Happy Birthday Nate!

My SIL is a wonderful young man. Today is his 29th birthday and he's a father for the first time.  Enjoy your day Nate and we will see you tomorrow to celebrate!  I love you and thanks for being such a good husband to Danielle, a follower of Jesus and a great friend Danielle's brothers.  

Another Thanksgiving gone!

We had a fabulous day with the hubby's side of the family and our children's families.  We had 16 adults for dinner plus 3 little ones.  Mason made his first visit to grandma and grandpas and met Great Grandma Lenie  and Great Grandpa Ray for the first time.  My SIL, Peggy and her sister, Pam and BIL, Damon and my niece Heather rounded out the group.  The food was good and I ate my fair share!  I do believe this is my favorite meal of the year.  I love pumpkin pie with cool whip too!  I am so thankful to have Ray & Lenie living nearby and this family gathering for over 30+ years.  We are thankful too for those who serve and have served our country.  

8 days to 5-0 and a Giveaway!

***I've decided to add an apron to the giveaway.  My mother-in-law makes the cutest aprons and I'm gonna have her make me one to give away.

In eight days, I will be 50!!  It's hard for me to believe.  I don't feel that old nor do I think of myself as that old.  I am really in denial BUT really it's JuST a NumBeR.  There really are signs all around me that I am aging.  I'm just not ready to believe it.  I feel a newness being this age.  I am in good health.   I am having a blast with my family and those darn cute grandbabies of mine.  Dwight and I are enjoying our freedom and have kept ourselves very busy with something happening all the time.  To celebrate with all my bloggy friends I thought I'd give you a present.  I am having my first give away.  

My family on my mom's side is German and my grandma passed on many  great recipes which are ALL very high in calories but oh so yummy!  All of my aunts and uncles are good cooks and bakers.  We love dessert as much or more than the main meal.  I've always said...."forget dinner~~what's for dessert?"   We've published two cookbooks of family recipes from my grandma, my aunts and uncles and all the cousins.  I have TWO of the second edition to give away.  The drawing will end on my birthday, December 2nd at 11:59pm.  I will draw a winner the next day.  Leave me a comment for one entry and post my giveaway on your blog for another entry.  Good Luck...you will not be disappointed!  

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday to my brother, Tim and my father-in-law Ray both of whom I love so very much! Ray celebrates 89 years on this earth and Tim celebrates 44 years. Dwight and I along with Bella had dinner last night with Ray and Arlene(MIL) to celebrate since I have a softball game tonight. I talked to my brother this morning and his girls~Angela, Brie and Cassidy are so excited and thought that he should NOT have to go to work on his birthday. You can see more of the triplets here.

It's a HOT Day!

I've finally caught up with my sleep and am feeling good.  Thanks for all your kind thoughts and encouragement.  Saturday I missed seeing this sweet little one.... because this is what I ran into and they closed the freeway just ahead of me.  Yes, one of the California fires.
So today, I enjoyed this little one who was Emily Elizabeth for Halloween and....
her brother who was Clifford.  Isn't he the cutest???
I'm jealous of all of you with the weather turning like this...
We are still experiencing 90 degree days.  I know I should not complain but after experiencing the fall weather in Chicago a month ago.  I want winter to come.  I had to change out of my jeans today at noon and put on my shorts because I was HOT!

Thank you to Kim at Nothing Can Separate Me for the creative blogger award.  I feel like I'm running out of interesting things to blog about and then I click back into reality and this is really just my journal of my last 6 months to my fabulous 50th birthday!  So it is...what it is and I thank those of you who stop by regularly and have become bloggy friends.  It's so special to get a response and I love reading all your blogs about your lives, your crazy thoughts and feelings and whatever pops into your head.  I am supposed to make of list of 10 things that make me happy so here they are!

1.  My family-Hubby, daughter, son#1 and son#2...my life is so much better because of you!

2.  My grandchildren-Bella, Dylan and Mason..such joy you bring to my life!  I love the smiles!

3.  A call from my mother telling me she's okay and she loves me.

4.  My mother coming for Christmas!

5.  A lazy day sipping hot coffee or tea and snuggling in a soft blanket.

6.  Sitting on the beach watching the waves and the people.

7.  Coming home to a clean house.

8.  Cookies baking in the oven.

9.  A great photo that I took that just pops off the page!

10.  Good friends to spend time with.

Now I pass this on to.....Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee, Heidi at the Zawisza Tribune and Denise at The "Cent"sible Sawyer.  I hope you enjoy these blogs as much as I do!

Connie

Grandma again???? What??? No Way!!!

