Thirteen years...

 The sad part of being south...

is missing birthdays....as well as missing all the kids and grandkids!

Hope you have a wonderful day!!

I'm still not sure your 13:)))

Where does the time go?

There is a Girl....

Who likes to sew..and I must say she is very good at it!

She whipped up this apron!

She whipped up a cake!!

She even cleaned up!!!

But today she has whipped up another year...she's turning 12.

Happy Birthday...Sweetie!!

A little bit of This and That...

Today my youngest grandson turned 10 years old!!

It is very different being 2000 miles away 

from your grandchildren on their birthdays!

I hope he had a wonderful day!

We love you buddy!!!

My middler had bought some items at a second hand store...

She gave them to me to enhance our Arizona home....

Before...

After with the vintage table cloth.

Our futon before...

She had purchased a chenille bedspread..

We found some posters for the wall

I also sewed up a couple pillow shams...

Our bedroom before the quilt...

Hubby had made little night tables...

Middler painted them.

Hubby has been busy on the outside of our lot.... 

He has worked very hard. 

In the next couple of weeks I may have before and after pictures of what he has been up too... 

Although he works so fast at times I can't get the before pictures.

Oak Furniture. . .

Hubby is a carpenter/teacher...he has made me many wonderful wood pieces...

some day I will have to do a post on some of the pieces he has made.

 He made me a few pieces back in the 80's ...out of oak...

after a time oak becomes well tiring....

I have this daughter  (Our middler) who does a great job at refinishing...

 last spring when we returned home from the south...my oak cabinet.....

Was no longer oak!!!

I love it... 

it has a fresh worn look!!

Today is Middler's Birthday...

She is the one we want to take along shopping...

She finds the best material at fabric shops...

The best outfits and styles...

She's always makes us laugh.

So that's it for Birthday week....

(Thank-fully our baby's  son's birthday is in August)

Swim, Bike, Run. . .

It's called a Tri-athalon...

I signed up with hubby for a team..

I will swim and run...

He will bike...

Today I had my first swim...in along time, I'm slow..I run slow..

so... why?

Well let me tell you about this daughter,

last summer I watched as her children swam, biked and ran...

and I hear of all her runs, tri-athalons...and training. 

So why not... I'll do it just because I can...

and she inspires me.

If it was not for her... I would not have this blog...she inspired me...

And to day is her birthday!!

Happy Birthday honey...you keep me going:)

Most of you know her...but if not, check her out!

Birthdaygirl

(still remember this evening! It had to be Saturday...

as grandma had her hair in curlers...

We must of had Bacon, Eggs and Grandpa's Pancakes...

You had wanted Grandma to put rags in your hair..

Love You!!)

Birthday Week . . .

Christmas is over...

New Year's is over...

Life is back to normal....

that is for most people.

For a number of years once New Years was over I was planning birthday parties. 

My daughters were born 2 years and 3 days apart. 

I would plan a kids party complete with cake for my first born on her birthday...

evening would come and we would have a second cake and extended family would come over.

Three days later we would do it all over again..with the middler...

This only lasted for about 5 years as we moved away from family...

then we only had one cake and party with friends per daughter 

so birthday week got a little easier...

Once they got married those parties quit...

but I tried to do something separate with them on separate days...

First Born was 2....

Middler was 1 week...

this was my last year with only 1 Birthday Party
the second week in January....
and even though I don't have the busyness of those parties anymore,
I have the memories...
of 'Birthday Week'

Thankful # 2

November 8th...my oldest Grandson's birthday. I remember the day he was born so well!! He was born early in the morning. I still remember driving to the hospital. I spent the whole day just holding him! He was my first grandchild...born to my first born!

This year he turned 17.

I always wanted to be home for my grandchildren's birthdays....but as it worked out this year we were south.

Thankfully his family took a little holiday, close to where we were and we were able to celebrate his day with him!

My daughter made yummy subs and we had lunch together.

The men went for a round of golf!

The women visited by the lake and watched the waterplay!

We all went out for supper...

Grandson has his cake complete with 17 candles!

'When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses. '

 ~Joyce Brothers

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I am linking with the Good Life 30 Thankful Days

Children

If you're a parent...you will know that once a parent...always a parent, there are no returns on children and no manual.

My one wish in life was to have children and that wish came true. Children bring fulfillment, joy, fun times, they teach you what love really is. I remember the first time I held each of my children, I had never experienced that kind of love before. I think as humans, it is the closest we can get to understand how much God loves us.

You have the 'baby years' when those little ones depend solely on you for their very life. Then the toddler years when they start to realize they are independent of you. Soon the school years follow where others have an impact on your children. Hopefully you have done your job in the early years! Teen years...with challenges of their own and before you know it they are gone....soon to start families of their own.

Every year when my children's birthday comes along I reminisce of the years the children where at home. Today our youngest celebrates his birthday. Happy birthday son!

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 

3 John 1:4"