Cheese!!!

Allie is so cute.   As soon as I pick up the camera she says, "cheese!"  Love this sweet baby girl!  Grandkids are the best.

A Sherbet Pips Quilt

I fell in love with the sherbet pips collection.  It is so sweet.  I bought two charm packs and added some kona solids to come up with this darling lap quilt.

My five year old granddaughter, Ava, asked if she could have this quilt and I told her I already made a quilt for her.  She said, "Grandma, when you finish it, then you'll decide who to give it to?"

I think I've decided!

Happy Father's Day

My dad was my hero.  He taught us right from wrong, honesty, and integrity.  He taught us to always do the right thing even when the right thing wasn't easy.  When searching for a husband of my own, I wanted someone just like my dad.  He loved our mother and devoted himself to his family.  He was father to six children and was our father, not our friend.  He would discipline us and then tell us he loved us.  He was not afraid to show affection and showed to all he loved.  I am so proud to be his daughter. 

In 1995 he was diagnosed with esaphageal cancer.  Twenty five days later he died.  He was only 67 years old.  My mother was devastated.  He was her life.  They were married when she was only 16 years old, and were married for over 44 years.  A few years later she died of a broken heart at the young age of 65.  She's happy now.

Her and dad were proud of all of their children and taught us what a good marriage is.  I miss them both and think of them every single day.  Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

Amy, the Nurse Practioner

Our beautiful daughter, Amy, graduated from nurse practioner school on April 30th.

Look at that beautiful smile!

This girl is amazing.  She became an RN about seven years ago and has been working in the ER since.  She loves her job and was recently named nurse of the year in the ER department and is up for nurse of the year for the whole hospital.  We couldn't be more proud.  A few years after she graduated she decided to go back to school to get her bachelor's in nursing.  That was quite an accomplishment in itself.  Amy realized she wanted more, so about two years ago she started school to be a nurse practioner.  I guess she didn't have enough to keep her busy, because in the middle of all this she had another baby.  That makes four kids!  Wow!  She is amazing!  She has been working nights on the weekends, going to school and doing clinicals.  Add raising four kids to the mix and I just don't know how she has done it.  She is so determined.  So if I sound like I'm bragging, that's because I am!



Baptism

What a special day we had last Sunday! Three of our granddaughters were baptized. It was such a wonderful event. The girls were so sweet and innocent in their white gowns. Ava and Julianne wore gowns I made for them. Allie wore the gown her mommy wore when she was baptized. I was so honored to have made the gowns for the girls and they were beautiful! After the party we had family and friends to our house for a party with chili, bean soup, vegetable soup and cake. We played corn hole and the kids played on the swing set. We are truly blessed!

Here are Richard and the girls outside the church after the ceremony.

Allie

Allie with her new quilt!


Ava meets her baby sister, Allie for the first time!

We were blessed with grandbaby number six on February 2. Unlike most of the other grandbabies, Allie decided to wait til she was full term to arrive. My daughter, Amy allowed me to be in the delivery room when the baby was born. She did amazing. Amy was at the hospital less than two hours when Allie arrived. And she let me cut the cord. Allie was also Amy's biggest baby at 7 lbs. 11 oz. She is perfect!

Misty's Quilt

This is the back of the quilt. I seem to have a problem when I download pictures on here. The second picture I download always shows up first. I'll have to figure this out. But for now, here are the photos.

Here is a quilt I made for Misty's living room. It will look great in there because she has brown walls and aqua accents. It's really simple and is like the one I made for Amy. I used charm squares and 2 1/2" strips. Misty loves it.

Kody, the Teenager!

Kody turns 13 today! Hard to believe my first grandbaby is a teenager! What a great kid. He has proven over and over how great he is. He loves his sisters and does well in school. He helps his mom with yard work and Ava. He's getting lanky and clumsy and pimply and teenagery! Oh, the wonders of being young. Love this boy!

Richard

What can I say about Richard? We have been married nearly 27 years. Not a day goes by I don't thank God for him. We have been blessed with two beautiful daughters and five grandchildren. Here he is hunting for bunny rabbits with Ben and Julianne. He recently retired from the Post Office with more than 25 years in. Now that he is retired he has time to play all the golf he wants. (Although, he did play a lot of golf before he retired.) He loves spending time with all the grandkids. He gets them riled up and when he is tired of playing he is done. Somehow the kids don't always get that he's done. He helps the girls out whenever they need it. He watches Misty's kids once a week while she works. Kody, Kaitlyn and Ava stayed with us last night while their mom was working. He helps them with plumbing or car trouble or whatever they might need.

Richard does most of the housework at home. He always lets me know how much he loves and appreciates me. I really do know how lucky I am. I am truly blessed.

Me, Ava and Kaitlyn

Me, Ava and Kaitlyn
Originally uploaded by sandyb72357

Here we are. Me and two of my precious granddaughters. Ava is the little drama queen. Kaitlyn is our future model. She is such a sweet girl. She is eleven and starting middle school in the fall. That just seems crazy to me. I am so lucky that these sweeties live on the next street over. Wow, life doesn't get any better than this. We are truly blessed.