Our first Taxi ride

We flew home Sunday night. We live almost an hour from the Birmingham Airport and it can be a pain to ask someone to take us and expensive to leave our car in the airport garage if we stay more than a long weekend. So this year we chose to take a Taxi. I called America Cab Company prior to deciding to do this, and was surprised how inexpensive it was. It was so nice and a pleasant surprise! We will not hesitate to do this the next time.

Maddie Pie's Second Birthday

Well we had Maddie Pie's birthday party yesterday. What fun! Emily, Rick, and me got her a gift certificate from Belks. Ashley can get her what she needs. I love gift cards! Ashley got her a Vtech computer. Madison totally loved it and once she saw it, we had to make her continue open gifts. Her birthday theme was Sponge Bob. If someone had no idea of who Sponge Bob was, they would before they left. I don't know anyone who doesn't love Sponge Bob and Patrick! Jeremy's Mom and sisters came over too. Kari was here from Spain. Everyone was so glad she was able to come home for the Holidays. Madison just talks and talks. She can put 4-6 words together now and can count to 10!! Smart baby.

We are going to Texas for Christmas. Each time we talk with Alex she will ask "Gamma have you packed your bags yet?" What a sweet girl! She is so excited about seeing us again and I am so thankful for that! I have not done any shopping yet. With us flying we are limited to what we can take. Also, we give our kids gift cards which we all love so all we have to do it buy for the Granddaughters. Two things we want to get for the girls are a digital camera for Alex who just turned 9 and a small bike or skooter for Maddie Pie who will be 2 on the 20th. I love to cook and have just finished my menu for the week. I am sure I will be in the kitchen all day, every day cooking everyone's favorite dishes and loving every minute. I remember how it was to work all day and come home and have to work half the night getting dinner on the table and school work done. I'll try and cook extra's in order to freeze it and let them enjoy it later. Here is a picture of my Grandbabies that Ashley had taken in November. I love these sweet girls!!

Halloween 2009

 
 
 
 

Alex in First Grade

I am slowly getting started with making a school album for Alex. Em gets on to me because I have not done one for her, but I thought start with the easiest and go from there. I had asked Alex at the time about her school information that is shown on here, but I don't have much to go on from both Pre-School and Kindergarden. But, I'm sure it will all work out in the end. I do have a lot of pictures from all of her classes so far, so I can go thru and add them later.

 
 

Last one!

 

More Still

 
 
 
 

More of Mom's Pictures

 
 
 
 

Happy 9th Birthday Alex!!

Today is my oldest Granddaughter's ninth birthday. Happy Birthday Alexandria Nicole!! How quickly time flys when your having fun! Gamma loves you Dear. XOXO

Copying Mom's old pictures

I am back at home in Alabama, but while in MI my youngest sister Brenda brought her scanner and we were able to scan several of Mom's old pictures. Mom has two old photo books full of wonderful pics and memories. Someone was smart to write on most of the backs, so we have a lot of information. I wish I had done that on 90% of mine which are blank. You think you will remember, but I now know you don't. These are a few of my favorite. My Mom and Dad was such a good looking couple!

 
 
 
 

My sweet Momma had emergency open heart surgery and a double bi-pass on Tuesday, August 18. The first few days were extremely emotional. Many ups and downs. By the grace of God, even with the bad days, Mom slowly recovered and went home eight days after surgery. My two sisters that live in Michigan took turns the first week and a half driving back and forth to Bay City daily to be with Mom and Wayne. Another sister took the following week, and I am currently with her for a week. Mom is recovering nicely and getting stronger every day. This is a picture of Mom and me. I forgot my curling iron at home, so there was no help for my hair! It's hard to believe my Mom is seventy-seven. Where have all the years gone?

 

 

Here is another card for Mom. I am totally enjoying making these cards. It is so much easier to make a card than a two page scrapbook layout. I have recently discovered Stampin Up stamps. I really like the clear stamps better, but the SU stamps are so detailed and so much fun! My Mom is being discharged from the hospital today! My sister Cathy and I talked about how it would be nice to have Mom and Wayne stay at her house for the first few days. Both of my sister's have been wonderful and have spent so much time away from their own families in order to take care of Mom. My step-dad has to be totally wore out too. He has been driving an hour and a half each way every day and then staying for most of the day with Mom at the hospital. If they stayed with Cathy, she would be able to take care of her twenty-fours hours a day, and wouldn't have to leave home to do it. My other sister Bea lives close by too, so it would be a win-win situation. But, Wayne wanted her back home. I totally understand that too. Mom will sleep better in her own bed. I am just so thankful on how well Mom is recovering. There were many hours last week when she seemed to have one complication after another. What a difference a couple of days make!

First card made for Mom

My 77 YO Mom had emergency open heart surgery and a double bi-pass Tuesday, August 18, 2009. She will require a lot of help her first month back at home. My two sisters that live close to her are taking this week to take care of her needs. Another sister will drive over from Buffalo on the 29th and stay until I get there on the 5th. All four of us girls will make and freeze several meals for them to reheat once we all have gone home. I plan on making a large pot of chilli, vegtable soup, and 15 bean soup. We all have to be careful on what we make because she has diabetes, high blood pressures, and now heart disease. Living in the South, I have always believed a little bacon grease makes everything taste good. Today was the first day I was able to talk with her since her surgery. She is now out of ICU and in a step-down room with a phone. Her voice was weak, frail, and we couldn't talk long, but it was a beautiful sound to me. I have a personal goal of making her one card every day until I fly to Michigan in September. This is actually the third card I have made for her. I just discovered a direct link to this blog from my computer using Picasa. I will add this shortly.

This is a card I just stamped for my Mom for Mother's Day. It did not turn out as I had planned, but with this being the first card I have ever made I was not too disappointed at the changes I ended up making. I ran out of clear embossing powder, so I had to settle for this copper powder. The card is plain in the inside. I hope Mom likes it, as she has no appreciation for the scrapbooking craft. She believes all photos need to be put in an album and not to worry about doing all the journaling that I love to do on my pages. To me the journaling is almost more important than the pictures. "Happy Mother's Day Mom!"