Monday

Yes. here we are starting another week! Happy Monday, We had a rainy and wet weekend and Jimmy and I just kind of "hunkered down" as he puts it. I watched movies and worked on an embroidery project I am doing for a friend. We were lazy.
Today, I am thankful for waking up, feeling good and  being rested. I am ready to make a my to do list and hope to get more done this week. The weather will be warm this weekend.We are trying to finish yard work and Jimmy needs to get his tomatoes going. The old Italian has to have tomatoes. We watched some YouTube posts on planting and caring for tomatoes. We both learned a lot
So I pray you have a good week, stay safe and find some joy.

Sunday Thoughts

Ah, the Sunday before Thanksgiving. A quiet time to pause and really think about being thankful.
So much has happened in my life this year. I am just so thankful to even be here and thankful that I will be with my family on Thursday. I am so blessed to have this second chance and I think about it everyday. I don't like all the meds and tests and doctor appointments, but I do love my family and my friends. I won't take this Thanksgiving lightly. I know God is healing me, sometimes much slower than I like, but healing is the important word here. I believe He has more work for me to do and I am thankful for that! It's not a bad thing to have to slow down and relax and get your priorities straight! It's not bad thing to be able to help others, even with a comforting word or a cheerful email or text. It's a good thing to have a peaceful home that welcomes friends.
So, I am thankful for all of this and am looking forward to the holiday season to "be of good cheer"!
Enjoy the day and find peace in some quiet time with the Lord. Enjoy the week ahead with a thankful heart. 

A November Sunday

How I love November! I cherish this month and I am always a bit sad when it slips away. I like the slower pace, the short days, the woodstove burning, thinking over gift giving and even time to work on some handmade gifts. This autumn month suits me.

Today is Sunday and the perfect for thinking and praying for my two grandchildren. We had a busy and fun week with the snow and ice and time with the little ones. I am so thankful that I have been blessed with grandchildren. I just didn't think we would be grandparents.

I wanted to share a few pictures from the busy and fun filled week with Otto and Ava.

Otto and Grandpa getting all bundled up for a ride in the stroller. They both wanted some fresh air.

Ava and Otto at the pancake house. Ava is so good with her brother. It makes me happy that they look like brother and sister even with different mommies.

Ava and I spent the afternoon and part of the evening yesterday playing with our American Girl dolls.
That's my Rebecca in the background. The dolls live in my Tea Room, in fact, they may be taking over the room!

This is Ava's doll Saige. Miss Ava is wishing for Samantha this Christmas. The doll is coming out of retirement.

Do you like November? 

So Many Friends....

The day before Thanksgiving...already! This has been a busy week and the days just slip by so quickly.
Today, I am thankful for my friends. I was thinking about so many of you this morning as I enjoyed my  cup of coffee. I love this quote! I guess this is how I feel about my many friends. I found this quote so nicely done on Etsy. The Etsy shoppe is called LilyandVal. There are so many talented people out there and I want to give Valerie credit for this. Go check out her shoppe.

So on to friendship...who would have ever thought that we'd be making friends across the world without even meeting them in person? My blogger friends, FB friends and internet friends have become very special in my life. I don't want to discount my other friends...so many friends and I am thankful for them all! This post could go on and on all day, really. How do you say thank you to them all? Friends are the best. Don't you just smile when one pops into your mind? Friends make me happy and help me get through the difficult times.

It is my wish and my prayer that I can be as good a friend to my friends as they have been to me.
With a grateful heart, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

Let's Grow Old Together

I woke up early this morning with too many things on my mind. I tend to do this at holiday times. When I got up, the fire was going and the house was all toasty warm. Jimmy had the fire ready and I really appreciate that! So with my coffee in my hand, I started thinking about what I am thankful for today....my Jimmy. It seems very fitting as this is our 40th year of marriage. I found this postcard online when I was snooping around and I like it!

♡♡♡ LET'S GROW OLD TOGETHER ♡♡♡

I am thankful that God has given us many years together. We have had that time to grow and become better partners. We have made mistakes along the way, we have faced hard times...joys and sorrows for sure! Yet we have always loved each other and here we are, still together and still having a grand time.
Becoming grandparents is a blessing and a reward and definitely a reason to be thankful~a gift for growing older.

