Hanging In There

The past several weeks have gone by in such a rush for our family ... and yet it's been at a snail's pace at the same time.  Doesn't make sense?  Not to us either.  So, here's a little peek into what's been going on in our household:

First of all ...

Princess Lucy is in the midst of a growth spurt (nothing unusual since she is just 3 yrs old & will have many more growth spurts ahead of her).  She is quite the "little girl" now ... not a baby anymore ... not really a toddler anymore either.  She recites the alphabet in the blink of an eye now, sounds out words to recognize the beginning letter, recognizes numbers, has already done math problems...

AND Lucy wrote her name for the first time this week :)

PLUS ... 
Lucy's just busy --- being Lucy :)

Everyday is a new adventure for all of us ... Princess Lucy keeps us going from sun-up til sun-down and all the moments in between.  Grandad asked me this evening "What was life like before Lucy?"  
And I replied "Life wasn't before Lucy."
How in the world did she get to be 3 years old? Time sure has flown by ... and it seems to be speeding up on us too.  Somehow we need to get it to slow down.


And now for an update on Lucy's little brother:


He still gives his Mommy daily contractions ... but he hasn't made his appearance as of this post.  That's not to say that by morning he won't be here, but for now ... at this moment ... he is still keeping all of us on alert. 
Little Disney Boy isn't due to make his appearance for another 3 to 4 weeks, but he's been anxious to come for the past few months. 

So for now, 
we just wait.


And we stay busy
with big sister Lucy,

who teaches her Granny 
something new everyday.

By the way ...


A most appreciated Thank You to my new followers from the past few weeks.  I haven't had much of an opportunity to catch up on reading everyone's new posts & following my new readers.  
But, I endeavor to spend some time getting to know you through your blogs.
Until then ... 
Thank you ALL (new readers & current readers) for spending some time reading Granny's posts.


God Bless ...

Turning the Tables (On My Husband)

 In less than 2 months my loving husband will turn over another decade ... he will turn 50.  Now, don't get me wrong ... he does not mind at all marking 50 years on this earth.  Matter of fact, he's actually looking forward to it!  He's looking forward to the day when he can go to a restaurant and say "senior discount, please".  I can honestly say that I have NEVER seen anyone as excited to turn over a decade as he is.  

And, I am so looking forward to entering this new decade by his side ... 

just as I have been by his side for his birthdays since he turned 22 (just a few years ago).

So, now I'm on a mission.  If you read my last post 

(click here to read My Introduction to the 21st Century ) 

you'll see that my husband bought me a NookColor for Christmas.  Well, he researched, bought, hid ... did everything without my even having a little hint as to what he was up to.  So ....... now I think it's MY turn ... 

to plan, to conspire, to turn the tables.

I need to consult my partner in crime (Mrs. 'Joe) to see what kind of ideas she has for her Daddy's 50th.  We know his "party" will consist of his family taking him out for dinner to celebrate him (depending on when this little grandson decides to join the rest of us in our household).  

But, somehow ... 

some way ... 

we will celebrate "Grandad" in a "grand fashion".

So, now it's your turn ... have you ever given a gift to someone for a milestone that they turned over?  If so, what was it?  How did you think of it?  I'm looking for something different to do for my husband this year.  Not the "typical" ... but not anything that he will have to sign a second mortgage to either.  

Something that shows him just how special he is to his family.  

He does so much for us ... 

now we want to turn the tables on him.

My Introduction to the 21st Century

My husband surprised me just before Christmas this (past) year. For the past few years we have either gotten something for the house, or had Mrs. Joe do our shopping for each other (she would choose a theme & talk to each of us about interests, goals, etc, then choose our gifts for each of us to which we both would be doubly surprised as to what we got for each other), or just waited until after Christmas to find good sales.  

But this past Christmas was different ...  

he researched, he bought and he hid ...  

all before he even dropped any hints to me.  

So, as Granny was scrambling to get Christmas shopping done, I learned less than a week before Christmas that he had me a "bonafide" gift.  (He had just added another "to-do" to my list because I sure wasn't going to let him get me something & me be empty-handed to him --

besides I had a couple of ideas up my own sleeve as well).  

And, on Christmas Eve, my big gift was revealed.  

(Of course, Mrs. Joe had been in on this since the time he made his covert purchase ... and she was quite proud of her Daddy for shopping all by himself). 

