Just Call Me Grammy!

Happy Birthday Grandpa

2012-01-13T23:05:00.001-06:00

Goodness it's been a while since I have visited the old blog...let's see if I still know how :)

Olivia and I made a cake for Grandpa Andy today. It was an adventure!

She did great with the mixing and scraping

While we were waiting for the cake to bake and cool Olivia made Grandpa a card

Proud of her work

Once the cake cooled it was time for frosting...Grammy had some reservations but went ahead anyway

She took the job very seriously and it's going pretty well

Still not too bad--only a few crumbs in the frosting :)

Getting kind of scary

Not sure there is any hope

Best quote of the day...At this point Olivia looked at me and said, "I think this looks LOVELY...grandpa Andy will LOVE it!"

A little sprinkles cover a multitude of frosting sins :)

Grandpa Andy happened to call about this point in the story. The conversation went something like this-- Olivia: "You must come home soon because we are planning a surprise party" Grandpa: "For who?" Olivia: "You" (insert adorable giggling)

After supper it's time for two little girls to put in the candles

Ella's went in a little deep

All in a row

Looks pretty good a lit up

Time to make a wish and blow--I bet he's wishing for more evenings just like this one

The day ended with Olivia and Grandpa dancing after supper along with lots of other silliness

A pretty successful "not so surprising" surprise party!

Thirty-two Happy Years Later

2011-11-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

My sweetheart and I in 1979

Thirty-two happy years later!

What a blessing it has been to share every moment of the last 32 years with such a wonderul man...Happy Anniversary! I love you!

Crafty Grammy is in Over Her Head

2011-11-14T19:46:00.001-06:00

No surprise that Olivia wanted to "do a craft" today. We decided on a turkey wreath.

She worked very hard...singing all the time :o)

Cute wreath completed...now grammy asks the fatal question...where should we hang it up?

She tells me we will hang it on our float. Silly grammy asks: "What float?" Darling grandgirl answers: "The one we are going to make...outside...big enough to ride on!" Yikes! Grammy is now in WAY OVER HER HEAD!Besides all the crafting, Olivia and puppy spent alot of time galloping and galloping on her stick horse.

This was (in Olivia's own words) the Ballerina Cowgirl--cute, isn't she?

Little Ella who is not so little anymore spent some time coloring...

And "reading" to the puppy...and dragging toys all over the house :o)

Olivia's plan is to make our float when she comes back on Friday...better stock up on some building supplies!

Beyond Measure

2011-10-06T17:06:00.001-05:00

If everything was gone tomorrow but this...

I would still be blessed beyond measure.

"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!" Psalm 126:3

Unexpected Blessing

2011-10-01T22:32:00.003-05:00

Once again it has been forever since I have had time or the motivation to get something on my blog. The past few ~~weeks~~ months have been full of some very difficult challenges. Wednesday of this last week I was faced with one of the most difficult personal experiences I have ever endured, but God is good and faithful and I believe that healing is on its way. First thing Thursday morning Andy and I woke up to a sweet, unexpected blessing when another baby bird made its appearance in the aviary. Meet Sweet Little Baby Bird (named by Olivia of course)

These birds are zebra finches...the one with the bright orange cheeks is the daddy. Olivia named him Purdue...grandpa was happy about that.

The pretty little white finch is the mama, her name is Snowball.

Olivia was super excited to meet the new baby

She had to introduce "sweet little kitty" to "sweet little baby bird." Grandpa asked what we would call her when she wasn't a baby any more...she said I haven't decided yet!

She was telling me that looking at sweet little baby bird just made her want to cuddle her...so cute!

Grandpa Andy snapped a couple of good shots of two of my favorite blessings all dressed up in our homecoming gear. These girls never fail to make me smile.

Love this one of Olivia and I. I especially love the sweet, slightly stinkery smile.

And one of grammy and Ella...she's getting so big and her smiles are so sweet.

I'm sure there are some really hard days coming...but God has blessed me with the best husband, an amazing family, supportive friends, peace that transcends any circumstance and lots more smiles to come!

Operation Saving Baby Bunny

2011-09-04T20:41:00.000-05:00

Meet the newest guest in the Felix zoo...appropriately named by Olivia as "sweet little baby bunny"...

A few days ago Andy found some baby bunnies in the corner flower garden. I was less than excited as darling little baby bunnies eat EVERYTHING in sight. Olivia had an entirely different opinion however.

She fell in love at first sight...

Andy and I were both afraid from the beginning that the mama had abandoned these little cuties

Olivia sang to her new friend...

She asked if "sweet little baby bunny" was friends with granpa's fish :o)

She absolutely did NOT want to give it up but we made her put it back in the garden...I know WHAT was I thinking?!?

Unfortunately it rained last night and turned pretty chilly. When Andy went out this morning he found one little baby had not survived the night and found this one mostly cold but still breathing. My kind-hearted hubby couldn't bear to let it lay out in the cold and die, so he held it in his hands to warm it up. Found it a new towel-lined home and brought it inside. Tom and Jen brought us some baby formula and we began syringe feedings.

Poor little thing could barely open its eyes. I was sure he was a gonner. Jennifer started the feedings out with lots of helpful observers.

Apparently baby bunnies respond well to excessive amounts of attention and tender loving care.

FYI... I have NOT volunteered for the 2 a.m. feeding.

He/She's looking pretty good tonight...If "sweet little baby bunny" survives, he/she will need a new home as she will not be allowed to reside in my garden...any takers???

I Can Post Pictures Again!!!

2011-08-28T20:52:00.007-05:00

I have been having major computer issues...the last month with NO access to my pictures nearly drove me crazy. After spending around 8 hours the last two days with three different oh so friendly Norton analysts from somewhere in India I am believe I am finally back on track. Just time tonight for a couple of pics of some projects I have been working on.

I think this may be my favorite pic of Olivia from the summer. She looks so natural and just happy.

And a favorite of sweet little Ella. Isn't she a cutie pie in her bathing suit and necklace combo?!?!

Lastly, the birthday card I made for Olivia's 4th birthday. I like how bright and cheery it turned out. Reminds me of the bright, cheery girlie I made it for.

Happy 4th Birthday Sweet Girl !

2011-07-24T08:00:00.001-05:00

Hope your special day is full of happiness and joy...

And sweet surprises -just like you are!

Grammy and Grandpa love you more than words can say! Happy Birthday!

Slip n- Slide Fun!

2011-07-11T22:30:00.004-05:00

I should be in bed getting rested up for my super-long work day tomorrow...but these pictures were too cute not to share! The girls came again tonight for a little while. It was still ridiculously hot so crazy grammy decided she could tackle two little girlies, a wacky water palm tree, a slip-n-slide, and a camera. The result --some of my favorite pictures yet.

Our beautiful summertime girl

First trip down

In the splash pool...with an appreciative audience

Uh oh...looks like trouble...and nobody got hurt ;o)

Sweet Ella LOVES water

Time for a drink

Fearless girl

Great, wet, muddy, messy summer evening fun!

Alot Has Happened Since Mother's Day...

2011-07-05T21:05:00.017-05:00

So I have been a VERY negligent blogger for the last month or so. Lots of things going on and I have let picture editing and blogging fall by the wayside. My biggest (perhaps only) blog fan/hubby has been bugging me to get some more pics up so here goes...

I found a new recipe for a chocolate buttercream icing that is yummy!!! And made some fun cupcake toppers for our "progressive" 4th of July party! The center of the toppers were a printable from Paper & Pigtails

This is a graduation/going away card I made for a wonderful young man from our church who left for West Point a couple of weeks ago. I like the way it turned out.

And one more graduation card that I was really pleased with. Always love butterflies :o)

Since I am being totally random, here are some yard shots I like. This is the potting bench my hubby made for me a while back. Still love it :o)

Pretty begonias on the table

LOVE daisies and these are such a pretty color

Last but not least is sweet little Annie dog who badly needed a visit to the groomer standing in the grass that needed to be mowed...both have since been accomplished.

Now for the always too adorable grandgirls...

Ella the chair climber --she looks pretty proud of herself doesn't she?

Now for some crock climbing...notice how we stay with the climbing theme :o)

Once again I love the "proud of my accomplishment" look on her sweet little face

Moving on to our big girl...
One day out of the blue Olivia came to me and said..."I need a cowgirl hat so I can say YeeHaw!!! So off grammy went to the basement/pit and found her daddy's old cowboy hat and boots! She LOVED them!

Then the guest room turned into "The Cowgirl Campout Sleepover Party"

While the cowgirl was resting we decided to put up Tom's old tent in the backyard.
It was a huge hit!

We had to have a popcorn snack

And a little "cheese"

Then a little clean up

This face says JoY!

Grandpa provided entertainment with some juggling...much to Olivia's enjoyment!

They tossed a baseball back and forth and Olivia laughed till I thought she would fall off her chair!

