November 12, 2018 ~ A Wedding Celebration

It hardly seems possible that just over a week ago we celebrated the recent marriage of my daughter, when it feels like just yesterday that I, myself, got married!

I look in the mirror and realize that, while mentally I still think I'm that 20 something girl, physically, time is marching on, making changes and taking it's toll on my not so young body anymore.

I watch my daughter and realize that now is her time, this is her moment to start down the road, to begin her journey into adulthood, just as each of us has done before her.

There will be joy and sadness, success and failure, impressionable and memorable moments in her life that will define, mold and shape her into a mature person in the way that only life and it's experiences can do. 

I watch, both with joy and trepidation, knowing that there will be happiness and excitement over little things, yet knowing that not all of life is happy and exciting. But if anyone has the courage and determination to live life to it's fullest, my daughter is surely one who will do it.... While I, now on the sidelines, will always be there praying, encouraging and cheering her on. ♥

 

 ~ ♥ ~

Picture Collages of Recent Days ~ January 19, 2016

Here in the northeast our winter snows have finally come. 

What a change!

Charlie has been anxiously awaiting the snow, bemoaning that it just doesn't seem like winter without it. There, now he can be happy ~ and I sent him out to shovel it!

Dean spent 2 hours today clearing us out from a blizzard like night with steady snowfall and blustery winds.

Becca had to brush off her car, which had been sitting all day during her shift at work. She says she's not meant to brush off that much snow! It made me chuckle. I think she dislikes being out in the snow as much as I do!

I gathered the dogs for walks through the yard, and smiled as they romped happily in this white stuff that they remember is so much fun to play in....Such is the life of a dog!

When they'd had their fill, once back inside, I peered through the windows to watch my bird feeders. Then I took to the outdoors to snap some pictures.

Despite not liking the snow and cold of winter, I find myself enjoying the beauty of the season nonetheless!

Wishing you well, my friends!

~ ♥~

Birthday Wishes For The Birthday Girl ~ January 13, 2016

It's hard to believe that my firstborn is now 20 years old. I can honestly say that my brain cannot fathom just how that can be possible! But, as sure as there's snow in winter, it's true. *SIGH*

She's beautiful, intelligent, accomplished, charming, kindhearted and all grown up!

Becca and her boyfriend, Justin.

O Christmas Tree

Last weekend Charlie and I set up our Christmas tree. Every year I think that maybe I should have gotten a bigger, fuller or taller one, but then, as we gently put all the branches in place and fluff them up, the tree takes shape and I change my mind, again. Then I think of how hard it would be to get rid of the first tree Dean and I bought for the first Christmas we ever shared as a family. So I lovingly begin to set out decorations to hang on it's beautiful branches. This year, my folks were also here to share the moment ~ and that makes it special, too. They were there that first Christmas when we brought this very same tree home, and decorated it with the children. I like when moments and memories carry on. ☺

Here is Charlie placing the branches on the "trunk". 

Becca and I decided on a bird theme this year. She and her boyfriend got me started by surprising me with a few ornaments they bought me as a gift. Here they are.....

Cork Boards Inside Cupboard Doors

For several years my refrigerator has been a catch all for magnets, pictures, lists, business cards, coupons, schedules and jewelry (jewelry?). But this past week, that all changed. While browsing around on Pinterest, I came across the most clever idea of using cork boards inside the cupboard doors for keeping track of the stuff that normally ends up on my fridge.

So, I purchased a pack while out shopping one day, and, voila ~ what a super nice change! (Of course, I also decluttered and took care of some stuff that really just needed to be put away!)

It was such a drastic change, in fact, that when Becca came home and saw our refrigerator, (I mean really saw it so that she could actually tell you what color it was), she exclaimed in surprise and just stood there starring at it! Lol.... It truly was a funny moment!

Here are some pictures of how the project unfolded:

 

The cluttered front

The cluttered side

A 4 pack of boards that was pretty reasonably priced

The adhesive squares (provided) put onto the back

The board secured onto the inside of my cupboard door

Items from fridge transferred onto the board

And more items, plus added pictures of our adorable granddaughters :)

The baking cupboard door has some of our most used recipes

Ah.....oh my goodness.....a very uncluttered fridge front

And a not too shabby side, considering how it first was!

 In all honesty, the much less cluttered refrigerator has actually improved the look and feel of our entire cozy kitchen!

Happy 18th Birthday, Beautiful Girl!

Last week, we celebrated my daughter's birthday. The tiny, precious baby I once knew is now a lovely young woman. Where in the world did the years go? Some days I wish there was a replay button.... Some days memories of her childhood tumble around in my mind.... Some days I look at her and see a resemblance to that little girl she once was.

Lately, I have moments of pride as I reflect on the challenges she is taking on, the responsibility she is learning and the accomplishments she has achieved. I'm proud for her courage, inquisitiveness, happy exploration and growing maturity. I think it takes a certain amount of bravery to come to the realization that you are no longer a child. For the last year, her steps have slowly, gradually been leading her to the beginning of adulthood. The long awaited, so anticipated milestone that every young person longs for! I remember clearly that time in my own life. 

I look on with tears in my eyes, a lump in my throat and happiness in my heart for all that lies ahead of her.....I'm excited, I'm hopeful, and sometimes, yes, I am anxious for her. I want for her what every parent surely wants for their child - love, happiness, safety, blessings, security, prosperity and a deep seated sense of well-being. I want what I know sometimes life does not always give. But I do know that every step of the way, no matter where she may be, no matter what the journey of life holds for her, I will be there.....I will always be there for her because that's just the way it is for this one mother's love. 

