I thought I would make LOTS of videos and have plenty of time for blogging on my one week away from home vacation, but I have managed to stay busier than ever. It is my great grandson's fault, actually, as I have been watching him every afternoon.
Of course, you want to see pictures, so let me upload a few.... (Please pardon strange lighting and shadows.)
His name is Luke, and he smiles a lot.
Here is Luke helping Papa work just like his daddy used to do.
Here he is being totally adorable while I try to snap selfies of us.
And his Papa had him as much as I did. You just can't not snuggle with this precious bundle!
Papa has him again. Luke likes to sit up and watch the TV or the computer. Papa, of course, had the Thunder on. Luke seemed to like it.
And this is how I spend most of the time Luke is with us.
That is when I don't have to give him to his Papa.
Luke seems to be thinking, "LADY!, Could you PLEEEEEZE quit hugging me all the time!
So now you know why I have been missing.
I intended to show you how to make the notion holder, but then Luke came over. Maybe I'll get a chance to do it tomorrow.
Don't hold your breath though. Luke's Daddy may bring him back tomorrow and the next day, and this doll trumps notion holder every time. (-:
This is a WONDERFUL vacation for Jerry and me, and we are in our home.
I better go in the other room and act interested in the Thunder basketball game now.
It is 16 degrees outside, and that means bugs are dying, and we won't have 50 trillion of them crawling and flying around when Spring comes! YAY!
It is, however, sunny outside, and sunshine ALWAYS makes me happy.
And look what I found at Rhonda's place. I love this because I have been hurt by so many people, as I'm sure you have been to. People can be so heartless and cruel. Some hurt you without even realizing what they are doing. This -- in my case -- refers to those who have hurt me ON PURPOSE by their ugly words or actions. But even then, God says to bless them. God is so loving, and He knows that blessing them sets us free. He can then deal with the offenders Himself!
And I promised you back on December 18th that I would EVENTUALLY show you pictures from Mom's 90th birthday. Here they are.
Mom received nearly 40 cards from all of you. Actually, a card still comes every few days.
Mom read EVERY SINGLE ONE, and she was so touched that people that don't even know her would be so kind.
I helped her read the parts she couldn't make out.
We had all of Mom's favorite foods: Grapes, Potato Salad, Chicken Salad Sandwiches and Purple Punch.
Notice the only sandwich below. That is because Mom eats only ONE KIND of bread, and she only eats ONE HALF of a sandwich. She didn't touch the cupcakes, because they are "bad for you", but she had lots of ice cream.
I went to the bakery and gave the decorator lady a drawing of a violet to use so she would know what a violet looked like. She was a wonderful young lady, and she did EXACTLY what I asked her to do. God bless her!
And here I am with Mom. Terry, a professional photographer, took all the pictures that day. She is so good to me. WAIT until you see the quilt she just made for me!!!!!!! (A later blog.)
The picture below was SUPPOSED to be a family picture with Mom and her four kids. Sadly, I am the only one that was here although all were invited. I am so thrilled to have this picture thanks to Terry.
This is a sweet one that Terry took:
This is Mom opening a fun card from my friend and neighbor Kathleen. Mom was so happy all day long. Her birthday could not have been more special.
Here, Mom just opened the warm fleece top I made for her. It looks really nice on her, and she has worn it several times.
And here is Mother's most favorite preacher in the whole wide world. This is Pastor Leon. He visits her EVERY week, and he always wears a PURPLE shirt. What a sweetheart!
And this lady is Dorine. She is a nurse, and she has another full time job. She leaves our house at 3:00 and goes to her other job. Unbelievable! She comes four or five days every week to care for Mom because she loves Mom, and we all love her! She is like a part of this family now. Notice that she also wore purple for Mom's birthday. Mom is wearing an outfit I made for her, and it is her favorite. Hence she is not wearing purple. Mom will tell you many times a day that she is VERY BLESSED to have so much loving care here.
I've got THREE quilts in the works right now, and I'm stopping to make some fun notion holders, so I have to go!
Here is my latest video if you want to see what a "notion holder" is:
Go HERE for the excellent instructions at Rhonda's place, and don't tell my friends about this because they may be getting one!
It is about 8 PM on January 3rd, and my lightning fast mind just realized I haven't posted any pictures from my Mom's birthday yet. Terry brought me a CD of the ones she took, and I took several myself. The thing is, when your birthday is on December 18th, it is immediately overridden by Christmas preparations. Right after Mom's birthday was my granddaughter's birthday on the 20th and an employee was the day after that, and then it was suddenly Christmas Day!
I don't have any pictures in this laptop, so you will still have to wait awhile for birthday pics. I'll get around to it -- I promise. And, no, I can't put the CD in here because this laptop does not have a CD player.
Mother received over 30 cards from you very loving and kind internet friends of mine. She was so blessed by them and so was I. The people who were here for her little party were amazed at the cards she had received. She has them all in her room so she can look at them whenever she wants to.
I did make a VLOG for you about her birthday. If you haven't seen it, here it is:
Part of the following VLOG was made on Christmas morning, and Mom talks to you in it. I am showing you a cookie that was sent to Mom by Shari Marie. Purple butterflies! Mom loved them.
So what about those New Year's resolutions.
I don't really have any, other than the ones I have every day, all my life: Love God, love people and try to be the best ME I can be.
I thank all of you who took time to listen to me and talk back to me with your kind, helpful comments this past year. And thank you all SO VERY MUCH for being so kind to my Mother and giving me your helpful advice and tips from your own experiences with loved ones. I know I will cherish you all the more as her illness progresses. Nothing heals a hurting heart like loving friends who truly care and have been through what you are going through.