Lastly...for now...for the one of you that has perservered to the end of this exciting picture marathon...Olivia ASKED ME TO TAKE HER PICTURE!!! That NEVER happens. So I HAD to oblige :o)

Seems like a good place to end the picture marathon...Hopefully I'll see you again before August :o)

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T21:04:00.006-05:00

It was a beautiful Mother's Day. I really missed my sweet girl Melissa but enjoyed talking to her on the phone. Andy made all of us a delicious lunch with grilled chicken and lots of other good stuff. He told me later he wants no part of being a chef...even though it was a super good. Guess I'll have to keep cooking :o)

I made this card for my mom (and for Andy's mom too) We were both blessed with super good mothers and we are thankful!

Pretty hanging basket for my momma from my sister Lori and me

My sweet momma and me

Great Grandma and Olivia making a playdough cake

Pretty soon everyone got in on the playdough fun

Little daredevil Ella standing on the edge of her seat playing

Want some playdough cake Grammy?

There's a sweet smile...Ella and Grandpa are apparently up to something fun

Grammy and Ella sharing smiles in the kitchen

It was FINALLY warm and beautiful here this weekend so I finally got the porch ready for spring then today the kids added this beautiful hanging basket

This basket should look familiar. I laughed when the kids brought it in. It is the exact basket I picked out for my mom...I thought it was the prettiest basket in the greenhouse and now I have one of my own --Thanks guys!

Some Mother's Day family photos of my lovely daughter-in-law Jennifer and her sweet family

All three moms...Ella was in desperate need of a nap by now

Playing with grammy's bracelet helped...but she was not supposed to eat it

Reflecting on a great day spent with (or talking to)the people I love most in the world makes me one thankful momma/grammy!

Guess I'll Have to Keep My Day Job!

2011-05-04T21:29:00.003-05:00

I finally finished these cookies for a baby shower this weekend. All I have to say is that I could NEVER do this for a living!

The stress would kill me. Guess I'll stick to newsletters and bulletins :o)

Terry 50 States

2011-04-30T17:50:00.004-05:00

Welcome to Erica's Room "My Favorite Cartridge" Blog Hop. You should have come here from Crafts by Amanda if you have not please head to Erica's Room to begin, there are prizes along the way, so make sure you go to each blog.

I am definitely a beginner with my Cricut and have LOTS to learn. These are some of my favorite new spring pics taken while my sweet granddaughters were here on one of our first warm spring days. Little Ella LOVED swinging resulting in some fun pics.

Love the way her hair is flying wildly in the wind and you can't help but love that smile :o)

I used the 50 States cartridge...so fun with a bird and flower for each state. I used the following flowers: Alabama (Camellia) 2" in light pink and 1 1/2" in yelllow and teal. I also used Deleware (Peach Blossom) 2" in dark pink and North Dakota (Wild Prairie Rose) 2" in light pink and yellow. My tree is freehand and embossed with a Tim Holtz folder. The cardstock is DCWV and the patterned paper is TPC Studio Woodland Whimsy Mini dots and Littlebird Sunset. Letters are American Crafts Thickers, Making Memories and Cloud 9 Design. Rhinestones are Michaels brand.

From here you go to Lucinda to see what she has done with the Paper Dolls cartridge. Here is the entire line up incase you get lost along the way.

1. Erica’s Room- http://www.thegrowinggibson.blogspot.com/
2. Erica and Erin Preserves http://ericaanderin.blogspot.com/
3. Bee Scrappy Walk in My Garden http://medinabeescrappy.blogspot.com/
4. Justina French Manor http://www.justmycrafts.blogspot.com/
5. Margarita simply charmed, new arrival http://magalycreates.blogspot.com/
6. Terry M. http://cricutcraftinterry.blogspot.com/
7. Tammy Country Life http://crazycardcreator.blogspot.com/
8. Heather Buccaneer http://www.papercrafteranonymous.com/
9. Amanda Locker Talk. http://craftsbyamanda.blogspot.com/
10. Terry F 50 states http://justcallmegrammy.blogspot.com/
11. Lucinda Paper dolls http://www.thegrowinggibson.blogspot.com
12. Patricia nifty 50s ME http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com/2011/04/patricias-nifty-fifty-cartridge.html
13. Clare Storybook, Straight from the Nest http://www.cricutcraftyclare.blogspot.com/
14. Jamie Blast off http://myamusinglife.blogspot.com/
15. Esther Carosel http://esthrmend.blogspot.com/
16. Misty From my kitchen http://www.abusyplace.blogspot.com
17. Bella- Kate’s ABCs http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com/2011/04/bellas-kates-abcs-cartridge.html
18. Serafina Birthday Bash http://myquserasera.blogspot.com/
19. Charlotte Nate's ABC http://charlottes-creations.blogspot.com/
20. Kassidy sweet treats http://www.inkingitupcrazy.blogspot.com/
21. Nina Stand and Salute ME http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com/2011/04/ninas-stand-and-salute-cartridge.html
22. Bella and Erica- Sesame Street Seasons ME http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com/2011/04/erica-bellas-sesame-street-seasons.html
23. Blog Candy http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com/2011/04/end-of-my-favorite-cartridge-blog-hop.html

Thanks for stopping by.

Easter Joy!

2011-04-24T22:13:00.005-05:00

We enjoyed a nice, quiet lunch today with my mom and dad and the Regans. Tom, Jennifer and the cutest little grandgirls came over around supper time. We ordered very traditional Easter pizza--yumm! The day was great even though we really missed Melissa and Jason who are in Kansas City working.

Olivia loved hunting eggs.

Her version of "looking down"

Mommy and Olivia

Sweet Ella Faith

Olivia, Great Grandma and I reading The Tales of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter.

Grammy skipped over one part where the bunny gets whipped with a switch...yikes! Grammy should read these books before she buys them.

Now this tired Grammy is going to drag herself off the bed and try not to dream about bad bunny's getting whipped with switches :o)

A Little Bit of Spring

2011-04-23T15:59:00.006-05:00

It's been so gloomy I decided we needed a little bit of spring inside. A pretty (and cheap) bouquet from Walmart with the addition of my two lonely tulips and some beautiful crab apple blossoms from our tree did the trick. Flowers made me feel good :o)

Swingin' into Spring!

2011-04-11T21:25:00.004-05:00

Today's weather was BEAUTIFUL, pretty much perfect. Olivia talked grandpa into getting the swings out of storage and up in the tree. Our deal was that she had to take an hour "rest" before she could go outside. She closed her eyes "fake-snore, fake-snore, fake-snore", then "Has it been an hour yet?" It was a looooong hour ;o)

She had some fun on her new tire swing

She also tried out every toy in the outside toy box. The bubbles, as always, were a hit! Love the scrunched up, blowing face :o)

Looks like she might learn to share her grandpa's love for baseball. What I love is how they look at each other.

Hands down my favorite pic of the day!

Looks like Ella likes swingin' into spring too!

Two of my favorite faces!

2011-04-10T18:31:00.005-05:00

Grammy is biased, but serioiusly, can you get any cuter?

Sort of sitting in the chair...waiting for me to turn my back so she could stand...cute little stinker!

Another of my favorite faces in the whole world!

She skinned her cheek up in a fall last week

I can't believe her long, thick pony tails. They cut several inches off last fall but I think it's back already. She has a ton of hair for a three year old.

This was her telling me how "concerned" she was about her sore cheek.

Olivia requested bows for puppy and matching bows for herself so grammy was happy to fix them both up!

Projects

2011-04-04T21:15:00.004-05:00

Today's post is about projects. I have been working on a little project for the ladies' in my Women of the Word Bible study group that is finally completed tonight--just in time for tomorrow's lesson. Whew...even little Ella appears releaved that it is done!

Cutiepie Ella and her big sister Olivia were here today. Ella's project was keeping Grammy hopping with her crazy climbing skills as illustrated below :o)

This is just a little snapshot of project "Keep Grammy in Shape". Since my elliptical has been out of service I needed some extra exercise and I got it bending over and picking things up over and over and over again!

Olivia managed to keep Great Grandpa Dean entertained with "Project Tea Party"

The tea party came complete with what she described as "block dinner" :o)

For those of you who know my house, you may have already noticed the most impressive project in some of the pictures above. Andy has been working on a special project that has been rolling around in his brain and heart for years. When he was administrator at the nursing home he cared for the facilities aviary and fell in love with the birds. So...he researched, planned,designed and created his own beautiful aviary.

We don't have any birds yet, but I had to share his beautiful creation.

He's a pretty talented guy...I think I'll keep him around for future projects ;o)

The Best St. Patty's Day Ever!

2011-03-17T08:00:00.002-05:00

I have never really been that excited about St. Patrick's Day. I have a little bit of Irish in my heritage, but for whatever reason, the celebration has never drawn me in. I don't care for any of the traditional foods of the day, not a big parade girl, don't like beer. Nothing exciting about the day for me. That is until March 17, 2010. One year ago today our precious little red-haired granddaughter Ella Faith Felix made her entrance. She is the sweetest little gift, full of smiles and hugs and kisses.

