Old School Blogging - 5 Favorite Blogs

The Old School Blogging assignment this month is to name five of your favorite blogs that you read.  I can do that.  Easy peasy!

1.  Mom Generations



Sharon Couto, along with her daughters Audrey and Jane write Mom Generations.  They give the perspectives of different generations.  Sharon is the mom and grandma.  She finds joy in absolutely everything and to read her is to love her.  I am lucky enough to have met her in real life after meeting through the blogging world.  She is now a very dear friend.  Audrey is the oldest daughter, fashionista and mother of five.  What this girl can accomplish in a day is unbelievable.  Jane is the youngest daughter, newlywed (she was married a year ago in July) and expecting her first child.  Jane is also the mommy of three of the cutest dogs you'll ever meet.  They all write about family, fitness and fashion.  Check out Mom Generations.  You will love these ladies.

2.  The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans



I am a little partial to this website because I am a contributing writer, but that doesn't make it any less a great blog.  If you are looking for support in your health, fitness and weight loss journey, Shrinking Jeans is the website for you.  We cover all things fitness with weight loss challenges, monthly exercise calendars, running support, nutrition advice, weekly menu planning and a multitude of other things.  Stop by and check us out.  You'll be glad you did.

3.  Just a Beachkat  



Just a Beachkat is a blog that I found very early in my blogging life.  Kat lives on the ocean in Florida and loves every minute there.  She is a loving wife, mom, friend and "goose".  Goose is her very special grandma name.  Kat loves to travel, but her favorite place to be is right in her own backyard which just happens to be the ocean.  Stop by and meet her.

4.  Musings of the Sixties



You might think by the title that this blog is about the 1960's, but you would be wrong.  The musings are by my friend Mary about her life in her 60's.  Musings of the Sixties is mainly about Mary and her large family.   Mary is the wife, mom, grandma and great grandma of this big and loving brood.  One of my favorite features is the birthday interviews she does with each member of her family.  She is also a great photographer.  Mary and I actually met in real life through her daughter.  Although we only live 15 minutes away from each other, we never see each other enough.   You will love this blog.  Stop by and check it out.

5.  Mimi's Toes

Mimi's Toes is about my friend, Rhonda.  She is a mom and grandma and the first thing you will notice when you read her blog is that she loves her family.  Rhonda is the mom of two and the mimi to six.  Rhonda suffered a tough blow this past year when her only daughter and four of her grand kids moved across the country to Oregon.  After living one town apart for so long, this was hard on all of them.  Like Mary, we live 15 minutes away from each other and rarely see each other.  We three really need to remedy this and spend some time together.  Go visit Rhonda.  I know you will love her like I do.

So, there you have it.  Five of my favorite blogs.  Go check them out.  I bet you love them too!         

From the Mouths of Babes (My Babes)

Looking back on the last few weeks, I can now see that my grandkids had some funny and sweet things to say about everything that was going on around them.  I wanted to put them to words before I could forget any of them.

Sarah and Nick let the kids take their own lead as to how they wanted to handle the wake and funeral.  Natalie went right up to the casket with Dick and I.  Lizzy and Jack hung back for awhile, but went up later.  These are just some of the things they had to say.

Natalie

The night of the day Eddie died, Sarah was going to put the kids to bed.  She found Natalie and Lizzy kneeling on Natalie's bed looking out the window with the shade over their backs.  She decided to put Jack to bed first.  When she came back, Lizzy was in her bed asleep and Natalie was in her bed awake.  Natalie told Sarah that her and Lizzy saw Grandpa Eddie in the stars with Kodi (Katie and Mark's dog who died last year) and Grandpa looked happy.

