Looks like I'm back to the boring life again. I really don't have anything to talk about. Just rambling a little.

There are changes happening in my family right now. Nothing bad but changes just the same. I'm not really ready to talk about them yet. I will when it's time.

I loved being a mom. It was something that I always felt I was meant to do. I'm not saying I was the perfect mother. In fact, I'm the first to admit that I have made a lot of mistakes. The one thing my children could never say was that I didn't love them.

I tried very hard to always be there for them whenever they needed me. I still try to be there but now they are adults and there is a line that you try very hard not to cross. No matter what I personally think, they have to make their own decisions. They also have to make their own mistakes. Just the way I did.

I remember when Patrick and I were starting out. It would make us so mad when either one of our parents would try to tell us how to do things. My mother (and mother-in-law) was very good about making those little comments about the proper way to raise children or keep a house. Sometimes our thinking was the same but sometimes it wasn't. It took a while for my mother to realize that there could be other ways of doing things than the way she and her mother had done them. Luckily, as I got older, we achieved that wonderful relationship of friendship. She was always there to give advice when I asked but kept most of her opinions to herself.

In my lifetime so much about raising children has changed. What you can and cannot do. Sometimes I marvel that mine ever made it to adulthood. But I must have done something right because they are both wonderful adults. I am not only proud to have them as children but I am proud to have them as friends.

As you can see, they have grown a little since these pictures were taken. They were cute kids though.

There are many reasons to have a blog. Deep thoughts, sharing fears and joys. So many reasons. But one of the biggest reasons could be to embarrass your daughter. Right?

So the other day we were cleaning out Missy's old room . I know it's been almost 11 years since she left home but she never really moved out. All that stuff in her room was a big indication of that.

It was so much fun going through all the stuff and remembering both the good and the bad. But then I look up and out comes my beautiful baby girl.

That's my girl. Minnie Mouse wedding ears and an old pair of glasses. That's my baby.

This has been a very strange time for me. My life is usually so boring. I mean really really boring. The get up go to work, come home and go to bed boring. But for some reason that hasn't been the case and I'm loving it.

Last Saturday Terry's mother, sister, niece, Missy and I all went to the movie. I have to tell you that if you are looking for a feel good chick flick, then you have got to see Mama Mia. It was great. We had four completely different women watching this show and we all loved it. I love going to Alamo Drafthouse to see a movie. You can sit there in comfort while you eat your pizza and then have a nice big piece of chocolate cake with ice cream and never miss a thing on the screen. Pure decadence.


Then Monday night was Kathy's birthday. That meant dinner out with the family. Oh what fun. We went out for seafood. Yummy. The crab legs were great. The only problem was terrible service. The only good thing about bad service is that you get to spend more time visiting with everyone. I hope Kathy had a great birthday. Next one up is Terry.

Humans and animals have a lot in common. You have children, you raise them and then they go out on their own.

For the last few weeks I have been watching the house sparrows as they built their nest on my front porch. We watched the mommy and daddy gradually build the nest to where it was strong and safe. Since it was inside the eave, it was safe from the wind and rain. Though in Austin right now that was not an issue since we are in a drought.

If you look closely you can see two baby birds sticking their heads out of the nest.













This is them a week later. Boy those parents really had to work to keep them fed and growing like that.










Over the weekend, the babies grew up and left the nest. It was time for the kids to leave home to start their own life.

I will miss them. Think they will write?

Okay, so yesterday I told everyone about the wonderful party my children threw for me. Now I think you should see what Sunday brought.




Terry was helping a friend move so he didn't get his nap until we were doing our weekly grocery shopping. Now you have to remember that everyone was sleeping so no one got a picture of the old lady sawing logs on the other sofa.

I thought I had a fantastic birthday on Wednesday. It was all I had hoped for. Apparently my children had another idea. I have to tell you, I had no idea turning 60 could be so much fun.

Saturday night I was scheduled to babysit. Missy got a text while at my house and told me that the couple they were going out with had cancelled on them. She was so disappointed because she was so looking forward to dressing up and going out. A little later she asked if I would be willing to go with the three of them for a nice family dinner. Since all I had planned was to have Serif I said sure. So I went in and got dressed. We asked Terry to pick a nice Mexican Restaurant and he went to the computer to find one. He told us that he found one off 620 where he and Patrick would eat while working in the field. Sounded good so we said go for it. Driving to the restaurant, we got to the turn off for the Oasis, a beautiful restaurant on Lake Travis, and decided to see if they would be too crowded to eat there. We were being spontaneous. Right?