I honestly cannot help but smile when I look at that darling little face. Happy Birthday sweet Ella--grandpa and I love you more than words can say!

Perfect...

2011-03-05T21:44:00.006-06:00

Not perfect pictures...but as I was cleaning off the table from dinner tonight, looking in the living room an overwhelming feeling of contentment came over me. Watching the people I love most in the world, sitting together, doing nothing in particular.

I grabbed my camera and tried to capture the feeling...

But how do you record perfect happiness...
I think this darling little face might be a good start :o)

I was perfectly content watching Aunt Melissa and Olivia spelling words like U N C L E J A S O N

Olivia made us all smile with her rendition of Here Comes Peter Cottontail...

Hippity Hoppity Easter's on it's way -- YEE HAW!!! Funny girl!

Grandpa with his sweet girl -both perfectly happy!

Olivia was definately not feeling perfect most of this week, but she started to feel better on Friday so the girls got to come stay with us. Olivia decided to take advantage of the situation by dragging out a laundry basket and calling for grandpa to be her chauffeur around the house. Of course, he was perfectly happy to oblige.

Pillow pal and puppy went along for the ride.

From the smile I'd say the ride was the perfect medicine.

Searching for perfection will almost always leave us wanting, but sometimes, like tonight, perfect just sneaks up and takes your breath away leaving few words besides thank you God for these perfectly beautiful blessings!

Pocket-Dialing and a Cuddly Baby

2011-02-18T15:51:00.004-06:00

So...somehow I managed to pocket-dial my sister today and she (and her staff) got to listen in on a full hour of fun as we took Olivia and Ella to Dairy Queen for lunch! Good grief...

Ella has always been such a good napper--until lately. Not so good today, but it turned out great for grammy. After a really short morning nap and a shorter afternoon nap she was still sleepy and snuggly. I decided to take advantage of the super nice weather and we sat out on the swing for about 45 minutes, just singing and cuddling. Every time I would stop singing--she would make a cute little uh-uh sound and get me to go again.

Grandpa came out toward the end and snapped a picture. It was some of the sweetest snuggle-time with Ella ever!

Now I need to go charge my cell...the battery is about dead for some strange reason :o)

Valentine's Day Sweethearts!

2011-02-14T19:28:00.005-06:00

I spent today surrounded by some of the sweetest people in my life.

My "middle-size" Valentine with her chocolate covered animal crackers. Olivia told me that she is my middle-sized Valentine, Ella is my littlest Valentine and grandpa is the biggest...I can agree with that!

So cute!

Making a card for Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Dean who surprised us by stopping by today.

The tongue sticking out always helps concentration

Great Grandma and the girls cookin' up something good

My ABSOLUTE favorite picture of the day of two of my absolute favorite people

Isn't she sweet?

We enjoyed a great supper at home with grilled steaks, steamed broccoli, dipped strawberries/clementines and chocolate mouse. Delish!

A self-portrait of my favorite Valentine and me

How could a day not be good surrounded by such special blessings! Hope your day was full of sweetness, blessings and love too!

That's Quite a Ring!

2011-02-12T22:19:00.002-06:00

Olivia came back to Grammy's house from her preschool Valentine's Day party very excited. She sat for an hour looking over and over her Valentines telling me if they were from "new" friends or "old" friends. (Her preschool class has some new students this semester).

Her absolute favorite Valentine was a ring pop! She unwrapped it, put it on, took a lick and said: "Now I have a ring just like mommy and grandma Terry."

I'll bet you didn't know that Jennifer and I had such fine taste in jewlery!

Some Monday Fun!

2011-02-07T20:52:00.006-06:00

Lots of fun today with our favorite little girlies. Grandpa loves to read to them. Another favorite for Olivia and Grandpa scrolling back through my blog to look at pics and watch videos Olivia and I were punching out the rest of the cards for her Dora Memory Game and we decided the grids looked like a cage--so we taped them together to make a cage for puppy and Olivia became the zookeeper Not sure what this was, but part of the zookeeper/puppy show. I got to sit and applaud for puppy's tricks. It was hilarious: he sat up, laid down, and rolled over and Olivia was so proud! We made mini pizza's for lunch from biscuit dough. Olivia took the sauce spreading very seriously But, her favorite part was eating cheese...she told us, "I love snitching!" This picture from last week cracks me up. Ella and Annie are both looking for leftovers from Ella's lunch Ella is really starting to enjoy the babies
So ends the Monday fun...back to work tomorrow...no cute pictures will follow.

What Day Is It Anyway?

2011-02-02T15:47:00.007-06:00

Goodness what a crazy week! I really had to stop and think about what day of the week it is. Grandpa and I both caught little Ella's cold. However, I topped mine off with a killer sinus infection. Antibiotics have kicked in and I am starting to feel a bit better--long way to go to 100% but definately better. I spent the whole weekend trying to keep my head from exploding. Then Tuesday the blizzard began...Here are some pics of the aftermath.

Love this one--if you click to enlarge you can see the look on Andy's face as he was beginning to assess the shoveling job--yikes!

He measured-- 22inches, however some of that was drifted. We figure we only got around 15. (Did I really say only)

My sweet hubby hard at work

Looking out the backdoor at the rose garden--almost can't see the garden girl

These things are all on the covered back porch. We were shocked how much snow piled up on them

This is the sidewalk leading to the back door. Don't expect to use it anytime soon

This shot should be a lovely view of the pond, it doesn't appear to be there...

This is the sidewalk to the front door. I wouldn't expect to use this door anytime soon either

Glad I kept the sled on the porch from Christmas. Looks like it might be the more efficient form of transportation...then again maybe NOT!

Can't have a good grammy blog post without some recent pictures of the grandgirls. Love this one--makes me think of the song Sisters from White Christmas :o)

I think Olivia is giving Ella a lesson on jewelry and just how much a girl should wear

Ella is watching intently

Here is a pic of Olivia getting ready for pajama day at preschool. Note baby Behemouth has matching jammies.

Not sure what it was for, but LOVE the face!

I'll finish up with couple of sweet Ella...she just makes me smile!

And by the way...today is Wednesday--I checked the front of my cell phone :o)

Fun With a Box!

2011-01-23T22:02:00.006-06:00

It was so cold Friday night, we decided to stay in and watch a movie in front of the cozy fire...Watched Inception. We liked it but boy was it hard to follow.

Friday morning started out with some fun with a box. It was the favorite toy of the day.

When I came out from putting Ella down for a nap, I found our goofy girl sitting in the box on the coffee table. I wasn't sure it was a great idea, but she was so excited and ended up having a ball.

She sat in the box

She hid in the box

She popped out of the box

She lounged in the box

And just generally looked cute in the box

Grandpa came home and admired the fun in the box

Puppy had his own box

I just like this pic...she wanted me to get a picture of giggle bear

Couldn't finish without a picture of our darling big girl Ella.

And the age old truth stays true...who needs toys when you have a cardboard box!

Happy Birthday to My Hubby

2011-01-12T09:58:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday to my dear, handsome hubby! You are the best blessing God could ever have given me. You are a wonderful husband, friend, father, and a pretty great grandpa! I love you more than words can say. Hope the day is as special as you are!

I Just Couldn't Resist

2011-01-09T22:01:00.007-06:00

I was just editing some pictures of Ella that I took last Friday and couldn't resist sharing them. She is getting so big and growing up so fast. Do you think it would do any good to tell her to slow it down a little?

Grandpa and Ella--all smiles!

This next series of shots show our determined big girl going after a toy that was beyond her reach--but not for long.

Love this big toothy grin

Of course I have to add a cute pic or two of Ella's big sister. She decided this would be a comfy way to watch Mickey's Clubhouse--more goofy than comfy, but whatever works.

Our pretty big girl and her best buddy. She's getting big too fast too.

A Day for Fun!

2011-01-04T22:41:00.006-06:00

Life has been wild here the last few weeks. Lots of dr. appointments, tests and procedures besides the holiday busyness. So far results are all good and things are getting back to our somewhat crazy normal. Monday our adorable granddaughters came back for our regular babysitting day. Grammy was in need of some time to sit and play and that is just what we did.

We were just finishing up breakfast and I was zooming Ella in to "get" Olivia and they were both cracking up. Grandpa grabbed the camera and the result was two of my favorite pictures in a long time.

We played in our tent--

Olivia and I built a castle for puppy. She kept telling me "He's just going to LOVE it!

Ella had some fun with the blocks and grammy had some fun with the camera

It was such a fun day...seeing the pictures makes me look anxious for Friday!

We're Proud of You!!!