As we waited in line to go up to the casket the first time at the wake, Natalie kept peeking her head around to see Grandpa Eddie.  She could see his face.  As we waited, she asked what we should do when we got up there.  I told her we could stand or we could kneel down and say a prayer.  She said she would like to say a prayer.  We knelt down and Natalie smiled.  She said Grandpa looked happy, just like when she saw him in the stars with Kodi and then she laughed.  Grandpa had a puzzle with him in the casket.  If you knew Eddie, you know that up until a few weeks before he died, he always had a jigsaw puzzle he was working on. 

Lizzy

It took Lizzy a few hours before she was curious enough to venture up to the casket.  When she did, she had some questions. 

1.  Where are Grandpa Eddie's legs?
2.  Are they going to put his pajamas on him?
3.  Last, but not least, she saved her best question for the day of the funeral.  We were all in our cars leaving the cemetery heading for the luncheon.  Lizzy asked her mom, "So, when are we going to meet Grandma Lou's new husband?"

Jack

I never personally saw Jack up at the casket at all until he walked up with Dick and I as we stopped one last time at the casket on the way out to the funeral.  I asked Jack if he wanted to tell Grandpa Eddie good bye.  His response, "Ahhhh, no thanks!"

Jack sat with Dick and I at church.  He was a complete and total angel.  I've never seen him so well behaved at church.  It was almost as if he knew that this was the day to be on his best behavior.  The priest came out with the incense and there were bells tied to the chains.  They sounded like sleigh bells to me.  I asked Jack if he heard bells.  He said yes.  I told him they sounded like Santa's bells.  Jack looked me straight in the eye and said "Grammy, it's not even snowing out!"

Abby

My baby had some of the best advice ever for me after the funeral and we were at home that night. 
"Mom, don't dwell on who didn't come that you thought would or who disappointed you.  Think about all the people who supported you and all the people who surprised you."  That is exactly what I have done.  She is such a smart girl.

Saying Good Bye

Just write.  I don't even know where to begin.  I think it might be with you reading a post from June of 2012, if you don't mind.  It will give you some background for this post.

 

 

This is Eddie and he died on September 25, 2013.  This post is about saying good bye to the man that became my second dad.

In June of 2012, Eddie suffered two strokes and a heart attack in 36 hours,  just 11 days shy of his 90th birthday.  We had just sent out the invitations for a big party to celebrate.  The party had to be cancelled.  Eddie wasn't up to a party.  He had a long road of rehab ahead of him.  But, rehab he did and in August he came home.  He walked with a walker, but he was good.  

Over the next year, Eddie went about his days as best he could.  He couldn't get down basement to his beloved work shop or outside to work in his yard.  Just the week before his strokes, he had laid a brick sidewalk in the backyard.  Now, he spent the better part of his days reading, doing jigsaw puzzles and watching television. 

This past summer, kind of like an old clock, Eddie began to wind down.  He was beginning to get weaker and he wasn't happy about it.  Just getting to the kitchen for a meal became an effort.   He told me so many times that nobody should have to live like that.  He asked on more than one occasion, why he couldn't just go to sleep and not wake up?  It broke my heart to hear him say that, but I understood too.  He was worried about the toll his health was taking on my mom who was 87.  She was his primary caregiver 24/7.  We kids helped as much as we could, but mom was always there for him.  She loved Eddie with all her heart and she wouldn't have been anywhere else. 

On September 25 at 1:30 p.m., Eddie got his wish.  Surrounded by his family with so much love, Eddie went to sleep and didn't wake up.  He very peacefully went to heaven.  I was right there by his side, just like I was with my dad.  It was the second hardest thing I ever had to do, but I wouldn't have been anywhere else.  I was proud to be by Eddie's side, telling him it was okay to go.  We told him we would take care of mom and she would be fine.  We told him that in heaven, all the jigsaw puzzles had all their pieces and if he was really lucky, they even had a great White Sox team. 

Yesterday was Eddie's funeral and just like the priest said, we are left with the task of trying to put the puzzle pieces back together.  I'm afraid I'm not going find that missing puzzle piece in my heart.  Eddie has left a big  hole there.  I was 22 when my dad died.  Mom and Eddie would have been married 32 years next month.  Eddie was in my life ten years longer than my own dad.  Eddie never tried to take my dad's place.  He knew that those were very special shoes that nobody could fill, that place in my heart was reserved only for my dad.  

