One of the best presents ever...

and I didn't even have to be a wedding crasher.

I thought about it for a second or two (O.k. maybe a day or two-sorry Phil)

You see, Dorothy's dad got married on Saturday and he flew

Dorothy and the girls in for the wedding.

They were to fly in early on Saturday and fly out early on Sunday morning.

No way to spend time with them.

This grandma was so SAD.

At the last minute, the return flight was changed to today

AND

Jeremiah and Victoria (Dorothy's brother and future SIL)

invited us over to spend Sunday with them.

SO, WE GOT TO SEE DOROTHY AND THE LADIES.

Many thanks to Jeremiah and Victoria- YOU ROCK!

Dorothy and her dad

Annika with Grandpa Ray (hubby)

There was a lot of dancing- Annika loves to twirl.
It was difficult to get a picture as that girl is on the move.

Precious Hailey.

She is a little crafter and made us a beautiful card

and an origami creation.

And Miss Jayde.

Looking way older than 10!

Dorothy's brother Tom took Jayde for a spin on his bike.

Definitely the highlight for her.

Her daddy has always loved motorcycles.

I have always held my breath.
Jayde takes after daddy in many ways.

We got to talk with Jeff and he wanted me to thank everyone

for their positive comments. He is doing well- Thank God!

So, this grandma is still over the moon.

What a wonderful gift and I didn't even have to crash

the wedding-hehe.


Big hugs from the happiest grandma on the planet

P.S. If you check out the sidebar, there is a updated photo of Dorothy
and Newbaby 2010.ver4.0 AKA Andrea Jeanne.
Sorry Dorothy but I said I needed an updated photo.
Love you!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart

Some of you may recognize this photo.

Last year at this time, Jeff was in boot camp at Fort Jackson

and this Army mom wasn't sure if the Doctor would clear her to travel.

Obviously, I was there.

While sitting in the stands, it really hit me hard about the sacrifices

our service men and women have made so we can live

the lives we live.

Sacrifices beyond belief.

Although this photo was taken in June, I think it is perfect for Memorial Day.

I have to warn you-this is kind of a long post for me.

The photo below is my precious dad.

He passed away 5 years ago on Memorial Day.

There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of him.

I revisited 2 posts I wrote about Memorial Day since I've

been blogging.

This post was written when I was a very new blogger.

This post was written last year.

And now...... my soldier son has graduated

boot camp, The Defense Language Institute (Indonesian),

and is currently at Fort Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas.

He should be moving to Hawaii in July (unless things change).

The photo above was taken at his graduation from DLI.

How I miss all of them.

He will miss the birth of Andrea Jeanne.

She is due the end of August/first of Sept.

and Dorothy and the girls will be in Monterey on base.

I know he is NOT THE FIRST to miss a birth but....

it still breaks my heart.

Not just for him but for all the soldiers that have and will

miss out on the important milestones.

I am so grateful he is safe however.

When we were at Fort Jackson for his graduation,

we had the opportunity to drive around the base and explore a bit.

We found an old cemetery.

These are photo's of some old gravestones.

Sad but beautiful.

There is a long line of service in my family.

The letter below is one that was written to my

great-grandma.

My great-grandpa was a POW in Andersonville Prison

during the Civil War.

I have it framed and I have to tell you that I held my breath

as I took it out of the frame to scan it.

Thank God, no damage done.

It is something I treasure and it will

be passed down to the kids someday.

To sum up this VERY long post,

May God Bless and keep our Military strong and safe.

I know that many of you have loved ones that

are currently serving this country.

My thoughts and prayers are with you daily.

May God continue to Bless America.

Castles on my mind and in my hands

This has been a castle kind of week.

I'm not visiting them (well, maybe in my mind)

but i am making them.

I had a special order (Thank you God)
for pillows with castles embroidered on them.

So, I have been working away.

This is a gal after my own heart.

Who doesn't love castles?

I thought I would give a preview of some

other goodies that are in the works.

I plan to take some time to visit so

hopefully I'll see you soon.

hugs, hugs, hugs!

P.S. I am still thinking about that little giveaway.

If I had only known....

Peter Tarry/Sunday Times

I would have snatched it right up.
In my dreams.

In the 70's and 80's, I was a huge Laura Ashley fan
(for furnishings).
I loved looking through the catalog.
The sales associates at the local shop, knew me by first name.
Not good.

Her products just made me feel comfy.
They felt homey and the boys didn't complain-hehe.
She had amazing style and amazing homes.

A friend sent me this link because she knew how
much I loved Laura.

Winkworth France

Isn't this fantastic?