The place was really crowded. I was surprised when we got out of the car and ran into Terry's sister in the parking lot. She let it slip that this had been planned and that there was a party for me. I thought another nice family dinner but I had no idea what was waiting for me. We go up these stairs and E and C are there taking my picture. I was so surprised when I walked into a room of people with a slide show in the background of all these pictures of me as a baby all the way up to present. I can tell you that it was a total surprise. Boy I had no idea Missy was so sneaky.

I have never had a surprise party before. I was in a state of shock the whole time. I can't believe my sweet baby girl did all this. There was lots of food, friends and laughter. There was also a balconey to enjoy the view of Lake Travis. Enjoy some of the hundreds of pictures taken that evening.

This is my beautiful E. Sometimes you can pick your family.

There was lots of love and laughter in the room that night

The whole family. Tom provided the most delicious cake. I'm still enjoying it.

I can't believe they did all this for me.

I am truly the luckiest mother in the whole world.

I will leave you with the beautiful sunset we were able to enjoy from the balconey on my special night.

I survived my 60th birthday! I can't tell you what a wonderful day it was. I have to admit that if yesterday was any indication of what lies ahead, then the 60's are going to be fabulous.

First I was awakened by a phone call from my two girls singing happy birthday to me. What a wonderful way to wake up. Then Missy and I met E at Starbucks to visit a little before going to Alamo Drafthouse to have lunch and watch a movie. It was so sweet of both Missy and E to take the day off to spend it with me. They both made me feel special through out the day.

After the movie, Missy and I killed some time shopping. We do that so well and then headed off to get Serif. Missy had made cupcakes and sent them to school for the kids to enjoy my birthday. So when I walked in all these little 3 year olds sang happy birthday to me. It was great.

I had hoped that we could go to a park but it was just too hot. This Texas weather has been record breaking heat this year. So we went home so Serif could see what we bought her. (I said we went shopping didn't I?)

Before we knew it, it was time to meet everyone at Outback for a yummy dinner. I can't put into words how wonderful it was to sit at that table surrounded by my friends and family. Both of my children, Tom and Missy, my wonderful son-in-law Terry, my precious grandbaby, my special rent-a-daughter E, my friend K who also happens to be Terry's mother and my dear friend N. It was all so very special and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate my special day. Thank you all for being there.

That night as I lay in bed, I couldn't help but think about what a very blessed person I am. I am surrounded by loving family and wonderful friends. I am truly loved.

Thank you Missy for making my 60th birthday such a special day. You are, and will always be, my special baby girl.

A true friend is one of the most precious things in the world. I have such a friend in N. She is wonderful and has been a true and faithful friend for the 35 years. I love talking to her. She always make me laugh. No matter how I'm feeling she's always there to help.

I met N right after Patrick and I got married. Actually I met O, N's husband, when he stopped by our duplex right after we got married. He was so excited about Patrick's new wife that he showed up the next weekend with his wife and baby in tow. N and I connected the first time we met and it's been a wonderful friendship since then.

N and I have been through a lot in our years as friends. We were busy being wives and mothers. We could go for months without talking and then get on the phone and all that time would just melt away.

Don't you just love this picture of our kids so very long ago?

Nancy was left a young widow with two little boys. That was a hard time for her but she amazed me with her strength and ability to handle everything. We continued to talk on the phone through those years. It was hard because Patrick and I were so busy with the company and raising our family. But N and I managed to stay in touch.

N was right there for me when Patrick died. I don't think I could have made it through that time without her. She helped give me the strength I needed to face what was ahead of me.

N's birthday is two days before mine. She is a year younger than me so she turned 59 yesterday. I called her last night and, as usual, spent over an hour talking about our wonderful grandchildren and all the blessings we have.

Even after all we have gone through we can still get on the phone and giggle like school girls. It's so nice to know that no matter how long it's been, I can always pick up the phone and hear her wonderful laugh on the other end.

Thank you N for being such a wonderful friend and Happy Birthday. I love you.

It's Friday. I made it through the week. Plus next week is a 3 day work week. I am so ready for some time off.