Eddie made his very own special place in my heart and the hearts of our whole family.  When Eddie joined our family, there were twelve of us.  Now, we are waiting for #36 to make her arrival.  He was with us for every birth and wedding.  Every baptism and graduation.  Every birthday and Christmas.  Everything that happened, Eddie was there to cheer for us or cry with us.  He was there for everything with kind words and a smile.

Thank you Eddie for finding your way into our lives.  Thank you for taking such wonderful care of mom and loving her so much.  I promise we will take good care of her.  Thank you for being my kids grandpa and my grandkids great grandpa.  They are going to miss you so much.  

Good bye, Eddie.  I miss you and love you so much.  Thank you for being my other dad.  When you see dad up there, would you tell him I miss him and love him so very much.  I know he's going to find you and thank you for being so wonderful to us all.

Just Write   

The Little Mermaid Blue Ray / DVD Giveaway

With the help of random.org, our lucky winner is #1, Diane Lesjak.  I will be sending you an email this morning to get all your mailing info.  Congratulations Diane and thank you to everyone who entered.

It seems like a very long time ago, yet it seems like yesterday that I was taking my four girls to see The Little Mermaid for the first time.  The girls were excited to go because they loved all the Disney princess movies.  I was excited to go because I had heard that Ariel was a different kind of princess and she was. 

 

 

Here is what they have to say in the Disney press release.....

 

Ariel is a free spirited mermaid, who is off on the adventure of a lifetime with her best friend, the adorable Flounder, and the reggae singing Caribbean crab Sebastian at her side. But it will take all of her courage and determination to make her dreams come true and save her father’s beloved kingdom from the sneaky sea witch Ursula.

 

I was excited to be offered the chance to watch this wonderful movie again with my grandkids.  They loved it as much as their mom and aunts did.  I was also excited to be able to offer one of my readers the opportunity to win their own copy of  THE LITTLE MERMAID Diamond Edition 2-Disc Blu-ray+DVD Combo Pack with Digital Copy.

 

To be entered into this great giveaway, all you have to do is tell me who your favorite Disney princess is and why.  Leave your entry in the comments with an email that you can be reached at if you win.  Entries will be accepted until September 27 with the winner being picked by random.org on September 28.

Good luck everyone!

 

 I received a copy of the movie in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.

The giveaway is open only to U.S. and Canada residents, ages 18+.

It's All About Love!

Our wedding

September 8, 1973

Our vow renewal

August 17, 12013

Not so very different.

After 40 years, I still love him more than anything else. 

There is nobody else I would have rather spent the last 40 years with.  We have built quite a story and the adventures continue.

I love you always and forever, Dick!



Renewed With Love!

On September 8, Dick and I will be married for 40 years.  One night, I suggested that it might be nice to renew our vows for our anniversary.  He agreed!  I told the kids and they thought it was a great idea.  Now, to find a time when we could all do it.  September 8 is on a Sunday, so I thought maybe then.  Nope, Abby and Myles will be in New York.  After ruling out two other weekends, August 17 was the winner.  Unfortunately, that only gave us three days to plan.  It was just to be the 13 of us and our daughters took over the planning of the whole event.  Have I ever mentioned that we have a amazing children?   Yeah, I thought I had.

 

Because it is late and I have to be at school tomorrow and the pictures aren't wanting to space the way I want them to, you can just look at some of the pictures from our amazing day.  From the beautiful renewal ceremony with our very favorite priest in our own backyard, to the evening games of wiffle ball and pole barn volleyball.  Can you even believe that there was a gorgeous moon to end a most perfect and love filled day? 

  



I want to say thank you to my daughters and their mates.  They made this day so special in so many ways.  We are truly blessed to have them in our lives.  Dick and I have accomplished so much in all our years together, but they are definitely our best work!

