Mother's Day and Beyond...

The weekend before last was a busy one, full of special treats. On Saturday we were treated to a dance recital in the morning. Lynnleigh shone, literally!  She sent us this "preview" before she left home. 

Here she is with her dance troupe. (Gregory was the official photographer.) She did just great!

Straight from there our sweet daughter met me and treated me to lunch and a manicure and pedicure.

 And, as if that wasn't enough, she made this for me! Needlepoint is a fairly new pursuit for her, it keeps her hands and mind occupied (and off her phone, according to her) while she sits at the pool waiting at Lucy Ann's swim practices. I think she's become quite adept at this, not only at the needlepoint but the finishing as well (admittedly, that's not her favorite part). I will treasure this Nativity ornament forever. 

The following day our son cooked de-constructed kabobs for us, as well as for our DIL and her parents;  We were treated to plates full of bite-sized beef, shrimp, chicken, smoked sausage and roasted veggies. It was deliciously superb!

So, as this post is so aptly titled; this is a Mother's Day and beyond post. Thanks for indulging me. This past weekend we provided the altar flowers at church in honor and celebration of an upcoming MAJOR wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe; we couldn't be more thankful for the life, and the years, that God has given to us. The Butterfly Bush pictured at the top of this post was given to us as a memorial to my mother. It is a poignant reminder, on many levels. But, you see those blooms beginning? They first emerged, buds turning to blooms, exactly on May 11th; yep, Mother's Day!  I know that my own precious mother is smiling, she would just love this. 

And one more thing. I ran across this the other day, can't remember where; but it resonated with me.

Maybe it will with you too.

Life is Good!

It really, truly is. 

 

Mother's Day

How did you spend your Mother's Day? We made a quick trip north to spend the day with my mother. As I've reported before, she's been having a tough time lately; health-wise. She's still in a care facility (as of today) and fighting as hard as she can to get back home again. Augie did what he could; he volunteered his services as a therapy dog.

It must've worked because, after passing OT and PT evaluations where she is, and during a home visit yesterday, she is being discharged back home tomorrow. She'll have in-home nursing care, that will help my Dad out; but, I continue to ask for prayer as this situation moves ahead. She's frail and not as steady as I would like to see, but this is where things stand.

Here we are in years past, visiting quilt shops and spending our days working on sewing projects. When Mom and Dad used to drive down and visit here, or when we were in New England, we never lacked for places to drive to or things to work on. We reminisced last week while I was with her about all the quilt shops that we would seek out and explore on road trips together, sadly, all of them now closed: Keepsake Quilting in Meredith, NH, The Calico Cupboard in Rumney, NH, The Crazy Ladies of the Quilted Acorn, Georgetown, MA, The Cranberry Quilter in Wenham, MA, Mary Jo's, Gastonia, NC, The Busy Thimble, Litchfield, ME, Footprints, Lebanon, ME, Rachel's Quilt Patch, Staunton, VA. 

Now, rounding out the list, the latest (and maybe the greatest in our book) about-to-close shop: Quilted Threads in Henniker, NH; we loved that one!  Here we are, taking a class together there back in 2014, we had the very BEST time! I'm sure, somewhere, that we've got pictures of us together at each and every shop through the years. 

Home again!

My second year Peonies are weak and scrawny, 

but blooming; they're as determined as Mom.

Life is Good!

When In New England...

We made a trip up to New England to visit with family and spend Mother's Day with my mother. As of this morning we're home again and the washing machine is working overtime. Our visit north was blessed by the weather gods; lovel, sunny (albeit chilly) days and crisp, cool nights. It was glorious! My sister and her husband met up with a lobster fisherman on Saturday afternoon and brought back TEN(!) of these beauties. She set up a pot for boiling in the back yard on Sunday afternoon and in they went! It was a full New England experience! 😀

We all (not just the Moms) feasted on tender, sweet and succulent lobster that evening, it was a true Mother's Day treat to remember! We were able to score some delicious fried clams while in the area, as well. It was nice to see the mask mandates loosening up in New Hampshire; while we were there the "masks required" signs were being replaced with "masks recommended" in restaurants and stores, as well as those one way arrows being lifted up from the floors of the grocery store aisles. Progress...

Yesterday was a travel-back-home day, someone took full advantage of his "car time" by sleeping the day away. We didn't encounter any of the gasoline shut-down at all until we entered Virginia, in the evening. With an eye to the possibility of pumps being out we kept our tank filled, stopping to top off wherever we could along the way. That was a good thing! Our daughter loaned me her copy of The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, this passenger in the car couldn't put it down; it's a compelling read- but brutal! I haven't quite finished it yet, we'll see how it ends. 

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig! 

😉

Life is Good!

Yumminess

I had an entire blog post composed and it evaporated. I'm beyond frustrated with that and have decided to spend the rest of Mother's Day afternoon finishing the current book that I'm reading; I'll recreate the post about my kitchen adventures of this past week at a later time. Our son and his family came by today with this box of warm-out-of-the-oven Duck Donuts for a special Mother's Day treat! They were as sweet and yummy as they look but seeing family and, especially the youngest two grandchildren, was the sweetest treat of all! We've missed them all so much, it's been a great day.

I hope that all of you have enjoyed this Mother's Day 

in whatever way makes today special for you!

💗

Life is Good!