Nothing special going on this week. A little busy at work with the audit and a few conferences. Other than that I've been surfing the internet a lot. I hate when things are slow. Hopefully everything will pick up soon.

This is the first weekend in a long time that I have nothing planned. That sounds perfect to me. I so need to clean my house. I also need to find time to veg some and to do some sewing. I figure what I don't finish this weekend I can finish next weekend...or the weekend after that. One of the advantages of living alone is that you don't have to answer to anyone about the dog hair on the floor or the dishes in the sink.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Monday will be here before we know it.

I was listening to the radio on the way into work this morning. They were talking about the new American Girl movie that they are making. Apparently the movie is set in the 1930's and the actress was expected to type on a typwriter. Her first comment was how do you delete. I couldn't help but laugh. My, how times have changed.

When I started taking typing lessons we only had manual typewriters. By the time I was a senior and taking my second year of typing we actually had some electric typewriters. We had enough so that each student could type on them one week out of the semester. It was quite funny watching us try to adjust to the electric typewriters after being on a manual and then the readjustment at the end of the week.

I was not the fastest typist in the class but I do remember the thrill I had when I broke 100 words a minute without any mistakes. Back then you got 5 words taken off your score for every typo. That definitely made you watch out for mistakes.

Accurate typing was really stressed back then. A thesis and many reports were expected to be typed without any mistakes or corrections. That meant that you could not erase or use correction fluid on any typos. I have experienced that feeling of frustration after making a mistake towards the end of the page and having to take it out and start all over again. Or that feeling of satisfaction when you finsihed and knew that it was perfect.

Today my speed is gone. Thanks to delete, backspace and copy and paste I have no problem getting those reports out. Thanks to the computer my work is checked for misspelling and correct grammar. The thesaurus will even help me when I forget the word I'm looking for. Yes, times have definitely changed.

Since yesterday's blog was a bit of a downer, I thought I would cheer everyone up with the latest school picture. Can you believe how big that sweet granddaughter of mine has gotten? I know you can't tell that she's Grammy G's pride and joy can you? Let's just keep it our secret. Okay?

This was a very full and fun weekend. Lots of time spent with family and friends.

I have to tell you that I was so happy to see how well T is getting along after her surgery. I couldn't believe how great she is doing. Keep up the good work. We'll be back to bother you soon!

Saturday I got to go out to breakfast with a friend. I love going to out to breakfast. I don't know for sure why but it's always been one of my favorite things to do. Maybe it had to do with all those breakfasts I ate on the road growing up. Whatever the reason it was so much fun. Plus lots of good conversation. What a better way to start a weekend.

Then in the evening we meet up with Erin and saw C do her belly dancing thing. I don't want to have this sound bad because she's always been good but she has improved so much. It was awesome to watch her. Way to go C. Keep up the good work.

Unfortunately, Missy wasn't feeling well for Father's Day but we did manage to get together with the family and celebrate some. Poor baby is still feeling under the weather so I hope she feels better soon. I miss not having her to talk to all day long.

On a sad note, I got some bad news on one of the blogs I follow. Maya's Granny suffered a heart attack back around the middle of February. We have all been tracking her progress and sending our prayers to her kids and her wonderful granddaughter Maya. Unfortunately, early Sunday morning she passed away. Her wit and humor will be be missed.

This is what my sweet grandbaby looked like three years ago. She was so little. Saturday she turned a big 3 years old.

This was her birthday weekend. What a weekend it was. It all started on Friday when both the grandmothers got together to make sandwiches for the party. Kathy and I had such a good time. Okay so maybe we made too many sandwiches but we were on a roll.

I called Serif at 8:00 on Saturday morning so I could be the first to sing happy birthday to her. Sorry Terry.

The party was in the early evening. The park was shaded and a nice breeze made it very comfortable. That was a pleasant surprise since it's been so terribly hot this summer. There were lots of playground equipment to keep all the kids busy and happy. Everyone had such a wonderful time. Some of us were having such a good time that the party just moved over to Missy's. It was great. The party was so good that I didn't even get home until 1:00 in the morning. There were so many people to visit with and lots of gossip to share. Of course there was also the Wii to play. It's been a long time since I was up that late. I loved it.

