The Cat is Out of the Bag!

Wow, it feels good to finally be able to talk about my first grandbaby. He is the size of a peach now, by the way. Next week he will be a lemon. I get hungry just hearing her describe him in these terms.

She is getting past the morning sickness stage and is doing really well. I hope she doesn't gain 50 pounds like her Mom did - my baby is in her late 20s and I am still trying to lose my "baby weight."

I told my Mom and Daddy about their new great-grandchild and they were very excited. This news has been the one bright spot in my days for the last couple of weeks. Babies are good news and gifts from God.

I am so thankful that God has blessed my daughter and her husband and our whole family with this priceless gift.

Lentils, Beans and Grapes

Today my daughter told me that my new grandbaby is the size of a grape. At first he was a lentil, then a blueberry, then a kidney bean and now a grape.  I guess at some point he will be the size of a watermelon….

I still can’t tell anyone until she goes to her doctor appointment in late October and that is two more weeks…..this is so hard!

Highs and Lows

In the midst of all the sad things that are going on with my Daddy, I have the great pleasure to announce that I am going to be a grandmother for the first time! I have been writing posts about this since the day I found out, but I couldn't make them public - here they are...

September 3, 2009 – a red-letter day in my life!  This is the day I was told I was going to be a grandmother for the first time!  Our daughter and son-in-law are expecting a baby in April.  She thinks it is a boy – mother’s intuition?  I have been praying for this baby for many, many, many years and I couldn’t be more excited….but then she tells me I CAN’T TELL ANYONE!

What? I have just been told I am going to be a grandmother and I can’t tell anyone?  That’s just cruel.  “You can’t tell anyone until 12 weeks is up, Momma.”  That’s a long time!

Sure, I could talk to the other grandmother in this situation – she wants to be called Mimi.  She was still shrieking when I called her.  We have known each other since the kids were in elementary school and we had a great time during the wedding planning so I have no doubt we will have an even better time planning for this new grandbaby.

I could talk to my daughter’s best friend - she is excited of course.

I couldn’t tell anyone else – I was so frustrated by this that I told two perfect strangers just to talk about it.  One was a bank teller and the other was just someone I was standing in line with.  They smiled and said congratulations (I know they thought I was weird, but I don’t care).

My daughter and I went shopping the next Saturday and I wanted to buy my new grandson (?) something so we bought a couple of tiny outfits (one for a boy and one for a girl – just in case).

We went to the bookstore and looked at name books.  My daughter sat in the floor, closed her eyes, opened the book randomly, and pointed to a name------------

Oh, no, this is not going to be the name of my new grandbaby.  Try again…..

She pointed to Braden twice which we thought was significant, but the Baby Daddy squelched that one when she got home.  The nerve!

We stopped by the maternity shop to buy some Preggie Drops because she thought she might hurl, but then she miraculously improved enough to eat a cupcake on the way home.

I already love being a grandmother.  I just can’t publish this post for 4 more weeks…..

Storm Clouds are Gathering

It is a bright, sunny day outside, but storm clouds are gathering - that's how I feel today.  My Daddy is getting weaker every day and my brother and I have to have him evaluated to see if he can go to assisted living or must go to a nursing home.  This is a day I have dreaded all my adult life.  It is hard for me to see my Daddy weak and in poor health.  My Daddy has always been a great, strong man.  He could leap over buildings and stop bullets -- at least to me.  He has been there for me all my life to help me and to pick up the pieces when I fell apart.  It hurts me to see him like this.  Please, dear God, don't let him suffer long.

Daddy's Girl

I don't care how old I am, I am still my Daddy's little girl.  His health has been failing lately and now he is in the hospital for tests, and it is hard for me to see him in pain.  He has always been healthy and active.  But in his 9th decade of life, each day is a trial.

How do I make sure he is taken care of?  My Mom, too.  It is hard to know how to care for aging parents.  They are used to being the adults - making decisions - living independently.  They resent someone else making their decisions and they are embarrassed to have to ask for help to do the most common tasks like putting gas in the car or balancing the checkbook.

My brother and I, and our families, are glad to help any way we can, but we want our parents to be able to retain their dignity.  At what point do we start making the decisions based on what we think is best for them?

When you are parenting a child it is challenging, but at least the child lives with you and is not used to controlling his own life.  "Parenting" a parent is even harder because they sometimes live in another town or even another state.

My family has begun to deal with this situation.  My prayer is that the Lord will give us wisdom and discernment and that we will make decisions that will be respectful of our parents and that will allow them to retain their dignity and their quality of life until the Lord calls them home.

I Love The Quilt Festival!

I went to the Quilt Festival today with a good friend and, as usual, felt inspired and overwhelmed at the same time.  Every year I get so excited seeing all the beautiful quilts and I want to run home and make a masterpiece.  However, the longer I walk down the rows of these incredible works of art - textile art - I realize that I am only a casual quilter.  I don't sew every day - I don't even sew every month.  Some of the quilters who made these intricately detailed quilts work on them every day, all day, for years.  I can't do that.  My interests are too varied.  My hat (if I wore one) would be off to these patient artists.

Here are a few of my favorites...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What talent!  I am both inspired and humbled by them!

Time Flies!

I can't believe it was ten years (!) ago when Ryan and Chelsa got married!!!!!  That day was one of the best days of my life.  My family and friends were gathered in one place, my precious son was marrying a young woman that we absolutely adore--what a great day!

Now they are off on a big trip to celebrate ten years of life together.  I pray they will have a wonderful time of adventure and making new memories together.

Don't blink - life goes by so quickly.

Does This Make You Feel Like Fall Has Arrived?

Someone sent me this picture on the internet and just looking at it makes the temperature drop 20 degrees (of course, then it would still be 70 degrees outside)...

(Click on the picture to see it larger.)

Happy Fall, y'all!

Happy Birthday to Me!

My birthday will be here soon, and although I don't mind telling my age, I don't like the idea of putting all that personal information out there into cyberspace.  I don't mind birthdays - it beats the alternative.  I look forward to going to Heaven one day, but as the Kenny Chesney song says, nobody wanna go now.


When I was a young woman I always thought of my parents as old.  I realize now that they really weren't that old - I guess that's what my kids think about me and my husband.

I lost my mother when I was 23 and I thought my Daddy was kind of old to remarry - but I realize now that he was the age I am now!  Wow - perspective!  The other day I said, "Daddy, can you believe you are 91?"  And he said, "I can't believe I have a 56 year-old child!"  That shut me up!

I want to age gracefully - no facelifts, no lyposuction (although I could certainly use it), no botox.  I draw the line at haircolor though.  My husband doesn't want to have a wife who looks older than he does.

I guess the truth about age is that just when you start to understand how to live your life the correct way and how to handle circumstances and problems and people that you love and those you don't like so much, you don't have the energy to do it!  And even though you have so much life experience, successes and failures, and so much advice to give to someone else, no one wants to listen to some old woman talk.  I'm not that old - I can blog and send a text message!

I still wonder - when will I be old enough not to care if I need to lose weight?  My mom is 90 and she still cares.

I am grateful to have my health, a great husband, four fabulous children, lots of good friends, and most of all that I know Jesus Christ and enjoy His blessings in my life.  I am happy to have a purpose and work to do and enough money to buy what I need and to give to the Lord's work.

And, hopefully, one day I will have grandchildren!  Maybe they will listen to me!