Provide and protect should be my Jimmy's motto. He has always lived that from our very beginnings as a couple. Thank you Jimmy for taking good care of me for so long. I have a very thankful heart when I think of the past 40 years and I do hope we are granted many more so we CAN grow old together.

Home Sweet Home

I just got a nice warm fire going in my woodstove and am waiting for the coffee to be done. I was thinking about what I am thankful for today while I was beginning my day and it has to be my home.
I am thankful for my little cozy house where Jimmy and I have lived for 37 years now. If these walls could talk! We brought both of our girls home to this house and now a sweet grandchildren comes to visit.

It's a small house and at times, it was really stuffed when the girls were growing up and their friends filled the house to the brim. Now, it's just right for the retired folks who live here and it's all on one level. When you're young, you sure don't think of those things. No more house payments...it's all ours and that's a good feeling too.

I'm also so thankful that both of my girls have a home too. Eric and Gina bought their home in August in Seattle. It's a large spacious house and what a blessing that it was all ready to meet Eric's needs. We hope it will be filled with little ones someday.

When Angie married Chris, she moved into his amazing home. He is a collector and it is sooo fun to go to their home! I still haven't seen everything and it's so great to look and look and look. Best of all, our grandchildren live there and it's not even a half and hour away from grandma and grandpa's.

A happy home is such a blessing! It is our philosophy that our home should be a sanctuary. Come in from the world and it's business and relax. You will be safe here....recharge your batteries! As Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz...there's no place like home.

Home Sweet Home

I Am Thankful for Freedom of Religion

Good Sunday Morning! The wind is still blowing here in Troutdale OR and the house was just shaking last night. As we move toward THANKSGIVING DAY and begin a new week, I decided to take some time and put down a few of my thoughts this week, as this has been a fantastic year for me and my family. So many blessings!

Sunday is a the perfect day to reflect on a very special right in America- freedom of religion.
I am thankful that I can choose to attend my church and am free to celebrate what I believe. I am a Christian and it has great meaning in my life. I am thankful that I can go to church and not be afraid to share my faith. Life is a journey of personal faith, one that I value and hope to grow in every year.

I have been attending a lady's bible study for a few years now at a little community church called Pleasant Home Community Church.Jim and I have decided to make this our church. It's a small church with a real commitment to community...friendly and open. My friend Nancy invited me to attend the bible study so I did! Most of the ladies are older and so sweet and mother me, which I love. We just finished a Beth Moore study on James. The book of James is a small book in the bible, but a very powerful one! We will be starting a new study after Thanksgiving on the book of Daniel. I have done this one before and it is excellent. I don't mind doing it again. If you have never done a Beth Moore study, I highly recommend them.

Take time to reflect on your blessings today. The holidays are so busy and we get so wrapped up in it all. Don't miss the real meaning of the holiday this week. It's not ALL about shopping, it's about being thankful.

Thank You

The day is almost done, a lovely Sunday with a pleasant temperature of 74 degrees with a light breeze.
The house is quiet and I am just catching up on some blogs and have been thinking about the past week. Jim and I put together a baby bed to have here at our home for the baby. We thought it would be easy, but it wasn't! Oh well, it is all put together and we are happy with it. We both looked at each other when it was done and commented that we never thought a baby bed would be set up ready for our grandchild.

I am so thankful tonight. I have been thanking God for this grandbaby, a healthy grandbaby! What a blessing. I am thankful that Angie was able to make it through a hard labor and that she is recovering.
I am thankful for Chris ~ he loves babies. He is great father and we just love having him in our family.

I'm thankful for the relationship that my two daughters have and I do believe that it is stronger now than ever! They are so close and it makes me happy just to watch them together. Gina is so attached to Otto after helping with his delivery. I think it has sparked her mothering instinct! Her hubby Eric is coming down from Seattle tomorrow to meet Prince Otto!

I want to thank all of you who prayed and sent good wishes for Angie and this baby for many months and especially on delivery day. It meant so much to me and I'm just grateful for so many sweet friends. I haven't been blogging as much as I like and I thank those who have been so faithful,sending me messages, even when I haven't been able to visit your blogs.

It will be a busy week, helping the new family. Busy and exciting. 

Thankful With A Happy Heart

I am feeling so thankful and my heart is so VERY happy this morning! Some good news for our family. I will be able to share more with you soon. I feel very blessed today and I know God hears our prayers!