Mother of 15, Grandmother of 35

My grandma (mother of 15, grandmother of 35!) had foot surgery last Thursday. Though it was not major, she will not be doing much of anything for about six weeks. This is a huge adjustment for a woman who is more active than I am!
Through it all it's really amazing to see my family coming together to make sure there's a hot meal on the dinner table every night, that my grandpa can have some time to himself for the things he enjoys - like church and music, that the house stays tidy, and grandma (mother of 15, grandmother of 35!) stays as comfortable as possible.
Chris and I stopped by with fresh-baked cookies on Saturday morning. But I signed up for the evening shift tonight, so that my grandpa could keep his commitment to play the bass with his swing band (and yes, it is amazing to me that my 78 year old grandpa still plays his upright bass with two bands 2-3 times per week!).
I had a nice four hour visit with my grandma (mother of 15, grandmother of 35). We talked about surgery. We talked about her travels with my grandpa over the years. We talked about her life as a young mother. We had dinner. We talked about faith and prayer and family. We talked about Dubai. I can't think of a nicer way to spend a Monday evening, really.
She is a woman of great faith, even greater patience, but most of all - tremendous love. I am very thankful for the time I had with her tonight, while she is healthy (relatively speaking), and vibrant, with that smile that never seems to leave her face.
I count my blessings for having a grandma (mother of 15, grandmother of 35) I enjoy so much.

Lifestyles

So I am proud to say that I am starting to feel a difference in my clothes, and that following WW is paying off. I haven't gotten on the scale yet (i'm afraid to know), but I'm guessing that i've dropped about 10 pounds over the course of the last month. Yay, me! I just need to keep it up!

Just for fun...

src="http://www.bbspot.com/Images/News_Features/2006/09/nerdy/14.jpg" width="150" height="150"
border="0" alt="You are 14% white and nerdy.">
How White and Nerdy Are You?

Easy Like...

There's nothing better than the Sunday morning I've had today, with my dog and Chris.

We watched Sunday Morning in bed with the dog. When we were able to bare the cold, we crawled out of bed, and Chris retrieved our New York Times from the yard in sub-zero temperatures, while I prepared breakfast. French Toast, eggs and fresh strawberries. Chris ate all three, I stuck to the French Toast, and Quinn only had the eggs.

It's simple, I guess, but there's nothing I enjoy more in the world than this time, reading and discussing the Times, and listening to our favorite radio program, Breakfast with the Beatles.

Working on Myself

It's been one of those weeks. A lot of things are going on in my head, and I haven't been happy with "me." I've been working really hard to change some things - mainly getting back on a diet plan, and working out. I've been very faithful for the past 3 weeks, and I'm hoping to continue. Tonight i'm getting my hair highlighted - which is a treat for me. I'm hoping it will make me feel a little better, and give me the boost I need these days.
I've been hinting at Chris to take me out and do something fun, but he's just not getting it. It feels like we're in separate worlds this week, because we're just moving at a different pace. So far our weekend entails a lot of activities that will keep us apart. It's time to plan a "centering" kind of weekend for us. We can't wait until our trip in April. Nobody ever said marriage didn't require work!

Bubba the Quinn

Isn't he just the cutest?

"I'll be 30 Next Year"

The title statement really caught me off guard last week. It flowed out of my mouth like my brother out of a family function. I didn't think about what I was saying before I said it. And though it's still 22 months before that 30th birthday, it just made me start thinking about my goals. This has inspired me to post my first blog on this new page.

10 things I'd like to accomplish before I turn 30:
Travel to a different country (or two) with my husband
Get my credit card debt and spending problems in order
Lose 40 pounds
Finish the redecoration of my bathroom
Prepare a proper guest room - that can one day convert to a baby's room
Take a painting class - face my fear of starting again
Take a class on composting and/or sustainability from the garden center
Learn to make the glorious family Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe
Take sewing lessons from my grandmother
Find the time to read more often