I must say, this Granny is rather enjoying her Christmas present.  I never really dreamed that I would ever enter into the 21st century, but evidently my husband is determined that I must go ... and I will admit that I have enjoyed this quantum leap.  But if anyone knows me at all, my husband knows me best. This gift really is my style and my size.  My only challenge is not to be overwhelmed at the number of books I can choose from to load to my Nook Color and at the applications I can use on it (I still haven't a clue as to everything I can do with this).  And it's taking a little time to get used to not holding a physical book or turning physical pages, but I think I can get used to this :) 

Thanks to my wonderful husband for his continued surprises after 28 years together.  But I do wonder "why" he kept my gift at his office & didn't try to "hide" it in the house?  It's not like I would have gone on a gift-hunt ... or would I??? 
(Click here to read my "Christmas Present" & my weakness for snooping at Christmas ) 

My One-Word

A few years ago Mrs. 'Joe set a challenge she had seen in a book ... write your memoir in six words.  Yes, a six-word memoir.  How can a lifetime be summed up in just six words?  I took her challenge and "discovered" my six-word memoir had actually been a culmination of my entire life.  God actually revealed my memoir to me pretty quickly.  From the various friendships through the years to work environments to ministry involvements ... 

my lifetime was summed up in just six words ...

being where God needs me most

... that's me ... that's my life.

A couple of months ago I started reflecting on the year 2011.  And now I've come up with a challenge of my own: 

Write my year of 2011 in just one word.  

If I could describe my year of 2011 in just one simple word, what would that word be?  Now I'm not talking of words such as:  

blessed, grace, mercy, success ...  

To me there's some words that are obvious that God is active in my life every moment of everyday.

So, I want to dig a bit deeper into myself to find my one-word.  It dawned on me a couple of months ago what my one-word is. 

Life-changing events ... relationships ... health issues ... community ... responsibility ... life-purpose ...  

Yes, I can sum it all up in just one little word ... 

365 days ... 

five letters ... 

my one-word ... 

aware

I know, I know.  It sounds pretty obvious, but to me ... it filters inside my very core.  

I'm aware ... 

I'm aware that my very breath is God-given ... 

I'm aware that each breath is God's gift to me ... 

I'm aware that my next breath is not promised nor guaranteed.  

I'm aware that my family is God's greatest gift to me ... I'm aware that my friendships are God's provision for sharing life's joys & challenges ... I'm aware that health is not to be taken for granted.  Cancer seems to have touched many people within our community just this year.  We are so very thankful that my Mother's surgery in June cleared her from that cancer that was creeping, and that her radiation treatments brought the chances of a return at a minimal. 

I'm aware. 

I'm aware that the tiniest of angels will hold our hearts until we see them again ... I'm aware that life begins at conception no matter when the pregnancy is revealed ... I'm aware that miscarriages affect the whole family & not just the parents.  I'm not quite sure that Grandad & I each had time to grieve the loss of our 6 week old grandchild, but Heaven gained a beautiful angel that we both look forward to meeting one day.  

I'm aware.

I'm aware of expectations ... I'm aware that I may not always know what these expectations are that have been placed on me ... I'm aware that there's times when I fall terribly short from these expectations.  We all do it, and sometimes just don't want to admit it.  But, we set expectations yet do not always inform others of those expectations.  Is it fair to those around us or to ourselves when we set silent expectations on others?  Wouldn't it be best all around to just come right out & say what we expect of others?  We set them up for a downfall in our eyes, and we set ourselves up for frustration over unmet (however *silent* they may be) expectations. 

I'm aware.

I'm aware of my relationships ... I'm aware that my family is the greatest blessing God has entrusted with me ... I'm aware that my grandchildren will grow up before I blink my eyes.  With Lucy 3 years old and our little grandson to make his appearance anytime between now & mid-February, my days go by faster than I have ever imagined.  Time seems to go by at a much faster speed with Lucy than it did with her Mommy (and I worked full-time & had all the activities of school, church & family to keep up with too).  

I'm aware.

I'm aware that some things are more important than others ... I'm aware that when it all comes down to it, some things are just meaningless ... I'm aware that I am the only person who can distinguish between the meaningful and the meaningless to me.  Don't get me wrong, we all have "things" that are important to each of us.  But when we allow something small to get blown out of proportion --- well, maybe that's when we need to take another look at our expectations.  Just a thought for which ... 

