A CHILD OF GOD

Well, I thought I didn't have any pictures of a MESS, but then I remembered this one!
It's K's first birthday!

We've had some HOT weather here with no real signs of relief! If it just wasn't so humid to boot, it would be so much easier to endure.

We had our sweet grand daughter spend the night with us Saturday night for the first time since they moved out. It was intended to give her Mom and Dad a date night but they were both so sick with colds or allergies that they ended up staying home and going to bed early ~ which may have been a good thing.

Kelsey is growing and changing so quickly! She's already 7.5 months old. We have a walker here for her and she loves being in it. She chases our dog all around the first floor giggling the whole time. It's a real sight.

I hope you don't get tired of looking at her, but I just have to share another picture of her.

She really is the Sunshine of My Life. Every time I rock her, I sing that old song You Are My Sunshine! What's funny about that is that I did NOT know her parents had gotten her a little bunny that sings that song!!

That's it for today! Blessings to each one of you!!!!

Yesterday I got a letter, yes snail mail, from my Aunt who lives in New York saying that she hadn't seen any recent posts on my blog so I guess I'd better do some posting so she can keep up with us. I also got an email from one of my friends saying she missed reading my blog...although I don't know why.

Last month my GREAT niece got married and they had a lovely outdoor wedding. I took lots of pics, but the sun was really bright that day, so they weren't the best. But, you know this PROUD grammy, I just have to post this shot of Kelsey which I took at that wedding!

She looks like this most of the time. She really is a happy baby. Her mom was the same way! She just on the verge of crawling, but to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if she walked first! Of course, I happen to think she's the brightest 7 month old there is.

Just to brag on myself a little...I got an email from an online group asking if they could use one of my photos (that's on Flickr) in an article they had prepared on the Ford Motor Company. Well, I nearly fell over!!! Most of my shots are of flowers, so this was really a shocker! What makes it even stranger is that it was Hubby's idea, and I took it at an antique car, truck and tractor show last weekend. It's the emblem on the front of an old Ford tractor.



Oh yea, one more thing...I'm going to be featured as the Artist of the Week in one of the groups on Flickr. I don't think it's because I'm that good, I think it's because the person that asked me is a contact of mine and lives in a nearby city. Oh well, it's fun! If you'd like to come over and see some of my shots, you'll find me listed as childofGOD. Here's another shot I'll share.

Blessings to each one of you!!

Saturday Granpa decided it would be fun to take Kelsey to the pet store. We had taken our step granddaughter several months ago and she really enjoyed it. Kelsey is a bit younger, but she was full of smiles!!!

Being a grandparent is like nothing else in the world!!!! You can't begin to describe it to anyone and only another grandparent can understand. Rachel has a baby handbook and I was reading the section about grandparents. It says: "Having a grandchild is one of the great joys of life, and the child who has grandparents to dote on him is blessed indeed." I'm not sure she feels blessed but I know we are!!! And if doting is that good, we won!

Her eyes are wide as she takes in her surroundings!!! It's as if she wants to see it all right now. She has, what I consider, amazing ability to concentrate and she's not even six months old. She will hold anything you give her and seemingly study it for a long time, turning it around and looking intently at it.

We are looking in on our friends' cats while they are away and yesterday we took Kelsey with us. When she saw JJ (the friendly one), she broke out in a huge grin and giggled almost the entire time we were there. She reacts the same with our dog, Naomi.

For me, being a grandparent is the reward for having children.

Good morning everyone. I have so many things to be thankful for that I hardly know where to begin.

I'm thankful for everything that God has provided and all the gifts he has given me. I'm especially excited about my new hobby of photography.

I'm thankful that I don't have to work out of the home.

I'm thankful that I had an empty nest for about a month (see post below) but I'm also happy that our youngest is back home. She may not be in the house all the time, but she's at home.

I'm thankful our oldest and her husband have found a place to rent and all their "stuff" is gone. Although I miss our dear, sweet grand-daughter being here, I'm able to take care of her several days a week. She just keeps getting cuter!!!

I'm thankful for my sister-in-the-Lord (also my sister-in-law) that brings so much joy to my life.

I'm thankful for all my blogging friends and "sisters" who responded to my post yesterday saying they had missed me.

I'm thankful for the beautiful weather we've had this week~almost like Fall. The morning's a cool and the days are NOT humid~which is a big problem for me.

If you'd like to share some things you are thankful for, please visit my friend, Iris. Blessings to each of you!!!

God is truly awesome! Sometimes He answers prayers right away and sometimes, we need to wait. Waiting is good.

Blessing #1: We heard from Colleen yesterday evening and she is fine. She doesn't have a job yet but is going to be looking for one today.

Blessing #2: A friend and I have been praying about a situation at her work and yesterday the Lord started moving!

Blessing #3: Rachel and Nick found a house to rent nearby and will be able to move in May 1.

Blessing #4: Rachel fixed us the most awesome dinner yesterday as a way of saying thank you.
The main course was something we had never had before~Asparagus Steak Oscar! Hubby and I are "plain" people and don't eat fancy meals as a rule, but this was DELICIOUS! We also had twice baked potatoes and a gorgeous salad. I took some pics just so you could see the results.

She also made Cream Puffs (from scratch, no less) for dessert! Yes, there are a couple missing because I was slow again taking the pics.

