Hello My Dear Friends! Merry Christmas!!

Oh my gosh, it's been so long since I've written, I'd almost forgotten how to get on, write and post to my blog!

I have been so busy - I visited with family all over the country through October, and then began a series of oral surgeries.  Why do we women always think, 'ah, not a big deal, I'll be up and around in a couple of days!'  Really a good question - it's because WE ARE WOMEN!!  When did we take time being sick, or lazy or down when our children, or even our grandchildren were really little - we didn't - unless we were half dead!  Which may be the reason things hit us so hard now.  But, I digress.  The last surgery I had was a 3 hour bone graft 10 days ago.  Doc explained, 'going to be taking bone from the back of your jaw and screwing it in here (showing me on ex-rays, like that's really English to me!)  If we need to - we'll take some from the chin area - ack!  Wait a minute, CHIN AREA???  Like - isn't that going to leave a bruise?  'Donna, you're going to have quite a bruise anyway, this is major surgery.'  Hangs head - me, that is.  Well, at least it was scheduled after all of my business meetings.  My sweetie is still taking really good care of me.  Tonight - Christmas night, I ate my first full meal - last one for a while because I'm in a lot of pain now, but it was yummy, and I did get to help cook most of it.  We were able to laugh a bit throughout this entire process, no talking really because at first I sounded like Scooby Dooby Doo, then like Sylvester the Cat (still do when my mouth starts to hurt because my tongue swells badly.)  But we go on - life is good, it's wonderful, today is the day our Lord and Savior was born to save us all!

Our garden still has it's lovely visitors - even though we have had many nights at 25 degrees.  Because we are so close to the coast, we still get many, many hummingbirds.  They must know how much we love them, as we are still feeding them at the rate of - - - drum roll please - - - one half gallon of sugar water A DAY!!  We have two feeders up, about 10' apart or so, and they love our home we have for them!

It's really something to see so many birds feed in our yard, and then our neighbors for a block in all directions my get a stray bird once in a while.  The only thing I can think it could be is water.  They will not feed on tap water.  Ours is reverse osmosis and they'll drink regular water if it is boiled, but most people won't take the time to do that for them.  It's so worth it for us!

We have about 2 months when we have no birds at all, and take the feeders down - usually January or so, then one will go up for a month around March, then the other goes up shortly after that.  At first, we will get One male who will try to lay claim to the feeder - but when all come

home, and hundreds are here, there is no room for bossy boys here!  They say they come back to the same feeding area each year, and I must say, each year, we have had more and more birds.  Feeding one half gallon of sugar water a day is feeding a lot of birds - and they are a joy to watch.  These are the two feeders we have.  The blurs are 'birds in flight!'

Have you all been keeping your crafts up?  It's so much fun to create something with our hands!  I've been making tons of journals.  I love making them for gifts.  I can't seem to find my folder that has all the photos, so here's the latest one I made.  I made it for one of the ladies in our Daughters of the American Revolution chapter as a Christmas gift.  I loved having a tree, symbolizing the 'family tree' aspect of the group!

Then, as always, I have a crochet project in the works.  My friend told me of this pattern, though she never knew the name.  She said, 'all you do is double crochet 10, chain 10, until you have the length you want, then I'll show you how to twirl and tie it up.'  You know me, I'm always game for something new, so I double crochet, chained 10 to what I felt was a comfortable width, and length - it looked like this -

Then twist the chain 10, pull through the next chain 10 and repeat until all are finished.

It's actually very pretty and looks as if it's braided strands and not twisted and brought through. 

When all are twisted and brought through, I went around the entire afghan twice in a very nice half double crochet, placing 3 stitches in each corner to have it lay straight.  The color scheme I used was a variegated with dark brown, medium brown, orange, tan, and beige - 6 colors total.  The pattern was 5 rows of each 6 colors, 3 rows, 1 row to the variegated and then 1 row back, 3 back 5 back. 

