Fabulous Friday!!!

It's another beautiful autumn day! P has come over the day while her mother helps her other grandmother pack up and clean out her apartment because she's moving in with R & R and P for a while to save some money for a down payment on a home of her own. This was my son's idea; he's a good, helpful and supportive man. I pray that it will all work out well.

Last night we attended a Real Estate Function that was held at the new House of Blues in downtown Dallas. This annual function has been held at the Gaylord Texan for the last couple of years and has been rather dressy. Last night's attire was Downtown Blues Chic which was everything from dressy jeans and sparkly blouses with jeans jackets to evening dresses with sequins and men's jeans, cowboy boots and dress shirts to suits and everything in between. The function is to honor real estate men and women who are giving back to our community and raises money for community needs. The main entertainment was Aaron Neville and the Neville Brothers. It was fun and really loud! We had a great table... 2nd row, center because the company that my husband works for was a Platinum Sponsor. We had a table of 10 with 6 of young men who work for my husband along with wives of 2 of the men who are married. The other 4 men are still single. They're all such nice young men, well mannered, and well spoken. They were all so respectful towards my husband and me. It was strange being the oldest at the table and my husband being the leader representing the company with some of the younger talented employees. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were always the youngest couple at these sort of functions and sitting with the older, wiser and more experienced mentors of Jim's. Even though it was odd feeling, it showed me a different side of Jim and his career that I hadn't really focused on before... Time has marched on and Jim now the older, wiser and more experienced leader who is mentoring 18 young professionals in the world of commercial real estate. I am very proud of him and so happy to be married to such a wonderful man.

Our hard wood was delivered today so it can become acclimated to our home before it gets installed next week. Now I need to start looking at carpet for the staircase and the upstairs.

We're going to a conference tonight, tomorrow morning and Sunday morning at our church. The conference is entitled, "Gospel & Life Conference" and there'll be 2 guest speakers -- Dr. Mark Bailey, President of Dallas Theology Seminary and Dr. David Allen a Christian physiologist and author from the Bahamas. The theme is "Discipleship ~ Shrinking the Distance Between Me and the One I Follow." We're looking forward to attending.

Well, Miss P is waking up from her nap, so I need to go get her and enjoy some more playtime before her daddy comes to pick her up in about 2 hours.

God is great and greatly to be praised!!!

Thankful Thursday!

Our kids, R and R along with our Precious P moved into their new beautiful home this past weekend! The 5 1/2 months that they lived with us were joyous and challenging. We will miss seeing them everyday (though not the 2 big dogs so much).
Two wives / mothers living in the same home is certainly a challenge. The two husbands / fathers wasn't a big deal -- I guess because it was a natural father / son relationship and a really good father / son relationship with mutual respect to top it off. The wives / mothers relationship was a daughter-in-love / mother-in-law relationship that is still relatively new -- only 2 years old, so we had a lot of new stuff to deal with... mainly a mothering mother, that's me - Nona and a brand new mother - R who basically raised herself while her single mother worked 2 and 3 jobs in order to provide shelter, food and clothing. R's mother did the best she could with what she had and R loves her very much, but she has never known what it's like to have a mothering mother. This mother / Nona likes everything in its place and orderly while my daughter-in-love likes to pickup right before company comes. I want all dishes to be immediately placed into the dishwasher, not accumulating on the countertop or in the sink to be placed into the dishwasher when someone (?) gets around to it after they are pilled sky high. We eat dinner at the kitchen table most of the time and only occasionally eat in front of the TV while R & R mostly eat in front of the TV. My children were bathed at least every other day while R only bathes P once or twice a week. Six weeks of a runny nose would have never happened before seeing the pediatrician, but R only took P to the pediatrician 1 time that wasn't a scheduled checkup and that was for a cut finger that wouldn't stop bleeding that occurred while clipping P's fingernails.
All of the above mentioned items had to be discussed, respected and accepted. Time and space was encouraged and practiced because my God-fearing husband looked to our Heavenly Father for guidance and shared that guidance with us along with constant encouragement for peace and acceptance. Praise God, we made it through and even came through better than we started. We had wonderful family dinners (mostly at the table), numerous car trips running countless errands, inspiring Bible Study and prayer times. We shared tears, laughter and happiness. I pray that she has known me and will always know me as an encourager, a mentor, a loving mother and grandmother.
Thank you Lord for being our guide, getting us all safely and securely through this recent adventure!
Please bless R, R and P's new home with Your Holy Presence, Your Truth, Your Holy Spirit, Your Protection, Your Guidance, and the Peace and Security that only comes from You. AMEN!

Thankful Thursday!

She's a Big Girl now! P's Grand Celebration in honor of her first birthday was this past Sunday afternoon. 56 guests wished her a very Happy 1st Birthday. She was a gracious hostess, pleasant, happy and a bit sleepy for her 3 hour party. Thankfully her molars started coming in the next day with fever and fussiness.

Thank you Lord for...

1+ year with our precious P

Our kids' new home is just about complete
(they may be closing tomorrow)

Health & Strength

Family & Friends

Blessings beyond measure!