Sharing Our Spoons / August

Jamee at A New Kind of Normal has relaunched Sharing Our Spoons.  I used to do this before and was excited to see it's return. 

Here's a little explanation of how it all works in case you'd like to join in.

1. Physical: could be weight loss or exercise related or it could be goals like eating more veggies or cutting soda
2. Mental/Emotional: take a day to be alone, write a letter, paint, etc
3. Spiritual: start a new devotional book, commit a certain amount of time a day for prayer/meditation
4. Something fun: Take time to treat yourself – maybe a pedicure or Starbucks (if you don’t typically splurge for specialty coffee)
5. BONUS: One thing to get you out of your comfort zone a week – try something new, sign up for a class you maybe have been putting off.

Here are my goals for August................

1.  I just started the new challenge with the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.  My physical goal for this month will be to walk at least one mile a day.  I'd really like it to be more, but absolutely no less than one mile. 

2.  Believe it or not, I am going to give painting a try.  I actually bought the canvas and paints months ago and still haven't tried it. 

3.  My goal is to not miss church once this month.  What is it about summer that gets me so out of routine?

4.  Something fun!  I am going back to gel nails.  They last so long and I am worth the extra money.  Actually it turns out to be cheaper than weekly manicures.

5.  Something to take me out of my comfort zone is going to be to try tabata classes.  They just started them at the studio I go to and they scare me just a bit.  They seem pretty intense, but I'm still going to try it.

Okay then!  These are my goals for August.  Thanks Jamee for bringing this back.  I missed it.

Just Write

Listen to the song below and then we'll talk!

Make a big mess, use the good dishes, go to a ballgame, make lots of wishes.  When was the last time you can say you did any of those things?   We get so caught up in the very day mundaneness of our lives we forget that there is a lot we are missing.

I have good china that I got for a shower gift 40 years ago.  Do you know the last time that was out of the cabinet and set on the table?  Yeah, neither do I.  I spend my days attempting to not make messes and cleaning up other peoples messes.  Would it be so tragic to just have fun with making a mess?  It will clean up.  I'm sure of it.  I love Cubs baseball, but it has been years since I have been to game.  No real reason, just haven't bothered to do it.  I spend my whole day making wishes.  Wishing I didn't have to get up so early or that I didn't have to go grocery shopping.  I don't take the time to make the fun wishes.  Like wishing the dragonfly would land long enough for me to take his picture.

Maybe it's time to really take a few chances.  Nothing crazy, just everyday life chances.  Smile at someone you don't know on the street.  Chances are they will smile back.  Take some time to talk with God.  Maybe you haven't done that lately or maybe you did it this morning, but it's good for the soul.  Take some time to really give your kids your full attention.  No cellphones or tablets or tv nearby.  Give them all of your attention.  Turn up the music and dance and be silly.  They will love it and you will too.

The chorus of this song says it all.  It's how I am going to strive to be.  It is how I want to be,

Turn up the music
Turn it up loud
Take a few chances
And let it all out
Cause you won't regret it
Lookin back from where you have been
Cause it's not who you knew
And it's not what you did
It's how you lived

Just Write

The Difference Between 18 and 58

In the summer of 1972, all I could think about was getting out of school.  I was going into my senior year and I only needed two credits.  The school system wouldn't let me go half days or graduate midterm.  I had to go to school all day all year for two stinking credits.  To me, this was totally unacceptable.  I thought it was ridiculous and I had a plan.  Somehow, I was able to talk my parents into letting me go to night school and finish.  I could go two nights a week and graduate midterm.  That was that and I never looked back.

I never looked back until a few years ago when I discovered social media.   My arrival in the world of social media was slow.  I first started by blogging with some coaxing by a friend.  .After that, I decided to try Twitter and Facebook and Facebook was a whole new world.

