January 30, 2019

Parents Of The Bride!




Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennett we are not!
But we are the parents of the bride, and we are simply thrilled!
Ten more days!!!

P.S. If you aren't familiar with the movie, find it and watch it!




January 25, 2019

Happy Birthday Mom!

What do you do when you are blessed with the sweetest, most amazing mother ever, and she will soon be celebrating her 82nd birthday? You take her out to a surprise birthday dinner at a favorite Italian restaurant of course! Last evening, my mom came over to pick out a new dress for Madison's wedding at the dress shop where Madison works and found the most perfectly beautiful dress! Afterward, we all joined my sister Margie and Chris for dinner. My mom had a delicious meal of Chicken Maria, salad and a piece of homemade coconut cream pie. It was a perfect night celebrating the most lovely woman I know.


January 23, 2019

Live In The Moment

Years ago, shortly before Madison was born, Steve and I purchased our very first camcorder. It was large and bulky and came in a big black bag. Every once in a while, we lugged it out and taped our sweet new baby playing or crawling or smiling. As the years passed, we added new members to our family, and we continued to use the camcorder to record the special and sometimes ordinary events of our lives.

Gradually, as the children grew and we realized how very quickly the years passed, we videotaped less and less. One Christmas morning, Steve told me he would rather not tape the children as they ran into the family room, saw their piles of gifts from Santa, and jumped with delight. He wanted to actually see it as it unfolded, not from behind the lens of a video camera. We both realized that although videotaped memories are wonderful to have, being present in the moment is so much more special and much more important to us.

You see, when a person experiences something from behind a camera or from behind a phone, he or she misses the beauty and magic of actually experiencing the moment and becomes instead a spectator, merely observing, removed by the presence of a piece of technology. One cannot help but be distracted and less able to participate in the moment. Time passes quickly and children grow before your eyes. The temptation to record and document every single moment is real, especially in this age of Instagram, Facebook, and other numerous social media outlets that constantly reward users for sharing pictures and videos of everyday lives.

If I could give advice to young mothers possibly reading this little blog, I would encourage them to live in those blessed, precious moments of childhood with their children. The moments that make our lives are the ones that are spontaneous and unedited. The best moments are the ones that just happen, without a camera in our child's face, creating a barrier between us. Enjoy the random giggles, the messy faces, the cozy snuggles. These moments are made just for you and your children. You can tuck them in your heart, and know they are safe there forever.

Please do not feel that because everyone else seems to be filming and posting and liking and sharing, you have to as well. You can choose to put the phone down and devote your time to being with your children. It really is ok! I promise! In fact, it is better than ok. The moments you share with your child are irreplaceable gifts. Once they are gone, you cannot get them back. Be there. Be with your children. Enjoy the moments. You will never regret it. Promise.

We have several little cassettes, all dated and numbered, in a box on the shelf in our storage area. Every now and again, we pull them out, put them in a converter, and play them in our old VCR. I know, soon we will have to convert them to DVD or Blu-ray or whatever comes next, but for now, we keep them as they are. It is nice to have those little moments documented. But it is even nicer to have the memories in our hearts.






























January 18, 2019

Random Photos. And It Might Snow. A Lot.

We are supposed to get buried in snow this weekend, but before that, here are a bunch of random pictures from the past week in our little world.


January 14, 2019

What We Are Watching

One way to beat the ~Christmas Is Over For Another Year~ blues is to snuggle in and enjoy all the new television shows that start in January. Here is a peek at what we are watching during these cold winter evenings. 

We love any Food Network Baking Competition, and this is one of our favorites. 
Mondays on Food Network

January 7, 2019

Keepin' It Real

Just last week I was thinking that I hope I never portray an erroneous image here on this little blog. This space serves as an online journal and scrapbook of sorts. In addition, I am hopeful that in some small way I am able to inspire or at least encourage anyone reading as well. One thing I hope I never do is to portray a life that is perfect. So in an effort to keep things real around here, I am posting some photos of the current state of my home. Because. Real life. 

I started putting my Christmas decorations away. 
And then I quit.

January 4, 2019

Well Hello There 2019!

I won't even begin this by lamenting that I cannot believe it is 2019, because none of us can, right? No amount of disbelief can slow down the rapid turning of those calendar pages. We can, however, enjoy every single moment. And that we did on New Year's Eve.


Mass first...
Then home to set the table for dinner on New Year's Day.