Merry Christmas to all.

This is our Christmas card this year. It was a goof but we loved it so much.  Hubby and I were trying to hold the baby still when the hat fell down over her eyes.

And now you can see her face.  We have so much fun with her.  She is starting to walk a little now.  Hope we can keep up with her.

Are you wrapping up getting ready for holidays.  I started so early by getting my shop space ready the first of November.  I still having baking and wrapping to do, but going to just enjoy the last 10 days.

I'm looking forward to the get togethers  with our family.  We keep the gifts simple here.  I'm trying to hold out on just giving money or gift cards. That day is coming soon enough.  

We are having a busy month with our eyes. I had cataract surgery last week. It went well.  Hubby has to have a little surgery to remove a cyst in the corner of his eye on the 20th.  He has to see a plastic surgeon that specializes in eyes.  It should be minor, we are hoping.  Then after Christmas I'm having my other eye done.  We should see well to bring in the new year.

It's been cold here but not much snow.  I'd rather have it a few degrees warmer and more snow.  Sorry, but it's just magical.

The older grands are busy with basketball games, dancing, and digging for gold.  Q is having a birthday party tomorrow in the mountainous where they get to dig for gold.  How cool is that.  We love when they call for back up with the kids.  It's nice that hubby only works one day a week because some times it takes two of us.   They are now 14, 13,11, 11, 11, 9, 8, and 1.  

Our furry kids are always on our laps except when the baby is here.  They follow her at all times.

So we would love to wish you all a Christmas with memories to cherish and a happy, heathy New Year.

And we hope Santa is good to you.

3 Months Later

I can't believe my last post was three months ago.  I have tried to visit through Facebook, Instagram and Blog Lovin.

With so much going on in our country right now, I though this would be a good photo to share.  

We certainly need more love and less hate. We all need to worry about our little ones and their future by doing what we can.

With that said, it has been crazy around here.  I know in your lives, too.  It's been one medical thing after another for me this entire year.  So far all is well.  Just a lot of hurdles.

I'm still on Etsy (Grammy petals Shop) and have space in an antique store outside of town.  

The grands keep me busy. They are now 14, 13, 11, 11, 11, 8, 7, and one.  Yep, that babyis one. We have the best time with her.  Such a sweet baby.

Hubby is still working one day a week. He just got back from Colorado helping out our grandkids that live there. I had to cancel because Little Hank was ill.  He's doing okay now .

I don't think I even posted about our family trip to Hilton Head.  We had a good time but one family was missing.  Oh and I choked on water and it went into my lungs. See I told you. We were missing this family on vacation.

Well friends, stay safe and don't look at the eclipse.

Rain, rain, flowers and birthdays

Four generationsMy Mother turned 90.  About 50 of us spent the weekend together celebrating.  Little cousins met other little cousins.  It was somewhat a take over of the hotel. We had a banquet one evening.  It was a little too much for the birthday girl as the following two weeks she was pretty ill.  She's back to normal and drove her car .  Scary.

The sun is trying to shine.  So much rain.  We have been lucky considering the rest of the country.  The flowers are blooming.  Trying to hold off a little longer before starting my fairy gardens and potted plants.  

I'm closing one retail space and keeping my Etsy shop.  My other retail space in a little town near here is where my things will go.  I recently added more Steiff animals including puppets to both .

I found this tiny dollhouse with all the furniture recently. It's only about 8" long. This Steiff keystone  cop is a rare find.

And little peanut is getting hair.  She's about to get a kiss from Piper.  She is everywhere doing the army crawl.

And here are the birthday kids.  The cute guy turns 11 this month.  (From left to right). Next Elli and Allie turned 11.  Then our 14 year old.  But the next two have birthdays in December. 

Happy Mother's Day.

Spring break

Seriously, Easter is this weekend.  

We have been busy, but a lot of good times.

My daughter and her children came for their Spring Break.  That meant lots of family time.  And a photo shoot, far from professional, with all the grands.  It's more like smile, click click. But this event doesn't happen but about every two years. No time to call a pro.  Although my son  wife's camera and she is a pro. These are not those pics. It was raining so we had to find the best indoor spot. Guess who was the center of attention.  

I'll be back soon with some of the other fun events. I will spare you the ones that weren't so fun.

Daffodils and Snow

My daffies are in shock. They bloomed in February.  With snow predicted they will probably not make it.

We have had such warm weather. Lately some chilly weather. 70s on day 20s the next.  Hoping you all surviving.

A couple of cuties I have made for my retail spaces. I really like needle felting.  My little Hank loves to steal my wool.

  A tiny birds nest.

New project started with some ducks.

My daughter and her children are coming the end of the month from Colorado.I need to finish projects and get ready. I can't wait to my fisher boy sees the pond.  The deer and the ducks are making daily visits. 

