Clouds and Memories

 

Good Sunday morning all.  I have to say this retirement thing is kind of awesome, finally.  We are truly getting into it now, now that Min and Max's lives are settling down.  This morning I actually slept in till 8 am.  That is honestly unheard of for me, usually.  I'm a 5 am kind of gal.  I still try to wake up at 4:30 or 5 but I MAKE myself go back to sleep.  I feel so much better getting more sleep and it's restful sleep.  I'm certainly missing the early morning time at my easel but I will adapt at some point.  We get up and just hang around the house or go out to breakfast and on the weekends he fixes me breakfast.  He even comes home at lunch time while I'm settling in to watch my soaps, AND WATCHES THEM WITH ME!  Oh, he doesn't pay much attention, but he's there with me and asks occasional questions about them.  Funny.  We headed to the cabin on Thursday this week planning on coming back on Saturday 
afternoon to attend an engagement party.  When we did get back we opted to beg off because he has a head cold and Friday night I started a twinge of getting it too. DAMMIT!  I DO NOT need to get sick again.  So far though it's just an annoyance kind of drippy nose, slight scratch of the throat.  Honestly I feel like it's allergies but he definitely has a head cold.  I'm supposed to get my Covid booster tomorrow and flu shot on Tuesday but not sure if I need to reschedule while my body is dealing with this thing.  If I do okay today I will just keep the appointments.  I want to be vaccinated.

The drive Thursday afternoon was beautiful and the skies were full of amazing clouds.  I will surely try to paint some of these.  I just love road photos, especially to paint.  

Recently I have been missing my sister, a lot, and today I'm missing Daddy.  I would go to see him a lot on Sunday mornings and the feeling to drive there overcame me briefly.  Friday I got a message from my niece wanting to know if I could talk.  She had a crochet question.  I said sure and we chatted about her project she was try to do and needed some advice.  I was glad to help.  She also contacted me earlier in the week for the Bathtub Chicken recipe that Momma used to make.  Her mother made it all the time but she could not find the recipe.  I was happy to dig it out for her, the original Momma used to use.  I know for a fact though that Dana reimagined her version so there might not have been an actual copy written down.  When I got off the phone for her I was glad she felt comfortable to reach out to me and sad that she had to.  Then I looked up to the sky and told Dana, "I'm here for her, I'm here for her."  

Gosh, how that hit me, I MISS MY SISTER, my momma and daddy.

Happy Birthday's

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the granddaughters!!!!

Actually, yesterday would have been my mother-in-law's birthday, her 96th.  

We certainly do miss her.  Last weekend we celebrated her, B and the babies.

This weekend we really celebrate the babies.  Min's 4th birthday party was a happening with tons of kiddos, squeals and laughter.  I was in charge of being the balloon taxi!  They had a friend doing face painting so I hopped on board for it as the afternoon was a block party in our neighborhood.

Today is Snicklefritz's actual birthday, her 11th.  Cannot believe it really.  They grow up so very fast.  

Tomorrow is Min's actual 4th birthday.

The week was really loud around here because we got a new roof.  It was very quick though, like 15 hours and they had the old torn off and the new put on.  Amazing.  I spent the time playing around with watercolor as I could not get my car out and didn't want too because of roofing nails.  

The Beauty Around Us

Good morning.  Here it is the end of September and fall is in the air but the flowers are still quite vibrant as the temps are still high.  I'm quite okay with that as I so love summer.  Fall is definitely in the air as you can see it, especially when we drive to the cabin and look off in the distance.  The hills of green are now speckled with gold, bronze, orange and yellow as the leaves of the trees are dying and will soon litter the ground.  I was sitting in the back yard yesterday afternoon and looked over at one of the pots of flowers that The Hubby planted.  This beauty is called blue plumbago and has quickly become one of my favorites.  I would love to paint it but I'm not sure I could do it justice.  The neon blue of the flowers just makes my heart sing.  

It's amazing what you see in the world when you open you eyes and really pay attention to the little things around you.

Today, and the next couple of days I'm staying put at the house and will be serenaded by the sound of roof scrapers and nail guns.  Yup, we are getting a new roof and my car will be stuck inside as I do not plan on moving my car while there will be roofing nails everywhere.  I'm sure it will be quite noisy but I have my ear buds and will listen to a book in the mornings and soaps in the afternoon.  It will be nothing as I'm used to The Hubby making all kinds of noises, either on the roof or the power washer, just whatever he chooses to occupy his time with.  

I've been in the studio a bit this week and Monday I decided to try my hand at this photo I took on Saturday afternoon before our family arrived for burgers and birthday celebrations.  

Wanted to share the most recent video of our heart warrior Mighty Max.  He is doing so very well and can't wait for his next milestone.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Today, this girl, my baby girl has a birthday, her 44th.  She will FOREVER be my baby girl (both girls actually!)  You know I had dreams when I left high school, to get married and have babies.  She made my dreams come true.

She was the first grandchild for my parents and the first girl in The Hubby's family of a fistful of boys.

The Hubby's mother was absolutely thrilled to finally have a girl in the family and loved every single day of it.

My butterbowl hat wearing baby!

Our little Tippy. 

Baby bird...

She was a Papa's girl, and Granny.

Her Uncle Steve was beyond thrilled to have a niece.

Cousins...

Ha, 8's The Place, my t-shirt is from our local television station.

Big Dan and my baby, she loved him.  He was a man of very few words and kind of gruff but he did love her, that day anyway...ha.

Remember Cabbage Patch dolls, this is Dina Lindy.

Friends...

Oh my does she look like Snicklefritz or what...

Shuggie (Granny or Greatgranny (as they called her) dog.

More friends...still to this day.

Happy Birthday my love.