Rebecca and Mema!

Here is the newest little member of our ever growing family. I am the oldest member and she is the youngest! She seems to be smiling already, but I think that is just the shape of her little mouth. Her eyes appear to be blue and her hair is dark. We think she is beautiful! She is about 15 hours old in this picture.

I didn't want to put her down!

Telephone Vigil

I am keeping a phone vigil tonight. I am waiting for news of the birth of a new granddaughter. Her name will be Rebecca Alysee. She isn't due until Jan. 15th, but babies seem to come when they are ready and not by our time table.

Her older brother (the 9 year old that was supposed to come and spend a couple days here) is at his other Grandma's with his 2 year old brother. It is closer and easier for Daddy to have them both at the same place. The usual granddaughter went home today also instead of staying. She decided that she missed her Mom so we gathered all her belongings and delivered her safely home.

NEWS FLASH!!! My son just called and we have a new granddaughter. She was born at approximately 12:50 AM Dec. 30, 2005. She weighs 7 pounds, 11 ounces, is 19 inches long and they named her Rebecca Alysee. I can't wait to go and hold her tomorrow late morning. Mommy, Rebecca and Daddy are all fine and will now be able to get some rest. And that is where I am going too. To bed and hopefully to sleep. Goodnight baby Rebecca!

Out with the old and in with the new.....

.....I think that's how that saying goes! It will be the New Year soon. I wonder what it will hold for my loved ones, family and friends! I hope it holds good health, happiness, stable jobs, and comfortable financial assets!

I need to take down all the Christmas decorations today. I've left them up longer than I usually do. I like to start the New Year out with a spic and span clean house which I always accomplish by putting all the decorations away, rearranging the furniture, vacuuming, mopping floors, etc. Maybe I should break away from that tradition this year. No one will really know but me anyway!

We still have the usual granddaughter with us. She is supposed to go home today but she called her mom last night when she found out that another grandchild (her 9 year old cousin) is coming tonight to spend a couple days with "mema and bumpa" and asked if she could stay. Her mother gave her permission and now she plans on staying until New Years Day. I think our youngest grandson, the one year old, will be coming today for us to watch while his mom does some errand running. We really enjoy having him.....he is so refreshing! I truly believe that grandchildren are Gods compensation for growing older!

We will probably spend New Years Eve very quietly sitting right here at home. We will be lucky if we are able to stay awake until midnight! We just don't feel the need to celebrate the way we did in our younger days.....after all, it is just another day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!

All Done ~

Finally, I have finished my Christmas shopping and am in the process of doing the wrapping.

I got up this morning with hubby to make him some oatmeal before he left for work and stayed up to begin wrapping. I do it in spurts so I don't get a sore back! I took several small breaks and at around 7 AM decided to take a big break and have some breakfast and coffee myself but decided to sit down first in the "comfy" chair and watch the weather. I awoke at 8:40.....a little bigger break than I was anticipating.

Our festivities will begin Friday night when my oldest son and his family come for their gift exchange. Actually the gift exchange Friday will only be with his wife. She is not able to come on Christmas day when everyone else will be here due to her commitment at her church. So we will be lucky this year and get my son and his two sons on Friday and Christmas day.

Saturday, Christmas Eve, is the set time that my hubby's family always gets together to celebrate Christmas. The group consists of his Mom, 5 siblings and their spouses and children, 10 grandchildren this year plus one great grandchild. All crammed into a small living room no bigger than 9'x12'. It is very crowded and we have all begged her to let one of the children host the celebration in their home where there would be more room and yet she insists on having it at her home! No one stays very long at this celebration anymore mainly because it is too crowded to even move with that many people and it seems to get very warm! They are an ornery group anyway, and the crowding and heat only seem to make it worse as tempers become short. I think they all need a lesson on the true meaning of Christmas! Maybe that will squelch their foul moods and nasty attitudes!

Christmas Day will be celebrate in our home with our children, all except for the expectant daughter and the grandchildren in Kentucky. It is a much happier celebration than the one on Christmas Eve. Oh, there will be the usual bickering amongst the small children over who plays with what toy, but they are usually able to work it out after a few rounds of screaming and tears.

After the festivities, the only one remaining will be the usual granddaughter. She will spend a few days with us here before she returns to her home. The hubby will be off work until Jan. 3rd and we will rest up and be lazy and just enjoy each other.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I was honored....

