What’s been Happening?

 

A lot!

My daughter and I have been working really hard on our parties. Not just the ones coming up in a few weeks, but ones that take us into next year. Yep, it’s never to early to start the preparations and a few are bigger then we have ever done, other then the wedding that is. All of them are keeping us jumping and searching and surely will take up more of our time as we continue to move forward in this venture.

We are now member’s of the Children’s Party Network and made the cut for an East Coast/West Coast Tablescape Challenge of theirs. 23 members from the east and west coast, yep that's 46 party prepper’s, will compete against each other over a New Years Children's party theme.  Once the theme is announced, each team will get to work and create a party so outrageous, so extraordinary, and so much fun, and it doesn’t stop there. After the tablescape challenge is finished and photographed they will auction off the two completed tablescapes, then donate the proceeds to Project Night Night. This charity distributes tote bags filled with a book, a stuffed animal and a blankie to children in homeless shelters. How fun will this venture will be! We are so excited to be a part of this and be amongst fellow party enthusiast. The idea’s and suggestions are awesome and we continue to learn things about this party venture. It will definitely take us to a new level and growth.

Besides the partying, other things that are happening is in my health department. A couple of the tumors are giving us a hard time to the point that it is time to have them rechecked. My right leg has been in constant pain for weeks now and is limiting my walking. Recently I had a bout with some really high blood pressure (190’s/90’s) then it dropped really low (60’s/40’s). I know, I know I probably should have gone to the ER but truly feel we had it under control in just a few days at no extreme cost.  I might need my medicine changed up some plus I must remember to take it regularly. I am not sure if the blood pressure has anything to do with the last couple of days, but I woke up Monday unable to move my head without extreme pain. My neck has been wrapped with heat and I tried using my brace, only for it to create a tremendous headache. Until that happened I wondered if traction would help but not once the headache set in. Tomorrow I will call for an appointment to get things checked out though and be sure there is nothing else developing.

As for the family, God is working in them in many ways that makes me praise him for his love for us. I know he is behind all the good that is growing in our family. I know he is behind what path my health takes and while I am still here, he gets full credit for all of it. We are his and he will take care of our needs. He is guiding us down roads we wouldn’t have taken had he not shown us the direction. Doors are opening while other’s are closing. Praise be!

All the what’s happenings have changed up my blogging some but hope to get back to it when my mind isn’t all jumbled from the meds, pain, life and it’s  challenges. I’m behind in posting my 365’s and I have grandma days to get up on the private blog. All in time…

Random Dozen

Another week of randomness...

1. Have you, or has someone close to you, ever won an award for anything?

It’s been a while, but back in 2009 we received our 15 year award for our Culligan dealership. In a way it was a milestone for us, to be in business for 15 years. In just 4 more years, we will get our 20th and that is something to work toward.

2. Who is the nearest relative to you who has served in the US Military?

Our son, who was in the Navy when the war in Iraq broke out. He never was shipped out to Iraq. Unfortunately he was medically discharged shortly after.

3. Share something that stirs the patriotic spirit in you.

Decorating for the 4th of July. I love the red, white and blue!

4. Where are you in the birth order in your family? Do you think your "placement" made a difference in your personality?

I was the 5th of 6 and the last girl. Definitely!

5. Name one trait you hope you carry that was evidenced in your parents or grandparents.

First would be my spirituality followed by my creativity.

6. If female, do you prefer wearing a skirt or pants? If male, shirt and tie or polo?

Skirts are so much more comfortable.

7. Approximately how many times do you wake during the night? What do you do to go back to sleep?

I sleep pretty sound. When I wake up, I am up. There is no going back to sleep.

8. Share a favorite movie quote.

I can’t say I really have one.

9. What is your favorite Fall candle scent?

Spice.

10. What is one Fall activity you're looking forward to?

Our Harvest Festival after our Halloween Boo Bash.

11. Tell us about a pleasant surprise that happened to you recently.

Two friends we hadn’t seen in a while dropped in unexpectedly. One came to town with her work and we went out to dinner. The other was driving through and stopped for a quick visit. It was great to see them both.

