More North Carolina

Before the pool shot

 Is there anything more fun and precious than spending time with your grandchildren.  Not for this Grammie.  I loved every minute of it.

Grandpe and Grammie did an 24 hour period with the kiddos, so Mom
and Dad could get away for a much needed husband and wife time.
It went really well, other than the little guy getting a couple bloody noses.
He'd jumped over the arm of the couch and hit his nose on a stick the day before they left and it bled really easy after that.  We managed, Grammie just carried a zip lock bag with supplies just in case and we used them.

Griffin Sawyer he's 3 3/4 years.

Sydney, sooo grown up at 6 1/2 years.

 These pictures were taken on Meghan's sun porch.  I never really thought about having one, but I've really come to enjoy eating out there and Gus likes to sit and read the paper and such in the sun room too.  Who knows maybe our next place will have one.  I put Grandpe in charge once and went outside on the patio and made good use of their porch swing.

So and humid it looks like the fog rolled in.

This one may be a bit better

Don't miss my next post, it will be the 4th of July celebration.

Bumper Bowling and Frozen Yogurt

The grand children are getting older and we like to do

more out-of-the-house activities with them, but it was a challenge

to come up with indoor/out of the rain activities.

 

Meghan had scoped out a cheap movie day for us, so we went to see Ice Age Continental Drift on Tuesday.  It was a good movie, and the kids loved their big box of Skittles.  Me, I went for the theatre popcorn, of course.

 

On Friday, our last day of entertaining Sydney and Griffin we took them Bumper Bowling at the Family Sports Center.  Sydney typed in our names, she has gone there before with her after school program class and knew how; I was impressed.

 

Gus trying to get a strike or even a spare maybe.

Griffin the big boy bowler. 

 Griffin asked every single time if it was his turn, when it was Sydney's.  I tried to explain that we couldn't bowl out of turn, because then it would add the score to her total and not his.  Not an easy concept for a little guy who hates to wait for his turn.

Sydney, happy to be bowling.

Not a great photo, but proof that I was there.

Sydney bowled with and without the assistance of the ramp.

 

Griffin amazingly did not get his fingers pinched between any balls.

We had a great time bowling.  I came in first place and Gary, placed second.  Griffin Sawyer was third place and Sydney came in last.  Sydney was mortified, she said, but I've bowled before and I'm a good bowler.  Yes, and everyone has an off day.  There was no prize money, so we were just having fun, not competing.

We stopped on the way home at a frozen yogurt place called Di'lishi.  It was so delicious the kids ate every drop.  Although many of the toppings were chocolate, I managed to make a great Sundae with Coconut ice cream, coconut flakes, pineapple, peanuts and peanut butter topping.  Yummy!  It was cool to have to freedom to create.

Griffin before eating his chocolate creation.

Sydney loved hers as well.

The kids and I created bird nests and little birds to inhabit them.
I also made chameleons out of pipe cleaners and we took turns hiding them around the house and finding them. Griffin always, always, always, had to give it away.  Even if you hog tied him so he couldn't point, he'd still look right at it. 

 We also had a tea party lunch and dinner.  The kids love the mini snacks and fruit ideas I came up with and it always helps to be in character and act silly.  The kids and I made Get Well Cards for their cousin, Henry and they spent way to much time on my Ipad.  Many of the apps on my Ipad are educational... math, letter identification, patterns, colors, sorting, stacking etc., so it wasn't totally rotting their brains.  I enjoyed teaching them new programs and helping them learn.
 

April, May & June - Where did you go?

 Sorry about the three month absence, life happens....  We get busy, or bored or procrastinate; my excuse is probably some of each, but mostly busy.  I will be trying to post the missing months in August when life slows down for me.  July is insanely busy.

The hubby and I just returned from a visit with our daughter, her husband and two kids in North Carolina.  The first day we were on duty as their day care providers (while their day care was closed for the week) we chose to stay home with them and just spend time being with them, it had been 8 months since my last visit and a whole year since they'd seen their Grandpa.

Bill's Aunt and Uncle had just visited them and bought the kids these cool bubble shooters, so we took them outside to try them out.

Not sure why the pouty look, but still a cute picture.

Griffin almost four, getting the hang of it.

 

The bubbles looked like rainbow globes in the sun.

They made a whole pile of bubbles and stomped them.

 

Sydney posing for this cute shot.  She let Grammie La La braid her hair.

I said "Show me how much fun you're having" and she did.

We also took the kids up to the pool that day in the afternoon.  It was pretty tricky with all the rain we had all week, to get an hour or more when you could be outside.  I didn't take the camera with me, because I knew the kids would want to be in the water the whole time and I had strict instructions not to be more than two feet away from Griffin at all times when he was in the water.  He's a little dare devil.  I also knew we were going back on the 4th to the annual pool party and games, so I decided to take my camera then.  I'll post pictures of the pool day in a later post.

