Let the games begin!

Every year our church has a "Game Night" on New Year's Eve. I know it sounds a little tame but put our group together with too many snacks and those board games you only bring out once a year and the competitive spirit and hilarity abound! This afternoon a couple of our grandchildren (cousins) have started the celebration early. Let's hope we grown-ups can be as civil!

PS-Why don't we play board games more often? We actually interact with humans instead of the computer!

The beach in December!

Amazing! The sun was shining and it was shirt-sleeve weather at the beach today in Lincoln City! (Ok, I wore my coat but I'm always cold.) The kids had fun feeding the seagulls and building sand castles for hours, with a break at Burger King for lunch.

We're Ready!

Cookies are made, pies and pastries baked, a second batch of fudge finished (after a disastrous first try), presents wrapped and now we're ready. A bit different from the first Christmas so long ago when the responsibilities of daily life brought an expectant couple to Bethlehem where, because there were no vacancies in the local inn, they bedded down for the night in a stable. Not a likely place for a king to be born but the Creator showed mankind that sacrifice is an inseparable part of love. Oh, how He loves us! So we're ready for the holiday festivities and all our company tomorrow. And we're ready to accept the amazing gift given so long ago. Merry Christmas!

Santa's Little Elf?

Becky was holding DJ as he tried to remove the hat that mommy & daddy thought was so cute! He'll be one month old on Christmas! Look at those big feet!

A Christmas Card to All

Click on this link & have speakers on: http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=2007134554829&source=jl999

Grandma's brag book

Let's face it-this blog will mostly just be a grandma's brag book from here on out. Here's the latest!

Christmas Memories

Big brother had a Christmas program last night but the little guys were the center of attention! DJ had his "tux" sleeper on and Michael was taking a look a the first cookie he was allowed to have. It didn't take him long to figure out what to do with it and then he was snatching them from Dad as fast as he could and not too happy when they were taken back!

Double Shots

Thursday was the day to go get that yearly check-up at the Doctor's office. It feels more like a "tune-up" (look under the hood, kick the tires, etc.) but it's at least over for now. While there, I got a shot in each arm. After having a son and a dear friend go through the misery of this nasty bug, I was happy to get a level of protection! I know there's other strains of it out there, but I'm hoping I can miss it this year!

You know it's winter when.........

It must be winter, maybe not by the calendar date, but when pipes burst, cars stall, and the flu hits then all the signs are there! Yesterday was one of those days for family members. The son & daughter-in-law in Newberg came home to find pipes inside the garage wall had burst! Another son had his car break down last night on I-5. Thanks to good friends, the car was towed and I stayed with the little ones while his wife picked him up. Jacob has the flu so he slept through it all but the two babies were glad Nana was there. Let's hope today is a bit quieter!

Giving Thanks!

We had a wonderful, hectic Thanksgiving this year. Everyone was at our house but the food was not the main event this year. We welcomed our newest little grandson as he came home from the hospital to join us. Here's a picture of the two new family members we've added this year and feel very blessed to have them both in our lives. Randy's bride is holding two day old DJ.

Thankfulness

It's always a good idea to count your blessings and be thankful even in the midst of hardships. This year it'll be easy--our new little grandson will be coming home from the hospital to join us for Thanksgiving! DJ was born at 5:43 this morning and weighed in at 9 lbs! After struggling to carry him to term and even being hospitalized, we rejoice at his safe arrival. His brother was born almost a year ago and spent 20 days in the NICU center.

Weekend at the Beach

Ok, so it wasn't the typical anniversary weekend but we still had fun! My husband of 36 years and I took our 11 month old grandson to the coast with us so his very pregnant mommy could get some rest. It was his first trip to the ocean so we had lots of fun and although we were exhausted long before he was, it was quite an adventure! Here's a view from our room and then a few of the little one enjoying it all!

A little helper...

Grandpa was busy installing child safety latches at the new place when Michael thought he'd help. So much for child safety!

Still more boxes to pack!

Moving is exhausting (for the grown-ups) but it has it's perks too! Grandpa had Michael racing around the room!

Waiting

This is one time when we hope we have to wait a long time! Our daughter-in-law is in the hospital and will remain there until the birth of our new grandson. The doctor says she is at 32 weeks & two days and in his estimation, the baby will probably be born by Sunday. (He's hoping that he's wrong). They are expecting about the same complications as Michael had, but that remains to be seen of course. The hospital is really cracking down due to the flu season so her other children can't visit. It's hard to explain why mommy isn't around to a 10 month old! I've got a bad cold so I can't go either but keep updated on the phone. When I talked to her a couple of minutes ago, she was having more contractions.......

