May in North Carolina, 2015

We were able to celebrate two birthdays in NC this year. Since it had been nearly a full year since I had seen our Cowboy, who was turning 12, it was quite wonderful to see how close he is to being a man. You can see that part of him emerging. There is more maturity (although a LONG way to go) and of course he was quite a bit taller than last summer. But still not taller than me yet. 

The pictures I took are still to come . . . will be added later! 

Some of the highlights
Taking care of JR for a while.
Seeing D again so soon after his recent trip to see us at Easter.
Visiting the horse barn and seeing Lulu ride.
Watching the kids at the pool. 
Partying with KN who threw quite the bash in the front yard.
Seeing some old friends from Norway who conveniently live nearby.

Spending time with the kids and grand kids is a joy in and of itself. Nothing has to be done, no where has to be gone to, just being with them is enough. I love those little people. 

One thing I learned is Apple is pretty protective of their photos and makes it nearly impossible to rotate. I did research and found this to be widespread. Ridiculous. I took these selfies and after many steps, are still upside down, but I remember being right side up. 

My mom will have to lock her screen and flip her iPad to see them right side up. Go mom, you can do it. 

Sometimes I find my well behaved, well parented grands are  . . . NORMAL. 

Who doesn't remember horsing around and squishing the little bro? 

Cookies

I have begun to make cookies! Fancy cookies. DELICIOUS cookies, as the recipe is outstanding. SOOOO yummy. The frosting is made with white chocolate, so not the typical royal icing used to decorate most cookies. This one is definitely up a notch in the taste department. A lovely friend from church was generous enough to share her recipe and give me tips. I have also been reading blogs. Amazing some of the things you can learn from others. I am also getting more cutters, colors and equipment to make things easier.

So anyway. . . the grandkids had a BIG day recently with baptisms and first communions. The newest grandson, JR, recently officially adopted, had his baptism, and the three oldest siblings, Cowboy, Lulu, and KN received their First Communion. Oh, how I would have LOVED to have been there. It wasn't to be. So . . . I made cookies to send in the mail along with the little stained glass window that I made for JR. 

These have more of a baptismal theme.

These have more of a communion theme.

And this is how I made the shape using my new multi sized circle cutters. 

And next time I will pick a nicer background to take the pictures! I tried to give the cookies a "stained glass" look. So fun. My son's birthday is next and I hope he enjoys his fun cookies that I thought of. 

Spring time jammies

I just finished up the spring time jammies. Didn't get them done in time for the trip, so they will go in the Easter box along with those cookies my son loves. And new toothbrushes. 

 Cowboy is into camo. Got him a simple gray T-shirt to wear with these. 

Lulu's knit jammies. The girl is all about comfort. 

KN is still into Hello Kitty. Not the best fabric, 

but it's all about the logo right now.  

D's pair.  

Since JR is still a baby and wears baby jammies, 

I made him a "dress shirt" like daddy's instead.

Spring time jammies!

These were fun to make, and thankfully didn't take too long. I wasn't sure I would get them done, but thankfully jammies are fairly simple and don't require fittings. Basically need to be long enough and the pants stay up. Hopefully all will work. We'll know soon! 

Note baseball buttons, this little guy loves any sport that uses a ball.  

For the boys, wild animals and camping. 

For the girls. Cats and dogs!

NC fall 2012 - this and that

This is what my son calls the "up the nose" shot. My boys, love 'em.

Two terrific parents. Wise, patient, fun and determined. Love 'em and so grateful to them for raising children that are a pleasure to spend time with. 

Love this boy. That first grandchild always has a special place. It is a miracle, and a magical experience when your own child creates their own little person. 

NC fall 2012 - part 1, the jammies

What a fun, fun, FUN trip to N.C. The best ever!  The weather was gorgeous, we got to see fall colors, the trip there and back was uneventful, no one got sick and it was just five days of smiles and fun with an occasional ruckus or injury to make it REAL!  Yes, my precious grandchildren are CHILDREN after all. My son and daughter-in-law are fabulous parents, not taking short cuts or the easy way out when attention is needed. I am amazed at the patience and humor those two have, certainly two very important attributes for being a good parent. If the grandkids were perfect, I would wonder, and it wouldn't be near as much fun! After all we learn from our mistakes. I, personally, know a LOT! Ha!!