Sunday Kathy and I went over to help eat up some of the left over sandwiches and enjoy the last of the birthday weekend. It was after 9 when I got home on Sunday. It was definitely a weekend full of celebrations.

Look how big my girl is. She is so much fun now. She has such a wonderful personality. I love the person she is becoming. I love spending time with her. She reminds me of her mother in so many ways but she's also her own person. It's been a great three years. I'm sure the next thirty are going to be just as much fun.

When Patrick died our family became very small. Both of us were only children so there were not lots of aunts, uncles and cousins running around. It was just the three of us.

We have been through a lot in the time since Patrick died. As a family we've had our ups and downs. So far we have always been able to pull together when we needed to.

Right now there is a strain in my relationship with my son. He is going through some stuff right now. Though I can appreciate what he is going through, I can not accept or condone the way he is going about it.

As a mother you love your children unconditionally. It makes no difference if you give birth to them or not. You raise them. You instill in them the values and morals that you want to pass on. You comfort them when they are hurt and you encourage them when they strive for their dreams. That is part of being a mother.

I love my son with all my heart. Unfortunately, I do not like him very much right now. I especially dislike the way he has put people in very uncomfortable situations.

This weekend is Serif's 3rd birthday. This is a very special time for her. She is so excited about this birthday. This is going to be her day. I don't want anything to spoil it for her. She is totally innocent in all these adult goings on. All she knows is that she loves her family more than anything. She adores her uncle and I thought he adored her. I hope and pray that he makes the right decision. This is one decision he will have to live with for the rest of his life.

What a wonderful weekend. Hopefully I am finally over the bronchitis and the horrible stomach problems I was having last week. So not fun. When it rains...it poors.

It was such a busy weekend. On Saturday we all got to go to lunch with Missy's best friend and friends. It was so much fun to see R and her husband again. It has been ages. The main reason we all went was to meet Erin's new friend and his little girl. I have to admit that I enjoyed meeting both of them. He was just like I expected. That is always nice for a change. No big surprise. I didn't get to talk to him too much because I had a little girl climbing all over me. The little I talked to him showed me that he is a very sweet and considerate guy. His little girl is absolutely beautiful. They seem to have a great bond and that says a lot about him. I hope to get to know both of them more.

Also, this weekend was making the plans for Serif's 3rd birthday. This is a very special birthday because she knows what is going on and is so excited about it. It looks like it is going to be wonderful party. As usual Missy and Terry have everything under control and are doing a great job. I like helping out where I can but they really don't need any help. I get to make pimento cheese for the party. Kathy will make the egg salad and Missy will make the chicken salad. It's going to be at the park so the kids can play. It's going to be so much fun and I can hardly wait. Hopefully the presents I ordered for Serif will arrive today.

Sunday was a great day. Tammy and her family came to visit at the house. It was so wonderful to have that place full of people. The teenagers did a great job of entertaining themselves and being with us. I had worried about them. I'm more set up for 3 year olds than 13 and 16 but they fit right in and we all had a great time. It was so wonderful to visit with everyone. I got to know Tammy's husband better. I really do like him. Zach is my guy. I'd keep him if I could. He is so awesome. He got to play games on the computer. Kate is beautiful and talented. She's such a good kid. It's fun to sit and talk to her. Anyone who talks about worrying about our future and the kids that are growing up don't know what they are talking about. These kids show me that all is good.

Then there was Jacob and Serif. Those two are fantastic together. No tears. No fighting. Total sharing of all the toys. Just playing and laughing the whole time. It was wonderful to see. They went off and played and left the grownups to talking. I was so proud of both of them. They really have a special bond.

It was so wonderful sitting there and watching everyone having a good time. I could feel Patrick there with me. He was as happy as I was. Tammy is still having some problems adjusting to his being gone but hopefully this visit helped her some. I sincerely hope she and her family will come back lots.

I have to admit that when I collapsed into bed last night, I had a wonderful feeling of happiness and contentment. It was so wonderful to have everyone over to the house. Nothing is better than visiting with family and old friends. I am so blessed. I have so much to be thankful for.

Happiness is answering the phone and hearing a roar and giggle on the other end of the phone line.

Between bronchitis and Memorial Day I have not had a chance to keep up with my blogging. I know I'm bad about it. I really am trying to get better.