With Facebook, I was reconnecting with people I hadn't seen or heard from in so many years.  People who had moved away and I lost contact with.  It was amazing.  There was even a page set up for just the class of 73 from my old high school.  My "real" high school.  Not that one that I graduated from.  It was this page that would change how I felt about high school and my class and myself.

In the fall of 1972 when I started night school and everyone else started back to my old high school, I figured that was that.  That was the end of my connection with that class.  I thought that my friend and I were the only people who weren't going back.  Little did I know that I would find out 30 some odd years later that definitely wasn't the case.  Every five years, I would get the reunion letter from the class of 73.  It almost always fell when we were going on our annual family vacation, so I never gave it much thought.  Sometimes, I would send in an update for the book, but not always.  What did I have in common with these people anymore anyway?

As it turns out, I have a lot in common with a whole bunch of my old classmates.  Many of us are proud parents and grandparents.  Many of us love to travel.  Many of us love photography.  Many of us are exercise enthusiasts.  Many of us felt awkward for lack a better word in high school.  The list goes on and on.  Wow, I did have a lot in common with these people.

It was one thing to get to know these people again through a computer screen, but it would be something else to meet them face to face again.  That time came a few years ago.  One of the girls from our class invited us over for the first of our now famous get togethers.  I made myself put on my big girl panties and go.  There was maybe 20 of us there and I had the best time ever.  It was so much fun.  I loved every minute of it.  I look forward to these meet ups, even when they try to ditch me!  Funny story for another time.

Fast forward to Thanksgiving weekend 2012.  Lots of people are in town for the holiday, so a bunch of us meet for breakfast.  Talk begins abut our 40th (gasp) class reunion.  People start asking when the date is.  One of the guys throws out July 13 and everyone agrees.  In the back of my head, I'm thinking this is something but I can't place what.  I put it out of my head and return to the conversation.

I get home that morning and start talking to my husband about the breakfast and tell him the reunion date.    He immediately remembers it is the day we leave for our annual family vacation to a lake house in Michigan.  Wonderful!  The first time in 40 years I want to go to a class reunion and I can't!  There is no way to change the vacation because the date is set a year in advance and there are 20 some other people coming too.

The good news is that I will be able to go to the Friday night pre party.  I've also decided to have a little party of my own at my house on Thursday night.  Nothing fancy, snacks and drinks.  But, another opportunity for me to be able to spend time with these wonderful people that I let get out of my life for too long.

I'm excited.  Even the guy who grew up across the street and lived there our entire growing up years will be there.  I couldn't even tell you the last time I saw him.  This is going to be awesome.  At 18, I had no idea how important long time friends are.  At 58, I wouldn't give them up for anything.

Just Write

Wicked

Today was one of the best days ever!

Abby, Sarah, Natalie and I went and picked up my mom and headed out on an adventure.

Our first stop was to Olive Garden for some lunch.

Our next stop was to the Morris Center in South Bend for the traveling Broadway company performance of Wicked.  This was the only shot I got of the stage.  It was before the show started.  Natalie loved the dragon or whatever that is.  I've never been really sure what it was.

Here we all are waiting for the show to start.

To say that Natalie was excited is an understatement.  She could not wait for those lights to go down.

 Far too soon, the show was over and there were things to buy.  Natalie was a little perturbed that they didn't have kid size t shirts.  She settled for a hat and some Elphaba (her favorite character) sunglasses.

She took in some of the views with Aunt Abby.  The Morris is a beautiful old theatre.

Then she was just being silly.  You can do that when you are going to be seven in three days.

This is Natalie on the ride home.  This was her response when I asked if she had a fun day.  She said she wished she could have hugged Elphaba and told her she loved her voice.  Now, she just wants to go back and see the show again.  Lucky for her, it is coming back to Chicago this winter.  Just in time for grammy's birthday in December.  Think of how pretty it will look in Chicago then.  I see a train ride to the city in our future.  I can't wait either, Natalie. 

It was the best day ever!!