Just weary

Maybe it's the gray damp weather or the stress level of paper work deadlines looming at work, but whatever the cause, I find myself very weary these days. In the morning, I have all sorts of things I want to accomplish when I get home from work but what I actually do is collapse on the couch and think about how soon I can go curl up under the covers and sleep! The weekend is coming-maybe that will be the answer to those unanswered chores!

Home again

It was a necessary trip even if not one I wanted to make. The death of any teen, let alone a family member is hard but then family is the key word to getting through it too. Several of us were able to make the trip and a real hug is always better than a virtual one so it was well worth it. The time was just too short- five airport stops in 3 days!

Though I walk...

"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I have nothing to fear for You are with me..You comfort me." Psm. 23:4

I know it's a cliche verse that folks pull out at funerals, but it's also real. I can't thank those of you who are praying enough. My not-quite 18 year old nephew's memorial service is in Oklahoma on Friday and I'm leaving very early tomorrow to attend.

I'm sure this song will be going with me: Click here to hear a fabulous version of Amazing Grace.

Rejoice-what was lost is found!

Okay, I admit it....I'm getting old. Usually we say that so someone nearby will reassure us that we aren't that old but this time there's no reassurance possible! As often happens because Dan needs to go to church early, we were in separate cars today so after the birthday party I stopped to get gas. So far, so good. However a few hours later this afternoon when I went to get something from my wallet, I discovered it was gone!!! We searched high and low and finally concluded that I must have dropped it at the service station getting into the car or something. Of course, that would mean that it'd be long gone and the nightmare of reporting credit cards and getting a new license and insurance cards, etc. would begin. As I prayed, Dan decided to stop by on his way to work just to check and HALLELUJAH...the wallet was behind the counter waiting for us to claim it. God bless the honest workers at the ARCO on Baxter Road! And yes, I am getting old and my mind going. The wallet had been left on the counter, not fallen out of my purse as suspected. OUCH!

Hey, I wanted that!

Michael couldn't quite figure out why the pizza was going in Pa's mouth and not his! I know, I should have taken a picture of that pizza (at Paddington's), right Karla? We were there to celebrate grandson Corbyn turning 12 this weekend. He and his dad went to the Beaver's game on his birthday so today was just a family time to celebrate and console the Beaver fans at the same time.

The "eyes" have it!

Today I had a laser procedure to remove some scar tissue that was hampering my vision. It's amazing what technology can accomplish! After numbing and dialating the eye, the Dr. used a laser to blast away the unwanted scar tissue without even pucturing the outer eye! I was nervous so forgetting to breathe was the only real problem throughout the short ordeal. Now, except for a lingering headache, all is fine and my vision should improve in a day or two. :>) PTL!

It's All Fun!

Yesterday our church had a free community fair. It's hard to tell what was more popular, the watermelon eating contest, the dunk tank, or bounce houses (along with many other games) but Gracey kept going back to the face painting booth!

Staff Picnic

Another successful use of the backyard tonight. (Only one bee sting) We had our elementary staff picnic and a huge number of families came. I didn't count while everyone was here but it was 50+ including spouses and children! The weather was perfect and many folks stayed. We began at 4:30 and the last left about 8:00. I'm sure our neighbors will be glad we are done with hosting outdoor "events" now!!!

Friends

It doesn't matter how long it's been since we've seen each other, old friends just always slip back comfortably into our world when we are fortunate enough to spend time with them again! A trip to Eugene on Sunday to meet with friend Sherry from Roseburgwas one of those times.

Youthful Energy

We decided to squeeze in another summer activity and maybe fool ourselves into thinking summer isn't over. We had the youth group from church over for a barbecue to thank them again for the great job they did serving at the wedding. The night included the ever-popular water balloon toss, a miniature course with 9 holes of frisbee golf (which I found out is called "folf"), beach ball volleyball, and an outdoor movie! We have a huge screen up in the trees (left from the wedding,), a borrowed projector and amplifier so it had the flavor of the old-fashioned drive-in. Along with watching the movie, we had the fire pit going for roasting marshmallows and making 'smores, and of course popcorn. It did get a little chilly but a few trips to the house for sweatshirts and blankets helped with that.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho..It's off to work I go

I only have less than a week before the official start of school for teachers in my small district but like educational folks everywhere, we are in working long before the required (and paid) start time.

I've already been in to move furniture and set up the space but since I'm babysitting grandkids, yesterday I decided to share the experience with them. I had to change rooms this year so everything is in boxes. They helped open a few and then were happy to play while I began the unpacking. Deciding where to put things is as hard as the physical aspect of lifting and moving mountains of those heavy books. Corbyn was a huge help breaking down the empty boxes for recycle too. We only got through about 20 boxes and there's at least that many left. ~SIGH~ I may go back again today and there is an upside--the building has AC!