P was officially 1 year old yesterday!

It was a grand day! P woke up earlier than normal so her Dada & Papa were able to tell her "Happy Birthday" and love on her. She could care less, she just wanted her breakfast. The day will filled with errands... P & her mom with her other grandmother and me by myself (scurring around for a last minute care package to Russia). Dada came home early from work and so did Papa. Papa cooked P her very first full big people meal... Grilled Yummy Chicken, Baked Sweet Potatoes & Steamed Fresh Green Beans. After the Birthday Girl finished her dinner -- she had her first bite of cake. It was quite a surprise for her since she's never had any real sugar. At first she didn't really care for it, but she went back for more and found out that the cake part (without icing) was pretty good. After 15 minutes video taping & taking photos of cake comedy, Miss P opened a few little presents. She really got the hang of taking items out of the gift bags, but didn't want to put her new gifts away to open another gift. After her mother hid each new gift she would turn her attention to a new gift. I think she'll have the hang of it by Sunday for her big Grand Celebration. After gift time, Miss P went happily off to bed. It was a grand day!

Thank you Lord for Grand Days!!!

It's almost the "Big ONE" Birthday!

God is so good and He has blessed us with many, many blessings. One of our greatest blessings is family and enjoying family celebrations. Tomorrow we will have a quiet family dinner and birthday cake for P and then we'll have a great big celebration next Sunday with the whole extended family and very close friends.

Splendid Sunday!

Praise the Lord, sings my soul! It’s a beautiful day; we enjoyed worship service at church and another great day at home with family. As promised, I’ve posted a few more of my favorite photos of our precious P taken yesterday by P’s other grandmother. One day until “P’s Big ONE Birthday.”

Thank you Lord for blessing us with this Precious child one year ago. Father, please bless her with good health, with happiness, and may she come to know you and love you and accept you as her very own personal Savior at a very early age. May she serve you with great joy all her days. Amen and amen!

Super Saturday

Wow! What a day... we took 1st Birthday Photos of P today. Her other grandmother is a wonderful photographer and she has a professional camera, so we sat up several baby props and took photos of P in several different outfits in several different settings. Posted is one of my favorites of the ones I took with my little digital camera while P's other grandmother was taking the better photos. I'll post a few of the really good ones in a few days.

After photo time, P's daddy, our oldest son and I powerwashed the front door and front porch area then the back patio to get ready for P's 1st Birthday Party coming up in a week.

It has been a super Saturday!

Thankful Thursday!

Thank you Lord that...

Our kids, P's parents arrived home safe and sound last night from their vacation in Mexico. They had a wonderful time, but were so happy to be home and with P again. Her mother said, "Oh, my goodness! P's looks so different -- she looks older and more mature." P preceeded to show off standing up on her own, right in the middle of the room for her Mama & Dada. Of course, they were both amazed.

P had a great time with her other grandmother and came home healthy and happy.

Our other son, J was working from home yesterday so I was able to have a nice visit with him.

Jim has stayed in town all this week! It's so nice to have him here with us.

My whole family is healthy and happy. PTL!

Cooler temperatures... sitting out on our new back patio reading my Bible and Bible study.

For serving my Lord.

Having His grace and forgiveness every day because I mess up so often, but through Jesus there is always a 'do over' and 'try it again.'

Thank you Lord for so many blessings, more than I can ever count.

You are so amazing and awesome!

Where Did This Week Go?

Wow! This week is flying by with beautiful days and cooler temperatures. We took our P to church with us on Sunday morning because her parents are still in Mexico on vacation. P was happy to play with 3 little friends in Sunday school, but ready to come home for lunch and a long Sunday nap. Her other grandmother came to get her around 4pm and took her to stay with her for 3 days until P’s parents come back home.

Tuesday morning began our Women’s Ministry Tuesday Morning Bible Study. We had almost 100 women there to study, “Going Beyond Yourself” by Beth Moore. It’s a study on the Fruit of the Spirit. It’s been quite a while since I was in a Beth Moore study and I’m so excited to be taking part in this one.

Our kids will be home this evening. We’re looking forward to seeing them and I know they’ll be happy to be back home to P.

Well, I’m off to enjoy the beautiful day while the lawn men plant the remaining bushes and decorative grass.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday! God is good – all the time!

God is so Good!!!

Yeah! Thank you Lord for good health… my good health and my precious P’s good health. We both felt well enough to make the 1 hour trip to attend my niece’s Grandparents Day Luncheon. My niece was so happy and so cute – 2nd graders are just the best! The 4 hour excursion was well worth it. I forgot my camera at home after taking photos of P’s parents leaving early Friday morning for Mexico, but my sister took photos with her camera. As soon as she emails me a couple of pics, I’ll post them.