Our 3 ten year olds have started turning 11. Goose is first.  On her birthday she had an accident that involved hitting a sign twice and cutting her head.  They used glue to mend it but later they found out she has a concussion.  Hoping she will be well soon. She is tiny but plays very rough basketball and year around soccer.  Then she got hurt running on the playground.

Well that's it for today.  Stay safe.

Heart Day for sure

i know this isn't a good picture but it's US and how we celebrated our Valentines.

I spent three hours getting tests on my heart and another hour checking my brain.  And Hubby sat waiting for me patiently.  Well almost, he got worried when I was gone for three hours and not two.  And the good news is both are fine.  When I returned from the horrific brain scan I was a mess.  He took my socks off and rubbed my legs with lotion.  The nurse said, "You guys are so cute." My son told his dad that he was a good husband and that he is.  

The week before he surprised me .  We went for lunch and on the way to the movie he said he wanted me to look for a heart shaped diamond. I had a beautiful one once.  My challenged son had taken it and gave it to a girl that was also challenged.  But we didn't know that for 15 years.  I looked and looked for that ring.  We thought I had lost it or it was taken.  So this was my surprise.  The lady at the jewelry store tried to talk me into a band as well .  I think she said, "Wow you like things plain." Hah, yep that's me.  It's beautiful with my band.

No need to worry .  I just had several symptoms that together combined with my family history caused concern for a two night stay in the hospital and a bunch of tests.  Still no answers but with a good heart and a good brain, I can't complain. I'm to see a neurologist and another test was recommended.  I don't think I can handle any more tests for awhile.

The hospital ER and rooms were full. So many are sick with the flu. In the cardiac wing the patients we saw were struggling.  Hubby and I both said we wanted to get back to the pool and do better with our diets.  

So I'll just stop there for now.  ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Our little peanut is 6 months.

Our little Jubilee is six months now. She is a wiggle worm.  It's hard to get a good picture. Grampy is under the blanket. I covered him up.  

Please say a little prayer for our baby. I don't want to go into detail here.  She needs some tests to make sure she is okay. Her challenged parents cancelled the tests . 

She is so sweet.  Smiles all the time.  She found out her feet work.  Our pup was scared of her feet.  He soon found out she wasn't going anywhere and gave her another couple licks.

If you think you worry about your children. It's even harder when they have babies.

Hugs to all.

Speaking of dogs

Good morning.  I hope you are all well.  Lots of germs going around. I had the Noro virus and it set me back a couple weeks.  I do not have a great immune system.

  Yesterday was a cold day.  The weather had been really warm for January in Ohio, but winter is back. I talked Hubby into a afternoon movie because we can do that now.  I enjoy his retirement.

We we put to see the "A Dog's Purpose", I think that's the title.  I got the book for Hubby but he hasn't read it all.  We knew by the  commercials it would be sad.  Yes it is sad . Spoiler alert, it ends well.

If you see the movie or read the book you will understand why I am writing about Piper.

I looked back in my posts but I couldn't go back 8 years to find I think my first or second post that was about how we found Piper.

Before I tell you about Piper I have to tell you about Matty.  We found our first Springer at the pound.  Funny thing is we live next door to the pound, now.  There is a small woods between us. Back to Matty, (I am sure I am ADD) we had this brainy idea that when my uncle's dog died close to when his wife died, we would get him a puppy.  He would be at our house on Christmas.  So a couple days before we go to the pound.  Before we could get out of the car we see this guy carrying puppies inside.  He also brought the Mama in. I guess he rescued the Mama and then bred her.  He kept one of the puppies.  Nice guy , right!!  Well we saw those beautiful puppies.  We choose one with brown, liver, spots. Because the pup had been on the floor for 30 minutes the dog warden (who was a neighbor at our old home) said he would refund our money if the dog got sick.  He also put the papers in our name.  He told us it might be a bad idea to get the puppy as a surprise.  During those 2 days we started falling in love.  My uncle didn't  take her because he already made plans to get another dog.  We already had two cocker spaniel's.  The kids said no way could we keep her.  But they were all in college, well three out of four.  So their votes didn't count.  We named her Matty.  What a great dog she was.  So sweet and gentle.  We lost her at 12 and it broke our hearts.  It always does.

We weren't going to get another dog.  Nope.  Then about three months right after Christmas I wanted to just look at puppies.  We went to the same pound.  Nothing tugged at our heart strings.  They just brought in a dog they found in a trash dumpster.  He was scared to death.  We felt so bad for him.  So we went next door to the humane society. They didn't open til an hour later.  So we went look at the pet store.  Beautiful pups,  but decided to go back to the humane society.  We had seen in the paper a cute black lab.  Well a lady had herself camped in front of her cage waiting to see her.  (We found our later she didn't get her). So walking back to the car my husband said, "I am shocked you didn't see a dog you wanted."  Knowing myself . the person that brings home dogs and kids to adopt, he had reason to think that.

