January Birthdays

It seems like the holidays just get over, and we have not one, but two, birthdays to celebrate. Dawson on the 7th and Kloe on the 9th. The request this year was a three layer cake that looks like a Rubik's Cube. Ya, right. Thankful for the power of google, this is what I came up with.

Down right impressed, I am! I used a new frosting from a dear friend, and it is a keeper. It keeps the colors well, and is a charm to decorate with. 

 Dawson opening his gifts.....

 Lexy helping Kloe.....

 She wanted lime green! I think she likes it!

The birthday kids. I can't believe how quickly the years pass. Kloe is 9, Dawson is 8. Seems like he just turned 3 and had tubes put in his ears. 

I hope the smiles are true representations of these kids. They certainly are the smile in my heart.

Happy Birthday.

Post Holiday Visit.

After Christmas, Ken and I traveled to Saco, and met up with my dear friend, Sue. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at "our new favorite restaurant that we meet them at," The Run of the Mill. We talk and talk and laugh and laugh, and truly enjoy our lunch dates. After we ate, we visited with Sue's mother for a bit. I love these visits, as our time together is short, and way too long in between, but we always pick up, right where we left off. Hope it's always this easy.

Christmas 2012

A little out of order, but I wanted to post some pictures of the holidays at the Dow house. On the 23rd, all the grandchildren came over to help make Christmas cookies, that we would later decorate the following day. After we were done baking, Ken gathered them around the piano, and they sang, with all their heart and souls, the Christmas songs they knew. It was wonderful. 

The next day, we decorated the cookies in the morning, and celebrated later in the day, with a tree, and dinner. Here are a few of the happenings...

 Lexy's new sweater that I made.

 All four in one spot, somewhat smiling....

 Kloe's new sweater.....

The aftermath.

The kids all got a new computer. 

 Dawson taking a picture of himself.

 Gavin and Jen......

 Jen and Brooklynn.....

 An old decoration that my uncle made many years ago.

Four in a tub, all smiles, ready for Christmas eve.

It was a wonderful day with the family. It was nice to have the whole day, decorating cookies with the kids, getting our dinner ready, sharing with the family. As the kids get older, it gets a bit crazier, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

Merry Christmas!

Goodbye

     Today, I said goodbye to a life long friend. I have known her all my life. She was friends with my parents, and over the years, became a dear friend to me, too. She contracted the flu, developed pneumonia, suffer a heart attack, and was unable to recover. Within a  week, she was gone. I visited with her in the ICU for a few minutes, kind of by chance, but so glad I made the attempt and was successful in seeing her. I was able to talk and laugh with her, and to tell her I loved her. 

     She taught me how to make Chow Chow - her brand of relish. She gave me knitting needles that belonged to another dear friend, who was an avid knitter. She gave me a watch that belonged to her sister. She gave me hats she had made. She gave, she gave, she gave. 

    She was a wonderful friend, and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister. She had a temper, and she had a twinkle in her eye most of the time that matched the smile or grin on her face. She was fun, and loving, and very honest. You always knew what she was thinking, because she always told you. 

     I will miss her. I will miss her gifts. I will miss her lessons. I will miss the guidance. I will greatly miss the friendship. 

     Goodbye, Marilyn.

December 6, 2012

Whoa! Has it really been 2 months since I posted something? After returning from the amazing vacation out west. things seem a bit dull, drab, and not exciting here. I have never been on a vacation, where upon returning, I missed the place so much. If you EVER get the chance to take a 12 day road trip, let me know. I have just the itinerary for you. It was the BEST 12 days of vacation time that I ever spent. I can't wait to go back for a visit. I tune in every day to the web cams, and hope to catch a glimpse of what is happening out there. Last week, I saw a wolf, and a few buffalo at Old Faithful. Just amazing.
I have already sent for information about Colorado. I think that will be our destination this September. It looks like it has some outstanding views, like Wyoming. I think this is a must see! I am arranging my time off so we can enjoy Colorado and all that it has to offer for sight seeing.
On a more local note...we were able to all be together for a Thanksgiving celebration. Even though our lives and our children's lives are busy, we were able to gather after the real holiday for a celebration.

We were so fortunate to have all of us together for a bit. I just love the kids' expressions. They had all ready been to a celebration, so they were tired, and ready for some down time. But, we had a meal to eat.

All together, to share a meal. I just love this. D had just gotten a black olive thrown at him. He made the best of it and ate it! Alexys was smiling because she was told to. Brooklynn was on her best behavior, and Kloe was perfect, just perfect. 
We have so much to be thankful for. So much love and joy in the house. I just don't know how one could ask for anything more. 

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

     Sometimes, you just have to take a step back, and look at all you have. It might be a tank of gas, or a nice view on your drive to work. Or a smile from a friend. Your health. Your vision. The use of your legs. No pain. Your memory. Are these the little things in life? Or are they the big ones? I guess it depends on what you have, and what you wish you had. There are times when less is more. Like, what you have in your closet, or down cellar, or stashed away in a tote somewhere. Less means you don't have to paw through it, and step over it, and be responsible for it. More means it's enough. You are satisfied. So, I have more health, more pain-free-ness, more memory, more smiles. I have more in my life, so I need less. And for that, I say, "Thanks!"

Monday, October 8, 2012

I have no pictures to post today. No itinerary of where we are going or where we have been. I have no description of my view today. Today was back to work. I set the alarm- it went off. I didn't want to get out of bed. I liked my 17 days of no alarms, of spending time with my guy, of seeing new things. Wondering what the trip would open for me. Nope, today, it was back to the grind. Short day at work, and what I call "half a holiday" as some businesses are open, some are not, so not all that busy for a Monday. I had a great time remembering the trip, the sights, the sounds, and telling of our great adventure. It made the back to work part of my day a bit easier. I really don't mind work, I love what I do, but I really just wanted the adventure to continue. I think I will look up Montana.....