Blasting the Winter Blahs

Blast your Winter Blahs away with Color!!!!

Compliments of

John A. Sibley Horticultural Center

I hope this little sampling of the plants/fauna at Callaway helped make it a brighter day!!!!

Getting Ready for Greyson!

A baby shower was given for Amber by me, her sister, her grandmother and friend Debbie for her side of the family and friends from and around her hometown, Loganville, Georgia. (The weekend before, there was a shower from her inlaws for friends and family in and around Oglethope!)

We had so much fun playing games, catching up with friends and family, and eating delicous food! But the best part of the shower was watching her open all the terrific gifts she received....all in preperation for the arrival of Greyson!

Greyson's bath tub



I can see him now, splashing in the bathtub and wearing all the cute outfits she has collected from friends and family since the announcement 'It's a boy!'.

Waiting for the next gift to open!

Such cute little outfits!



Debbie working hard in the kitchen...the veggie tray was fabulous!



Me, Debbie, Mama and Aunt Judy worked hard that morning to get the decorations 'just right' and the food 'just so', and we were pleased with the outcome.



The food table was scrumptious!



On the menu:

Finger Sandwiches (chicken salad, pimento cheese & egg salad)

Chips & Dip

Sausage Pinwheels

Pigs 'n Blankets

Fruit Tray

Veggie Tray

An assortment of dips

Nuts & Mints

Cupcakes

Oreo Cheesecake bars

Greenish-Bluish Punch



I get hungry everytime I look at the picture.



Debbie used to cater, so she knows all the little tricks to present food in it's most lucious appearance!



Monkeys abound at the baby shower!



When Amber was still a baby, she climbed in her crib and on the furniture so much, her daddy said she acted just like a monkey...and it stuck. One of her nicknames was Monk from then on! Therefore, there had to be monkeys at the shower!

Amber smells a doodie diaper!

The younger girls experience a doodie diaper.

Showers can be a learning experience for the younger girls...why you have a shower, what you do at a shower, the kinds of foods and games you have at the shower. I think these girls had a blast!

Grandma's little guy...can't wait to meet him!



Dad and Granddad get goodies after the shower.



Greyson's dad and granddad got into the fun also...they came near the end of the shower to help load up the gifts...and to finish off some of the goodies on the food table!

The Year 2010

The year 2010, was a year of mixed blessings. Some wonderfully good things occurred, and some terribly bad things occurred. With both happy and sad events, I hope that I have grown in my personal life and in my faith life.

The beginning of 2010 was a turning point in my step dad's long battle with brain cancer. The last couple of months of 2009,  he struggled to endure his chemo treatments. The new year came and he became unable to sit up for very long, or feed himself, or bathe, or anything. His speech was nearly completely gone. Early in January, an MRI showed that his brain tumor had grown back and doubled in size. His oncologist halted all treatment. Shortly before his birthday, Hospice had to be called in. The day before Easter, he lost his battle with cancer. This was one of the saddest events of my life, but watching him suffer and struggle was worse. At least now, we knew he was at peace.

With profound sadness, also comes ecstatic happiness. Late summer, we found out my daughter Amber and her husband, Chris, were expecting their first child. My first grandchild. The circle of life continues. We just celebrated the upcoming birth of Greyson by having a couple of family/friend showers and now are eagerly awaiting for his arrival!

My former mother-in-law and good friend, Mary Mahaffey, suffered through-out 2010 with her battle with C.O.P.D. and complications from diabetes and a host of other ailments. She spent a great part of the year in either the hospital or personal care homes. She came close to death several times. But her faith in God sustains her, and she is determined to stay alive until she can meet her great-grandson. She came home a couple of days before Christmas, and was able to stay home until just this week. It was a big accomplishment for her.

This year, my daughter Jessica, graduated from Georgia Perimeter College with an associates degree in the pre-med track (science degree). She had been accepted by Georgia Gwinnett College, but decided to apply at UGA also, more or less 'just to see what might happen'. She was accepted at UGA and is now in her third semester there. When she graduates with a bachelor's degree in science, she can then go on to medical school. She is looking at several different schools in Georgia and is beginning to think about the tests you must pass to be considered for acceptance into those schools. I am so proud of her!

So many ups and downs in 2010. My husband lost one of his best friends to a heart attack. My cousin's husband graduated from college to be a school teacher...at the age of 39! I began planning my first cruise. . Jessica's fiance is a U.S. Marine, stationed in Afghanistan. My mom learned to live alone, for the first time in her life, at the age of 72 when my step dad died. I finally got hired as a full time, benefited employee where I had been working as a temp for over a year. 

What will 2011 bring? I know. More happiness. More sadness. I can only hope that the experiences I face will help me to grow personally and faithfully.