12. What was it like when you first met your in-laws-to-be?

It was really enjoyable. My hubby and his brother drag raced and our second date was to the track with his parents. They were very friendly and made feel right at home. Little did I know then that they would be my in-laws nor that we would travel a lot with them over the years. Great memories of them.

Learning Something New Everyday

 

Recently my daughter set me up with Windows Live Writer.

No! That is not me. However, the smile on her face represents the smile on my face.

Though at first I was afraid and even frustrated at the learning of something new, I don’t know why it took me so long. I am loving it! It didn’t take me long to figure out how to work it, and though at first my pages would look like I wanted in edit mode, when I previewed them I had spacing where I didn’t want it to words hiding behind pictures. But I didn’t give up. I found my mistakes and learned how to place them correctly.

I still have more learning on this blogging stuff, but I feel I am heading in the right direction.

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks!

You Capture - Get Creative

Sorry to be late in getting my pictures taken, edited and posted. Since I have been pretty much house bound this last week, I chose to get creative with things around the house.

My Willow Tree collection...

Grandmother

Together, Generations, Heart of Gold, Keepsake

Grandfather

My glass egg from Maui....

I played around and got this...

9-11-01

Like most of the country we were in shock as we watched the first tower on fire, then the second plane crashes into the second tower. In what seemed like a blink of an eye, the towers began crashing down to the street below. Living thousand of miles away, we were drawn to the site by the way of the TV. Each time news clips showed the faces, the cloud of smoke that seemed to overcome them, we watched in dismay. Did that really just happen!

Most of the country can remember what they doing, where they were at, when the attack happened. Here is was no different. Just hours later, we will always remember the call that came from home. At first we thought it was to touch base over the recent incident. Again  in the blink of an eye, our world was going to change as well.

It was a gray day from the beginning with the attack, but it only got worse for us. The call was to tell us Mom was taken to the hospital. From the tone of Dad's voice we could tell it was not good. Though he tried to hide his fear, we felt it. Not only was it a sad day for our nation, it was more so for our family. Mom was losing her battle with cancer.

Even as we watched the news in the days ahead, though we could grasp the pain of those who were lost, the pain of losing Mom was more on our hearts. We began a journey that day and there was nothing we could do but embrace each and every moment. We would talk about how those families must be feeling as they received those calls that were going to be the last time they heard their voices. Our heart were breaking for them and for our children who were about to lose their Grams who had always been a big part of their lives.

9-11 is a date I will never forget and as the nation remembers in their own way, it will also remind us of what we lost in the weeks after.

As with any loss, we picked ourselves us, got through the challenges as a family, rebuilt and recovered just as our nation has done. Like the attacks that showed we were one nation, under God, indivisible, we as a family also showed that we were under God and indivisible. No matter who or what comes or leave our path, we move forward and grow as God intended.

Our Journey will always be about our family and I would love to be able to continue sharing it all with you but due to attacks on our family, I need to protect them as God sees fit. I'm sure we all have anonymous readers, for reasons of their own they chose to not show themselves. Some of my anonynous readers are hurt by what I write because they are not a true part of our family. Their own actions have distanced themselves from us. I do not write to hurt them, but they do what ever they can to hurt us. It needs to end and so our journey, just for now will be altered, just until it is once again safe. Just as our nation had to alter their security, so must we. Just as our nation needed the time to rebuild, so do we. Nothing stays the same, and we all grow from the ashes. It is our time to grow and to move on without looking over our shoulder.

If you want to continue following Our Journey Through LIFE with the 'Grands' then send me your email so you will be able to keep up in Our Jouney Through LIFE (Private Blog)

This blog will remain and I will continue to particapate in You Capture, I hope to get back to my Simple Women's Daybook, and other things of interest. Over the next few days, this blog will look different as I figure out how to move things from here to the new one, and give this one a new look as well. Hang in there with me, Please.

I Can't Believe...

No! It's not butter!

