Finally some snow near the coast of SC

Here is the first 1/2 inch of snow tonight in SC!! FINALLY!!! Getting ready to watch the olympic opening.

critters are eating my patio umbrella!!!

As you can see above some critters have been eating our patio umbrella!! I hope it is one of the 8 squirrels that live in our yard and not a rat!! YIKERS!!!

say a prayer for gram

The above picture of my Mother-in-law was taken months ago. She has been getting much weaker lately. She is fighting pneumonia and is weak and very tired. She is still eating, but it takes about 45 minutes to an hour to feed her (she has Alzheimer's). Thankfully she seems peaceful. It is hard seeing her like this. Praying that God's will be done in her life (which always seems like a strange prayer, but that is what he tells us to pray!)

No regrets

Thinking today about living in a way each day that makes you not regret what you have done. For example if my Mother-in-law were to die sooner rather than later, I would want to have been sure that I have spent the kind of time with her that was important to me , to her and ultimately to God.

She has had pneumonia this week, and I am so thankful it appears that the meds are helping her get better. There is something soothing about feeding an elderly person (hey, I am elderly too

;-) ). We used to spend time watching the cooking network together so I put that on while I am feeding her and it does feel a bit like old times. I am not sure if she always knows who I am , but I can see love in her eyes.

I am so glad I have had time the last few years to not be out at work. Time to spend with my grand children and the great-grandparents. These are gifts.

A cure for winter blues

A visit to the grandkids is always a cure for the winter blues! I am always amazed at their ability to imagine. I love to imagine with them. Below Alden is pretending he is Michael from Mary Poppins. He really does well at pretending. His sister is BERT and she is cleaning the chimney below (this is what she used for the chimney and the cleaning instrument).

Don't let the guy above scare you --he is a lot of fun.

Below: The kids love having a tea party. They simply turn the basket over to use as a table. Their stuffed animals are guests. Alden loves feeding everyone.

We went to the library and one of our favorite books was The Paper Princess. It was such a fun story that we had to create a paper princess like the one in the book. We also created a gingerbread paperdoll for Alden and we had so much fun doing all kinds of things with the paperdolls. I had forgotten how much fun paper could be!

We had some Russian visitors too (below)

These guys have many hats to fill.

Dancing is so much fun, but songs like B I N G O and the Good Ship Lolipop can really get stuck in my head!! I am still humming them!!

Well, a winter storm was coming on Friday night so I had to get home before it arrived. This happened last time I visited too!! I hate the fact that I miss the snow......but I surely don't want to drive in it--NC and SC do not have much equipment in the area of route 95 for bad weather.

But for grams, grandkids are a wonderful vacation .....now for those of you that take care of your grands every week, it might be another story ;-)

Thinking about thankful things

I am glad for Sundays and a slower day of the week. I am thankful for

a day of rest
fresh flowers from my hubby that cheer the whole room
a very loving bootso cat
cheery red cardinals outside and inside (on pillows etc)
warm fires
warm snuggly blankets
the antics of the squirrels interacting with my neighbor's cat
candles (real and battery run)
homemade Earl Grey Latte
romantic comic books (these always make me appreciate my hubby more!)
the higher type church service--I love what the symbols and sacraments represent

I love the gifts God has given us .....not just those that are "spiritual gifts" , but the gift and beauty of His creation. I love the warmth of the sunshine and the uplifting psychology of light.
I love the colors in creation---pretty amazing stuff. I love the gift of His Word--both Christ and the Bible. I love the power and depth of the written word.....the more I read it the more I see how little I understand of His great love and of his doings in this world. I love thinking about the grandeur of the universe and its complexity in the big and in the small. I love the variety of foods and textures. I love the creativity of mankind and its reflection of God. I love the variety of music and how it touches our inmost parts.

I love the quietness of a small town.
I love the quietness of a Sunday in a small town ;-)
I love the softness of the winter sunlight.
I like the beginning of a new year....being able to think about goals. I tend to be sloppy and not work towards anything specific. I need to be a bit more goal oriented or life will be more of a drifting of time---I have been seeking the presence of God in daily living and have not been thinking about the specifics. I need to get down to some specifics in certain areas. --ie Bible memory, better organization of time and things....etc. Sundays are good to reflect more on the week ahead and goals to be pursuing.

Holiday fun and messes

This is just an assortment of pics from the holidays that make me smile.

Curing hiccups (above) a technique that worked!

The cat rubbing and biting the head as a welcome.

Fun gifts from Aunt Sue

Lots of goodies from Uncle David and Elisabetta

On the way to visit grandma

A welcome massage

Walks on the beach

Cuddly time

div>Just plain fun and goofing around




messes

Smoke rings

HUGE messes!!

Messes--huge--into the closet

Hanging out and playing games