HAPPY, HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY MY MOST SPECIAL GIRL!!!

A popular saying comes to mind, and this, my darling girl, is what I wish for you ~

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields and....

may God hold you {always} in the palm of His hand.

A Family Tradition

From the time I was young, making homemade sausage has been a tradition in my family. Some time ago, I inherited the meat grinder used by my paternal Italian grandparents for years. I was so thrilled to have this part of our family history handed down to me! In light of that fact, I thought it would be nice to start off the New Year with a day of doing this memorable tradition with my family. 

This is a bowl of gorgeous pork butt roast cut into chunks.

Next, it was seasoned with the spices our family likes in our sausage. A simple homemade sausage recipe is easy to find on the internet so you can get an idea of the typical spices generally used.

This is what the chucks of meat look like once they have gone through the grinder.

Now my father, my husband, Dean, and I run the meat through the grinder (notice it's a hand crank one!) a second time, this time into the casing that will hold it in the sausage shape.

The tray is getting full of our delicious homemade sausage!

My father cut the very long sausage link into smaller links just like you see them packaged in the store.

My mother, my daughter, Becca, and Dean are in charge of packaging the individual links into meal size portions. The sausage is then put into the freezer for safe keeping until we're ready to pull some out for a meal!

 I can tell you, there's just nothing like the taste of fresh, homemade sausage. We had a great time tasting the delicious results and making fun, family memories that will last a lifetime!

~ ♥ ~ 
What tradition is passed down in your family from generation to generation?

A Recent Outing

On the trail at a beautiful, local park

A sweet smelling, inviting meadow alongside our trail

This hallowed out tree is amazingly still standing!

Makes you wonder how long it took to get like this

Berries for the birds

A bench along the trail for resting, and perhaps, quiet reflection....

Dean checking out all that was around us

This picture is totally natural - no enhancements whatsoever! This was just the bright, gorgeous sun shining through the leaves above and it was spectacular!

A second hallowed out tree

Another trail walker taking a moment to sit and enjoy the beauty of nature

Deer right along the road, unafraid of humans, just eating apples that fell from the tree!

A painted turtle that was trying to cross the road. My stepdaughter put it back into the safety of the woods.

This fawn was about 150 yards away with its mother along our trail. My stepdaughter took this picture with her amazing camera!

We had a great family excursion on this day that we headed out together. What peace and enjoyment I get out of being with my family, drinking in the beauty of nature all around us, hearing the cicadas high in the trees and listening to the chirping of birds here, there and everywhere!

My Daughter, The Graduate

Congratulations on a job well done, Miss Rebecca. We're SO PROUD of you!

♥~XOXOXOXO~♥

Graduation Dress

Here is the dress my daughter, Becca, and I chose for her graduation day. It looked so classy on her with an A-line skirt on the bottom half. At the middle it had a black band that made a nice, slimmed in look at the waist. We got it, and the pearls, for just $12 at the thrift shop!!

Well, I guess this is the only view of the dress you're going to see on her because apparently not one full length shot from the front was taken. Sigh....there was just so much going on!

"Family" Picture Frame

While stopping in at my local thrift store to look for a particular book, I passed by the picture frames shelf, and happened upon this really nice, good quality frame. I didn't end up finding the book I had wanted, but I walked out very happily with my new picture frame!

When I came home, I dug out some pictures and came across a few that the children, Dean and I had taken when we went to a place called Putt Putt. They have this really cool photo booth that we had a blast squeezing into, and paid a small fortune to get our pictures painted by Leonardo, the "artist". We did this two years in a row, since going to Putt Putt was my son Charlie's request each of those years for his birthday.

I cut them to fit the openings of the new frame and, wah-lah! I was very pleased with the finished results.

There was one picture, though, that my son ended up having taken of himself upright, and obviously it would not fit with the others. So I dug out an extra black frame from my stash for that one.

Don't ask me what he's doing here, because I don't really know, but apparently it's "cool"!

Then I started looking at where I could display the new frame. I settled on the top of my roll top desk, which had already been decorated with items, but I felt it was time for a change. I placed the pictures and a few other things on the desk top, and stood back to look. Hmmm, not quite right.

I immediately decided on putting my son's picture in another black frame I have, because it also had a border of gold that tied in with my smaller gold frame, in addition to matching the new "family" one. Ahhh, that was better. But.....the display was still off. Not balanced correctly and lacking something....... So I added a bit of greenery.

Yes! That was much better. But the balance was still off, and the placement of everything just didn't seem to "fit". So, I shifted some things around, stepped back and breathed a sigh of relief. Ahhh, yes! This arrangement seemed to look appealing and balanced to my eye. Apparently, it must have passed the test with Becca, too. When she came home, she noticed the change right away and complimented that it looked cute. Now that's what I like to hear! 

The end result. Nothing fancy, but I really like it!☺

P.S. The lamp is quite special because it's one that my father made. The red vase is from beautiful Valentine flowers Dean gave me. The little gold framed picture is from my mother ~ it's the Thousand Island Park Gazebo. When I was younger, my family lived in T.I. Park for a few of the most memorable years of our lives! The plant is one that Becca chose and she's had it for several years now. The votive candle holders are a gift from my older sister, and the cat plaque is a gift from my parents. WOW. That's a lot of memories and "specialness" on the top of that desk!!

A Ball To Remember

Here are some photos of my lovely Becca on the evening of her Senior Ball.