Long Prayed For Gift Has Arrived !

 What a month this has been . I entered a new decade of life ( 60 years old now ) and our youngest son and his wife were blessed with their first-born child after many years of marriage, a son ! My husband & I now have another grandchild, a baby long prayed for . God is so good to us , our little grandson and his mommy are healthy and doing very well.



I have been gone most of this month, starting with the state fair to coming home after being there for 5 days & nights, to unloading the animals and travel trailer so my husband & I could drive over the mountains 6 hours away to see our new grandson.( Just holding a newborn baby makes me want to cry for the happiness of a new life. Precious.) Then we came home for a couple of days to catch up with things around here so I could head back over the mountains with our oldest grandson to help out with the new baby . Our daughter-in-law had to have a C-section and needed a little help. She is recovering quite well now and I am getting back into my daily routine around here , with a bit more spring in my step and a happy song in my heart... a new grandson, praise Him ! " Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights ; " James 1:17

Missing Little "T"

This Autumn tableau is in our sun room on top of the bottom half of an antique Kitchen Queen. Little 'T', our youngest grand-daughter kept suggesting I re- decorate it with the Christmas village and lights she remembers from her visit here last Christmas . She did enjoy standing in front of this display quite often though. There is a little fairy in a nest in a leaf bowl on the far left of the display. "T" seemed especially delighted at this.

The tiny bears and Miss Mouse joined our granddaughters for tea one day last week.

Little "T" and her cousins KN and MN who live very close to me, all had a tea party. The menu was cupcakes, brownies, cheese,crackers, cucumbers and ranch dressing...oh, potato chips too. ( Hey, I am a Grandma, not the one in charge of good nutrition) There were 2 tea pots, one held hot chocolate, the other peppermint tea. Of course, you HAVE to have marshmallows for the hot chocolate, so each granddaughter got their own bowl of marshmallows to add to her hot chocolate.

The granddaughters all dressed up for tea and brought their own dolls along. I had a good time with these precious little girls, and I hope they did too. Little "T" then went home with her cousins to spend the night with them. She was so happy and excited.

Little "T" with her Poppa. I do believe he is one of her favorite people. She often calls our home and when I answer the phone her first question is " can I talk to Poppa?".When I explain to her he is at work she asks when he will be home and then the conversation is pretty much over...after all, I am NOT Poppa. During her days here we had a wonderful time together, but every day she would ask where her Poppa was and when he would be home. Every hour or so the question would pop up. When Poppa did finally come home she would run to him and leap into his arms, follow him around talking to him and asking him a LOT of questions. My Husband definitely has a little buddy in Little "T" ! Little "T" went home today and I miss her. Waking up with her in the house is like waking up to perpetual sunshine. What a wonderful blessing she is. I have put all the toys away, cleaned up the spare bedroom she slept in, and looked at the photos I took of her during her visit several times. The blessing of this week- long visit is one I dared not ever hope we could have and just look at how my expectations and prayers were met and dealt beyond what I could have hoped.

Blessings Abundant , Giving Thanks !

~The Granddaughters are here ! They brought their father, our oldest son, and they brought their Uncle ( our youngest son and his wife) and Aunt and their dogs....we are ALL together this Thanksgiving. This is an answer to prayer, ceaseless, tear filled prayers........Praise Him from whom ALL blessings flow! O.K., O.K., they did not drive here, the Uncle and Father, and Aunt drove the vehicle that brought them literally 'over the river and through the woods', and over the mountains and through the pass. Here they are with Poppa, my Hubby, walking down the driveway towards home. They really love their Poppa!~For anyone interested in the Thanksgiving we shared,and a funny picture of Hubby, please check out our daughter's blog A.Joy At Home. ~The day after Thanksgiving we had a brunch here in our home and Hubby's parents came to share a meal and time with their grandchildren and Great-grandchildren. We are blessed beyond words to have had all three of our children, precious spouses , eight grandchildren, AND Hubby's parents here with us. Precious time, not taken for granted time. Below is a picture of all eight grandchildren and Taz...the red Heeler that is a vital part of our youngest son and his wife's family. Taz is one of five very important furry canine companions that share their lives with our family. Taz was part of our son and his wife's ( precious daughter-in-law) wedding party. He wore a bow-tie! ~Here is a picture of Hubby's parents with our three kids, precious spouses, and grandchildren. "But the loving kindness of the Lord is from everlasting to to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children To those who keep His covenant and remember His precepts to do them." Psalm 103:17,18 ~And joy oh joy...PUPPIES ! Puppies and children, what a sweet combo. The grandchildren hold our puppies. Here , two sisters snuggle puppies.

~Two more sisters snuggle puppies. What lucky puppies!~

~Our youngest granddaughter is much more interested in snuggling our youngest grandson! Youngest grandson was fascinated by his cousin, and sometimes a little fearful...she cuddles hard !Our daughter was laughing because #6 Granddaughter was so crazy about her cousin and the expressions you don't see here are so cute, funny, and touching.But look at HIS face.. ~On the last day here the granddaughters were pretty excited. They wanted to do everything all over...feed the animals, hold the puppies, play with the cousins, do art projects.....but there was no more time here. However, they are very excited about the snow at home, the holiday festivities at their new school, fun with the new pony and Uncle and Aunt and Daddy, kittens and.....so, here they eat a healthy breakfast of Coco Puffs and orange juice.

~The sister on the other side of the table~

~Time to go little granddaughters. We'll miss you. We love you. You were all so good, and fun and remind us of the joy of life. You remind me God answers prayer. He answers prayers I think are not being heard, and He answers in His time and His way, which is His Way...beyond our comprehension, but righteous and perfect in His time. Thank-you Lord for your mercy. ~"He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving kindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him." Psalm 103 :10-13