2010-12-19T22:17:00.003-06:00

Our daughter Melissa and her husband Jason graduated from Indiana University Saturday...Melissa received her Master of Arts in Speech and Language Pathology and Jason his Master of Arts in Latin with a Teaching Certificate. We were so happy to be there to share in the joy of this accomplishment they have worked so hard to acheive.

Good job guys...we're really proud of you!

I'm Still Here...

2010-12-14T22:30:00.006-06:00

I haven't posted on my blog in so long I have almost forgotten how :o) Our schedule has been abnormally hectic and then adding decorating and cookies and finishing (starting) Ella's stocking,hosting some holiday get togethers etc, etc, etc, leaves no time for fun things like blogging. I did get some cute shots of our sweet girlies on Monday and thought I had better get them posted for the Great Grandma's to see!

This might be my very favorite...our pretty, red-haired girl

Sweet little Ella smiles all the time

Where's Grandpa???

Olivia and "her brother" Puppy

An interesting way to watch Mickey's Clubhouse

Sweet, mischevious smile

This one is just sweet

I love this one two...they are best buddies and partners in crime

Grandpa's Girls...love how Ella is looking at him

A little holiday cheese...

Playing with the camera and got a good pic of my favorite Santa that Melissa and Jason brought us from Russia

Finally got all the decorations up, now to find the time to sit and enjoy them!

The Best Decision I Ever Made...

2010-11-18T08:24:00.004-06:00

Thirty one years ago today, we pledged our love to one another forever. We believed in love and each other and the faithfulness of God. We were so young and had so much life yet to experience. Life filled with ordinary days, with moments too wonderful for words, and a few days almost too difficult to bear. I can truly say not one day has passed in these thirty one years that I have not thanked God for so wisely choosing you for me.

Today we are much older and hopefully much wiser and still believe in love and each other and know much more fully the awesome faithfulness of God. I love you so much more today than I knew was possible and can't wait to begin thirty more years of tomorrows...

Out of the Mouths of Babes...

2010-11-07T19:28:00.004-06:00

WoW...what an eventful week. My sweet hubby went to bed one night last week feeling great and woke up in the middle of the night in intense pain. We ended up in the ER and then admitted to the hospital with a great big kidney stone. The offending stone has been crushed and will hopefully be history soon! Tom and Jen brought the girls up to see grandpa in the hospital. To prepare Olivia a bit so she wouldn't be freaked out they were talking about the hospital. It is the same one where she was born and where she came to visit her little sister Ella and her cousin when they were born.

You have probably already figured out where this story is headed :o) Naturally (to a three year old) she asked her mama if Grandpa Andy and Grandma Terry were going to bring a baby home from the hospital too!!!

NO DEAR GIRL--WE ARE NOT bringing a baby home, although Grandpa Andy thought his pain was comparable to giving birth.

Some Halloween Fun

2010-10-31T21:01:00.004-05:00

We had plenty of Halloween fun at Grammy's house the last week or two. Olivia is not a fan of costumes of any kind, so it has been challenging. We worked on some fun crafts like a pumpkin face and she really enjoyed making her own tiger mask.

Grandpa and I hadn't done a Jack-o-Lantern in quite a few years, but decided it would be fun to have one for our porch and fun for our adorable little helper.

Scoopin' out the insides

Someone's having fun...or plotting mischief--which do you think?

Is it clean enough yet?

Grandpa, Olivia, Puppy and Smiling Jack :o)

Olivia told me that puppy wanted a picture with Jack...

We washed up the pumpkin seeds to roast. They were washed and washed and washed and washed--I'm pretty sure this was Olivia's favorite part.

Here's the cutest little monkey who came to call on Halloween night showing me her paws and best cheesy grin. We didn't get to see little Ella in her costume, she was pretty worn out by the time they got to us.

Our other favorite girls who stopped by for a litte Boo to You fun. Jaclyn the beautiful witch and her adorable kitty cat sister Julia.

We had lots of trick-or-treat kids this year...they pretty much cleaned out the candy and that is a very good thing for Grammy.

Sunday Dinner

2010-10-23T22:02:00.003-05:00

Oliva and Grammy made lasagna today for Sunday dinner with the family.

She was heavy handed with the cheese...I say you can never have too much cheese. I am pretty sure Olivia consumed as much as she put in the dish. She was a great helper.

Can't wait till tomorrow. I think it will be the best ever...it was definately more fun cooking than usual.

A Happy Day with the Grandgirls!

2010-10-18T19:21:00.011-05:00

I haven't been around the blog for way too long. We were gone for a week on vacation (someday I'll get pics up). The week before was spent working like crazy to get ready to be gone a week and since then I have been playing catch up. However, things have finally come back to our normal, somewhat crazy routine. We had our sweet girlies today and I got some cute pics to share.

This is our silly little Ella's new trick. She's crawling like a pro, and pulling up to a half-stand. It is adorable and she does it alot. She stays and plays this way for a long time...cracks me up.

I think Ella may be the happiest baby ever

She smiles and giggles all the time.

Olivia and I broke out my new Cricut paper doll cartridge today. She LOVED it. She made a get well card for mommy and a farm picture. She told me Mommy would feel better when she saw the farm. She also told me Mommy was sick because she didn't brush her teeth :o) Who knew you could get the flu from not brushing!

She was very specific about how she wanted to make her farm picture. It needed a red barn with green tractor like Uncle Dan's. It also needed a daddy pig, a mommy pig, a big sister pig and a baby pig :o)

Here Olivia is showing her creation to her most appreciative audience.

Explaining to Grandpa how she cut the grass with the really cool scissors

I should add a picture of the way my room looks tonight after a day of 3 year old crafting. She is definately a messy crafter just like grammy :o) Better get to the clean up!

Quick Pics

2010-09-27T22:24:00.002-05:00

Just time to post a couple of quick pics of what's been going on around here:
If you couldn't tell, this little sweetie has won his heart...

Giggles for grandpa

Olivia found Aunt Melissa's Barbie stuff, she thought it was pretty cool.

Reading stories to his favorite girlies

This is a coat tree we made for a friend who just had a baby...jungle theme nursery. We've done a ton of these with different themes. Maybe we need to come up with something new.

It's way past time to get off the computer and get to bed--if the Bears will just hurry up and beat the Packers so it will be safe to go upstairs ;o)

Too Busy to Blog...But Not Too Busy for Some Football

2010-09-19T21:45:00.006-05:00

Not sure how things got so crazy all of a sudden, but I boy have I been busy. This Tuesday starts our fall women's Bible study. I am very excited to have nearly 30 ladies between the morning and evening groups. We are doing Priscilla Shirer's One in a Million and so far I LOVE it. Got some stuff left to prep for Tuesday...better get busy on that!!! We started a new small group tonight that met at our house. I think it will be a great group. I just finished a week long marathon scrap project for a friend's baby shower. Unfortunately I finished so late the night before that I didn't get to take any pics. I took the day off Saturday to attend the Beth Moore simulcast, it was so good. One of the best ever and was worth every moment!

One thing we almost always find time to do is Friday night football. We are die-hard fans, at nearly every game. We have sat through some really crappy weather over the years but this year has been BEAUTIFUL so far! A friend took this picture Friday night of Grammy and her favorite 3 year old! I love it!

Time to stop playing on the computer and get to bed...two sweet little girlies come early in the morning and grandpa is going on a business trip so I'm gonna need all the rest I can get!

Hog Days...It's Time to Come Home Again

2010-09-06T22:00:00.009-05:00

We went to my hometown of Kewanee, Il for the big Hog Days celebration held every year over the Labor Day weekend. The town's claim to fame is being the Hog Capitol of the World...seriously.

The highlight of the celebration is that most of our family gathers there...but the pork chops grilled in the center of town are a close second.

Mmmm good!

Don't ask me why, but my family has always parked in the funeral home parking lot several hours prior to the parade and had a pork chop picnic. Olivia pulled up her chair and chowed on a pork chop sandwich of her own. Everyone loved the pink piggie cupcakes too!

My nephew Noah's creative kettle corn bowl

And a creative use for a lawn chair while we waited and waited and waited for parade time

Gotta have a little cotton candy too!

Finally time to raise the giant flag so the parade can begin. Olivia really liked this huge flag.

The parade finally begins

There was alot of flag waving...especially by this cutie!

Loved the old fire truck

What's a parade without a Shriner or two (or twenty)

I always love the bagpipes

We're still watching and waving. Surprisingly I don't have any pics of tractors or princesses. My daughter-in-law kept count--44 tractors and 60 something princesses or queens. Sheesh!

This was how Olivia watched some of the parade. She said: "I will just cover my eyes". Then she would peak through her fingers.

This is an example of some of the things she did NOT want to see

She did however like the bulldogs dressed like pigs. Only in Kewanee :o)

Sweet baby Ella did great too! No pork chops yet, but she liked the parade (at least the part she didn't sleep through!)

One of my favorite pics of the day...this girl already knows how to take in a parade!