Blessing #5: Our granddaughter will be four months old on Sunday. She growing rapidly and is extremely curious of her surroundings. Her favorite thing is her jumper. She's very precious to us and we will miss having her around once they have moved. Here's a current picture.

Please remember to continue praying for the situation at Virginia Tech. Blessings to each of you.

Head on over to Five Minutes for Mom if you want to know more!
We both love the Lord and met in church the weekend I "got saved." Our first daughter was born just over a year later. She is now 22 and our youngest is 20. The oldest is married and she, her hubby, new baby (below) and our youngest are living with us until they get places of their own~hopefully SOON!

My neighbor and friend, Lazy Daisy, started me into blogging over a year ago and I love it. I also do counted cross-stitch, knitting and crocheting. I like to cook and bake but not as much as I did when I was younger.

If you read my blog at all,
you know by now, I just can't resist putting up pictures of our precious little girl. We are so proud of her. Yesterday at church 2 people said she looks likes a "Gerber baby." Of course we agree, but then we are prejudice!

She went to the Dr. last Friday and got FOUR shots ~ two in each leg! I'm glad I wasn't there. I cried the first time our girls got their shots. Yes, I'm an ole softy! The Dr. said she's doing real good. She's up to 12 lbs., 9 ozs. after weighing in a 7.14 at birth.

There she is drooling a little bit. She really just started doing that with lots more to come. Her mom took these two pictures of the two of us. You can ask the Daisy~I'm not usually in pictures. I'm the one taking them~so these are very special!

Something special for you. I can't remember where I got it, but I know where it came from, so for all you G.R.I.T.S, here ya go:

PAULA DEEN'S APPLE CAKE
Cake:
Butter, for greasing pan
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups peeled and finely chopped apples
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously grease a tube or bundt pan.

For the cake: In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, oil, orange juice, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract; and mix well. Fold apples, coconut, and pecans into batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours.

Shortly before the cake is done, make the sauce: Melt the butter in a large saucepan, stir in the sugar, buttermilk, and baking soda, and bring to a good rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Poke holes in the cake. Pour the sauce over the hot cake IN THE PAN as soon as you remove it from the oven. Let stand 1 hour, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

ENJOY and blessings to each and every one of you!!! Hope you can come back.

Most of you know, I recently became a grandmother but I prefer to be called a Grammy! For those of you who have yet to experience being a Grammy, you are in for a very special blessing. It's as if God opened your heart and filled it with all His love! No that's not possible, but my heart feels that way now that Kelsey is here. It's indescribable!

This morning, I ran across this poem and think it's very appropriate so I'll share it here.

And this one literally brought tears to my eyes:

Grandmothers

What ever on earth, can a grandma be for?
She's older than dirt, with one foot out the door.
And what can she know about living today'
When nothing is done in her old fashioned way.
Oh sure, she's sweet, and you love her a lot.
But in terms of real life, what's an ol' grandma got?

Well listen, my sweetie, you might be surprised
To find that your grandma's a youngster disguised.
She still has her dreams, and her values intact,
She's just a bit wiser, yes dear, that's a fact.
Experience has put a few lines on her face.
And that's how she knows, what its like in your place.

I know this idea may seem baffling and new.
But honey, your grandmas "Been There, Done That", too.
So when your young life isn't going as planned.
Talk to your grandma ~she'll sure understand.
She's got lots of love and good counsel to give.
And she'll be on your side for as long as you live...

~Author Unknown~

What a wonderful Christmas we had. Our Sunday School lesson on Christmas Eve was about passing the baton. John, our leader that day, compared our responsibility as parents to the sprinters in a relay race. The reason teams with the fastest sprinters fail to win is in the passing of the baton~they run into each other or they drop it. Our responsibility as Christian parents is to pass the baton smoothly to our children in order for them to grow in love for the Lord. It was a very good analysis.

Later Christmas eve, we had R's step-daughter here and we all opened our gifts. Ashlynn is only 11 months old and wasn't able to grasp how to open her gifts even though Daddy was right there ripping away. Next year! I think another reason for her lack of enthusiasm was the fact that she hadn't had a nap all day. Naomi even got in on the act! Then it was time to go home.

Christmas morning arrived with everyone sleeping in late~the advantage of no small children. Once everyone was ready, we made the short trip to Granny's house. As mentioned previously, Hubby has six brothers and sisters and all have children. Three adults did not make it this year due to prior obligations and they were missed. Granny decorates every room in her home and very seldom is it ever the same. We got to meet our great-nephew~Ben. Rachel's cousin had a baby boy just two weeks prior to Kelsey's arrival.





After a wonderful meal, almost entirely prepared by Granny, the children went to the basement to open all their gifts~chaos ensued. Since I've been involved in the enthusiasm for 23 years, I decided to stay upstairs. Once this excitement died down, it was time for the adult chaos to begin. We had our Chinese Gift Exchange and MOST seemed satisfied with their gifts, although some were quite disappointed~especially after they had lost the gift they had already "stolen." One gift was actually a regift from last year's Gift Exchange. I'm not sure how, but we ended up with it and it may just be there again next year! LOL

This is our new granddaughter ~ Kelsey Alaina! I told you she's beautiful! That's all I have time for today. She's coming home tomorrow~gotta get everything cleaned up. Have a Blessed Christmas everyone!!