I wonder if the house sold?
It makes me happy to think she created so much of what i loved in her "little"
French house.

The Name Game

If you are a woman of a "certain age", this song will

be familiar.

If you haven't heard it, I have to tell you that

it is a fun song. It used to keep

me entertained for hours (as a kid).

It is also near to impossible to get

IT

out of your mind. Sorry.

Now that Jeff and Dorothy know that

Newbaby 2010 ver 4.0 is a girl,

they played the name game at the speed

of sound.

Dorothy's mom passed away almost 2 years ago and

this will be the first gran born since her passing.

The kids wanted to honor her by naming the baby Andrea.

Each of them called to see if I would mind

if the middle name was Jeanne.

My middle name is Jeanne and I was named after my dad.

Over the moon, again!

All I can say is I can't wait to meet Andrea Jeanne.
practicing my patience here-hehe.

P.S. J.W is doing SO MUCH BETTER.
I so appreciate your prayers, emails, and comments.

Uh-huh....one of THOSE weeks

This picture kind of represents our week.
We spent Mother's Day in the Er with my son.
We were the "angels" this time.

He has been in and out a couple times this week.
As a mom, it is difficult to see your child (whether grown up or not),
so ill.

I am by nature a very positive person (takes as much energy to see
the silver lining as it does to see doom and gloom).
The silver lining here- he is alive and feisty
and for that I am thankful.

I was joking with a friend the other day.
I said I needed to change my blog tag from
"French is a state of mind"
to "Faith is a state of mind".
Here she goes again-hehe.

On a much lighter note,
The Cannes Film Festival is going on so I thought I
would bring back one of my favorite photo's.CANNES MAN
(at least that is what i call him).

It just makes me smile.

I thought I'd add a few more that make me smile.

If I can't be in France, at least I can still be in a
French state of mind.

Happy weekend to all.
Big hugs

P.S Thank you Theresa for the extra "shout out's".
They made a difference.

Happy Mother's Day -Time Tested Beauty Tips

Roses compliments of my fantastic family (Jeff, Dorothy, J.W, Jayde,
Hailey, Annika, and Newbaby 2010 ver. 4.0)

I just love this poem written by Sam Levenson
for his granddaughter.

It was also Audrey Hepburn's favorite poem as well.
If you haven't read it, you are in for a treat.


Time Tested Beauty Tips

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers
through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored,
renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed;
Never throw out anybody.

Remember, If you ever need a helping hand, you'll find
one at the end of your arm.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands,
one for helping yourself, the other
for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears,
the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair.
The beauty of a woman must be seen from
in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart,
the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true
beauty is reflected in her soul.
It is the caring that she lovingly gives,
the passion that she shows,
and the beauty of a woman with passing
years only grows!

Have a Blessed Mother's Day.

Dix!

Dix! Miss Jayde I can't believe you

are 10 years old today.

Since we thank heaven everyday for you,

I thought I would keep the same music

that I had for Newbaby 2010 ver.4.0

When daddy called to say they were at the hospital

in labor and we better hurry, we moved quickly.

Your uncle was dressing in the car.

Thankfully we arrived in time (before Dr. Johnson)

and were able to welcome you into this world.

I love the photo above, your mom and dad

were excited and so enchanted with you.

You were perfect!

Scary photo of Grandma.

Word of wisdom to you honey- as you grow older,

don't do French red. Really bad idea.

Fast forward.......

When I saw this picture that was taken on Halloween,

it took my breath away. How grown up you looked.

I looked at the photo and felt like I was looking into the future.

You are a beautiful young lady but MOST important,

you are beautiful on the inside.

That is truly what matters.

Be true to yourself always. Run YOUR race

regardless of whether it is the "popular" thing to do

or not.

I love this picture of you and Hailey.

That smile looks very familiar-hehe.

I am so proud of the young lady you have become.

You are a marvelous big sister. I know the 4 of you

will remain close throughout life.

Of course you are a dear daughter. Your parents love

and adore you.

As a granddaughter..... you have brought so much

love, joy and life to us.

Honey, YOU ROCK!

I can't wait to see what the future holds for you.

Happy Birthday sweetheart.
God Bless you. We love you.

Newbaby 2010 ver.4.0

We are over the moon!
I think I feel a celebration giveaway coming up (when I come down to earth).

Reminder in the dining room

It is so easy to remember that we are blessed when life
couldn't be better.

I think it is more important to believe we are blessed
when things are not so great.

This chalk board sits on an antique washstand in the dining room.
It is very visible when entering or leaving the house.

As we head out this morning, we are counting the blessings.
YAY GOD!