Here we go again

My good friend, (and former sister-in-law) got married yesterday to a wonderful man that she actually had dated way back in high schooll! It was wonderful to see how happy they were and also get to spend time with our two neices. Tammy lives in Denver so visits are rare!

Welcome Home Newlyweds

It was a late flight (11:20 pm) and they offered to have someone else pick them up, but I have to confess that I wanted to be there to hear their stories first while it was all fresh. A friend rode along with me since Dan works all night and he didn't want me driving alone but all went well. (Except I can't believe how many flights come in at that late hour-the arrival area was very congested!) But eventually the bride was carried over the threshold and now they have the fun task of opening presents, moving her things into the house, and settling in as a married couple. Ah, the circle of life!

PS-I got to bed at 3:30 a.m. and woke at 7:20....about the amount of sleep Dan gets many days and then goes to work! How does he do that??

Oregon Coast

My dad lives in Spokane so a trip to the ocean is always a treat. Since he was here for another wedding and we had an opening at the condo, we made a quick trip over. The unit was a 3 bedroom one though so a couple of friends came along too. While we didn't see any of the famed sharks in Depoe Bay, there was a lot of whale activity. Try catching on on camera though! Use your imagination, there was one just a second before this picture was snapped!

Salmon and Chicken

I'm always so impressed you those of you (Karla) that post pictures of incredible meals-so I couldn't pass up the chance to show you the salmon & chicken that was served at a wedding I attended! They were both fabulous! The chicken had citrus and blueberries in the sauce, such a wonderful marriage of flavors! (The sides of garlic mashed and steamed vegetables were served family style.) Of course, the bride and groom were fabulous too. I accompanied my dad to the wedding and reconnected with cousins I hadn't seen in years and wondered why we hadn't kept in touch like my dad has. In any case, it was a great evening at the Zenith Vineyard out Wallace Rd. and we enjoyed the view, the celebration and....amazing food!

A sneak preview

I spent the day at school today--I know, it's really not time but I had to go in for a grant meeting so while I was there anyway, I got caught up in beginning to arrange (but not unpack yet) my new room. It takes so much time and not just because of the overwhelming nature of the task, but because many other teachers are in setting up their rooms too and we have to stop to visit and catch up on summer activities! Five hours later I decided that I'd better go home and leave school for another day. PS-The meeting only took less than 30 minutes!

The Mystery Trip

Our yard became a destination today! A group of lovely seniors from a retirement village came out for their "mystery trip" picnic today. We enjoyed talking with them and found so much knowledge and wisdom in one bus load! Among the group were a couple of retired teachers and a dear lady who had great advice for taking care of roses too! Of course, the fact that they loved my son (the activities director) and thought I was too young to be his mother made them all the more precious! (Isn't the eye-sight the first to go?!)

Visitors

Look closely and you'll see the two deer (bucks) who made themselves at home in our garden. One was laying down and the other feasting on the tiny apples on our trees and they weren't even spooked as we got close enough to snap the pictures! Eventually they decided we were too close and as they left we got another picture as they passed the neighbors wood chip pile.

Birthdays

Gracey's birthday was a week ago, Morgan's is a week away so we had the joint party today at Nana & Pa's house. Friends and family are always a combination for a fun afternoon!

A little job

It didn't sound like it would take long, just paint a couple of small bedrooms for Randy & Gina. These were the rooms that the previous guy roommates had occupied. The kids picked out the colors and left us instructions. However, two of the rooms also had glaze colors, which means a faux finish. I love painting that way but it's a pretty individual taste kind of thing too and I'm not sure I have the same vision as this new daughter-in-law. Shouldn't mess up something like this right off the bat, so I think we'll play it safe and just have the base coats on and then after the honeymoon and Randy is back at work, I'll go up and do it when she can tell me if she likes the look and we'll go from there. I know, it's the chicken's way out but a mother-in-law should always play it safe! PS-Dan actually did the painting today. He's so picky and wants to do it himself so I removed switch plates, mowed the lawn and cleaned up behind him. :>)

Cool Mornings and Sleep

After a few days of sweltering heat, it feels so good to be able to enjoy my coffee on the patio in the cool of the morning! It will also make day-sleeping easier. Dan got home from work at 6:00 am and fell asleep fast. The poor man had only 3 hours of sleep yesterday and had to wake up at 9:00 am and then go to Tillamook for a pre-construction meeting. I thought he was going with someone else doing the driving but found out this morning that he had gone alone! Then went from there, straight to the job site!!! It's a really good thing that he doesn't work tonight.

Cooling Off

Wish we were still at the coast! It was perfect and the kids enjoyed the pool and the beach. Oh why did we come home!