It was a fun family weekend...already looking forward to next year!

Our Very Busy Day!

2010-09-03T13:46:00.004-05:00

Our sweet granddaughters are here for the day. It is gloriously cool and sunny and beautiful! After a little sweet talking Olivia convinced her grandpa to get her new tire swing hung this morning. They had a fun trip to the hardware store where they sat in all the chairs and had a sucker. Then she and grandpa had some fun swinging.

We also made pink piggie cupcakes to take to the Hog Days Parade tomorrow :o) Olivia was in charge of noses!

She took her job very seriously. She is pretty meticulous when it comes to her crafts...especially food crafts!

A little quality control

Would you like one?

Makin' pig faces :o)

Finished product!

Then Olivia and I headed off to her first day of preschool all by herself.

I am happy to report there were no tears from Olivia or Grammy, although it is hard for me to believe that my baby girlie is big enough to go off to school.

I came home to find Grandpa and Ella enjoying the beautiful day on the porch!

Time to run...little Ella just woke up from a short nap and it is almost time to get our big girlie who is planning to "have a cold, cold popsicle with grandpa" when she gets home!

30 Years Ago Today

2010-09-02T08:51:00.004-05:00

30 years ago today our lives changed. Dramatically. For the good. When God sent this precious blonde haired boy to make us a family.

And now he is 30. And I am old. And he has his own beautiful family. And we are so proud of the husband and father he has become. (And we like that they are all dressed in Cubby blue)!

Happy Birthday Tom...we love you!

What to Do on a Summer Day...

2010-08-25T22:37:00.003-05:00

On this fine summer day we started our fun by making a necklace. Olivia was so patient and serious about stringing the beads

Modeling the finished product...gotta love the face :o)
Olivia's comment to me the other day: "I get to do a craft everyday I am here...right?" Guess I had better brush up on some kids crafts--quick :o)

Once we had a beautiful necklace to wear, the fun moved out to Grandpa's pond...the fish were hungry!

Feeding the fish made the people hungry--these two LOVE watermelon.

We have had so much fun playing together this summer...I kind of hate to see it end!

Things That Make Me Smile :o)

2010-08-15T15:05:00.004-05:00

Flowers always make people better, happier; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul. ~Luther Burbank
Not sure what it is about these flowers, but they always make me feel cheery...so I cut some and brought them inside today.

We watched the girls for a while Thursday evening and Olivia asked me to take a picture of her and her beloved Christmas Kitty; she knows grammy all too well :o)

And last, but certainly not least, I don't know how anyone could look at this sweet little face and not smile...

I Am Blessed!

2010-07-28T21:37:00.004-05:00

My sweetie showed up a little while ago with a beautiful bouquet of mulit-colored roses...

I think he's a keeper ;o)

Felix Family Reunion

2010-07-18T15:28:00.006-05:00

We traveled to Indiana Saturday for my husband's family reunion. We met at Andy's cousin's farm for a day of lots of good food and family fun. There were 40 something members of the family in attendance--which was great! Here is a pic of the whole gang:

This is Andy's parent's generation group shot

There were TONS of pictures taken...and TONS of photographers :o)

Andy was excited about this shot of all his generation cousins--only one was missing and that is pretty remarkable.

This is Andy's mom and her part of the Felix gang

Andy's Uncle Curley and his crew

The Childress bunch

The Russ Felix family

These are Andy's dad's cousins Dale/Mary; Bill/Lorraine

Great Grandma May got sweet little Ella laughing, I'm not sure which one of them enjoyed it more.

Had to include one of Olivia :o)

Some of the group hanging around

Patti had a great room of toys where Olivia and Grandma Terry had some fun out of the sun.

I am not ashamed to own up to being a wimp...I declined the hay ride in the 100 degree heat/humidity, but those who went had a good time and made it home safely...even with Becky at the wheel :o)

It was a very good day of reminiscing for most and getting to know family they didn't know well for some of the youngest generation. We continue to feel blessed to be part of a large extended family who love each other well.

A Spur of the Moment Summer Trip!

2010-07-11T20:43:00.010-05:00

A couple of days ago I was showing my sweet hubby a friend's pictures from their recent trip to Starved Rock State Park, and he decided we needed to go ourselves...so we did! We had a great day, the sky was a little overcast which was a blessing. This spectacular park is only about an hour from our house but unfortunately we hadn't taken the time to visit for many, many years.

We hiked for miles, way up and way down...

This first pic is of Starved Rock taken from Lover's Leap

The next taken from Lover's Leap of Starved Rock. It looks like a LOOOONNNNGGG way between the two and it is. I decided I needed picture proof that I had made it to the top of each :o)

Apparently one of us was surprised the other made it all the way up the million stairs...

While the peaks had amazing "birds-eye" views of the river and the woods, the canyons were stunning as well.

We enjoyed a lovely brunch at the Starved Rock Inn and relaxed for a bit enjoying the pretty views. After lunch we walked and climbed until we couldn't go a step further.

We saw one particular waterfall from the bottom, from the middle and then from the origin of the fall...it was cool to see it from all angles.

The end of the day found us sweaty, tired, mosquito biten, muscles aching, but relaxed and happy...thinking perhaps we should be spontaneous more often!

Sprinklers and Popscicles

2010-06-25T16:38:00.005-05:00

Olivia came to play today and we had lots of summer fun. She requested a picnic lunch on the patio. After that we played in the new palm tree sprinkler. It has little tubes on the top that wiggle and spray water everywhere. It was fun and in Olivia's words "a little crazy!"

After running around we had to cool off with a freezey pop (or two)!

Good summer fun for Grammy and her favorite 2 year old!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T18:01:00.004-05:00

Happy Father's Day to my sweet hubby...a wonderful father and husband! And to my dad--you're the best! Mom and dad came to celebrate the day with us and it has been a good one. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of mom and dad :o( but here are some from the rest of the day.

Olivia was very excited to have Grandpa Andy open his Father's Day gift

He was VERY excited to receive an Ernie Banks replica jersey

Grandpa's favorite little girls

Both dads :o)

Ella is getting so big...lots and lots of smiles and giggles

Of course Olivia had to take some pictures too. She handed me her book and puppy and directed Grandpa to get in the picture with me. We were told to say "cheese" but apparently that wasn't enough, as she kept telling us "laugh at me over here"...that was an easy command to follow :o)

We just finished having a nice conversation with Melissa on the phone and are getting ready to head to the park for the muni band concert. The perfect end to a special day! Hope yours was special too!

Family Fun!

2010-06-09T17:23:00.007-05:00

I took today off work to spend a fun day with my family! Both my sisters came for a visit along with 3 handsome nephews, 1 niece, 1 super cute great niece, 2 great grandparents, my son and his wife and of course my adorable granddaughters. We had a WONDERFUL day. After lunch we went to the park for a little while. It was the perfect day for playing outside.

At the bottom of the twisty slide

Josh and Lanee

Olivia took this cute pic of Mommy and Ella

She took this one of Great Aunt Kimmy too

Grammy and Olivia on the slide

Oh, the things a grammy will do to make her sweetie smile. Olivia is "catching" Grandma Terry...yikes!

Caleb helping Olivia go up the wrong way

Olivia took this picture of Great Grandma...she's a better photographer than I am!

She also took this one of Josh and Lanee resting in the shade

Noah and Lanee having a chat

Josh and Lanee taking a breather

Cute pile up at the bottom

Watering the Garden

2010-06-05T10:59:00.002-05:00

Olivia asks to help us water our flowers every time she is here. Actually she will think up any excuse to get to play in the water indoors or outdoors. Last weekend she was helping water the flowers and decided to help the "little lady" in the rose bed water her flowers.

I thought she looked pretty cute watering along side the fountain...

But I think she looks pretty cute all the time!

She refilled her watering can over and over. Every time she would leave to get a refill from the hose, she would say to the fountain girl: "It's ok little lady...I'll be right back."

I had to include this last shot. Not a great picture, but funny. When she saw I was taking pictures (surprise, surprise) she looked up with her most cheesy grin and said "Cheese gramma...that's a good one!"

Weekend Project

2010-05-31T12:14:00.006-05:00

We spent the holiday weekend tearing out the awful carpet in my hubby's office and laying a pretty new laminate floor. And by we I mean hubby, son and son-in-law. This grammy is VERY thankful for strong young men to help with the labor. I just provided the food and entertained the sometimes too helpful two year old :o)

The awesome work crew

Hubby's bionic knees ;o)

They did a good job

Grandma provided food and Olivia provided the comic relief :o)

Sweet little baby Ella and her momma

Aunt Melissa and Olivia saying "sheese" for the camera

Thanks to Melissa for the pics...I kept meaning to take some, but never got it done!

Our Young Heroes by Oliver North

2010-05-31T08:13:00.004-05:00

So thankful for those who have served and continue to do so to keep us free!