It's been almost a year since I started blogging frequently. I really began a few years earlier but would only blog updates of my health every 3-6 months. Then last year my daughter and I were putting together our first Halloween party for the kids and soon after she introduced me to NoBloPoMo. I challenged myself for the entire of month of November to write a blog every day and well the rest is history. As I went back to grab the links it reminded me of all the struggles we were going through then. What a difference a year makes. We have grown and overcome so many of them that life seems to be just as God had planned for it to be.

So here we are and guess what we have been talking about...yep, our 2nd annual Halloween Boo Bash. Since I save most of the decorations from party to party, it won't be tough pulling it off this year. In fact, after the BaBy-Q Shower, I told my hubby I was just going to leave up the corner table we used for the candy buffet.

I don't think he caught on to my reasons as he commented that Christmas was a ways off. You see, he had made it for me last year to display my village.

Little did we know it would come in handy for so many other things...Not just the shower candy buffet but now a Halloween Candy Buffet. Last year with the dining room being under construction our buffet was on top of the hutch covered by a tarp, covered with a festive covering.

This year I won't have to decorate around any construction at all. I am so excited!

I even found our first goody to create. These are from Taste of Home and will be so simple dimple to make.

Ingredients


1/2 cup vanilla frosting, divided
36 miniature semisweet chocolate chips
12 large marshmallows
1 drop each green, red and yellow food coloring, optional
1/4 cup flaked coconut
12 chocolate wafers
12 miniature peanut butter cups
12 milk chocolate kisses

Directions

For the face of each witch, place a dab of frosting on the bottom of three chocolate chips; press two for eyes and one for nose onto each marshmallow.

For hair, combine green food coloring and a drop of water in a small resealable plastic bag; add coconut and shake well. Spread a small amount of frosting on sides of marshmallows; press coconut hair into frosting. Place 3 tablespoons of frosting in a small heavy-duty resealable plastic bag; tint orange with red and yellow food coloring. Set aside.

For hats, spread some of the remaining frosting in the center of chocolate wafers; press peanut butter cups upside down into frosting. Lightly spread bottoms of chocolate kisses with frosting; place on peanut butter cups. Cut a small hole in the corner of pastry or plastic bag; insert a small star tip. Fill the bag with frosting and pipe stars around the base of each peanut butter cup. Secure a hat to each witch with a dab of frosting. Yield: 1 dozen.

Hang on tight...there will be a lot going on around house this year.

A Rock Baby-BaBy Q Shower

Monday we held a Co-ed BaBy-Q Shower for our Policeson and his love.

It turned out to be a bit hot with a welcoming breeze. My daughter and I had talked numerous times how we wanted the shower to unfold, but things kind of took a course of their own. She did get a bit stressed over it, where I just rolled with the flow. Since a number of the guest coming had worked shift the night before and it was a busy night, some came late where others didn't make it all. We adjusted food to accommodate the late arriver's and opened the pool up before food so they could cool off. The only game we had planned to do we didn't since it wasn't really a typical shower to begin with. No one seemed to mind at all.

I think the funniest thing that happened was when one of the guest greeted who they thought was our Policeson when in fact it was his twin. She gave him a big hug, good to see you, while our son over her shoulder mouth, she thinks I'm ?, grinning the whole time. As she walked away toward the pool where the other twin was, we just had to tell her. Everyone got a kick out of the confussion. The same thing happened at Chuck E. Cheese the day before. Only this time it was one of the kids thinking our Policeson was their dad. We just chuckled and add these moments to our collection of twin hap's.

Since It was hot outside, the Mommy to Be was more comfortable opening her gifts in the house. She received everything she needed to put together the nursery.

Our Candy Buffet was a big hit and everyone went home with lots of goodies.

I am waiting for my daughter to upload and edit her photos and when she does a complete blog of the shower and the decorations will be found on our party blog. I am hoping it gets done this week but with two kids of her own, car problems and work, her time is limited. It was so much fun putting together this Rock Baby Co-ed BaBy-Q Shower. I know the parents to be had just as much fun and appreciated everything we did for them. The new daddy was so excited he had the crib together the same night and by last night everything is in place in the nursery ready and waiting for her arrival. We are taking the cradle over tonight and I will try to get more pictures.