 

Who isn't?

Who isn't on face book these days?

 

One important person, my sister, Martha.

This post is for you, Martha, because you're a very

important person to Audra & her family, so I don't want you

to miss these beautiful pictures.

 

(My sister, Martha is Audra's God mother and also Audra

carries on her middle name "Jane")

Martha has also supported Audra over the years with prayers and

doing special things for her like needlepoint heirlooms etc.

Aunt Martha is a special Aunt to all my girls by the way.

 

These are recent pictures taken by my husband's cousin, Tracy in

Vegas, where my daughter Audra and her family went for a

mini vacation.  Tracy invited them to stay with her and they had just an awesome time.

 

Rick and Audra (the reason the grand babies are so beautiful)



The whole family - Rowyn 2 1/2 yrs, Emma 6 months

Emma Love - 6 months old and always smiling

Rowyn Gracie Jane Roberts 2 1/2 yrs

 

Emma Love Roberts 6 months old

I told Tracy I'd love to go visit her and take photography lessons.
My photography continues to improve slowly, but she
has tons more skill and I'm sure better equipment than I do.
Wow! is all that I can say.
I can't wait to see the rest of the photos.

 

 



1,000 Gifts Continued.....

Have you ever started a book and then halfway through decided to start over at the beginning again?  Well it's seldom that I do, but when I'm afraid I might just miss something important or want to make sure that I'm comprehending all that I  should...well that's when I decide to start it over from the beginning.  Not to mention that I want to make sure I fully understand my dare.  My dare to live fully.  I have a dollar store special notebook that I'm recording all the things I'm grateful to God for, my blessings as I catch them falling upon me each day.
 
Here's my second installation to my list.  I didn't number the first ones, but will start now.  If you'd like to start with my original post here's the link.

 7.  Unexpectedly running into a good friend at my church

 8.  A heroic deed done by a child

 9.  Cuddling under a heavy quilt on a cold night.


10.  My Grandma's bracelet 8 charms long



11.   Watching a child's first experience with snow

12.  A No-recipe homemade soup from what's in the fridge that turns out yummy.

13.  A drowned child/alive and celebrating their second birthday
       (Truman's Open House/Birthday link)  Just noticed this one made number 13, how ironic is that?  Luck had nothing to do with Truman's miraculous out come, we give all the glory to God.

And so I continue reading the book a few pages here and there during my busy days.  I don't want to rush finishing it as I hope to instill a habit of looking and recording by continuing to be amazed by the impact of Ann's book.

It's here!

Yesterday's mail brought some excitement into my day.  I lit up when I saw the package from Vintage Pearl, because I knew my Grandma's bracelet was inside the wrappings.  It arrived quick and just as I specified, every name of my grandchildren in order of their birth and spelled correctly.  It's beautiful and I can't wait to start showing it off.  I did put a post on face book yesterday, the extent of showing it off so far, but hope to wear it soon.  The twins would drive me crazy if I wore it to work, they love to grab anything I attempt to wear at their house, so will refrain from wearing it over there.

 

Oh dear!  The entire picture isn't showing up.  This will have to suffice for now, but will try to post another picture of the entire bracelet soon.

 

Here's a link to vintage pearl's web site.

I used an online coupon code and saved $26.00, so

if you decide to order something, don't forget to look for

a code first.

 

I also have jewelry by Lisa Leonard.

Olive Garden Recipe (copy cat)

Olive Garden Recipe

Pasta E Fagioli Soup

 

 

2 lbs ground beef                       3 (10 oz) cans beef broth

1 onion, chopped                       3 tsp oregano or 

3 garlic cloves, minced                or Italian seasoning

3 ribs celery, chopped               2 tsp pepper

3 carrots, chopped                     5 tsp parsley

2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes   1 tsp Tabasco sauce

1 (16 oz) can red kidney            1 (26 oz) jar spaghetti sauce

    beans                                      8 ounces pasta  

1 (16 oz) can white kidney

  beans drained

 

Brown hamburger, drain.  Add onion and garlic and saute, then transfer

to a large slow cooker.  Add all remaining ingredients except pasta.  Cook on LOW for 7 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.  During the last 30 minutes on high, or 1 hour on low, add pasta.  Serve with grated Parmesan on top.

 

This was the most delicious new soup recipe I have tried in a long time.  I bought 365 Days of Slow Cooking by Karen Petersen a while back and am slowing trying some of the recipes.  I would highly recommend this one.