The Things You Can Learn from a Two Year Old

2010-05-18T14:49:00.003-05:00

For a while now we have been walking down a difficult road, facing a long-term, daily problem that only seems to get worse with no hope for a resolution. Many days I feel completely with out hope concerning this situation. Some circumstances this morning left the burden feeling particularly heavy, but in God's perfect timing our daughter-in-law called and needed someone to watch Olivia for an hour. Of course, grandpa said yes :o) So I ran home and pulled some lunch together for the three of us. While we were enjoying lunch our darling girl was singing for us. She was singing one of the songs we heard her sing in church last Sunday--I loved it then, but it has touched me deeply this afternoon as I have listened to the words over and over again. So I thought I would share the video...the message is perfect for whatever difficulty you may be facing. As you listen picture super cute little two year old with her arms wrapped tightly around herself singing at the top of her voice: "Oh no, you never let go..." and feel encouraged.

New Craft Room

2010-05-04T21:17:00.004-05:00

We have been busy little bees for the last week or so--turning the old upstairs craft room into a guest room and the basement family room into a new, improved craft room. I have been asked to post some pics so here goes...keep in mind there is still work to do.

This is just down at the bottom of the stairs. The paper rack is something my sweetie researched and made for me; it is perfect storage and it is on wheels in case I need to move it--he thinks of everything :o)

Next is my desk. Once again a creation from my sweet hubby. Quite a few years ago he took the wood from Tom's dorm loft and turned it into a desk for me--he's a talented guy, isn't he?!!

Some canvas prints I did in an online class with Wilna Furstenberg...she's a great teacher! One of the things we'd still like to do is get rid of the flower border...but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

This is the new storage piece we got at IKEA. I LOVE it. Especially the new workspace. I was always creating in a little tiny square on the desk--so nice to have room to spread out.

This corner still needs alot of work. I have to go through books and weed out and store away, then hopefully move out two of the cases. But for now Olivia's table is set up in front of them. She was so excited when we moved "our craft room" downstairs. The first time she came after we assembled the IKEA unit she walked straight to the bin that I filled with her craft stuff and pulled it out and started working. We hadn't told her that it even existed...somehow she just knew. I love sharing my room with my favorite litte crafter and can't wait 'till Ella can join the fun!

These are cases I moved from my upstairs room filled with all kinds of stuff. I love the vintage coke crates that my father-in-law gave me years ago; the hold my acrylic paints.

Back to where we started with punches stored in a shoe storage bag on the door. This is another of Olivia's favorite spots!

And of course, this would be totally boring without including some cuteness. Here is Olivia making a Twizz-eler moustache for Grandpa. Twizzlers are her favorite treat for being a big girl and using the bathroom which she is doing amazingly well!

I am really, really happy with the new space so far and now I have room for friends to come and play-- consider this your invitation!

Some New Fish for Grandpa

2010-04-20T17:48:00.005-05:00

Olivia came by today for a little picnic lunch and visit. Grandpa had been given some new fish from a friend who is draining her pond and he saved them so Olivia could help get them into their new home.

Now they need some food

And some more water

And more water from the other side

These two are up to no good

Pretty girl thinking about something

The whole ornery gang

It was a WONDERFUL lunch break...I think we should do it every day!

Great Grandma and a Blast from the Past

2010-04-17T19:47:00.008-05:00

Great Grandma May came today to meet sweet little Ella Faith. We had a great day. Over the years May has made lovely quilts for her grandkids and now her great-grands. She brought Ella's today--it is colorful and beautiful!

Andy's two sisters came for the day as well. While they were here, they decided to try to replicate a favorite photo of the three of them when they were young.

Here is the original...

And the pic from today...

The stinkery one is still in the middle :o)

Simply the Best...

2010-03-28T22:09:00.006-05:00

Tom and Jennifer came for supper tonight with their adorable girlies. We enjoy having them here so much. After supper while I was sitting in the rocking chair cuddling with sweet little Ella, watching Olivia play at her little table, a feeling of pure happines and peace washed over me in a way I have seldom felt before. It felt like this is exactly what my life was meant to be. Grandpa Andy and I are truly blessed...

Now that I am done being sappy I will add some pictures of the evening.

Grammy and Ella Faith

Getting to know Grandpa Andy

Blurry...but cute of Grandpa and his girls

Olivia took a picture of Mommy

And a picture of Daddy--not a bad photographer for 2 years old :o)

A Visit from Big Sister Olivia

2010-03-26T16:30:00.004-05:00

Big Sister Olivia came to play this morning. We had a WONDERFUL time. She played and played with Annie. I think Annie missed her as much as we did! We also worked on making Olivia's very own little picture book about baby sister Ella. Grammy forgot to take a picture of her creation, but it was cute and she was quite proud of her work. We still have pages to fill with more pictures of her other grandma and grandpa and special people like that. We finished off the morning with a trip to Culvers for lunch. She really enjoyed that...especially the chocolate milk. When we were ordering, she asked the cashier: "May I have some ice cream please?" It was ADORABLE. Of course we finished lunch with ice cream :o)

The time absolutely flew by...Grandma and Grandpa TOTALLY enjoyed a special morning with our sweet girl.

Today Was the Best Day!

2010-03-17T21:00:00.004-05:00

You will find one of my favorite verses from the Psalms printed on the header of my blog--The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy. That perfectly sums up my feelings today. This morning our family joyously welcomed a perfect new little baby girl...Ella Faith. Mommy, daddy, big sister Olivia Grace and sweet baby Ella are all doing wonderfully.

Daddy and Ella Faith

Love the chubby little cheeks!

She's already stolen Grandpa's heart

Grammy and her newest sweetheart

The whole adorable family

Big sister Olivia checking out Ella's tiny fingers

We are so thankful to God for her safe arrival and cannot wait to get to know our newest little blessing.

Scrap Inspiration

2010-03-01T17:54:00.005-06:00

If you could use some scrapping inspiration, be sure to check out the March gallery at Freehand Scraps.
I love this kit called Clothespin full of new stuff from CHA and a special handmade flower made from vintage sewing patterns. Here is one layout I particularly loved by guest designer Jill Sprott

I still have some dress fitting pics from Melissa's wedding (way behind, I know) that I have not done yet...may have to lift this idea :o)

Love this one by Holly Stork too...

All the great ideas makes me want to scrap tonight--not likely, but at least I want to.

Who Gives the Song?

2010-02-18T11:05:00.006-06:00

Some words of wisdom from Charles Spurgeon...

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-12T16:22:00.006-06:00

Olivia made a Valentine today for her mommy and daddy. She told me over and over that she was making a Valentine's Day for mommy and daddy and they would say, Oh Olivia, what a beautiful Valentine's Day!

She used the Cuttlekids for the first time...she uses my punches every time she is here. I think the scissors and glue were still her favorite.

Notice the mess on the table and floor...little Olivia crafts just like her Grammy :o)

She signed her own name. If you look closely you can see the O l i v --not bad for 2 1/2 years old.

Happy Valentine's Day from Grammy and Olivia!

Helping Grammy with the Dishes!

2010-01-25T21:49:00.004-06:00

Today was a babysitting day for this little cutie...

After lunch she wanted to help me with the dishes...

We had a good time...and the curtains only got a little wet ;o)

Hilarious!!!

2010-01-23T17:22:00.001-06:00

Christmas 2009 in January 2010

2010-01-17T22:59:00.004-06:00

Sisters--January 2010

We finally got to have Christmas with my family this weekend with no snow to mess up our plans! The fact that our celebration was delayed turned out to be such a blessing. For one thing, our sweet daughter Melissa and her hubby Jason got to come home for several days again which meant we got to see alot more of Tom, Jennifer and Olivia. It is always such a good thing to have the whole family together. Also, because of the delay we were able to meet our brand new great niece Lanee. In a surprising turn of events my sister's daughter and her husband were able to adopt a darling little two year old girl last week. It is a long story...totally and obviously a work of God. We had such a fun day together. Olivia and Lanee had a great time playing, especially with my sister's boys. Our house was full of noisy, messy, crazy, fun, fun, fun! Hope we don't have to wait 'till December to do it again!

Happy Birthday to my Sweetheart!

2010-01-12T16:13:00.002-06:00

Today is my dear hubby's birthday...this pic was taken on the cruise ship on November 18--our 30th wedding anniversary. Andy was looking at the pic today and said, "How did you manage to smile like that when you were so sick?" My answer...because I was happy :o) Still am! :o) Happy Birthday sweetie--I love you!

Favorite Christmas Photos of my Favorite People!

2009-12-28T22:20:00.005-06:00

Everyone has gone home and the house is quiet...very quiet. Just time to post a few pics I love of the people I love most--

I snapped a few pictures of Olivia and Grandpa up to no good in the kitchen and they were LOVING every minute of it...

Something Cheery...

