~GRADITUDE~

Paige Elizabeth...

such sweetness in a small package...she is sunshine on a rainy day...star dust and glitter all wrapped up in pink...just one of the many blessings I am thankful for...

~WINTER ARRIVES~

Winter...

Winter days are for dreaming...day dreaming...outside the snow falls... sleet pelts against the window pane...lights on the Christmas tree shine brightly...the spirit of Christmas remains...I, cozy in my favorite chair begin to bind a small hooked mat...the Mr. is out plowing...the year is winding down...a new year...a clean slate awaits...

~A FOGGY CHRISTMAS EVE~

 Good Christmas Eve...fog hugs the landscape...trees are dark and bare...the house is quiet...with the exception of an occasional snapping from the wood stove... cinnamon and spice fill the air...

 As we have no snow this Christmas... Santa will be in need of his magical snow..snow which perfects those difficult rooftop landings... Rudolph... with his nose so bright... is appointed lead reindeer... guiding Santa and the other reindeer through the foggy darkness...

Little ones filled with excitement  are tucked safely in their beds...dreaming of what gifts tomorrow will bring.. From my house to yours I wish you a very Merry Christmas...one which is filled with love and joy...

~DUTY CALLS~

Granny is back on duty...

at six am this morning my feet hit the floor...I was out the door by 7...my two little cherubs await...mommy returned to work today after a three month maternity leave...It is a win win situation...Granny and Mimi holding down the fort while mommy and daddy are at work...man I love this gig...

~BLESSED~

Our prayers have been answered, my father has been released from the hospital and has returned to his beloved island...

A bit of recouping is in order, however being back in your own home in familiar surroundings... resting comfortably in your lazy boy... a view of the beautiful Atlantic ocean out your window, can only do a body good...we are blessed...

~DECEMBER?~

December twelfth, really? Where is the cold... snowy... winter like weather that typically has hit the northeast by now...I'm not complaining mind you...but with daytime temperatures hovering around sixty degrees... the lack of snow... with my day lilies poking through the soil...it feels odd...something feels amiss ...spending long days in the hospital can make one feel like being in the twilight zone...adrift...

so...for mental therapy I hook...and snowmen seem to have my focus...

with a bit of luck one of these mats will be on it's way to Bakersfield, Ca. soon...

My dad is doing better, becoming stronger...He was diagnosed with a rare strain of C-Diff...in his blood stream and urinary tract...his heart was in a-fib and his blood pressure had dropped dangerously low...I think we have turned the corner and are so grateful to the wonderful staff at Maine Medical Center and to my blogging friends for your healing thoughts and prayers...Thank you...

~THANK YOU~

Dear Friends,

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind comments, prayers and well wishes...

My dad is not out of the woods yet...but, is in good hands at Maine Medical Center..None of us know what tomorrow will bring...but having a caring circle of friends and family makes life challenges more tolerable...

                                                                 Blessings to you all...                                                                

~MY DAD~

My dad...

I adore my dad... I have since I was a little girl ...he was my first love...my first super hero...Tuesdays typically have been spent together grocery shopping, running errands and IHOP for breakfast...at the age of 88 Lloyd E. Jones has remained physically and mentally active right up until a few months ago...early last evening he was taken off the island and transported by boat to the mainland and eventually admitted to Maine Medical Center in Portland... a journey in itself...If you would kindly say a prayer or send a healing thought his way, my family and I would be ever so grateful... I know my dad would too...Thank you dear friends...

~PAPA JIM~

~PAPA JIM~

Recently, I had the good fortune to win a giveaway held by Tammy of the blog Flat Creek Farm...Tammy's mother Charlotte Utterback is the author of this wonderful book...it is a book of memories written for her family...I enjoyed this book so much I read  it twice in the same week...Papa Jim is the author's father, a soft spoken hard working man married to Eula Belle...It is a story of strong  family ties...family values, and the love and respect they share for one another...Charlotte shares  with us the joys, hardships and loss while living on a Missouri farm  and later the  move to the city of Paris, Missouri...Papa Jim is simply a wonderful read and one I would like to share...if anyone would like to read this book e mail me your address and I will pass it along...then, in turn you pass it on...good things should be shared...Tammy thank you so much!!!

~LOVE~

Brotherly love...

    sweet and pure... Travis and Paige...two peas in a pod...

~DECEMBER FIRST~

Halloween is nothing but a memory, the month of November flew by just as quickly as the Thanksgiving turkey was devoured...