The colors came out beautiful!  The size was a bit smaller than I first thought it would be, but never making it and not having much to go on, it's great.  My next one will be twice the size, as this is just for one.  But, it was given today to my newest granddaughter - my grandson was recently married and they are expecting their little wee one on March.  This will keep her nice and toasty.  The fringe was a new one for me, a triple knot.  I really like it, for fringe.  Only on one end.  I prefer no fringe because it always tickles or makes me think something is crawling on my neck when I'm sleeping.  But, it was a gift, so I fancied it up.  I read a pattern on Pinterest some time back and they had a variation of this as a ripple and called it Jacob's Ladder.

Also done a bit of sewing.  My little Wee One, Leila, asked for a Yoshi blanket for her gift.  So how does one make a Yoshi - well, first buy the material, then take it all to Colorado to my daughter there and ask her to help!  My son married an Angel and she sews like a professional, so she helped me.  Son made the Yoshi pattern, I cut, daughter did sewing - a family affair!

She loves it Auntie Kim!!  Thanks Uncle Jeff for helping, too!  And yes, each piece is sewn on separately!  It was a lot of pieces, a lot of work, I can't thank Kim enough as she has this beautiful, professional sewing machine that really hit the mark! 

These are my kids who do costuming professionally.  She does the sewing of costumes of fabrics and leathers,




he does all of the props or items fabricated in different metals or plastics.  They are an amazing team together!

And, so with that my good blogging buddies, as Yoshi to the right is ready to say good bye for now - I promise it won't be another 4 months before I stop back by.  I do get by to see many of your blogs, but have just not had time, as you read to leave messages.


May God bless each and every one of you, keep you safe, loved and forever thankful we live in the greatest country in the world. 

For those who have soldiers away from home, God bless you and them.  Thank them and thank you for your service to our country.  Without them standing on the front lines, keeping our liberty and freedom, and you all keeping the home fires burning, we would not live in the greatest country any longer.  God bless you all.

May you all have a wonderful, healthy, and Happy New Year!  May it be all you want it to be, bring you the happiness you deserve, the prosperity you work for and the health our Lord bestows on you.  This new year I look forward to better health, a brand new Great Granddaughter (Grandson and new Granddaughter will be having her in March) and a wonderful new year.

Blessings and hugs,
Donna

While The Kids Were Away ~ ~ ~

OK, OK ~ This isn't what you thought by the title, but I couldn't help it!  It just fit!!!

So, I've shown you "How I Spent My Summer Vacation"  parts 1 & 2, and I had a really great time, most of the time - Didn't really like chasing dogs half asleep (me - not the dogs!)  because that was the best form of exercise, or for a good time first thing in the morning (because it wasn't!)  However, I loved taking care of the wee ones and cooking!

When Mom and Dad got home from their vacation, oh - did I mention they spent one week in Spain and one week in Italy?  Well, they did, and the photos they sent back were spectacular! The countryside in both countries was beautiful, the museums, the Cathedrals!  Magnificent!! Stunning photos, and even a few of them thrown in - and they are a handsome couple!  They were smart and took private tours and said it was worth every penny!  Best way to see a country, or even states, we're not familiar with!

Grandpa, for all his efforts - taking me shopping before I went, helping me pack, taking care of the house and garden in my absence, and missing me a lot (I missed him, too!) received these beautiful Italian Gloves!

And, The Glove Fits!!  Beautiful brown leather gloves, purchased in Italy!!

Sure will keep him warm in the cold weather of winter!

And, very nice for driving, too!

They took private tours of both the Sistine Chapel and saw the works of Michelangelo! Something I can only imagine and take that tour online!  They said it was MAGNIFICENT!!!  And, by taking the private tour, they saw things you wouldn't normally see - so if anyone is planning a trip to Italy, and you want to see it, they highly recommend paying the extra dollars for this tour.