2009-12-07T21:45:00.003-06:00

I think my poor neglected blog is desperately in need of something cheery. I am still not able to do too much on the computer as the things moving on the screen seem to make the vertigo significantly worse. But I am willing to suffer a bit more vertigo to post this...

I can't help but smile when I see that sweet little face, even if it is rocking a little :o)

An Interesting Way to Begin the 31st Year...

2009-12-03T21:08:00.004-06:00

I am back after an unexpectedly long blog break... My sweet hubby and I recently went on a Western Carribean Cruise to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. We don't travel much, so this was a greatly anticipated event. We planned and prepared and waited and planned and prepared and waited. We flew to Ft. Lauderdale Friday and it was a wonderful start to a great vacation. We boarded our beautiful ship, the Crown Princess on Saturday, November 14. It was amazing! Our stateroom had been upgraded to a suite with a balcony which was also awesome. Unfortunately in my preparation I made one big mistake. I tend to have a little problem with motion sickness, so before we left I talked to my doctor and got a patch to wear to help. Even with the patch I ended up being pretty seasick the whole trip. On the upside, I lost 10 pounds because I couldn't eat much of anything :o)

We did manage to have a good time inspite of my being so sick. Our time in the ports was fun--after a couple of hours on land I usually felt a little better. Evenings when the ship would start to sail again were rough for me, but we still enjoyed some lovely dinners, dancing and shows.

However...the cruise itself is only the beginning of the story. The day we flew home, I took off the last patch and gladly threw it away. Almost exactly 24 hours later I began a nightmare of withdrawal symptoms including hallucinations, racing heart, chest pain, extreme vertigo, panic attacks, extreme pressure and ringing in my ears, blurry vision, and nausea just to name a few. The first 7 days after we got home I was pretty much worthless. I am not 100% yet, but am much, much better. I started looking at pictures tonight to edit and get ready to print. I haven't been able to do that yet and my sweet hubby is getting anxious for it to be done.

I am glad to say my dear husband decided to stick it out with me even after the rocky start to year 31 ;o) In all seriousness, I have been truly blessed by God with 30 WONDERFUL years of marriage to the best man I know. He has been a better husband, father, and friend than I could ever have imagined being blessed to spend my life with. My earnest prayer is for 30 more years and beyond to enjoy life together...oh yeah, and no more cruises!

2009-11-09T15:46:00.001-06:00

Living Proof Live - Springfield IL from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

Living Proof Live!

2009-11-07T16:24:00.003-06:00

We just got back from an AWESOME weekend at Living Proof Live with Beth Moore in Springfield. I didn't get any good pictures, partly because we were pretty high up, and partly because I wasn't thinking about taking pictures. It was a wonderful two days of worship and teaching. Travis Cottrell is my all-time favorite worship leader and he was AMAZING! The worship times were so huge and powerful they were almost overwhelming. I loved Beth's teaching on John the Baptist--tons of awesome insight from such a familiar story. And she looked so cute...I had a case of serious jacket envy :o) I enjoyed two days of super fellowship with my sisters and tons of encouragement. I am beyond exhausted...but feel very blessed to have been a part of something so special.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T22:12:00.003-05:00

A very tired, but smiley faced pumpkin girl stopped by for a visit and some treats. She got the goodies, but the treat was all ours :o)

Bootiful Girl

2009-10-30T15:14:00.002-05:00

Had to put up a pic of the Bootiful little lady who played at our house today. This may be the only Halloween picture we see. Olivia wants nothing to do with her costume. Mommy and daddy have been trying hard to convince her that it is fun to wear a costume, but so far she is standing firm in her decision. When her dear daddy was young he was absolutely terrified of anything in a costume, so maybe it is genetic ;o)

A Musical Interlude for Your Listening Enjoyment

2009-10-22T19:31:00.002-05:00

An old favorite from my favorite 2 year old singer: The first thing she says is "My singing it for puppy..."

Story Time with All My Friends

2009-10-19T17:53:00.001-05:00

Olivia loves reading books with Grandpa Andy (or anybody that will read) but this particular time was a classic stall for nap time. I told her we would read two stories then naptime. She insisted on getting out every friend she could find (one at a time) and lining them all up for story time. Even "Horsey names Zebra" got to sit on Grandpa's shoulder.

Edited to add: I just noticed the "tell-tale" oreo cookie crumbs around her mouth... ooops! Maybe chocolate cookies for lunch gave her too much energy to need a nap :o)

Long Week...but Friday's Coming

2009-10-14T19:59:00.001-05:00

We didn't get to keep Olivia on Monday, so we are anxiously waiting for Friday. This week seems to be dragging on FOREVER!!! Grammy is very ~~exhausted~~ happy when the house has toys strewn all around and a noisy girlie running, and singing and giggling! I thought I might have to pull up the Snuggle Puppy video or Five Little Monkeys Jumpin' on the Bed tonight just to make it through...but decided to post a picture instead. Better rest up, Friday is just around the corner ;o)

Some Exciting News

2009-10-05T16:51:00.001-05:00

Guess who is going to be a big sister!!!! Grammy and Grandpa can't wait until the end of March when there will be another little Felix grandbaby to love.

Olivia is getting in a little practice with a baby...a baby monkey, but whatever works :o)

Overheard at Grammy's Yesterday...

2009-09-26T10:27:00.002-05:00

Olivia in my bedroom closet--
Grammy: Oh dear, I can't find my little Olivia girl...
From the closet: Don't worry Grandma Terry, your little Ya Ya girl is right in here :o)

Wait and See...God is Up to Something!

2009-09-19T11:14:00.000-05:00

I have heard this Brandon Heath song alot and like the message, but just saw the video this morning...LOVE the video, thought you might like it too!

Lookin' Good at Hog Days

2009-09-13T21:09:00.008-05:00

Last week was crazy busy since it was one day short...nice, but waaaaaay busy! I decided my poor neglected blog needed a couple of my favorite shots from the big Hog Days celebration. Olivia truly enjoyed the parade experience--she ate plenty of assorted candy, a couple of suckers, a freeze pop and who knows what else. She also made out big with the necklaces as all her boy cousins were happy to share. At one point she was also wearing 3 rings and of course her darling pink sunglasses. She wore the sunglasses until the parade was over when she shoved them up on top of her head--super cute!
We all enjoyed a day of beautiful weather, delicious pork chops, extremely sweet pink pig cookies, birthday cake, a little football and lots of family fun.

Hog Days!

2009-09-05T08:47:00.002-05:00

Heading off to the Hog Days (yes, I said Hog Days) celebration in my hometown of Kewanee, IL (the Hog Capitol of the World) with my pink pig cookies. Not everyone has such a claim to fame.

All I Have Time to Say is AMEN!

2009-09-04T10:45:00.002-05:00

Do you know why grandchildren are always so full of energy? They suck it out of their grandparents. ~Gene Perret

What a Difference a Day Makes!!!

2009-09-01T15:15:00.006-05:00

We took this shot of the front of the house yesterday, knowing that the big trees were coming down on Wednesday. We left early this morning for the convocation at Lincoln Christian University and came home to a HUGE surprise...

We came around the corner to see this...

The crew had today free and decided to get started early. Quite a shock, but we have been waiting to be able to afford to get this done for a loooooong time.

So there really was a house behind those trees...

Bubbles Fun!

2009-08-31T17:28:00.005-05:00

We played with bubbles this afternoon...too much fun!

She would catch one and say, "SMASH IT, SMASH IT!"

Blowing...

Watch them fly...

Requires concentration...

LOVE the face...helping Grandpa blow!

Say Cheese

2009-08-29T19:34:00.003-05:00

When Olivia was playing with her playdough Friday I said, "Hey, look at Grammy and say cheese" and this is what I got...

Pretty cute, huh? She does LOVE her playdough. Playdough sure doesn't seem to be as messy as it did when my kids were small, or could it be that Grammy's don't really care that much if it is messy, as long as it is fun ;o)

I included this shot so Aunt Melissa could see the cute jeans...

And this one because I love her beautiful hair...

Now Grammy will put her pictures away and get back to work :o)

Little Summer Girl

2009-08-24T15:09:00.002-05:00

Apparently summer is not over for everyone...

Great Weekend!

2009-08-23T20:31:00.004-05:00

We had such a nice weekend. Melissa and Jason came home for a 3 day visit. Because they were here, we got to see alot of Tom, Jennifer and Olivia; and today my mom and dad came for church, lunch and a fun afternoon of visiting. There is nothing better than having all the family around--however, I have to admit to enjoying the quiet once again :o)

My favorite picture from the weekend...
Our daughter-in-law Jennifer with her darling little daughter.

The View from my Desk!

