YES IT IS!!! Last night about 8 o'clock as I looked at the pile of cooking pans and stones on my counter and sink, I blinked my eyes and pooof!!! it was all cleaned up. I also won the Florida lottery last night.
It was really such a nice holiday season of giving, visiting and sharing with family and friends which truly is what it is all about. As I stressed through getting my gifts all together and wrapped (close to the last minute), doing the baking and cooking for the social events, it occurred to me that all that stress culminates in the brightness of the grandkids eyes as their parents shuffle them through all the celebrations and hubbub of the season. It is so worth seeing how they are so excited over the gifts they open. I guess it is all worth it in the end. Austin told me he thought he had won the lottery because he got everything he wanted ..a TV for his room and a game that I got him that has little monster bodies that you stick on and they turn into action figures...space raiders is what I think it is called.
I was teary eyed as I opened my gifts from my children. My daughter and her husband refinished an old wrought iron sewing stand that goes with a treadle machine. It was given to me by one of Bill's cousins. It was rusted and not very pretty. They had it sand blasted and then "black powdered". I don't know exactly what that is, but the finish is very pretty and it treadles as smooth as butter.
My son and his wife gave me a beautiful elegant quilt that Lisa had made. I had admired the top and even started searching for similar fabrics to buy to make me one. She made the top a couple of years ago but just had not finished it. She had it quilted and added the binding as a present for me. The name of the quilt is Elegance and it is surely fitting because it is so very elegant and beautiful. Pictures will be up as soon as I can get someone to hold it up. Bill got me a Kindle since I can hardly ever wrench the one we have out of his hands to read on it. I had a super day but the gifts don't mean anything compared to the joy of having my kids and grand kids close enough that I can see them all the time and through the holidays. I know I am truly blessed. Until we meet again.....
All in all, it was a tiring day but just so worth it to visit family and friends. We never know what next year will bring so I am very thankful for the people God has put in my life. Here is to a wonderful New Year for all. Until we meet again...............
Monday, December 26, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Celebrations with friends.
Well, the last two days have been filled with celebrations with friends...old friends and even older friends, not in age so much but just in years of sharing with each other. Sometimes it is quite shameful that we do not see each other more often. However, no matter how long between our visits, two blinks of the eyes and it is like we have never been separated.
Rebecca, Alice's daughter hosted our probably 45th annual Christmas celebration. Ruth Ann, Me (in case you don't recognize me with my Santa shirt in the picture), Ruthie (Ruth Ann's mom and matriarch to all of us) and Alice have been the best of friends since I was 16. I just cannot understand why Ruth Ann and Alice''s hair is not that beautiful "almost blonde" (some have the audacity to refer to it as gray) hair like Ruthie and me. About 1966 is when I came into the picture with this unruly group. I think Alice and Ruth have been friends since grade school. Of course, Ruthie has always been there to guide, advise and love us through this hard thing called life. My kids and Grand-kids have always thought of her as "Grandma Ruthie". And she is just that.. a wonderful matriarchal figure for all of us whom we love and respect. I love them all more than I can say and don't see any of them as much as I should. Our children have grown up friends and hopefully will continue to be good friends until we are all in wheelchairs.
We have survived thick and thin and will continue to do so. We have been together in our marriages, births of our babies, deaths in our families and so much joy with each other for far too many years to remember. I know when these ladies are in my presence, that I will be joyful and thankful for them always for their love and friendship. Life has treated us all good and sometimes not so good in one way or the other because of illnesses and deaths. We are all strong and together, we put our faith in God and have always survived those tough times and will continue to do so with our love strengthening each other. Through these wonderful times and the hard times, life has also tied an invisible thread through our hearts looping them together and it is a string that we know will never be broken. The love we share would be hard to duplicate.
It is almost beyond words what I feel for these women, these friends of 45+ years. I truly wish for more time with each of them in the coming year and another 45+ years of celebrations of life's joys and holidays with them.
Today was another celebration with friends. These too are long time friends. My friend Opal and I took our friend Jean to lunch for her 65th birthday. Jean's friend, Giana, her daughter, Stacy and granddaughter, Courtney joined us to celebrate. Jean and Opal are much like my other friends. They make me laugh and we have been through happy times and some sad times in the past 30+ years. They both are sweet beyond any expectations of a friend. They have listened to me, laughed with me and cried with me in the last 30 years. I've know Stacy and Courtney almost all their life and Giana for probably 15 years.
It seems God has blessed me so graciously with friends, longtime friends and many newer friends like my quilting friends. I feel so lucky to have family and friends so close to me sharing my life. My wish for all my friends is to always have relationships with other women that mean something and to have friends that not only love them but support them but make them laugh when life throws us curves.
Here is Jean with her big Mexican hat and waiter trying to light the candle. Also, here is Opal giving Jean something we all need...a little helping hand from our friends. :) Until we meet again...........
Rebecca, Alice's daughter hosted our probably 45th annual Christmas celebration. Ruth Ann, Me (in case you don't recognize me with my Santa shirt in the picture), Ruthie (Ruth Ann's mom and matriarch to all of us) and Alice have been the best of friends since I was 16. I just cannot understand why Ruth Ann and Alice''s hair is not that beautiful "almost blonde" (some have the audacity to refer to it as gray) hair like Ruthie and me. About 1966 is when I came into the picture with this unruly group. I think Alice and Ruth have been friends since grade school. Of course, Ruthie has always been there to guide, advise and love us through this hard thing called life. My kids and Grand-kids have always thought of her as "Grandma Ruthie". And she is just that.. a wonderful matriarchal figure for all of us whom we love and respect. I love them all more than I can say and don't see any of them as much as I should. Our children have grown up friends and hopefully will continue to be good friends until we are all in wheelchairs.
We have survived thick and thin and will continue to do so. We have been together in our marriages, births of our babies, deaths in our families and so much joy with each other for far too many years to remember. I know when these ladies are in my presence, that I will be joyful and thankful for them always for their love and friendship. Life has treated us all good and sometimes not so good in one way or the other because of illnesses and deaths. We are all strong and together, we put our faith in God and have always survived those tough times and will continue to do so with our love strengthening each other. Through these wonderful times and the hard times, life has also tied an invisible thread through our hearts looping them together and it is a string that we know will never be broken. The love we share would be hard to duplicate.
Today was another celebration with friends. These too are long time friends. My friend Opal and I took our friend Jean to lunch for her 65th birthday. Jean's friend, Giana, her daughter, Stacy and granddaughter, Courtney joined us to celebrate. Jean and Opal are much like my other friends. They make me laugh and we have been through happy times and some sad times in the past 30+ years. They both are sweet beyond any expectations of a friend. They have listened to me, laughed with me and cried with me in the last 30 years. I've know Stacy and Courtney almost all their life and Giana for probably 15 years.
It seems God has blessed me so graciously with friends, longtime friends and many newer friends like my quilting friends. I feel so lucky to have family and friends so close to me sharing my life. My wish for all my friends is to always have relationships with other women that mean something and to have friends that not only love them but support them but make them laugh when life throws us curves.
Here is Jean with her big Mexican hat and waiter trying to light the candle. Also, here is Opal giving Jean something we all need...a little helping hand from our friends. :) Until we meet again...........
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