So Nice To Spend Time Together

Well, the weekend is over and a new week begins. The dinner at Jeff and Amanda’s was the icing on the proverbial cake. It brought together Our kids , their spouses, and our kid’s kids. It happens too infrequently, it is nice when it does happen.

It brings to mind the importance of stopping for a bit. We have all gone in various directions in our lives, our grandchildren have different interests and our responsibilities keep us all going in different directions, that it is nice to stop and have all our various pathways intersect, our universes align.

At times there was more than one conversation, and the cousins laughing and having a great time, kids being kids. Life, I am so often reminded about life is what we make it to be. There are times and situations that we have no control over, and those times, well we do the best we can.

As we sat there conversing, sharing where we are in life, our days, our current events, experiences. it really is amazing all the experiences the grandchildren have had, that our kid’s families have had. Places they have been and plan to go. How each adult is very responsible, very respectable, they love one another and all love their kids immensely. As a parent ( grandparent) – I can not ask for anything more.

The 5 kids running, talking, laughing in the background took me back in time, memories of growing up in a house with 6 of kids, it brought a sense of comfort and many many memories. The sounds were what our house sounded like every single night, every weekend, every summer day and night whenever we were all in the house. It is the building blocks that create each of us. The noise of youth, noise that is there – no internet needed, no electronics, noise that is a sharing of each other. My mom would say she loved the sounds in the house, it was the sound of life. Oh at times she would get frustrated with the energy of the six of us I am sure.

When we went to bed, drifting off to sleep to the sound of the whistling tea kettle, we knew mom was getting ready  to unwind, to focus on her stuff, for she also she loved the quiet- a time she knew everyone was safe, comfortable and resting, charging up for another day of running, laughing, talking, creating and even a few arguments along the way.

It was nice to go back in time, and comforting to know that each of us is doing ok, in our own way, in our own lives. Until the next time we gather together, I will keep close the memories of today.

Until later, Mrs Justa alias Cindy

 

“Times of our Lives”

There was a very popular song from the mid-1970s that Paul Anka had done and Kodak used it as an advertising jingle. The lyrics are very meaningful to me- and as I take photographs and look at photos from times gone by, as I reminisce on times captured in the Windows or my mind and heart, well this melody and its’  words- it plays in my head.

“Good morning, yesterday
You wake up and time has slipped away
And suddenly it’s hard to find
The memories you left behind
Remember, do you remember?

The laughter and the tears
The shadows of misty yesteryears
The good times and the bad you’ve seen
And all the others in between
Remember, do you remember
The times of your life? ………..

Reach out for the joy and the sorrow
Put them away in your mind
The memories are times that you borrow
To spend when you get to tomorrow

The seasons are passing one by one
So gather moments while you may
Collect the dreams you dream today
…….. will you remember
The times of your life?

……….
Do you remember the times of your life?”

For me, as this weekend with family enters its last day and a half, the moments already created and those yet to come, I want to remember the laughter, the realization that we were all placed in the places we are now, because of the roads we have traveled. My wish is that everyone has those moments, those “TImes of Your Life”, that can play over and over again as the days become moments in our journey, little monuments or landscapes.

Until later, Mrs. Justa alias Cindy

 

Mrs Justa and Family reunion part 2

After we came back from the first family reunion, which was my side of the family,3 weeks later  we went to a camp site North East of Lockport NY and had our family reunion with our kids and our kids kids.

This is the 2nd year we have done this and it is really nice to do it.

We can focus on one another and being less people it is a great way for the cousins to play together and our kids to spend time together.

Life is so darn short, life is so darn busy, we just do not get together enough. We were there for 2 full days, leaving on the third day in the morning. As I look back at the time I think I was most moved by just watching the interactions and realizing that all of this could not have been possible without Marks and my children. Adrianne and her kids came out on the 1st full day we were there for an afternoon and evening, her husband unfortunately was not feeling good and could not make it. She said maybe next year she will plan to camp the full time too… It was awesome to spend time with them.

The other part that was special to me was some one on one time I was able to spend with Emily. Emily is now 16 and being a teen is not easy ever, I think it is tougher in 2013 than it was when I was a teen. Emily is a smart young lady and she has a pretty good sense of humor. I just like spending time with her. That was special.

I also love time with our kids and their spouses, it is so neat to watch them interact, like they just saw each other the day before, we did miss Josh though. The time separated seems to disappear. And their kids – our grandkids are funny to watch. Jeff and Amanda’s kids are 3 and almost 5 and Adrianne and Josh’s kids are almost 2 and 4. So they go right up the totem pole of toddler ages. They walked around, they rode bikes, they watched as we tried to fly kites, they played until they dropped with exhaustion. The magic of the fire, the wonder of the sunset, the toasting of s’mores, the memories are priceless.