....by my 13 year old granddaughter at Grandparents Day at her school. She did a beautiful job making a poster with pictures of me and my sisters when we were children and one of my senior picture. She wrote a short biography of my life events from the interview she was required to do. The following are excerpts from the biography:

"My grandma has always loved all of her family. They are mainly the biggest part of her life. Both of her parents were very loving and family oriented. She misses them terribly and the fact that saddens her the most is that her parents never got to meet any of her children or grandchildren. Her first husband, Dave who passed away in 1975, was always very kind to her and he was joyful and happy at everyone of his children's births. Her second husband, Tom, has always been there for her and the rest of our family. Even though he isn't blood-related, he will still always be a wonderful part of our family."

"My grandma is such a wonderful influence on everyone. She has a positive attitude towards everyone and everything. She has a positive outlook on life that everyone admires. She always tries to find the good in people and something to be happy and cheerful about and to keep looking up and not get down and depressed very often. She inspires me to also have a positive attitude and outlook on life. I love my grandma for everything she is, with all my heart. I would never want her to change. It takes more muscles to smile than to frown."

How great is that? I don't think I could have received a higher honor anywhere else in the world!

I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful family, children and grandchildren, and especially at this special time of year I am so very thankful for each and every one of them.

MAKING PROGRESS

Well, I just got off the treadmill! I walked for a total of 30 minutes and went a mile at a speed of 2.3 mph! Got my heart rate up to 125 which is good for me since I am on a calcium channel blocker and a beta blocker and the tend to keep your pulse and heart rate pretty low; like in the 50's.

Have a very busy day ahead of me. I have to go to the store and buy the ingredients to make Rice Pudding to take to my granddaughters school tomorrow morning for Grandparents Day. And my middle son is bringing his two little ones (age 3 & 2) over at 5:30 so we can watch them while he goes to his Christmas Party from work. They will be here until between 9:30 and 10:00 tonight. These are the same little ones with the Mom who forgets to pick them up! I asked my son if I were going to be "burned" again this time and he assured me that I would not. Time will tell. I haven't seen this children since the last time I watched them and posted about them and they only live about 6 miles from me. That was quite a while back now, I hope the 2 year old won't scream when he leaves her!

I also have to get busy today and wrap some of the presents that I do have. I don't want to leave it all for the last minute and have it be too big a job all at once. The usual granddaughter will be coming this weekend and I need to wrap hers and hide them in my closet. She's not a snooper, but I don't want her to find them in the coat closet where they are now stored.

So, I'm off to run my errands!

Getting Healthy ~ Staying Healthy

For those of you who are regular visitors you are aware that hubby suffered a major heart attack in November and that I also have had heart attacks and heart surgery in the past.

Hubby's brother has been using hubby's compound bow for the last few years and in fact has kept it at his house instead of returning it at the end of each bow hunting season. Brother and his wife had a treadmill almost brand new that they never use. Hubby traded his bow for the treadmill and we will now begin a walking routine to maintain our health. It'll be like having the YMCA right here at home!

In fact, I already began. I walked for 20 minutes this morning and clocked a big whopping speed of 2 mph and walked a total of 1/2 mile. Doesn't seem like much does it? But since I haven't walked in quite some time I figured it was a good start. I hope to benefit two ways from this: 1) improving my health and getting in better condition, 2.) losing some weight. Just think, if I can lose enough maybe I will even buy a two-piece bathing suit for this coming summer.....NOT! Some things are just not to be tried by a 59 year old woman!

Hubby Health Update......

Just a little note to update everyone on Hubby's status.

He has been to the cardiologist and has been cleared to return to work beginning Monday with no restrictions. He has made a miraculous recovery in spite of the fact that this was a massive heart attack in his left coronary artery. The doctor told us that not many people survive such a major attack.

Hubby has instructed me to thank all of you for your prayers and thoughts and good wishes. We are sure they helped him recover so quickly.

Thank you all and Merry Christmas!

Politically Correct?

There was an article in our local paper regarding the "politically correct" way to refer to what in my household is called the "Christmas Tree."

According to the article the correct way to refer to it is now the "Holiday Tree" so as not to offend anyone who is of a religious following that doesn't celebrate Christmas. WHAT? I am offended by this new wording! A local city is not having a Lighting of the Christmas Tree in the park this year. It is called just the Tree Lighting Ceremony.

The way I have it figured out is that since we can no longer refer to our Christmas Tree as such in public anymore then the press shouldn't be allowed to make any reference to anything to do with Kwanza or Menorraha's of the Jewish faith.

The Government is already trying to take any mention of God out of all public places and now they are trying to alter the way we refer to part of our traditional celebration of Christmas. How long are we going to stand by and allow this to happen. This is supposed to be a free country and to me that means being able to speak of things I wish to speak about....in private or public....and not worry about sounding "politically correct".

Okay, I'm off my soapbox ~~~~~~~~for now at least!