This is your day!

59 years ago, Miss Hot Stuff on the right gave birth to a little girl. She swears I stayed in 10 months.  

I say I just wanted to stay close to her.  

You may be able to tell, I got my sense of humor from her!  Her sister is on the left.  

This is really your day, mama.  You did all the work and then continued caring for me!

I can never say how much I love you and all you taught me!

You're not only Hot Stuff, you're a fabulous mother!!

On the last year in the 50's

My sister had as her Facebook status one day.....aging seems to be the only available way to live a longer life....Dee Auber.......seems appropriate for me as I'm soon advancing another year on the monopoly board of life.  

The only part of aging I have a problem with is aches and pains, wrinkles (I really have a problem with wrinkles), body parts starting to head south and younger people acting like I'm old!  Yes, I think that's it....although my memory is going along with everything else.  What was I saying?

Oh, yea, just a couple of years ago I was having my 50th birthday.  Some of my friends had a great surprise party.......I'm not crazy about surprises, but it was really a great party.

I had planned to be fit by 50.......that didn't work out so well so my new plan is to be sexy by 60 and I have one year and two days to accomplish that.  We shall see.

Looks like the coconuts were already beginning to droop at 50!  

I just barely missed the fit part.  By about 30 lbs.

But truly, my mama always said the 50's were the best years of her life, and it's certainly been true.  

Yes, there have been some bumps in the road...and a couple of sinkholes, but over all these years have been great.  I have one more to go so I'll have to make it really good.  

Like make a sunny day out of rain.

Here are some very random, not always in the first person, in no particular order and not including every single thing...memory you know....... things I may or may not have learned and may or may not remember when things aren't going just right for the future.

I have NO control over anyone other than myself and sometimes not even myself.  I also have NO control over most if not all situations, o.k. all.

Pray before I open my mouth.....Put a guard over my mouth Oh, Lord!  


Pray that I WILL NOT open my mouth in most situations.

Be patient.....working on that one

Love, love, love

My children will embarrass me and I will embarrass them at one time or another

I will embarrass myself more

Love my husband more each day......that is the easy one!

Dress up even just to clean house...anyone who ever watched soap operas knows this!


But some days stay in your pajamas till noon or maybe even later!

Show hospitality

Do something you don't have to do and don't tell anyone...make sure it's nice......like not rolling yards or anything.

Smile......it really does make you and everyone around you feel better

Be nice to cashiers.....it's not their fault if you're having a bad day

Never nag.....working on that one too.....probably for the rest of my life

Stop worrying, it doesn't change anything.....I most probably won't accomplish that one in this lifetime either.

During my mid 50's I stopped coloring my hair.  That has been so freeing, and I don't see a line of roots in every picture......plus saves a lot of money.  To be used on something else of course.

I 'm not the expert on everything......this was a huge shock to me


During my mid 50's two of my grandchildren became teenagers.....if that doesn't slam the age home I don't know what will.  I also got a brand new grandson and inherited another teen!  Life is good!

Grandchildren are a gift.......a precious gift.

Life is a gift.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength

Remember you may be the only Bible some people read

Live well.....you'll die one day and people will talk about you.

Calling for Prayers

We know a beautiful family who is in need of prayers.  

Please read her post all the way down and you'll see their newest need.

And thanks, friends!

http://barbara-keepingupwiththesteins.blogspot.com/2011/07/matt-and-michaile.html

Also, please leave them a comment telling them you're praying, it would mean so much to them!  

Refuge

Is there a certain place in your home that is a place of quiet rest?  

Mine is my bedroom and in the last several months I've felt the need for a refuge from the storms of life.  You know just those general storms with occasional thunder and lightning thrown in.

For a long time, I've dreamed of having a chair in my bedroom to sit and read, pray, watch movies or just plain be.  I finally got it!  I'm a reader and the chair is right by the windows so I get really good light which in my later years I seem to need!  The best part is it is so comfortable and it's so pretty.

The table was Russell's grandfather's desk and is the perfect place for my books and anything else I throw there.

When the last of our children moved out, we I decided it was time for a new bedroom with a king size bed.  The dogs needed more room.

After a test run with some furniture we just couldn't live with, we settled on this.......and by the way, we'll be moving that little picture and getting to the walls later!

This is Russell's dresser.  Oddly enough, he needs more drawer space than I do, but I have the bigger closet.  Wasn't he a smart man to build two big closets in our bedroom?  He built the house before I even knew him, for a single father with two boys who said he had no intention of marrying again.   Until he met me that is  I had to do a few girly alterations when I came on scene!

The bed is huge!  Remember this is the first time we've had a king size bed.  The dogs don't have to shove us over now.

Oh, yes, and the night stands and we even got new lamps.  

This is not the media stand we will end up with......it goes with the crappy other furniture and ours isn't in yet and you know we have to have t.v. 