I feel blessed to have this opportunity and I look back at all the bumps in the road, the hills of life climbed, the slopes sometimes slipped on—they all led us to here. And ya know what— every tear, every smile, every wonder, every pray— it was all worth it.

Until the next post…. hang on to the blessings that come before you..watch for the simplest things that mean so much. Love to all, Mrs Justa alias Cindy

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Mrs Justa and the 2013 family reunion post number 1

Well another year has past for our family reunion. I am from a family of 9 brothers and sisters, one sister has died and our parents are both deceased. We live in various parts of the country and we try really hard to get together. This year there were some of us, not all of us. This year we went back to the State Park my mom had chosen so many years ago. It was really not bad, we got heavy rain one evening, but the base of the fire was strong enough to withstand the rain and light up some more logs. It was neat to see the cousins spend time together. Wish my brothers who could not make it had… it was strange not to have them and their families there. We were missing some nieces and nephews and their kids….

We had no cell phone coverage, we had electric on the sites and public bathrooms. Some people tented, some had trailers, some hoteled it….  all seemed to have a good time.

As we entered the weekend and started to observe things, we came to realize there was a passing of the baton so to speak. When we started to go to this part- we were in our 30s and our kids were 7 . Now we are some  of the elders and our kids have kids of their own. Jeff and Amanda became the dinner site- we all gather together for dinner, a dish to pass and eat our meals, talk, laugh and end it with a nice campfire and s’mores and memories being created.

Adrianne has not been to a reunion for years- but I bet she would like to sometime in the future.. she had mentioned tenting it at some point with her family… and heck if they are more on the line of hotel people, there are some people who do stay in hotels. One year we rented a cabin off site and one year we rented a cabin in a town near by….—that is an option too,.….their kids will be a better age next year… hmmm….maybe they will come too.

The transition was subtle at first, but became more apparent as the clock ticked to 10 PM and Mark and I were headed to the camper to call it a night… leaving behind the 30 something year olds and the younger cousins. Yikes.. we were the “older relatives” who went to bed early…

The kids seemed to totally love the camping experience, and I have to admit I soaked in watching their smiles, there sense of adventure, and looking at how totally exhausted they got from being outdoors, from going “creeking” and from building sand castles.

I thought about all the electronic devices and the automation we have in our homes- and even though they are nice… … (as Mark says to the boys… _)

“this is living… it doesn’t get any better than this !”

And ya know what he is right!. Regardless of our various challenges in life,

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regardless of our stressors our hectic sometimes lives… when we got here—the waters smoothed, the days were peaceful, the experience was something I am so glad we got to share…the only regrets are the people who could not be there…. but than again –we do have next year !!.

So I am off…. kinda chilling tonight…. reminiscing …feeling blessed. Love to all… Mrs Justa alias Cindy,

 

Mrs Justa and some thoughts….

As the days get lighter and the temperatures try to rise some, I am comforted by the signs that we have made it through another winter. This year we can not say it was a mild winter ! We probably have another month of snow potential..but than the camper will come home from storage and our spring time summer time  will begin.

The times of our life are made in memories of days gone by, memories of trials that situations have created and by hopes for many tomorrows. I was thinking about life , and special times, and memories, and what makes memories stay in our minds. As a kid I remember the games we would play together, like huck-abuck-a bean stock, or the card game war, or rummy, or go fish. Hide and seek and red light green light, simon says, I remember making tents out of sheets and sleeping on the floor, I remember staying up late to play a game , and the feeling of falling asleep after being tucked into bed and given a hug.

This past weekend we were blessed with Brandon and Preston for a day and a half. Oh we made a tent out of the dining room table, a king sized sheet, a blanket, and hauling in toys and books and little lanterns.

We baked mini banana muffins, we cooked meals together, we did house hold chores, and had cuddle time. We played games, did puzzles, and ate dinner late one night, stayed up late because we ate dinner late, we watched some TV and sat and talked about things.

It cost nothing in money, yet was priceless in memories and time spent.

It was a great weekend. Oh we had some brother squabbles, some whining at times… but it was all good.

As they left, saying their goodbyes, ( in French because we taught them “auvoir” ) I was wondering if some of these moments are etched in their minds, to surface again in years to come.

