My Third Quilt of the Year

This quilt is for my grandbaby, Leah Rose...

 

Her Mommy picked out the pattern and the fabric - I will never make another one just like this.  It is a special quilt for a special baby.

Justin's Mom and her close circle of friends hosted a shower for Allison today and we had a wonderful time watching her open all the gifts.  She received some beautiful clothes and toys and things you need for babies - thanks, Lori, Donna, Paula, April, and Sylvia!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above..." James 1:17

Happy Anniversary!

Today is the 34th wedding anniversary of my Daddy and Mom.

They married in 1976 when my Daddy was 57 and my Mom (stepmother, obviously) was 56.  I remember thinking that they were too old to be thinking about getting married.  Now I am 57 and I don't feel old - most days.

My Mom told me a few years back that when they got married they hoped they would have 20 or 25 years together.  Look how the Lord has blessed them!

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Daddy!

A Shower Is Predicted For Today!

Today I am going to a baby shower for my baby who is having my first grandchild!  I have dreamed of this day--becoming a grandparent--for as long as I have had children.

When Allison was getting married a few years ago and she got her first wedding gift, she asked me if we could clear off the dining room table and set up a gift table.  I said to her, "Are you kidding?  I have been looking forward to doing this your whole life!"

It's the same with baby showers - I have always prayed that she would have a baby and would experience the joy that children bring.  I pray that for both my children.  My children have been my greatest joy in life.  I would like both my children to experience this for themselves.

I have several gifts that I made for her that have sentimental significance.  I will give them to her today and I hope she will like them.  (Since she has seen them now, here they are...)

 

  

 

I look forward to seeing her open the gifts, get them put away for the precious life that will soon be coming.  I said to her the other night, "Don't you just love her so much already?"  and of course she said yes.  But she has no idea--when they put that baby in her arms, her life will never be the same.  She will fall madly and completely in love with her.  She will reorganize her life to meet her needs.  She will sacrifice her time, energy, sleep, wants, and even needs to take care of her.  She will pray much more than she does now.  And she will never regret one single moment.
Here are some pics from the shower...

 

  

 

Thank You, God, for allowing me and my family to experience this.

A Lifetime Ago Yesterday

35 years ago today my mother died.  I was 22 years old.  My brother and I were devastated.  She got sick with what the doctor said was a flu and she died a week later from viral pneumonia.

She was not my birth mother, but my brother was a natural child born 19 months after my parents adopted me - surprise!  She was the mother who raised me - the only mother I had ever known.

It is hard to lose your mother when you are 22 and are just starting out in your life - getting married, having babies, needing advice.  Thankfully, my Aunt Bibby stood in the gap for me and taught me all the things that my mother would have taught me had she lived - how to cook, what to do with a baby, how to take care of my home.

Seems like yesterday when I think of the day Momma died - I still remember how I felt when they told me she had died - but it also seems like a lifetime ago.  So much has happened since - I had a baby, got divorced, got remarried, had another baby, my Dad remarried, my brother got married, got divorced, got remarried, had two children....

Life goes on, but on this day we remember Momma...

 

...may she rest in peace.

How Cute Is This????

I Love Butternut Squash

My daughter told me last night that Leah is a butternut squash this week.  I like that much better than an eggplant.

 It is hard for me to grasp that she will make her appearance to the world in less than three months.  I can't wait to hold her in my arms.  I can't wait to see Allison hold her in her arms.
Much that I have done and said will become clear to Allison after Leah is born.  I am looking forward to this as well.  All those times I panicked when I couldn't find her in the store...every time I said to her "be careful" or "call me when you get there"...nights I stayed up waiting for her to come home...all the advice I have given her over the years...all the warnings I have given her about being careful in parking lots, not staying out alone late at night, not parking next to vans, etc.....all this will become very clear to her when she gives birth to Leah.
My children have been my greatest joy in life - both are special in individual ways.  They have also been my greatest worry.  Every day I have to give them to the Lord again to watch over them.  I pray not only that He will watch over them and protect them, but that He will reveal Himself to them in a way that they would love Him and devote their lives to Him.
I will pray this for Leah Rose as well.  I have prayed this for her already.

My Baby

Today is my baby's birthday!  Although it has been 28 years now, I still remember how I felt when I was in the recovery room and the nurse said something about "your daughter."  What a sweet sound those words were to me.  I had a beautiful little son and now I had a daughter - life was good.

When Ryan (who was 6) saw her, he exclaimed loudly to the whole room full of family and strangers, "She is just what I wanted!"

We brought her home the day before Valentine's Day and my husband bought Godiva chocolates for the nurses, his Mother, and me.

I sent him to the drugstore for the second or third time for some little item and he told his mother, "This baby is going to nickle and dime me to death."  And she almost did - but it has been a great pleasure for us both.

Two of the most precious moments of my life was when she chose her wedding dress and seeing her walk down the aisle.

I will hold those moments in my heart forever.
Our children have been the greatest joys of our lives and each one is unique and special in their own way.  Although they love to argue over "who is the favorite", the truth is Ryan is our favorite son and Allison is our favorite daughter.

Now my baby is expecting a baby - a daughter.  I am thankful to God for His many blessings to our family and to Allison.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl

Look at My Grandbaby!

I am not sure what fruit or vegetable my grandbaby, Leah, is this week, but I suspect she is a "watermelon"!!!!!

 

And she has three months to go!!!!!

I can't wait to hold her in my arms............