When they spent time in the Vatican, they stopped in the Vatican Gift Shop and purchased my new Rosary and this beautiful box with the carving of the Virgin Mother and Baby Jesus.  I've had many Rosary's - I was given my Baba's 2, one that he prayed daily with, and a very large wooden one given to him by a Priest, and others that belonged to family elders.  But the only one I ever was given to me as mine personally was a plastic one given to me when I made my 1st Holy Communion and this one.  This is absolutely beautiful.  Many don't understand this as a beautiful object, Catholics not only see the beauty of it, but know the significance of it.  The box, when opened plays a tune I am unfamiliar with, I will ask a dear friend what it is.

I will keep these by my bedside always and thank my lovely daughter in law and son.  Thank you both so much, both mean a great deal to me!

That's it for this evening.

Blessings everyone!
Donna

In The Kitchen With Wee One

Grandma's and granddaughters in the kitchen ~ is there anything better to hand down in a family but home made love from the kitchen?  I loved being with my Granny, and I love when my girls want to help!

While mom and dad are vacationing in Europe, we are with the children.  The two older children actually went off to camp this week, so Wee One and I have had a blast 'just hanging out' and having a great old time!

You all know one of my favorite things to do is creating in the kitchen, and I've shown you bits and pieces of our garden.  One of the kids, big and little kids, favorites is Grandma's special recipe of Zucchini Bread.  Here's the first bread sized zucchini from our garden!

This guy came in at 4 pounds 9.75 ounces!  And it made a total of 6 loaves of bread, 12 cups total of shredded zucchini!  And, this little gal helped with the entire process ~

Cleaning this guy up ~

Shredding ~

Stirring ~

Measuring the dry ingredients (yea, we got a little goofy!)

OK - we added the zucchini and dry ingredients - then got serious - "hey, Grandma, doesn't this look like zucchini puke?"  Yea, maybe we got a little goofier!

We stirred, stirred, stirred, never even complained once, not even spilling a drop on the floor, t-shirt, a girl after my own heart!

Then she looked at me very serious and said, "remember what the special ingredient is?"  'Yes, I do ~ do you?'  "Yep, stir in my love with my finger!"

I've always told the kids is my secret ingredient is love, by sticking my finger in and giving the recipe a good stir!   


6 yummy loaves of bread, with lots of love in them, and a great time in the kitchen!  Being a grandma is one of the most precious things God blessed me with ~ 5 wonderful grandchildren!

Blessings to all,
Donna

* * * * * * * Happy 4th of July * * * * * *

I hope everyone enjoyed our lovely 4th of July!  What an honor we have in our country, I think the greatest country in the world, to freely celebrate our National Independence!

Our Nation is so very blessed!  We wake up every day, go to the job of our choice, make as much money as we want to work hard to acquire, provide for our families in the manner in which we would like.  We are schooled for free until we graduate from High School, able to attend a number of different trade schools, colleges or universities - that in and of itself is tremendous!  How many people came, and are still coming, some at great cost both monetarily and physically, just for that right alone?

Let's face it, almost every one of us has an immigrant background!  But at the end of the day, whether we have become Naturalized or born here, WE ARE AMERICANS!

It's up to all of us, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, all of us, to teach our little ones exactly what this means.  We have freedom and liberty today because of the brave men signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that they would loose every thing they owned, every one they loved, their very lives!

Every single man who sign this document, that some would crumble up and throw away, died horrible deaths, lost their love ones, wives, children - every thing they worked for FOR US! What greater sacrifice could another man give to his countrymen?  I think there is no greater gift.

We have so many rights, so many liberties, so many freedoms, I pray we are honorable enough, strong enough, wise enough to keep them!  Do you realize, or do your children or grandchildren know, that people in other countries are imprisoned or punished by death for worshiping Jesus Christ?  For believing there is only one living God?  Some for believing in any god, some for not believing in a god not of their choice?   Do you have to believe in our country? No - that too is your right!