I'm aware.

This is just the tip of my awareness of 2011.  My New Year's Resolution for 2012 is simply ...  

to be aware. 

And my priority of awareness is 

to be aware of God ...  

to be aware of His blessings ... 

to be aware of life.

What one-word would you describe for your 2011?  

I encourage you to reflect on your past year ... 

to be reflect on your blessings, your challenges & your very being ... 

to be aware. 

Christmas Future

With Christmas 2011 drawn to a close, we now look ahead to the beginning of a new year ... the year 2012.  We had a wonderful Christmas at our house this year.  My parents, my sister & her family and all of us.  
Lots of presents and lots of food 

(which of course included G-G's mash-a-tatoes) ...

lots of laughter and lots of eating ... 

lots of wrapping paper and lots of "thank you's".  

It's always good to see everyone having a great time together.  

So this Christmas actually leads into Christmas Future ... 

our kids, grandchildren, niece & nephew ... and traditions.  

Just as I reflect on Christmases of the past, so will my daughter, grandchildren and my sister's children.  There's been other Christmases that everyone has gathered at our house, so our tradition of gathering at my parents' house isn't set in stone (depending on what life event is in family lives at the time).  And this Christmas saw Mrs. 'Joe on complete bed-rest for the next several weeks.  So, everyone came to us.

We opened presents before we ate Christmas dinner, and my nephew headed up the line to get a plate of food.  I love the fact that my family feels "at home" in my home.  I'm not saying anything against those who don't open up their kitchens.  But to me I feel like my family & friends are comfortable enough in my house to be themselves.  My Granny and my Mother always had an open kitchen ... everyone felt comfortable to go and get whatever they wanted at any time they wanted.  And I have their same kitchens.  

Since Christmas I've been wondering ... these kids are our Christmas Future.  They will keep some traditions, and file others away as "when I was younger, we would ______ at Christmas."  And some questions too, such as:  Will they go to church for Christmas Eve services?  Will they open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?  Will Santa be a welcomed visitor on Christmas morning?   
Two things I pray for ... (1) Our Savior Jesus Christ to be the center of Christmas; and (2) the tradition of family continues on for all of our kids.  

Of course, none of us knows what our futures will hold ... and being a military family brings its own set of uncertainties.  One thing that Grandad & I pray for future Christmases is that we will be close enough to continue our tradition of family.  Since Christmas Eve is also the 'Joe's wedding anniversary, Grandad & I have spent that day with Lucy while her parents would celebrate their marriage.  So, I can visualize this being a tradition for Christmas futures to come -- Christmas Eve with our granddaughter & grandson. 

I'm very thankful I can't see into the future.  But I'm thankful that God knows.  One thing for sure, though ... my family's Christmas Future is in goods hands ... 

Lucy with her cousins & her Mommy

I had debated on when to post Christmas Future.  Afterall, one of our "futures" hasn't yet made his grand entrance into our world.  However, we're pretty sure that Little Disney Boy is not going to stay put til February.  But he will undoubtedly add his own personality and gifts to our group of young kids.  

My family is blessed with our Christmas Futures ... for Him we are grateful.  

Christmas Present

As much as we would love to keep our family traditions ... they do change. Children get older, they marry, they move away from "home", they have children ... loved ones faith becomes sight as they bow singing Holy Holy Holy to The One whom we celebrate on Christmas.  Traditions may eventually become a treasured memory that become oral history to pass down to our future generations.  

My Christmas present actually begins when Grandad & I celebrated our first Christmas as husband & wife ... in 1984.  It was then that we discovered we had a sneaky little mouse in our apartment.  One that would gently lift the tape off of his presents to me, then would re-tape the wrapping paper to the gift as well as it could.  Yes, that little mouse was a sneaky little thing, and got me in trouble more than I care to admit throughout our past 28 Christmases together. (And just for the record ... I will always plead my 5th Amendment rights when it comes to being "interrogated" over Christmas presents ... I have no idea why that little mouse never bothered the gifts that I would give Grandad ... I just do not know why at all.)

Back to traditions ... 

