Come and Gone

Hello everyone!  

I have sure been missing YOU.

Our family Christmas celebration in January

has come and gone

and everyone is back at their own homes again.

Some special  kind of memories were made,

but wait until you hear what happened!

  It has taken me a week

to get back into the swing of things.

Here are our daughters together.

Jessica and Jaymie

  Oh how sisterly love is forever special.

Even if you live hours away from one another.

Our grandchildren stayed

with us part of the week without

their parents, because mommy and daddy

went to a Couples Retreat together.

Papaw and I had one day with our sweeties,

  before a nasty

flu virus made it's appearance and 

messed up our plans.

Our little grandson, Ezra, was the first one to have it.

And the poor little guy still had it when he

left to travel back home 6 days later!

We felt so sorry for him because everything he ate just

wouldn't stay down and he was miserable.

.........and

papaw and grandma just weren't the same

as having mommy and daddy around when you are sick!

You can see that he looks a little energy drained here

in this picture with papaw and Aunt Jaymie.

After this photo above,

our granddaughter Ella and Aunt Jaymie

 came down with the nasty flu bug too!

Aren't you feeling a little sorry for us about now?

It's something
what grandparents will resort to when

 entertaining their grandchildren!

  This photo isn't the best

in color but I just had to show you
what a trouper papaw was

in bending his body all around, in the game Twister,
just to make 

his granddaughter so happy.

She and her pony sat back and gave the instructions! ha

Well five days later, when mommy and daddy

arrived back from a Florida Pastor's Couple Retreat,

grandma gave into that nasty bug too
that had been trying to

show it's face earlier, but she just couldn't let it until the

Calvary arrived!

We celebrated our family Christmas quietly in

our comfy home and had to cancel the larger family

get together with my siblings that we had planned. 
That made me super sad,

because a few of my siblings haven't met our 

sweet grandchildren yet. 

But they understood and really didn't want that bug

invading them.

We still had some wonderful hugs and smiles going

on through out it all.  Ella showed me how to use her

new paper bead machine, and we worked on making little

pot holders that I bet you too remember making as a child.

 

It's funny what life brings your way sometimes,

especially when you are least expecting it. Everyone

is well now and I am so grateful

that we still had this time

together. 

I'm just planning on a much more fun trip

in the future with no bugs allowed!

Be sure and tune in tomorrow, 
because I want to

talk to you about something for the new year. 

I've come up with my "WORD", instead

of resolutions, for 2011 and I'm

hoping it will also be an encouragement to

 many of you.

I'm so glad to be back with YOU my friends!

 Great Big Hugs

without any bugs attached!

A New Years Prayer for My Friends

I'm gearing up

for our grandchildren to get here 

in a few days,

along with their mommy (our daughter) 

and daddy so we can celebrate

our family Christmas!

As I told you in another post,

we have not seen them for over 6 months and

my heart is almost skipping beats

as it sings inside with the "cannot wait" feelings!!

I hope you don't get sick of me sharing our 

two "cutie pies" with you in my posts.

I just can't help myself!

Mommy sent this photo.
She is so proud of the necklace she just

made from a jewelry kit she received from Santa.

I think she did a great job for only being age 4 1/2 yrs. old.

Isn't he a cutie?  And you should see

how he can boogie!  He LOVES music and 

he has some great dance moves already!

I've only seen those moves, so far through 

online video. But soon he and grandma and Papaw

are going to be dancing some jigs together when they visit.

Okay, in case Papaw is reading this, I will 

rephrase what I just said.

"Soon he and grandma will be dancing some jigs 

and papaw will clap on the sidelines!"

I am looking forward to 

new things,

and getting to know YOU,

 my blogging friends even better.

I'm also looking forward

to enjoying some old things. I am a

very sentimental girl at heart,

and I 

have realized that much

of the old, including the good and bad,

are what make the new things even 

more meaningful and special.

I found a New Years Prayer 

by an anonymous author

and it said exactly what I wanted to say

to my friends.

So here it is to Y♥U from ME  

A New Year’s Prayer

May God make your year a happy one!
Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,
But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;
Not by making your path easy,
But by making you sturdy to travel any path;
Not by taking hardships from you,
But by taking fear from your heart;
Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,
But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;
Not by making your life always pleasant,
But by showing you when people and their causes 

need you most,
     and by making you anxious to be there to help.
God’s love, peace, hope and joy 

to YOU for the year ahead.

Blessings in Bushels

to you in 2011

 

From Me to YOU

Just peeking in for

a few minutes to say hi.

I sure miss you all. 

So sorry that life has been keeping 

me so busy lately and preventing me from

visiting as much as I like in blog land.

I'm sure you are all very busy too, 

getting ready

for Christmas this week.

"Lion Heart"

Just listed this cute little guy in my etsy shop.

He isn't the least bit of a scary lion.

Rather, I think he is looking for someone 

to cuddle with.

Speaking of cuddling! 

I hope that is exactly

what each of you get to do this Christmas.

Cuddle with someone you love or with

many someones that YOU love.

Enjoy one another!

Merry Christmas to all of YOU 

and to your wonderful families.  You indeed

have already given me a most wonderful gift and

that is the gift of YOUR friendship.

You each have blessed my life
this year
in more ways than I can count!

I thank God for YOU.

May this Christmas find you
blessed beyond measure

with the love of family and  friends
and with the

overflowing joy

that only He can give. 

♥

If I could, I would come and grab you to go
caroling with me. Then afterward we would go to my house
for some hot chocolate.
Wouldn't that be fun?

♫ ♪ ♥♫ ♪
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