Just as the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, as General George Washington and our country men and women believed in, fought for, died for, I for one am grateful each and every day for those who have fought, died and won our battles to keep us free!

For those who are still in our Military Services, "Thank you for your service to our country.  My family and I appreciate you, we thank you for standing on the front lines protecting our freedom, our very way of life."  To those families who have someone in the Branches - "Thank you for your service to our country.  While not on the front lines, you are the one supporting your service person, keeping the home fires burning, raising the children of soldiers.  You and your family make the sacrifice every day for all of us.  And please know, my family and I thank you and appreciate you and your sacrifices."

So - while we are shooting off fireworks, sparklers - gosh that reminds me of when I was three years old - honestly!!  Please remember after the BBQ's, time on the beaches, or in the stadiums watching big shows, our country is very fragile right now.  We all need to work hard to keep our flag raised, to make sure our freedoms and liberties are not stolen from us one bit at a time, be proud of our country, work hard to keep it free, work with one another.

Blessings,
Donna

A Brand New Book by Cindy Adkins!

Author, writer, artist, and blogger Cindy Adkins has just finished and released another book that is sure to be another in a long list of best selling books she has written.  Most of us know her as a wonderful friend!  I've had the honor of reading her latest book "Spirituality: Making God Personal - Finding Joy."  Out less than a week, and already a bestseller!

Now, lots of people will just pass this by and say, well I don't have one of those fancy Kindle Books or any of the other hand held, new fangled computer books - guess what?? Neither do I!! You can read E-Books on your computer! Very cool, because these hand held things just keep getting smaller and at a time when I really need the print to be larger, it's nice to know Amazon has made them available to everyone, whether we're are on the go and on a bus, train or in the subway, or at home with our computers! We're covered!

But, back to the book - my favorite reading material is Spiritual writing.  I've read lots and lots of books.  There are all kinds of books on Spirituality, what it means, how to find it, where to look, and what to read.  Cindy goes right to the source, the bible, specifically the Book of Psalms. 

In this book, Cindy is explaining how we can reach out in faith and prayer to experience the joy that is promised to each and every one of us.  The perfect time for this book to be released.  Easter and Passover both take place at the same time this year - so yes,  perfect timing!  But - of course it is, because Cindy is the instrument, our precious and gracious God is the Author of this book.  Cindy allowed herself to be enveloped in His love and direction and wrote this for us, for other people to meet our Lord, to rekindle our love for him, to strengthen that relationship we let slip away!

There is one statement in a book that will make me slam it closed and not read another word - and that is when I read "God made this bad happen because we - - -!"   As I read through this the first time, on page 22, I read, "God does not make bad things happen."...  (You'll just have to get the book and read on!)  But, this is so right on!  Have you heard people ask, "Why did God do this to me?"  He didn't, not at all!  Do you hurt your children on purpose out of love?  I know I never hurt my children or grandchildren out of love!  They may get hurt, but I did not cause the bad thing to happen on purpose!  Well neither does our Almighty Father!!!  He's waiting for each one of us to come to Him.  Cindy talks about this in her book, too.

As I mentioned, I do not believe it is an accident Cindy wrote this book at this special time of the year.  Easter and Passover both happening at the same time!  Do you know anyone that could use this, someone who may be struggling, searching?  Maybe a teenager who is just stuck right now with the struggles teens go through?  Are you reaching out?  Mother's Day is coming up, Graduations, and Father's Day.  Many opportunities to treat ourselves or others to a marvelous beginning! 

This is a quick read, it's geared to guide you on that first step, to help you connect or reconnect with God.  To reach up, reach out to our Loving and Gracious Father. 

You may read more about this book on Cindy's blog or at Amazon . I've read through the book three times now.  I've read all of her books, and have loved all of them - this one is a favorite!

Cindy, "Thank You" for your hard work and dedication to God, to all of us as we reach up ~
Blessings
Donna