So my youngest son comes home this weekend and says...."Mom, you're going to be a grandma again!"  I look at him and say "OH No!!  I BETTER NOT BE!!!"  He gives me this big grin and his girlfriend says, "WHAAAAT DID YOU SAY???" He laughs and says.... to a new puppy!  Kayla's mom bought her a puppy!  Let me tell ya...this is not the smartest decision because Kayla is in college and lives in the dorm.  She thinks she is gonna keep him a couple nights and then Dustin will keep him the other nights and then they will bring little Milo home to grandma and grandpa every now and then.  Oh yeah, and on top of that....I'm not a dog person but this little one melted my heart right away.  Here's a picture of my newest so called grandbaby and his parents.  He is pretty darn cute!

Tired today!

I am so tired today...guess that's what happens when you are so close to 50 and you stay up all night.  Since last Thursday night when we stayed up all night waiting for the new grandbaby...I have been so out of sync and tired at night and even in the morning.  I have phone calls to make and I'm just not into it. I just want to go back to bed.  I've been laying on the couch since I got up and I can't move.  I have got to get something done today because I have Bella and Dylan tomorrow and I get nothing done anymore with them here.  I am not complaining..it's reality for those moms and grandmas with a 2 year old and a 7 month old in the house.  If only their naps would coincide.  Wishful thinking!  I'm really in a funk too with blogging...being so busy and not much exciting happening in my life besides a new baby of course.  I am looking forward to Thanksgiving at my house, Women's Christmas dinner at the church and then my birthday weekend.  With Christmas right around the corner...it all makes me tired!  I am going back to the couch to think about making those calls.  I've got to get them done today.  See you all later!  

Eyes Open!!

We are enamored with this little one and he had his eyes open the night of his birth for us all to see him.  He is precious and breaking mom and dad in pretty well with some crying and no sleeping yesterday.  Today has been better and he should be home by now.  I got to hold him while he slept yesterday for two hours.  I'm not complaining!  :)  I will be with them the next two days helping out where needed like my mom did for me.  I'm looking forward to getting to know my newest grandson.  God is good!  Life is good!  I am Blessed!

Baby Mason has arrived!

What joy today brought at 4:03am when baby Mason entered the world in God's hands as the umbilical cord was wrapped around his little neck. His dad said all the sudden he gasped for air and let out a cry. He's a tough little guy already! He came into this world weighing 8lbs. 14oz. and is 20 inches long. We spent a long night at the hospital with my daughter's in-laws. This is their first grandchild and they couldn't contain themselves. It's was so neat to see and they are the neatest people. I love them to death. We finally got to see our daughter, son-in-law and new grandson at about 6:30am this morning. He is precious. He looks alot like his dad right now. He has lots of dark hair and is doing great. Mom had a scare with her health too and is doing well. We are so thankful to God for this little life and for this new family. I've only had an hour and a half sleep and I'm doing pretty well. We are off to visit that new little one again and of course his parents!

God Bless America!

I got up early and voted.  I was expecting a long line but found a short one and was done in about 15 minutes.  It was sprinkling this morning but not enough to keep most of us away.  Hopefully more voters will get to the polls before 8pm.  My son, Dustin voted for the first time and he was excited to get to vote.  I hope you all voted!  God is in control and He knows the outcome of the election already.  Whoever becomes President....remember God is still here and is in control.  Keep praying!

Connie

This and That

DON'T FORGET TO TURN YOUR CLOCKS BACK!!!

I stole my title from Kat at JustaBeachKat....thanks Kat!  Visit her blog for some great cartoon fun and see what life on the Georgia coast is all about.  She is one busy and sweet lady. 

Another beautiful blog is Warm Pie, Happy Home that I happened on recently.  She will inspire, encourage and wow you with great recipes and advice for living.  Check her out too! 

It's baby Mason's due date and he's not here yet.  We are waiting anxiously!  It was a lazy day with Bella and Dylan while the guys-hubby, Dallas and Dustin(he came home to visit!!) changed the oil etc. in the quads to get them ready to ride.  We haven't ridden them since New Years.  We can now afford to fill up the motorhome again so we will probably be out riding soon.  I paid $2.99 for gas this week and saw it down to $2.69 at the ARCO yesterday.  Yippee!  Isn't it sad...we are excited about $2.69 a gallon but it's a heck of alot better than $4.59 I paid once.  

We had chicken tacos and ice cream sundaes tonight with the boys and Selena and Bella and Dylan.  So nice to have them for dinner and a game of Wii.  Yes, we had a game of tennis and bowling before they all went their way!  It was a nice sunny fall day.  I hope you all remember to turn your clocks back tonight.  I'm going to do it now so I don't forget!