Company, like fish....

Hello!

We have had such a fun week.  We dashed off to Omaha on Monday.

I made steak bites for dinner and Matthew and Melinda made mashed potatoes.

Don't you think it is hard to cook at someone else's house.

The steak bites were a little rare...but I think most everyone liked them.

Emma had gone to Omaha for Christmas so we all got to be together and open presents together on Monday.

Tuesday Melinda (daughter-in-law) invited Shelby(newest daughter-in-law) over for a little baby shower.  (Shelby was given a shower by her family on Tuesday the 22nd and we weren't able to make it...so we had a little party on the 27th.)

We are all so excited for Shelby and Patrick.  

They will not be finding out the sex so we are all being patient and having fun with thinking of names.  Patrick and Shelby have been talking baby names for as long as they have been together...

I'm pretty sure it will not be a Bible name.

And it will not be a common popular name.

The other big question...will the baby have red hair?

Most of us think yes.

But we will all have to wait until March.

Shelby stayed the whole day of our little shower and we were able to talk and talk.

It was such fun.  

We watched "That Thing you Do".... and I made the girls laugh til they cried with a goofy comment.

But it's one of those 'you had to be there' things.

Katie and I went to see "Lion" on Christmas.  It is a wonderful, touching movie.

Beautifully acted by Dev Patel.

I hope he wins all the awards.

And the grandboys....

They are smart and silly and active and beautiful and loud and very very wonderful.

It just doesn't get much better.

Wishing you smiles and giggles and big huge laughs.

Love

Donna

Merry Christmas.

There came a little child.

Emmanuel, God with us.

Blessed Christmas to one and all,

Donna

Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.

"It was a Christmas as unique as any other.

For every year the mystery unfolds itself anew.

And late in life,

I came to see that faith, like hope, is a rope and anchor in a shifting world.

Faith cannot be questioned, only lived.

And if I could not grasp it then, 

I felt its heartbeat,

which was love."

~Call the Midwife

Drink your wine.

Laugh with your gut.

Burden your moments with thankfulness.

Be as empty as you can be with that clock winds down.

Spend your life.

And if time is a river,

may you leave a wake.

~N.D. Wilson

Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.

Where Charity and Love are, God is there.

Encourage one another,

Donna

Choir Choir Choir. What a Wonderful World.

I thought you would all enjoy this!

I just love the harmony.



Encourage one another,
Donna

Is it almost Christmas?

Ginny came to us in December.
She had a bit of a wonky eye.

I have been looking back at some of my old blog posts.   I was looking at December 2006.  

I was pretty stressed over Christmas preparations.  

Some how, I have lost all urgency to get it all done.  

Is this age?

I have this calm attitude...

We still don't have a tree. 

Katie and I will head out after school tomorrow to pick one up.

We will decorate at a slow, leisurely pace.

With doing a little bit each day ...it will all get done...

and

all will be well.

I hope you are feeling the peace and comfort and joy of the season.

I hope you are enjoying the lights that your neighbors have hung.

and 

I hope you are watching loads of Christmas movies.

Encourage one another,

Love to all

Donna

December has come....

  

We are getting our first snow this winter.  It's light and gentle and quiet and since we have no where to go today...it's welcome.

I realized I hadn't posted since before Thanksgiving and thought I better sit down and share some quiet pictures.

     

I took this panorama shot with my phone.  It's Washington Park.  

Who knew Emma and I would go to New York and love the parks so much?

Emma came home for Thanksgiving.  

I cooked dinner on Saturday so she could eat my delicious food.  (She had to work on Friday.)

I wanted to take a few pictures.  

Patrick came out to take our picture.

I love this one so much.

This is how I felt about the Gilmore Girls Netflix series.

I loved it.  

A little back story about my Gilmore Girls obsession...

The first time I watched the whole series of Gilmore Girls I was annoyed by almost everything. 

Except Luke.  Then I watched it again.... and again.

I hated Emily...and then I understood her and liked her.

I skipped the annoying sections and annoying people (so many annoying people) and focused on the love stories.

But I didn't care about all that....I could not wait to see what the  original creator of Gilmore Girls had in store for the reunion.

I wanted more of Luke and Lorelei.

I wanted more of Stars Hollow.

The series started out a little off but I didn't care.

I loved it anyway.

The final chapter was fantastic.

I confess there were a few times I fast forwarded...

but there are also a few parts I have watched three times too.

I love the Gilmore Girls....Emily included.

Yesterday I watched the good parts of the second season of Outlander.

Jamie and Claire.

Forever.

They are the best, most real kissers I've ever seen on screen.

They mean it.

And I will be watching the best parts again and again.

The season finale was fascinating and INCREDIBLE!

Someone yelled at me on the internet for just liking the Claire and Jamie romance part of Outlander....

I did not respond....and I don't care. 

:op

I love a love story.

Hope you are having fun getting into the Christmas mood and spirit.

No tree yet....here....

I'm sure we will get around to it....

Encourage one another,

Donna