Happy Easter!

We lost my mother in January 2015. She died peacefully with family surrounding her and her ashes joined those of my father in Wichita, Kansas.

 

 

Soon afterwards we lost my husband's step-father, also of Wichita. It was nice to be able to stay with my mother-in-law during the week of planning my Mom's funeral so I could provide some comfort as her husband got weaker and weaker under the care of Hospice at home.

Life continues to grow for us as we've been graced with two grandsons, one in December 2012 and another in August 2015. They live close and we get to see them often. Here's a few pictures:

 

 

Ollie loves the quilt I made for him.

Still being a bit crafty with the pumpkins for Halloween.

Ollie didn't like Santa.

Wall hanging I made.

Slippers I made out of my step-father-in-law's old sweater.

Leland on the quilt I made for him.

Star Wars was popular this year.

And Ninja Turtles remain popular.

Pictures taken by my daughter, a quite talented photographer.

 

 

 

 

That's all for today folks! I've got tons more pictures, but this post should bring you up to date if you've been wondering what's been going on with my life. Hopefully I'll post more often in the future.

 

Ta ta for now!

Sharon

 

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Happy New Year!

Today is usually a day of reflecting on the events of the past year and I must say this day is no different except that I haven't been watching all those shows on television. You know, the ones that rehash all the news and events and deaths and tragedies the world has experienced during a 12 month time period

So what did I do today? Well back up a couple of days, or better yet how about 4 weeks to be exact... to that awesome day when this little guy was born. Yup, he's one month old today!

Isn't he the most precious thing you've ever seen? Yeah, I think so too! I feel so lucky to have my daughter and son-in-law living here so I can help pitch in with grandma time and watch him grow. Can you believe they still ask me if I want to hold him? Silly kids! Speaking of kids, here they are in our joint multi-purpose craft and hobby room. Emily and I were cutting out paper snowflakes for Sandy Hook (see below). I just found out today that they received so many they don't want more sent, so guess these will be used to decorate something else next year. Maybe Oliver's nursery?

Matt said he finally has the incentive to get his train layout completed so Oliver can play with it. What fun to be able to all work on our crafts together. Oh yeah, we installed a small flat screen tv on the wall above Emily's area so we can all see it. This week we began watching Downton Abbey which is proving to be all they say it is and quite entertaining.

There are sooooooo many projects already floating around on my to do list for 2013, but for starters and for tonight I need to make a few "necessaries" for Emily. What would those be? Well if I tell you that she's breast feeding would that be enough? I found some tutorials for making breast pads out of flannel and either fleece or wool, so will make a couple of prototypes to have her try out, then will make a week's supply when we know what works best. I also unassembled a soft navy blue leather purse that I could never get rid of because I love the feel of the leather and paid far too much for it to give away. It just isn't made to suit my ever-growing space needs for an every day purse. Now that I have one of those keyboard case things for my iPad it leaves both sides of it unprotected, so I want to use the leather to make a slipcover/envelope-type case for it. Then I need to make a cover for the Kindle that Emily won recently. We have some ideas to use felted wool sweaters in a patchwork pattern to make a cover. I'll be sure to post pics of all of these projects after they're done. For now, enjoy the snowflakes!

 

 

 

 

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Sweets and sweetness on Saturday

Today has been one of the most relaxing days I've had in a long time. I've had lots of sweetness time with precious Oliver. (No those aren't my hairy arms silly!)

Add to that kitchen stuff, like baking these awesome pistachio cranberry cookies that I found at one of my favorite food bloggers Erin

Hers were green, so you've got to hop over to her blog to see how pretty and festive these can be. I used a generic pudding mix and wonder if it didn't have as much color to it. What I can tell you for certain is that they are yummy! See that empty spot on the lower cooling rack? Yup, that's evidence that the Cookie Monster stopped by for a chat.

I also made some fascinating and absolutely delicious healthy chocolate avocado pudding from Green Plate Rules. No pictures of that, but she put hers in some really cute shot glasses, so you've got to see them!

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Oliver 12-12-12

I just can't get enough of this precious little bundle of love! It has been an awesome first week watching him grow and witnessing the wonderful parenting our daughter and son-in-law are doing!

 

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My grandson has arrived!

Now the REAL fun begins as we venture forth on this new exciting journey of grandparenthood! Oliver decided to come a few weeks early, but both mom and baby are doing great! My daughter and son-in-law were absolute rock stars throughout the whole process from the time her water broke at 2:15 am to first contraction at 11:30 am to final delivery at 5:15 pm. Short, sweet and to the point just like his mother! The women at the birthing center were awesome angels, providing calm loving support that was very uplifting.