I look at the kids and think how quickly they have grown , it seems like only a few days ago Brandon was in the NICU… and we were excited to meet him… Preston was just a twinkle in his parents eyes… as were Mackenzie and Caleb….

and now they are 4,3,2,and 1!!!…. Pretty soon they will be all in school..before we know it..and I just hope the memories are kept close to them..as my child hood memories are close to me.

I am feeling fulfilled from the weekend and the fun being a grandma is…. I love when a child says “ I love you gramma..” it just melts my heart…

Life is good… there are not so good times,,, sad times,,, but all those times have got me here…and here is ok.. We are not money rich..but we are rich with special moments.

I hope you too have some. Love to all Mrs Justa alias Cindy

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Mrs Justa and a year gone by…

As  the year comes to an end in another day…

It seems that the boys were just screaming HAPPY NEW YEAR yesterday..but in reality—it was a year ago….

I seems like I am still in my 30s… but that was a LONGGGG time ago…

no regrets really… for I truly believe life happens the way it does for reasons….

I look back at all the events of this past year.

Many famous people died, tragic shootings, an election came and went  that totally surprised me, and feeling thankful that I have a job in a time when so many do not.

This year we got to witness our grandchildren growing, and we got to connect in a personal way with our “birth” grand daughter who has grown up to be a beautiful young lady. Her adoptive parents were generous enough to let us spend some time with her. Time which was so precious to my heart.

We have had crazy weather, a Hurricane that really did phenomenal damage to the Northeast Coast. We watched as the space program took it’s last voyage. We wept with those suffering from violence and we smiled at those who achieved their goals.

We watched our niece get her license, we camped more. We got to share time at the family reunion with a part of our family, and we witnessed 2 couples wed.

We lost weight , we gained weight, we had a semi successful garden, and disappointments from it too. We adopted a dog, and we found a true companion. We witnessed the affects an abusive past can have on a dog, and have worked very hard with her , so she can trust life will be okay.

Yes as 2012 leaves and 2013 comes in, the fear of the future of our country lingers in my mind….and the hope that people can come together for the better of all of us.

I hope the media starts to focus on the good and not the ugly. We should know not the evil ones… we should know those who bring good.

Happy New Year to all…. I hope you find happiness as the New Year comes to our doorsteps in less than 48 hrs. !!.AS I look back, I am thankful… and I am looking forward to all the goodness next year can bring. Love to all. Mrs Justa, alias Cindy

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Mrs Justa and a journey through time

My life… I sat on the floor in the corner of this room, looking for something specific. And to my surprise I found much more than I intended to. The bottom two shelves are the photos and music of my life….

I was looking for a picture of a lady I work with. She is retiring in a couple of weeks and this photo was from when I met her, back in 1989. She oriented me to hospital nursing. She and I have had our paths cross for years on end, and then for a bit we may work in different places..but we never lost contact.. And times along the way we end up back in the same place again. She is a special lady. As I looked for this one photo I ran across my life. Things that have been pigeon holed in places in my mind.

It is funny how a photograph can bring you back to that year. It can make you remember a smell, or a breeze, or a sense of wonder . It brings back a feeling of being special, or discovering a place you had never been to before. It also can bring back a feeling of loss, or pain. It reminds you of relationships, of stages of youth, of people who have left this temporary home on earth to go to their destination. It kind of reminds us we are alive.

To relive these moments, to watch my little guy and Marks little girl grow up in photos. To  see their kids growing up…

To realize that even thought it seems the years have flown by..those photo albums on the lower 2 shelves represent miles of life’s highway. The whale watches, the camping trips, the mini vacations Jeff and I took, the whale watches that Jeff ,Mark and I went on, the seemingly endless precious weekends that Jeff and Adrianne got to share with us, the evolving of my family from me being a baby to having all my brothers and sisters, smiles, reunions, marriages, births and deaths. All in-between sunsets and sunrises..each one different.

And as I soaked in the memories as they came to life.. I thought about how lucky we are to live in this country. The unrest in other parts of the world.. I wonder if these people have good memories. Have they stopped to see the beauty of the world? My heart says they have missed a lot of the soft sides of life… for they carry around such anger and hatred.

Yes … my journey through time that has been, it has  reminded me that I have been truly blessed. I thank God for that, over and over again.

I hope you have memories of your life captured somewhere. Stop and take a moment to remember. Good night all. Mrs Justa alais Cindy

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Mrs Justa and Caleb is one..I can not believe it !!

Our youngest grandson has hit the big 1. Yep a year old. He has a smile that is contagious. He has red hair that is almost orange, and his curiosity is very prominent.