I took Friday off also. That way I had a 4 day weekend and only had to take one day of vacation. I have to tell you that this was one of the best long weekends I have had in a long time. No running around and trying to get everything done. It was nice and laid back. Just what I needed. My lungs were still healing and I was able to rest and take care of myself.

I was able to finish the little shorts and top set that I wanted to make for Serif. I think it turned out pretty good. It's difficult for me to like anything I make. All I see are the mistakes.

I did that and some mending. I love my new sewing machine. I am getting so much use out of it.

I had wanted to finish up on the trim on the shed but it was just too hot. It may have to wait until spring. These 95+ degrees days are terrible. Plus a little rain would be nice too.

On Monday night Missy had everyone over for a bar-b-cue. It was so good and just as relaxing as the weekend had been. Plus I got to spend some time with my wonderful granddaughter. That's always good. Missy's best friend and Serif's Godmother came over too. It's always great to watch her with Serif. Serif just adores her.

All in all a good weekend. Just one question. How come 4 day work weeks seem to last so long?

One of the fondest memories I have is when Patrick was studying for the surveyor's exam. He would sit in his chair in the study and read Black's Law. Missy would toddle in and crawl up in his lap and he would read it out loud to her. I would go in a little later and find both of them sound asleep.

Later Patrick had to have a passport photo taken to submit with his surveyor's application. We went to a photographer one Saturday afternoon. The photographer feel in love with Missy and snapped a quick picture of her and her father. We thought nothing of it but when Patrick picked up his pictures there was the picture of him and Missy. No charge. Just a nice friendly gesture. It has always been one of my favorite pictures. Maybe because it was so spontaneous.

My goodness. I knew I hadn't blogged for a while but I had no idea it had been so long.

Blogging is difficult for me. Basically I'm a very private person and it's hard to hang it out there for anyone to read. I've also never done well with journals or diaries. We'll see how this goes.

Yesterday was Mother's Day. I have to tell you it was a great day. Very relaxed and spent with family and friends. What more can you ask for?

Mother's Day is a special time for reflexion for me. It brings back memories of me as a child and my mother. My mother and I were not close until I was older. It was when I got older that I understood her so much better. She wanted so much for me. There was never any doubt that she loved me. But the person she wanted me to be was not the person I was meant to be. That in itself caused conflict.

My mother had a very hard childhood and that helped mold her into the person she became. With age came understanding of not only what she went through as a child but understanding of the person she became and why. When I became an adult, we were able to connect as equals and a friendship grew. I will always cherish that time we had and I miss her still.

It is totally different with my daughter. We have a deep closeness and friendship and that continues to grow. We think a lot alike and that can be scary. I feel for her poor husband some times. I cherish the friendship that we have built. I admire the woman and mother she has become.

Being a mother is hard. All you can do is do the best you can and pray. You give all you have and try to teach and prepare them for the life that awaits them. Hopefully they will be able to carry the love, morals and ethics that you worked hard to instill in them into their adult lives. If you do a good job, then your reward is becoming a grandmother and I do like being a grammy.

So I hope that everyone had a good Mother's Day. If your mother is living, I hope you were able to spend some special time with her. If you mother has died, then I hope you were able to take some quiet time to remember her and the times you had together.

This weekend was Patrick's birthday. On his birthday Missy and I do what comes natural to us. We shop. Every year since Patrick died Missy and I start our Christmas shopping on Patrick's birthday. We found out that nothing helps grief like spending money. I don't know what was different about this year but we had so much fun. We started out shopping with Erin and had a wonderful lunch with her and then Missy and I headed off on our own. I couldn't have asked for a better day. Thank you Missy and Erin.

During our lives we have many friends come and go from our lives. This was especially true of me growing up in the military. Since we moved every two or three years, I have had many friends come and go. Some good and some bad. Some that have left me hurt and some that have showed me what true friendship means. I feel that I have learned from both and am a much better person for the good ones that I have know. I have known my best friend for over 30 years now. We have been through so much together and our friendship is stronger because of it.

This past week our family had the very pleasant surprise of having an old friend come back into our lives. How fortunate we are when something like this happens. I have not been in touch with her yet but the kids have. It is always nice to see or hear about a good friend and to see that their life has turned out well and that they are happy.

Now it is time to prepare for Thanksgiving. So much to be thankful for this year. New friends, old friends, our wonderful family and all of God's bountiful gifts. We are truly blessed.