I can't find the words to express how much love I have for Oliver already and how proud I am of Emily for being such a champion during childbirth and Matt for being so supportive as her partner in childbirth!

 

 

 

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T-minus 30 and counting

That would be 30 days and the countdown is for the birth of my first grandchild Oliver who is due December 27th! I can't believe that the past eight months have flown by so quickly and that soon we will hear the cries and coos coming from that tiny little baby boy. Ok, so let's tie that thought I. With today's BlogHer NaBloPoMo prompt:

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

If you could instantly know any language in the world, which one would it be?

Hmmm, it's a stretch, but while looking up the origin of the term t-minus I discovered an interesting fact on the Wikipedia entry. The term was first used in a 1929 German silent film Frau Im Mond (Woman in the Moon) which was the first time a rocket launch was presented on film, or at least the sci-fi version of one. So, rocket launch = birth of baby and German is the language I'd love to know instantly! I've lived in Germany twice and studied the language in collage, but can't for the life of me get a handle on becoming bi-lingual! What's up with that?

Why German and not something romantic like French or practical like Mandarin? Perhaps because half of the blood in my veins is of German origin and did I mention that I'd lived there twice and studied it in college? I thought so! What makes it so special? I think it's the fact that while living in Germany as a soldier in the Army I found something that has remained with me ever since... A true relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Yes, it happened as a result of a coffee house ministry called King's Crossing Coffee House which was done in the basement of the base chapel. Yup, I was part of the Jesus movement!

I hope to be able to share my love for The Lord with Oliver in a way that enriches his life. Maybe we'll even learn to speak German together!

The tour group in Israel, March 1975

My baptism in the Jordan River March 1975

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My ideal place to get stuck

Monday, November 19, 2012

If you had to get locked in some place (book store, amusement park, etc) overnight alone, where would you choose to be locked in?

That is the NaBloPoMo prompt for today and didn't really take much thought because I wish I was there right now. A Luscious ten star spa (yeah ok, so maybe the stars don't go that high, but this is MY dream and I can have whatever I want!) this spa would come fully equipped with a staff of people to pamper me, bring me glasses of wine, fresh Holiday grapes, chocolate and strawberries or anything else I want. There'd be a steamy hot jacuzzi with soft music playing, warm oil massage and aromatherapy candles burning all over the place. AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Now, back to reality. Tonight we meet the Doula that will be with my daughter and SIL before, during and after the birth of our grandson. Here's how we spent our time waiting.

I drooled over this recipe for Cheesy Garlic Basil Tilapia in the Penzey's spice catalog which uses all of my favorite ingredients. Hey if it's got garlic and basil I'm happy! And tilapia happens to be my favorite fish!

Emily and Matt were checking e-mail and reading weather blogs. We're still waiting for the long-term forecast for December.....

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Monday,Monday, so good to me

Silly song just keeps floating around in my head with pictures of those four singers, especially Mama Cass in that short dress! Today is Monday, Day 5 of the NaBloPoMo challenge to write a blog post every day during the month of November. The blog prompt for today's post is: "What are your thoughts about tomorrow's election in the United States?" Well to be quite honest I hope whoever wins does what is right for our country, because no matter what they say during all those millions of dollars worth of ads we've all be nauseated by over the past few months, if they are controlled simply by what the deep pockets and party lines tell them to do, we're in trouble. 

Believe it or not I used to really get involved in politics, or at least in radical advocacy work on my own time while trying to play the good state government employee serving as a Legislative Liaison who wasn't allowed to lobby or say anything contrary to the current administration. Talk about migraines! Yeah, after I figured out that it wasn't just the aspartame  MSG and chocolate that brought them on and finally gave in to the fact that my job and the internal conflicts it was causing might actually be a big contributing factor I gave up all the nasties and have rarely experienced one since. Well admittedly I haven't completely given up chocolate, but have learned that, unlike the stressful job, consuming it in small increments is ok.

So what does all that have to do with my thoughts about tomorrow's election? Quite honestly, even though I still vote and I know that only one vote really CAN make a difference, I just can't get overly excited or worried about who wins or loses because you know what? Life will go on!

Bottom line with me is that I'm more concerned about the upcoming baby shower I'm throwing for my daughter on Saturday than I am about the election. There you have it! Here she is with our empathetic Border Collie, Katie. Our Golden Retriever has also gotten in to the habit of patting Emily's belly. Guess they're making sure Oliver is okay. I love it!