I am not sure if this will be the youngest grand child or not..but for now he holds that title.

Adrianne and Josh put on a party for his and despite the severe thunder storms, a house full of people, a power failure… they pulled it off. It got a little crowded in the house and so we did retreat to the garage that they had set up some tables and chairs for people to sit in. It was cooler and the kids had room to romp around in the garage some.

It is tough when the intention is to plan a huge party and entertain outside.. Outside the crowd seems less than when everyone ends up in the house. But Adrianne and Josh smiled through it all, and the party went on.  If it had been me… I do not think I would have been as calm and cool and collected that those two are.

We had  nice time, it is always neat to see the kids and the kid’s kids. I wish we all lived closer..but in the whole scheme of things an hour or so apart is not that far.

We went up to Oswego the next night for a sunset. And it is so weird to think that I know not how many sunsets are left to see. Mark had made that comment to me. It is kinda like when I write about the miles in my rear view mirror of life are a lot farther back than the miles I have yet to travel. I think I could take photos of sunsets every night and I would still be in awe at them. They are dramatic to me, they are a statement of the insignificance we each are when we look at the world as a whole. Than to think we see all of this as we exist on the outside of a sphere… kind of fascinating….

Life is so full of outstanding sites to see. And to me the sun rising and setting is right up there. A beginning to a day or  tucking a day in to the bed of the memory books. No matter when they happen, they are breathtaking. I love the colors, the brilliance, the ever changing formations. And I wonder if in way, if I too bring some color to peoples lives at times. Do any of us?

In this crazy world of rushing and ups and downs… we need to stop and make a difference in others lives. That is what living is for. Love to all. Mrs Justa alais Cindy

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Mrs Justa and back from a mini camping trip…

We have just returned from a 2 day camping trip at a KOA about 1 hr from here. It was fun, it was pretty hot weather.. and  it is always nice to get home. I get to go to work tomorrow, and I am looking forward to the 2 days of work, than the weekend.

The washer has just finished the last load of clothes, we have finished dinner, and I feel kind whipped from the day. We got up at 7..and left by about 9, than dropped the camper off at the camping store again—had a few issues that need looking at… and came home.

We unpacked..and as I went to make lunch—I realized the turkey lunch meat was no where to be found. Knowing the camper was sitting for a few days..in the beating down sun…..needing repair—we figured we better go down there and get the turkey out of there.Can you imagine what the camper would have smelled like! I bet they would have fixed the problems quickly and gotten it back to the FAR AWAY lot lickety split!!LOL>>>>

So I finished unpacking the rest of the stuff..packed the left overs in the fridge or freezer, did some stuff around here, and off we went to the camp place to check out the probability that there was turkey left behind.

AND THERE IT WAS… under a grocery bag that was laying in the fridge from me packing the fridge up.

We left Riley at home… she is having trouble with adjusting to us being gone… well.. I left the cooler next to the counter..not thinking this long legged baboon would think the cooler was a step to the counter. She got on the counter..found 2 sub rolls, and took them on the floor and ate them..than proceeded to have diarrhea in the dining room… GRRRR!… I know they said she was a stray—so she probably climbed in all sorts of places for food…. she IS earning confinement in a kennel when we take off places…

She was great at the camping trip. they had a Kamp K-9… which she had more to herself than with others. So I became her play mate….

She does not like to chase balls, was not real keen on the agility stuff… she just had time to be off the leash in a safe area.

We had initially planned this trip with Jeff and Amanda and their 2 kids…. we let Josh and Adrianne know –they and their 2 kids came..and than we mentioned to Emily about it. It was going to be like a mini family reunion for a few days…

BUT.. Jeff and Amanda’s boys were sick..so they were not able to attend. We have a nice time…but we definitely did miss them…

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pool water was cool, the dinner came out very good, the campfire was good for s’mores….and we enjoyed the time spent with everyone there.

 

 

 

 

AS the day becomes closer to being a yesterday..I have thought about how neat it is to get together with family.

We are going to maybe try again in August and see if we can get the whole group together… if not camping.. maybe a summer meal here….. we will have to see… I am closing for now.. gotta finish a few things before ending the day…

Love to all , Mrs Justa alias Cindy

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Mrs Justa and the nice day that has passed….

Well today Riley Regan got a small introduction to her kennel. We had a birthday party to go to in Rochester, and even though Adrianne and Josh said to bring the dog..we just did feel right about adding a dog to the mix of a potential 15 kids and 40 adults. So the kennel we have used for our past 2 dogs had an opening and we dropped her off.