2009-08-19T22:40:00.003-05:00

I snapped this pic with my phone at work today. Olivia's regular sitter could not watch her at all this week, so Grammy has been filling in. Olivia helped me lead Ladies' Bible study Tuesday morning...she sat in the back and sang songs the ENTIRE time. It was adorable :o) Today we worked in my office. My desk has never seen so much fun--playdough, teddy grahams, crayons--oh yeah, and some newsletter work. I have been going back to work in the evenings to keep up. It's been a fair tradeoff! I am afraid I will be bored when I have to go back to working without the playdough :o)

A Good Read

2009-08-11T07:39:00.002-05:00

Not much time for posting this week...Vacation Bible School (I'm already tired:o) But here is a link to a wonderful post by Mary Snyder that is so well written and expresses my feelings exactly. It is worth the few minutes it will take to read.

Oh yeah...can you see me jumping up and down??? School starts next week, which means play days with Olivia on Monday and Friday once again--Monday can't come soon enough!

Week 15 Scripture Memory Challenge

2009-08-01T17:05:00.005-05:00

Today begins Week 15 in Beth Moore's Scripture Memory Challenge. I am doing pretty good with all 14 verses so far. I sure don't have the wonderful memory I used to have before the age 50 hormone haze set in :o(

I don't usually use the same verse Beth has chosen for herself, but when I read how this verse is speaking to her, I knew it was just the word from God I need to hear. I have copied a bit to this post, mostly so I can refer to it again and again.

“I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills His purpose for me.” Psalm 57:2 NIV

Here’s what God is using that verse to say to me right now: When I’m in a really hard and hurtful situation, somehow the present difficulty of it overrides my conscious thought that God is going to use it in my life and then through my life. Not one time in my entire tenure on this planet has He ever failed to turn around and use the hardship for good. NOT ONCE. Not when I gave Him enough time and cooperation. Yet, in the midst of it, I often can only hang onto Him for dear life while we ride the wave to shore and then stand there in the aftershock and look like I’ve just been on the spin cycle of a washing machine. Afterward, when He invariably turns it into some kind of maturity, intimacy, insight or ministry, I think, “Why didn’t I just trust Him for that at the time??? Why did I have to take it so personally and injuriously?” I want to learn to CONSISTENTLY claim the victory right there in the worst of the pain or crisis. At the very moment that I’m crying out to God Most High for help, as the psalmist says, I want to proclaim that He’s smack in the middle of fulfilling His purpose for me. Challenging stuff.

That's what I am trusting God to be working in me through this difficult season...maturity, intimacy, insight, ministry--whatever He chooses, it will be beautiful!

Two Years Old

2009-07-25T20:00:00.004-05:00

Our favorite little sweetie turned two yesterday. I thought the time with my kids flew by, but I think time goes even faster in "Grammy-time". Olivia's mommy suggested a sand box as a gift possibility. I think we found a good one. Daddy and Grandpa put it together this afternoon...with a curious little helper.

As soon as they got the picnic table part assembled, Olivia sat down and said, "Oya ya needs to eat!" She got to eat a cupcake at her new table. My camera battery died so I missed a great chocolate cupcake face shot :o(

Olivia loves to be outside...I think between the new sandbox and the cool pink tricycle from her other Grandma and Grandpa, she may never want to come inside!

Happy 2nd Birthday sweet girl...Grammy loves you!

Score!

2009-07-20T22:30:00.003-05:00

Had to post a quick picture of the treasure I got at Goodwill tonight for $1.99 I haven't even cleaned it up yet...not sure what will go inside and I have spent the last 30 minutes trying to make the perfect space (or any space) for it in my room FULL of stuff. But as I frequently remind my sweet hubby--there is always space for something you love :o)

2009-07-14T22:28:00.004-05:00

It's late and I still have a messy kitchen to clean up before bed, but I wanted to put up a favorite picture from tonight. My youngest sister and her three boys are staying with our mom/dad for a couple of days and got to come for supper tonight. I love this pic of Grandma/Great Grandma with her kiddos...

Exhausted...With a Smile!

2009-07-05T19:22:00.003-05:00

What a weekend...and this old grammy is EXHAUSTED! We crammed LOTS of celebrating into a short weekend. Friday night hubby and I went to an area park for music and fireworks...we thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Saturday a.m. we drove a couple of hours to a family reunion with my sweet hubby's family. This side of the family rarely has the opportunity to spend any time together. The last reunion was 8 years ago. Both our kids and their spouses and of course sweet little Olivia were able to attend with us which made it ever better :o) Unfortunately, I spent so much time enjoying conversation that I failed to get even one good picture :o(

We rushed home trying to decide whether or not to attend Red, White and Boom in Peoria as it had been raining steadily ALL DAY! The rain finally stopped and we enjoyed an awesome display of 4,800 pounds of fireworks.

After church this morning and a quick cookout for lunch we hurried off to Peoria for the Chiefs game. Aramis Ramirez and Reed Johnson were doing some rehab this weekend before returning to the Cubs tomorrow. It was a great game day...hot but not miserable and a great way to end the holiday weekend with lots of smiles for the whole family.

Now--this old grammy could use a nice looooooong nap :o)

Sharing the Joy!

2009-06-28T22:36:00.003-05:00

My sister-in-law sent me this link tonight...it made me smile. I think you'll like it! The story is that a 90 year old couple walked into the lobby of the Mayo Clinic and while waiting they spotted a piano. They've been married for 62 years and he'll be 90 this year. They definately still know how to have fun and share their joy.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T18:59:00.003-05:00

Time for a quick post of two of my favorite pics from today. It was a great day. My mom and dad came for church/lunch. Tom and Jen and Olivia came for lunch as well. We missed Melissa and Jason, but got to have dinner with them in Indiana Friday night (a fun, unexpected surprise)! My sweet hubby wanted me to take a few shots of him and Olivia in the yard as things are blooming well at the moment and the rain has finally taken a break. These two are my favorites...

Gotta go make some supper for my sweet hubby--the best husband/father around!

Wait for the Lord

2009-06-15T22:05:00.002-05:00

I am still hanging in there with the Scripture Memorization Challenge on the LPM blog...not just hanging in there, but really enjoying it. We are up to verse 12 for the year, not bad for an old grammy who doesn't remember much of anything these days :0)

My verse for this next two weeks is Psalm 27:13-14 "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (NIV)

For quite some time I have had a huge, heavy circumstance that concerns me daily. I have been waiting and waiting to see God's answer, often times not too patiently. I like being reminded of the fact that I will see His goodness if I am strong and wait for Him.

Grammy's Having Blog Issues!

2009-06-15T21:25:00.004-05:00

Something crazy happened to my blog layout overnight and I have been trying off and on all day to get it back to some kind of normal. This DEFINATELY is not my strong suit. Right now at least I think it is readible...we'll see what happens tomorrow. I added the cute pic of Olivia because this post would be completely boring without it. I like the way she is looking at me...makes me wonder what is going through her mind. Not sure I really want to know :o)

Outside Fun

2009-06-05T13:02:00.003-05:00

Starting next week, our Mondays and Fridays are going to be much more quiet and kind of lonely. Olivia's mommy is about to begin summer break. Great for Mommy and Olivia, just a little sad for Grammy and Papa. We started the morning with one of Olivia and Papa's favorite things, pancakes at IHOP! Then who could stay inside on this perfect, BEAUTIFUL spring day? Olivia and I played outside the whole time she was here (except for a much needed nap--hers, not mine:0) She loves playing in the little rose bed fountain, and it's not a bad way to wash off the sand and the bubbles:0)

Taking a little break...playing makes you so tired!

Time for more bubbles...

Olivia kept looking at her Papa today and saying Gampa, Gampa, Gampa with a stinkery little smile...those two are quite a pair.

Ministry Online Conference

2009-05-27T21:30:00.002-05:00

I decided to post some information on another online women's conference from A Woman Inspired. The first conference I did with them was great and this one looks interesting as well:

This conference is designed to provide information about ministering online through blogging and other social media. Speakers and topics include:

Alyssa Avant: Finding Your Passion
Amy Bayliss: Split Decisionz: How To Give Your Blog A Facelift
Darcy: Okay So I Have A Blog, Now What?
Dawn Camp: Facebook - Inside and Out
Genikwa Williams: Touching Lives Online: The Power of Social Media to Minister
Karla Porter: Social Media and your ministry
Kristen Schiffman: Embedding Excellence
Leah Adams: 'I Did It My Way' Is Never the Best Way!!
Leigh Gray: Spilling the Beans and the Motives Attached
Maria Reyes- McDavis: Biblical Principles for Social Media Success: A Complete Starter's Guide to Marketing Your Business, Ministry, or Personal Brand
Mary Snyder: Facebook Friends, Twitter Tweets, and Blogging Buddies: The Blessings of Online Friendships
Sarah Martin: He Knows Your Words!
Tracy Jackson: Mommytography- Blogging Version
The Amies: Starting From Scratch With Your Ministry - Leads to Full Q&A Session

The cost is a very reasonable $12.95 including all the speakers and a free e-book starter guide to beginning your own ministry online if you register by May 29.