• "Life" Books,  Chronic Illness,  Family,  Friends & Neighbors

    and then it was Spring!

    Spring. Tulips. Buttercups (what we in the south call daffodils). Color. Pink. Yellow. Green. Orange. Blue. White. Easter. Hope. Promise. Children. Eggs. Laughter. Swings. Slides. Sand boxes. Chalk. What do you think of when you think or hear the word “SPRING?” The first things that come to mind for me, childhood core memories. The two metal swing sets we had in our yard. These were the metal swing sets that if you got to swinging a little too high, you started to feel the whole swing set start lifting out of the ground. Anybody remember these? Pretty much the only place that wouldn’t be blazing hot would be the swing…

  • "Life" Books,  Children,  Family,  Friends & Neighbors,  Let's be Real

    A Continuous Conversation

    Happy Thursday! Tomorrow, I think, is one of the most fun holidays! St. Patricks Day, A.K.A. in our house, “Man under the leaf day,” because I couldn’t remember what it was called when I was little, so I re-named it 😊 As we do many things in our family. “Fat butter” = hunk of cheese. “Spagatical” = Sabbatical. Just to name a few… I just love any holiday that gets kids excited. Well come to think of it, I guess I’m a kid at heart because I get as excited as they do! One family that I kept years ago, the leprechauns would visit their house and would leave their…

  • "Life" Books,  Family,  GRANDparents,  Memories

    Happy 100th Birthday, Al-Paw!

    Today, my grandfather would be 100! He passed away in 2018, at the age of 85, but left a lasting legacy, and that’s what I will be writing about today. First, let me tell you a little background history: I love my grandfather and I learned many things that I hold close and truly cherish for a lifetime! Yet, I would be painting a false picture if I didn’t share these two stories to set up a “snapshot” of our relationship. Possibly the moment he realized he may have met his match… πŸ˜‚ So as I mentioned before he loved to watch and talk golf. We would usually visit this…

  • "Life" Books,  Children,  Friends & Neighbors,  GRANDparents,  Pass it On...

    We Need You!: A Letter to Our Kids

    To the kids of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, The biggest thing I want you to remember is this: I am so glad you are here! You have more value than you will ever know! You are indeed LOVED beyond anything you can comprehend! You are needed and wanted in this world! Another big message I want you to remember: The progression of Technology is not your fault. You were simply born in the technology age. Your parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, were alive to watch the crazy fast progress of the digital and media world, but you were born into the already rapidly growing tech age. You are the…

  • "Life" Books,  About

    What a Week!

    Has it really only been a week since I last posted? It’s been a bit of a rough and tumble week. One of those weeks that each day you wake up and immediately think, “wow, Jesus has given me another day!” And that’s where you stay for the rest of the day. He has given me life and breath and doctors who know what they are doing, and I fully put my trust in the God who sees, hears, knows, and guides. I have mentioned that my lab results a few months back, showed some really low iron and ferritin levels. Short version: this past Monday I received an Iron…

  • "Life" Books,  Pass it On...

    Presidential Lessons

    Today I will start this post by being grateful for the little bit of energy that I have at the moment. I missed writing last week, but Covid decided it was time to strike, starting with me and unfortunately has spread to my parents. We are indeed very thankful for the work of many who have worked hard in their individual fields to research viruses, vaccines, medications, and kept us updated on protocols. We are grateful to all be vaccinated and due to multiple high risks, we all were prescribed Paxlovid, which has truly kept us from getting worse, and/or having to go to the hospital. And other than a…

  • "Life" Books,  Children,  Jesus

    Shadows

    Let’s jump right in today! I don’t know about you, but I am overcome with tremendous heartache for children today. It’s no secret that my heart is drawn towards children, so it comes as no surprise that I have a tendency to want to understand what is going on in their world. Granted some things I cannot fully understand, but when it comes to the matters and questions that we all face in our lives, it’s the heart that I want to know and the connection to what makes them believe what they believe. Why the world am I overcome with heartache? The majority of kids in the US have…

  • "Life" Books,  Aunt-ing,  Family

    Squeak, This one is for You!

    Happy Thursday! January is a booming month for our family when it comes to birthdays! However, one that is coming up this next week is my niece’s, she will be 12! I truly cannot remember my life without her present, she is a life-loving firecracker, or as my Nannie would say, “cat-bird” (beats to her own drum 😊). Today I would like to share twelve statements that my heart desires for her to always know and keep close! I love you Squeak, Mots, Lil’ for Realz! πŸ’• NaNa 😊 Life Book of the Week: Every Cowgirl Needs Dancing Boots, by Rebecca Janni. One of Lilly’s favorites 😊 Today’s picture is…

  • "Life" Books,  Aunt-ing,  Children,  GRANDparents,  Let's be Real,  Memories

    Two Minute Speeches

    I recently watched a Parenting/Grandparenting Virtual Conference (yes, you read right. I would love to one day have Aunt/Uncle/GRANDfriends resource website/book/or part of this blog just for that someday, but as for now, I subscribe to Grandparenting sites and newsletters.). On this virtual conference there were a set of grandparents who gave some great suggestions for dinner family time. One was two minute speeches. Since this past weekend was a long weekend for my niece and nephew, they came to stay with us! We were able to celebrate my niece’s upcoming birthday and have an extended quality time with them. So at one of our meals, I suggested what I…

  • "Life" Books,  Chronic Illness,  Let's be Real

    If it’s not one thing…

    I come to you today a bit weary, but grateful. You know the saying, “if it’s not one thing, it’s another”? Well, if you yourself have chronic illness, or you advocate for someone with chronic illness, you know the impact of this phrase. First, let me make very clear how grateful I am to live so close to an amazing medical hospital and clinics. This truly is by far an incredible gift! So many have to move to get closer to the help they need, or travel constantly for medical appointments. Second, I am grateful to have insurance that this hospital and clinics remain in network. This being said, the…