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Saying Goodbye to my Beloved Father.....

 On December 14th, a day after my 65th birthday, I had to say goodbye to my beloved, wonderful Father.  After a battle with dementia, he is finally able to rest in peace.

I miss my weekly hour drive to visit him, and wish we could have kept him at our home for the duration of his illness....but I think he knew how much we loved him, and relished the visits he had with us and his grandchildren and great grandchildren.

A finer man hasn't been made.  My Dad was handsome, loving, loyal, kind and funny.  He served his country, married his high school sweetheart, raised a family of 4 children, worked hard every day of his life.  He was seldom idle.  He taught us to work hard for what we wanted, to be kind, to put family first and to be helpful to all who needed it.  Thinking back on his practical jokes, we still laugh at his quirky sense of humor and how this serious man could be oh so funny.

I will miss you every day of my life Dad......but I am so thankful to have had you as my Father.  

 

Summer musings

 Hello all!

Time keeps speeding along, and it is hard to believe that my last post was January 3rd.

I wish blogging was as much a part of things as it used to be.  We had so much fun back in the 'ole' days of blogging.  We shared stories, heart aches, recipes and crafty things. Now it seems nearly everyone jumps to FB or Instagram (or even perhaps some of the new social media outlets I know nothing about).  More and more those avenues leave me feeling disconnected, and so I rarely visit, except to sell my handmade goodies.

Life at our little piece of heaven is always busy.  Grandkiddos are getting big, garden is growing like crazy and the lawn NEVER stops growing.  We've been boating nearly every weekend, weather permitting, and enjoying that uninterrupted time with family.  Last weekend we went to an estate sale, and I finally got my much coveted Antique Stepback cupboard...I will snap a photo when I get it all filled and share at a later time.

In the meantime, I will just share some Summer-time photos....

Grant celebrating July 4th

Snoopy enjoying a leisurely afternoon on the boat

My reason for living....these wonderful grandkiddos.  This was taken on a hike we all went on.

Another snapshot of the 5 oldest at the Auburn Doubledays baseball game we take them to each year.

Hiking.  It took this same shot oh so many years ago of our two boys.

Pool fun

My morning glories have really outdone themselves this year.

The corn is getting high in the farmer's field next to us....Grant and Elena decided to have a little fun.

Well friends, I'm nursing a sore foot from an little accident I had, but still need to get some things done, so I am off and hobbling.  Hope you are all well....I will try to visit again soon, but in the meantime, I sure would love to hear from you!

"How great the goodness He has stored up for those who honor and obey him"

Psalm 31:19

A New Year!

Good morning friends!

It has certainly been a long time since I have checked in with you all.  I hope the New Year is finding you happy and healthy.  

I am sitting here in our office, creating a To-Do list for the coming months, and trying to refocus my creative energies.  I've got lots of new patterns I want to try; home improvement projects I want to accomplish; and new techniques I want to learn.  I think as a creative person, I need to constantly challenge myself with new ideas, and as a home owner, much to my hubby's dismay, I am always thinking of ways to improve our 1830 colonial home.  I am looking forward to tackling more of those projects this year.

I've also decided that a calorie counting and exercise routine is in order.  During the Spring, Summer and Fall, I don't usually have a problem, as I am constantly busy in the yard, and most days walk about 3 miles or more back and forth puttering in the yard and gardens.  Winter is a bad time, so I am determined that this Winter will not get the best of me!

Our grandchildren are growing by leaps and bounds....spending time with them makes me so happy!  Below is our annual Christmas photo on our stairs.

Peter turned 11 on Dec. 21; Allie turns 11 in March; Joey is 8; Elena is 7; Todd is 6 and Grant & Nicholas are 3.

What are your plans/resolutions for the New Year?  I've love to hear from you!

Wishing you all a blessed 2024!

September musings

 It seems the older I get, the faster time seems to go...do you feel that way too?  I recall when I have a kid, running around all Summer, the days were long and full of fun.  Now, I can't seem to find enough time to do all the things on my list.  But, alas, I do manage to plug along and at least get to the important things.  

This Summer has been more wet than dry.  Most of August was a washout, which was quite disappointing after spending nearly two weeks on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, enjoying the heat and sun.   The grass has simply not stopped growing all Summer long...we usually get a hot, dry spell, when it slows down and we don't have to mow every 5 days, but oh no, not this year, and for the first time in as long as I can remember, I am so tired of mowing and trimming!  The rain has been good for the garden, and it has been nice not to have to drag the hose around the water all the time....so pros and cons....I can't complain about the Summer.  We had a nice vacation, we got to take the kids and grandkids out on the boat many times, and we have all been safe, happy and healthy!

 I've been quilting and crafting away in between it all, and am excited to begin Fall and Winter goodies.  They are my favorite seasons to create for.  Here are a couple of the quilts I recently finished.

Since my last post in April, the Mister has had a pacemaker put in.  It was a stressful time with all the testing to figure out what his heart issues were all about, but since May, he has been feeling great.

July, as I mentioned, was our vacation month.  We took our two oldest grandsons with us to the Outer Banks, along with our oldest son and his family.  Oh, it was a wonderful trip and such fun to see the cousins enjoying spending all that time together.

 The Great Dismal Swamp park

Lighthouse, Wright Brothers and Aquarium

Roadside Oddities (special request from Peter)

Antiquing on the way and met Bert..lol

Peter & Joey being goofy in the car

 

Hubby and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary on August 13th.  The kids got together and arranged for us to have a weekend away.  They bought Yankees tickets, arranged for a hotel, etc.  That is this weekend, so here's hoping the weather is great and the Yankees win!

Boating on Labor Day

 

We've off to an open house at Ledyard Farms Morgan horse farm tonight.  They do this event annually, and show off their horses, do hay rides, and put on a huge shindig with all the food and drinks you can consume...it's a great time!  I will try to post pics soon.  We're off and running.  Please comment below and let me know how your Summer has been.  Miss you all!

Photo from last night before rain came through to put a damper on a beautiful evening.