The highlights . . . I made a list. The pinata, opening presents, outside, the gas station incident, the birthday party, the park, the pool, legos and Hey . . . . Tom Sawyer! 

We started with the presents. The kids just can't wait to unwrap their gifts. Funny, cause they always know what they will be, although I try to throw in a surprise now and again. Jammies, toothbrushes and story books. How boring, but they show excitement and gratitude, bless their hearts. Their mom suggested that the jammies are the best gift, so they get two sets at Christmas, two sets in the spring. Works for me. I love the time making them, thinking about them, praying for them, how can grandkids wrap themselves so firmly around you heart? Amazing. 

They were all sweet enough to model one of the pair of jammies for me. 

 Baby D requested LIONS on his jammies. 

 For Baby K, it's all about Hello Kitty! 

Soft and comfy for Lulu.

Camo and John Deere combo, perfect for the cowboy. This guy talked a lot about coming to Texas so he could hunt, do some air rifle/paint gun stuff and go to the trampoline park with his Uncle H. That pretty much describes the boy to a T. 

Done with jammies

Been doing a lot of praying and sewing lately. School starting is a great time to focus on the grandkids and pray for them as they transition to a new school year, with Baby K beginning Kindergarten this year. Fun! 

 Baby D asked for Lions on his jammies, the basket balls are there because he also LOVES anything round and hey, I had them!

 Big sister, Baby K has moved on from Dora to Kitty, so there was enough of this left to make short jammies for Baby D. There is a boy on there playing soccer, so the buttons are soccer and basketball, cause who said the buttons have to match? 

 Four pillow cases. I thought I had enough to use the John Deere to make cowboy's pillow case. He's big enough now that I didn't have enough. Sure glad I bought that extra yard! 

I sure enjoying lining up my projects and seeing all the little people that are special to me. I can't see them very often, but I sure can think of them often. And I do. Love them little grands, they ARE grand. 

Cowboys camo/John Deere jammies. 

Yup, sideways pictures, cause they changed the format again and I can't find the way to get them right side up! Maybe next time. Bummer. 

Four more jammies!

Fun little details, just for Baby K.

Grandson

On our recent trip, our cowboy admired one of his grandfather's shirts. I just happened to have some material leftover, so here you go cowboy. Consider it a belated birthday gift. A supplement to that other gift we got for you.

Two jammies

For my camo camping cowboy.

For my Lulu.

Jammies for the John Deere fan

My oldest grandson is a fan of all that is John Deere and I found "I make dirt look good" flannel. This is the last of the pile of jammies I make to help keep the grandkids warm and snuggy over the winter months.

Ties for Tots

This little black with white polka dots bow tie is for my two year old grandson.

This is for my six year old grandson.

Both are made out of cotton, so a bit different than what you might purchase in the stores. The fabric is to go with their mom's dress for a family photo. They took some time, but I learned a lot, which I always like. The next ones won't be so tricky and I will try different fabrics and try different weights of the iron on pellon for the lining.

Miscellaneous Memories

This was a fun trip with the only exception being that Baby K and daughter-in-law had to miss the day due to Baby K being under the weather.


Just thought this sign was funny.


Not being careful.


Future CEO of John Deere??? He loves to build things and JD is the ultimate TOOL!


I really thought this truck was super cool.


Enjoying the flight simulator.


Not enjoying the flight simulator.


Enjoying bubblegum ice cream . . . now that hits the spot on a hot afternoon.


Ready for the train ride.


Baby D got a little restless on the train, but he found a solution! His big brother is a trooper. He's smiling! Such a patient big brother.


My son and youngest grandson with me. Getting ready to ride a turntable.





This was a fun experience, riding on a turntable where the train cars are parked in bays for storage or servicing. All we did was make the complete circle, but for some reason I was totally enamoured.