Be sure to check out our party blog, Two Kids and a Party

later this week for more details and tutorials.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

This last week I had very little time to blog, not to mention time to be on the computer.

Why?

I have been busy getting ready for our Fun Filled Family Labor Day Weekend Celebration!

My brother and his wife were coming to town, as was our Fireman son and his family, along with the mommy to be's mom. Plus we had in town family and friends coming to celebrate with us as well. As is custom with me and any gathering, I go a bit over and beyond to make sure the events have all the little touches I love to do. I must admit, it is getting harder and harder for me to achieve my own expectations, but that doesn't stop me. I am so thankful to have my daughter available to help me out. Even my hubby picks up the slack and lends a hand.

To get ready for the weekend which included 2 birthday parties and a baby shower, I first had to make some bowls for the baby shower. These were simple dimple. A tutorial will be available on our party blog, Two Kids and a Party later this week.

Next was turning valances into bumper pads for the cradle. These caused some distress as my sewing machine decided to take a dump. Time for it to go to the repair shop and forcing me to hand stitch them. Unfortunately I didn't get them completely finished but they will be before the new addition to the family arrives. Since the seam is on the bottom, the unfinished edge would not be seen by the guest.

I also made a lot of Paper Puff's for decorations. These too were so simple and a tutorial will be available later this week as well.

Once I had made almost a dozen of them it was time for them to find there place for the shower and also for the 3 year olds birthday party. I love turning my chandler into a focal point. Once I had the puffs hanging I felt it needed something more...

So I added some flowers and raffita, but it still needed something else. I had an assortment of ribbon and a light bulb went of in my head and this is what it finally looked like.

As if I didn't have enough to do I also bought an over the door shoe holder and turned it into a Barbie holder for Peanut.

Then it was time to turn the arch I made for my daughter's wedding into one for a baby shower.

I removed all the sunflowers and replaced them with pink flowers and some puffs. I love, love, love how it turned out. I even moved it from the corner to the center of the patio. It made a perfect beverage table area.

Then there was the diaper cake to make and with the help of my daughter, I just love how it turned out.

Once the shower decorations were completed, I needed to get onto constructing the treats. I remade Brownis, Ho-Ho's, Oreo's and pink marchmellow's into these....

Sorry my pictures are kind of fuzzy. I was so busy making these I didn't take pictures of the steps and had to crop them from other pictures. I know my daughter did go around and take pictures but has yet to upload them. We will have better pictures on our party blog and will even make a few to show how I did them. Thankfully I have supplies left over so it won't be a problem.

The final decorations were for the 3 year old and her first Princess Party. Since this is the third one I have done, I had many of the supplies already available. It was just a matter of setting the table.

I changed out the place settings for the boys to plain green wrapping paper cut to size and used the bubble wands as flowers. Saturday afternoon the cake was assembled replacing the bubble flowers as the center piece just before it was time to blow out the candles.

After all the work it was time to enjoy the family. Let the parties begin!

Then and Now!

How time flies!

In 2005 we took these 'Grands' to Disneyland.

That was then...this is now...

5 years later, this time with my brother and his family

How time flies!

She Turns 3 Today!

Our Little Peanut...

Turns 3 today and we celebrated her big day over the labor day weekend. It began with an afternoon of swimming....

Then came dinner and the Birthday Girl even got to help...

She even shared her crown with grandpa...

All the kids sat around the Birthday table devouring their spaghetti...

And finally it was time for presents, lots and lots of presents..

After presents came the cupcakes they had been waiting for...

Then daddy came in with a surprise...

So we had our own Princess and the Frog!

Until it jumped out of his hands, hopped across the table, landing on the floor.

All the kids were screaming, yet laughing with all the excitement the frog created.

One thing is for sure, a party at our house is very exciting!