When our daughter (the now Mrs. 'Joe) was younger, the three of us always would go out for a nice Christmas Eve dinner, followed by Christmas Eve church service.  We would then go back home, get out our snacks, and make my Mother's Christmas Eve punch ... and exchange gifts. The Christmas Eve opening gifts tradition stayed with me, and I carried it into my own family's new traditions. 

Then, on Christmas morning ... Santa left his presents for our daughter ... oh yeah, and the elves filled her stocking (Santa wanted to make sure that if he had to work on Christmas Eve, so did his elves:) 
After Santa came, the 3 of us would load up our car to drive to my parents' (at that time they were 3 hours away from us).  My sister & her family would be there, and we would have dinner, open more gifts, and spend the night with them.  The next day (normally) we would head out of state to visit Grandad's family and the rest of my family.  So, Christmas was a celebration that lasted for several days in our household.

Christmas Eve 2005 brought another change in our traditions ... Mr & Mrs 'Joe's wedding day.  They were married Christmas Eve morning and my parents, sister & family, and one of my cousins attended from our family.  It's a challenge to get everyone together these days with some of us away from home & out of state.  But, we actually pulled off a Christmas Eve wedding, and had our traditional Christmas Day celebration at my parents' house (around 1 1/2 hours away now).  It was a different Christmas, but Jesus' birth was still celebrated that weekend.  

My husband walking our daughter down the aisle on Christmas Eve 2005 ...  

The father of the bride singing at his daughter's wedding ... The Day Before You:

The following year brought another change to our traditions.  'Joe was still deployed.  It was a totally different feel and emotion to our celebration of Jesus. The year had passed us by & their first year of marriage was behind them ... Mrs at home and Mr in the sandbox.  But, God was and still is good in His provision of grace and He brought Mr & Mrs 'Joe through it.  And we celebrate Jesus for it.

You know, there is one tradition that has not been broken since its inception December 1964 ... I have always seen my parents on Christmas Day.  I know that may sound a bit trivial to some, but with all the changes in traditions and changes in family ... no matter what the circumstances surrounding each Christmas Day ... I have always seen my parents on Christmas Day.  And to me, that's one of my favorite gifts, and one of my favorite traditions.

So as I prepare for sleep tonight ... and prepare for Santa to leave his presents for Lucy ...
I look forward to spending Christmas Day 2011 with my family ...
and celebrating the Greatest Gift whom has been given to each of us.

Happy Birthday Jesus ~~~ Thank You for being my Christmas!

Christmas Past

This time of the year always has me reflecting ~~~
childhood memories of Christmases gone by ... 
Christmas family trips with our daughter ... 
Christmas has always been family.  

And family is one of my most treasured Christmas memories.

 When I was a young girl, my parents & I lived with my Granny and my Mother's youngest sister. Every holiday meant a family gathering with cousins, aunts and uncles (along with my parents, Granny & Aunt K).  We always had a house-full in the grocery-store-converted-to-my-grandparents' home-place.  

My parents & me at my Granny's house.

 
Let's see ... there would be close to 25 of us at Granny's on Christmas Eve.  My Mother would make punch (Canada Dry Ginger Ale, 7-Up, pineapple juice, orange juice & vanilla ice cream or orange sherbet) ... my aunts would bring snacks, desserts ... and there would be laughter, fun and (of course) presents!  We kids had so much fun and never wanted the night to end.  Our celebrations would normally come to a close somewhere before midnight so all of the kids could be in bed to wait for Santa to arrive. 

My sister & me in our "new house" over-looking Granny's house.

And then Christmas Day began ...

Since several of us lived right around my Granny, we cousins would wake up early & go from house to house to see what Santa left for each of us.  I think we enjoyed seeing what the others got for Christmas almost as much as we enjoyed our own presents.  

And then, we all gathered at Granny's for our Christmas Day dinner.  Which meant more good food ... ham, turkey, casseroles, green beans, corn, breads, desserts ... more desserts ... oh yes, and my Mother's famous mashed potatoes.  When my Mother was running late, dinner would be held up until she had her mashed potatoes all ready.  
These mashed potatoes have stood the tradition of time ... 
they were always a favorite of my daughter's and now a favorite of Lucy's. 
(And yes, we still hold dinner until "G-G's mash-a-tatoes" are ready :)

My cousins have always been some of my best friends.

Christmas past brings wonderful memories ...

of laughter ... 

of dinners ...

of family ...




What are some of your favorite memories of Christmas past?