Here is my place of refuge, where is yours!?  I really, really want to know!

And on the seventh day.....

..............she gets a moment to talk with her friends.  That's you guys!  


I guess you can tell that I don't write my posts in advance.  If I did maybe I could post more often.  Right now I'm sitting in our bed with my husband writing this as he watches a movie.  This way I can spend a little time with you and with my hubby!

So much to show and tell and so little time!  And maybe just a little bit of a rant, but that can wait.  I know there are lots and lots of pictures so feel free to skip over them if you can!

The princess after showering off all the algae she picked up from the beach.

Son Matt had us over to his new house and cooked dinner for us.....very yummy.

Of course he was also focused on showing dad how the new system works.

Working hard in the kitchen.

This little guy and his mama and daddy came for the weekend.  We had so much fun in spite of the rain.

Charley is really on the move now with no stopping.......isn't his little tent cute!

Charley and Daddy

What do you think George?

Uh oh, Nana, George is trying to leave!

Pappy and I love, love, love being with the grands.  Someone is missing from this picture and it made us very sad!

Ashley singing in the rain.....she makes the best of every situation

Oh, by the way, we are always glad to babysit!

The rain finally let up for a little bit and Charley went swimming!

Daddy and Mama had fun swimming with Charley

Charley in motion!

Uncle David helped Charley as he walked up and down the little step from deck to deck.

Charley is a very brave little boy.  He's jumping, well almost, to Daddy while Mikey watches.

I did it!!!

Pappy was backwashing the pool which made a fountain in the yard.  Charley was headed that direction.

Later in the evening, we had dinner and were joined by David and his family.
Ashley with Devin making silly faces!

Uncle Matt came after work.......Charley was so glad to see him!

Pappy and Jack

David wasn't mad, he just wasn't smiling!  But Arwen was.

Thumbs up on the dinner

Tommy and Charley

Ashley standing Charley on the kitchen bar

Give me a kiss Mikey

Hold it, don't you usually make the bed for this picture?

Chase me Ashley.....Charley would run and laugh.  You know, that laugh that everyone loves to hear

I'm gonna get you Charley.......

Charley loved playing hide and seek with the curtains.  Pappy told him to go ahead that I had never liked those curtains anyway.  True!

It's really wonderful having any of the grands with us for church.

Charley loved opening and closing the screen door.   Look how he's studying how it works, his daddy is an engineer after all.

Loves his Uncle Matt

And I believe Uncle Matt loves Charley!

It was a wonderful weekend, over too fast and Ashley left on Monday.....but more about that later.

***********************************

Rats, no time to rant.  But I do have a prayer request.....I always say this is the best prayer chain.
Our friend Mickey has renal cell carcinoma and had a kidney removed several weeks ago.  Monday, he had a wedge of his lung removed and it was determined to be renal cell.  The future in uncertain but we know who holds the future and He is never uncertain.  Thank you for the prayers.

Good night friends!

And just like that!

Like snapping my fingers, it is already Wednesday and seven days have passed!

 We've been busy when we are out of the pool....

 Aunt Cathy came over for a day and we enjoyed visiting.

O.K. I take all the hugs I can get!

With Pappy and animal house...

Uncle David and Ashley acting like Uncle David and Ashley..... having a good time together.

Yes!  She's not too old to play with frogs!

In fact, I think she's going to eat that frog.....she didn't!
Whew!

The top to my Ugandan bowl made a great hat as she patiently posed for Nana to take pictures.

The annual Nana's bed picture....sad because we were missing Adam.

Man, I love this girl!!

Uncle Tommy came in out of the rain!

Tuesday was beach day.  Ashley's new cousin Devin joined us on our trip to the state park.  It was packed and the water wasn't even pretty.  Let me say that we do live on the World's Most Beautiful Beaches, but the seaweed was plentiful.

The girls had a good time frolicking in the Gulf

I sat in a chair on the beach reading while they played in the Gulf  watching as they played in the water, completely carefree for a little while.

These are a few of my thoughts as I watched them.....

When I was their age.......19......I had a one year old and the playing and easy going beach days were kind of over for me.  At least playing at the beach with no responsibilities.  I pray that they will stay in school, get their educations and let boys be last on the list for now.  

I pray they live their lives to glorify the Lord.


Being this young will be gone so fast......before they know it they'll be sitting on a beach somewhere watching their grandchildren play.


I sure do love these girls.


I wish the lady sitting beside us wouldn't smoke wonder if they're ready to go yet.


The days are flying by.  Tomorrow night, or should I say Friday a.m., they are going to the midnight showing of the last Harry Potter movie.  It's so much fun just watching them and what grandparent doesn't love seeing grandchildren having fun?  


If only time would slow down a bit.  Ahhhh......but I'm enjoying every moment.