Sorry this is so long.  So there we were parked next to the pound. I said I wanted to go in to see that scared dog to see if he was better. Not to adopt him.  We went in again.  Hubby was talking to an attendant that was seeing to that poor dog. I walked three cages down and LO and BEHOLD there was a four month old Springer that had not been there one hour ago.  I shouted to my Hubby to come over.  Now we had already decided to get a female dog with short hair and not a Springer.  We picked HIM up and walked to the desk and said we want him.  He had just been dropped off by a lady.  She had a story about seeing him walked no down the road with a couple of little kids.  It was wet and mushy snow outside.  The dog was dry and clean.  We think he was a Christmas gift that was a bad idea.  WELL we were told we had to wait three days to see if he had an owner.  I visited him everyday.  On the the third day I went for him. They said no one had come forward to claim him but it was four days, not three.  Knowing how difficult this person was , I didn't want to stomp my feet and loose my doggy.  So I left.  I called them several times that day to see if anyone claimed him.  So the next day I went and got our Piper.  I know it's a girl name but his name is Piper. He has been the best dog ever.  He did have Parvovirus after we got him but I was determined when a vet wouldn't help him, that he would be okay.  I have always said that Matty placed him there for us to find.  

Okay, after seeing the movie, I still feel that she gave us Piper.  

If you are still reading,thanks.  It's a great story I think. Go see the movie.

(Yes there was a story from PETA about one scene.  I remember people sayingtothrow your child into a pool so they could learn to swim.  I tend to believe that the scene they were talking about was handled differently than how it was portrayed.  I still blame the for the elephants and the circus. I have friends as far back as 50 years that say that they weren't abused. I tend to believe someone that was there full time.  Rant over.)

First the elephants now the circus

I'm so sorry to hear that in six months there no longer be The Greatest Show On Earth.  It's sad. I really think it had a lot to do with the elephants.  I have friends that worked in that circus.  They have said the elephants were all cared for and were like friends.

Most people have said they were sad to see this show come to an end.  Others say the employees will find jobs.  They will also need homes.  

I have been so blessed to meet some of the clowns that are no longer with us.  The stories they told made us laugh and long for just a bit of that life. What I love about the circus are the clowns (of course) and the elephants.  I used to take my kids to watch the circus set up the big tent.  We would sit on the grass and watch. I remember the elephants walking trunk to tail.  I'm not crazy about the scary dare devil acts but show me a  clown in the cannon or in a little car. i hope the smaller circuses will step up and fill the void. They are fun as well.  But they need more than one clown.  There still be camps and schools to train those May clowns.  I'm so glad that I have been able to help in those areas. Getting to know some really special people is the reward.

I hope there will be little clowns that will grow up to be real clowns one day.

Cozy Blanket

It's that time of year that the word COZY comes to mind.  Well to my mind anyway.  We live in the Mid West, actually Ohio.  I never could understand why Ohio is classified as Mid West.

In our little world during the winter months it is cold.  The picture is taken from our front porch.  I dearly love snow.  It's just pretty and almost magical.  We also have many days that are dark and dreary.  So you stay inside and COZY UP.

So what does COZY mean to me.  I have made a list. 

A warm home

A somewhat tidy home. ( it's hard to relax when things need to be done)

A fire in the the fireplace. (In my home it's an electric fireplace)

Dogs to warm your lap

A cup of your favorite warm drink

A relaxing movie or a good book

Candles

Little white lights

Pictures of loved ones

A favorite craft or art project. ( I just learned to needle felt)

Your favorite collections and furnishings surrounding you

Yummy soup 

Someone to love and enjoy their company

And of course a COZY BLANKET

So that what COZY means to me.  What about you? 

Happy New Year

Our Christmas was nice.  We got to spend time with all our local kids and grandkids.  We face timed the Colorado kids . Tomorrow we are going to see my mother and my husband's sister.

The week before Christmas we relaxed and it felt good.  Retirement has its benefits.

I felt there was much more to this holiday than presents.  I know I enjoy giving more than receiving.  We had a nice snow the week before Christmas .  It felt so cleansing. People were happier. It seemed like things were more meaningful and a bit magical.

We went to our church on Christmas Eve.  They showed the cutest little video about Jesus' birth. I had seen it on Facebook but didn't take the time to watch. Oh my goodness, it was adorable.  It's on my time

Line on FB if you would like to see it.

I have to tell you about my favorite gift.  My 10 year old grandson went to the Bahamas in October with his parents on a Arbonne reward trip.  He asked if I wanted him to find me something. I said I would love some sea glass if he could find some.  I love it and I have never found any.  He looked but didn't see any on the beach.  But he used his own money and bought this for me.  He earned the money modeling for a sports clothing catalog.  Now this is special.  He said he knew I would love it.   Is this wonderful or what.  I must add that he bought his other grandmother a shot glass, hah. And his sister, Mabel, did not want to spend any of her money on anyone.  

At the top of the driftwood tree is a starfish and a tiny piece of sea glass.  

I didn't take many pictures of our get together so but here are a few. Happy new year.