They said she was great there. That the kennel was like home to her. We were not sure if we would get back by 5 ( when the kennel closes)..but we made it with 15 minutes to spare.

She was not moping, or seeming like the change of scenery did her any harm.. She was tired, but happy.

We are thrilled, as she has been through a lot these past few weeks, and she needs to know we will be back, and that she is safe and no one is going to hurt her.

This woman who runs the kennel totally LOVES each of the dogs. She talks about the dogs like they are gifted children in a daycare center. She does not just put the dogs back in a cage and collect the money. She knows all their quirks, personalities and laughs about their antics. We are so blessed to have her right near by.

Mackenzie is going to be 3 on the 25th… how totally precious to see her at 3..she was born a very tiny little girl…

This is Mackenzie on 8-23-2009…

 

and this is her today….

 

 

 

a little girl filled with wonder.. trying to absorb the day, the heat, the people, the smiles and claps.

It was a nice day. We got to see Josh, Adrianne, Mackenzie, Caleb,

 

 

Emily and Craig, and some people we knew in passing…

Mark’s first wife was there and Josh and Adrianne’s kids are very close to her..she lives close to them.

All in all it was a nice day…Riley met new friends..we got to see some of our grandkids… Jeff and Amanda were not there—they have 2 sick boys right now… the party would not have been a great place for them.

Unfortunately they will not be camping with us this week on Mon and Tues… (major bummer)… but we will get to spend an afternoon and evening with Emily and Craig..and an evening with Josh, Adrianne and their 2 little ones..so we are looking forward to that.

Whew.. I am feeling a little tired from the day…. I have a solo to do tomorrow… probably would not be good to yawn during it..so I am off to fold laundry and get ready for bed.. Good night all… love to everyone… Mrs Justa alias Cindy

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Mrs Justa and Adrianne’s birthday

Today was a day off. I have a few more days to use before the end of the year, ( our personal time year ends 2-29-2012…) so I took today off . It was Adrianne’s 30th  birthday, and I was hoping the weather would cooperate and we could go out and bring her her gift. The weather was very cooperative 42 degrees and rain so we headed out , to surprise her.

As the kids were growing up, we only got  to spend her actual birthday with her  when we were lucky enough to have the every other weekend fall on her birthday—so this was a special day..

We get out there, and there is another car in her driveway… so we called her from her driveway, and she said—”Let me call you back in a few minutes.” – well all of the sudden she raises her garage door – with the electric opener- and out comes her cleaning lady. We are trying to quietly talk to the lady, and hoping Adrianne does not hear us.

So the lady left and we scooted into her house through the garage- …she was surprised. YES!! I love when a plan comes together. 

We had a nice visit. Mackenzie is a full throttle two year old. She is light enough that she can move like the speed of light.

She and I chased each other around the house some….the house is designed with the stairs going upstairs between the living room and the hall going to the kitchen- so we were looping around through the kitchen, down the hall, thru the living room and dining room and back in the kitchen. I would turn around and meet her face to face… 

She would laugh and do an about face.

We made it for a little while, but than the dog decided to pull on the bottom of my jeans— ( an unfair advantage for Mackenzie!)

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Caleb was all smiles today, he is getting pretty red hair!.

His eye brows are coming in red too. I wonder if it will darken to a reddish blond- or if he is going to stay a red head.

He is liking the bouncy toys that he can sit in, but only for a little while. He likes to look around, and be held.

I got the honor of standing and swaying him to sleep- that is so cool when all the sudden you feel their head lean on your shoulder and their breathing gets relaxed, and you know they were comfortable enough to snooze.

We got back here and I went off to the gym. I had a pretty good workout- but I think I left part of my back there!. I did the circuit and than  30 minutes on the treadmill on an incline- at 3.3 mph. I am not sure which aggravated my back.- but I am betting the circuit.
Tomorrow was a day off too, but I canceled it to go in tomorrow and maybe I will take a day next week. One of the nurses is leaving tomorrow, I want to go in and say good bye to her.

So today is winding down, and tomorrow I am planning on going in early. Than before I know it, the weekend will be here. Have a good Friday…. and hopefully I will be back tomorrow… Love and best wishes…. Cindy alias Mrs Justa.

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Mrs Justa and peace of mind

I heard a lyric in a song the other morning as I was getting ready for work, and it was one of those times I stopped and had to write it down…I did not want to have it lost in the mass of information I so kindly refer to as my memory. ( And let me tell you—things DO get lost in there!!)

