Valentine My Hoosier

I have been having fun putting together some Valentine's Decorations. I was inspired by this post at 320 Sycamore. First, I pulled out things I had: the pitcher, heart wreath and red little Love plate are all from Kohl's clearance from years past.

Then I did a little shopping at Goodwill. That's where I got the candle holder, the three red plates and the Willow Tree angel.

The alphabet was a free printable from Kerry at Oh So Amelia.

The Valentines m&m's need to be refilled, and when we get closer to Valentines Day I'll be making some heart shaped frosted sugar cookies to fill the plates. Until then, it is still fun and festive, filled with love!

2013

I love my Lang calendars, and I have been buying them for years. They are on sale at the Lang website right now. You can get some great deals on calendars and frames. I love the calendars for the aesthetic value, probably even more than for the practical value.

It has been a couple of years since I have done a family calendar, but Jim helped me get one done this year, and I am loving the results. The calendar looked too plain when I hung it without a frame, and the calendar frames that I have are too big for the double 11 by 8 1/2 inch calendar size. So, I asked Jim to paint the back of my black frame with chalkboard paint. With a little bit of chalk doodle embellishment, I love the result!

I took the pictures of Anna last winter when I visited Peter's family in Minnesota. We were playing outside in the snow, and huge fluffy flakes were falling. We were catching them on our eye lashes and with our tongues. We also had made some red ice hearts and were making heart paths on the sidewalk in the snow. Fun winter memories - I get to be reminded of them all month long!

Parade!

I love that Peter quite often posts pictures of Anna and Simeon from his phone to his Facebook page. This one was taken on the 4th of July. Simeon is holding a little firecracker craft that Anna and I made together when they were here for a visit in June.

I Love being a Tech Saavy Grandma!

I love that Sarah shares pictures of her Grandma adventures with Anna and Simeon! Here are the most recent ones from their Valentine's making craft session on Thursday.O.K., so maybe there was a twinge of jealousy when I saw these adorable pictures. I want to make Valentines with my grandbabies, too! But, then I remember the fun time Anna and I had making her Thanksgiving turkey and have to realize that being the far-a-way grandma has its advantages and disadvantages. After all, we got to have Anna and Simeon here for a whole week at Thanksgiving, and they may be here for even longer this summer - a time that I look forward to with great anticipation.

But, in the meantime, I am so thankful for our modern technology! Yesterday, we spent nearly an hour on Facetime (using Jim's and Peter's iTouches for video conferences.) Anna showed us her books that she got at the library in the morning. It reminded me of some books that I have been buying for when they visit us again. But, then it dawned on me - I don't have to wait until they visit! I can read them to her real time - right here - right now! And, I did! Anna could see the books as I read and was able to answer questions that I asked her about the story and illustrations! She kept asking for "another one!"One of the books I read was "Quienes Ponen Huevos?" - "Who Lays Eggs?" I asked her if she wanted to read in English or Spanish. She answered quickly, "English!" At the end of our reading time Ginny came to say goodbye and told me that she and Peter had rested together in the recliner while Anna and I had our reading time!

So, even though we are the "far-a-way" grandparents, technology helps bring us closer than we could have ever imagined - isn't technology great?

Where's the Line to See Jesus?

I was blessed when I heard this song by Becky Kelley and watched the video. It's always good to be reminded of the real reason that we celebrate Christmas. God Bless You as you watch and listen.

Our Little Blue-Eyed Boy

Ginny's mom, Sarah, recently took these pictures of Simeon. I feel like I hardly know this little guy, but I'm looking forward to spending more time with him in the near future! So, this was the first time that Jim and I REALLY thought that Simeon looks like Peter. What do you think? Isn't he a sweet little boy, with a mischievous little grin to boot?!
Journaling reads: Grandma Sarah took these adorable pictures of you toward the end of the summer of 2010 when you were 10 months old. It was the first time that Grandpa Jim and I thought that you REALLY looked a lot like your Daddy when he was little. We think his head was a bit rounder, but there is so much of you that looks like him - including those beautiful big blue eyes!

Easter in September?

I know these are way out of season, but I haven't scrapbooked in so long, that I had to post what I did today! These pictures were taken when we were in Branson in April. I'm missing Anna and Simeon. Peter sent a video of Simeon walking today - it seems like I hardly know that little guy! The video reminded me A LOT of his daddy when he was just beginning to walk!
Here's the journaling: One of the “projects” that I planned to do with you while we were on our Spring Break vactation the week before Easter was dye Easter eggs. You started out with the little wire egg dipper, but you soon decided that it was much easier just to use your hands! Before you were finished, you were using both hands at the same time and dipping your whole hands in the dye to put the eggs in and get them back out. Grandpa Jim was cracking up while he watched you, but he was trying not to have you see him laughing so hard! You did a great job of dying the eggs!

Tweet Dreams

I had such a fun day yesterday! Several weeks ago I had seen a little girl's trundle bed at Costco that I knew would be just perfect for Anna's room. The bed is from the Hailey Collection by CafeKid. But, because of our vow to only spend cash on any remaining house expenditures, I had to wait until my check for grading AP calculus exams arrived. So, I was thrilled when Jim picked me up from school Monday carrying the check that had arrived in the mail. Of course, I wanted to go straight to Costco, but was apprehensive, fully expecting the bed to be completely sold out. Would you believe that the only bed left was the floor model - at a significantly discounted price??!! There was one little missing part, but Jim got an immediate response to his email inquiry, and the wonderful people at CafeKid are sending us a replacement. Now that's what I call good customer service!

I couldn't go to sleep last night until I had made the vinyl wall art that I had designed and made with my new Silhouette electronic die cutting machine. I first learned about this amazing little machine on Ashley's really fun blog, Make it and Love it. Jim helped me put up the wall art, and I can't stop going into Anna's room to look at the beautiful bed and beautiful wall art. Now, we just need Anna to come for a visit and sleep in her new bed!