My hubby arrived home safe and sound yesterday evening in time to take P and me out to dinner at one of our favorite Mexican food restaurants. He was ready for Tex-Mex after being up north for the week. P and Papa got to hang out this morning while I went to church for a Women’s Ministry Fall Kick-off Luncheon. I volunteered to decorate one of the 15 tables with some of our Russian items and had to be there at 9am. We had a special guest speaker, Carrie McDonnall who has written a new book about her mission experiences in the Middle East. Her book title is "FACING TERROR" -The story of how love for the Muslim people cost an American couple the ultimate price. My favorite Bible teacher, Beth Moore wrote the forward for the book. Carrie has a compelling testimony and is still praising our Lord even after losing her husband and enduring years of physical pain and surgeries from her own injuries after they were attacked in Iraq while they were ministering there. Carrie’s testimony was very encouraging and uplifting; she was a huge blessing to the 120 of us today.

Dear Lord, please bless my sister, Carrie McDonnall and the new ministry, 'Carrie On' that you have given to her. Bless her with continued encouragement, with strength and health and with your joy and hope. Amen.

My hubby has started cooking our dinner so I need to go be his sous-chef; I mostly clean up around him (he's a great, but messy cook).

Have a blessed weekend!

Thankful Thursday!

Today I'm thankful...

First of all for my Savior, His grace, and His fogiveness

I'm getting over a sore throat, fever & rash virus

To be spending the day with my precious "P"

That my hubby comes home tomorrow evening after a long week of business travel

That God has provided provision for our family & I'm able to be a stay-at-home Nona!

It was a long week

Whew! Time flies by when there’s much to do and Nona gets sick. Last Friday, my daughter-in-love and I spray painted 2 sets of patio chairs & tables outside in the heat. Then our #2 Godson and his wife from northwest Arkansas came to stay with us for the weekend. We enjoyed having them here – they went to see our oldest son, daughter and granddaughter’s new home that is nearing completion, then they attended a college friend’s wedding in town and joined us at church on Sunday morning before heading off to another north Texas city to see a cousin before heading home. I came down with some sort of sore throat and fever virus that settled down in my chest and caused a rash on both my cheeks. I think the rash may have come from an overdose of vitamin c; it’s finally looking some and I’m feeling better today too. Thank you Lord!
My hubby left Tuesday morning on a 6am flight to Boston, then flew to Toronto on Wednesday morning for a Real Estate Conference. He is due home Friday night after our son & daughter leave on Friday morning for Mexico with friends to celebrate their 2nd wedding anniversaries. We get the honor of keeping our precious granddaughter, “P” on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then her other grandmother will keep her Monday through Wednesday. We’ll be tending to the big dogs for the whole 6 days; usually it’s a pretty easy job, but we’re not letting them outside in the back yard until the new landscaping takes hold so we’ll be walking them both two times a day. Walking two 80+ lbs dogs that are not used to being walked on leashes isn’t as much fun as walking our little 14 pounder, Sydney. Oh, well it’s another Nona & Papa thing that we do because we love serving our family.

I’m keeping “P” today while her mother is getting a manicure & pedicure and running last minute errands getting ready for their Mexico trip. This will be our daughter-in-love’s first time to see the ocean up close (she and our son flew over the Atlantic on the way to Italy for their honeymoon in 2005).

“P” and I may be going to my niece’s Grandparents Day Luncheon tomorrow if she and I are feeling up the hour drive, hour luncheon and hour drive back home. My niece’s three grandparents all have prior commitments, so she invited me because, “You’re a grandmother, Aunt Susan.” Dear Lord, please help us to feel well and be able to attend.

Laundry is calling my name while “P” is taking a nap… Nona duties never cease!

Completing our Patio

Well the patio workers completed their job late yesterday afternoon. It is amazing how much work was completed in just 2 days! The patio is big, beautiful and roomy -- just what we wanted.
Jim hasn’t seen the completed patio in the daylight yet; he came home around 10pm last night after a business dinner and left at 5:15 this morning for the airport to go look at properties on the west coast.

Today, my daughter-in-love, Reg and precious granddaughter, P are going to look for patio furniture since there are big end of summer sales right now. If we can’t find an incredible deal, then we’ll just spray paint our old patio furniture. We’ll need to get any painting completed before the new grass is delivered this weekend.

So, here we go patio furniture shopping.

Hope you have a great day!

1st Attempt at Blogging

Here I am – here I go… into the world of blogging!

Nona Life. It seems I’ve been working on becoming a Nona all my life.

What is a Nona? Who is a Nona?
You can read About Me on the right and journey with me on my Nona Life Blog.

What does a Nona do?
Well, today I am attempting to set up my 1st ever Blog to a 2nd day of clanking stones and the vibrating of a compactor leveling machine while our new backyard patio is being installed. We’ve tried unsuccessfully for over 14 years to grow grass in our shady backyard, so we finally gave up on grass and decided to ‘grow’ a patio instead. It took us quite a while to decide between a wooden deck or hard surface patio. We decided that the stone patio would last longer with less maintenance. My puppy, Sydney is in her crate (she is crate trained and feels safe there) whining to get out and help take care of her backyard. I’ll spare the patio workers the pleasure of having an adorable red, 14 pound Australian Terrier jumping machine hopping around their ankles.

Well, I guess this enough for one day because I need to get back to being Nona.