It was “You can’t put a price on piece of mind”.

Now is that not an awesome lyric. It seems we are trying to buy our peace of mind.

New cars; better jobs; new clothes, different hair style, (or hair color ); different pathways through life—and I bet no one can really say they finally bought peace of mind—that they found it on a shelf in a super secret store—and it cost a lot—but it sure feels great.

IF you think winning the lottery will give you peace of mind- I think you better think again. Talk about increasing hassles- and some will not like you because you won and they are envious—others will feel they are entitled to you donating money to them because they want or need it… can you imagine all the “friends” you found out like you who have not had a darn thing to do with you for years and years.

Peace of mind..looking at the definition…from freedictionary.com

“1. peace of mind – the absence of mental stress or anxiety

ataraxis, peacefulness, repose, serenity, peace, heartsease

quietude, quietness, tranquillity, tranquility – a state of peace and quiet”

The closest I think I get to peace of mind is when I just am.                                                    There are many places it is NOT.                                                                                                        It  is not in a store, not standing in line to get into an event, not driving down the expressway with the entitlement crowd, not in crowds of people.

Peace of mind IS: ( for me!)    being a mom ( that was so special as I lived each year as a mom of a  baby to grown into  adulthood!); being around our grandchildren: having them  sit on my lap as we cuddle or read a book;

watching them sleep;

having them hug my neck and say “I wuv you gamma “ :

 

 

 

 

It is spending time with someone who truly loves you: it is having time for friends;  it is  found sitting around a camp fire;      camping ( after we are set up LOL) :  reading a book; soaking in a hot bath: watching sunsets and sunrises:

being at the ocean; watching the world from the top of a mountain;  sitting in church; singing in church; cleaning; doing laundry; shoveling snow; mowing grass; working out with the MP3 tunes going in my head; just sipping on a cup of coffee and watching the world around us go by from our bench.”

There are so many ways to taste peace of mind—but put your wallet away, do not look on line for it over night shipped, not in stores , not at the lottery ticket booth….

I hope you have places you can be- where you can sample peace of mind.

Love to all.. enjoy tranquility… Mrs Justa alias CIndy

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Mrs Justa and the weekend

Yesterday we were able to get out to Rochester to see Caleb, Mackenzie , Josh and Adrianne. We always are unsure if the weather will cooperate this time of year, and than tie in the issues Mark has with his dizziness ..well it was a blessing to have the weather and the dizziness cooperate!.

Caleb is 4 mos old and he is a smiley little guy. He is still at the age where he can not quite sit or entertain himself much, but he loves looking around and smiling at others. His legs are pretty strong, so if he is not at the time for a jumper yet, he is really close. I remember when Jeff was little and in a jumper ( no where near as nice as the jumpers of 2012, yet it still was a contraption he could jump in, I had a full length mirror. So to keep him entertained, I placed the jumper in front of the mirror. He would watch the baby jumping in the mirror…kept him entertained for long periods of time.

Mackenzie is 2 and she is non  stop. She wants to be wherever anything is happening. She is funny really to watch, as she goes from one area to another.

She is at the age of talking, but not quite saying the words clearly all the time. So it has to be frustrating to her as she knows what she wants, but others might not have the foggiest idea.

She was fooling around with Mark after we had been there for a bit. It is tough , we really are not together all that much, so it takes a little while for the kids to warm up to us. 

Mackenzie kept her space from me, but she was closer to Mark. I know from being around kids, that the kids need to warm up to the adults and the adults should not force the kids to come to them. So I did not. I watched her though, and it amazes me how quickly time goes by and the kids age.

We had a wonderful dinner that Josh had done in the crock pot,and it was nice to see the kids… ( big and little )

Today was a busy day, church, ran some errands, a couple hrs at the gym, washed the car, and now I am home for the night. Today was a not so good day for Mark, he was super dizzy and had a lump on his neck that was causing him to just not feel very good. So I went out and let him chill, he actually slept for most of the time I was gone.

At the car wash I was reminded of long long ago. There was a dad and his son , who must have been about 6 or 7. They were in the next bay, we were both manually washing the cars. Well he was talking to this little guy in the most loving educational way, telling him all the ins and outs of washing the car, and he let the little boy use the foaming brush. It brought me back to the days of doing that same thing with Jeff. He and I would get out and walk around the bay, working on the car. I learned really fast that the brush and not the wand was better for him… cuz I got REALLY wet when he had the wand.

