Cat Likes New Window

The Lowes installer came last night to install our new window over the kitchen sink. The window we had was ok, but was a double window which restricted some of the view to the outside. The molding was old and original to the house and did not look too good anymore. This new window is a slider and easier to open. It is amazing what a new window can do to a room. It has opened up the view and makes the kitchen look bigger. You can see that the cat, who normally does not sit in the kitchen window, is enjoying it already. The installer is coming this morning to finish the molding, etc. and tonight Adam is going to help me with the tile back splash. Thanks Adam! After that, I think this whole kitchen redo will be done. As you can see by the last picture, Briggs was busy at work putting in the new kitchen faucet. I consider this new makeover a blessing and of course anything new you do to your home lifts your spirits.

What is Pumpkin Moonshine Anyway?

When I said I was naming the new kitty Pumpkin Moonshine, all the kids laughed. They thought it had to do with liquor moonshine. That is not the case though. Pumpkin Moonshine is a book by Tasha Tudor, a famous children's book author from New England. I have loved her books and lifestyle for many years. Ask my older kids and they will know who she is. Pumpkin Moonshine is a book about a little girl named Sylvie Ann who goes to her grandparents house and finds the best pumpkin in the patch to carve. Her Grandpawp helps her carve it after her adventure of the day finding the pumpkin with her dog Wiggie.
"Sylvie and Grandpawp put the Pumpkin Moonshine on the front gate post, then they hid in the bushes to watch how terrified the passers by would be at the sight of this fierce Pumpkin Moonshine. They had a wonderful time."

Tasha Tudor, a children’s illustrator whose pastel watercolors and delicately penciled lines depicted an idyllic, old-fashioned vision of the 19th-century way of life she famously pursued — including weaving, spinning, gathering eggs and milking goats — died at 92, in Marlboro, Vt.
Here is a link to her website. http://tashatudorandfamily.com/
It is worth a look and wonderful books to read to children.

Counter Tops At Last

Our counter tops have been a long time coming. The man said 2-3 weeks and it is a month now, but today is the day. I am excited because we have been living with makeshift particleboard pieces covered with an old plastic table cloth. I can't complain though and am blessed to have what we have. It has all worked out as well as if we had the most expensive counters in the world. But....in an hour or so he will be here and install our jade green quartz counters and new composite granite sink. I have purchased some really pretty glass tile that is a light green/blue with black checkerboard pattern for the backsplash. Adam is going to help me get going on putting that up in a day or so. Tomorrow the nice, efficient cabinet man from Lowes will install the new window over the kitchen sink. We are getting a slider window instead of double hung. It will be easier to open and shut. Briggs is putting up the molding along the top of the ceiling today. He does work hard at doing the things I ask him to do. Tomorrow afternoon it will be backer board for the tile. It is nice to have a husband that is willing to chip in and do his part. I have to admit to feeling a little guilty getting this "new" kitchen, but I think every woman should have a nice "new" kitchen once in her life. It is a blessing I am grateful for.

A New Puppy and Kitty

Yesterday we got a new puppy. She is a cutie. The man I bought her from says she is 1/2 lab and 1/2 Great Pyrenees. So far she is getting really spoiled by all the kids who carry her around and hold her all the time. I think she likes it. We are keeping her inside for a while, but she is destined to be an outside dog, especially if she rises to the size that Wikipedia says that Great Pyrenees get.

A few weeks ago we got a free kitten from a friend. He is a fluffy orange kitty, as I call him. I named him Pumpkin Moonshine from the book by Tasha Tudor. He has adapted famously to our home and has figured everything out. I have noticed the last few days he is trying to sneak outside more. That is ok though, because I do want to get him to give up the litter box. I do not like litter boxes.

I am posting here, a picture of a grown up great Pyrenees and also one of a puppy that does look like our little Roxie. I have named her Roxie in honor of my best childhood dog, Roxie that lived with us for 14 1/2 years. This picture is my sister Joanne and I with Roxie when we lived in Michigan in the 1950's.

Much Has Happened-Beautiful Mom

So much has happened since I wrote on this blog in April and posted Chloe's birthday Smilebox. Spring has passed and also summer. Now we are into fall and the year is almost ready to draw to a close. On my birthday, March 31, our (my sister Joanne and me) "mommy" Marian Louise Meader, passed away from a massive stroke. The Sunday before, I got the call at church that Mommy had fallen and Joanne had taken her to the hospital. It is, of course, the call no one wants to get and my intestines immediately began to roll and a sickness came over me as I hurried to the car and then to the house and on to Florida. I got to the hospital in Daytona Beach about midnight and immediately went to my mother's room and found her there on a breathing machine and not really awake at all. I sat by her bed all night and for the next few days holding her hand and praying and talking to her. All the fears and feelings that you imagine at a time like this were mine, and Joanne's in those few days, but we found solace in the Lord and prayer. He was with us and helped us get through that time with peace and comfort. I stopped at the hospital chapel a few times to kneel in prayer and I know my prayers were answered. Mommy never responded, but I knew she could feel my presence and love for her. I only went to her house once or twice to shower and then back to her side. By Wednesday Joanne and I knew she would not get well so gave the ok to remove the breathing tube. With Joanne, Heather and Kristen with me, we held Mommy's hand until she took her last breath. We told her to go home, to Grandma Jennie and Daddy. In a short time she did just that.

