Gift Tags

This year, instead of regular "To - From" tags, I decided to try something a little different. I made black and white copies of photos of the person that the gift is for and I backed them with red paper. If your picture is on the gift, it belongs to you! This was a BIG hit with the babies when they came over last night to see the tree. They could tell right away which ones were for them; no reading necessary! They loved it!! I think it is different and fun, even if you are a grown up. Check out the pictures. Do you see YOUR picture any where??? :)

The Countdown Begins...

Well, the food baby in my belly from Thanksgiving has started to subside. That means it time to get serious about Christmas--my favorite time of year!
Most of the outside lights are up, the inside is decorated in just about every room and the tree went up today. I am planning on blogging a lot more because I have some fun ideas for Christmas that I would like to share. I will try and attach photos to go along with the ideas so you can get a visual as well.
First, though, I would like to say how much it annoys be that store clerks say, the ever politically correct, "Happy Holidays". I always reply, Merry Christmas". I don't understand what is wrong with saying it. I celebrate Christmas and I want to wish people happiness of the season. I would not be insulted if someone said "Happy Kwanzaa" to me if that is what they celebrated. They would just be sharing their holiday with me.
Last year, when I replied "Merry Christmas" to a store clerk they thanked me for saying it and said how much they would rather be saying "Merry Christmas" than "Happy Holidays" but they were afraid to offend. Can it really offend when it starts with "Merry"????
I challenge you to tell people "Merry Christmas" wherever you go in the next month. Spread your holiday cheer ...and politically correct be damned!! :)

"PA"

My husband is the best grandpa in the whole world! That may seem like a biased opinion, but I think there are many people in this world who would agree with me.
When he first became a Grandpa with the birth of Madeline, it became clear very quickly that he was totally in love with this little creature and would do anything for her. She is the one that named him "Pa" and it has stuck. All three grand kids call him "Pa" except, lately, the littlest, Abbey, has started to call him "Papa". It makes your heart melt to hear her say it.
The kids all took their turn at classes at Little Gym. With both Maddy & Jack, Pa would occasionally take them instead of mommy. He sang the songs, chased them around, etc. He finally got his turn to take Abbey today. The picture above screams LOVE to me. Look how he placed her shoes on top of his. Here is this big, middle aged man in his socks, playing along with his granddaughter. For 45 minutes she is the entire focus of his world and she knows it. Who among us can say we get some one's undivided attention for 45 minutes very often?
Some might think he is the kid's favorite because he gives them everything they want (and he does), but I don't think that is really it. What he gives them is him, his time, his attention. Where we would hand them a puzzle to occupy their time, he sits down and works the puzzle with them. He doesn't just go outside and read his paper while they swing, he pushes, and pushes, and pushes, and pushes them some more. He knows what really matters and it is these children. Shiny, new toys grow boring quickly. Pa's undivided attention is the gift that keeps on giving. They are like little flowers that blossom under his sun. We are all warmed by watching it.
That's why he's the best grandpa in the whole world!

Golden Moments

I am always reminding myself not to miss life's "Golden Moments". You may think a Golden Moment is something big, fancy, or expensive. No way! Golden moments are the small, little things that occur in a day that we often mistake for ordinary, mundane, and no big deal.
Here are a few of my latest Golden Moments: I walked in the house and Abbey (age not even 2) yells "Gammie" and runs to my arms. Jack and I were sitting on the couch watching a movie and when he sat down he inched as close to me as he could and put his head on me. Maddy told me she loved to bake things with me because I always her her lick the spoon. My husband and I were out for breakfast and just before we left I went to use the bathroom. When I came back he had ordered me an iced tea to go. He remembered I love to get an iced tea to go after we have breakfast.
See, I told you they were small and ordinary things. That is why they are so easy to miss. In our busy, fast paced world, we often run right past a Golden Moment without taking a second to acknowledge it and enjoy it. When we do that, we miss so much. We miss the very essence of what makes life precious.
Anybody can have a Golden Moment on an expensive vacation, out to a fancy dinner, etc. The challenge is to find the Golden Moments in the ordinary day. Suddenly, the ordinary is quite extraordinary.

Thanksgiving -- Thanks Living

With Turkey Day looming in a little over a week, I thought I'd write about the concept of being thankful. For me, I know I have an abundance of things to be thankful for...a husband who puts up with the "crazy me", a daughter who is also my best friend, a son who is, after a long absence, trying to be part of our family, grandchildren who make me smile every day, friends who love and care about me, a job with automatic deposit every Friday, a beautiful home with more things than we possibly need. The list goes on and on. So, why is it so hard to be thankful? Wishing for more... better...things to be different ...seems to take up more time than thoughts of thankfulness. It has been said that one cannot be asking and thanking at the same time. Prayers requesting things of God are five times greater than prayers thanking God!
I challenge all of us to find something to be thankful for today. Really stop and think of one thing, or three or five. When we take the time to create an"inventory of thankful", we feel much happier. WOW...that was easy! Try it!

T.G.I.F.