It was comforting to see someone parent their child, to be telling them lessons of life, the little boy listening intently and trying to do his best, and maybe the dad was  not realizing it, but those words will stay with that little boy when he is all grown. Moments like these are priceless to a child….

Ahh… it was a special moment… I am thankful to have been there for it. I smiled… as walked past them to get my change,….it brought me back 20 + years ago,….to a wonderful part of my life when being a parent was what I did, and Jeff was one reason I got up every morning, he was so close to me as his mom……we had a special relationship……  and for a moment..that little boy was Jeff in my memory of images of the past.

Life … it goes by fast…it is fill with so many snapshots of times as they fly by…. May you have a great night, love to all, Mrs Justa alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: life,lessons,parents,teaching,caring,memories.,children,learning,giving,blessings.

 

Mrs Justa and "auld lang syne"

Wow 2011 is coming to and end in one day. Gee…I do not have nearly everything I set out to do last January…I wanted a lot more out of me…., to have written a book, and won the lottery, and learned something new.

Well… I guess if I was not specific..this blog is kinda like a book, and I ache a little more in the morning( so that is more out of me) , and I did win a few 2.00 scratch off lottery tickets, and I have learned that life is never guaranteed to bring you what you think you want. So I guess, if I really stretch..maybe I kind of achieved my desires for 2011.

We are surviving, we have had some ups and downs, and we are still standing. I made it through being 57… I dreaded that entire 12 mos, cuz my dad was 57 when he died, and everyone in the family always said that the Gaines’s die at 57 quite often.. so I made it through that.

2011 brought us a 4th grandchild…that is priceless… and we finally got a hard shell camper… after 57 years of tents, pop ups and worrying about touching the canvas.. we finally made it to being one of the “old folks” with a hard shell.  ( We will be 74 when it is pd for…but what the heck… keeping the economy going..right?)

We learned we can not trust the 401 K plans, and we can not trust the elected officials to bring about “CHANGE” like they promised.. Oh we have gotten change… but it was not the picture that was drawn.

Life has taught me that childhood is too short, and toddlers are God’s gift … they bring magic to the room, they bring wonder and they want to be just like their parents and love life.

2011 started out with tons of snow, and reminded us that we can make it through some pretty scary days. The folks in the Northeast—well we are used to snow and we have highway crews who respect it.

We were reminded that no matter how much you wish for life to continue, no matter how much money you try to spend for health. that life hurts..and we lose lives that meant a lot to us…and am very thankful for the few photos we have, to remind us of how blessed we were to share our lives together….

 

As we end the year, I am going to shed a bit of trivia… do you know what “aude lang syne” means?? It means  "times gone by." It is always funny to hear people sing it when they have no idea what is is saying… it is like listening to a chorus of hooked on phonics… some will sing out like no ones business any of these phrases…….                        Far hold ang zyne  or

For old aunt Gzyne  or

Farheld ang zyne  or

Farheld ang sign or

For old ang sign –not having a clue what they are singing..but they know it must be meaning something to someone.

So for all you New Year’s Evers… sing it proud as “Aude Lang Syne” and know now you are singing about the times that have passed..the good ol days…

Love to all.. Happy New Year…. Mrs Justa alias Cindy( thanks google free clip art for the images!!)

Technorati Tags: life,children,resolutions,New year,years gone by,before,after,wishing,wondering

 

Mrs Justa and our family Thanksgiving 11-12-11

Okay , the day has come and gone..but the memories—clicked in my mind forever.

Yesterday was the 2nd annual Thanksgiving dinner with our kids and our grand kids. It was a great time, the kids all interact well together.. ( well Caleb has no choice—he just goes with the flow right now…but once he has a year under his belt—he will be in the interaction game too.)

I wanted to start a grandma, grandpa and the 4 grandkids annual Thanksgiving photo..It was not quite like those seen from a professional studio- where everyone looks posed, and thrilled to be doing it… but………………

But this is LIFE!!! I love them !!!

We will have to see how each year they change as we change. It was really funny. Who need kids in posed positions looking like they love grandmas idea ??

Dinner went well, we did get everything ready at the same time—that is always a plus.. I have had Thanksgiving turkeys that had a mind of their own, and just would not finish until 30 minutes after everything else was done. This turkey …did have a mind of it’s own,

it would not stay upright and kept rolling over…. like the heat was too much for it to stand. –but regardless..it did cook on time.

I was thinking as the cars engines idles, we watched our kids as they walked away… as the grandchildren were being buckled in their car seats..that regardless of how screwed up at times life can be… THIS IS what life is about. The gift of life, the gift of family, the blessings that God has placed on each of us…..I am thankful for so much….

