Now Who Feels OLD ????

I was in Ft. Worth over the weekend with Marlie and her family and our middle daughter Amy.  We had a great time playing with Marlie's little boys and just hanging out.  Sunday and Monday were rainy and cold, but it didn't dampen our spirits.  On Saturday, we met Catherine Bowen for brunch.  She is just finishing her first year at TCU.  Why is this important for you to know?  Because both the girls were Catherine's nannies in Harlingen MANY years ago.  Amy took care of her when she was a baby and young toddler and Marlie had her as a pre-schooler.  Catherine was a flower girl in Amy's wedding when she was about 3  years old.  It always makes me feel old when I see the kids I taught all grown up with kids, but I am better now that my own kids are beginning to have to deal with the same feelings.  Oh, and Catherine's brother Zachary, aka Chandler Bowen, who the girls also nannied, is GRADUATING from college this weekend.

Baby Aaron, 11 weeks,  Marlie,
Catherine,  and Amy.

There's A Monster in My House !!!!

My Grandmother Looney taught me to sew when I was in grade school.  I have always loved it and have done quite a bit over the years.  At first it was mostly clothing, then home decorating  and baby gifts were added to the mix.  About 8 years ago I made 3 quilts.  There were actual directions and a pattern to one of them (king size), and the other 2 were t-shirt quilts made from Marlie's high school athletic shirts and her college sorority shirts.  It was fun, but I didn't get hooked.  In fact, I made the statement that I made one to prove that I could and didn't intend to do it again.  Well.....

Beachin'

Dottie

I obviously mis-spoke.  At a recent Ladies Luncheon here at "The Home", we had the pleasure of hearing one of our neighbors talk about her quilts.  She brought many beautiful ones with her and we were all duly impressed.  After lunch she asked if anyone would be interested  in lessons and I signed up.  It only took one lesson and there it was.....the monster in my house.  I am hooked! SOAP helped me rearrange the middle bedroom so I could leave my sewing machine set up and my mess left out.   Don't worry, I am still addicted to Words with Friends too.  My iPad and phone are always nearby so I can play while I sew.

Marty Kratz is the one responsible for my new addiction.  She and her husband Art are a great couple. Marty is a great teacher and such a fun person. Art is a fantastic artist.  His watercolors are so beautiful and filled with great detail. You would never know that he is legally blind.   They both teach their  special talents in their home 2 days a week.  At every lesson she shows me a new technique and I can't wait to learn the next one this week.  

I am determined to make eleven this year.  That is one for SOAP, one for each grandchild, and one for each child.  SOAP better get a second job 'cause this is going to get expensive.  Oh, I forgot to mention the new sewing machine I 'NEEDED'.  Thankfully he has become quite the housekeeper because I am just too busy now.  

Fun Long Weekend

On the 18th, brave Marlie loaded a toddler and a five week old baby into her SUV and came to visit. Logan had a DVD player and snacks and was set for the long trip.  Aaron only woke up once to be fed, if you don't count the final leg across Loop 1604 to get to our house.  Logan hit the driveway running and Aaron was quickly fed. This was the first time SOAP had seen baby Aaron in person.  He turned out to be a great babysitter.  He and Logan just about drove the tires off the golf cart.

On Saturday we loaded up 2 car seats, a pack and play and many suitcases and drove to McAllen to meet Uncle Phil, Aunt Trish and cousins Lauren and Lenzy.  SOAP was dropped off at the hotel and Marlie and I took the boys and went on to Harlingen to see many old friends.  Farmer Richard and Aunt Cheryl invited us to spend the night at their house.  They have 10 grandchildren and have baby beds as permanent fixtures in 2 bedrooms.  The Keltners, Magees, and Lynn Johnsons all came over for a hastily planned party.  We had such fun and all the grandmothers and wanna be's got a tiny baby 'fix'.  Thanks old friends!

Sunday we did early church at CFC in Harlingen and second service in McAllen.  After lunch, it was back in the car and home to San Antonio.  Marlie and the boys decided to spend a whole day out of the car and stayed over until Tuesday morning.  We had such a good time with them.  SOAP has some pictures he will post on his blog and Marlie probably has some good ones too.  Thanks to Andrew for giving up his family for the weekend.

7th Heaven

Aaron 8 days

Our 7th grandchild, Aaron Robert Thomas, arrived on Friday, Feb.11 at 12:02 pm.  He weighed 8 lb. 6 oz. and was 20 in. long.  He came very quickly and easily, thank goodness.  I made it to the hospital with less than an hour to spare.  He is beautiful and healthy and the family is all doing well.  Mom is feeling fine and up and running.  Dad is an old pro and handles any situation with either boy with ease.  I think the best way to describe Logan is neutral.  He doesn't seem to mind Aaron being around, but isn't very enthusiastic about him either.  Marlie said he asked to be let out of the car a day or so ago when baby Aaron was crying.  I would have paid to see that.  SOAP hasn't met him in person yet, so we are going up this week for some Poppy and Nonny time with the little boys.

Big brother kiss....from a distance

Also this week is the 15th birthday of #2 granddaughter.  Happy Birthday Lauren!!!  

Very Important Visitor

A snack just after arriving

Flat Stanley has come to visit from Mr. Wayne Johnson's Life Skills class in Manor, Texas.  He will be staying with SOAP and I in San Antonio for a while.  During the time he is here he will 'visit' many of the tourist sites in town and report back to the class.  We have already seen the Alamo and the River Walk and shopped for an appropriate outfit to wear to the rodeo.

Hopefully he will be going with us to Ft. Worth VERY soon.  We are anxiously awaiting a call to jump in the car and go for the birth of our 7th grandchild.  Aaron Robert Thomas should be coming any day.  As cold as it is, he would be wise to stay put for a few more days.

Shopping for boots




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Weekend with the Sisters

Cute rain boots

I am back from a great, but wet and cold weekend in Blanco and Fredricksburg.  The Sisters met on Friday for food, fun, shopping and a little bowling.  We had a fantastic time and I got to see some old friends and make quite a few new ones.  Camping was at Miller Creek RV Park in Blanco.  I would recommend you have a self contained bathroom if you are going in warmer weather and are going to need a shower.  They have a cowboy shower.  That's CO-ED with NO stalls or heat, for the uninformed.  The owner said the women usually wear their bathing suits. Needless to say there were no takers in our group and the gals with newer trailers and bathrooms had a lot of friends.  

After shopping at Fredricksburg Trade Days on Saturday, we invaded the Blanco Bowling Club.  What a hoot!  It's a vintage bowling alley with 6 lanes and pin boys.  The food was the typical yummy bowling alley fare featuring chicken fried steak and hamburgers.  We played 9 pin.  None of us were familiar with the game.  All six on the team get 2 tries to knock down the 9 pins.  I am embarrassed to say how often it took all six of us to get the pins down.  We decided the lanes were so old that they were warped and that our skills, or lack thereof, had nothing to do with the horrible scores.  The pin boys had a pretty easy night.

All but about about 6 of the gals who came

Everyone hooked up and headed home this morning, looking forward to the next trip.
                        

Just in case you missed it....

If you slept through New Year's Day or don't care at all about football, you might not have noticed that TCU won the Rose Bowl.  It was a great game.  The Frogs and Coach Gary Patterson are a class act and certainly deserved this huge win.