December 1st and the New Year is fast approaching...I ask you where does the time go?

 old friends show up here and there...

 the old homestead takes on a bit of a glow both inside and out...

 Ernie, our Elf on the Shelf has returned from the North Pole...pulling a wagon load of milk chocolate kisses

and accompanied by a new friend...name to be determined by Travis...

The way I see it... when you become a grandparent... you can pull off just about any crazy idea... no one will bat an eyelash...honest...and your grandchildren will love it...I promise...

~HAPPY HALLOWEEN~

~HAPPY HALLOWEEN~

"My candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open." ~Mary Shelley~

"A house is never still in darkness to those who listen intently; there is a whispering in the distant chambers, an unearthly hand presses the snib of the window, the latch rises. Ghost were created when the first man awoke in the night." ~J.M.BARRIE~

~A GOOD FIND~

Just look what this chicken keeper discovered at the feed store...      

SLOGGERS...found at
Blue Seal Feeds...made in the USA...perfect for wearing to the coop or garden and only $29.99...      

~SUGAR AND SPICE~

Thou she be but little she is fierce...~William Shakespeare~

Paige Elizabeth four weeks old...a ray of sunshine with a bit of pixie dust thrown in...fiercely guarded by one big brother...

 Life is good...

~ARE YOU READY?~

Halloween Eve...

 will soon be upon us...witches riding on broomsticks and things going bump in the dark night...

are you ready? 

Travis is...he has just discovered that Halloween means dressing up (a pirate) and Trick or Treating..."Granny do you know that on Halloween you get candy"..."chocolate candy Granny"!!!  what can I say the nut doesn't fall far from the tree...

~OCTOBER'S RAIN~

 tonight...as the rain falls...

a fire is lit...the wood stove is put to work...the chill of the day soon fades as the warmth  envelopes  the homestead...the sweet smell of wood smoke swirls out into the evening air...October is a time for hearth and a time for home~

~THIS DAY~

Today...this day...a glorious autumn day...

warmth from the sun...sky of blue...marshmallow clouds...

a perfect day to drive over hill and dale...

 a day to choose the perfect pumpkin...

 or the perfect gourd...

 to find the perfect leaf...

 or to hear the crunch under one's feet...

 October is my perfect month...

~OUT OF DARKNESS~

Out from darkness morning does come...

awaking sunlight plays upon the shadows...

nevermore...nevermore...

  Backward, turn backward,  O time, in your flight make me a child again just for tonight...~Elizabeth Akers Allen~   

      

                                                                                                                                                   

~PERFECTION~

"Sometimes the littlest things take up the most room in your heart"  ~ Winnie the Pooh~
Paige Elizabeth
6 days old...

~OCTOBER~

 October brings a morning chill...

socks...sweaters...flannel shirts...

short days...long nights...

apple cider...hot chocolate...

country fairs...dough boys...sugar donuts...

the harvest is in...

the wood stove burns...rugs to hook...books to read...

such are the perfect golden days of October...

~FRIENDSHIP~

Friendship~

On a sunny day in August Travis and I returned home from running an errand to a package waiting on the back porch...this particular day was a difficult one...our spirit's were low as my niece Darlene had just passed away...I picked up the package and quickly recognized the return address... Bakersfield CA....I instantly knew the package was from Kim...her  blog is My Field Of Dreams...I consider Kim to be a dear friend and  although we have never met in person, he is a kindred spirit...Enclosed in the package was a heartfelt note,  which brought me to tears... a beautiful primitive rug with its hand dyed wool, hooked by Kim. I believe the rug to be a Cathy Greschner  design...also enclosed was a very sweet hand crafted wooden chicken also made by Kim...Now, when I think of Kim I think of her beautiful fields of sunflowers and her many lovely chickens...As Mr. Henry David Thoreau wrote  "The language of friendship is not words but meaning."

As Travis said "granny isn't it nice to get surprises in the mail...they make us happy."  I smiled and thought to myself yes Travis... more than you know...Thank you Kim- not only did this kind gesture put a smile on my face but also in my heart...

"The best kind of friend is one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've had...~Unknown~

~BLESSED~

It's official...in the wee morning hours Travis Lloyd became a big brother...

 Paige Elizabeth Neily...7 lbs 10oz...20 inches...is perfect in every way...we are blessed...

~SUMMERS END~

 A late summer's day...

sky of blue... clouds of white...no other human in sight...heat of the day...humidity too...an eagle soars... a fox is discovered drinking from the lake...two painted turtles side by side... a loons cry echos in the hot afternoon air...a little slice of heaven tucked away in Denmark Maine...