Treasures Of The Heart...



Today as I carefully packed this fifty-year-old Christmas card away with all the other decorations, I smiled, and was reminded of how our personalities are shaped in so many ways and by so many things as we grow. On the inside, it says, "Merry Christmas to Mother and Daddy Love, Kathy."

I don't remember making it, but what I do remember is having a coloring book at my grandmother's house when I was about six. I remember asking my uncle if he wanted to color a picture in my book. I watched him as he outlined and colored each item on the page. I clearly remember thinking how beautiful his picture was and how I needed to outline if I wanted mine to be beautiful. To this day I outline every picture I color. I think that simple experience may have shaped me, may have caused me to be more careful, more meticulous, wanting my efforts to be just right, or maybe it had nothing to do with anything at all.

I found the card while cleaning out my parents home after both of them had passed away. It reminded me of how, we as mother's save so many little things our kids make for us. We save ornaments that we hang on the tree year after year, construction paper paintings, letters they've written to us... We save these things never knowing what will become of them when we're gone.

A lot of things have to be thrown out. You can't keep it all, but every now and then something comes along in the form of a treasure. You know it's a treasure because it speaks to your heart. This is one of those treasures. The heart kind. The kind that reminds us to remember.

It reminds me of that little seven-year-old girl who must have been outlining and trying to make her picture as beautiful as she could. It reminds me of time spent at my grandmother's house and of the mother who lovingly put it away, only to have it resurface 50 years later. I'm glad she did. I framed it and hung it behind the Christmas tree.

Today I carefully packed this fifty-year-old Christmas card away with all the other decorations. I wrapped it in cotton batting, the kind that sparkles with glitter, and when it resurfaces again next year I'll smile, and I'll be reminded, and I'll remember.

I hope your January has started out to be the beginning of a great new year.



It's A Boy...

Saturday was the big day. We gathered at my daughter's house. Her hubby grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. Afterwards we cut the cake.

Anticipation

It's a boy!!!

Even our son in Utah was able to participate.

It was blue inside, so if the good Lord's willing we are going to have our 5th grandson. Our only granddaughter just turned 13, so most of us were hoping for a girl, but we'll certainly take another precious little man.

Jesse Lawton is due November 16, 2012.

Have a great holiday week!!! 

Sex Party...

O.K., I'm on the computer just now trying to decide what to blog about when my I-phone pings, meaning a text just came in. I look at the text and see that it's from my youngest.

She writes:

 Do you want to come to a sex party on June 30th?

A SEX PARTY?

 

I've never been invited to a "sex party" and if I had been I'm sure as heck it wouldn't have been an invitation from one of my kids.

Turns out my middle daughter is going to find out what she's having on June 29th. The sex party involves a cookout, a cake baked by youngest that is either pink or blue on the inside, and nobody(except youngest), not even pregnant daughter finds out what sex the baby is until the cake is cut.

O.K., I must admit, this sex party is starting to sound exciting. Oh, and did I tell you it's a "surprise sex party".

 

Have a great rest of the week!!!

Solar Eclipse...

The weatherman said it could be either rainy or too cloudy to view the solar eclipse, but at 7:40pm some friends gathered in my driveway. They came prepared with sun glasses and a camera. I had a small telescope and a piece of paper taped to some cardboard. I was scared to look at it. I said I was too old to go blind. Ha!

This is how it looked in the beginning when I was using the telescope and paper. It made it look upside down.

This is about 3/4 of the way

and unfortunately the weatherman's prediction came true. It dropped behind the clouds and we weren't able to see the full eclipse, but we felt fortunate to be able to see it at all. It was beautiful and

left the sky a magnificent shade of blue.
Have a great week!!!

Nawlins...

March is the time to celebrate with the Irish and the Italians in New Orleans. We celebrated with a visit to St. Louis Cemetery #1, a Hurricane at Pat O'Brien's, a trip to the French Market on the trolley car,  and wrapped it up by watching the St. Joseph's Day Parade. We either walked or stood on our feet for a total of nine hours, and could barely walk back to the car. Isn't it odd how you don't know your feet hurt until the fun ends.

We had a great time and arrived back in Fort Worth on Sunday night. I came home Monday morning and discovered I had left my camera and laptop in Fort Worth, so I've been absent from the blogging world for over a week while waiting on the courier(hubby) to make his delivery.

Here are a few photos from the trip.  

Our first stop was to see the grave of the "Witch Queen of New Orleans"

 and then on to the French Market.

  The culture in New Orleans is like none other. 

There is a cacophony of sights, 

sounds,

 and color.

 New Orleans is a great place to "visit", but there's "no place like home".

Have a wonderful week!!!

13. Camera and laptop
14. Hubby playing the piano from "Songs of the Church"
15. First blooms of spring
16. Laughter with siblings in our dad's house
17. French Vanilla coffee
18. The patience others show towards me

19. Spring Break

20. A yard cut just in time for rain

21 The grandson who asked to mow it

It's Been One Year...

It doesn't seem like it, but it's been one year since I first pushed publish. I can never think of anything interesting to write about, but I write anyway. One of the best parts of blogging is the people I've met. Donna, Bossy Betty, McGuffy Ann, Crafty Sue and others.  I've enjoyed getting to know you through you blogs. Thank you my "virtual" friends for all of your nice comments.

Counting Blessings:

 

10. "Virtual" friends

11.  Stray  cats

12. Raspberry preserves with seeds

Have a blessed week!!!

Fuzzy Friday...

My hubby plays the piano. He will only play for me and it's always out of hymnals. Today as I was passing the piano I glanced at the song he had been playing and it spoke to my heart, so I thought I would share the first verse and chorus.

It may not be on the mountain's height, or over the stormy sea; It may not be at the battle's front my Lord will have need of me; But if by a still, small voice He calls to paths I do not know, I'll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in Thine, I'll go where You want me to go.
I'll go where You want me to go, dear Lord, o'er mountain or plain or sea; I'll say what You want me to say, dear Lord, I'll be what You want me to be.~~Carrie E. Rounsefell, 1861-1930

And for my "Fuzzy Friday":

Have a blessed weekend!!!



Book Find...

I found this old shorthand book at a library book sale. It's about 3'' x 4.5". The first copyright is 1949 and again in 1963.

 I never took shorthand, but looking at this little white book I wish I had. It would be like learning another language, a secret language.

 Some of you may have actually used one of these books. It's called the Gregg Shorthand Dictionary and contains 34,055 word entries, alphabetically arranged.  According to the Internet the Gregg version of shorthand was first introduced in 1888. Here's a sample:

 

'Translation'

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Amazing.

Counting Blessings:

                                                              #7 Church family

                                                              #8 Music

                                                              #9 Quail in the front yard

Have a great tomorrow!!!

Linking with Communal Global.

Fuzzy Friday...

Since I'm no longer babysitting my little Fuzzy boy I am having a bit of trouble keeping up with my Fuzzy Friday pictures, so this Friday I'm going to post another warm and fuzzy.

I received this snapshot in a text. Crazy Hair has decided to wear his tie to school. He has worn it a couple of times this week. He loves to dress up.

Counting Blessings

#4 Rain

#5 Walking into the den and finding a fire in the fireplace.

#6 Friends that text to remind you of appointments.

Hope you've had a warm and fuzzy Friday!!!