Although it was my birthday, March 31, I felt it an honor to see her go home to the Lord on the very day 65 years earlier that I left the Lord to come to her. In the next few days, most of my kids came down to help and attend the funeral. We had a lovely family time, remembering Gram and all the wonderful things she did for us. I miss her so much. each day. Several times a day, I am reminded by something, about her and some memory of her life. I love you so much, Mommy, and look forward to the day we will run into each others arms and say, "I love you", face to face again.

Chloe's 9th bday

Personalize a scrapbook design

Loving Arizona or Missing the Snow?

Guess what? I am missing the snow. Briggs and the kids are still "snowed in"-ice and snow this weekend. But, I am in sunny Arizona. Katie and her family and I went to Disneyland and now we are home in Arizona. I am enjoying the cute little girls, Emma and Ellie. They are the cutest little girls and really good too. This week should be fun, going to the park and shopping with "the girls."
On Saturday I fly home to North Carolina. I am wondering if another storm will come when I get there. I don't really care if it does. I enjoy the beauty of the snow and being snowed in forces one to slow down and be with family. PS. This snow pic is from last winter. I am writing this from my laptop and my new snow pics are on my pc at home in NC.

I Have Been Thinking...

    I have been thinking about the Haiti earthquake everyday since it happened. My heart has been especially touched by the images of the orphan children who have been so innocently affected by this terrible and unimaginable act of nature. There was already 300,000 orphans in Haiti before the earthquake and now there is no way to know how many more innocent little children have been put into a position of not having any family to live with because they are gone. They need our prayers and monetary assistance. They need the people around the world to focus on them and daily keep them in their hearts, mind and prayers.
    I read where the UN wanted to make sure that adoption of these orphans was a "last resort". UNICEF, which is the children's arm of the UN has come out for this idea. It seems to me that if there was already 300,000 orphans and who knows how many more that a supposedly child oriented organization would want to fine safe and  happy homes for these children no matter where it was. I believe that this is an achievable cause, and that there are plenty of loving families that want to give good homes to these children who in the best of times had a second rate existence. The concern for the life and soul of the children should come first. Not global politics or political correctness. I pray for the children and the good families that are willing to adopt them. If I had a chance, I would be glad myself to give a home to anyone of them.
    On another related note, as I have been tempted to complain about the little inconveniences in life these last few weeks, my mind has quickly recalled the images of the poor people of Haiti, especially the women and children. It reminds me that I have nothing at all to complain about. I quickly feel ashamed and say a little prayer for them.

Internet Troubles-Again!

   What a time I had this last week trying to get our internet to work. I know some of our family and friends thought we fell off the face of the earth, but for some reason it stopped working one morning. After checking everything out and trying to fix it myself, I called Verizon. I went the rounds with the tech man and he finally said he would send me another modem. We waited for about 3 days for that to come and then hooked it up. No internet! Again I called Verizon and went the rounds again and the tech man said that the new modem must be bad so I will send you another. We waited again. When it came, I hooked it all up and to no avail. So, on the phone with another tech man again.  After he ran through everything with me again, he decided that my ethernet cable might be bad. So off to Radio Shack the next morning. They wanted 38.00 for a new cable so I ran over to Walmart and got one for 30.00. Quite a lot of money for a cable, but we did need a 50 foot cable.

     When I came home I decided to have a prayer before I hooked it up. I cautiously proceeded to hook it up and when I tested it it did work. So, it was the cable which we only had for 5 months. With a little more tweaking with the router, I was able to get things into full swing again. Everyone is happy now. One week without internet is hard these days, although I think we all got along pretty well.  Now we can keep up with family and friends on a daily basis again and Briggs can do his genealogy. I can pay the bills and look up "important" things. It is interesting how we have become dependent upon the modern technical things we have these days. But if it all went away, we would still be ok. I canceled our cell phone a year or so ago and we have gotten along just fine. In the meantime, it is nice to have the internet back again!

2010 Begins

The kids are back in school and things are back to normal now. It has been so cold, but looks like it is going to warm up some now. We still have lots of snow around our yard, but if it stays warm enough for a few days, I suppose it will melt away. Will we get another snow? Your guess is as good as mine. The new semester of school will start next week and we will be on the count down to warmer weather and the end of school again. It seems that the days, weeks and months pass so quickly. Where does the time go? I will be going to visit Katie's family in Arizona on February 3 and then when I get back Spring will be ready to be "sprung". At the end of February the little yellow daffodils begin to bloom. That is something I look forward to because they are the flower of my month, March, and my favorite.

Facebook or Blogging

I have not blogged much lately because I have been visiting Facebook quite a lot. Facebook is good to keep up with your friends on a minute by minute basis, but for creativity-there is none. I consider myself somewhat creative, so now that the new year has come, I think I will do more blogging. I like the creativity of it and it gives more opportunity to expound on thoughts and feelings. So Happy New Year to all my family and friends and expect to find more posts on my blogs. I will list new posts on Facebook. Perhaps no one is interested, but for me it is a way to keep alive the memories, thoughts and feelings of this old granny! xxoo