To Mark and me—it was not the specific day of Thanksgiving that was important… it was finding a day that we could all comfortably meet , a day that became a Thanksgiving for us.

I am going to go now.. and reflect the day, get ready for today..and wish you all the gift of friends, family, life. Love to all, Mrs Justa alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: Thanksgiving,family,times,sharing,laughter,good times,food,fun,grandkids,kids

 

Mrs Justa and a new little guy and his sister!

A proud big sister with her new little brother… and grandpa.

Meet Caleb, and see Mackenzie as she grows up to a very smiling little girl.

She was really cute today, showing us things and always wanting to see the back of the camera to look at the picture just taken. “Me see!” she would say with a huge smile.

Caleb… he mostly slept…

We did try to capture a yawn, which he did a few times… but by the time the camera finished its little delay thing, the yawn was gone!

We surprised Adrianne and the kids with a visit. We were not totally sure we would make it all the way out there, as Mark has been having some incredibly tough times with dizziness and nausea.

But we did make it, and we actually were able to enjoy them for an hour or so, than headed home via the Charlotte Pier. It is a very long pier where Mark and Adrianne spent a lot of hours at when she was much younger, before Mark and I were together. Mark introduced me to the pier and I found comfort at it on the weekends when Jeff went to stay with his dad. After Mark and I were together, it was a family place where we brought the kids.

It is different now, more developed with walking paths, and a road that used to be there is now  a cement walkway that is fairly wide.  If you really want to pretend you are at the ocean… you can kinda…

The waves were slapping… a much lighter slap than the ocean waves… but it was the same noise.

There were not too many people up there, it was not a too hot or too cold day, there was a slight breeze… I felt bad though because Mark was not able to walk too far, but we did get to experience the setting for a little bit. We headed back  to the car as the sprinkle of rain started to  coat the area.

I found this little guy amazing, this duck was acting like the greeter as we entered the area, he was in the same spot as we entered the pier and when we came back. He bowed as we walked by, as if to say… “Have a good day…How do you do ?”

look at the blue on his body, it was almost glowing.

So today was a nice day. A day different than we had initially intended a few weeks ago… we had been toying with maybe camping… but it is not fun camping when the world is spinning and the trailer feels like it is tipping…

So we are here now …. and we were able to spend some time with Adrianne and the kids… I went and got the groceries already for the week, and now we have the weekend!. Peace to all, Love and prayers… Mrs. Justa alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: Charlotte,life,past,peace,Caleb,MAckenzie,Grandparenting,Rochester,Adrianne

 

Mrs Justa and the garden winding down

Way back when I started the garden I thought how neat it would be to grow a couple pumpkins, for the grandkids. And last Sunday the 2 boys were able to come out and pick a pumpkin. It felt good. I was not wanting to grow a huge pumpkin, ones that would win a prize at the fair… nope, I really wanted to grow special pumpkins for the kids, I hoped for perfect shaped ones, not too big.. and somehow it happened.

It was so neat to see the boys choose the ones they wanted.

 

Their smiles were worth every pulled weed, every bead of sweat, every prayer over the garden as we went though heat spells, every pondering if they would come out okay.

We were  not as lucky with the Cantaloupe…the vines deteriorated and the cantaloupes just stopped growing, so next year is another time to try.

The only thing left growing in the garden now are green peppers and a few more tomatoes.

 

We actually had some sautéed green peppers with our dinner tonight and there are about 8 more growing.

 

I think this year was a better year in general for the non green thumb that I have.

We have some stuff in the freezer, and I am wondering if during the colder months if it is possible to still garden? How well does a green house work? I would think everything would freeze really quickly the first time it is overcast for a day. So I personally do not want to feel defeated in the season I am not crazy about.

I guess if we ever  had enough $$ to put up a 4 season room of glass… and a hot tub… ( YEAH RIGHT !!!>>>) but if that ever happened..( it would be cuz we won the lottery) … than maybe I would try to grow stuff year round… But I know my 38.00 wobbly indoor green house was not weather worthy..

Yep, perfect pumpkins, made perfect smiles, for a couple of precious kids.

If we get out to Rochester soon,we  will probably still be able to bring a pumpkin for Mackenzie and Caleb too. I hope the pumpkins stay strong !.

Love to all, Mrs Justa alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: pumpkins,Brandon,Preston,Caleb,Mackenzie,grandkids,grandparenting,life,love,gardening,smiles