that one is hard to be thankful for, but the mistakes I've made in my life have formed me into what I am today. Hopefully I am more loving, more sensitive and more open to sharing God's love because of those mistakes.

... for my birth family. I have a mother who is 91 years old, still a source of comfort and wisdom for me. I had a dad who was sometimes harsh, but he loved me. I'll leave that alone. My three brothers have each been blessings to me. I may be closer to some than others, but I love them each and every one.

Yup ... I'm counting blessings.

Bunches,
Nona

headed for sixty ... and enjoying rituals

This weekend, I participated in a wonderful baby shower.  Baby showers are the type of ritual that men will NEVER understand.

There were flowers on the tables ...

Cute pins for the guests to wear ...

there was food ...

there was cake ... lots of cake!!!

and lots and lots of baby things ... ALL IN PINK!!!

... but most of all ... it was an afternoon of female bonding.  Call it tribal ritual ... call it a hen party ... women love to get together and we can always find a reason. How nice this afternoon was!

... and I'm laughing like a crazy woman!

Seriously, in life we have two choices. We can cry ... or we can laugh.

Please don't get me wrong. I do my share of crying. I cry at happy times and I cry at sad times. In my world, tears are so appropriate for some situations. There hasn't been a single birth of a grandchild that hasn't brought tears to my eyes. I look down at a child full of promise and innocence and I cry. When my precious husband holds that newborn baby in his arms and whispers softly to them, "PaPaw loves you and Jesus loves you too" -  I cry some more. No apologies offered - no excuses made. I am a marshmallow married to an equally soft hearted man.

Don't go comparing the babies in these 2 photos. Different babies (won't say which but I couldn't post pics of all of them). 

Oh we do love our grandbabies.

Oh the other hand, when a loved one moves from this world into eternity - I weep. Most often, my tears are not for them but for me. Fortunately, I have reason to believe that they are a child of God and have gone to a wonderful place. However, I'm going to miss them and so I cry selfish tears. Once again, no apologies offered - no excuses made. I am strong, but I am not a rock.

But what about those times in life that just try your patience? Those are the times to bring out the laughter. In the past, tears have been my response to such times. But lately, I've realized that I am not an attractive crier. Rather I am one of those red faced, blotchy criers that sobs afterwards and isn't presentable to look at until the next day. Oh, I wish I were one of those delicate, dab a tissue at each eye and still look presentable type criers. But that's not how God made me so I accept that. So instead of crying in those times, I will generally choose laughter. It's much healthier for the soul.

And then there are the times that warrant nothing but laughter. I've had one of those days today. I needed an Autumn fix today so I went and got that little precious princess and we went to the park. What a fun time we had. She makes me laugh (they all do in their own special way) and we had a wonderful time.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,4
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven


A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance

Today, it was a time to laugh.  

... enjoying "small world" moments

This is a story in three parts. 

The first part is known to many of you.  

The second part is known to some of you.  

The third part ... very few of you.

PART I

I have three brothers -- all older than me -- and the middle of the three is a school teacher in England. He teaches the children of military personnel at Lakenheath Air Base. Snook (not his real name, but we'll use it anyway to protect his real identity) is a math whiz and loves getting high school kids to understand his beloved math. Teaching is so natural to him.  He taught in Michigan before heading to Japan to teach at the base in Misawa and is now in England teaching at Lakenheath. There is a rumor that he may retire soon, so that has prompted me to purchase an airline ticket so I can go to England on the cheaps in April.

PART II

I have developed a fascination with cupcakes.  Really, what is better than a cake that you get to eat all by yourself. As a result, I spend hours browsing internet sites and blogs for cupcake recipes. Once a recipe sparks an interest, I'm off to the store and then I drag out Momma's old Sunbeam Mixmaster and we whip up cupcakes. Oh the yummy delights we've made together ... and the flops I've thrown in the trash (honestly, don't people try these recipes out before they post them). This pic is one where I did a mix and match with the cupcake (vanilla) and the frosting (caramel). I must admit, they are too good.  nom nom

The poor souls at work are all too willing to be my guinea pigs and, let's just say, the plate came home empty.

PART II (and 1/2)

As part of my fascination with cupcakes, I've found a little shop just off of Camp Bowie in Fort Worth that sells only cupcakes. Nothing too unusual about that. After all, there are entire television shows dealing with cupcake shops, cupcake contests, etc. While it is true that they were Fort Worth's first "cupcake only" bakery, that's not what makes them unique for me. No, what is special about this shop is that it is truly a "mom and pop" enterprise. And while I've never been there, there's a good reason for that. They open at 10:00 in the morning and leave when their morning batch of cupcakes (300-400) is gone. They post on Facebook when all cupcakes have left the building to alert people that they are closed for the day. Generally, that happens way before I could get there ... having to work at an office where they would probably get a little upset at my running out the door at 10:00 to go get a cupcake from The Cupcake Cottage. The Cupcake Cottage couple also have no qualms about closing for a few days when they have "life events" (which they describe as anything from visiting family and friends to yard work to rounding-up unsuspecting dust-bunnies at home). Their philosophy is "work to live" and not the other way around. Because of this, I have "liked" this cupcake bakery on Facebook and enjoy seeing their daily flavors which are posted every day (sometimes with mouth watering pictures).  

PART III 

(Finally, you didn't think I'd get here, did you?)

Somehow I find out that Sandra (that's the "mom" in The Cupcake Cottage duo) writes a blog. Well, I'm a blog-a-holic so of course, I had to start reading her blog (secretly hoping for a cupcake recipe or two).  While I was disappointed to find that there are no recipes there, the following discovery did delight me. I learned that she was a school teacher long ago (well, maybe not all that long ago). Nothing earth shaking here, except that her first teaching job was (... drumroll please ...) teaching students in England at (... you ready for this ...) Lakeheath Air Base. I felt a little crazy doing it, but I wrote her a little e-mail telling her of this "small world" connection. I shouldn't have been surprised when she didn't think it was too crazy and wrote me back and gave me stories of her time in England, places she liked and memories she had, things she longed to do again. With the philosophy they have for their business, I should have known that she would appreciate the connection. I love "small world" moments and thought this one was exceptional.

Now, before I go to England, I feel a great need to visit The Cupcake Cottage and meet this lady who humored my craziness.  

Remember, it is a small world.

... you never know who knows about you or about where you've been ...

SO BE NICE TO EVERYONE.

Until next time - 

Bunches!

Nona

... and I'm running behind

Geesh ... just February and I'm running behind in my blogging plans.

OK, it's true, I set no hard and fast rules about how often I would blog. However, I did set goals (goals are good, right?) and I've blown those. As a reminder, I said I would blog on the weekends with mid-week blogs showing up fairly often. That SOOO hasn't happened!

Not that I haven't been busy ... I have. There's always work, plus there were doctor appointments for mom, cataloging rubber stamps (if it doesn't sound too hard, it's because you've never done it), vet appointment for the seizing dog (that's a story in and of itself, but all is well that seems to be ending well),  cold, nasty days that made me want to stay curled in the fetal position on the couch, etc, etc, etc.

So who have I failed by not blogging? I really doubt that you (are you out there, reader or hopefully readers?) have been saddened or had feelings of neglect from the lack of blog output from me. But I have felt like I was missing something.

Once again, I am jumping in. I have lots of ideas and plan to put them into cyberspace ... but not tonight. Why? Because as usual, I am running behind and have lots to do before bedtime. Vicious cycle!

Running behind ... but never actually running!  

Bunches!!!