Thanks, Mom!

Happy Mother's Day! Especially to commemorate the occasion I am wearing this "time to say thank you" Swatch today. When we lived in Europe, twenty-plus years ago, I used to love to shop in the Swatch store there, they always had fun watches and I remember sending two of these watches back to the United States, one for my mother and one for my mother-in-law. I found this one, that had belonged to my MIL, a few years ago when were cleaning out. It is precious to me on many levels. The watchband is emblazoned with "thank you, mother" in many different languages.
My mother and me, a few years ago; at Quilted Threads in Henniker, NH. I am extremely thankful to have a mother who's always ready to ride along and indulge me in my "need" to visit every quilt shop in a multi-state region when I come up north to visit. She's just like that; for her sense of adventure and SO MUCH MORE, thanks, Mom!

The Bluebirds are developing, growing feathers and increasing in size by the moment~ thanks to the excellent care of their super-attentive and ever-vigilant birdie-Mom!

No matter who you're with today, your mother or a mother figure in your life. 

Remember to give them a big hug and thank them; they'll appreciate it more than you can know!

Thanks, Mom!

Life is Good!

Family Weekend

We've been celebrating family this past week... not only mothers! My Dad and I have spent a couple of days picking the most delicious strawberries ever at a nearby strawberry farm. The berries are huge, juicy and sweet!
We carried a gallon to the Capital City on Saturday where we had a wonderful afternoon visiting with these two cutie pies (and their parents!). We capped off the visit with a stroll through a local rose garden.

Our next stop, along the way, was a meet and greet with Woody himself!

 I can't tell who's enjoying himself more... can you?

 Even the youngest (perhaps especially the youngest) enjoyed the juicy goodness of the fresh strawberries!

My mother and her youngest grandchild, our son Kyle; here she's passing along the family recipe (and the preparation technique) for her ham salad. A keen eye may notice a can of Spam in the background... yes, that's the secret ingredient! Say what you will about Spam; but, I grew up on this delicious ham salad with fresh chopped green pepper and I agree with my son that it's just about the tastiest thing you could ever spread on a slice of bread!

Life is Good! 

May Milestones

I can hardly believe that Memorial Day has happened, summer is already upon us, and I haven't had time to catch my breath! May has been a whirlwind month marking a few momentous milestones. Mother's Day weekend was a special one, I had my own mother to here to celebrate the occasion with this year.  We drove to the Capital City the day before and had a wonderful lunch at our daughter and son-in-law's home surrounded with lots of love, laughter and the little ones, it was a perfect day!

The following weekend we traveled that same road back and forth again; this time for a different occasion, Mason's preschool graduation. It's ironic that I mentioned a time slipping away in the first paragraph; wasn't it just yesterday that I was posting Mason's newborn photo from the hospital room? Sigh.

Here's Mason today, ready for Kindergarten in the fall. His preschool director called the names of the graduates and they walked to receive their diploma; as they proceeded across the front the director read what their future aspirations are. Mason stated that he wants to be a "space guy" and study rocks and moisture and Pluto. He'll be great at whatever he sets his mind to do!

On the 24th of this month we celebrated thirty-nine years
of marriage. It's so hard to believe; even though we may have
changed, physically, over the years we don't feel any older and are still
enjoying each and every day together as much as our first as husband and wife. 
I couldn't have chosen anyone better to share my life and my heart with.
Life is Good!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day

In honor of Mother's Day I wanted to share a photo of my mother today, with her recently completed strip quilt. Is there any happier smile than the one when your own quilt is done? I don't think so. I know she will enjoy the comfort of this beautiful handiwork for years to come.

Wishing mothers everywhere happy smiles 

and beautiful moments today and every day!

Life is Good!

Thank God For Mothers...

Thank God for mothers everywhere,
if it weren't for Moms this is the way the children would be raised:

This is the actual package photo from the indoor-outdoor trampoline toy available at a store near you. I find it hilarious, and understandable, that they would put Dad in the picture (what self-respecting Mom would allow this contraption in the house?); relaxing and reading e-mail from his tablet while his caged child jumps; hey Dad, don't look now but one of your bouncing baby boys has escaped!

Happy Mother's Day!

"A fat quarter has fewer calories than a hot fudge sundae."
Life is Good!

Happy Mother's Day!

Life is GRAND!...and the out-take...
Gregory: "What does grass taste like, Lucy Ann? You try it first and let me know."

Mason: "I've had some, it's not all that tasty; they'll figure that out on their own."

Mother's Day and TO DO Lists...

Mother's Day came and went in a flurry of activity here. It was a celebration of motherhood heightened only by excited anticipation of the "wedding-to-come" on Saturday! Pictured here is the mommy-to-be "modeling" a new outfit from the almost bride and groom. Isn't it just the cutest? Hannes chose a new purse for me for Mother's Day; reminding everyone who sees it what his mother's definite breed of choice is, seriously, could there be any other? (And, by the way, doesn't he look pleased and proud of his purchase?) Things are shifting firmly into wedding gear at Chez Goodneedle, I have "to do" lists that measure a mile long. I will most certainly be on blog-land hiatus for a spell from here on in; I'll return with wedding pictures next week and an upcoming giveaway to commemorate passing the 400th post milestone. Y'all come back! Y'hear?

Life is Good!