You are probably wondering why I am writing TGIF on a Sunday night when everyone knows TGIF stands for Thank Goodness It's Friday. Well, I am changing it to This Grammie Is Fabulous!!!
I am new to texting and all the abbreviations that go with it. I am often confused. Someone wrote ROFLMAO (rolling on the floor laughing me a** off!) and I had to call my daughter and ask her what it meant. I think this might be the demise of correct spelling and grammar! Young people "get" what all these lettters mean, but not me. I have to think and think to figure it out. Sometimes, I don't! So, I wanted to prove a point, what you may think is so transparent and simple, may not be for others. Don't assume people know what you mean. They may not get it.
So, the next time you see TGIF, think of me and remember, This Grammie Is Fabulous!!! :)

Obituaries

I know I am getting older, because I read the obituaries every morning over my coffee. First, I check the age. If they are over 75, I can justify their name being there. My daughter and I call over 75 "bonus time". Seventy five sounds like a good, long life; anything less and I worry. Next, I check names to see if any are familiar to me. God, forbid I find the name of someone my own age or, worse yet, someone I know. As time goes by, it is happening more and more. It always startles me. A name in an alphabetical list that says so little, but is, oh so final.
So, what's the lesson? That old adage about living each day as if it were my last? Well, let me tell you, if it were my last, I'd be doing a whole lot of things differently.
I'd take a vacation with my husband and family. The heck with work and school, it's our last. I'd throw the biggest party you've ever seen. I'd have it catered and give everyone gifts. We'd dance and sing and laugh. I'd eat anything I wanted and not count calories or fat grams because there would be no fear of turning into a fat, old lady; or old anything, for that matter. The list goes on and on.
There is only one problem. I may be blessed with tomorrow, and maybe another one after that as well. If I spend all my money on that vacation and that party, what will I do when the first of the month rolls around and the house payment is due? Whoops, sorry mortgage company, I was living each day like it was my last. The grandkids are now behind in school because they were on that vacation. We all lost our jobs because we up and took off. Whoops, sorry education and responsibility, I was living each day like it was my last.
So, the dilemma remains - today, the only day, or many todays?? Most of us hope for many todays. This calls for creating balance in our life every day. Yes we need to have our feet firmly planted in today, but also set our sights on the horizon ahead. We need to be awake and aware enough not to miss the small "golden moments" that happen to each of us all the time. Waiting for something or someone to make us happy in the future, is just that, waiting. Find the bright spot in today, no matter how hard you have to look for it sometimes. It is there. And remember, if we wait to be happy, we may wait forever. If we decide to be happy today, we will be happy forever.

Confessions of An Online Shopper

I am a computer dinosaur. That is what my kids call me. When anything weird pops up on the computer and I have to call my IT person, Amber, to fix it, her first question is always the same, "What did you do?!?!"
That said, I am a wizard at online shopping! I love it and do so much of my Christmas shopping online that, last year, my husband asked me if I was having an affair with the UPS man because his truck was here so often! I always tell him that they are Christmas presents, but, I confess, sometimes they are for me. The feeling I get when I get home from work and see a box on the front porch is nothing short of giddy. When I am home, see his truck and all he does is circle the cul-de-sac, I am SO disappointed. How dare he come down my street and not stop at MY house!
The Internet is the greatest for price comparisons and checking out so many things. I never push the "Send Order Now" button until I have Googled any coupons the site may have. I usually get free shipping, 25% off, or something for free. F - R - E - E is one of my favorite words!!
If you ever need advise on the best sites for different things, best prices, most reliable companies, etc, ask me. I think I have a Masters Degree in online shopping, but don't tell my husband!

Feet

I guess I have feet on my mind more these days because of running. With all the miles I am racking up, mine should probably hurt more than they do. I have ugly feet. Are there really any PRETTY feet? I haven't seen many.

Anyways, to make my ugly feet a little better, Amber and I went to the most interesting nail salon. They specialize in painting your toes in these intricate designs. I can hardly describe how many different things they paint on toes. It took us ages to decide what to have them do on ours. They have designs by seasons and we wanted something "Fall-ish". Check out the pictures and see what you think. We can't wait for next month with all the Christmas designs. We even sat there and thought of something for every month next year. It is not cheap, but it lasts an entire month! I may have to wear open toed shoes all winter just to show them off!!!

I Run vs I'm a Runner

Today was the Dinosaur Dash in Tustin. It marks the 7th 5K I've run since I started in March.
Back story: Never in my wildest imagination did I think I would start running. I have always hated sports of any kind. Give me a good book any day. Last winter, I made my annual visit to see my friend in Texas. She is, ahem, my OLDER friend and she is running 10ks, 1/2 marathons and full marathons. She inspired me. I came home and got the wild notion to start running and train for a 5K. Sean, my son-in-law (totally in shape gym rat!), said he'd do it with me. We ran 3 mornings a week and ran our first race in March. My goal them was to just finish. My time was 34:34. I felt awful during the race, but wonderful after the race. I definitely caught the bug.
I have run several more races and have improved my time considerably, but, being the crazy competitive person that I am, I wanted to break 30:00. My supportive, but blunt husband reminds me that I am not a world class runner and I don't have a runner's body (read boobs and curves!) He wants me to enjoy it for what it is, great exercise and not be so hard on myself.
When I am driving my car and see people running, I want to jump out and run with them! I now have a subscription to "Runner's World" which I look forward to almost as much as People Magazine! People ask me, "When did you become a runner?" I always say I am not a runner, I am someone who runs. Calling myself a runner seems too presumptuous.
Well, today I ran my heart out and I finished with, what runner's call, a new PR (personal record), 28:27. As my son-in-law would say, I crushed my time!! A friend finished the race before me and waited til she saw me heading for the finish line. She ran out and got in my face and told me to, push, push, push. I thought I couldn't, but I DID IT!!! I was almost sick ( read barf) afterwards. I started to cry. It took me much longer to recover than other races, but I did recover. I felt on top of the world. Today, I decided I AM A RUNNER!